Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you all!

I do love Easter as it's a quiet, relaxing time. Not to mention the abundance of chocolate!

I made these felt bunnies for my Good Mail Club friends. They are actually finger puppets. I quite liked them, so it was a little tricky sealing them up in envelopes and sending them off into the big world.

What are your plans for Easter?

I'm seeing a bit of pruning and gardening getting done, along with a family get together and some dvd watching me thinks.

Now, where's that chocolate egg that's calling my name...?

xx

Mona visit

I have been so slow to post these pics! I popped out to one of the Saturday markets at MONA museum a short while ago and was rather taken with these tepee installations.

Above and below are images taken of a display case featuring bits and bobs from the studio of Archibald Prize winning artist, Geoff Dyer. I remember visiting his studio many years ago and had thoughts of artist Jackson Pollock - it was so messy. Makes me look like a neat freak - and that's saying something!

Below is part of his installation too. All these little paint tubes were set out on the floor in the tepee. I just loved this! Almost like order and chaos at the same time.

Above - the top of a tepee

The next installation/tepee featured colonial style artworks of native animals set up like an altar.

This last tepee was filled with strips of fabric and gold painted bits and pieces. Unfortunately I am not sure who created it.

Ok, so they're slightly kooky and not everyone's cup of tea, but I found them so interesting!

It's always good to see something that's out of your comfort zone as I'm sure that's how you get new, fresh ideas. Anything here take your fancy?

Well, it's almost Easter! Exciting. 

I will be back on Friday with some Eastery goodness :)

xx

Pale

 

It's always a good idea to start off the week with something pretty to look at. I took these photos a few weeks ago and shared on Instagram, but I like to see them a bit bigger so here they are.

I love the subtleties of colour and the sense of fragility.

 

Yay for a short working week this week. I do love Easter as I find it's a nice quiet time. Not to mention the chocolate...

Well, have a great week my friends. I hope you like these photos and I will be back with a couple of Easter posts.

xx

Changing seasons

The days are really changing and it is starting to feel a lot like the cooler months are coming. There is a freshness, a crispness to the mornings and the sun is coming up later.  I took this photo on Tuesday. We got up early, as usual, but the sun was just on her way. And yes, I intentionally blurred it!

We really did had a good summer here in Hobart. Often we feel like we miss out, but there were a lot of days we complained about being too hot and that maybe we need an air conditioner.

Soon we will be complaining that we are cold. I do like that about Tasmania, we really do feel the seasons. We get to wear summery clothes and we get to wear comfy long boots in winter (one of the best things about winter). Which reminds me, time to get the chimney swept and a few loads of firewood ordered so we can get the fire going.

Do I have a favourite season? No, I don't think so. I like each one for different reasons.

Do you have a favourite? 

Those of you in the tropics, do you miss the seasons?

xx

Mollydoodle

We visited the vet this morning for a checkup on Molly's leg. As most of you will know, Molly had a second cruciate ligament surgery last December and then early January had stem cell injections into the joint. As part of the stem cell procedure we have checkups and fill in questionnaires regarding Molly's improvements. The questionnaires assist the stem cell company with research.

Well, the vet was very pleased with her. She even thinks the joint itself has reduced in size, which I was wondering the other day. Her knee was very large, or thick, as the vet put it. She felt sure it had reduced in size, which is good.

She told me today that Molly was in fact the first pooch to have the treatment at the vet and since her, they have treated 3 other dogs. You can see in the last image (above) when she sits, or begs, her leg (on the right) does sit out. She is unable to bend it like the other one, but it doesn't seem to bother her too much.

So, all in all that's pretty good news. We go back in 2 months for another check up and assuming the stem cells are doing their thing, the knee should continue to show some improvement for the next few months.

Do you know they are beginning to do this treatment in humans? Who has their hand up?

So, that's a pretty good start to the week, so is selling some of my goodies on Etsy last night. It's always nice to wrap up a parcel and send it off to its new owner.

Have a great week!

xx

Friday flowers ...fading roses

Yay for Friday. This week has seemed a little long, but then I still have a weekend of work to go.

Looking at these beautiful roses makes me feel better.

I take so many photographs these days that I forget what I have shown you all. In fact I am realising now, there are some other shots I should have shown you before these ones, which are when the blooms were almost a week old, Oh well.

I love the frailty of these blooms, with ruffled and slightly bruised edges to their petals.

I could photograph them all day!

I hope you are all well. Anything good planned for the weekend?

As I mentioned, I'm at work, so have some fun for me!

xx

Bits and bobs ... tea

I really want to get back into doing more Bits and Bobs posts this year as it's something I  really enjoy. This shot was part of the February 7 Vignettes photo challenge on Instagram. I shot it for the 'kitchen' theme.

 

We have a little old teapot form a local junk market, a pretty and very tiny tea caddy, a T2 teabag, a box of teabags and three beautiful pieces that my dear old Auntie Ila used to own - her teacup, a small spoon and tea strainer. I love owning these :)

 

I am definitely a tea girl. I think I drink about 2 or 3 coffees a year. It's just not my thing. I love the smell of it but there really is nothing like a really good cuppa, especially first thing in the morning (says she sitting here on the couch with the computer and her second cuppa for the day).

 

So, are you a tea or coffe drinker?

xx

Victorian Chocolate Sponge Cake

A few weeks ago I cooked this lovely Victorian Chocolate Sponge cake from a recipe I found in the latest The Simple Things magazine.



 

It was so easy in that all the cake ingredients were just thrown in a bowl and mixed, then thrown in the oven. The icing was a little fiddly (used 2 saucepans!) and perhaps not completely necessary, but looks nice in pics, so I suppose that's important :)

It is a recipe I will have to make again soon. In fact, it's Lyn's birthday next week and he loved it, so it might make a good birthday cake.

As you can see, I had a bit of fun styling these photos  a la "What Katie Ate" style and I'm pleased with the results. I quite like this 'styling' caper, it's a lot of fun.

Hmm, not sure I can wait a whole week until I eat this cake again...

I hope your week is going well.

xx

Good mail... Easter call out!

Gosh February was busy. It has almost been a month since the Valentines Good Mail mailout and I haven't posted about it yet.

Sending and receiving mail for Valentines Day was a lot of fun. I went with a very simple card design and made a hanging paper heart out of layers of that soft Japanese paper.

I must say I was really pleased with the results.



It was the first time in my life I have received so many Valentines wishes. They were wonderful and I really thank all of you that took part.

Some of the Good Mail I received (along with a nice catalogue and mag one day)

 Gosh I love Good Mail Club time. I hang out for the sound of the postman and when I'm at work I can't wait to get home and check out the letterbox.

Anyway, that brings me to the Easter mailout!

Who's in? I'm envisaging pretty pastel colours, sweet eggs, fluffy chicks...

Please email me with your postal address by next Sunday night 10th March and I will get it happening.

Still don't know what the Good Mail Club is? It's a good excuse to use some of that pretty stationery :)

I send out a list of everyone's names and addresses and we each write a note or card, decorate an envelope and maybe pop something inside, then post it out to everyone else. SO much fun!

Come on, join in!

xx