Friday brought the animal out in me

If you read my blog then you will remember me buying these boots!!

Finally it is cold enough here to drag out the winter woolies, or in my case just layer it all up.  And of course it is boots weather.  I just about died when I found these boots, on SALE and in my size, so it was a sign after all to have them!!  So do I wear them with just all black, or do I add more animal or do I just mix it all up?

More animal and layer it up was my choice for today but I am leaning towards throwing lots of colour in next time, maybe when I am working at the shop. These boots deserve to be teamed with screaming colour and maybe flowers!!

...when donning your animal print you have to hang out in your garden!!

...and have a sneaky snigger about the old man that asked if I had killed a leopard for my boots. I told him, well actually yes and we had it for our dinner last night!!

Have a fabulous weekend, for us it is a long one, god bless the Queen for having a birthday!!!

Purple boots and just a smidgen of fur!

Thursday today, and I wore my favourite purple boots, retail in a sale a few years ago, floral tights in a sale, dirty green tunic op shopped with black woolen fur trimmed vest also op shopped.  I was nice and warm.

 

..being harassed by Sheba with her ball,

..even the sun shone for a brief moment.

I had a pretty alright day, hope yours was good too!

Middle of the week

Today was one of those beautiful days where the sun shone and tried it's very best to make the day warm.  But it was competing with a very cold wind and quite frankly it lost, unless you found a sheltered spot!!  I quite like the middle day of the week as it is a full day off for me in between going to work and a day where I can do whatever takes my fancy!!  I fancied catching up with an old friend who has got married and added to her family since I last caught up with her.  Therefore I thought it was about time to play catch up.

Tash was a young teacher when I first met her and I was her teacher aid.  We had a good rapport in and out of school and have always kept in touch over the years.  Now many years later she is the mother of two very beautiful children.  We had a lovely catch up, ate home made piklets and of course I took photos.  I even managed to get some cuttings from her garden that are now sitting in water awaiting the growth of some roots.

This afternoon Sue W and I headed out for a drive out of Hamilton to visit The Lily Pad cafe and Garden Art Studio where my potter friend has an exhibition.  There was a sign that said NO PHOTOS so alas I cannot share how lovely this place is but if you click here you hopefully will get to have a look at what we saw.  It was such a nice afternoon to wander about the garden art outside, check out the gallery and then nip in doors for a hot drink in front of a roaring fire.  Well ok maybe not a real roaring fire, a gas heater that looked like one, but it was so comfy that it was hard to leave.  Of course when we headed back into town we managed to squeeze in an op shop before it closed.

I found this dear little  cross stitched cushion for $2 and a Happy Hen (Portabello) for a mere 50 cents to add to my collection.  I love Happy Hens and if I ever get to the South Island I will be visiting the place where they are made.  The plants are my clippings doing the best to grow roots, and the necklace I got on Monday and I wore it today.  I had a similar necklace when I was young so pretty tickled to have one again.  The little doll even has legs under her skirt!!

So what did I wear today? Well THIS!!!

Wearing Vintage in Autumn with a Full Moon thrown in.

I love Autumn, it is one of my favourite seasons, with Spring coming a close 2nd. I prefer the in between seasons I do, not too hot, not too cold. Over the last week when I have been out and about doing what ever I have been doing I couldn't help notice all the glorious colours of Autumn.

Just driving around on a dull day the colours were inviting me to photograph them, but driving and taking photos at the same time is somewhat hazardous to say the least.

I adore the different stages the leaves are going through right now, all those colour changes before they fall gently to the ground and rot away!!  My old granny used to rake up leaves and put them into supermarket bags, stab a few holes in them and throw them into her garden under the trees to rot down.  She  used to end up with the most amazing soil from her rotten leaves. All for free and totally organic.

Even the moon has been in Full bloom!!  Like a giant torch in the night sky, in fact I even mowed my lawns in the dark, yes I did!!  Don't panic, I own a hand mower so no one lost sleep over my mowing.  I have put some colourful solar lights in the Koru garden so it is visible at night and it does look lovely when the solar lights are casting their soft glow over the Koru.

