Creatively Corrigated and a Friendly Adventure

Evelyn was fragrantly, flagrantly waving to me as I passed her by in the rain,

 just last drizzly Tuesday.

 I plucked her as we left 

and her scent filled the car for the whole journey.

 About half way there & around lunch time, I just happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of vibrant pink in the far reaches of a rest stop.

 Meandering down the bumpy driveway we found the perfect spot for a picnic...

This glorious rhododendron was just humming with bumble bees & had showered the ground with her blossom.

 We made big fat sandwiches before we left on our adventure..

 & wholemeal apple bran muffins the night before. They tasted so delicious out in the fresh air in the middle of nowhere.

Soon enough, we found a shepherd..

 & a very large sheep

 and even a dog.

 I am sure that he's pointing the way to the best coffee in town.

 See, just across the road is Alleycats. They're very used to feeding visitors, feathered & otherwise. That's the kind of thing that happens a lot in Tirau. A place to pass through on the way to..

well, in this case, Te Aroha...the mountain of love.

 We love coming here.
 It's a little place that we both just seem to relax in.
 Surrounded by the comforting sounds of church bells that have not kept pace with the advent of daylight saving & fire sirens that may go off at any time day or night, urgently summoning the volunteer brigade from far & wide.

We stay at the base of the mountain at Aroha Mountain Lodge.

 Lovely peaceful views, bush walks just out the front door & the legendary hot soda springs are just a few metres down the road.

 Greg & Linda's hospitality is exceptional & warm.
 They have become dear friends over the years.

 We could put our provisions in the fridge & help ourselves to the kitchen at any time. The smallest gas hob wasn't keen to stay on so Rob improvised to make coffee.

 Te Aroha has a friendly organics shop

and an abundance of creative people.

There are lots of older buildings & warm-hearted people & the moody entrancing backdrop of the mountain is ever changing & ever present.

 Here we found Second Thoughts Collectables & owners Donna & Pete..

 oh look & Greg as well..

 Such an interesting little shop.

 I popped my head around the corner of the veranda & found a bird bath tucked into the lavender bush..

 and at the foot...a fairy dell!

 One of the things that makes my little heart sing when I am in The Waikato is the fields & by-ways of wild flowers.

 The daises & honeysuckle & the bishop's weed..

 I have so much more to tell you, but meantime, here is a clue to one of the most wonderful things that we did.

I'll be back very soon with more of our traveling tales.

First of all I need to do some visiting & catching up with everyone.

I am so glad that you're here!

Thank you for popping in to see me.

Much

 ♥♥♥♥♥

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!

 ♥♥♥♥♥