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Saturday 21 June 2014

Seed Packets and Sun Showers

I am delighted to find that I am enjoying winter...
really loving it, in fact.
And so are these bright & happy birds, come rain or shine.
Wonderfully simple, nourishing food makes you feel so good.
With heavy rain outside, I spent a morning this week making baked custards, chicken liver pate & pomegranate & rosewater jellies. They all last so well in the fridge & taste amazing. I have a pot of chicken broth simmering most days too. It is such a marvellous & healing food no wonder that it's also known as Jewish penicillin. I used to think that the nick name was just a wild hyperbole, but now I know better. This stuff heals so many things, builds your immune system & nourishes deeply.
We had so much fun at a vintage sale called Faberdashery one recent Friday evening. Rob came too & he loved it. Lots & lots of stalls in the St John's Hall, all nicely crammed in & cosy. I bought this gorgeous piece of vintage floral cotton from a sweet mother & daughter. With a good soak it has washed up beautifully.
The little dolly wardrobe just had to come home with me too.
A little bit startling to find this pair tucked on a shelf inside!
I listed them on Trade Me:
"Well I say that they are Scottish dolls but really, they're stowaways, if the truth be told.
They travelled home with me hidden in the top of shelf of a dolly wardrobe that I bought quite recently.
Imagine my surprise when I opened up the door & discovered them tucked in there.
I don't think I fancy bedding them in with the pretty dolls but someone else might quite like them...for your own reasons!

Our lad with the bag pipes has had a scuffle somewhere along the line & has suffered a dislocated shoulder injury.
Well hello, he plays the bagpipes! (...just joking)
The wee lass really does have quite pleasant eyes when she's upright & not legless!
They're an odd couple, yet quirky & endearing..& very vintage.
Some rather interesting detail between them.
I bet they have some tales to tell.
"

And just like that...they were sold. They are heading off to their new home tomorrow.
But it was Rob who found The Smoother & it's little red traveling case.
He thinks it should live in Lucy.
The little ironing board I came across in The Dog Shop a week or so ago.

And the blue highchair was sent from Christchurch wrapped in a heavy curtain.
I am always so inspired by the clever transformations that go on over at Thread Bear Cottage so when I saw the rather plain brown tray I knew immediately that I could manage a wee make over of my own.
 With a test pot & a small piece of Cath Kidston oil cloth a prettier tray emerged.
I collected quite a lot of seed from my garden over summer & have been happily selling it on Trade Me, which is so nice as some things like my blue woodruff, are really hard to come by & it's good to be able to share it. I was a bit stumped for a while as to how to present the seeds, but then I found a great template here.
And then one day I came home & Rob had had a lovely time making seed packets.
Wasn't that nice. They're getting better & better as he goes along.
I loved this picture in a Country Living magazine..just lifts my spirits with it's profusion of colour.
Since my red wheelbarrow developed a hole in one corner I figured it would drain fine so I planted it up with polys & pansies & parked it in the sunshine.
And did I tell you I bought 20 bales of peavine straw to bed down the garden(s!)
I love the low winter sun.
With sun showers on Tuesday.
And rainbows too.
Perfect for a birthday.
A boy who now climbs mountains & not just out of highchairs.
He traveled by bus way down south in May. With just his bike for company he traveled hundreds & hundred of miles, then he walked & biked & ran...
& marvelled
at all the wonders that he saw.
He also leaned out in a very scary fashion over the edge of the Clay Cliffs to take a picture to record his intrepid journey. A journey traveled with great courage & determination in celebration of life...his, all 25 years.
My youngest son inspires me to live well, to be my best me.
This week I plan to fill my world with all the beauty I can find & stretch myself a little further in the challenges to believe that life really is good & wonderful.
Thank you so much for popping in.
Have a lovely week my friends.
Much love to you,
 Catherine x0x0x 

7 comments:

  1. Thank you for the photos and all the wonderful things going on in your life. I love jam, chicken broth, and vintage things. We had rain all last night here in the Midwest, USA. Seeds packets are darling.

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  2. Lovely photo's as usual. Looks like you found some nice treasures on your outings. I love the 'poly' wheel barrow, nice colour for winter. Isn't Julie an inspiration!
    Gosh your seed packets look fab!

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  3. How fabulous those pictures are by your son - he is very gifted to capture the sights he sees so well. Your post is very inspiring, The scottish dolls are odd but clearly someone really likes them! Betty

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  4. I am so glad you are enjoying your winter. You make food look so good. I wish you could cook for me every now and again! (BIG HUG!)

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  5. Hello Catherine, sometimes I just want to sink right in to your blog pages & pull it up round my ears, & let the world go by ..... !!!! Does this make sense?? Your photos are always so beautiful & you truely do find beauty in the everyday things. Which is so important I feel. I adore your fabric purchase, would've loved to have accompanied you to the vintage fabric sale :-)
    Your tray turned out beautifully & Oh those seed packets. Your wheelbarrow looks wonderful in the winter light. Lovely to see your youngest sons adventures by photograph, some amazing pics. Have a great week my friend x0x0x

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  6. I found your charming blog via pinterest browsing for vintage campers. I love Lucy and what you have done to her and how you use her often for teas and entertaining. I love the darling toadstools you have outside also and am wondering if you could tell me if you made these and if so, if you could share how.

    I have spent several hours tonight just enjoying reading your blog. Thank you!
    bee blessed
    mary

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  7. There is so much beauty and colour and wonder in this post, I so enjoyed reading it. Thank so much for sharing everything with us. Lisa xx

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So lovely of you to leave a comment. Thank you!! So sorry if you've tried to leave one & it hasn't worked. You are welcome to email me at catherine@sunshinevintage.nz instead, if you'd like to, much love Catherine♥

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