Hey hey it's Friday!!

And it is almost the end of yet another month! Seriously this year seems to have sped up lately.  Yesterday I remembered that the car needed to be re registered, thinking I had it all under control, I discovered that it was actually overdue.  But not only that, the warrant had expired 4 days ago.  When did I become so lapse about things like this??  A quick phone call to my lovely mechanic who I blamed him for not reminding me of such things and the car was all booked for her warrant this morning, he is good to me!!

Tex thinks such things are unimportant, the important things to remember are to feed him, this I do remember!

I remember to get dressed!

So with the car at the garage, my plans were on hold for the morning.  While feeding the girls I noticed a few things going on in the garden and I was trying to remember if I had planted them or if they just magically appear when I am preoccupied with trying to remember the so called important things.

 Purple things, and pink and red carnations, I planted them.

 Pink things.  The Calla Lily I don't remember planting.

I was pretty happy to see my Gherkin is producing and my tomatoes have fruited up before TOFs ha ha, looks like I will win the tomato comp again.  How fabulous is the Passion Fruit flower?

A whole lot of white things.  The plant top right I always thought was a weed, apparently not.

Somewhat over mooching outside I decided to take Jaks car and bugger off out, after all he was asleep with a mid week hangover to deal to.  So back to my original plan of going to my friend Dawns place was back on.

 I found the Artist busy sculpting another one of her beautiful bird baths.

The huge jug is amazing and Taz the cat just can't help but get amongst all the finished work.

 Remember the baby birds, well what a difference two weeks makes.

A colourful bird bath, little Paige in front of a Totem, a house on a hill, and the fabulous bird at the end is a second that I bought off her and will use as a candle holder.

Mother, daughter and grand daughter.

One of the huge bird totems she has ready to be sold.

The other bird totem.

Back home to collect the car with a current warrant of fitness. Then off out to get the registration sorted and buy some socks for TOF as obviously the sock monster has been loose in our house again and he cannot find any socks.  What is it about men and socks??  With a street legal car, and all jobs ticked off my wee list I returned home to a grumpy arsed teen.  Of course I poured all the booze down his throat last night and made him stay out until 5am, I am such a biatch like that.  

But the good news is, it is Friday and this means the weekend is so close you can smell it if you try hard enough.  Hope you all have a fun filled weekend when it arrives in your part of the world.

Yessssssssssss we have rain!!

Who thought I would ever get excited about RAIN!!

But in the greater Waikato the farmers will be dancing in their stubbies, black singlets and gumboots!

Life style block owners will be toasting the fact that their water tanks are filling up for free!

And townies like me will be just plain happy that our gardens are getting watered!!

I am so ready for the day that I may as well just head off to work!!

HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY!!

Finally a SuesDay with Both Sues present and accounted for!!

These used to be a weekly adventure for me and the other Sue, the country Sue, but with her buggering off back to the motherland for a month, being busy on the Estate with young French men, and other things, we haven't been able to get together for one of "Our Days" for what seems like forever!!  So today it finally happened.  We managed to put in what can only be described as a sterling effort of attacking the local op shops visiting ELEVEN!!!  Trust me we have a circuit mapped out and we are well known at these spots and our absence had been noted!!  And this is not even all the op shops on offer.

This is my stash of clothes I found today.  A brand new still with tags Desigual dress for $10, stunning cobalt blue Verge Top for $3.50, Peacock velvet burn out shawl for $4, brand new Red with white polka dot swimsuit with frilly bit for $7, and gorgeous bright beaded halter top for $2.50.

None has been tried on by me so fingers crossed all are a success.  I don't do the old itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini thing anymore, so a polka dot one piece will do the trick, and more than likely in my small pool in the privacy of my own back yard.  These days I am built for comfort not for speed!!

