Yet another bloggie Friday comes around. I hope you’re all anticipating a wonderful weekend ahead, but first here’s a little blog inspiration.

“Dream big about your blog – but be strategic in your actions and your thinking. And remember always be humble – because Socrates was right!”

(By the way, for anyone living in WA the sign I photographed above is one of many similar inspirational signs and gifts for sale in Splash Gallery, Bonnefoi Boulevard, Bunbury.)

Boost blog traffic via strategic thinking

How to attract more traffic to your blog is one of the biggest conundrums we face as bloggers. As someone said, “You can’t monetise a blog, but you can monetise an audience.” Not everyone wants to monetise their blog, but as bloggers we all want to have readers, don’t we?

But boosting your readers and traffic isn’t possible without upping your blog strategy. So today here are five strategic ways to think in a smart way about your blog and where you’re going with it.

1. Think of strategic ways to gain new followers.

You can’t just write a blog post and hope for the best. Believe me, I’ve tried. In fact I don’t even want to tell you for how long my blog flatlined in the beginning. It was like posting into the void, and I knew no better.

Right from the start, begin to think strategically about how you’re going to find people who might like to read your blog.

• put out a request for people to share your Facebook Page (you do have one, don’t you?)
• join the conversation on forums appropriate to your niche
• engage in relevant Facebook Groups
• interact more with Twitter Tweeps and keep adding more Twitter followers
• learn how to best use Google+
• hand out your business card whenever it’s appropriate
• make sure that you promote your blog posts via all the social media channels that you are signed up to
• perhaps join blog parties, link-ups or blog carnivals
• reply to comments on your blog, and perhaps email those people who add to the conversation – make them feel appreciated.
• Think all the time about where your potential readers are gathering and find out how you can join in and participate in those places.

2. Know your goals

No goal is too big or too stupid. Write down your short and long term goals and stick them up somewhere you can see them. I believe in the power of attraction – don’t you? If you really really want something and work towards it consciously (and subconsciously) then it’s  more likely to happen.

Think of some 1 month, 6 month, 1 year and 5 year goals – and Write Them Down.

3. Create a Reader Profile

Darren Rowse says that creating a reader profile is really important so that you can tailor your posts to a particular person. This makes your posts more personal and relevant too. So decide who you want to read your blog, and think about who’s reading your blog already. You might like to run a poll or a survey to help you find out more about them.

Doing this, Darren says will “Revolutionise what you do with your blog.” Why? Because you will have a better idea of who you’re writing for and what they want to know or find out.

4. Brand your blog to be recognised

Branding is all about how people perceive you, or your blog. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.  Think for a moment or two about the big brands – what do you feel about Virgin or Coca Cola, how about MacDonalds? And what about well known blogs – when you think of the blogs that you read, what sort of image do they convey to you?

Think about what do people say about your blog – why not ask some other bloggers? Do you come across as professional or quirky, aloof or friendly. Is your blog on track with how you want to come across – if it’s not you might need to make some changes.

5. Hook people to your blog

There are different ways to glue people to your blog so that you are more often visible. It’s a consistency thing. If you see someone’s face or name bandied around a lot, isn’t the general perception: “Gee, they seem to be doing well!” So think about how you are going to get your name into the tram lights more often. Success builds success and all that.

Think about how you can best use:-

• Twitter
• Email
• ‘Follow Post’
• Google+
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• Sidebar widgets
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• A monthly newsletter
• Forums and other social media channels.

If you can be ‘all over the internet’ commenting and guest posting frequently then that helps (but it’s time consuming).

You might also need to identify which social media sites work best for you and concentrate on one or two rather than many.

6. When people get to your site – what do you want them to do?

Getting people to take action is important. You don’t just want readers to bounce away and never return. Think about whether you want them to …

• Subscribe to your blog
• Follow posts or comments
• Make a comment
• Join a membership scheme
• Buy your book or product
• Spread the Word
• Follow on Facebook

Make sure it’s easy for them to do the most important things that you’d like them to take action on.

Footnote:

My Big Thanks as always to various blog mentors who have contributed in one form or another to the ideas I’ve accumulated for this post and other posts about blogging. Please visit their sites for much more in depth information and advice: Problogger Darren Rowse, Copyblogger Brian Clark, Boost Blog Traffic Jon Morrow, Kikolani Kristie Hines, The Art of Non-Conformity Chris Guillebeau , Sccessful Blogging Annabel Candy, Ramsay known as Blog Tyrant,  and Styling You, Nikki Parkinson.

When you think about how to boost your own blog strategy, what tips do you think you could you add in the comments?

The post 5 Ways to boost blog traffic via smart and strategic thinking appeared first on ZigaZag.

Sunrise from our garden

Sunset and sunrise is a brilliant time of the day in Western Australia, especially during Autumn when the sky often conjures up the most amazing palette of colours.

If I’m up early enough to watch the sun rise (actually not so hard to do now that it’s rising around 6.30am) the colours of a crimson dawn put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. And equally a pretty sunset (followed by a nice glass of a Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc!) is a beautiful way to end the day.

Sunset and Sunrise last night and this morning

So, as I wasn’t actually with you to share these magical moments in real life, I’d like to share 5 sunset and sunrise photos that I took last night and this morning, which I hope will make you feel equally happy.

Sunset over the inlet in Bunbury

Sunset looking back to the Cathedral in Bunbury

Paddlers having fun as the sun sets over the iconic Bunbury Tower

Sunrise over our little patch in Western Australia

There’s nothing like a brilliant sunrise or sunset to bring back romantic memories. Where is your most romantic memory of a sunset?