And today I pranced about my back garden in my Vintage frock in all its Autumnal colour glory. TOF is away for the week with work so it is just me and the young son at home (and he picked up another building job so all is back on track for him).  Chicken soup with feta and basil scones for our din dins tonight!!  Yes I made the scones, (Edmonds just add water) but I made them and thank you very much Campbells for the most delicious soup!!  We are thinking filo parcels with relish for tomorrow.

It's Ball Season

Being a mother of only lads I don't get to experience all the fluffiness that you can get with a daughter on her ball night.  The closest I have got to the action happened tonight!! No spray tanning, make up, hair do to die for or a few choices of what to wear here!! Blokes keep is simple.  My Jak is off to the Dio School Ball, a rather posh school here in Hamilton.  He agreed to let me take some photos of him and a couple of his mates all gussied up in their suits and looking mighty handsome!!  The flowers are for his dates wrist.

Mine is the one on the right, the shortest of the trio.

They were heading off to meet their dates at a pre ball party where they were going to pre load have a few quiet drinks. Apparently the theme is Alice in wonderland.  Now if I was a guy I would have gone dressed as the mad hatter!! With a bit of luck I will get to see a photo of my boy with his date for the night.  Her parents gave him a $100 towards his suit and paid for his ticket.  Apparently they aren't short of a dollar!!  Sounds like a keeper to me!! (no mum, she is just a friend)

I am biased but I do think my boy is looking pretty handsome all scrubbed up.

At this stage Jak started texting, my guess it was to TOF to tell me to get the hell out of there and stop taking photos.  Blokes just aren't into it!!!


* Goodnight all *

Friday round up

The bird life in my back garden is thriving.  They hang out with my chickens and help themselves to the girls food.  Little fatties are the sparrows in my garden.  I have a couple of black birds that build a nest every year, this time they have chosen to build way up high in my Idesia tree.

The plants in the garden are hanging in there.  We have about 6 or so good sized cabbages doing their thing in TOFs vege plot and that is about it. Hopefully he will plant out some more winter veg.  I have silver beet and beetroot on the go in one of my box gardens. I love cobwebs in the morning dew.

I have zillions of these  Chinese Anenomies growing, they reproduce faster than a family of mice!  My Dianthus are continuing to flower. Now my spelling of flowers is more than likely well off but you should get a rough idea what plants I am talking about.

My Hydrangea is going through its change of colour, I adore all the different colours changes it does.  And my Zinnias just keep on keeping on!!!

Even my goldfish have been bobbing about in the pond.  Of late I have been getting nice pots for the garden, most I have found at our dump shop for either $2 or $4. Why would I spend big bucks at the garden centre right next door to the dump when these are on offer.

All the flax and cabbage trees I scored have been potted up or passed on to others.  At the moment I have them lined up along one of my barked areas, so they form a little wall.  I can move them about if I want or plant them if I like the walled garden.  I quite like the idea of secret gardens out the back so with the rain we are getting at the moment it may well encourage growth!!   By next summer it should all be looking lush and fabulous out the back.

Sheba hangs out in the back yard.

Oscar is so cool in his sunnies that he hangs out inside!!!

As for Tex, he owns the front of our property.

Today I headed out in the rain wearing some colourful tights and boots as a sign of respect for those colourful tights and boots wearers currently doing Helgastock 2013.  Found the canvas folding deck chair and the retro scooter , both only $8 each.  I remember scooting about on these scooters as a kid.  The metal plant stand I got off trade me for $10 and will be perfect with pots of colour on it.  The colourful chairs also came to me via trade me, there is another green one, it was four for $15.  They looked wicked in the dullness of today in the rain.

This selection of tops I picked up today while out op shopping.

The bags I got for $3 each, the china brooch was $10 nice English china and old.  And the little made in England wall tiles were only $1 each.

TOF has given our gas heater a clean and it is currently cranked up with Tex and Sheba hogging the warmth.  Our weather forecast for the weekend is for RAIN RAIN RAIN, so it will be an indoor one for us I would say.  Plan is to hunker down, and generally cruse. 

Enjoy your weekend everybody!!!

Just call her Frida from the Tron!