I love the NZ Life and Leisure magazine, but will not pay the outrageous price when new, so when I can score one for a good old 50 cent coin I am a happy camper.  The wooden trug was only $4 and will be perfect for transporting all that lovely fruit growing in my back garden when ripe.   The darling little dutch vase is for a special friend who is Dutch, it is very sweet.

When we were in Frankton today ( an older suburb in Hamilton ) all the gardens growing around the trees in the main shopping street were flowering.  Carpet roses in vibrant pinks and heavily perfumed white Jasmine greeted us.  So nice to have some colour amongst the shops and the tar sealed roads.  St Vinnies had a Nativity scene in their shop window.  I am not the slightest bit religious but I will admit to liking a nicely done Nativity scene.

Meanwhile at the Dump shop, or the Dumporium, Sue found this pimped out scooter, almost family sized, well you could at least take a passenger on board.  It was fare honking down at the dump today, very whiffy in the warm humid weather.  Still no rain to get excited about!!  We have had a few light showers, so light in fact that they wouldn't even wet a tissue!

At the dump shop I found this Babette Cole kids book for $1.  One of the funniest childrens writers of all time.  With such good advice too!!  When the lads were small I got the one called "Hair in funny places" the most hilarious puberty book ever. Still have it!!

With enough op shopping under our belts we grabbed some lunch and went and sat at the Lake.  Within minutes of our arrival the car was surrounded by ducks and the odd Pukeko.  Sue told the ducks they could all do with going to Jenny Craig as they are all rather plump.  I suggested they just cut out the carbs!!

This bunch of Pukeko were having a bit of a rumble in the car park.  Quite vicious too!!  They are odd birds, all feet, but beautiful colours, bright blue with their red beaks.  Some females were nesting in the reeds, so maybe the rumble was a paternity issue??!!

Forgot to take a picture of me all frocked up, but it was my lovely floral one I have been thrashing alot of late.  As a consolation I did take one of my shoes, my gorgeous Briarwood slip on sandals that my sister scored for me for $2.

Twas a lovely day out with the other Sue, and hopefully we are back on track to being more regular with our SuesDays.

 

This is true!!

Either Rain or don't, just make up your mind and stop faffing about!!

It is hot, I like it hot, but it is humid because it really wants to rain, but just hasn't quite got its shit together enough to do so.  The weather that is, today I have my shit together!!  I have been to work, visited an op shop, and now home faffing.  Faffing is an Art you know!

Me and The Oscar dog have been faffing out the back under the big green umbrella where there is a breeze.

The white Geraniums are faffing about in the sunshine.

The girls are all pretending to faf but I know they have been eating the Raspberries that are ready.

Cannot be totally sure if this lot were faffing or not? 

But they look pretty!!

Out the back big fluffy clouds are faffing in the blue sky.

But out the front the Rain is faffing about, just do it you know you want to!!

We need some rain for the garden.

The farmers need rain for sure.

There was a Sparrow faffing about in the trees out the front.

And the king of all Faffers couldn't quite make up his mind what he wanted to do with himself.

Mini break just for me

..oh and Oscar came too.  On Friday things changed and I ended up deciding I would go over to stay with my sister Helen at Whangamata.  With my reservation for the night confirmed and the request for a small dog to accompany me accepted I packed some bits and buggered off!!  The first song that came on the radio as I hit the countryside was "Take the long way home" by Supertramp, I knew Dad was coming along for the ride.  This was the song I chose for his coffin to be carried out to the hearse for his final destination, he always took the long way home you see.  It took quite some time to hear that song and not cry, but yesterday I smiled and said welcome along dad, we are going to your favourite beach!!

We stopped off in Paeroa a nice sized town full of interesting shops that I haven't had the chance to have a good look through for years.  As luck would have it we got a park right outside a 2nd hand shop so it seemed fitting that I ventured on in.  Loved the chair!

The Jean Jones Outlet shop (NZ made label) is here too, and I finally got to go there.  Yes I got the Pink under skirt that was hanging in the window, why not, originally $129, and down to $30.