I think mine was when we were travelling around Tasmania,  and on the evening of my birthday He Himself sprung a surprise picnic and bottle of wine on top of a big rock in the Bay of Fires.

You’ll find a wonderful selection of travel stories, and sunrises and sunsets at Travelers Sandbox, Photo Thursday – why not pop over and take a peek – after you’ve told us about your most romantic sunset of course

The post How to feel happy in 5 photos appeared first on ZigaZag.

Jo McIntosh, owner of Rustic French Living in Boyanup

If you’re into shabby chic and French Country Style, then a visit to the small country town of Boyanup in South Western Australia is something that might just be up your street, so to speak. For here you’ll find Rustic French Living, a quaint store owned by Jo McIntosh, situated in a small church on the main road.

French Country Style a lifestyle business

Jo’s fascinating story includes a chateau and ancestry in Menton, France, and today is the second part of my interview with Jo, an inspiring West Australian woman who has some useful ‘been there, done that’  tips about running a lifestyle business for us too.

What did you do before you opened ‘Rustic French Living’, in Boyanup?

I have always had a home based business selling homeware, along with my own new and recycled ladies clothing ranges.  As well as that I worked at the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School as a Boarding Supervisor, a job which I still do at night.

What was the catalyst to the life changing decision?

My youngest daughter had left school and moved to Adelaide to go to University.  I needed a new direction – so after having a pop up shop over Christmas and being offered the church in Boyanup for rent, I decided the time was right to open my store.

Why did you decide to open up a rustic French store?

I had always sourced and created homeware with a difference, and after being in France for a trip I decided to concentrate on that kind of style, trying to be a bit different – by sticking to a ‘rustic’ French country style rather than ‘pretty’.

I wanted to create a shop where people could come and have a pleasant experience, browse through interesting products, have time out and a cup of tea and some cake. A place where women could come and sit and read a book for half an hour if they wanted to.

Boyanup’s a lovely little town in South West Australia, but why Boyanup over somewhere bigger like Bunbury?

I opened in Boyanup because of the church and its wonderful character. I suppose it’s got a lovely feeling because it was once a church – it’s serene, restful and adds to the overall experience. You know, people come in and tell me their stories, that they’ve been married here for instance.  I did look at places in Bunbury but the rents were much higher and the shops didn’t give me the ambience you get from a church.  Also I wanted to provide ‘coffee and cake’ which is sought after in Boyanup.  I wanted to create a ‘drive to’ destination.

What do you most like about French living?

The lifestyle, the history, the importance of family and food, the language and of course the gorgeous old stone buildings!

Jo’s ancestors once owned this property in Menton in France

What draws  you back to France?

To experience what it has to offer and to learn new things – also the shopping, especially the antique markets and brocante stores.

If you had to pick two items from the store right now to take home with you, what would they be?

The French Provincial style pottery made in New Zealand by Tony Sly (above) and the antique embroidered serviettes.

What do people tell you they like most about your store?

The fact that it is a mixture of old and new, that the stock changes all the time and they don’t know what they will find each time.  They like the fact that it’s in a church and they love the free gift wrapping service too.

 Which items, or type of items are most popular?

The linen is very popular – French country style quilts and throws, cushions, tea towels, washed wicker homeware, wrought iron and furniture.

How long has it taken to establish your business?

I opened the shop in August 2011 but I’ve built up a customer base through running interior decorating classes, as well as exhibiting at the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Monster Craft Fair and the Art Angels Exhibition group in Bunbury for the last 13 years.

These days I hold interior decorating workshops including a paint finishing course,  in a small room at the rear of the chapel, and I teach people to use what they’ve got around them to create new things – get them to think out of the box and see things in a different light – such as putting tea candles in crystal glasses placed on an old mirror for a night time table decoration, for instance.

What was the biggest hassle setting up the shop?

I’d have to say it was getting permission to open.

Where do people come from?

Lots of people travel down from Perth, and people stop in if they’re travelling south for holidays, so do local people from surrounding towns.

French country style, rustic French, shabby chic – the words all point to the same concept of a definitive interior style.

If you had to give one piece of advice to someone opening a store in WA, what would it be?

Do your research on the products you’re going to sell, decide who your ideal customer is going to be, and try to set up with minimal financial risk.

How many children do you have?

I have two daughters; Melissa who is now 23 years old and Chelsea who is 20 years old.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

Having coffee with friends, walking along the beach, gardening, reading decorating magazines and browsing through interior design books.

How long have you been in SWA?

We moved here as a family from New Zealand in January 2000.

What do you love about SWA?

The weather. The fact that you are not far from the beach or the bush.  The wonderful friends we have made.

Where would you go for the weekend at the drop of a hat?

Either to Perth or down south, or to different friends getaway holiday places.

What is your favourite beauty spot, beach, or tourist spot in WA?

I love the Bunbury beaches in particular and often you can be the only one there.

Where would you like to be taken for a birthday dinner?

The Lighthouse Beach Resort – Glenn and Sandra are wonderful.

Best thing you’ve ever bought to sell in the shop?

The blue and white china ware from “Villa Maison”. I wanted a rustic sort of China that people would re-order, and they do.

What’s exciting right now?

The shop gives me the opportunity to travel to France and New Zealand to source goods and I’d like to bring more character furniture, crockery, vintage linen, and give people who aren’t able to travel, access to those types of things.  What’s very exciting is that I have tentative plans to renovate a property in France and I’ve been asked to start up similar stores in Queensland, South Australia, Perth and New Zealand.

In summer the sea is a tropical blue at Busselton

5 Favourite things about South West Australia

The beaches, the fact that you can go to the Ferguson Valleyfor the morning and the beach in the afternoon – I love the proximity of the bush and the sea. I love the weather especially the different seasons. Spring and Autumn are my favourites. I love the fresh produce we get here – there’s a great place for fresh fruit and vegetable in Donnybrook for instance. And of course the people – they’re friendly, and there’s a mix of different cultures.

