Five on Friday - Summer Down Under

1
A bowl of Catmint and Lobelia

enjoyed by both Mr and Mrs Goosey Gander and

the visiting neighbourhood pussycats!

I've observed several cats eating both the tips of leaves

and flowers - hence the alternative name of Catnip!

2
Chimes in one of the gardens I visited last year.

This country garden was filled with bird houses and feeders

all beautifully crafted by the owners.

3
The Light Between Oceans is the first book I've read this year

and I loved it!

I know the film is already out but if you haven't seen it yet

do try and read the book first.

 It is set on an island off the south west coast of Western Australia.

4
Boats moored at the new marina in Tairua, Coromandel Peninsula.

Photo courtesy of New Zealand Herald

5
This photo was in our newspaper last week.
I couldn't resist showing my friends in the northern hemisphere!

It was taken at a ski field at Cardrona in the South Island

where there was a freak snowfall in Summer!!!

Usually at this time of year the mountain

is a haven for day trippers - mountain bikers and walkers
clad in light tee shirts and shorts!

I'm joining Amy for

Five on Friday

(sorry I'm late Amy)

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

Moments in my Week

Little Jimmys is a new cafe

in Greenwoods Corner near where I live.

The Embroidery Group girls took me

there for my birthday lunch

and the food was great.

Can you see the water bowls on the pavement?

Dogs are welcome at cafes here 

so long as you sit at an outside table.

My usual Cafe Latte

and the yellow rose was attached 

to my present from Mary.

This is usually a white hydrangea

I love the pink hues it takes on

as we come into Autumn.

Could we be in Italy?

I wish!

It is a conifer lined driveway

in Epsom near where I live!

It's fun to dream - don't you agree?

A gift from my dearest friend

we've known each other since we were 10yrs

that's 60+ years.

Have any of you read it?

I can't put it down.

It's so beautifully written,

I won't tell you any more about it - I don't want to spoil it.

It is a "must read".

I'm joining Amy for Five on Friday
Nancy for Random 5 Friday
Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday
and
Cath for Fun Friday Favourites

thank you ladies for hosting
it's a fun way to finish up the week.

Thank you for your visits

Take care and

be kind to one another.

à bientôt

Shane

Five on Friday

A busker at Viaduct Harbour on the

Auckland waterfront. 

I love these books - they take me on a journey

to places known and unknown.

A waterfront cafe, the perfect venue in summer

to watch the world go by.

My favourite Latte coffee with a heart for

Valentines

'Melt in the mouth' 

Sponge Kisses 

baked for the Mahjong girls!

It's Friday so I'm joining Amy for 

Five on Friday

Thank you for popping in to say hello

wishing you a happy weekend!

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

Thank you Amy for hosting.

Five on Friday

Our summer days just go on and on

February has arrived

and the weather is amazing!

Brooklyn

by the Irish writer

Colm Tóibín

I read this wonderful book years ago and

I've just seen the movie.

I often find the movie adaptation of a book

to be disappointing

but with this one it wasn't, they followed the script so well.

It is set in Ireland and Brooklyn, New York

in the early 1950's.

I love both the book and the movie.

A mixed bowl of cherry tomatoes

so full of flavour at this time of year.

There's always a rose!

This is Comtesse du Cayla

bred by Pierre Guillot in 1902.

In this hot summer weather the petals have faded out

whereas the early blooms have stronger pink tones.

Thank you for popping in to say hello!

I'm joining Amy for Five on Friday

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

French Vintage Finds & Fabric Dyeing

Isn't this the sweetest baby's top

it is all hand made with exquisite hand made lace

and tiny pin tucking.

I found it at a Brocante in my daughter's village.

The back is just as beautiful

the fabric is the finest lawn or voile

with tiny mother-of-pearl buttons

I was delighted to also find this vintage broderie anglaise

I only have 2 metres

so I'm saving it for a very special fabric book.

I apologise for the darkness of the photos - it has been another

dark, wet and miserable Spring day!

I always look for old books and postcards

and I was happy with my finds

this one was over 100 years old!