With my traveling companion not remotely interested in doing the shops we then parked up at a park for some fresh air, potty stop and lunch.  I had made me/us a very delicious sandwich which we shared.  Time for a tourist shot of the giant Lemon & Paeroa bottle, iconic to the town!!

Next stop was Waihi, an old mining town that still has a controversial  mining venture underway.  The sight of the enormous pit in the ground is amazing/horrendous, depending on which side you are on.  I don't live there so I don't have an opinion.

This old pump house has been here for ever and even as a young child I was fascinated with it.  It was moved to a new spot not far from the original sight a few years back, not the same magic to me but still very historical and amazing.

 A somewhat tagged monument now.

 One thing is for sure, the view of the surrounding countryside is lovely.

Down in the main street a friend of mine that has moved to Waihi has opened a beautiful shoe shop, Elite Shoes and I rather liked these shoes!!  I love that there is still one of the old pony rides outside a shop, not her shop, but a bike shop I think.  The main street has all these lovely sculptures.

Waihi has a quirky selection of shops but with a small dog in a car on a beautiful hot day, shop hopping was not on the cards.

Finally we were at Whangamata.  I used to hate the hills between Waihi and Whangamata when I was a car sick kid.  Now as an up front rider and yesterday the driver, I really enjoy them.  We called in on Helen and then headed to the water, so we could paddle in the tepid sea and get sand in between our toes!!

Dinghies chained to trees!

 Spectacular colour and moored boats.

 Flowering Pohutukawa trees, always a good sign.

Oscar and his cousins Febe and Clutch.

I love my sisters house, she has a talent for decorating.  She was showing me the dark wig she has got, the kind of colour I am thinking of going next winter.

Old photos, the best type.  My two sisters (Helen & Diana) on the left, and Dad with Helen on the right.

These things used to live in our beach house and I love that they still live at the beach. I get to enjoy them when I visit and the memories they stir up.

The Grandfather clock was our Poppies, Dads father and Helen has the same initials so it was always going to be hers.  It is good to know that it will live on with her family and it suits her home.

 More fabulous things that adorn her home.

After a lovely meal and some very nice wine, we relaxed in the lounge and watched some comedy on the tv.  Then it was off to bed.  I slept in as I do when I stay at the beach.  I awoke to empty house and another spectacular day.

The old pump we had at our beach house when dad was building it, before we were connected to the town supply.  It rests safely in Helen's garden, picture on the right is her hard at work using it.

While I slept Helen took all the dogs for a run on the beach and her hubby went out for a surf.  Such a good mother/aunty, she gave them all a shower on their return.

The Roses and Water Lily were looking beautiful this morning.  Helen had work to go to and I was heading home.

Before leaving my favourite beach one last visit to  the ocean was required. It was looking very summery this morning.

 Helen manages a shop called Glamour, which is full of goodies from Nepal.

Lots of temptations but another time when flush with cash.  Helen found this card that she thought was so Oscar!

I always visit Budda Lounge, it has been a favourite shop of mine for years, and yes I was bad and purchased a gorgeous necklace, because I needed another gorgeous necklace ok!!

One last stop before going home,  an Op Shop!  I found the two things on the left.  Yesterday I went to Whangamatas other op shop where I got the wee bag and Helen had got me the shoes from it the other day.

It was really time to say goodbye to the beach.  Snax at the ready and a cold drink, Oscar comfortable on the passenger seat, air con on, and Joe Cocker in the CD player.  Farewell Whangamata, we will be back!!

While Oscar slept I stopped in the Karangahake Gorge to take photos of the waterfall.  Back on the road to home and before I knew it we were back in town.  I basically came inside to an empty house, TOF was working and Jak was who knows.  So I treated myself to a 3 hours nap.  Warm weather, sea air and concentrating for a length of time at driving had completely knackered me!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

I count my blessings that I have a fabulous fun friend that just happens to be my sister.  I love her to bits!!