Sometimes you get more than you think.

Yesterday I had to take a little drive out of town to Karamu, to  go and collect some vintage fabric I had won on auction from trade me.  I thought I was just getting one clean sack full of fabric for $6 but when I got there it turns out I had won a considerable lot more.

I think it would be fare to say I got more bang for my bucks!!

When I got home I tipped it all out on the kitchen floor to see what I had bought.  There is such a variety and I know a few people that will be getting given some of this as there is far too much for me.  One bag even had the pile of clothes roughly shown in the bottom right photo, nothing a wash to freshen up cannot handle and then they can be passed on too.  There are patchwork projects and doilies, and plenty of fabric that I will be happy to use.  On what I am not sure, but for $6, who cares!!  But there is SPOTS!!!

Today I went to collect  two pig money boxes that I bought for $1 off trade me, that will be living with the others I already have. I have enough Pig money boxes in my little collection now, and the lady said these were from the '50s.  Make sense as I got my one in the '60s when I was a wee girl.  The vinyl foldable seat cushion I found at Habitat today for $4 and will be perfect on my bench seat outside. Oscar sniffed every single inch of it and it has been okayed with him.  I haven't much spare cash for op shopping this week with all that bark we bought over the weekend, but that is all good by me because I am super happy with the garden.

I discovered these pine cones hiding in my garden out the front of our house, I would have put them there ages ago.  I quite like the weathered look they have going on, the colour is beautiful.  Our weather has been decidedly warmer today, so much that I dug out some summery shoes.  Time to pack away the boots and coats I think, just another job to go on my "To Do" list.  But between my garden and my camera not alot gets done on that list!!!  Luckily there is always another day tomorrow.

I see a wish, what do you see??

Such a city girl

Today I didn't have work as I have swapped my days about just for this week.  But when I do go to work on a Tuesday I usually drive past the  Frankton Sale Yard.  Hamilton is like the Capital of the Waikato which is a huge farming community in away and it just so happens the Frankton Sale yard is in my town.  What is it you ask??  Where they sell cows and sheep and pigs and it is full of stock agents and farmers, and today ME!!

With no intentions on bidding on any stock for my city farm, armed with my camera and a sunny disposition I wandered about like I was meant to be there.  Well I am a farmer of sorts, I have a herd of chickens!!  How fabulous were these rams with the big arse horns, very impressive and I liked the colour of their wool.  Apparently that is not what I should be looking for.

I bumped into a mate of TOFs, Frank, who was there to buy some sheep, probably one that will end up in our freezer at Christmas time.  He was giving me the ins and outs of what happens at the sale yard and told me to go have a look.  So I did.  I watched an auction for a pig that went for $160.  There was this bloody huge big old female pig, the biggest I have ever seen that was also up for sale.  A real fatty, and according to my expert known as a Chopper.  I told him big old girls were normally know as slappers!!

There is a part where you can go up some stairs and walk above the cows for sale.  They were so big!!  Too big for the back of my station wagon or my back yard.  There was a real scrawny looking one that Frank told me it would probably end up at McDonalds in Burgers.  It had a big blue M on its back which I suggest would seal the deal.  He went off to bid on some sheep and I headed off to go home.  With my lungs full of the smell of the country, and my inquisitiveness been fulfilled, I said good bye to the sheep and this beautiful ram and went home.

Back home to enjoy the sunshine and my domestic animals in the back garden.  I quite enjoyed going to the sale yard this morning and think it would be fun to go check out random things happening in my town.  Pretty sure the A and P show starts on this Friday for three days,  and I have not been to one of them since the lads were little.  For those unfamiliar with such a show that I may well have called the wrong thing but they are dedicated to all things agricultural and farming like with stalls and side shows thrown in for good measure.  Don't worry I will take my trusty camera.

My dogs joined my on the garden swing.  Sheba of course had to have one of her balls and just would not sit still, which was annoying the you know what out of Oscar.  Such a beautiful day for cruising with the dogs out the back doing nothing.  Of course now I need to go and pretend that I am a domesticated housewife and slap something together for our dinner.  Thinking Ginger and Honey Chicken Casserole on a bed of rice, I seem to be able to make it successfully so it only seems right.

Today's little gem!

