In Which I go on an Expedition with Pooh and Piglet to Martinborough - and Bring Back a Mirror.

When planning an expedition, you must first decide on your destination.

For ever such a long time I've had a hankering to visit the Wairarapa for an expedition up the main streets of Greytown and Martinborough.

Gorgeous little antique shops and boutiques and yummy little delis and French Bakeries.

I hadn't been there for about ten years.

The next thing you must do is choose your accommodation.

We chose Walnut Cottage, up one of the cute little side streets, up a long driveway,

surrounded by orange blossom, granny bonnets and self seeded poppies.

Set in the garden of a very nice man called Kevin.

As well we weren't looking for a woozle on this particular expedition, because I don't think we would have found one in Kevin's garden.

It was not the kind of garden in which to find a woozle.

But we did find a variety of funny little dogs.

And the next most important thing to have on an expedition of course, are the provisions!

Pooh and Piglet had made very sensible arrangements with table cloths to guard against Municipal bird poo, plastic knives for the blue cheese and other such practicalities.

Piglet is an ideas sort of a person and has a solution for all eventualities, which you will see further evidence of later.

My contribution to the provisions was Katie's date square and a big thermos of coffee - and the Granny's best marmalade for breakfast.

It was necessary to borrow the Granny's thermos and her latest jar of fresh marmalade for the event.

Katies's date square was a huge hit with everyone concerned and you can find the recipe here.

This particular "stopping for provisions" event was on the way back.

We had yummy french bread and left over cheeses, tiny peppers, buffalo mozzarella, avocados and strawberries left over from our dinner the night before.



Katie's date square was just as delicious after a day in the tin.
I am wanting to say here "a day in the tin in the Wairarapa sunshine", because that would sound so inviting and has such poetic ring, but alas the first day was freezing, with snow in the South Island making its presence felt. But we did have some lovely sunshine on the Sunday.

And it was in Martinborough on Sunday that I found the mirror.
Such a mirror as I had lost all hope of ever finding.
A French Country inspired mirror, the right dimensions for above my fireplace, with the right aged look.
And when I found it, it was a moment of instant recognition. This mirror was a kindred spirit and was made for my fire place, but how to fit it in the back seat of a small suzuki hatchback?




Piglet and Pooh are never without good ideas and steely determination when it comes to pieces of the heart and kindred spirits.
A girl just knows how important it is to have things come home with you, not wait for them to turn up on a courier van a week later.

And so it was arranged.
I cannot tell you how, but they did it with pieces of string to measure with and highly developed spatial skills.
Somehow they managed to alter the laws of physics and matter displacement.
I just watched and let them get on with it. As you do.

And I found this treasure along the way, which I will spend the next week with.

And here it is.

I can't wait to get it on the wall.

But I'll have to wait till the Mister comes home and can get out the chainsaw, the hacksaw, the micrometer, the spirit level, whatever it is that blokes need for these occasions.

And just enjoy it.

Marigold and the Dust Bunnies.

Some days there are a series of events that put words in my head that just won't go away.

They go round together and mix themselves up and get stuck as an idea.

Such a thing happens mostly when I'm on auto pilot.

It happened the other day when I was doing the upstairs vacuuming.

I get dust bunnies.

They get under the bed especially, and behind the bathroom door, and sometimes in my summer sandals in the wardrobe.

They are grey and fluffy and hop around the wooden floor with the prevailing breeze.

It occurred to me that they really should be a character in a children's book.

There are some words that just seem to go so well with other words.

Like Marigold.

Who is not a dust bunny, but the Granny's cat.

But they go together so well.

No idea about the rest of the story, but I've got the title sorted.

The above are my vintage inspired wrist warmers. I just invented them, but I probably got the idea when i was cleaning the toilet.

The Granny and I had a New Plymouth day today.

Starting with the Hospice Shop.

I found a huge stash of vintage Christmas treasures to bring home.

Can't believe no-one else had got there before me!

Next on the list was Faded Fancy at Fitzroy.
My favourite vintage shop.

I still don't know the lady's name.

But she was as lovely as ever, and recognised me straight away.

She asked me if we were having a New Plymouth day.

So it has become a New Plymouth day!

