A Little Kitsch, A Conquered Gnome and The Fairy Shop

My faithful little car has developed a chronic case of bronchitis through the winter months,
it was thought that a longish Tiki Tour out & about might do it some good.
So, we headed to Napier to warm up the engine

& take in a hill or two.

We paused at the top of Hospital Hill to wander in the Botanical gardens for a few minutes & discovered this flowering tree..

resplendently orange, although I have no idea what it is? Any thoughts?

Out the other side,

overlooking the central city.
The Guys Hill lamp post was feeling a little giddy.

And this angel just couldn't bare to look.

I'm sure she only had eyes for this crisp new daffodil.

How else would she know that it is spring?

Just across the road stands Ormond Chapel, one of the oldest buildings in Napier. Built around 1869 as a school room, it was moved all the way up the hill to stand beside the cemetery in 1919.

 I can't imagine how they undertook such a feat..
but here are the faithful old doors.

And perched on high, the resident feline bell-ringer.

"And just exactly who might you be?
And what do you want?"

We incorporated other very important jobs like having a cup of tea at The Kitchen Table into our itinerary

While sipping tea & finding a book about how to knit your own dog, we came to the conclusion that we feel so comfy amidst vintagey things because they are so friendly, welcoming & familiar...

& frequently silly!

Do you take life too seriously?
It's pretty easy to do,

I find, anyway.

Mind you, you just never know what's going to be waiting around the corner in life, now do you.

Retro things are often thoroughly entertaining...

& frequently surprising.

I thought, when I found this knitted blanket at Connections a while back, that I might give it to Anna & Kaitiaki but I'm not too sure about that idea.

We think the vehicular chestiness may have improved a little since our excursion.

We love to walk around our own neighbourhood when there are winter sunshiney days.

Expect the unexpected is quite a good motto. And keep your eyes peeled.

Sometimes it's been pretty chilly here & especially when I don't feel so well, I have been running some lovely deep warm baths & adding this strange looking mixture in to the water. 

No, you don't just throw it in like that!

I tie it all up in muslin first.

There are plenty of recipes for bath salts & many more potions to be found in every chemist in the land but this little combination is pure heaven & especially wonderful for scratchy skin conditions.

In my bowl is 1/2 cup of rolled oats, 1/2 cup of marshmallow..the herb. Either the dried leaf or the root is just the same, then comes a small handful of dried lavender & a drop or two of your favourite essential oil. 

I love rose or ylang ylang the best. Tie it up with ribbon or string & throw it in the running bath. To all of this, add one cup of baking soda (I keep a big jar of it in the bathroom) & yourself!

The oats & marshmallow will soon release their goodness & sooth away all your cares... at this point you can give the bag a little squeeze. Marshmallow is highly mucilaginous & feels amazing rubbed on to the skin. This is a very useful help for kids with ezcema too. You can use the bag once more if having another bath within a few days, sometimes I just top it up a bit. This week I am going to make up a few bags in advance.

When I found this nice old coffee jar at the Market last week I didn't think too much of it until Rob looked up Strangs & discovered that it was indeed quite a goody.

It seems that:

"David Strang had a factory in Esk Street, Invercargill from late 19th century till 1960 that produced spices, jellies, essences and coffee. Strang's were the first New Zealand firm to produce Instant Coffee." 

 And what a surprise to find this delightful story on stuff : 10/7/2012

"For two Invercargill women the David Strang coffee mill in the city was a place of romance, picnics, dances and, of course, work.
The historic facade of the mill was uncovered last week when walls were demolished at the rear of the Southland Education building in Esk St.

Freda Gorton and Margery Williamson, who worked at the mill during the 1940s, contacted The Southland Times yesterday to tell of a "great place to work" and much more.

They believe they are the only surviving staff members from that time.

The 85-year-old Invercargill ladies laugh and giggle like schoolgirls as they recall the mischief they got up to at their first job, where they immediately struck up a lasting friendship.

They tell tales of love and romance, picnics organised by their bosses and dances most nights after work.

Mrs Gorton can still name all the "handsome delivery boys" and with a twinkle in her eye, she describes one that gave her a cuddle, but that's all she is telling..." read more here

Camelias are the joy of winter, for certain.
Scentuous is so pretty & a nice compact little bush.

Oh dear, my friend Wendy told me about the Fairy Shop in Auckland yesterday, she took her granddaughter there recently. Isn't it delightful! Shall we have a fairy party?

 I really, really want to sit on one of these little toadstool seats!

Thanks so much for coming to see me. You are amazing.

I hope you live amidst flowers & fairies & kindness this week.

MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