July already

Happy Friday folks,
I hope your week is treating you well

Oh the joy of picking up some pretty flowers to take home and put in a vase.
After the heavy rain we had nearly all day yesterday, it is lovely to bring some brightness to the house.
The sun is peeping through the clouds today which is wonderful

Bluebell seems to keep us busy and it is like having a new baby again. We are loving having her around. She has had a busy time, went over to the City to be groomed which is a mission in itself taking her on the ferry. She looked so good and a change to be able to see the Scottie look, rather than the scruffy little dog she was.

Also we took her back to the Vet to have her stitches out after having been spayed.
Scotties are very stubborn, but bright and it is interesting trying to teach her to sit, come and do all those things that good little dogs should be doing. She responds well to treats, even though the Vet said she was a little on the heavy side so having to limit her treats.
Going for our daily walks are getting better as when she first started out, she wanted to stop and sniff each blade of grass and was rather frightened of the cars and buses, but over time hopefully she will get better.

The little pink bows the groomer put on are surprisingly, still on.

This photo was taken at Matiatia the other evening when I went to pick up my husband off the ferry. The sky, clouds, water and all the boats painted a lovely picture and it was the perfect evening.
 Wishing you a fabulous July and I look forward to coming over to say hello and see what you are up to.
hugs
Carolyn 
 

World Happiness Day

When I heard that today was 'World happiness day, could not let this special day pass without doing a little post to share.
We need to recognize the importance of simply being happy

The wallpaper mural I thought was gorgeous and imagine this in a bedroom ~ the flowers are so large and pretty

I agree with Audrey ~ 
it really is all that matters is to enjoy your life and be happy
Les Fleurs pour vous

Hope your week is going well and sending love and hugs
Carolyn

Apricot roses for the weekend

Hi dear friends,

Have not been around much on the computer as this past week have been feeling a little fluish, with a cold and sore throat. Travelling on the ferry boat sometimes, it is hard to escape the winter ailments that are doing the rounds, with other travellers, coughing and sneezing. Wednesday I spent nearly the whole day in bed sleeping and felt a lot better for doing this

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is ~
to be alive,
to breathe
to think
to enjoy
to love
~ Marcus Aurelius

I just wanted to pop in a wish you a happy weekend and hope all is well with you. Look forward to coming over to visit you soon
hugs
Carolyn

Winter time is here

 Hello dear friends,

There is a winter nip in the air here and I love this time of the year. Coats, scarves, boots and gloves come to the front of the wardrobe and the summer clothes get to go away for a spell.

Winter is all about comfort food, hot soup, tasty stews and casseroles. Nothing better than a bowl of  hot tomato soup for lunch and warm bread with butter on a cold grey day.
The little individual tins, make the perfect little loaf of bread
 
Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home
~Edith Sitwell

The night sky and the silhouette of the trees  against the rather ominous clouds painted a pretty picture

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour, summer an oil painting and Autumn a mosaic of them all
~Stanley Horowitz

 Hope whatever the seasons are there where you are, summer, autumn, winter or spring, enjoy the beauty that nature brings
Happy, happy weekend dear friends
hugs
Carolyn

It's the weekend

 Hello dear friends,
When I wondered what I would share today after spending a couple of hours of reading other lovely blogs, must get around to writing something myself. 
Here's a little random update on life around here lately
Will start off with these pretty roses and they are such a beautiful apricot shade and I loved how they looked in the basket of my bike

We needed a new rug for the lounge and when a company set up in a hall the other weekend we went to have a look and decided to buy this one. It is lovely underfoot, especially now that winter is here

Lately we have been having some spectacular sunsets and whilst cooking dinner the other evening, looked out and saw this beautiful sight, so rushed to take a picture. I marvel at the brilliant colours  and  photos really don't do it justice

'Sometimes the simplest things are the most perfect things'

Many thanks for the kind visits and the comments on my last post, appreciate the birthday wishes for my husband and daughter
Do hope you enjoy the weekend and find some time to relax and do some things to make you happy
hugs
Carolyn

Just add a touch of yellow

As the weather has been grey and drizzly the past few days here,  I want to inject a little sunshine and colour today.

Nothing like a vase of pretty yellow roses to  bring some beauty and brighten up the house

Just had to share this ... It would be fun to ride out into the countryside on this bicycle for a picnic, so stylish! 

Life is riding a bicycle 
To keep your balance you must keep moving 
~ Albert Einstein

I've got plans for today and really must get back to doing the things on my to do list

Thank you so much for visiting me today
Hope you have a wonderful week
hugs
Carolyn

February Favourites

I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite things and what I love about this time of the year.
Can't get enough of the cherries, this season the juicy, ripe dark fruit are really the best I have tasted

Rushed to get my camera the other day, when I saw  this beautiful old sailing ship sail by the window

With the heat and mosquitoes around it is all a little much and I am actually looking forward to cooler weather and did not think I would ever say that.
The cotton mosquito net has been good - at night the windows can be open wide and the breeze blows through and you can hear the little mosquitoes making a racket, but they can not get in.

