Rain and more rain

This morning I got stuck into some gardening jobs at last. They have been waiting while my ribs healed. Just got finished and we were sitting on the veranda having some pumpkin soup when the rain started to pour down.

Bargain

My latest bargain a bathroom cabinet for $15, the selling point for me was the bevelled mirror. I love bevelled mirrors. The dilemma now is should I strip it or leave it painted. And where to put it in the bathroom.

Hopefully Peter's head will not appear in the mirror every time I look in it.

Today's Daisies #39

Today's daisies are a bit wet.

This is ..............my perfect dinner party guest list

The this is topic this week is a really good one and has had me considering for days. So here we go, the table is set ready, the candles are lit and Peter is in the kitchen prepareing the feast.

I think I would like to start with a few of my rejects and the reasons why I cut them from the final 6, though if I could I would probably like to have a barbie out in the garden and invite 20- 30 guests.

The first people I thought off where my family Mum, Dad, Bryan my brother and my three nieces. Being down here in NZ I don't get to see them as often as I would like. But that is not really the spirit of the suggestion this week, so I will save them for another time.

Now this is the sad bit if you don't want to read it please skip to the next paragraph, but I had to include this one. My first son died when he was a baby, he would be 19 now. I would really liked to have had him there to find out how he would have grown up. But I would have just ignored my other guests and I don't think I could have let him go again at the end of the evening. So it is perhaps best not to ask him. Sorry for the note of saddness in a fun game.

Back to the game I am afraid I had to reject George Clooney, Neil Armstrong (perhaps if we get him tipsy he might tell us if the moon landings were faked or not), Billy Connelly (he might be a little too loud), the whole herd of female news readers that Peter suggested (not sure why he seems to have a thing for female news readers, you better ask him), the dinosaur and the cave man that the kids wanted to ask (might be a bit messy, they would be better at a barbie), Richard Fenyman (perhaps too many scientists), Sir Edmund Hilary (a difficult choice to reject) and Charlotte Bronte (this last one was a very close call).

Here is the list at last, though I am afraid that my inner geek has definatly reared its head.

Agatha Christie - I would love to meet the person who invented Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.

Carl Sagan - I have always beeen an avid SF reader and would love to discuss the next frontiers with him and my next guest.

Isaac Asimov - I have loved his stories for nearly 30 years now and will continue to do so. He is in a way responsible for my career choice. In one of his books he describes a society of people who can use Computers and people who can't. I wanted to be one of the ones that is able, and ended up a Software Developer, a job that is perfect for me and I love.

Bill Bailey - To make me laugh out loud how could I not include the fantastic Bill Bailey. A bit of another geekey choice.

Ada Lovlace - The daughter of Lord Byron, and an amazing mathamatician who may possibly have been the worlds first programmer, if Charles Babbage had been able to create his difference engine a calculating machine.

Vera Brittain - I read her book Testament of Youth and its sequels when I was a teenager and was profoundly affected by her pacifist ideals.

So there they are and I am ready waiting at the front door with a glass of champagne in my hand.

Down at the creek today #4

Down at the creek today there were zero mosquitos. I had come down prepared dressed in my joggers, socks, gum boots, big long high necked t-shirt and hoodie, in a temperature of about 18 celcius, I did seem a bit overdressed. Only to find there were no mosquitos to hide my flesh from.

There was one large, fat, old, one eyed eel, slinking around.
Two curious cats.

And three bags full ......... of walnuts. The largest bag is a bit of a cheat as that came from Keriann's garden. We just managed to find enough for two small bags. I think the Possums have been eating ours, I found a lot of empty shells down there.

Traffic Jam #2

I don't get to sit in traffic jams very often here in NZ, but when I do the view can be quite amazing, and who minds sitting for a few minutes in such a gorgeous spot.

Thank you and Today's Daisy #38

Brenda over at "Snippets of Me" has just given me the above award. Which is very kind of her. The first time I have been happy to get an "E". I now have to pass it on to 10 other bloggers that I really admire.

Posy - I am sure she has lots of these, but I have been reading her blog for sooo long.

Curly Pops - Because our ideas seem to converge so often.

Blossom Hill Cottons - It is always nice to hear what is happening in Nova Scotia.

Thimble - Another blog I have been reading for years. I think she was my original blog inspiration.

The view from inside my head Can't leave my other half out, I love his writing even though he is a grumpy old b..........

Sweet Mary - A brand new blog by a good friend and knowing her I know there will be a lot of good things cropping up on her blog once she gets going.

The Old Quilt - Another newbie who is off to a good start.

Three Buttons - This is the lady who started the This is .... meme. Which I have been having fun joining in with.

Daisy Chain - Another lovely crafty blog. And there had to be some daisies somewhere.

Leannes House - Last but not least the brilliantly inspiring Leanne. I love this girls work room, it is so full of Ikea stuff that I would like and glimpses of fabrics I would like.

Today's Daisy #37

Today's daisy lives at the side of Keriann's drive. I stopped there for lunch (no not on her drive), and left with arms full of cuttings, plantlets and wallnuts. Thanks Keriann.

The reason I was visiting her was to help set up her blog, why not go over and visit her.

Autumn Morning

I am back to walking again. It has been way too long. And it is so worth it get to take Autumn pics like the one above of the view over Hastings to the ranges.

Rain, rain, rain

We have been suffering here from a drought and we really needed some rain. The garden was parched, the grass is brown and the shrubs are wilting. But even knowing all of this when the rain does appear I wish it would go away and the sun start shining again.

Meet the new boys

To keep poor solitary Caremello company we went in search of a friend for him. And managed to find two. Plus almost a small dog, but Peter dragged me out of the pet shop just in time.
Here is one of the new friends Rolo, after guess what chocolate Rolos.
And the other one, Terry. Short for Terry's Chocloate Orange! This has got to be the last guinea pigs that we get.

This is ..... my knick knack jewellery box.

Here is my knick knack jewllery box. It looks a little bare at the moment, apart from the Wild Woman that my mum made for me, isn't she gorgeous.
Here is where I hang up my trinkets to stop them getting tangled. It too is looking a little bare. Perhaps the reason is because I am such a messy person, and in such a rush in the morning, everything just gets abandoned on my chest of drawers.
Bad isn't it. I should really go and tidy it up right now, but no there seems to be some other thing for me to go and procrastanate about first.

Today's Daisies #37

Today's daisies are growing in my garden and are usually treated as weeks. I am not sure what they are but they look just like Japanese Anenomes until they open up their petal. Please leave a comment if you know what they are.

Today's Daisies #37

At last I did it. I got the tea set. More junk for my cupboards. Where is Ikea when you need them. I need some glass wall cabinets so I can display all my nice stuff. Fingers crossed one day they might come to New Zealand and I will be waiting on their doorstep for them when they do.
Peter did not share my enthusiasm, he quite liked the saucers, but there was a big yuk for the cups.

I also spotted the above cake plate for the large sum of $5. Two bargains in the one day. I am ready for a tea party now. Would you like to join me. Peter can't come since he does not like the cups, he can stay in the kitchen cooking.

Sunrise

Just to even out the sunsets here is some of this mornings sunrise with a little fingernail moon. You might have to click on the pic to actually see the fingernail moon.

Today's Daisies #37

Today's daisies are on my watch. Well they are almost daisies. Peter bought me this watch about 8 years ago. For the last 4 years it has been hanging around with a flat battery. Today I actually manged to get a new battery fitted and it is working just as good as new.

Peter had to take the pic, my hand just shock to much. Thank you Peter.

And even more of when I was little ........

Here I am with my Guinea Pig, Mr Ed. Do you remember the TV show about the talking horse, I used to love it, so I called my Guinea Pig Mr Ed after Mr Ed the talking horse. Mr Ed was a magic Guinea Pig. One December morning I went to visit him, and he had changed from white to black overnight. I was totally amazed and rushed down the garden to tell my Mum, who informed me that white Guinea Pigs always turned black eventually. It took me until I was 18 and telling some friends the story of the Guinea Pig that changed colour before I realised what had happened. I am sure you don't need me to tell you what the real story was. Mr Ed had died in the night and Mum had replaced him with the only Guinea Pig she could get hold of. Isn't it amazing what we will do as Mum's for our kids, and aren't I the lucky child to have a Mum like that.
Little Miss Houswife again with all my dolls having a tea party, looks like it might have been Teddies first birthday. I think I can spot a candle on a cake over there. Have you noticed that these are the days before lycra was invented. I must have had the most wrinkley tights ever.
Now this is really little me in my christening robe with my Nana and Pop (my greatgranny and greatgrandfather). I have never noticed it before, but I can see my Nana's face echoed in my Grannie's face and my Mum's face. Which tends to imply that maybe there are echo's of her face in me, I hope so. Even though I don't really remember her much, I do know that she was a strong women. There are quite a lot of strong women in the generations of my family. I do remember my Pop, he was a miner and had a really hard life, but I think I can remember him playing and laughing with me. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking, perhaps not. Thank you Mum for sending me these images from my past to make me stop and think.

Sunsets #1

Just after tea time tonight, I noticed the sun set looked like it was going to be a good one. So I dashed out and took so many pics thought I would share them with you. One day I will live in a house where you can see the sunrise and the sunset. For the moment I live in a house down in a dip surrounded by trees, and I love my house, so probably we will just stay here and I will have to have my walking shoes ready to rush out.

It was kind of cool to walk home at dusk to see my house looking glowing and cosy at the bottom of the drive. There was even one of the kids waiting to greet me, well actually he was waiting to ask me when his money would be in the bank. But it was nice to see him standing there.

Click on the images above if you want to see a larger version.