A little peace...

I am so thankful for the kindness offered to me to enjoy a lovely 24 hours in this beautiful setting.

At a time in my life when everything is upside down and so very frightening.

To escape to the peace and quiet of this lovely setting where the night is dark except for the stars was just the few moments I needed.

I sat and pondered the future with this as my view.

So lovely to have a moment to just be.  Read.  Eat. 

No phone.  No internet.

Trestle Table Love....

I have had the most beautiful couple of weeks. Not all wonderful. But lots of beautiful moments to make up for some really awful ones. 

I've had an idea in my mind for a little while now. 

I didn't end up with an outdoor table when I moved to my new life. I managed to save my lovely chairs that I painted quite awhile ago now.  

Bringing an idea to life is such an exciting thing to do.  

Planning, shopping, working it all out.

A trip to the Toowoomba recycling centre is always a fun thing to do.  

So many beautiful old doors to choose from. I found this one. Perfect for what I had in mind.  Strong, heavy, chippy and oh so wonderful.

A lovely friend made the trip to Bunnings with me. We had found a great set of instructions on the net and had our list ready.  How good is a trip to Bunnings!   One of my favourite places to go. Dangerous even!!

Home with our bits and pieces the fun began.  

My friend owns all the gear necessary. What a beautiful afternoon of building fun we had. 

Perfectly worn and chipped from years in another life. 

Right at home under the tree at Lorea House. 

Such perfect little details a reminder of its previous life. 

Ready for a perfectly beautiful summer of memories. 

Christmas 2014

It's here.  Christmas 2014. Goodness I really don't know how.  Exhausted as usual.  

So finally a little bit of Christmas arrived in my home. Better late than never.

Wishing everyone a lovely day. Happy Christmas.  

Barbara..............

My dear friend Barbara invited a group of her friends to share in a lovely Spring Morning Tea at her home this morning.

We enjoyed such a lovely morning in her home and then enjoyed her lovely garden full of special plants which she enjoys.

The Wisteria was such a lovely sight as you drive towards her home.

Barbara always has such lovely and different plants and flowers to enjoy every time I visit her.

The view across the beautiful vegetable and herb garden back towards the house.

Thank you Barbara for such a lovely morning.........



Celebration Week........

A very busy but fun week.  I celebrated another birthday this week. Lunch with my Mum the day before my birthday and then  I had the most lovely lunch with two very dear friends who spoilt me rotten on the day of my birthday. 

My very sweet Cameron surprised me at work with beautiful flowers and a Willow Tree "Angel of Caring".

A beautiful Pandora charm and the lovely book French Essence from my dear friends.

Yesterday, I spent a lovely few hours over lunch with another special friend. 

Beautiful flowers and some Michael Buble - spoilt indeed!

Just look at these gorgeous flowers.  A very sweet girl grew these in her very own cutting garden.  Thank you Elizabeth.  They are beautiful.

Today, BJ and I celebrate our 23rd Wedding Anniversay.  Cake and coffee downtown after Church and then a lovely day spent in our garden.  Everything is looking lovely again afer the beautiful rain last week.  There is more forecast for the next few days.  It will be just perfect if we receive it. 

I enjoyed hours in the garden yesterday as well, planting out some new little bits and pieces. Lots of spaces to fill after losing some plants while it was so dry before Christmas.  I really enjoy gardening at this time of the year.  Nearly Autumn.  Beautiful.

So my birthday and the anniversary are all done and dusted for another year!! I really do dislike that.  I think I would prefer to spread the celebrations out a little more throughout the year. It makes for a good week though, especially when my special friends take such good care of me!

Simple Things Small Joys.........

Yesterday Alexandra and I ventured out into the madness that is pre-Christmas shopping to try to achieve some gift shopping.  First stop was the hardware store to take care of some of the male variety of our family.  After this was achieved we made our way to Highfields, a lovely little village on the edge of the mountain range near our city.  Two lovely ladies have opened a delightful shop there.......

Can you guess who?