I would love to buy more but there is limited

room in my suitcase!

After reading Suzy's post on dyeing fabrics and lace

with the juice from her home grown loganberries,

I delved into my freezer and found a packet of mixed berries.

I boiled ¾ of a cup for a few minutes, sieved them

and added the juice to ¾ of a cup of water

and boiled for 30 minutes.

These pieces will all be used in my new book!

I'm linking to

Judith for Mosaic Monday

Stephanie for Roses of Inspiration

and

Wens new party - Simply Neutrals Tuesday

Take care and

be kind to one another

Merci à bientôt

Shane

A home needs books...

If you are a regular visitor

to my blog you will know I'm a

book lover.

I've also been lucky to inherit

some lovely old books from

my father 

a very dear bookish man!

Like this five volume set of

The History of England

by

Lord Macaulay

published in London in

1870.

Do you know, that while taking 

photographs for this post

I was leafing through the pages

and to my surprise I became
totally absorbed.

So I've started reading Volume I,
I love history

 but I had thought 

this tome would be too stuffy!

I'll let you know how I get on...

The covers of the books are old leather

and the pages are edged with

gold leaf.

"A room without
books is like a body
without a soul." 
Cicero

The image bottom right is
Lord Macaulay.

Today I'm linking to
Mary's - 'Inspiration Thursday' 
Debra's - 'Be Inspired Thursday' 
Bernideen's - 'Open House Thursday'
and
Claudia's - 'A favorite Thing Saturday'.


À bientôt

take care of one another

Shane ♥

Home...

When I return from a trip away
I know I'm home
when I arrive at my front door.

On either side of the entrance
I've hung a sweet wreath
and nailed to our door
is this plate with the words

BIENVENUE
french for welcome.

In the front hallway is a
large bookcase
full of 'old friends'
books that belonged to my dear father.

They sit happily in these
old brass ended book ends.

I consider all these treasures
to be part of my
welcome home committee!!



Today I'm joining Mary of 
Little Red House
and
Bernideen of
Bernideen's Tea Time Blog


Lovely to see you here dear friends
I'll be over to see you soon
in the meantime

be kind to one another
hugs and love

Shane ♥

Bienvenue - s'il vous plaît venez dans...

Hello dear friends!

Today I thought I would give

you a little peep

into my world.

It's Summer time here

on the other side of the world,

so I've hung a pretty

Summer garland on either side of

our front entrance!

I bought this lovely old

door sign the last time

I visited my daughter in France.

It says 'Welcome'.

My next visit will be in May/June

to meet my new GD

Jessie!!

and... hopefully I'll be

visiting a brocante or two

to find more treasures!

Just inside our front door

is a bookcase

and on the top shelf is an

old concertina book holder

(rather like bookends except

it has a base and expands)

I particularly love the ends

which are brass and quite ornate -

don't look too closely

as they desperately need a polish,

on second thoughts

I really love this old patina

so I won't be polishing them again!

I have my father to thank for this,

he was a bookish man

and spent a lifetime of collecting

books and bookcases!!

It is one of my

favourite things.

Above is this gorgeous old set of

Anthony Hope novels

which were also my fathers.

I particularly love that faded

pinky red colour -

sadly I haven't read

any of these titles... yet.

Like my father I've always

got a couple of books on the go.

I love history

and I must drive our

local librarians mad

as I'm always asking for

new titles!

(I wonder if they hide

when they see me coming?

it wouldn't surprise me)!!!

I have a huge stack of

books beside our bed

and another in our

living room - can you

relate to this?

As most of you who read

my blog are in the US or Europe

I thought I would give you a reminder

of the beautiful gifts of Summer,

hydrangea's from my garden.

Also in the bookends is

an old leather bound set of

A.A. Milnes - you can guess

where they came from!

Linking to
The French Cupboard

Thank you all for popping in to see me

especially those of you who leave

comments.... love you!

A big welcome to my new followers

Jami and Tiff

Thank you for joining my blog.

Be kind to one another

Love and hugs

Shane x