Far Pavilions

It was 12:30 p.m. and my tummy was rumbling. Where was mum? We had planned to meet in the cafe at Peter's of Kensington for a sandwich and an update on her life in sunny Bowral before a session of power-shopping. We had a 1:30 p.m. viewing of a Kensington house that looks perfect for my darling family and we couldn't be late.

I spotted her strawberry blonde bob moving past the glassware section with her distinctive speedy elegance and in an eye blink was enveloped in her arms and the perfume smell of Miss Dior. It was her signature scent and had been since I gave her a bottle when I was seven; I had paid for it with my pocket money and the coins I retrieved from under my pillow, left by the tooth fairy.

We had a lovely lunch and mum bought me a French casserole dish for all the dinner parties that I plan to do, once I have a dining room big enough. As always, Mum looked great. She and dad had moved to Bowral three years ago after selling the family home in Vaucluse two months after my brother Jonathan moved out. I think she was enjoying the country. Her garden looked fantastic and dad played golf daily. But today she seemed restless. She says she's missing me and Alex. But if mum is more than five miles away from her two best male friends: David Jones and Peter's of Kensington for too long, she gets upset. Mum had a PHD in retail therapy and shopping emporiums are thin on the ground in the Southern Highlands.

After our reinvigorating shop (I got the most divine Alessi platter for the wedding that Josh and I are going to next month), we discovered a Pavilion Paradise on Imperial Avenue, one of Kensington's prettiest streets. Could this beautiful house be Josh and my new family home?

It's really hard to find a house that mum likes. She loved this one. That it had great gardens (a la Bowral) might have something to do with it, but as soon as we walked into the front door, we both immediately relaxed. Sigh. Jane Schumann from Di Jones knows mum really well; my parents had bought an investment property through Jane Schumann and Gary Sands at Di Jones before moving to Bowral. They chatted, catching up on life while I explored the house in more detail. It had everything I wanted, three bedrooms (two for the family and one for visitors), a great kitchen, lovely gardens and a wonderful pavilion style layout which would let us spend lazy weekend afternoons outdoors, relaxing by the pond. There was even a lovely garden shed that would be great as a cubbyhouse for Alex or for Josh to use as a workshop or a place to store his kayak gear. And doesn't every man want a shed? But what I loved most was the sense of peace I got as I walked through the house (and it was a very busy open for inspection too!) I felt like I was on holiday. Afterwards mum said the same thing; that it was like the serenity of Bowral within walking distance of Peter's of Kensington. No wonder I love it so much; I really am my mother's daughter.

I was so excited I called Josh. It's a tense time for him. He works at an investment bank and bonuses are announced next week. There's so much water cooler chatter that Josh is having trouble sleeping. After our chat last week, he agreed that he wanted to buy a place too; especially before prices go up, which all the economists seem to be predicting.

The Kensington house is beautiful, but prices are pretty strong at the moment and the bonus amount is a big question mark. Gary Sands invited us along to the next auction Di Jones is holding at Centennial Park to get a more personal idea of market sentiment; he is very considerate and understands my nervousness at doing a very grown up thing like buying a house.

Josh was very excited too. He said he'll come and have a look on Saturday afternoon when he usually does kayak training and Alex and I have some "mummy time". He has bought into my desire to own a house and loves my Open for Inspection Girl tales. In fact, he says he is my number one fan. What a dear, wonderful man he is.