Look what we found when we popped over to see our new place today. A skip bin full of treasures!

The previous owners hired a skip and had a big clean out...luckily we were able to check it out before being collected this week. We salvaged a few boxes of books - not entirely sure what I will do with them yet! It's a wonderful range of hard cover novels and encyclopedias. Seriously, how could I let this lot go to the dump!!

There are a few boxes to sort through, plus a suitcase, but will wait till we have moved in a couple of weeks to go through it all.

Picking up the keys on Monday, very exciting!

2/4/2011 the day we bought our dream Retro Abode at Auction. A nail biting experience, but in the end it was meant to be.

We were happy and lucky to meet the previous owner Cyril who has now started a new chapter in his life in an old folks home. An absolute sweetheart... I just wanted to give him heaps of cuddles but thought that may seem weird!

He was happy to meet us too, knowing our plans and love for his home of 50 years.

Might have to frame this one to pop up on the wall when we move in!

So the fun begins... as we start renovations I will post images and details of the transformation! The photo collection will be stored here >

Denis and I are currently looking at a property to buy in Largs North South Australia 200m from the beach! Built in 1960, this property has been owned by the same family for over 50 years!

Today we found out that our home loan was approved, so the next step is to have the property inspected by a builder on Monday. I am trying not to get too excited about the whole prospect of this property being ours, but I have already drawn up modifications to the floor plan - I just couldn't help myself! Such a flexible floor plan and big enough to accommodate both my business Messagemark and Denis Smith Photography! Also, it has a decent size yard so we can get stuck into the vege patch!

This property is just waiting for us to make it sparkle again and bring it back to it's former 1960s glory. If we are fortunate to be the new owners, I have decided that I will regularly post photos of the transformation as we slowly renovate and enhance the original retro features.

Fingers crossed it works out... will keep you posted! More photos here...

We treated ourselves and went to 6 garage sales in the Barossa Valley on Saturday morning. There is something exciting and exhilarating about prioritising which sales to hit first, working out the most efficient travel route to ensure we don't miss out on anything!

Denis drives, and I frantically punch in each address into the GPS. It can sometimes be a mad panic, especially when we find treasures we end up on a bit of a natural high (yes cheap entertainment), so want to get to the next one asap!

More more photos of our found treasures visit my flickr page here.

We were driving through Largs North today and out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of orange. "STOP THE CAR!"

In the middle of some hard rubbish outside a house I spotted an orange typewriter case. Excited, I jumped out of the car and grabbed it not even noticing what else was there. To my delight the case was heavy so there had to be a typewriter inside. I quickly opened it in the car, it was like revealing the hidden treasure! Made in Japan, immaculate metal case, and in working condition...

Memories came back from my old school days when I studied typing in year 10. I remembered how to load the paper and adjust the line spacing! It probably needs a new ribbon but I still managed to do some typing.

Thank you to the person who put it out on the side of the road for me to find. It made my day!