Hydrangeas and endless Summer Days

Hydrangeas are reminders of endless Summer days that seem to go on forever. Summer images of these beautiful lacy, star-shaped flowers packed together in delightful plate-sized pompoms, always delight me. I would have to say without equivocation Hydrangeas are my favourite flowers. They never fail to delight with a beautiful show for months in the garden and as cut flowers they last for weeks, gradually fading to lovely dried flowers in the softest of autumnal hues.

Before I take you on a virtual stroll of our Hydrangeas in the garden, a cautionary word.......I got a little carried away with my little camera.......again! Alas, there are a gazillion happy snaps of my favourite flower. You might want to pull up a comfy chair and pour yourself a bottomless cup of tea. I humbly apologise from the outset, for the overload of Hydrangea gorgeousness, but I am guessing all you lovelies way up there in your frigid, wintry wonderland could do with a little sprinkling of pretty colour in your snow-filled day. AND....those of you fellow Aussies who live on the mainland....well your Hydrangeas (if indeed you have any) would be frizzled to an to an inch of their botanical lives with all the sweltering, blistering Summer days you have been experiencing!

Upon entering the front gate, I can't help but feel a sense of cheeriness as I amble through.

Our garden plays host to many different cultivars in colours of whites, pinks, mauves, purples, crimsons and blues. I think at last count we have 45 of these gorgeous shrubs and yes, there is still room for some more.

One could say Hydrangeas bestow oodles of WOW....NOW!!

Now you know I couldn't stop at photographing the Hydrangeas in the garden. I had to.....had to capture a little sense of theatre.....a little drama. It wouldn't be me if I didn't add a prop or two. =)

This beautiful vintage kimono was gifted to me by my two daughters for a birthday a couple of years ago. Isn't it beautiful. My girls know their mother  so very well. I guess it is all those Sunday afternoon drives when they were young, which usually ended up a shop or two filled with antiques, vintage pretties, bric-a-brac......which was always followed by a debriefing at a cafe where a coffee, iced chocolates and a slice or two of chocolate mud cake were enjoyed. Yes indeed, those Sunday drives of yesteryear are what fun, familial memories are made of.

My vintage kimono, swatches of kimono silks and a gorgeous ginger jar summate a wonderful sense of Asian exotic-ness.

A lace curtain, a candelabra and Hydrangeas in a pretty, iron basket.......al fresco, can be an excellent thing..............

........as can a gold frame!

Of course, Miss Maisie had to join in the fun. Miss Maisie has lost all her fuzziness. She has taken off her fur coat for the Summer. I rather miss her fuzzy, bad hair days.

I could earn a fortune hiring out Miss Maisie for photo shoots. All I say is "stay" and she does. No growling at her.....no doggy treats as bribes......she just loves to smile at the camera.

And.......what is a sweet puppy dog without her loving Lord and Master to sit with her!

I love this photo. It is very Downton Abbey-esque, isn't it. When I arose at 5.00am  to set up this photo shoot, (all the photography had to be accomplished before the sun rose) I didn't intend to take a photo of either my good husband or indeed Miss Maisie. As is always the case with these things, it just was one of those on-the-spur-of-the-moment kinda things. My good husband was gardening nearby dressed in his dirty gardening garb, when I thought what a wonderful photo it would be if he was sitting 'on set', in more formal attire, on a rather royal looking chair (which I tarted up ages ago) partaking in a cup of tea. He scrubs up pretty well for an old fella. He certainly looks very dapper and suave and as for Miss Maisie, well she looks rather adorable, too!

Aah yes......a cup of tea. How is your cuppa going?? Do you need a refill yet?? Not to worry, you may get up from that comfy sofa now and go about your day. Thank you for 'sitting out' the distance with me. Sometimes, just sometimes............I do tend to get a little carried away.

Oh well........until the next time.

Roses for Thee

Hello everyone. I have always wanted to link up to Soma's, Wandering Camera linky party so this month I thought I might just throw caution to the wind and join in the fun. No wandering around the countryside taking photos....sorry.....just picking a bunch of the most frangance-filled bunch of roses and playing with them.

So.....I thought perhaps I would pick some "roses for thee". =)

I have discovered I love taking photographs, something I didn't realise till I started my little blog. I also love to style photos. I suppose, ever since I was a li'l wee girl I have been styling this and that. It has always been an intrinsic part of me to think of  a way to present something in a fresh and unique way, always imagining......"how can I make this a little different, a little more creative??"

I love mixing things up. I love the unexpected. I love the happy accidents that happen when one plays with the camera and subject. For every hundred happy snaps I capture, there is usually one or two which really pleases my beady li'l eye.