Of course, the lovely Cathy Penton of Simple Things Small Joys and the equally delightful Angela Osment of Chelsea Blue Whispers.  What a wonderful way to Christmas shop.  The shop is as I thought it would be - stunning!  When I find and visit truly beautiful places like this my head spins and I find it hard to concentrate - what to choose, what to look at first!!  I am taking BJ back this afternoon to have a coffee at this lovely little centre and of course visit Simple Things Small Joys again!!

Even down to the most beautiful packaging and a beautiful little surprise in my bag when I got home - a beautifully presented postcard.

So really, my shopping wasn't at all stressful.  I chose some lovely gifts from some lovely people and only had to face the chaos of the large shopping centre for such a short time.

Thank you Angela and Cathy for providing such a beautiful shop!  I hope your venture is both successful and enjoyable for you.  Blessings to you both.

Flowers In The Window.....

The newest issue of Homespun has hit the shelves here in Australia. It is a beautiful issue. I feel as though this particular issue has been a long time coming. I have known about a special project that is featured for a very long time. Finally we have seen it in print!!

I have gotten to know Gina Valderrama through my dear friend Barb. Gina is the very talented lady who has created this beautiful cushion.

This is quite large and fits a European sized pillow. Gina is a very talented lady who has other lovely designs to her name. You can find her blog here or her website here.

How exciting for Gina that she also has her delightful cushion on the front cover of Homespun as well.



So today we celebrated with Gina. Our friend Barb invited a group of lovely ladies to her home. It was a lovely Autumn day today - just perfect.

We had the most delicious long lunch on Barbs' beautiful veranda. Barb and her family live on a lovely block of land on the edge of the mountain range. Today it was lush and beautiful. The veranda looks out over a lovely little dam at the bottom of the garden. Today it was full to the brim, I have seen this dam empty, so it was lovely to see it in such a different state today.

We shared lovely savoury food followed by cups of tea and some very scrumptious sweets.

This Coconut cake was particularly yummy. It looked wonderful under the beautiful domed cake plate.

It was a beautiful afternoon spent with friends, laughing and chatting and sharing our latest finds in beautiful books and to die for catalogues from far away places . We also had a really lovely "show and tell" time - so special to see the beautiful projects that everyone is working on or finished at the moment. Gina also blew us away with some more new designs she is working on at the moment. What a clever lady she is.

Thank you Barb for such a special day to be able to celebrate with Gina. I'm sure we will all remember our time with you today for a long time.

Love and congratulations to Gina once again - beautiful!

Glen Harrow Stitch-In

What a lovely weekend I have had at the Glen Harrow Spring Stitch-In. My dear friends and I flew to Melbourne on Friday morning. Hiring a car for the weekend we ventured into the inner city of Melbourne for the day. Bronny navigated and Gina drove - what a wonderful job they did between them. We wandered a little and then caught the inner city tram and did the loop around the city. What a beautiful place to visit, I hope I can go back soon and explore some more.

In the afternoon we drove out to the Dandenong Ranges to Glen Harrow. What a beautiful place it is. Something to look at and admire on every turn.

The vegetable/herb patch with the delightful dovecote was beautiful.




On Saturday morning we woke to the most lovely day and I was excited at the anticipation of our day to come - Stitching with Rosie and Leanne. Beautiful breakfast ingredients had been provided in our room. Oranges to squeeze, bacon, eggs, lovely coffee, sourdough bread. What a wonderful breakfast.

We slowly wandered over to the room where our day of stitching was to be held. Stopping along the way to admire unusual plants and flowers, taking pictures at every twist and turn.


So much thought and preparation had been put into our day. I felt so spoilt by the attention to detail by these two clever girls. It was almost surreal being there and seeing the samples of the patterns that we all love creating.

In each place a lovely little bag holding our two projects and patterns for the day. A sweet little bedside project from Leanne, a doiley, a stitchery to frame and a cover for a journal.

From Rosie a delightful little needlecase with a sweet stitchery on the front.

The food set before us all day was just wonderful. All manner of cakes, sweets, fruit and cheese for morning and afternoon tea and the most beautiful luncheon of cold meats, small quiche and the most devine salds were served.

We stitched and ate and stitched in the garden some more until late in the afternoon.



