GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY & GIVEAWAY!

Vicki 
our very treasured blogging friend

of

http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/

is throwing a 'Grow Your Blog' party

and I've joined in!
THANK YOU
Vicki for organising and hosting
this wonderful event for us!

WELCOME

and lovely to meet you

especially if you are visiting my blog

for the first time and as part

of GYB party!

Where I call home!

My name is Shane and I live in

New Zealand in the

beautiful South Pacific region.

My blogging adventure started

almost three years ago with
this post here
and I was thrilled to bits when
14 lovely people left me a comment
and gave me the confidence to carry on.

(I confess my first comment came from my son)!!!
...but the second came from
Tracey of
French Larkspur
I was on the road to great adventure!!!

I've been so lucky to make some
wonderful new friends along the way
who have widened my horizons
beyond anything I could have imagined.

I love all things French!

At the top of my list are my

french granddaughters

whom I visit almost every year,
I wish I could visit more often....
And yes - I'm a Francophile!

♥

I hope you'll have time to wander

around my blog.

Books, music and the arts 
are my passion.

Walking is another pastime and I took
this photo on an amble in the
countryside when I was in France
last year.
In the distance is the village
where my family live!

A Christmas stocking I embroidered for one of my granddaughters last year.

Rose's very yummy Carrot Cup Cakes!

I belong to a small embroidery group,
as you can see the delicious cakes we enjoy
are an added bonus!!

This year I want to learn something new
 so.... I'm about to delve into the world of
patchwork and quilting
and these are the fabrics I've collected so far!

I'm hoping via Vicki's blog party
I will meet some experienced quilters
who will join my blog and give
me advice and encouragement
along the way!!!

I really enjoy creating

collages, tags and books

out of old fabrics and lace I collect,

some at brocantes when I'm in France .

I enjoy being at home

making things for the house

pottering about in the kitchen

and developing my ever-

evolving garden.

♥  GIVEAWAY  ♥

Please enter my giveaway by leaving

me a comment on this post.

There are no fixed rules

so you don't have to be a follower to enter
(although naturally I would  love you to
become one via Google Friend Connect
so I can grow my blog)

however

JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT AND YOU'RE IN!!!
Please make sure I can contact you
by leaving your email address below your comment!

The draw will take place on

Friday 1st February
New Zealand time!

Bonne chance mes amies!

Country Living is a beautiful

magazine put out once a year by

New Zealand House & Garden.

It's jam packed full of

inspiring country interiors

and gardens

as well as yummy recipes.

I just know you'll love it!!!

(in the parcel I will also tuck in
a few other bits of KIWIANA -
google that to see what I mean!!)

THANK YOU

so much for popping in to see me!

I would love you to become

a part of my blog.

THANK YOU 
again dear Vicki
for so generously giving of your
precious time to organise
this wonderful party
to help us all to
GROW OUR BLOGS!

Please click here to return to Vicki's
list of bloggers who have joined
THE PARTY OF THE YEAR!!!.

Take care dear friends

and please be kind to one other

hugs

Shane ♥

Sit down here with me for a cuppa and a lovely chat!

General Gallieni - a very dashing Frenchman!

How nice it is to join Vee

in her first

Note Card Party of 2013!

My friend Dawn has a huge

bush of this wonderful old

tea rose - General Gallieni

in her garden.

It has blooms continuously

from Spring through to Autumn.

I love how the blooms vary

from soft pink to rose

then apricot to deep red.

A mixed bowl with Iceberg

is lovely too.

The bowl sits on the hutch

between our kitchen and

dining room.

A good place for the 'General'

with the Eiffel Tower in

the background

he should feel at home!

Thank you Vee for hosting

another Note Card Party

I'm looking forward to

visiting as many of you

as I can.

WELCOME

to my new followers

Thank you to all my friends

for visiting my blog

I appreciate all your comments.

Take care and

be kind to one another

hugs

Shane ♥

Chicken and Olives... the recipe!

Sorry girls I know I promised to post this recipe

a couple of days ago but...

I've had the dreaded flu

in the middle of Summer - how does that happen?

...and I'm feeling suitably

sorry for myself..sniff. cough!!! 

I've been dosing myself up with

all manner of weird and wonderful potions!

My advice to family and friends for sore throats

is to swallow a peeled clove of garlic

wrapped in a spoon of the best honey...

(last thing at night) 

then magically come morning

your sore throat has gone!

Did I take my own advice?

unfortunately no...

I was feeling so miserable I couldn't think

of anything, so I've let it ride it's course

in between popping panadol and 

sipping "Gee's Linctus".

An old remedy for coughs

that the pharmacist will make up!

Enough of my ailments....!!!

CHICKEN AND OLIVES - THE RECIPE

 click on the picture to enlarge so you can print it off!

When you do this you'll see the page is splattered

with bits of this and that,

which tells you it's a very well used recipe!

It's a one dish recipe which is what I

love about it.

I often add a lemon cut into ⅛ ths

(leave skin on).

I serve it with a simple green salad.

The recipe is from this book.

Julie is a well known New Zealand cook

with many stimulating books published.

You may be able to order it from your

local library if you're interested!

On my kitchen bench today is a new pot

of herbs, basil chives and coriander.

Behind it is a plate I bought at a market years ago

it's a copy of an Italian design I think.

Sitting in front of my recipe book holder

are two large cups

we have our first coffee of the morning

from these!!

They are from Provence and the

mark on the back is "Terre Provence"!

I haven't used one recipe from this book

but I love the beautiful images

of French life

my daily reminder of where

my family live!

ONLY THREE DAYS TO GO TO

I just checked Vicki's blog and 331

bloggers have joined now.

Go here

to join us and have some fun

meeting new bloggers and

learning more about the world we live in!

THANK YOU

dear friends for popping in to see me

and leaving your lovely comments!

WELCOME

to me new followers - I'm so glad you're here!

TAKE CARE and

be kind to one another

hugs and love

Shane ♥

Wish I was here - would you like to join me?!