Blossoming Beauty Surrounds Her..

Goodness me..
it seems like just yesterday that I turned the page on my Victoriana calendar to November

and then, quite suddenly, tinsel & sparkly things are to be found everywhere!

Kaitiaki is our grandson & he is 6. 

He adores Christmas decorations of all kinds, so when I found this enormous bag of glitteryness in the Salys for $10, I decided it just had to go to his house. He's had a very busy few days he tells me.

If you were 6 years old wouldn't you be delighted to find such a bag sitting on your doorstep waiting for you after school? 

 I must confess, I did keep just a few bits for my raspberry patch.
 Helps to keep the birds from nicking all my red berries.

 I saw a little Christmas tui in a shop recently that looked a little like the one below. I thought the price tag a little hefty so I came home & had a fiddle with bits of paper & old blanket scraps & a pencil & made this little chap. The boys like him but I'm in two minds... but I guess he can stay for christmas then.

 I had tweedia in my wedding bouquet & I've never forgotten it's soft aquamarine blue. A nice compact perennial plant that you really have to keep your eyes peeled to find.

 This slender gladioli is called "The Bride". I was so delighted to be able to buy this bunch at a church fair for all of $2. They have been so pretty & lasted for ages in the vase.

I also found this clever little button dolly for the same amount. I am not sure that she'd be any good for a baby...you know how they like to suck everything to bits. 

 I have had the green cake plate with the hole in the centre floating around for quite a while now. I know that it's quite bright but I rather like the verdant green effect. I have sorted out some fittings to make a cake stand & have a friend that has a drill with special bits that I can borrow. What do you think of these three plates together?

 There was quite a few trios put out at the Hospice Shop the other day. I thought this set was just delightful.

 I always prefer baking that has a bit of substance to it & as much wholesomeness as possible. These little banana loaves worked out really well. I put a whole cup of sunflowers seeds in to the mix & some dried cranberries & coconut & chopped dates. You can find the basic recipe here.

 There was a new stall at the Farmer's Market on Sunday, a sweet little French lady selling fairtrade chocolate. I love the simple packaging. I also bought a wee bag of lavender chocolate. Not a flavour that you come across very often.

 We managed to make some time on Friday afternoon & take ourselves off to Napier. We stocked up on anchovies, artichokes, ground almonds, pinenuts, enormous golden raisins, fruitcake mix & cranberries at Vetro our marvelous Mediterranean shop & we called in to Savemart the big secondhand clothing warehouse in Ahuriri. It's a strange art the scanning of rows & rows of clothes & textiles & a heady feeling indeed when in a mere instant you spot a treasure...a true & marvelous treasure what's more.

 A vintage bedspread...feeling to me perhaps '40's? What do you think?

 It has happily survived a gentle soak & wash. That's always the worry after the spotting..some of them just don't make it through the wash.

 At Decorum our favourite Art Deco shop, we both fell in love with a tea cosy.
 This one in fact.

Last Thursday morning I popped back out to the garden just as the trickle of visitors began to arrive for the Holly Hospice Trail. Suddenly it had become imperative to record the event as best as I could with my little camera, as our poor Sue had ended up in hospital & required emergency surgery & there she stayed all week. The weather was grand for the whole three days & now it's all done. Sue is at home recovering amidst her beauty...a little like a bride missing her own wedding...poor darling.

She spent hours & hours making all the paper blossoms..aren't they lovely.

Thank goodness she had prepared so meticulously & her darling (normally examining & performing fine surgery on eyes) stepped in as master stylist as if he'd done it all his life!

 Life can be so unpredictable!
Being able to depend on one another in the hard times makes all the difference in the world.

Via Magnolia Pearl

 I made a Smilebox so that you could have a little tour too.

Now I am off to finish packing...we're heading to Te Aroha for a day or two.
See you soon & thanks so much for visiting!

Slideshow generated with Smilebox

A big hug from a garden fairy to you all!

 ♥♥♥♥♥