Tips for women starting over, or starting a lifestyle business.

Go with your gut instinct and don’t have any regrets. I could have decided not to open this shop but I was passionate about it. I think if you’re passionate about something and love something, then that will shine through in whatever you do.

If you’d like to contact Jo online – then visit Rustic French Living, or read more about her story and French Country Style.

Lots of people look for a sea change or a tree change. Would you like to run a lifestyle business? What would you choose?

The post French Country Style at ‘Rustic French Living’ in Boyanup, Western Australia appeared first on ZigaZag.

Picture: Benoit Fontaine. Costumes, Liz Vandal

Is it a dream? Is it an illusion or is it a fantasy world I’ve just stepped into?

This was the question I asked as I ventured inside the massive blue and yellow Big Top of Cirque du Soleil in Langley Park, Perth on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The smaller VIP section of the much larger Big Top beneath Perth’s city skyline.

On stage there’s a giant egg. An “Ovo”, which is the name of the show.

The egg begins to pulsate as loud music builds to a crescendo and then there’s a burst of percussion and suddenly all the overhead lights snap out.

Darkness.

We are cast into an inky black netherworld where anything could happen.

Goodbye reality. Hello dream.

For suddenly out of darkness we are magically transported into fluorescence as the stage is re-lit to reveal another world.

The Crickets in Ovo, and amazing costumes by Liz Vandal. Picture by Benoit Fontaine

A world of grasshoppers, fleas, ants, spiders, scarabs, and a band of cockroaches, who as it happens play excellent music, and the lead singer’s voice is haunting. Who knew that cockroaches could sing so well? It’s certainly no cacophony of cockroaches.

The show rushes headlong in a riot of energy and movement through a colourful eco-system teeming with insects that work, crawl, play, fight, eat and fall in love.

Picture: Benoit Fontaine

The whole event is unique and I can’t decide if it’s really a circus or a show. In a way it’s all that and more with ethereal music, fabulous circus acts, contortionists and the most amazing trapeze artists. There’s even a comedy aspect to the story that fits in nicely with the notion of ‘circus’ and ‘clowns’ and there’s some required audience participation too.

Flipo, the Master in Ovo. Picture: OSA images via Cirque du Soleil press page.

The attention to detail is meticulous – every look, every raised eyebrow, each wink at the audience or snap of a finger is exaggerated for effect, and it’s the tiny movements that seem to convey so much meaning and convinces you that you have indeed been transported to another world.

Then there’s the attention to detail with regard to lighting, rigging and safety.

Not to mention the costumes, which are eye stopping – the grasshoppers’ outfits are designed to move just like insects – the scarabs (dung beetles) and stick insects look quite scary and I’m sure many young children cling to Mum or Dad when they appear.

Picture: Benoit Fontaine, www.cirquedusoleil.com

Cirque du Soleil made me think though.

1. As I watched the talented artists I thought about how truly amazing our bodies are, and what incredible things they are capable of doing. Ok, so we’re not all gymnasts, but our bodies really are intricate machines, that should be taken  good care of.

I promised myself that from today onwards I would take better care of my own ‘incredible machine’ and perhaps work on more exercise and  being a little more supple too.

2. I thought lots about the dedication required to achieve perfection, and how really nothing amazing can ever happen without immense focus on the task (or job, or career) in hand.

How many of us really show dedication in our work and lives?

3. The show also made me think about how important teamwork is. Everyone in the show was an integral part of the supporting cast. When they weren’t engaged in their own acts they were in the background or in the audience, and the circus crew – the riggers, the technicians and the lighting guys are integral to the success of each show.

Do you support a team? How do you make sure that each team member feels valued, and is as a result committed to their part of the whole? I think our families are also like our personal teams – do we build them up enough to feel an integral part of the system, or do we neglect them?

4. I wondered about the history of Cirque du Soleil from its small beginnings of a group of 20 street performers in Quebec, Canada in 1984, the dream of a man called, Guy Laliberte. And how now as a result of his determination, his dream has given rise to thousands of new dreams because there are today about 19 shows consecutively touring the world at any given time with approximately 5,000 employees including 1,300 performing artists from 50 different countries.

Since 1984 shows have been performed in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents to more than 100 million spectators.

Picture: Benoit Fontaine

Yes, it’s important for us all to have dreams and keep on pursuing them.

Flying, hurtling, bouncing, tumbling

There’s a cast of 54 performing artists from 16 countries in the show “Ovo”, and there are some spectacular acrobatic acts. The highlight for me was the Flying Act where the scarab beetles hurtle into each other’s arms high above the stage, and also the finale where 20 artists tumble and leap from hidden trampolines and then scale a 24-foot vertical wall.

Picture: Benoit Fontaine (No photographs were allowed during the show. Some of the pictures in this post are courtesy of the Press page on the Cirque du Soleil website.)

I didn’t want the dream to conclude. But all good things must come to an end, and slowly we blinked awake, rubbed our eyes, and walked out into a cool autumn evening.

Reality.

Then it was off to Café Italia in Hay Street for a Mother’s Day dinner and a nice glass of wine!

Do you like circuses? Have you ever been to one – what’s been your favourite memory?

The post 4 Things you can learn from a Circus. Cirque du Soleil in Perth. appeared first on ZigaZag.

Perth bloggers meeting up to support and encourage each other at Kings Park.

I can’t believe it’s Bloggie Friday again. How fast the weeks fly by. I’ve been working on this post for a while after an inspiring chat with my hubby, He Himself, and finally, in the nick of time (don’t you love a deadline?) it all came together last night.