It is the high season for the cruise ships and on Friday there were three in port. The Queen Elizabeth, is impressive looking up at the majestic huge boat. Downtown Auckland was really bustling  with all the tourists getting about, to see a little of the City.

Now to share a few pretty roses and gypsophila I bought from the market
Enjoy the little things in life
How can it be that we are now in the month of March!
Have a wonderful week dear friends
hugs
Carolyn

Shades of pink

Hello dear friends

Days have been busy here and I have been making the most of the sunny days, gardening and staining some outdoor steps and fence.

My rose continues to bloom and just want to share a little of this beauty with you. I adore the pretty pastel pink, the scent and the shape of the rose
We still have not had rain to speak of, had a small drizzly shower one day and would be happy to get some much needed rainfall.

The beautiful card was created by Dorthe,  isn't it lovely and sweet and many thanks for your kindness

The rose looks pretty when it is dried - against the backdrop of my calender, with pictures from around France - the little window with shutters is charming

Hope you are having a happy week.
Enjoy life, stay warm if you still have winter there and for those of us having a long hot summer, stay cool.
I look forward to coming over to say hello soon.

hugs
Carolyn

Flowers as gift

When the theme for Floral Friday was ... 'flowers as a gift'  I thought I would like to share a few more photos of my roses, as a gift to all my readers.
I went out with my camera and basket in the early morning and picked a few bunches

It was the perfume wafting around the house, the pleasant scent hit me when I walked in, after a day out and the house had been shut up all day. 
The fragrance from the delicate pale pink roses was intoxicating and I  wish I could bottle this and send you all a little vial


Thank you ever so much to my kind readers who take the time to visit my blog and share their thoughts and leave a note. 
I know how busy life is at this time of the year

Notice the little dew drop on this rose

Have a fun and special weekend my friends
hugs
Carolyn

Happy weekend!

Hello sunshine! today is a welcome surprise to see a clear,  bright blue sky, with the sun shinning, albeit it a little cool - I do love this weather.


Last week, has been cold here and between a few showers of rain I have been out in the garden.
I planted two new roses, a sweet Cecile Brunner climber ( which has the sweetest little pale pink rosebuds) and  Souvenir de Malmaison, lily of the valley and some violets.
I had the Cecile Brunner growing in a previous house and always loved it.
Fingers crossed, hopefully I will be able to share some pretty flowers soon - I  don't have a green thumb, so will see. Living near the sea and with clay like soil and then having a lack of water over the summer months is not ideal for good growing conditions in the garden.

Anyhow, sometimes I try to embrace what Mother Nature surprises us with - I love to look at beautiful things and lately I have been enjoying taking a few photos with my camera - so roses from the market were my subject.
The rose has to be the most romantic and delicate flower.

"Hope you have time to stop and smell the roses today"

Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile and a grateful heart.
~Zig Ziglar

Enjoy your weekend
Carolyn

Flowers for Friday

Phew... it's been a busy week here and it is all go!
I have not had any time to sit down at the computer and come and visit you all and hopefully I will be able to do this after the weekend. So will write a quick note to say hello.

We have a family friends daughter's wedding to attend on Saturday and our DD is going to be one of the bridesmaids.
So our home has turned into an Atelier - much sewing and hemming has taken place and I am still working on a pink silk outfit that I am going to be wearing - will show some photos soon.

On another note, just want to say that my brother in law Donald is now out of hospital and seems to be recovering well, so very pleased about that.  Want to say a big thank you for all your kind well wishes you sent.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and wish you a wonderful weekend
hugs
Carolyn

Out on my walk

Yesterday the weather was so beautiful, ... one of those clear blue sky days, so I just had to take a few photos on my way.  They were  taken with my phone camera so please excuse me, if they are not as clear as they could be.
Jemima was out taking an early morning stroll

A sweet little bunny obliged me with a photo, even though it was his rear view -

  Could this have been Peter Rabbit? he certainly looked like he was a well fed boy and must have been eating lots of carrots and lettuces from Mr McGregor's garden

 The sea at Surfdale looked beautiful, calm and blue ...where the sea ended and the sky started all seemed to blend into one.

This time of the year, the jasmine and honeysuckle are flowering along the roadside verge, they give off the most gorgeous fragrance.
The trailing flowers of the nasturtium, looked pretty in orange, and red and even more delicious in a salad.

Last but not least the roses that were out in full bloom - these I wish you could smell as I walked past I breathed in deeply and the intoxicating smell was gorgeous. They looked so beautiful growing over the white trellis, picket fence and archway

I don't know whether nice people tend to grow roses or growing roses makes people nice.
~ Roland A Browne

I hope you all have a happy weekend.
Many thanks for the kind visits and to new followers and I look forward to coming to say hello and to see how you are.
hugs
Carolyn