My dear friend Louise popped in for a visit on Mothers Day after her daughterly duties had been attended to.  She had the most amazing gift for me, all made with the love and tender and skills that this uber talented friend of mine possesses!! Louise has for as long as I can remember crafted the most beautiful things out of vintage fabrics and wool.  She always wraps her gifts in paper and uses beautiful fabric to tie them.   Note this has been re-wrapped just for show and tell.  It was beautifully presented to me and not so well re-wrapped but I was in a rush, no excuse but I am using it.

Once my parcel was opened my very own Frida doll was staring up at me with a look on her face of, "I'm Home, I am Frida from the Tron!!" Like Jenny from the block but cazillions better!!  Seriously, how farkin gorgeous is this Frida Doll.?  All designed and handcrafted by my dear Lou-lou-belle. Big Kisses to her!!  Last year for my big number birthday she hand knitted me a pair of fabuloustick socks!!  And I was gifted a hippy mouse last year also which both got mentioned in blogs.  Talk about feel the love!!

All the clothes are removable so I can play dolls again!! Frida has the most divine hand knitted cardy, sweet top and hand embroidered skirt, with petticoat and bloomers secretly tucked under neath. And let not forget the bag, even lined in vintage floral!!!

Isn't she just beautiful???

I have this little bench seat that Frida has now taken possession of.  Great place to rest her bag and shawl while she leans into the giant Gerberas.  Pity someone hadn't dusted before Frida's photo shoot.  Ooooops!! If you would like to take a sneaky look at Louise's Blog you will find it here.  You may well be able to order your own Frida as I think more are being made to be sold. There is talk of a Diego doll, how cool would that be!!

Friday fun and footprints

This morning Sue came into town as we had a lunch date to attend.  So we decided we could squeeze in a few oppies before we had to met the others.  First of all I needed to pick up my paving stones that are so farkin cool I just about exploded with joy when I put them in the car!!

I wore this colourful dress top thing with leggings and my glitter jelly shoes, with merino op shopped cardy on top.  Not the best picture but TOF isn't that on to it when taking photos and this was taken late this afternoon hence the no shoes.  The sign we spotted in a shop today and just loved!!  And these are my pavers, they are brilliant and I have eight of them.  They are going to be stepping across by new barked garden when I get it done.  They are nearly twice the length of my little size 7 feet and will be so much fun. Courtesy of trade me and won the auction with a $14 big for the 8.  Pretty stoked!!

We met Janine (dark haired) and Liz (blonde) at this lovely Turkish eatery in Hamilton East called Bubaganush, spelt wrong but something sounding like that. Fabulous food, awesome company, and we laughed an awful lot.  The decor in this place was so nice, I rather liked the wall hanging near the door. 

Today's finds were, small Kath Kidston looking bag $1, sweet wooden shelves $4, 3 linen place mats $1.99 and the triple retro planter for $8 in spewmint green as my favourite Misfit in Australia would call the colour.

This is a selection of things I have got over the last week that are projects.  The chair was only $2 and just needs a rub and a paint, thinking something bright then some colourful cushions.  The small set of wooden draws is actually a jewelery box that will get a light sand along with the chest of draws. A friend of mine has just painted her bedroom furniture white, sanded it then poly urethaned it and it looks brilliant so may just give it a go.  But may go for a colour rather than white.

Big shout out to the pending weekend and I hope you all get to do something you enjoy!!

Happy Birthday To Me

Today I turned 51!!!  Funny thing is I don't feel that old and I certainly don't act it.  I had a lovely day cruising round the supermarket with my youngest son (who has been laid of from his job due to a lack of work, this is a whole other story), then going to my new job (and remembering everything I had been shown), and lastly out for dinner with my boys.

TOF got me the dress I am wearing over the top of another one.  Totally love it.  My lads gave me a box set of Red Door Perfume with body wash and body lotion.  I smell great!!  My sister that lives at the beach sent my an awesome parcel of bits, the felt brooch in the bottom pic, a wicked bracelet and a gorgeous purple embroidered fabric Indian wall hanging thing for letters.  I got cards, emails, texts and lots of lovely greetings on my face book page.  I feel down right popular and loved.