Anyway.

He Himself,  came home from work the other day and was talking about a 6 point plan he had put together for improving business.

He explained that if you could improve on the six areas he was talking about, then it almost guarantees success – whatever business you’re in.

So I challenged myself to think  around these points in similar terms for blogging, and came up with the following ideas.

But I got to eleven points – I’m not sure if that’s good or bad! In no particular order, here they are.

Plan for Successful Blogging

1. Align & Engage with your peers:

We can’t blog in isolation. It’s important to communicate openly, honestly, positively and authentically with our blogging peers. On the question of commenting on their blog posts – don’t be an acolyte or just offer fluffy praise, always provide positive feedback and constructive comments.

2. Understand that you are on a journey and enjoy the ride

Blogging isn’t a race to be won, but it’s a journey that will keep on revealing new learning, new opportunities and new people to chat or engage with. It’s not something that can be learnt and ticked off in six months, it’s not a destination. If you’re serious about it, then you’re in for the long haul so enjoy every twist, turn, snake or ladder. That’s what successful blogging is all about.

3. Be passionate about your blog

Sarah Wilson said: “The world doesn’t like wobbliness.” Neither do your readers. If you are half hearted about your blog it will show. On the other hand, passion will shine through on your blog in many not so obvious ways; from the way you write, to the way it’s designed, to the way you engage with readers, and how often you post.

If you don’t love your blog, it won’t love you.

As Darren Rowse has said: “Blog from the heart but be smart.”

4. Create team spirit with other bloggers.

We are all in this together, we are all part of this amazing new world of the blogosphere and we are all working towards the same overall objectives – to be helpful, interesting, inspiring or entertaining in our own way.

As Kelly Exeter said on her Manifesto for Bloggers: “Remember things aren’t always as they seem, so don’t compare and covet.” I think that’s so true – it’s easy for the little green monster to appear at the back of our mind when we see other bloggers being really successful – but they too have had problems to overcome – so congratulate and encourage and be part of the blogging team. It will all come back to you in the end.

5. Give continuous feedback and recognition.

Bloggers often ‘go’ to work in their pyjamas, and might not speak to another soul all day, except online. There are no Friday afternoon office drinks, or ‘all expenses paid’ training conferences in other cities, or lunches out with colleagues. It can be a lonely life this blogging life, so providing continuous feedback and recognition to each other is important.

6. Take on leadership roles in the blogosphere.

Bloggers are accountable for what they write, and how they conduct themselves on the internet and we can all choose how we want to be perceived. Why not become an internet champion? Perhaps support a good cause or become a blogging buddie to somebody new, and in doing so challenge and help grow someone else’s goals and ambitions.

Darren Rowse from ProBlogger supports different charities and takes on many leadership roles

7. Develop Client Relationships with Brands.

If you are monetizing your blog via working with brands then you need to stay close and be highly responsive to your clients’ focus.   Focus on understanding the clients business and challenges and always deliver, deliver, deliver – never let a client down and provide value for money – always go the extra mile and exceed expectations.

8. Collaborate with other people.

You, as a blogger, are responsible for putting a smile on your readers faces but you don’t need to do all of the technical work yourself.  So mobilise the capabilities and capacities of other people with the skills you don’t have to meet your blogging needs. If you can’t yet afford to pay someone, then consider bartering skills.

9. Diversify.

Diversification is a key success driver for bloggers.  Consider slowly increasing your  revenue streams to ‘future proof’ your blog by making it more resilient in changes in the blogosphere and in fluctuating markets.  This is how Darren Rowse diversifies his Income Streams.

10. Identify who you want to work with.

If you’re serious about working with brands then learn about their businesses –  find out who the decision makers are – look for opportunities to do work with them.

11.Win New Work.

Maintaining adequate work-in-hand is a constant challenge for anyone, let alone bloggers. Make sure you are competitive and have a great Media Kit and Advertising Rate Card prepared. To win new work you need to seek out, track and pursue new opportunities – “think outside of the box”.  And why not do everything possible to be involved in major regional projects?

Bonus Tips

• Legalities – Set up your disclaimer, disclosure and conditions – talk to a lawyer if necessary. Or take a look Here.
• If you’re serious about blogging, then set your blog up right from the start. Switching platforms once you’re established is often tricky.
• Network constantly
• Guest blog as often as you can
• Monetise slowly
• Build your tribe
• Be interesting
• Spread the love – love don’t loathe
• Talk don’t troll
• Give, give, give – roll it forward all the time

Over to you ZigaZag Readers – Do you have anything to add?

The post Eleven Point Plan for Successful Blogging appeared first on ZigaZag.

I’m sitting in a church, at the alter, surrounded by French style rustic artefacts and furniture, drinking coffee and talking to one of Western Australia‘s inspiring women, Jo McIntosh. Around me is an eclectic mix of beautiful things that I’d (very much) like to own please.

Rustic French style provincial pottery by Tony Sly

Warm light rushes in through the church windows. A sweet and oh so petite cup cake begs to be eaten as I chat to Jo, owner of Rustic French Living, a woman who has followed her dreams to create her own lifestyle and business of choice.

The cupcakes for sale are made by Carol Turner

Jo’s an inspiring Kiwi, who came to South West Australia 14 years ago, and following tragedy she turned her life around, began a lifestyle shop, and in doing so she discovered her true passion.

Read on, you’ll find out how she found herself connected to a town in France in an intriguing way.

You’ll find Rustic French Living  in a small chapel in the little South West town of Boyanup, not far from Bunbury heading south. You can’t miss it. It’s on the main road with a bicycle outside.

