Innocence and Angels

Hello, Sunshine!

 Did you ever love Betsy Clark's darling little children?
I found two tiny wee books a long time ago & I cherish them still.
So it was with great joy that I spotted "Hello Sunshine..charming & delightful proverbs to warm the heart" on Trade Me just recently.
Every page is adorable!!

I have been visited by Betsy-like innocent angels through the month of January..

Nina's almost three & she is my niece. 

She & her mummy came for afternoon tea one sunny afternoon.

 I was sure that she would love the little kitchen play things I had collected for her from op shops & galas & the markets... & she did.
I found the stove on TM down on the Kapiti Coast, Matthew kindly went & picked it up for me & after a while it made it's way to my back porch.
 "Back in the day" fathers & grandads made such things for children, often secretly as a special gift. I am so glad that this one lives on for yet another generation to love.

 Funny thing was, a few days later....  there was a little knock on the door & hello, here was Talan, come to play.
She lives next door & she will be 5 in about 60 sleeps.
She's taken to popping in a lot..
"Where's the boy?, "she often asks, "you & the boy, you are really nice".
She practices writing her name on the blackboard, scoffs 10 plums at a time

  & cooks carrots for dinner.

 while looking after Lucy.

 Then....
 Last monday, there was another surprise, my dear friend Cheryl came for a rare visit in honour of my birthday..

 so we had a happy afternoon tea in our still sunshiney garden.

 Fortunately, it was on one of Rob's days off.

 Cheryl brought with her, a son & two grandies.

 I knew that they had been out for lunch so we piled the cake stand high with delicious summer fruit.

 And added some fairy mushrooms.

 Bella adored the strawberries.

 We put a bowl on the other table for washing sticky hands.

 And wandered around the garden.
 Bella noticed all the monarch butterflies....so many!
She really wanted to be able to hold one but they aren't all that easy to catch.

 So in light of all that, how perfect was this to arrive in my letterbox, a birthday gift from my mother!?

 Cheryl wrote in her card..."There will always be an Angel in your garden".
Gaye wrote "Lets's make every day a masterpiece"
Yes, let's!

  I found a "grannyism" just for you.

 Would you like a piece of cloud cake? It's delicious!
Truly!
 I'll share the very clever recipe next time.

There's another little poppet called Claudine...I love her mother's story of how she came to name her daughter. If you fancy joining in the Op Shop Show Off link up you can find it over here at Black bird has spoken.

Thanks so much for coming.

MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