Chook Egg Green And Other Ways To Capture Snails

There are signs of spring all around now

fruit buds bursting from bare wood

sol 'dor in all it's shining glory

and even whole trees drenched in spring blossom

AND lots and lots of hungry snails,

they really are voracious!

I've tried using the pet friendly natural slug bait

but I think they go pfff & eat it for breakfast.

After the terrible Charlie incidents of near death

poisoning (not me!!) some months ago

"curiosity" & all that..

I daren't chance the harsher products.. so what to do?

Definitely too much unfettered munching happening 

all over the garden. But then I saw some plastic snail 

catchers the other day at Mitre 10 & got to thinking 

about alternative snail accommodation..aha!

silly me I have these all around the garden..

a quick investigation & 

what should I discover???

..a significant family!

That's funny, I've never
noticed that number
on the 1/2 wine barrel
before!

new homes now arranged & I know their exact address!

I have so enjoyed the bright splash of colour of calendulas

on the window sill all through this passed week.

Vibrant colour really 

helps to keep your
pecker up through the
dull months

..as I look past 

their "splash" &
out the kitchen window
my eye is 

caught by some 

cheery pink "polys"

And a happy pink rabbit

which reminds me of the most delightful post that 

I read during this week of
a Mad Hatter's Tea Party 

over at A Treasured Past

I so loved the innovative adaptions & clever ideas

Here are some of the fun games..do pop in & see

the pictures if you're interested..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You can't have a party without old fashioned party games.
We adapted a few to suit the theme:
* Pass the teapot (instead of pass the parcel and every child 

picked out a lollypop)
* The Mad Hatter Says (instead of Simon Says)
* Pin the tail on the Cheshire Cat
* Whats the time White Rabbit (instead of Wolf)
* Bag toss Card Man (I painted a Card Soldier on a 

Foam-core board. 

Cut out a heart shaped hole in the middle to toss a 

sack filled with rice through)"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thinking of mad tea parties I rediscovered my

quaint little triangular cracker tins recently

& had a perfect idea for what they should contain

that thought led to lunch

I loved these wee vintage heart dishes I came 

across at the Restore shop this week and extra

specially the 1/2 price mark down on this blue 

brie heart cheese!

one of the best tips I gleaned a year or so ago

was from a retired cheese maker while standing in 

the queue in the supermarket with another batch of 

also "retired" cheese..he told me that cheese, in fact,

freezes very well & indeed it does, especially

soft cheese like brie or camembert

..defrosts very quickly too.
So knowing this, of course I just had to buy two!

Eventually my tray contained actual lunch

which Rob was very pleased about : 0

I so love this old wooden tray we found in 

Dannevirke. The duck egg blue it's been

painted is one of my very favourite colours

much like the colour of these chooky eggs

from the Farmer's Market.

Or should that be chook egg green?

I was so taken with their pretty colours that they were

made to sit here on the bench for several days to

bask in my admiration

of course then the tea pot had to get in on the act

& the wee vintage cream bottles made lovely

vases for my exquisitely scented white daphne

yes, slightly awkward to work around but

such a sweet still life to nurture the soul

A small "cluster of eggs" & a useful "gaggle 

of geese".. so of course these would indeed be 

just the dearest "hug of vintage teds"

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=308329160

listed on trade me this week

..reminds me of the picnic atop a tea pot

Rob adored this tea cosy but you just can't

keep everything & I eventually sold it : 0

...on Trade me

much