It’s jam packed full with French style home-wares and gifts, including quilts and linen, rustic pottery, wrought iron pieces, vintage furniture, pottery and clothing for women and babies.

In August 2011 Jo realised her dream by opening Rustic French Living, believing that the timeless appeal of French interiors with their lived-in country look, would sit well with the lifestyle we enjoy so much in the south west.

She was right because now people flock from near and far to buy her over-stuffed sofas, French styled chairs and countless other nikki-nakki-noos,  and pieces echoing design ideas from Paris and Provence in the South of France.

But that’s only the beginning of Jo’s fascinating story.

Her tale really starts with the rumour of a castle.

 “There is a chateau in the family you know, my mother said to me a few years ago,” Jo told me.

“It was after our first trip to France in 2008. And during this holiday I had an uncanny feeling that I had ‘come home’.

I asked my mother about our family history and it turns out that my great, great grandfather Charles d’Oridant was French.  He moved to Folkestone in England where he married Adeline Painter. My mother showed me part of my family geneaology that my uncle had put together some years ago and within it was a letter from about 1891 from Adeline to her son William who had by then travelled to live in New Zealand.

The letter had an address on it: Villa Madonna, Menton, France.

I was fascinated, and using Google and Trip Advisor I started to add to the information already provided by my Uncle. It turns out that Charles and Adeline had properties in both England and France – one being the former Summer Palace of the Prince of Monaco in Menton.  Part of the property was the Chapel of Madonna and the adjacent convent which they subsequently turned into villas.

I hoped that this was Villa Madonna.”

In January 2013 Jo decided she wanted to discover more about her family’s history and travelled  from South West Australia to Menton in France with her two daughters and her mother.

“Somehow I was sure that Adeline had died in Menton and that she might be buried there too. We discovered La Chapelle de la Madone – now a ruin but as it is the oldest chapel in Menton, a restoration committee has been set up to restore the building.  The palace is now the Art Museum.  It was amazing to see the entrance which Adeline had described in one of her letters and to see that it still has Charles’ name engraved in the marble.

After visiting the archives department, we were given a photo of the villas as they once were and then we were taken to Hotel de Ville where Adeline’s death certificate was produced and we were given a number depicting the place where she might be buried in the cemetery.

At the cemetery we found an old faded map on the gateway, and from that we puzzled out where she might be.  After studying some of the beautiful old graves, we found her.

I was amazed, and quite emotional. And it was wonderful to have three generations there on the spot when we discovered exactly where she lay.

And so it’s quite fitting for me to have such an interest in all things French! Now I’d like to find out where my great, great grandfather is buried – apparently he died in France where he grew up – but that is another story yet to be lived!!”

I love a good ancestry tale, don’t you? My only claim to fame is that I think one of my great grandies founded The King Edward Potato strain. Ha! What stories to you have of your ancestors?

Don’t you love these adorable Portuguese ‘lucky roosters’ that are for sale at Rustic French Living?

Read more about Jo in a future ZigaZag Post (why not subscribe to ZigaZag in the box below this post and you’ll receive automatic updates).

Jo will be telling us more about her life changing decision to begin Rustic French, and offer inspiring tips to help other people who are looking to build a lifestyle business.

I’m wondering what sort of lifestyle business you’d like to run if you had the chance?

(Linking today to Our World Tuesday – pop over for some cameos of life around the world)

The post Inspiring Women in Western Australia appeared first on ZigaZag.

It was one of those balmy autumnal days, when the air is still, the meadows are washed with the first blush of green, and the deciduous trees are turning golden shades of russet, gold and burnt sienna.

Australian Holidays

There’s something about Autumn that makes me feel content, a little sleepy even, and a day out in the Ferguson Valley with wine, good food and song was just the ticket.

And if you’re looking for interesting Australian holidays, then read on for a great selection of places to visit and things to do that are well off the beaten track. There are also some fabulous places to stay dotted around the Ferguson Valley, and the Dardanup Visitor Centre will be able to help you with more information.

But we were in the valley for the Dardanup Art Spectacular Trail, an annual event that happens during the first weekend of May in this lovely region near Bunbury.

He Himself, holding up a not-so-crooked-tree at the Lyndendale Gallery on Crooked Brook Road!

What everyone ought to know about the Ferguson Valley is the fact that its beauty spots are not just centred along Pile road and Ferguson Road. It’s much more extensive than that and there’s lots to explore.

What you really need to know is that this area is the new Margaret River. Serious!

Just remember you heard it here first!

It’s pretty, it’s varied and there are some wonderful lifestyle businesses springing up, along with excellent wineries offering first class Geographe Bay wines. Ok the area may not have the surf and the beaches that Margaret River has, but I defy anyone who is not beguiled by it’s beautiful hills and sweeping vistas.

After living in the Geographe region for 4 years, we thought we knew the area pretty well.  Little did we know until today how extensive it is, and it took an art trail to get us to drive along roads less travelled to find places, galleries and wineries that are on the map, but which we might not ordinarily have encountered because they are hardly advertised, and are not heavily frequented.

For the Art Spectacular  galleries opened their doors to showcase art and crafts by local artists of the region, while wine estates opened their cellar doors to exhibit not only their wine but also various art displays too. There were 18 in all – we didn’t get round them all in one day (see the map above).

Our first stop was at Bonking Frog Wines on Dardanup West Road,  owned by Phil and Julie Hutton, where we wandered around the tranquil garden which overlooks the gentle sweep of vineyards. On display here was Metal Art by Inge.

