Where was I?

I was all over the place, that's where I was!!

One place I was at was on Wednesday I did some helping at the SPCA Op Shop.  One of the lovely ladies lives in the country and had brought in a bucket full of freshly picked field Mushrooms!!  I knew TOF would be beyond excitement if I took some home and HE WAS!! Mushrooms on toast for his dinner if I remember correctly.  So many that I gave some away and froze some. Even got given some butter nut crunch lettuce plants that have been planted out with the silver beet and beetroot plants I went and bought.  I grow the silver beet mainly for my girlies as a thank you for all the lovely eggs they give me. They also helped in the garden after I had pulled out the last of my old beetroot plants by way of rotary hoeing for me only as a good chicken can do!!

I do love all my girls!!

My mate Oscar has been keeping me company today while I have been photographing more things to go on trade me.  I have furniture and clothing to list today so I best hop to and get it done.

Enjoy your weekend and keep happy and well.

:-)

This post unfortunately has been edited so smaller than originally due to a request to have pictures removed.

Rain, Chics and Man Bag!

On the weekend the Sky fell over and cried so hard that it RAINED!!  We so needed the rain, so THANK YOU!!  Thing is due to it having been the most perfect summer and very hot and dry the poor ground is rock hard like concrete so  all this rain just sat merrily on top.  We had puddles on our back lawn and mini flooding out the front.  The drains haven't drained anything for quite some time and our one had even grown some wild plants.  Some people might even call them weeds!  So my Koru garden was under water for a big part of the weekend, but all is well now and back to normality.

Today I went for a little drive to Karipiro just out of Hamilton past Cambridge, to collect two new girls for the chicken coup.  The small one is a Peking Bantam and the other one is an Araucana cross but she will lay the colourful eggs for me.  $10 each off Trade Me!!  Pretty stoked as they popped perfectly into my cat cage, traveled quite well, and are settling into the coup with the other girls.  There is a lot of discussion going on in there at the moment but I am sure they will sort it out.  They are females after all.  So the Bantam is called Coral, after my God mother who passed away a few years ago.  She is the grandmother of my god daughter and the mother of my good friend Leonie.  I don't think any of them will mind and I am sure Coral would get a good old giggle out of having a chook named after her.  As for the other one well she is called Mrs Wickham, Dorothy, or Dot for short.  Named after my lovely old friend Dot who passed away last year at the ripe old age of 96.  All my girls are named after good old birds that have passed on.

Last but by no means least, the Man Bag!!  Retro Vinyl over nighter for $5 from my local salvo.  Hopefully TOF will be impressed with his new over night bag.  

* Toodles *

Tiara day and a bit of crafting

Darling Sarah my favourite Misfit announced it to be Tiara day on Friday.  Of course one had to don ones Tiara even if it was a mini one.  Last night while wearing my Tiara I had a strong desire to be crafty!!  Living in a household that is male dominated which means SPORTS on TV on a Friday, I disappeared off into my bedroom.  Armed with wooden beads in a range of colours, cords, and my pottery discs I had made I got creative.  I put the TV on in my bedroom and watched, well listened to the new season of "The Voice" Australia.  I am  a lot like my dearly departed dad in the way that like him when I make something I don't usually make only one!!  Here's the proof.

I am pretty stoked with the end result too.  I am keeping 3 of the pottery ones, already given the red and white heart one to a friend that visited me today, and the necklace I made with the Buddha is so being kept.  And I still have more to make if I want to.  May take the spares into work on Monday and try and sell them or put them on Trade Me.  Speaking of which, I listed a couple of Crown Lynn pieces today that I picked up for only $1 each, featuring Disney characters, with in a few minutes the first bid was on.   Ching ching!!

Forgot to tell you that the book fair was brilliant, but I only came home with two books, at $3 each.  One is on English Heritage from the Air, and it is amazing, loads of fabulous old castle ruins and such stuff.  The other one "How to be a gardener, secrets of success" by Alan Titchmarsh.  I have watched a TV series by this man and loved it so why not I thought.  At $3 a book it would be very easy to be reckless but I did have limited funds, and I am more than happy with what I came home with.  There is another book fair later on in the year so maybe I will tuck some $$$s away for it.

Hope you all are enjoying a pleasant weekend.  We have RAIN and lots of it so it will be indoor activities for me tomorrow!!