Though a bunch of roses always dance in a simple vase, how gorgeous they look peeking from within swirls and swirls of sumptuous, Italian coverlets and some pretty French lace.

Of course, sometimes it is a bit tricky to choose just one or two photos!! =)

A bunch of ephemeral and pretty pastel roses, in all their simplicity, ever so gently evoking a sense of beauty. Whether sitting in a pretty vase or peeking from folds and folds of puckering, gorgeous fabric and lace, the rose speaks in a language all it's own. Indeed, the rose speaks in the sweetest and softest words, never failing to make the heart smile.

This year I have decided I want to improve my photography skills, even buy a new little camera. Funnily enough I went to a camera store the other day and the fellow inferred that my camera was a touristy one....not one for the 'real' shutter bug!! Oh well....it looks as if I have been doing it all wrong these past couple of years. I must admit I am a bit bamboozled by all the cameras out there. So much information for a novice such as me to digest. I came home without a new 'real' camera in my kit bag! For now me and my little touristy camera will just have to do....at least for a little while.

Until the next time, have the loveliest of days, perhaps even drink in the fragrance of a rose or two.

Linking up to the lovely Soma's Wandering Camera  party over at her beautiful blog, Whims and Fancies. I am always captivated by the beauty Soma captures with her magic camera and she very generously always passes on helpful information to those, such as me, whom need a lot of help with their photography.  I know some of you lovely ladies capture the most amazing photos of your everyday life, so why not pop over to Soma's place and join in the fun.

Today is a good day.....to have a good day!

Today is a good day.......to have a good day! It is a fresh new year and the sun is shining. My good husband and I have returned from our little holiday and thankfully we did not melt as I last intimated we might. Actually, I found all that lovely hot weather rather wonderful. It was lovely to explore the Gold Coast of Queensland with the Summer sun beaming on us.

The view from our daughter and son-in-law's 13th floor apartment; such a gorgeous view of the city and the Nerang River.

Our daughter and son-in-law took us to the Q1 Skypoint Observation Deck where we enjoyed a high tea. The building is 77 stories high...with amazing 360 degree views of the Gold Coast beaches, to the hinterland and beyond.

Wish oh wish we had more time to spend with my daughter and son-in-law, but alas time never stands still for no man (nor woman). We truly did have the best time!

But....we are home again and for the next 6 weeks I can do whatever I please. You see it is the Summer holidays down here at the bottom of the world. No timetables to keep, no organising of sewing lessons, no anything.......just oodles of time to do whatever I please.......stitching, gardening,  reading (I was gifted oodles of books for Christmas...books are always my very favourite Christmas present), perhaps tarting up a chaise lounge, tarting up a room or two, visiting friends, meandering about in the summery countryside.....aah bliss!!

I want to finish quilting my scrappy/doily quilt and perhaps even finish my Cathedral Window quilt. I also want to  work a little magic on my boudoir....painting walls, creating a feature wall, ripping up carpet that should never really be warming any floors and giving the floor boards a lick or two of white paint. Well that's the plan, but as I am a gal who doesn't keep lists (it's useless anyway.....me and lists......nothing really ever gets ticked off) we will just wait and see, shall we??

But for today I find myself sitting in my swing seat (again), quilting my scrappy quilt. It's seems forever since I last picked up this pretty. I have looked longingly at it over the last couple of months, wishing I could pick it up but the days, weeks, just flew by quicker than quick.

It is beautiful at the moment, lazing here by the pond. Our friendly, neighbourly farmer has decided to plant acres and acres of poppies in the paddock surrounding our humble abode. It is a delight sitting here. As far as the eye can see there is a pretty vignette. The pond to the front, pretty Summer flowers dancing in the soft breeze to the side and pretty mauve poppies swaying in all their beauty for acres and acres to the back of me. How serendipitous. Last year it was a crop of potatoes.....this year poppies. Aah.....can't get much better than this, except perhaps acres and acres of Irises........but for this Summer the poppies will do nicely....very nicely........thank you very much!

Aren't I just the lucky gal to be surrounded by all this beauty!

Of course in a little while the poppy flowers will be gone and the farmer will harvest the seed pods, but for now I will just enjoy the beauty of them en masse.

Sitting here in my swinging seat, with my quilt in my lap, quilting, enveloped in a sense of peace and contentment, it just has to be a good day.....doesn't it?? I rather feel as if I am sitting in the middle of a Monet-esque painting.

Of course the occasional (only very occasionally) glass of wine and cheese always makes for a good day. =)

And of course a li'l quilting and a bottomless pot of tea with a li'l Christmas cake helps to make a good day......well.....perfect! =)

Enough of this chit chat......there's a small matter of a li'l quilting and a li'l tea drinking to be enjoyed! =)

May today be a good day for you, too. Until the next time............