Inge creates stunning metal art panels that are handcrafted in ‘weathering steel.’ I oggled some of the pieces for our garden, but He Himself masterfully extracted me away before I’d managed to whip out the credit card from my handbag. We’ve tasted Bonking Frog wines many times and frequently buy their excellent Merlot (try it), but it was too early in the day for us to begin on the vino.

Loved the metal art panels by Inge

From there we drove to Dardanup and popped in to the Dardanup Hall to have a squizz at the Art Spectacular Exhibition before carrying on into and up the beautiful valley for an early lunch with a view (below).

We stopped for sustenance at Ferguson Farmstay on Henty Road, with its glorious views stretching all the way to Bunbury and the ocean, where if you were wearing the right specs you could see the container ships waiting to come into the harbour (above).

We enjoyed a wonderful early lunch enjoying a ploughmans’ platter, and fish and chips, as we sat on the covered verandah overlooking bright rose bushes, a wedding podium and the rammed earth farmstay cottages nestled in the curves of the landscape.

Suitably refreshed (um, stuffed) we drove to Angelicus Wines on Catalano Road, near Burekup (below).

Angelicus means Angel, and we soon realised that the map we were following was not to scale, because we began to think we might be lost, and wondered if we would need a guardian angel to get us there.

Finally after an interesting winding route through forest and dale we arrived at the the small cellar door,  which sits high on a hill overlooking sweeping scenery stretching all the way down to the Collie River. Fine arts reproductions of the iconic Australian artist Jeffrey Smart were on display and Sue Ward told us a little a bit about his work before we got down to the serious stuff of tasting their lovely wines.  They really do make excellent wines – we love the GSM (Garnacha Shiraz Monastrell) and the sparkling Panis Angelicus which means Bread of the Angels.

We had a long chat with Sue and John, about wine, about their interesting house and cellar door build, and how they had arrived to create a lifestyle on this hilltop with its fabulous views after owning a property in Pemberton. And then we said goodbye to Sue and the views, and drove back along the little red gravel road, down to the valley towards The Lyndendale Gallery on Crooked Brook Road (below).

What a lot of cars were lined up on the front verge! Had we been missing out, we wondered? But no, there was still lots going on. Music from local entertainers under the trees in the courtyard, tea and cakes for sale with the proceeds going to Solaris cancer care, artists painting, drawing, working and explaining their methods at various places around the gallery, and as always an interesting and varied selection of art and crafts for sale, representing 40 South West artists.

Just glorious. We didn’t want to leave.

However, by now the sun was setting and we were planning on going home to cook dinner.

But something made us turn the other way.

“It’s too lovely to go home,” He Himself said.

“Where shall we go next?” we wondered as we looked at the map.

The beautiful autumnal view from Jenni Dohert’s studio

We decided to head to local artist Jenni Doherty’s studio on Wellington Mill Road. What a beautiful drive it was to get there . The trees surrounding the National Park were turning into bright swathes of golden and red. Jenni had opened up her interesting house (we decided it was a Grand Design), which includes her studio and the gallery where there was an exhibition of local artists’ work along with her own stunning pieces.

There was by now a  cool nip to the air and it was time to put sweaters on as we continued our travels along Kingtree Road to Kingtree Lodge and Wines. The forested drive was along gravel  and  the forest felt mysterious as the light became a little dimsy, and we also spotted plenty of kangaroos in the surrounding fields. What amazed me is that we felt (and were) so remote to civilisation at large, and yet we were still within a short driving distance (about 40 minutes) of Bunbury, Western Australia’s third largest city.

After a while we popped out onto Pile Road and drove to The Wild Bull Brewery where we decided to sit outside on the grass and enjoy a sundowner overlooking the golden vineyards,  as well as having a wander around Tanya Hurtley’s vibrant art displayed on the brewery’s walls.

Just some of the wineries, breweries, artists’ studios and places to stay in the Ferguson Valley.

Time to head home, because everything had shut … there were 18 establishments exhibiting art, all dotted around the Ferguson Valley. Next year, we plan to see them them all.

For more accounts of the Dardanup Art Spectacular you might like to visit The Lyndendale Gallery’s blog and Ingrid Rickersey’s blog as well.

I’m linking today with Budget Travelers Sandbox, where you’ll find a whole array of interesting travel posts and awesome photos from bloggers around the world.

Do you have an Art’s Spectacular trail or similar event in your part of the world?

The post Australian Holidays. What you ought to know about The Ferguson Valley in WA. appeared first on ZigaZag.

Ahoy me Maties! Members of the Parkham Womens’ Institute in England don pirate gear at a recent meeting that went wrong. Pic: SWNS.com

When things go bump and then ‘clunk’ in the Night, it can mean something very unusual!

Where we live in South Western Australia it’s very quiet.

If there’s a bump in the night to wake me up I’m very surprised. But often these days, don’t ask me why, I find it hard to sleep.

So there I was up at 3.30am munching biscuits and downing hot cups of Rooibos tea in the kitchen, because the ‘Zeds’ wouldn’t come, when I come across a story on Facebook which alerted my fuzzy brain to pay attention.

Now although this story isn’t about Western Australia, I felt it worthy of a ZigaZag blog post a) because it’s funny b) because it could happen to the best of us c) because it’s gone viral and this was considered ‘big’ news, at least for a day or two and d) because it’s made one of my family members famous overnight

Famous for all the wrong reasons

My dear cousin in North Devon, England, normally posts Etsy-type pictures of gorgeous arts and crafts created by her her talented self, so I was a little taken aback when I saw my Mother congratulating her for being on TV, and follow-up posts saying things like: “Just had an email -  NBC want to run the story,” and “Oh my God now the BBC are coming down – Yikes”, and other people saying, “You’ve made The Telegraph!” and “You’re in The Daily Mail.”