* Toodles *

I sort of frocked up today

I fell in love with this dress coat top thing last winter but it didn't quite do the double breasted button up thing.  So I was pretty dam stoked when I slipped it on this morning and it fitted properly!!  Off I went to do the grocery shop, and a trip to a shopping mall to have a mocca with a friend who has a crappy job in a mall shop.  I so couldn't do it, I would rather starve!!  Not one shop in the mall enticed me in it's door to even browse through the endless over stocked racks of the same dam thing but in a different colour.  My outfit today was a combination of second hand and old favourites.  Pretty much how I roll.

While doing my photo shoot out the front I noticed that my Ranuculars or is it the Anemones have sprung up!!  Well it is one or the other that has joined in with popping out of the soil to join in the growth thing with my Freesias. Exciting!!

I made another batch of dog biscuits for Oscar.  Somehow I have misplaced my recipe but no worries, I made this one up.  Sort of remembered what was in the last lot and the quantities, but added a spoonful of peanut butter and a crushed up weetbix. Oscar seemed to enjoy them so that is all good, they are after all for him as he is the one with the allergy to beef products.  They are looking pretty good in the jar, maybe too good, so they have been labeled as Oscars Biscuits!!

Tomorrow I am planning to go to a Book Fair that is held every year at the Waikato Racing Club, which just happens to be very near where I live.  I have a list of books to try and find and a small amount of cash, so with a bit of luck and guidance from my guardian angel I may well have some books to bring home with me.  Then bugger me it will be the weekend, and the forecast is for rain, so perfect timing for a spot of book reading really!!

* Toodles *

Lunch date that went to the dogs

Not really, but two beautiful dogs were at lunch today!!  Met Ms Webber round the middle part of the day in the pouring rain and the sideways wind, and we managed to have a peak at a few op shops.  Well it has been a couple of weeks or so!!!  Then we went to Liz's for lunch.  Very nice lunch it was too.  Liz has the most beautiful home and two bloody gorgeous dogs.  See for yourself.

This is the very handsome Jack, typical loving Lab who I could so easily have packed into my car and brought home.

Sue and Jack getting it on.  Oh and then there is wee Buddy the foxy.

*That's it, Wednesday is done, time for a cuppa and catch up with TOF!!

There she was just a walking down the street....

...do a diddy, diddy dum diddy do!!!!  OP SHOP MAMA!!!  The gorgeous Linda with the most amazing blue eyes ever, with super sweet Iris and far too cute Arlo.  To think I had only dreamed last night that we met out of the blue just like that.  I even had a camera in my bag but went all shy on suggesting a photo, not like me at all, I must have been overwhelmed. Yep that'll be it.  So what did I get today apart from the pleasant surprise, well just take a look.

So left to right: the entire scores, the $5 shelf, $4 worth of small terracotta pots, brand new shoes $6 from the dump, nice wee jars that were over priced but I wanted them both, NZ Gardener mags for 20c each and a pattern for PJs 20c all from Grandview Salvo, and my Mmmm Mmmmm spotty cardy $5 Vinnies, my obsession with spots and stripes continues!!!

When I got home I was welcomed by my innocent and well behaved dogs that had obviously been having a fine old time on our bed while I was out!! 

Because I am thinking of going for wife of the year in this house I put a shoulder of lamb in the oven and had all the veges in the steamer just ready to be steamed when TOF got home.  Nothing like walking into the house at the end of the day to the smell of dinner cooking!!  He was impressed, asked if I was ok!!

Going backwards now, on the weekend TOF and I picked the last of our apples and we peeled, sliced and diced in unison in the kitchen, (so romantic) and now all have been stewed and frozen as crumbles.  TOF always manages to produce a novelty or seriously fuct up piece of produce.  This one deserved its very own photo shoot!

With the drop in the temperature of late one of my girls is in serious molt!!  In fact if she keeps this up she may as well walk inside and climb in the oven as no plucking will be required.  Might have to knit her a coat or something.  As luck would have it, so far she is the only one and we are still getting at least 2 eggs a day and BIG ones at that.  Casey was enjoying being hand feed some tomato, she has stopped being clucky and gone back to her dizzy ways in their enclosure.

Today how ever wasn't cold even tho' if you looked out your window you could have been confused and thought we were experiencing Winter.  Plenty of Rain and some blustery Wind!!

I purchased myself a new small pan for poaching my daily egg in over the weekend.  PINK of course so that the blokes know it is mine.  So I tell a lie, I have a poached egg every second day during the week and always on un buttered vogels that is cooked twice so it is crunchy!! The alternate day is banana on my vogels, always with an Earl Grey.  Call me Nana but I love my breakfast routine!!