Me and all my boys at our local pub.  We had the Thursday special which is steak, eggs and chips with a handle of beer all for 13 huck as my youngest would say.  The blokes played pool and I had a dabble on the pokies, few drinks later and we headed on home.  I quite like birthdays!!

Flax and fabulous shoes

Yesterday I picked up this boot load of flaxes, over 30 of them, and all for a bargin price of $30, courtesy of trade me!!  Some will end up in pots so I can move them about and some will end up being planted out.  The rest are destined for a friends garden and some will be planted at my sons flat.  The auction I won was raising funds for the Forest and Bird society, what a great way to raise money.  I got them all out of my car to sort them and was joined by my cat Tex who was keen to be part of what was going on.

Today was a lovely Autumn day and a great day to put on the layers in colours, and wear my new to me Jelly shoes!!

Glitter Jelly shoes to be exact!!  My boss at my Monday job gave them to me as an early birthday present.  I had put them aside to buy them but she had other ideas.  So comfy and so pretty!!

My fur children.

I spent the afternoon at my friend Dawns place.  She scored this old caravan that she is going to do up one day.  There were thoughts of making it into a chicken house, or maybe even let it be an outside room when it has been pimped.  We both think it should have stripes and spots similar to her clay caravans that she makes.  The huge clay dude in her garden a mate made and she is looking after it for him.  He is the guardian of the caravan while he is there, and he is doing a super job so far, isn't he a beaut.

Before I say goodnight to you all I thought I would share how gorgeous the Koru garden is looking.  I am amazed how the succulents have survived as many of them have been stood on.  I am pretty stoked with how it is looking.

PS: first day at my new job yesterday was really good, super friendly laid back bunch of people, I think i am going to fit in rather well.  Back tomorrow for day two, just hoping I have retained what I learned.  Basically I am working with systems I haven't worked with for a few years so it's like riding a bike, you never really forget,  it will all come back to me in good time.  And two afternoons a week is just a doddle!

*Toodles*

Rodent Control Officer

My eldest son has been telling me how they keep catching mice in the flat (brand new 5 bedroom house actually) he is in.  This time of the year those little buggers want to live in doors.  So today his girlfriend and I went and got a cat!!

I found this gorgeous Red head who was in need of a new home all for free on trade me.  Flicked a quick text expressing interest and next thing we were off with my cat carry cage.  He is about 2 - 3, just been de-knackered, micro chipped, de-fleaed, immunised and all ready to embark on his new career as the Rodent Control Officer. He was called Ginger Nut, but now nutless and nameless, with a number of new names floating about and yet to be voted on.

What ever he ends up being called he will get plenty of love and attention.  I bought him some food, toys, and a indoor potty.  Hopefully he will catch the odd rodent!

Planning another garden and got me a job.

Last weekend me and TOF went for a drive to Matangi a quick drive out of Hamilton into the country.  I had won an auction on trade me for some retaining blocks, 50+ to be exact for $20.  We borrowed a mates trailer and headed off.

At the gate to the place we were picking up the blocks was this huge fella.  Love to have him chilling out in my back yard!!  We loaded the trailer twice and ended up leaving the big blocks behind.  It was an afternoon of loading and unloading but it is going to be great building walls in the garden out the back!

A selfie with my stash of blocks!!

This should keep me busy out the back for ages, just need to move them out there  now!!

Spotted this very cool Dinosaur skeleton letterbox.  The letter part was in its mouth.  Then there was this cute little Church that would make the perfect little home for me and TOF, with all our pets.  The unfortunate thing is it is still in use. One day I will find one that is begging to be lived in. This weekend I am off to  pick up another win of TM, bulk lot of bulbs!!  Dafs, Hyacinths, and Jonquils. They are going to be randomly planted out the back in all my little gardens.  Have another area of lawn that is going to be barked.  I pruned a branch of my big old Idesia tree to make the edging like I have on the other side of the lawn. I am going to be a busy bee!!  Oh and I have gone and got me a job.  2 afternoons a week so only 6 hours in total in the office of a sign writing place, doing the accounts.  Pretty stoked because I can still keep my Monday gig, play amongst the op shops, visit my friends and pretend to be a housewife!!

*Have a fabulous weekend*