Work in progress is now complete.

I got to thinking the other day when TOF and I were doing the gardening, on how I was going to raise the money to buy the bark I needed.  I hate half finished projects so a big light went on above my head!!  Out came the water blaster and I tidied up an outdoor table and chair set that I had been intending on selling on trade me.  Within in half an hour of it being listed for sale it was SOLD!!  Talk about success!!

This is the photo I took to sell the table and chairs, all in the dressing to sell I feel, and I got the $120 for it that I was after, so I was totally stoked.  The people came over today from Tauranga (about and hour and a half drive) to pick it up.  With cash in hand TOF and I went to Captain Compost and got 3 scoops of black bark.

So good to have finished this little gardening project.  We have a nice bit of lawn left and now we have a very low maintenance and interesting back garden.

The Giant Feet paver stones look great and more potted plants no doubt will join what is already there.

This spot is looking decidedly boring but I want to dig out the Bird of Paradise when it has finished flowering.  I am going to break it up and re plant it in pots.  It will give us better access to this part of the garden too.  Don't the flowers look stunning even before they are in full bloom.

TOF and I are now having a rest after our hard work, he is having a snooze and I am chilling out doing this!! 

Last word goes to my garden:

Sunday evening out at the Beach for a BBQ

Good friends of ours live out at Raglan, a lovely small coastal town a reasonably quick 40 minute drive from Hamilton and on the West Coast.  TOF and I both love this place, the rugged natural beauty, the good fishing and the excellent surf are but a few of the things that attract people from all over the world to this gorgeous wee place.

The drive out today was a little overcast and grey with the odd showers of rain, but the scenery is still rather nice even in these weather conditions.

TOF always like to check out the surf above Bryant Beach.

The views are spectacular even back in land to the surrounding hills.

The rugged west coast with a choppy sea today and wind so strong even the trees grow on a lean.

Flax plants flowering and cows in the paddocks.

Loads of Surf Board places, wooden stairs and huge big pines.

Beach baches dotted on the hills, bridge from town to the camping ground and the local hotel.

Pohutukawa trees getting red to bloom and small boats enjoying the safety of the harbour.

We always go for a drive to the wharf.  Today there were people fishing off it, and I like the iconic to Raglan and favourite shops of mine that now live on the newly built building at the wharf.  I have heard good things about the cafe, still need to stop there one day.  But we were on our way to have a BBQ for dinner with our friends.

Their house is elevated with some spectacular views.   I don't think you can ever get sick of watching the ocean as it is always changing both in shape and in colour.

 

Their cat Yogi is similar to our Tex, and just as BIG!!

 

The deck is huge and the BBQing was being done there.  Their home is surrounded in quaint baches like this blue one.  They have these ethnic dudes scattered about inside their house.

 The sun was slowing going down but no spectacular bright sunset tonight was on show.

Before we knew it the night had set in and it was time to head home.  It was a nice afternoon/evening spending time in a beautiful place with good friends.

A little something to remember while you enjoy your weekend:

It is a work in progress!

Last night TOF and I decided that today we were gong to build a new garden as we have some more strawberries to plant (thanks Sue W xxx ).  So after our breakfast  we set about with loading and moving the retaining blocks I bought off trade me months ago that have been patiently waiting to be moved.

At the moment the new garden only has some of our compost and a bag of chicken shit and wood chips from the girls delivery suite in it.  The plan is to get some top soil this week, then next weekend we will be planting.  Pretty happy with the position of the new garden and how it looks.

We have also laid down all the sea grass matting that I got from the Dump shop a wee while back for $10.  The plan is to cover this with black bark to match the rest of the gardens out the back.  We have covered quite a considerable amount of the back yard leaving a reasonable amount of lawn.  So nice to be able to do things with the back yard after all these years.  But now that the lads are grown up and no longer using the back lawn, it is OURS!!!  I have been busy moving my slices of tree trunk that I picked up the other day and I have put potted plants on top of them.

It is all going to look pretty darn fabulous when the bark goes down, but at $40 a scoop we may be doing this at a scoop a week for a few weeks.

I have even laid out where my giant feet pavers will go.  They will link from one path to another path eventually.  They are such fun things, wish I could get more.