Before I go here are those Freeshias just merrily going about doing their growing for me!!  You little beauties!!

Can't wait for all the other pots of bulbs to sprout and join in the growing party.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with Sue W and her friend Liz.  We haven't caught up in person for a couple of weeks so I am going to wear a big flower so she will know which one is me!!

* Good night *

The Museum was, well it was just WOW!

On Thursday I met my friend Dawn and her daughter and grand daughter at the Waikato Museum which is smack bang in the middle of town backing on to the Waikato River.  I scored a good park and decided to go for a wander with my camera before I met up with the girlies.

Next to the Museum is The Arts Post and Gallery which we had a peek in after the Museum visit.  I love the way they have painted the entrance way to this lovely old building.

Across the road is and old bank that is now a pub and also called The Bank.  In fact this end of town is basically all restaurants and bars, great selection and very convenient being all in the same spot if you want to do a spot of bar hopping.

Walking south down the main drag you walk past the Cathedral, old in our Cities eyes but just a nipper compared to ancient buildings around the world. But still a lovely old church residing on the top of a hill soaking up the Autumn sunshine that was on offer.

Across the road from this is the old Municipal pools that even I swam at when very young doing my swimming lessons and stuff with the swim club of the time.

Then just before the bridge you are met by this old arch way covered in growth that leads down steps and a pathway to the old band rotunda and then on to the Waikato River.  This is a beautiful spot, quite peaceful considering it is in a busy part of Hamilton with a bridge carrying cars, buses and other transport to the other side of town.  I remember going to an annual art festival that was held in this very spot, it was brilliant.  I love the big old trees that have witnessed a lot of canoodling and carry on over the years.

The City Council Gardeners have been busy putting leaf mulch around the base of the trees and the park was looking rather spectacular. Across the road from this there is a venue that many a wedding, 21st or work do has been held.  Also it is the home to a couple of the Cities rowing clubs.

From there I proceeded with walking back up the hill past a huge building that is in the throws of being constructed, with loads of hard hat wearing workmen and a bloody great crane.

The length of the river through the city provides many a walk way and places to sit and ponder life or read a good book.  As a young person my friends and I would ride our bikes along these pathways.  As a mum I walked my boys through the parks, had picnics and fed the resident ducks.  We are so lucky to have such beauty in the middle of our City.

Back up the hill and the reason for this outing.  WOW or World of Wearable art had a small exhibition happening.  I had to wait a wee while outside in the sun in the court yard for Dawn to arrive and then we were off.  If you are not familiar with WOW it is amazing and you can always google it.  From its humble beginnings 25 years ago it has now grown into a huge event held in Wellington once a year attracting world wide entrants.  I am going to this next year with my friend Leonie so for me this was an entrée!!  No cameras are allowed inside so I have borrowed some photos from the WOW website so you can see the sort of thing that is on offer.

You are not allowed to touch anything either but it is hard not to, and we did.  The outfits are made out of everything imaginable and not. The people that enter this competition are just so talented and creative, trust me it is AMAZING!!!

So now I cannot wait for next year to see the entire show and just sit back in awe of such fabulousness!!

After the Museum visit Dawn and I went next door to the Arts Post Gallery for a look, and next week she is taking some of her pottery to go on sale.

Remember to have a look at the WOW website.

Oh or PS, I got myself a laptop today thanks to my 12 months interest free GEM card, so having fun learning my way around it.

* Bye for now *

I stayed true to my word

My Halo is on as are my wings because I am so saintly!!  I actually did what I said I was going to do and I baked and potted and volunteered....OMG!!!  So not like me to follow through with a plan, so excuse me while I pat myself on my back and take a wee bow. Righty-o then!

The Red enamel jug got potted up first thing this morning.  With violets and succulents.  Of course my gorgeous gloves were used as they are far to gorgeous not to be used.  The Red jug had a wee photo op on Tex's chair in the sun in his absence, with my freshly laundered crochet rug I picked up for $5 last week.  Then the Red jug got placed in the spot it is going to live in and it is going to look fabulous!!

TOF had a job up Auckland way last week and came home with more Capsicums but Red ones this time.  Last time they were Yellow.  So more Capsicum Jelly was made the other day and today I sliced and diced and vacuum sealed the last remaining ones and they are now in the freezer.  Excellent for adding to meals during winter for a bit of ZING!!

