Good For What Ails You.

My Grandma Ida used to say this all the time.

She applied it to things like gravy, scissors for cutting up raw chicken, Edith Piaff songs... in fact anything that came prefaced with, "Ida, why do you .....". Because it's good for what ails you.

These gorgeous blooms have been very good for what ails me.

I had a lovely gift voucher to spend in my fav french inspired shop.

La Paige in New Plymouth.

It stocks linens to die for!

What ails me at the moment Blog Chics is a lack of creativity. I've had nothing in my head for months really, but I just didn't like to say so. I think the logistics of keeping up two gardens through the Taranaki autumn, the pedantic nature of some of the stuff I've had to learn for work, leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark has just sucked it all out of me.

This is not to say any of this is abnormal, just part of life. And now it is over.

This weekend some retail therapy and my new House and Garden mag

have really done the trick.

I feel the cogs start to turn again, and I'm making bags and cushions in my head once more.

These are a few of the winter blooms I've found serendipitously in my garden at the new house.







I was reading my House and Garden (July Issue) in bed this morning, while onto my third cup of coffee, when I discovered an add for some people who make bespoke cake stands out of your old china!


A Eureka moment that was, because I've been wanting to do this for ages,
and been secretly lamenting the fact that the thing for unscrewing wheel nuts or the power drill were probably not going to be the right implements for drilling the holes.
And then where would I find the right hardware?





Problem solved. This lot do it for you. thevintagetable.co.nz



So I gathered up some of both my Grandma's china and emailed them straight away, before my fourth cup of coffee even. So I shall let you know how I get on.

The Granny and I went for lunch today to the new cafe in Eltham called Rhubarb!!!!

Have to say it was pretty ordinary, but maybe they'll get better.

It must be hard to get it all going smoothly in your first week.

Shall report back on that too.

So afterwards, we went round to "The Bank" which is a gorgeous vintage/retro emporium I have blogged about before.

Barb had this amazing reproduction french Louis something chair there, in the perfect celedon green that I love.

You know what happened.

I bought it; and it gladdened my heart so much to see it fit perfectly into my house.

You know what happened next too, don't you!!!

I moved my Grandma Ida's chair into the bathroom, which really appeals!

I'm sure she'd say that it was very good for what ails me.

And I have my chooks and ducks back at the front door too, now that the other place has been handed over to the new people.

And that really gladdens my heart!

One last thing Blog Chics.

This is the first time I have ever been compelled to print a retraction here at Magpie Chic.

It involved a certain Granny and the consumption of last weekend's rhubarb loaf!!!

After I'd published, I found 3/4 of a rhubarb loaf in the cake tin!!!!

She was "affronted" when she read that bit in my last posting.

In the manner of Tom Kitten's mother when the kittens were naughty upstairs when she had company for tea!

She wanted to leave a comment to that effect, but lucky for me, couldn't work out how to do it!

So a retraction I shall print ....even though one could be forgiven for jumping to such conclusions after the episode of the missing lemon tarts!!!!

My lips are sealed Blog Chics.

Country Living Rhubarb.

A little bit of Country Living cooking this weekend.

I am always so inspired by the beautiful photos in the pages of Country Living.

Do you think mine looks anything like the real thing?

They remembered to take the knife away, and they have a nicer tablecloth, but all in all not too bad an effort. And it tasted fantastic.

I think most of it must have been consumed by the Granny because there wasn't any left by the end of the day - and it wasn't me because us weight watchers chics are only allowed one piece!


It was from this issue of Country Living, which I have just bought.
We get them a couple of months after the UK.

It's uses are many and varied. Pillows for old cats being amongst the most useful.

Am still arranging things in my house. This is a bit of a "Nana crochet" corner I think.

Hope you all had a good weekend where ever you are.

A Spot of Granny Shifting and Some Cows in my Meadow.

Sometimes there are cows that graze the meadow behind the house.

They are supposed to stay in the meadow,

and not venture past the electric fence into

the hundred acre wood.

But cows being cows become curious and they worked out that the electric fence wasn't switched on.

Well three of them did anyhow, and escaped past my washing line into the hundred acre wood; trampling and eating everything underfoot.

I know never to hang out your washing with cows in the vicinity, from childhood experience of same!

But at least we got the day off school that day.

Taranaki rain being what it is, everything we owned was hung on the line by Sunday

(when a herd of cows happened along and attempted to eat it and tread it under foot as above!)

And we have discovered why the Tail cat sometimes comes racing in the cat door looking like she's seen Ned Kelly's ghost out there in the dark.

It's the cows. Silly Tail's afraid of cows.

So all the extra cow chasing delayed the Granny moving for about half an hour while Richard and the owner of the cows chased them back into the paddock and we turned the electric fence on.
Yes Blog Chics, we have said goodbye to the Magpie House.
It has been sold to a young family who love it.
So I am very happy that our home has gone to a good home!

Now we have a dilemma when converting our current garage into the Granny Annexe.
And that is, how do you disguise the electric fence control panel in what will become the Granny Kitchen?
Any interior whizzes out there with a solution?
Not your usual interior decorating challenge is it?

Counting My Winter Blessings.

Hello Blog chics. Thanks you for your lovely comments on my last post. It reminded me to count my blessings, and that there many to count in the winter.

We haven't had our first frost yet, so I can still get photos like this beautiful dew laden nasturtium.

I can spend all morning snuggled up in bed reading my favourite magazines, and moving some things around on the dressing table to create a new vignette to photograph.

And I can look out the window on a winter's morning and see the work of many spiders over night, adorning the hedges.

And this! because she can climb up the pergola and get onto the verandah roof!

And there are still the last roses of autumn hanging on.

And I don't have to stress about watering the cuttings I have transplanted from the other house, because it just keeps raining!

And my red geraniums are doing well, sheltered under the eaves.

And I am planning the beginnings of a bluebell wood here by the woodshed.

I dug up some bluebells from the other house today and put them in.

And the cats are keen gardeners, never minding the rain, posing happily for blog pics by the woodshed.

I'm putting it all to bed until the spring, when it should be wonderful.

Until then I will enjoy the spring and summer in other people's gardens. Thanks to the magic of the blog!