Leopard print and Tutu with a side serving of sunshine

Another fabulous Spring day, and pleased to say my cold is all but GONE!! I have been hitting the hot lemon and honey drinks before bed every night.  Dragged myself of to work and survived a few hours doing what needed to be done, and then rushed home to enjoy the gorgeous weather in the back garden with my girls.

I wore a beige (not a colour I usually wear) Tutu skirt under a brown tunic with Leopard print legs and cardy.  Black ballet pump shoes and my favourite Mala.  I put a rug on the lawn and let the girls out for a scratch in the sunshine.  Total bliss!

I love the variety of eggs my girls give me.

Oscar spread out on the deck and checked up on the progress of the Tulips.

My Camellias are blooming, likewise with the Hebe and Lily of the Valley.  The red Ranunculas are bursting out to join in with my purple ones.  I do love the flowers in my garden, and there is so much more to come.  I also have a lot of seeds to sow that I saved from my plants last year, best I hop to and do that job soon.

In Spring you should Swing!

I have stayed home today from work as I am still battling my cold.  Dam  bastard thing will not leave me!! This morning was so beautiful and sunny so I decided to put the squabs out on the swing chair in my garden so I could chill out in the warmth.

There is nothing quite like relaxing in the sunshine, even if all the pets decided to join in!

We are lucky enough to only have a reasonably quiet back yard for a residential property. We have a primary school next to and behind us, and an elderly widow on the other side.  Even though we are only two sections away from State Highway One it is still quiet.  If I close my eyes like I did today in the sun, I can imagine the sound of traffic as the ocean, and I can be relaxing at the beach in my mind! Even the hum of a lawn mower slaving away on a neighborhood lawn could not interrupt my trip the seaside.

Over the weekend I mapped out where two more barked areas are going to go, using more branches from my big Idesia trees, as TOF had been pruning again.  Just need to weed mat and bark and I will have less lawn to tackle and more lovely sweeping areas to plant.  My two big pots full of Tulips are starting to appear, I am looking forward to the show of flowers that will be with me soon. Hopefully this good weather and a bit more relaxing in the garden will have me fighting fit by tomorrow!!

My Friday begins with a "B"

B because, one I have a blocked nose, two I have been out to a Book fair, and three, my girls have got their laying mojo back and eggs are Bountiful!!  Oh and four, my garden even on this dull old Friday is looking Brilliant, with lots of Spring Bulbs and Buds everywhere!!

Two book fairs are held at the Te Rapa race course, horsey track place, each year and I go to both as it is just down the road from where I live.  Today it was Red Cross having a go and have a go they did! All books were $3 and this is when I get my big hard back jobbies.  When I have poured over each page I then donate them to Habitat to be on sold.  Magazines were 5 for $2 so I grabbed enough to keep me happy for the weekend as I feel I will be house bound with my snotty nose and husky cough!  They too will be passed on when I am finished.

I have been letting the girls out into the back yard most afternoons lately as their area is slightly boggy and damp under foot.  By way of thanks for this pleasure they have found their laying mojo and are popping out eggs by the dozen, well maybe not quite but they are putting in a sterling effort!!

 The beauty that is the different stages of a flower in bloom!

Mother Nature is the bomb!

 Beautiful Buds full of potential.

 Bird of Paradise and new growth everywhere.

A lovely Lemon destined for a hot drink for me.

Have a happy weekend wherever you are!!

The instant Gardener

That would be me!  I struggle with waiting for colour in my garden this time of the year so when there is potted colour on offer I usually get some.  I found the most awesome Tyre planter on Trade Me ($35 + $5 to get it delivered from Thames, an hour or so drive from Hamilton) and bought it, had to wait for a couple of weeks for it to be delivered but it arrived on the weekend.  It is better than I even expected and today it got filled up, well mass planted!!

Yum or what??

I planted a Camellia I had lurking in my garden in the middle then over dosed it on small plants, some already flowering.  At Bunnings (hardware/garden centre/man shop) there was loads of  punnets with 6 plants in each for only $1.37.  What a daft amount? So I grabbed about 9 punnets and the tyre is now chocker block!  Plus I snuck the odd seedling that is coming up in my other garden planters so it is going to look more than fabulous when it is Blooming its butt off!! Off course while out buying plants I popped into two opish shops and was rewarded with purchases!!

All the clothes came from Look Smart, as they are having a 50% off sale at the moment.  The dress is actually really nice but difficult to photograph brand new without tags and $7.50, the top and the tights were only $4 each.