With my Halo and wings firmly in place I ventured off and did my volunteer gig at the SPCA Op Shop.  Really nice, well organised and super lovely ladies.  Definitely will go back weekly and do my bit.  When I got home I set to and made the Dog Biscuits, following my googled recipe almost exactly, except for adding in some rolled oats.  Both the dogs have done the inaugural taste test and sat looking at the rest cooling on the wire rack. Success or typical bottomless pit dogs??  If you want the recipe just let me know if you leave me a comment and I shall be only to happy to share.

Off to have a cuppa with TOF ♥

Faffing about in Autumn and Op shops

I love Autumn, cool mornings followed by nice sunny days, then back into a cooler evening.  So much easier to sleep at night and there is something about pulling up the duvet and snuggling down in bed that appeals more than kicking off the covers and not getting any valuable Zzzzzzzzzzzzzs!!

On Monday I threw on this lot. A lot of black and a bit of animal which is some what dull but the day was so nice and sunny and bright that I didn't feel the need to layer on the colours.  Work was fun, lots of gorgeous interesting people to mingle with.  My favourite 75 year old came in on her way to Cambridge, and the day hummed along perfectly.

Today I went to check out the new SPCA Op Shop on the T Straight, which is just around the corner from where I live.  I found this gorgeous lime green hand knitted scarf with dangly leaves for $2 and the Wee Willy Winky type candle holder $3, getting ready for winter and power cuts!!  I even signed up to do a stint of volunteering starting tomorrow, I have nothing else to do so thought why not!!  The blue beaded tote bag I scored from the Salvo in town. My local Salvo was pretty tidy and well stocked today and I found this fabularsehole red Tibetan blanket which is brand new and only $10.  I have a few of these and the best price I have found them for was 2 for $50 at Whangamata so pretty dam stoked to find this one. Previously I have bought through Trade me and they weren't cheap but I am in love with how light, soft and warm they are.  The red enamel jug has no lid and was only $1.  Planning on planting some succulents in her tomorrow.

This stunning creature is MY 18 year old god daughter!!  She has just done a pile of modelling at Wellingtons Fashion Week.  Pretty sure she won't mind me sharing one of her pics and bragging about how gorgeous she is, because it is TRUE!!!!

Made another 7 jars of Red Capsicum Jelly today and hoping to make a batch of Dog biscuits for my pooches tomorrow. Googled a recipe, got my ingredients today, have some very cool cookie cutters so look out dogs, prepare to be amazed!!

I can see that this week is going to fly past like the last few so if you don't hear from me for a few days or so I will be busy faffing about in the glorious Autumn weather!!

♥ Toodles ♥

Daylight savings has left with Summer and gone North.

Confession:  I did not clean the house I went out.  TOF decided on Saturday morning that he would whip the old vac round the essential rooms and I cleaned the bog.  Enough for the pending visit we figured, and then I went out, shops and visiting and then a rugby game. 

Remember my bulbs that I planted last weekend, well the Freesias have decided to pop up amongst the pumice.  Pretty exciting stuff really.  Ok maybe not for you, but for me, Woohoo!!

Of course now I keep checking the other pots for signs of growth amongst the pumice stones.

Our boys were supposed to be doing the dinner with the Irish with us but Max was stuck in Taranaki working and not happy at all, and Jak blew us all off for a mates 18th, as you do when you are that age.  Me and TOF parked miles away from the Restaurant and walked, so we had a good old look at the goings on down town Saturday night.  Pretty tame actually at 7:30pm but we knew it would be oh so different on our walk back to the car.

TOF and me!!  We met the Irish at Iguanas and the evening was pleasant.  There were old photos taken from back when they all lived in Ireland, the boat trip out to NZ and some other milestones from the last 50years (none of me as I am obviously not one of the milestones).  The food was enjoyable and the night passed away nicely.  I get on really well with TOFs sister and her husband, both have a good sense of humour so we laughed quite a bit.

Top photo is TOF with his sister and their mother (just turned 79 the day before).

Middle photo is TOFs sister, mother and our brother in law.

Last photo is us of course.

Desert was interesting.  TOF had some Lemon Meringue pie which I can guarantee wouldn't be any where as nice as what he can make.  I had a cuppa with some baby eclairs.  Pauline had these doughnuts that came with syringes with different toppings in, like fruit, chocolate, and custard. Loads of fun!!

We left the Restaurant and wandered down town, with a stop off to see Rif Raf.  We ended up in the Casino where the brother in law had a wee play on one of the tables and walked out with a nice bundle of notes.  We left the Irish as they were staying the night in a hotel in the main street.  As we walked back to our car we sighted our Jak.  So I did what only a mother can do, ran over and wrapped my arms around him IN PUBLIC!!!  He was actually stoked to see us as he needed a ride home!