We are seven hours ahead of the UK, so it was all happening as I was rubbing sleepy dusty from my eyes.

Had she got a spot on Oprah to talk about her creative passions? What was going on I wondered?

North Devon’s coastal towns have interesting histories often linked to pirates and piracy. This is Ilfracombe harbour.

Calendar Girls

Seems like my cuz and her WI ‘mates’ in Parkham, North Devon had been doing a bit of a ‘Calendar Girl’s’ Womens’ Institute type escapade, and had been propelled towards five minutes of intense fame due to a bit of a blunder.

Which it seems for everyone else is incredibly funny, but a little bit embarrassing for them.

There they were, all dressed up in Pirate gear at my cousin’s suggestion, bearing a striking resemblance to a bunch of Long John Silvers and Captain Hooks  from Peter Pan, waiting for the guest speaker of the month, a retired sea captain, to  give his talk about Piracy.

Little did they know that his talk about piracy wouldn’t exactly mirror their expectations, for he had been held hostage by gun toting  Somali  pirates for 47 days in 2008, and had feared for his life.

“So he was stunned to arrive at a Women’s Institute meeting and find the members wearing eye patches, wigs and fake wooden legs while brandishing plastic cutlasses.” Daily Mail Online: Pirates of Penzance!

His story would continue to be harrowing, rather than lighthearted, because he had been held at gunpoint by rebels and only released after a rumoured  £350,00 ransom had been paid.

“We were aghast”, my cousin said.

No doubt she’s also ‘aghast’ that the story has gone viral around the world and that she’s famous for all the wrong reasons, and not for her fabulous artistic talent. I saw The Huffington Post, Baltimore Sun, NBC, CBS as well as nearly every major UK tabloid and broadsheet has run a story about the Parkham WI’s pirates in some form or another.

I was thinking to myself – wouldn’t we bloggers be amped for the same type of exposure!

I reckon the Womens’ Institute new members list will begin to bulge following this story, and Captain Darch the speaker will hopefully sell a bucketful of his books after this, so I’m sure the initial embarrassment will be a case of “All’s well that ends well”.

Now I’m excitedly waiting for the Parkham WI Calendar and the Movie: “Pirates of Parkham” to follow!

I’m dead proud of my cousin! I hope they can turn the spin on this to the WI’s advantage – and that she’ll start an online blog for her fantabulous creations.

If I were living in North Devon, I’d join this fun and feisty Parkham branch of the WI,that’s for sure! Wouldn’t you?

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Darren Rowse and l’il ole me looking a little  bit shocked. It was only 9am in the morning so I can’t have been drunk. Jet-lagged maybe?

Hello ZigaZagers! It’s bloggie Friday, so if you’re not into blogging and blog tips then please look away. But just for you here’s a dreamy read today … how about popping over to Australia’s Golden Outback instead, and drooling over some gorgeous beaches like those below?

The rest of you. Hey, Hey, It’s Friday! Wanna listen up?

Today I’m posting some inside tricks of the trade from one of Australia’s master bloggers.

Blog tips from Darren Rowse

I love blogging events and conferences, especially those organised by Darren Rowse, and these blog tips come straight from the Trojan horse’s mouth – when he was speaking at one of the ProBlogger conferences held in Melbourne some time ago.  His session was called: Blog from the heart, but smart. (See, it helps to keep old notepads and label them!)

Don’t know about you, but I can wander around at a blogging event in a either a totally dazed state, not quite able to take everything in, or otherwise I’m yacking to someone nineteen to the dozen, and oblivious to everything else that’s going on around me. So when I’m in a session, I am very focused on taking notes on my iPad or in a notebook.

What amazed me was how much I’d forgotten since then, and these blog tips really jolted my memory, and made me conscious of how important it is to apply things that you learn at conferences, instead of allowing the information to remain dormant and gather dust in old notebooks.

Having said that, the information is as valid today as it was back then.

So without further ado, here are 7 expert blog tips that I gleaned from Darren’s session that will hopefully get you thinking on this bloggie Friday.

Blog from the heart

1. The more you think about your blog, the better it will be.
2. A formula doesn’t always work. But a blogger who brings passion to their blog makes it that much more interesting to readers. When you are passionate about blogging, you attract passionate readers; when you are interesting, you attract interested readers; and when you are creative about blogging you attract creative readers.
3. If there are no tears in the writer, then there are no tears in the reader.
4. Telling stories is key to blogging from the heart. People remember stories.
5. Inspire people – allow people to dream about what could be. Lives can be a little dull, even a little hard, so being allowed to dream gives people hope.
6. Be yourself. Maybe show an old photo of yourself, write your blog as if you are writing an email to a friend. I  (Darren) write in conversational style.
7. Blog with the intention of being useful and helping people. The more useful you are to people, the more you solve their big or small problems, the bigger your community will grow.

What do you think? Have these tips made you think a little bit more deeply about how you go about things on your blog?

I think if you mash all those tips together and commit them to memory, no commit them into the very fibre of your blogging self, then your blogs can’t help but shine.

I’m guilty of sometimes being  too ‘teachy’ and ‘markety’ at ZigaZag,  when really I should be watching myself bleed all over the keyboard.

Eeew!

I can feel a fainting attack coming on

Next week on Bloggie Friday, we’ll be looking at some more of Darren’s tips to “Blog Smart”.

In the meantime … how about you? Do you blog from the heart? Or do you have a different take on committing your heart and soul to the internet?

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Tips to show you how to create a Balinese garden in your backyard. The top picture is part of a large painting we bought in Ubud, Bali.

To the world at large, Western Australia is considered a remote place consisting mostly of dry, flat, arid, red-earthed outback. While it may often be dry and covered by vast areas of desert, there are pockets of this vast state which surprise even the most hardened cynic.