My dear friend Bronny and I stayed in the Gardeners Cottage. Even when arriving the dark and making my way through the gorgeous gate with the wisteria tumbling over it I sensed the attention to detail in this lovely place and was certainly not disappointed on arriving in the cottage.

The mountain air was cool and the fire was lit for our arrival. The cottage was decked out in the most wonderful antiques and old treasures. I was in heaven! The bedroom was in the attic and was just beautiful. Wonderful white embroidered sheets and pillowcases - fit for a princess - I certainly felt like one.

Morning certainly did not disappoint when peeking through the curtains for the first time - everything just as I thought it would be. Beautiful.

I so enjoyed wandering in the gardens - the gates were just beautiful - paths leading here and there - blossom trees in full bloom - roses with big fat buds - chickens, peacocks and peahens wandering and trees that would have stories of the last 100 years or more to tell.

Birdhouses, beautiful old fences, dovecotes, gates and places to sit at every turn. I am truly blessed to have been able to go for the weekend and have such a lovely time.

On Sunday we wandered through the mountains to such lovely little towns. We had the most delicious lunch at Miss Marples Tearoom. What a sweet little place, with wonderful food and a great atmosphere. Then it was time to find our way back to the airport.

Thank you to my friends for sharing such an adventure with me and to Barb for having a dream to share and making it happen.

I had a little stitching time last night and am so looking forward to finishing my projects.

It certainly was a most wonderful time at Glen Harrow.

Finally......

- New Hair Do

- Stitching Gear

- Suitcase Packed

- Camera Charged

- Plane Ticket

All Done

Well, that must be about it. I am off to Melbourne bright and early tomorrow and can't wait.

I will let you know how the wonderful "Stitch-In" at Glen Harrow with the lovely Leanne and Rosie went when I am home next week.

A Happy Weekend to everyone!

P.S. If Angela (anonomous comment) pops in to visit, please send me an email because you won the magazine!

My Carnival Garden & A Giveaway........

What a lovely busy week I have had. We are thrilled to have gained a second place for our garden.


Our afternoon at the announcement of the winners in the park was so enjoyable. The gardens were just coming into full flower. The city council does a wonderful job. We also enjoyed our afternoon at the Council reception too!





We have been getting our garden tidied again, just in case we get any visitors. I am so pleased how it has all come together, certainly worth the time we have put in. I hope I get some time to enjoy it this week.

Two of my lovely friends came and had lunch with me yesterday and then we enjoyed a wander around the garden.

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Garden Competition is in its 59th year and is the longest running garden competition in Australia. This Saturday is the Carnival Parade and there are many wonderful activities on in the city this week.

So now for a little GIVEAWAY to Celebrate.

I was as excited as anyone else when the lovely Victoria magazine came back into print. So I subscribed. I waited and waited and then thought I had dreamed my subscription and of course didn't get around to checking it out. I have purchased the first four new issues as they came out at the newsagent AND THEN this week the July/August issue arrived in the mailbox! Can't work it out and still haven't tried to!

SO - if you would love a copy of Victoria and haven't been fortunate enough to be able to get it where you live you are more than welcome to enter into the giveaway. Tell me your favourite springtime flowers - I would love to hear. I think I have two - Sweet Peas and Ranunculi - did you see some of mine in the pics above?

Wishing you a lovely weekend wherever you may be. I know I am looking forward to my Springtime weekend in my garden and home.

Spoilt.......

The judge for the garden competition has just been. Phew!!!! Mind you, he was only here about 5 minutes!!! Oh well, time will tell!! He was quite complimentary though and realised the garden is just two years old.

We have two invitations to attend afternoon tea functions in the next week, so I am looking forward to that. One is with the Mayor and Councillors as a thank you for entering and the other is the Awards Afternoon.

I am so pleased with the vege patch. It is coming along beautifully and has grown heaps just in the last two days since I took this picture.

What a lovely surprise I received today when I collected the mail. Lisa from

Knitty, Vintage and Rosy had sent a packet with this lovely magazine in it. Lisa was one of the winners from my Anniversary giveaway. She was so thoughtful sending this, thankyou Lisa.

Have you seen my little countdown above? I suppose you have guessed where I am going.

