Butterfly Cakes and a Frog

Isn't joy infectious!

 I love this picture so much...it's part of the cover of one of our Good magazines.
Childlike unfettered joy is such a liberty.
So many adults seem to misplace theirs along the raggedy pathway of life.
But it can be reinstated...if you want it
 & you're prepared to practice
 & not worry about what other people think!
I plan to spend the rest of my years learning joy & practicing child-like wonder...how about you?
I think, maybe, joy is most likely found in the simple things..
All our blossom trees have come bursting forth this week.

 It's the school holidays at the moment.
The young girl across the road was selling flowers on Monday, outside her Nanna's ..she's saving up for a skateboard. Aren't they beautiful!

 I can't believe her mother sacrificed so many of her garden flowers for her daughter to sell..

 even some orchids in amongst them.

 We had a marvelous time out at St Columbus Church Fair on Saturday morning.
We found so many useful & quaint things...like my chippy paint vintage frog & lots of vintage thermoses (ok then, what's the plural of thermos?).

 I've also found some beautiful Edwardian cloths in the last couple of weeks.
This one was labelled as a tablecloth & did have large blobs of candle wax on it but it fits our 3/4 bed beautifully as a bedspread.

All the embroidery is hand done & the quality of the linen is superb.

 Some things you may only stumble upon once in a life time, like this exquisite Royal Doulton teapot.

 It came with a tiny sugar bowl milk jug & dish...perhaps from a breakfast set?
The whole lot was only $23..the teapot has a chip on the spout but that means that it can be used for flowers which is just fine too.

In our Trade Me scourings for picnicware I came across these fabulous duraware bowls.

David felt we should make some guacamole with the abundance of ripe avocados we had yesterday...good idea so as not to waste them...um, we ate the rest.

 Oh yum, the first of the strawberries were to be found at the Farmers' Market this morning and these wonderful lemon tarts at "Entice". Of course we had to taste test them..I think we may have found the perfect tiny tea party & picnic food.

I bought a $2 wooden plate rack recently & rearranged all (ah, cough...some of) my pretty plates.

It's so nice to be able to see them all & use them easily.

When we went to the Botanical Gardens in Napier last Sunday for a picnic we were so enchanted by the proliferation of white doves..

 and a few odd bods.

 The gardens are nestled in a very steep gully.
On the eastern side is a very old small cemetery. It is a fascinating place to wander, most of it predating the catastrophic earthquake of 1931.

There's a lovely view from the angel's sentinel spot.

 I love this little shelter for visitors.

 Except, I really wanted to go & get a bucket of hot soapy water & give it a good scrub down...poor old thing.

Just as we came over the bridge on the motorway on the journey home I saw this stunning sight..both apple blossom but wildly different colours.

I went to a party today.

There were tiny butterfly cakes.

Do you remember those?

They make me smile.

They taste like childhood & babies kisses.

 My niece Jaimee bought her two day old mallard duckling with her.
His name is Quackers.

 Last I saw, her father was attempting to liberate Quackers from up Jaimee's sleeve, then it was back to his little hot water bottle.

 I've been thinking a lot lately about the fact that we get to choose a great deal more than we actually think we do. Values are like joy they're contagious too.
Jaimee's mother gave me the most extra-ordinary gift this week..joyous enthusiasm for our AVintage Picnic. I am so grateful!! What a difference we can make for one another.
You could also pop over & visit us on facebook too if you had a moment (& do facebook!)...we'd love to see you!
Thank you for all your kind, sweet comments & encouragement..we both feel so blessed!

 ♥♥♥♥♥

An angel in the garden...

You know,
 it's time...
Time for me to pause & reflect on where I've come from & how I got here..
Here, in this garden of an angel.
You see, I didn't just arrive all by myself.
I have been guided by so many kind hearts & gentle hands & I am so grateful.
This particular garden gate was opened for me by my dearest friend Cheryl,

when one year's end she gave me the sweetest card I'd ever seen.

And a little seed ♥ was planted in my heart
 & soon enough...
 along came my friend Gaye with her watering can filled with spring water & cheer germs..

Gaye & Pene are best of friends & terribly clever & gorgeous woman.

And in it's time, that little seed began filling up my heart, with a new kind of hope.

Gaye was the gentle soul that told me about Keriann & her blog Sweet Mary.

(I do wish that man would get out of my picture!)

Here she is with all her Sweet Mary creations.

You can find the loveliest story about Keriann just here at Coddle & Covet.

I had never even heard of a "blog" before I visited Sweet Mary.
From that first little visit, the fragile hope plant began to respond to the light, as she once had many years ago, before the weight of the world sat on her & squashed her & blocked out the light & the joy & the purpose.

I was always destined to create beauty & to be in a garden.

 I just hadn't quite been granted my wings, as yet, when we took on this neglected plot..

 back in the days when we bought our first home in Hawera.

