spring has sprung

The magic that is spring has happened. I had some spring visitors last weekend

It was lovely to see them, but they must have been a bit tired as there was quite a bit of couch bashing!!


My garden has decided to burst into leaf - from dead looking sticks to luxurient foliage in a couple of weeks. The mulberry even has fruit and the paw paw has three babes and a few more coming.

I can't wait to have some fruit salad from the front garden!

spring is nearly here

I've planted some baskets of flowers to decorate my front verandah and block my view of mr veryrichbuilder's undies on the line. The plants are growing so quickly and flowering as though it really is Spring. I thought we had to wait until the Ekka was over??

these are some lovely iris my daughter bought me last week when they were tightly shut....they've lasted all week and look gorgeous?

front veranda

I've even got herbs hanging out in a window box.

More later - I will photograph my new Aldi purchases and what's happening in the back garden.....

I've been away

I have just come back from a wonderful holiday - one of the best I've had for years. Two weeks in Italy at a friends apartment near Lucca, a week in London and Cheltenham seeing family, a week in a Normandie farmhouse, a wedding in France and then home!

This is the view from my bedroom - not bad waking up there every morning for two weeks?
The fruit and vegetables in Italy in summer are beautiful - favourites were raw garlick, asparagus and corgettes.

Things to do in Italy included:

lunching in Lucca

giving advice to Deb's workmen!

Shopping in Florence

more to come on UK and France.

visitors and changes

I had some visitors for curry last Thursday - lovely to see them!

Bill was here too on wednesday and he and Marina hung the blinds on the verandah tht I had sweated over last weekend and been unable to do (he said that I couldn't have done them on my own - it is a two person job). I can still get a glimpse of the4 veryrich undies and mops but it is much better and when I come home, I will buy a potted plant to fill in the gaps.

I am changing the study to suit me - this is part of the plan......

this is what I hope they will look like, but now the room looks like this:

My veggie garden is doing well - what a shame a lot of the veggies will go to seed while I'm away. Tonight I will be eating my own butter beans:

a shy little bird

Look closely........

there's someone hiding in the garden:

I think he's very happy there - particularly as I got up at 6.30 and pruned the hedges!

The war on brown continues - the back of the cupboard is now white and the books that go back into it will not be war books!!!!

I'll put some of the miliitary history in the filing cabinet and will offer the rest to the USC for their library. I just feel that it's time for me to have the study more to my taste!

Easter and that wedding

Easter in Victoria was lovely - quite cold at night but very pleasant and sunny during the days. Some people even felt it was warm enough for a swim?!

but others preferred to wear jumpers and stay out of the water!!!

It was lovely to see FVT&P who looked after me very well.....

A bonus was seeing Fi - hopefully about a week before baby FiNate appears:

I went to friends to watch Will and Kate getting married. Took my jewels out of the Diva safe. I almost needed an armed guard!!

the family grows

Oh dear - they had a baby but it had some genetic problems such as no eyes, nose or white bib front so they've decided to leave it at that:

crafty things are all finished now (except for red and white)

Can you see the mistake in the red and white?

Oh Well - off to Victoria for a few dsys of family and friends!!!!!