Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad.

Sorry Northerners but bugger me it has been hot the last few days, and it is only November!!  But tonight we have rain to cool it all down and water everyone's gardens.

Yesterday was such a nice day, and it was made even nicer by having my good mate Lulubelle (Louise) and her daughter Prairie drop in for a visit.

I whiled away the time before they arrived in the garden, big surprise that is, me in the garden!! 

I put all the squabs on the garden swing and was joined by the dogs.  I didn't let the girls loose in the garden as last time old Joan chased Lou around the back yard.

Plenty of faffing and twirling because a visit from these gals always warms my heart. Thanks for visiting my lovelies!!

Today was another glorious day that was slightly derailed for me as I wanted to borrow some old family photos from a relative and they weren't too keen on the idea, but did let me.  I wanted to take photos of them as they are pictures of my long gone relatives, people that interest the hell out of me as they were such a pioneering bunch.

The day was far to nice to be made miserable but someone else's shit attitude so I saluted those that try to take me down to their misery.

Is life too short to subscribe to the bullshit of others?  I think so, and after some relaxing among my flowers I was back on track.  Oh and I also had a wee bit of retail/op shop therapy.  As us girls all know, there is nothing like a bit of shopping to perk you up.

I do believe I got a bargain!  The Big Red Shed was having a nuts as one day sale on loads of stuff, so what was a girl to do?

I also got the prettiest lamp shade to hang over our dining room table. From Habitat I came home with some Royal reading, a cute as Xmas tree decoration, and a set of three old treadle sewing machine draws.  These are going to get a paint job, I only want the individual draws.

How gorgeous does the light look?

This beautiful old leather suitcase belonged to my dads father. His initials are the same as my sister Helen's so my dads mother gave her this suitcase.  It has been living at a relatives house and is full of the old photos that I borrowed.

Like some of me and my sister H with other family members and this one of my beautiful boys when they were small.

And old ones from my childhood like this one.  My grandparents took us girls away for a weekend up the Thames coast and we stayed in one of the old Trams that had been converted into a holiday home. It was such a cool weekend.

I love this photo of my grandmothers Pineapples that she would grow in her greenhouse.  She was an amazing gardener and her and grandpa had the best ever garden to hang out in.

My favourites are the very old ones like these.  I love the old studio staged ones.  But the day at the beach is so great, look at what they had to wear.  Quite different to the micro things worn today!!  I spent all afternoon photographing photos, I think I did over 200 and that is of only one side of the family.  Hopefully I can get the other half without any fuss and bother.

 Tex kept himself very busy sleeping.

  Bed one was his outdoor chair.

Bed two was in a cool breeze on a door mat, the deck was too hot for him today. He spent most of the day out the front of our place.

Bed three, and quite possibly his all time favourite at the moment as he is still in it and will be until tomorrow now. 

 

Someone else took advantage of the beds available and joined in on the slumber party.  Of course Sheba was far to busy to be sleeping!

They say that some of the white sheep in a family are not all that white!

Happy weekend to you all!!

 

I stayed home!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day and I managed to tick a lot of things off my to do list, in fact I could well be in the running for.....

When TOF got home at the end of the day he was like, oh you...and you..and there's more!!

There was a line full of washing.

That wheel barrow of branches got mulched, and did you say lawns, why yes, I mowed the lawns (5 minute job).

And I baked! Banana and Walnut muffins, and a six pack made it's way to work this morning.

Thinking I stand a better chance at at week rather than a year, that would be a heavy crown to wear!!

Tex showed his support by waking up.

It was so warm that I wore my hair up, in fact I did a French Braid, I had to teach myself years ago as I had no one to braid it for me. Somethings you never forget, now I want to know how to do a fish tail braid.

The box garden full of lettuce plants is ready for consumption, lucky we love salads!!

Last week I wore this dress under a blue dress but today it was on top!

Just look at all those flowers reaching for the sunshine!

Today ended like this which should indicate a good day tomorrow.

I put solar lights on the garden swing late yesterday, and they got their sparkle on tonight for me.  Anyone up for a night swing??

 

 

Crickey, it's Monday already!!

Yep it is Monday and the sunshine is back so my line is now full of the washing that was put on hold over the weekend. A weekend of blah, rain, rain and just a little more rain. The garden is beyond happy and my fingers are crossed that all the farmers are now happy.

So last Friday I was intending on being a good wife and staying home and doing some things around the house, but I had to nip out and drop off something.  While I was out I somehow ended up doing the rounds of the opportunity shops. Ooooooops!!!

I couldn't leave the bookmarks behind even tho' I only need one so they will be getting re homed to other readers and they were only 50 cents each. The cute as felted bag was only $2.50 and the festive embroidery was $4.  OMG I actually think I am getting ready for Christmas!