My dear friend "B" has been hatching a plan for well over a year for us to head south for a weekend and attend Leanne and Rosie's wonderful "Spring Stitch-In" at Glenharrow.

We are flying to Melbourne on the Friday, stitching on Saturday, staying a Glenharrow for two nights, and flying home on Sunday evening. The excitement is starting to build, I can tell you!! It will be just lovely to be away with the girls (there are 6 of us).

I have never been away like this before, so I am soooooo looking forward to my time in Melbourne. So any shopping suggestions are gratefully accepted, as I don't have a clue about the shops in Melbourne at all.

Today I am counting my Blessings, thankful for each and every one of them.

My Boy Joseph......

Just look at my beautiful boy Joseph. My doll Joseph that is! I remember the day he arrived at my home. I was around 6 or 7 years old. Up the road from our home lived a family who had three daughters and I guess at that time they would have been in their late teens to mid twenties. The youngest of the family, Gayle had decided that there were some of her childhood things that she didn't want to keep and that is when Joseph came to live with me. I have loved him for the past 35 years or so. He has never had a large wardrobe as he is a large doll. He had a couple of singlets and a matinee jacket or two and alway a nappy to wear. He has wonderful eyes that open and close but the most unusal thing about them is that they move from side to side!

My Mum has been busy smocking and he is wearing his beautiful new smocked bubble suit and his darling little beret! Isn't she so clever. I wish my little girl was still small enough to wear pretty smocked dresses.

He has just had a trip to hospital - the dolly hospital that is. His hand needed fixing and his face was a little worn, but he is all better now!!

I think he looks a darling sitting up there in his lovely vintage high chair (a recent find) with his Bunnykins bowl and mug (that belong to Alexandra) .

We recently took him to a valuer and were quite suprised to find out he is worth at least $200! I was astounded.

Another recent find is this lovely old mirror. I just love its' oval shape. It looks wonderful above the sideboard.

Can you see my mannequin wearing her new "fur". I was so pleased to find it also in the local thrift shop.

Also at the thrift shop last week I found this beautiful cake plate. It has delphiniums on it. It was meant to be I think as I have just planted quite a few punnets of dephiniums in the garden. I am going to hang it on the wall in the kitchen.

My dear friend "B" has been spoiling me again. Look at this lovely trailing vine she bought for me. It certainly did the job of cheering me up during a few weeks of feeling a little low.

I made this "Vintage Tag" a little while ago. It was a lovely little project to work on. I had a lot of fun going through my old lace collection and choosing just the right pieces. It has some embroidery and also quite a lot of little beads and pearls too.

A little more pottering around the house this weekend I hope. The children are on school holidays now which means a little more leisurely pace around here for a few weeks. I just had a phone call to say my two pieces of furniture have had their makeover and will be back tomorrow - so that will be exciting to play with.

So, with some lovely thrifting finds and some very nice pottering in the garden the last two weeks have been a little more bearable.

I visited the lovely Penny McKinlay in Pittsworth this week and bought five beautiful Old Tea Roses. The two I have already, Mrs. B.R. Cant and Rosette DeLizzy are growing beautifully, so hopefully these new ones will perform just as well.

Looking forward to a wonderful weekend.

A Gift.......

At the end of February my dear friend Barb arranged for me to meet a lovely lady Angela and to see her garden. I had the most lovely morning that day. Barb had also arranged for me to choose a beautiful charm that Angela made for me.

This week, I met up with Barb and received my beautiful gift. Thank you so much again my friend.

Angela paints the lovely little water colours onto old papers and then solders them into the beautiful charms. I just love the beautiful minute details. The little box that it was delivered in is also an absolute work of art. Covered in lovely old music and then waxed and tied up with a sweet pink ribbon - all just me to a tee!!!

The lace in the background was a recent find at the "thrift" shop!!! Just beautiful.

So glad the weekend and the school holidays are here. I so look forward to the weekends at the moment when I hopefully don't have to venture very far from my home and garden.

A trip to the large Bunnings near us last night produced some lovely purchases that will need to be planted out tomorrow. I will show you more next time. Looking forward to a great weekend.