Then at Habitat I found the owl which has a tea light candle in it, the very cool pencil case for my sons girlfriend, and two good sized orange lidded jars.  I have got rid of all my plastic in my cupboards and gone back to glass, so a real mish mash of jars, but I love it because I can see what I have and they seal better.

Three projects!  All need a sand and recovering but ranged from $2 - $5.

Thought Tex might like the wee step to help him get up onto his favourite chair!

These two lovelies came via the post and were purchased off Trade Me.  I have lusted after this Briarwood bag forever so when one came on auction in my price range I pounced!! I have the matching shoes that I scored for $1 last summer to go with the bag. Even the lining inside is divine.  Russian doll salt and pepper set totally cranked my handle so it too was a must!

Best go check that my Chickens aren't in my Tyre planter eating my plants!!

Tuesday smuesday, but no time for smuesing.

Early start to my day which meant I had to be organsied last night, as in clothes out ready to jump into first thing!  I am always up at 6am to feed the animals, make TOFs lunch and then read the morning paper with a nice hot cup of Earl Grey.  This morning I had to get up and ready because I had to drop TOF at work once we had dropped his car at a workshop.  From there I came home for breakfast, a few chores then off out the door to work. I will confess to visiting a couple of op shops on my way home where I am delighted to say I found some bits to go with the bits I found yesterday at the before work op shop stop offs!!

The dress I found yesterday along with the pink poncho, the multi patterned crop jacket, and the navy crocheted short sleeve cardigan.  Today I found the black skirt and this incredible coat, fully lined and fits like it was made for me.

Heading back out this afternoon to collect TOF and his car I stopped off at the Dump shop.  I got a flat ball for Sheba as she has to have a flat one in her gob and her last one is now stuck way up high in a tree.  She has been sitting staring up at it barking so she is now much happier.  It was late in the afternoon so the dump shop was well picked over.

I picked the two surviving cabbages out of TOFs plot and we have been getting into one of them as you will see.  I scored the basket they are in for a couple of bucks the other week.  My girls loved all the outer leaves.  Tonight I cooked us a bacon and egg pie with spinach, feta, tomato and Parmesan cheese all wrapped in filo with linseed on top for our dinner.  There is enough for lunches tomorrow and it is just as nice cold the next day as it is hot on the night.  Found this little wooden thing which is supposed to be used for remotes but I had other plans for it in the lounge!
Tomorrow I am having morning tea with the blokes I used to work with at the Engineering firm, one of them is a Tattoo artist so I have an idea for him to work on for me.  All will be revealed in good time but it represents my family, and my babies and my dad that have passed. I will be visiting the local op shops in the area in the morning while I am out.  One of them is half price so it would be rude not to call in.

I forgot about Friday...

..until today.  And it was lovely it was last Friday. 

One of the things I found last week when out and about at my favourite op shops was a curling iron.  Only $5, all electrically tested and a reputable brand.  So I had a play on Friday morning and did a bit of curling in my hair.  I wore the shoes I had scored teamed with some floral leggings and a chocolate brown frock, well it was Friday and we all know what Friday is all about.

After a wee visit to a few of my other favourite op shops I went and had afternoon tea with a good friend of mine, (one of the old kindy mums) called Karen.  She works at Wintec and took me for a walk around the Animal House area out there.  They have a variety of animals for the students that do the vet nurse and animal handling courses.  I fell in love with this Donkey <3 .

There was a horse, and some huge rabbits outside and housed indoors was a minargery. A turtle named Baldrick!! Chinchilla, Chickens, Parrot, fish, Guinea Pigs, and Rats.  Will admit I am not keen on Rats, or mice for that matter.  When I was a child my parents let me and my sisters have all sorts of pets.  I had a rabbit when rabbits were still a big no no, a friends cousin had been out shooting, shot the mother so came home with this tiny little baby bunny. We fed it with an eye dropper and it thrived but didn't know it was a rabbit.  I was given a hen sitting on 3 eggs that all hatched out into female chicks and were great little layers.  I recall a time when we even had a pet lamb! We had a dog and numerous cats over the years and we lived in town.  I guess my love of animals started when I was very young.  I cannot imagine my home without pets.

 I love my dogs, and they are always up for a cuddle with mum!

TOF returned................

........and Oscar was waiting at the lounge window for him.

All three pets couldn't get enough of him..................

..........unlike the son!

Pets love unconditionally not like humans.  

The dogs are so excited when we get home, they eat anything put in front of them, we always know where they are, and they basically do as they are told and willingly.  The cat, well total different story but we know he loves us!

Children are seriously great but pets are unbelievably faithful, loving and silently understanding. 

So big shout out to all the pets out their in Blog land!!