The White Birkenstock sandles my sister sent over to me.

Fly London sandles for $4 from the city Salvo store.

Black Minx sandles for $3 from the SPCA shop.

From Habitat I found some huge jars to use in my pantry and a filter for my camera that does trippy things to photos, that you will view later.  I wore a lot of blue and got mobbed by the girls while eating a freshly picked strawberry.

 So much growth in the garden and look at how long my hair is getting!!

The filter does a fuzzy rainbow effect around the edges.

Saturday the sky opened and it RAINED, and rained, and rained and rained, so it was a day to be spent indoors. Mind you it wasn't cold to start off with so summery clothes were still very much the order of the day.

 

 Told you the filter did trippy things!!

By late afternoon the temperature had dropped right off and it was cold, so someone decided that bed was the only option.

Finally around lunch time on Sunday the rain ceased long enough for me and TOF to get a load of rubbish to the dump.  We loaded the trailer with the next lot and basically took it for a drive, because by the time we got back to the dump the bastards had closed! It can wait until next weekend now as I am shit at backing trailers.  My barrow is loaded with branched to be mulched today, and I am just waiting until the sun moves so I will have a shady spot to do this in.

Fed up with Joan swanning inside like she owns the place I have installed some Joan proofing over the pet door.  Sheba has it sorted, Oscar will learn, and Tex, well I am not sure, but it is light enough for him to push through.  I will let you know if it keeps Joan outside!

TOF and I finished the weekend with a bowl of ice cream and Strawberries from our garden.  So sweet and juicy, the Strawbs that is!

Today is glorious and everything is looking lovely after all the rain. My Ivy Geraniums are in abundance and looking particularly beautiful.  

 

I had an audience while out the front photographing the flowers.  Can you see the dogs waiting behind the screen door? We all intend to stay home today and do stuff that needs doing. Wish me luck on that one, because I know how easily distracted I am.

And if you are given something to much to handle go to those that love you for help.

 

Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes.

So glad you enjoyed the old photos of my long gone relatives, I quite like delving into family history.  I remember my grandfather Bill telling me to "go back as far as a family fortune"!!  Alas, none was found, all gone by the time we arrived in the world.  Family is important, but not everyone in a family will always get along, so I take the good with the bad.  We cannot change people, but I guess we can hope for improvement as we age.  

I will probably do another post on some other oldies, as there are a few interesting old dudes to share with you if you are interested.

As you know I love both, my boys and my garden and time was spent with all over the last weekend.

The Spare and the Heir rocked around on Saturday as they had been to a clothing sale at the racecourse so they dropped in for a brew.  It warms my heart that these two can hang out together, kind of reminds me of me and my sister Helen. I like to think I had a helping hand in allowing them to like each other.

While TOF pruned some trees out the front of our place I tidied as best I could the wilderness in front of the house.  Basically just needed a bit of shaping, dead heading and weeding.

In between the house and our garage is a bad concrete job that I would love to deck and just have pots and furniture on, but in the mean time a major weeding tidied it up.

Tex's chair had become hidden so he will now be able to sleep soundly out the front in his all weather spot.  The Koru garden has been stripped and will either get crushed shells or maybe something low growing and spreading.

Every day I gather eggs and pick strawberries, both are welcome and being devoured. The Strawberries are producing well so I am freezing what we don't eat to use in jam and crumbles at a later date.

All the pets are happily going about their business out in the back yard.

I have been having a Black & White week and even put a dark blonde through my dark hair to dull down the reddish colour.  Dark blonde my arse, its chocolate brown.  I realise getting back to my normal colour is going to be a slow process but I am not in a huge rush and who knows, I may even change my mind and stay dark.

Hot Pink topper has featured two days in a row, and today had a French feel about it. Viva la France.

 

Our garden mulcher got a wee work out this afternoon, and there is a huge pile to still work my way through.  I gave up when the weather decided to turn and school was about to get out, and I didn't need an audience of young kids at my gate watching and commenting.

At least I managed to fill my wheel barrow once to the top and spread it down in the chicken area.  The girls are going to enjoy scratching about in all the fresh mulch.

We retired indoors as it is looking like rain outside, some have even taken to their bed.  Hopefully the rain will pass and be gone by the morning as I have more mulch to make.

Sure hope life is treating you all well.  With all the evilness that happened in France it makes me appreciate the peaceful life I live. I am not sure if the world has even had real peace as wars and scraps over land, religion and what ever else takes the radicals fancy at the time have been going on since the beginning of time really.  Living down here at the bottom of the world I like to think we are safe, but in truth I know we are no safer than anyone else.  

Be kind to yourself, each other and those you call strangers, and stay safe and happy where ever you may be.  United we must stand.