To the north west you’ll find tropical oases where it’s hard not to describe the scenery without mentioning Bali. Drive around a suburb in Broome, for instance, and the similarities between this pearling town and the verdant frangipani filled isle, are pretty obvious at every corner.

In the south west, our climate is more Mediterranean, and although it’s more suited to vines and grevillea and peppy trees, it is possible to create a Balinese garden in your backyard.

How to create a Balinese garden in your backyard and why I wanted one

Asian inspired gardens are popular in Western Australia because we are so close to Bali  which has become a favourite holiday destination for ‘sandgropers’, and I for one, wanted to re-capture the memories of my travels in Bali and wake up every day to be reminded of them at home.

But our back yard wasn’t very inspiring at first. It was actually a bit bleak for my liking, and I managed to kill that lawn after just one season So we made plans, and dug it up, laid a square section of paving, and got creative.

Our back yard wasn’t immediately Balinese inspired. One of the first things we did was to put up the wooden trellis which makes a subtle difference to the otherwise bald color bond fencing, and we were lucky to have some frangipanis trees already planted around the pool.

The first thing we did was to buy some inexpensive bamboo fencing from Bunnings. If I remember correctly it was about $20 a roll. He himself and I are not natural D.I.Y’ers but we managed to roll it around the colour bond fence without too much swearing.

Bright colours were something that I wanted to incorporate into our Balinese garden.

The next thing we did was buy colourful plants that reminded us of the vivid colours of Bali. We were already lucky enough to have frangipani trees in the garden by the pool (which I’ve nurtured like babies because I love the scent of their flowers), but we added hibiscus, bright petunias, palms and marigold trees.

I was intent on creating a lush tropical haven that took the focus off having close neighbours, lovely as they are.

I wanted somewhere that we could retreat with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night, so it was an obvious move to add a gazebo. We bought one from Bunnings for about $299, which blew down in a storm, but which we managed to adapt, utilising the top canopy and the overhead structure on top of gum poles that we cemented into the ground.

Top pictures: The original gazebo going up, and bottom right is the completed structure. Sadly it blew down in a winter storm so we amended the design and sunk gum poles into the ground as a more permanent support (see bottom left). I love the vintage chandelier we’ve hung from the roof – it was a junk shop find from South Africa. Our seating arrangement cost $999 and is from The Outdoor Furniture Specialists.

There are other aspects of a Balinese garden that can be adapted to a suburban back yard to give it a Balinese feel such as the use of incense. We like to burn sandalwood oil and citronella to remind us of the exotic smells in Bali – where incense is burnt to appease and to honour the Gods.

At night we light tea candles in little lanterns along walls around the pool (top left picture). Other small statues can be discovered around the garden, and there’s a wooden frieze to add a bit of appeal to the pool shed.

We’ve enjoyed hunting down Balinese statues which we’ve dotted around to add visual impact. Due to the size of our garden we’ve kept them quite small.

Figures of Balinese gods or goddesses could be discreetly placed under a large plant or in a corner of the garden, in alcoves or or along walls. Look for different textures – you’ll find statues carved in timber, bronze or stone that you could either use as focal points or as backdrops secretly peeping out from behind palms or flowers to give a feeling of surprise.

Bright colours, a relaxing hammock and temple flags all add to the Balinese feel.

We love our bright blue temple flags (above), which in WA you can buy in all  colours of the rainbow to suit your own colour scheme.  How about adding umbrellas and water features? Below are some ideas from Bali but if you look around you can easily discover similar for sale in Perth or a regional town in WA.

Tips to create a Balinese feel inside and outside your own home.

Having a dinner party? Then why not scatter fresh petals and flowers around. Frangipanis are beautifully fragrant for the dinner table, and rose petals look lovely scattered on the ground. How about an exotic orchid as the table centrepiece?

A glass bowl filled with water and floating flowers also makes a lovely focal point on a side table perhaps?

Bright coloured cushions and bamboo chairs are also in keeping with the Balinese theme. The cushions (about $45 each) are from The Outdoor Furniture Specialists in Bunbury.

The chair was a junk shop find, one of four that we bought with a table for just $180. The gorgeous outdoor cushions are from Outdoor Furniture Specialists, and the elephant statue by the pool was bought in Bunnings. Don’t forget to add an umbrella for shade and some comfy recliners for the ultimate Balinese retreat!

Bali is verdant and green. So consider using palms of all descriptions in your garden. Ferns and cordylines give a feeling of lushness.  If you have space to create more of a rainforest feel, then consider staggering their heights, and also use bamboo as well as cycads and aloes.

We use quite a lot of spot  lighting at night to add ambiance and also to highlight certain areas of our patch. You might want to highlight a statue or a water feature.
Inside our house we’ve continued the theme with big, bold paintings in bright colours, that we’ve purchased on holiday, relatively inexpensively in Bali. The very very first picture in this post shows part of a large Frangipani painting that we purchased for about $60 in Ubud.

We added a water feature by the sitting area to add to the tranquility. Frangipanis, bright colours, a gazebo and palms were all important to me.

Water features for a Balinese Garden

Balinese gardens are tranquil places and water features add to the feeling of peace. If you have space you might add a pond with a waterspout, or incorporate one to flow into a pool. If space is limited then add a rustic water feature and surround is with greenery to make it look as if it’s been there forever.

For more information you might enjoy this interesting article about creating a How to create a Balinese Garden.

Disclaimer and in accordance with my editorial policy.  I was gifted two cushions by Outdoor Furniture Specialists.

What have I missed? Do you have any more tips for creating a tropical or Balinese garden in your backyard?

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