This morning I awoke to a familiar sound, no not wind, but balloons of the hot air variety.  Every year they are in HamilTron for a few days.  But the weather has been decidedly shite so none had come our way, until this morning.  Up changing the time on clocks and watches (due to Day Light Saving leaving us overnight, and taking Summer with him), I grabbed my camera and flew out the door.  Only normal balloons were flying over, no novelty ones, but hey, they still are amazing things and I wish I had the balls to go for a ride in one.

After lunch TOF and I went for a drive to a friends life style block to pick up some fish he had caught yesterday up the Coromandel.  So fresh fish for our dinner tonight thank you very much.  He has lots of lovely friendly sheep and I didn't have the heart to say to the ones in the photo on the right that one of them will be in our freezer soon.

This is my favourite bridge in Hamilton, we have 5 that cross the mighty Waikato River in town but this is my all time fav.  I love the arches and many a crazy teen has ridden their bike or walked them  in the small hours of the morning when filled up on dutch courage.  I also love the HUGE house that is being built, well it has been being built for a couple of years so far because it is so huge.  Rumour has it that Kevin Mc Cloud from Grand Designs has been filming the build.  My eldest sister knows the people building it so I want to sneak in a visit when she goes to see them.  It makes my relatives house next to it look like the guest house now!!

So Daylight Savings ended last night and shot through in the wee hours of the morning taking Ms Summer with him.  Plans are to head North for 6 months and then return and hopefully together.  Couple of years back Daylight Savings left Summer behind so we didn't have such a good time.  But this year they obviously held hands firmly and didn't stray. True love ♥

♥ Toodles ♥

catching up before I dissapear to do housework....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

The Irish are coming on Saturday!!  That is TOFs mother, sister, brother in law and one of the nephews.  We are going out for a family diner, celebrating the MILs (mother in law) birthday and them all being in NZ for 50 years.  So tomorrow I will have to do the mother of all clean ups around here, because I am not big on housework.  So before I glove up and get stuck in I shall recap what I have been up to of late.

Last Saturday was my mothers 75th birthday so my eldest sister and I took her out for lunch.  It was reasonably pleasant until she did her usual Maori bashing amongst other things.  So I was glad to drop her off and head out that night with Dawn to the movies.  We upgraded to some flash seats with foot rests, recline and a table, which hosted our complimentary drinks from the bar and some popcorn.  Didn't dare go into recline for fear of nodding off and snoring.  Not that  it would happen because the Movie was really good.  I am shit with titles but it was the Oz one, the pre to Wizard of Oz and quite magical.

Sunday morning I went out to Dawns to photograph the finished letterbox, now installed out at the Gallery that it is being Exhibited ready for sale.  Ended up bringing her and her man (both slightly hungover) back into town to pick up their car that they had left in a carpark from the night before due to a little indulging in some drinkies!!

This clock is going to be wicked when it has the ticking part installed.  Don't you love the Queen Bee??!! The other things are some of my bits, they are ready to be strung and hung.  More to come tho so going to wait til I have them all before I display them in the garden and around my neck!!

Also on Sunday I striped out my Koru garden and re soiled it and planted succulents.  So easy as I have zillions of these in pots and stuff around the garden.  Trick now is not to walk on this as it is all low.  Quite pleased with the result.

Easter Monday I worked in the shop.  Well work  is an exaggeration to say the least.  I opened at 10am and closed at 4pm, after having only 5 paying customers and a few browsers.  Didn't think it would be busy but I went to work anyway.  So I faffed about at the back and this is what I wore.  The Lace jacket is really nice and I will have to get a photo of the back to show how it is all ruched up and appliqued.

Tuesday turned up on time again so I popped round to visit an old friends beautiful eldest daughter (my hairdresser) who has just given birth to her second little boy, Maddox.  I took loads of photos for her with her older boy Ashdyn and she is going to cut my hair in exchange.  I like bartering, it is a good thing!

Wednesday was a blur of doing stuff round home and escaping out for part of the day.  Today I have been out and about the op shops and found that the Red Cross in Frankton is half price on all its clothing.  Actually makes it affordable!!  Sorry but everything is in the wash so will share at a later date.   Hopefully tomorrow when I put on my domestic goddess hat and do housework I will work up enough sweat to get rid of the Easter Eggs I managed to find in my mouth over the long weekend.  Good luck with that I say!!

♥♥♥ Toodles ♥♥♥