Adding to the pots I found numerous garden ornaments to place on the tree slices too.

We stopped for a spot of lunch, TOF made us ham, cheese and pineapple toasties, yummo!!

Then back outside to finish off what we had started before it got too hot.   yes we have SUNSHINE!!!

TOF has been a busy lad in his fenced of vegetable garden with Oscar making a sneaky visit to oversee and check on the progress.  TOF is now having a well earned nana nap!!

I would quite like to make this sign to hang in my garden.

Well I hope you like me have been enjoying the weekend so far.  Lucky old us Kiwis, we have a three day weekend to rest and relax or go hard!  Me and TOF are going for the R & R option.  Hope you like today's little quote:

It was all about the dogs.

This morning I went for a drive out to Webberville, what I fondly call Sue's place out in the country.  It was such a nice morning that I decided to take my dogs for a play date with hers and of course check out the four young French men that are staying!! 

The French are earning their keep by way of gardening, so they are weeding, weeding, weeding!!  As for the dogs, well they were busy sniffing and marking each others territory as dogs do.  Oh and the Roses are starting to flower, so beautiful.

My Sheba and Sues Clyde.

The tree climbing Max.

Sheba and Oscar meeting Amber the goat.

Strawberries in October!!

Max the Pole dancing Foxy getting up close and rather personal with my Sheba!

It was so nice to go for the wee drive to the countryside and just hang with Sue and the animals.  We always wander about the paddocks and it was good for my two dogs to have a run in the country air.  Both are currently sleeping and I suspect they will be doing this for the rest of the day.

Because I am a pet owner today's quote is:

Have a happy weekend!!!

Life is pretty good.

The thing about having a day go pear shaped on you is there is always tomorrow, so after yesterday feeling slightly miffed, today has been a winner!!  I have been to work, done the supermarket shopping and I have just finished mowing the lawns for TOF with his new and improved mower.  Improved as in it now goes!!  Still loud, but it goes because I took it to a man that knew about lawn mowers.  I shall be in TOFs good books for sure.

I was all gussied up and looking pretty fabulous for work and shopping but ditched the Pearls, good shoes and coat dress to mow the lawn!!

In fact I am pretty sure TOF said something about going to the pub after work for a drink, so I might just squeeze dinner out of him as well with a bit of luck, that way the kitchen will stay clean.  I know it is only Thursday but I do not work on Friday so it is the beginning of a very long weekend for me indeed.  Monday is a public holiday,  and instead of working on Tuesday and Thursday I am doing Wednesday and Friday next week. 

5 glorious days off doing whatever floats my boat, woohoo!!!!

And this just makes me laugh!!

What makes you happy?

I think I live a pretty uncomplicated life because I chose it.  My life style is not to everyone's liking but then it is mine not theirs!  I choose the simple things as I don't do stress, rush and panic at all well, something I have learned over the years.  I try not to sweat the small stuff but sometimes on the odd occasion things do get to me.  Thankfully I own a camera and a lovely garden!

I prefer to be amazed by Mother Nature than try to work out the strangeness of my own mother and my eldest sister.  In the garden I can think about the beauty of the plants and wonder at the pallet of colours that get used.  Plants just grow, they do their best to survive no matter what is thrown at them.  When I die I want to come back as a plant, one that keeps popping up in someones garden to give pleasure each year, how awesome would that be.  That or a cat like my Tex with a cruisey owner like me!

Because I love my garden so much and recycling I went and collected these 5 absolutely enormous slices of very old tree that I bought off trade me for $5 each.  I lifted and rolled these buggers across the persons lawn and then lifted them into the back of my station wagon.  I still have muscles!!  Then I had to do the same when I got home.  I could have sore arms tomorrow, but then again I may not.  These are going to be fabulous stepping stones out the back on the bark gardens.  I may go get more but will take TOF because the others I want are even BIGGER!!  The bark is covered in lichen and there are over 20 odd rings so this was one lovely old tree that will live on by being re purposed in my garden.

Even tho today is grey and slightly wet, it is still warm and the colour of the flowers is enough to brighten my spirits and this dull day.  My garden, my simple life and the family I have created, and the good friends I have collected over my life are what make me HAPPY.

So another quote from the good Doctor seems appropriate today: