More pretty peonies

They're almost done now after a week of looking stunning.

I have one bud out in the backyard so hopefully I can post it when it blooms.

Our little girl - puppy pics

While sorting through some boxes today I was very very pleased to discover a disc with these baby pics of Molly. We thought they'd been lost when the computer died a while ago.

Look how small she was!

Not to mention cute!

This is her first bath. It doesn't look like it but she loves a bath. As soon as you start pouring the water she is ready to get in. She is very patient and calm during her bath, but as soon as she's out she likes to tear around the house, wet paw pints everywhere.

So cute! I couldn't possibly love her any more than I do. She is the BEST!

xx

Friday flower

My gorgeous single peony that I purchased from the farmer's market last weekend.

I may have to go back again for more this weekend :)

Here's to a good weekend to you all xx

My new little Etsy store!

I'm so excited to announce the launch of my little Etsy store!

 I have been planning photos, postcards, packaging and so on for quite a while now.

I have been wanting to do this for a long while. If you are a fan of Etsy I'd love it if you stopped by and maybe even gave me a 'heart" if you like my photos :)

xx

Pretty cushion from Ada & Darcy

A very pretty parcel arrived in the post the other day. After being very stingy with myself for quite a while, I decided to treat myself with a sweet cushion from Ada & Darcy. Look how prettily it's wrapped!

Nice and bright!

I have decided to spruce up the lounge with some new, bright cushions so this one is a good start. I have to recommend Kellie's lovely online shop - so many gorgeous and tempting things. Thanks Kellie :)

Friday flower + 2 things I have learnt

A beautiful poppy from the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens.

2 things I have learnt this week...

* you never achieve anything trying to do a million things at once (except frustration)

* never judge a book by it's cover.

Have a lovely weekend bloggies xx

In the kitchen

I had a lovely time in the kitchen yesterday. I baked some raspberry melting moments and my friend Leonie dropped by for a cuppa.

Look at that beautiful rose. It is one of the biggest blooms I have ever seen!

ps the biscuits were yum!

Gorgeous blooms

It rained all weekend so I picked a bunch of gorgeous ranunculus as they were drowning outside.

Aren't they stunning! These have to be one of my all time favourite flowers.

Have a lovely week everyone :)

xx

Local discoveries

We went walking the other day and I discovered a lovely little spot only a few minutes walk from our home. It is Molly's new favourite place.

Sh just had to get in the rivulet to cool off. She looks tiny in the pic above, but in fact, that is one huge tree stump.

A lovely spot :)

We also wandered around a few streets I had not ventured down and found gorgeous old buildings.

Beautiful roses growing on rusty fences.

Old brick walls with shards of glass concreted in the top as a deterrent.

Wonder what's behind that old door?

There used to be a race course nearby here in the old days and we thought these may have been part of the stable area.

I had to stop every few minutes to smell all the amazing rose blooms. The roses are doing so well this year down our way. I have to admit, I love walking so I can get a close-up look at all the plants in people's gardens :)

Big yay for Friday! Feels like a long week but at least I have this weekend off to get some jobs done.

 Have a good one friends! xx

Christmas inspiration

I treated myself to the new Inside Out Christmas edition. It has lots of beautiful ideas - hopefully I can try a few if I can find the time before Christmas.

Ideas for pretty wrapping

Gorgeous blooms

Yummy cooking.

There used to be a time where I resented seeing Christmassy things in the shops at the end of October, but now that I have a house to decorate I'm happy to see all the nice decorations and so on in the shops. I have a couple of ideas from last year that I didn't get finished, so maybe this year?

Do you all have plans to make things?

Out in the garden

The improving weather is really encouraging the garden to grow. Above are the delicate duck-egg blue ixias that are flowering down the driveway.

The iceberg roses along the front fence are starting to bloom and I am suprised at how big the blooms are. Very soon I'll be able to pick bunches to bring inside.

After my daisy massacre they are also coming back to life, along with the delphiniums (love love love delphiniums!) and irises.

My side patch with its profusion of spring colour. Just so gorgeous! It will be sad when the bulbs are done but I've got poppies, aquilegia, larkspur and cornflowers well on their way.

Above is an aerial shot of one of my beds. It's hard to see but it is thick with roses, lillies (which have multiplied), self-seeded larkspur from last year and my peony which has a decent looking bud or two.

It's all happening in the vegie patches. Above you can see Butter Beans at the front, raspberries and strawberries on the left, peas, lettuce and carrots on the left and in the rear bed there's broad beans and recently planted corn, pumpkin, silverbeet, leeks and squash.

Look! Peas! My absolute favourite, these are like lollies for me. Despite the fact I planted double I did last year, I still suspect none will make it into the kitchen...I sit out there and munch away as fresh is definitely best. I ate those above after I took the photo!

Have a lovely week everyone xx

Friday flower

For Friday flower this week I am re-posting an image from earlier in the year. This is one of my roses called Scentimental. It is absolutely one of my all time favourites, for the growing habitat, bushiness, amazing blooms, fragrance and disease resistance. Another reason I love it is because it reminds me of my wonderful old Great Aunty Ila. Ila turns 90 years young tomorrow - so Happy Birthday Aunty Ila! I know she doesn't browse the web but it's the thought :)

Whilst I was visiting her a few years ago some relatives dropped by with a bunch of wonderful roses. In amongst them was a beautiful striped rose. I just loved it and discovered what it was. I planted it in my garden (or a pot at that stage) and it always reminds me of Ila now.

Have a lovely Friday peeps and hip hip hooray to Ila for tomorrow! xx

Books -- happy and sad

It has been a good and a bad book week. I received two lovely books in the mail from Amazon.com -   belated b'day pressies to myself. As you can see, I purchased Dogs in Vogue (a century of canine chic) which as some fabulous photographs combining two of my favourite things: fashion and dogs. And no, it's not dogs in fashion, just dogs in the fashion photos.

I also chose the new book on designer Orla Kiely. Such a beautiful book...

Wonderful patterns...but I wish she'd use more blue and a dash of pink and aqua..

My sad book news is that whilst I was lucky/talented (?) enough to be selected into a book about Australian and New Zealand Textile and Fibre Artists, the book is now not going to be published. I'm a bit gutted. How exciting would that have been? I hate getting my hopes up to get them dashed.

I suppose at least I have my beautiful submission photographs (like the one above) ready for a future book. *sigh*