But it was my Sue that held out to me the golden rope..
the precious thread that would tie me into life, for the next 20 years & more.
 It was she, who gave me my "Garden Fairy" wings & the joy & satisfaction of creating beauty. Together, garden after garden, year after year we have created abundance & beauty...
As Sue says, over at Style Me Vintage,
"Well, I blame Walt Disney's Grandpa Bunny Bunny...you will have to check him out....and my Aunty Dorothy! They taught me to see beauty from a very young age and so my obsession with all things beautiful began."

 Garden Fairies have many friends...this one is Molly.
She never fails to go "mental" when she hears my car or discovers me in the garden.
Like Mary, who "wasn't wanted" in The Secret Garden, I was found through a garden.

So here it was that in the new year of 2010 An Angel in the Garden was born, right here in this space & truly changed my life forever.

This was my first post:

"I've often wondered what an ordinary life would look like if it was viewed as a movie? My life?

Life is lived so daily...we only have the now..this moment...this very experience...viewed through the eyes of the heart...& then it is gone.

We all seek intimacy, all long to be seen & known for who we really are.

 So why are we so hesitant to express ourselves in full colour?

An angel in the garden that's me..most at home tending plants & creating beauty with the help of the Creator!"

What a delight then, to receive this kind & precious gift 2 years later from Gaye for my birthday back in January. 

You can find Violet Annie's Cottage just here.

But the best part of all, is that the story goes on & the kind hands & gentle hearts are also yours dear friends.

 My world has changed because of you.

It is almost this way.. 

"The spell was broken. My uncle learned to laugh, and I learned to cry.

 The secret garden is always open now.

 Open, and awake, and alive. 

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden." 

 THANK YOU!

 And life goes on...
Sweet Mary has become...Little Vintage

 AND as I have mentioned before, Rob & I have been gathering some vintage picnicky things around us.
I think we're ready to go!!
We'd love you to pop in & have a peek at our website..

Picnics are really just lovely adventures waiting to happen..
Look at the spot we found on Sunday..
such a perfect day!

I would be so glad if you could let me know what you think about our little website, if you have the time to visit.
Thank you for coming & seeing me, everyone of you.
You are all so precious to me.
With very much love & big squishy hugs,

♥♥♥♥♥

So Happy Together...

Spring flowers are always soo pretty aren't they!

I found this sparkly little cruet set at the "Dog Shop" this week (well "People for Pets" is a little bit of a mouthful) I really like the idea of putting lots of small flowers in a cluster of little vases, that way you don't have to strip your garden to create floral joy & I think it might be a very sweet tea party concept too. 

 With things warming up just a little & a wee bit more sunshine we managed a small, late afternoon picnic in one of our favourite Hawke's Bay spots...our A& P Showgrounds.

 We thought we'd make sure that our picnic stuff actually works.

Seems that it does.

Our lemon & ginger tea was delicious.

 The wisteria, almost there..

 You really can't go far in Hawke's Bay without being pretty close to an orchard.
Our David is working just over here in this apple orchard..presently pruning & loving it.

Certainly a unique fountain..

 and so much wild life! There were several herons that kept flying from tree top to tree top.
I didn't know that they make a kind of honking noise as they land...much like geese.

 It got chilly pretty quickly as the sun was going down.
Luckily we have a few spare picnic rugs.
We can hear helicopters & windmills working in the night through these early weeks of spring, as the temperature drops overnight & the fragile setting fruit are threatened by frost.

 I love Jessie Wilcox Smith's darling illustrations.
Isn't this little girl so sweet.

 Jasmine smells so wonderful.
Did you suck the honey from the ends of the flowers as a child?

 This morning we returned to our picnic spot, only it was now over run with people!
The first day of the Farmer's Market being back outside.
It's so much better out in the open air surrounded by such lovely

 & interesting trees.

 Yesterday we went to a school gala just down the road & I found the two little folding stools & the dear little old school chair for $1 each.
Fortunately I had a helper to help me carry stuff!
The the other floral folding chair & table are recent finds too.
Perfect for picnics of course!

 I have been making a tea cosy to match the Old English Rose tea set...what do you think?

 The sun is very shiney on the fabric but I found the Sanderson bag at the gala too.

 

This sweet little blue flower is a perennial & it is called omphalodes. 

It comes in sky blue & pale blue & is quite like a forget-me-not.

Of course if you really got the hang of crochet you could always make yourself an outfit.

Especially if you had some time to spare.

I rather like this Christmas wreath.

If you click on the picture you'll find out some more about it.

 I thought that you might like something to make you smile.
Steve is an incredibly talented & passionate musician with a very grand sense of humour.
Hope you enjoy this video...Kaitiaki did & he is 6.
Have a lovely week dear friends.

MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