the house the johnson's built

i am very blessed to come from a creative and inspiring family.

30 years ago we started building a holiday home
in the western queensland gemfields town of the willows...

my brother, sister, and i would collect 'billy boulder' rocks
earning 50 cents a wheel barrel load, a lot of pocket money back then
my dad would build the walls with 2 layers of rock
and when the cement had dried just enough my mum would
carve back the excess cement...

this was just one of the parts to building a home like this...
there are beautiful old doors and windows, around which, the large
one room home was designed...
the pot belly stove came from an old family pub
in (another outback town) tambo
the coffee table is a large rock with a flat(ish) top...
and the wrap around verandah is laid with local sandstone.
there are so many stories to tell in the making of this home
and so many memories within the walls...

through the years all of us have holidayed here together and alone
bringing many different friends and loved ones to share the space...

but this time, today, all 5 of us are here together
in the same place at the same time
something that hasn't happened for, we think, nearly 12 years...

building this house has been a labour of love, family love.
and it is another and very important part of my creative life

more than anything it is such a special part of my life
because of ALL the people who i have shared
memories here with...

i haven't visited this home in a few years, and the years between
have been some of the hardest i've had...
but it is here i feel close to a specific time in my life that
remains one of the most precious to me, and for that, today i celebrate...
and i celebrate (you) whose day it is...
kylie x