There were so much gorgeous vintageness!

Mrs Faded Fancy happened to mention that it was getting harder and harder to source things in Taranaki now.

Apparently she relies on people bringing stuff in for her to buy from them.

So now I know what to do next time I need to have an edit.

Mrs faded Fancy was delighted with the idea, because she said I would have just the sort of stuff she likes!!!!

Which leads me back to Marigold and the Dust Bunnies.

Because the cover design would look something like these...

Which we bought from Faded Fancy today.

And this so cool vintage bath mat!!! I love it.

Back to vaccinating babies tomorrow Blog Chics!

I can make that!

One of the best things about getting out and about and looking at things is the new booster of creative inspiration that I get every time. It's not so much from buying something, although that's nice if you can do it, but often the budget doesn't allow. It's the buzz that I get from connecting with something beautiful, and the ideas that it sparks in my own head. It's a kind of scaffolding for building new stuff from old ideas.

I found these beautiful tea party dresses at Port O Call. They so inspired me. I was lucky enough to be able to buy one, but I would have bought all three of them if I could have.

This is the one I bought in the end, because it fitted the best. But it was an agony of decision making, and I changed my mind twice!

And I went home completely inspired to make my own version of the tea party dress in as many permutations as makes me happy.

I have had such fun in the last week or so rabbiting around in the op shops, and looking at stuff with new eyes. I'm looking for things I can use as embellishments for tea gowns.

I'm piecing together vintage nightie patterns and making something that is just right for the job, and I'm just about to start experimenting with what I've got to hand.

I 'll be back with something in my next post. Still not exactly sure what, but it will just evolve.

Might just evolve into the recycle bag in my cupboard too. But that's just part of the deal. It's not ALL about the process, but the process is important. It's all a bit of an experiment at the moment. Just have to see what happens.

My first Port O Call.

I may have mentioned in passing blog chics, that when I grow up I'm going to run away to somewhere sunny and open a tea shop.

To reassure myself in a very "Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause" kind of way, I make a pilgrimage to Napier at least once a year to Port O Call.

Of course you know that was behind our choosing Napier as the destination for our road trip, don't you. You've already figured that out haven't you?

I could barely contain the excitement, even before I'd got through the doors.
Waiting the 10 minutes for it to open up was an agony, comparable only to queing for tickets to an All Blacks versus Springboks rugby test in the 1970s I should think.

I found such beautiful things - more of that for it's own blog post.

We got down to the serious business of dressing up and choosing our tea cups.

So many lovely, lovely cups to choose from. It's such a buzz to choose from such an array.

I cannot explain to you how it brings joy to my heart to see them all lined up with their prettiness and dainty femininity on display, and I may choose ANY one to be THE one.

Cos you'll probably think I'm bonkas for anthropomorphising tea cups.. But there you go.

It just is.

George was occupied for hours choosing her outfit, and was very taken with the gloves.

And I got to wear the purple negligee that I had missed out on during my last visit with my friend Leigh.

And my favourite pink candyfloss hat.

So very pleased to meet you Madame.

I feel as If I'm being presented to the Queen!

I know that one day I will open my tea shop in that sunny place; because, after all...

there is more than one way to eat a lamington!

Confessions of a Christmas Shopper.

Hello Blog Chics. Nice to see you back.

I trust you all had a fantastic Christmas and Santa left you something nice under the tree. Or your nearest and dearest did.

This gorgeous mannequin was given to me by "she who is proficient at separating eggs", and her significant other. I love it. I had to rush down to the bedroom with it as soon as the Queen's message was over - even before I did the vacuuming (yes it is ok to be a little OCD about the carpet on Christmas night - all that glitter - and wrapping bits everywhere!)

I knew exactly where to put it, and how to adorn it.

I was so pleased with myself i spent about 20 minutes working out how to take a picture with my cellphone and send it to "she" who was in New Plymouth by then.

Hubby gave me Annabell Langbein's fantastic new cook book, which i had been coveting for ages.

I found a Christmas wish list thingy in a magazine, so I availed myself of it and added Annabel's book to the top, and stuck it to the fridge. It could not be missed!

I was also in receipt of the most magnificent weather vein to adorn my garden.

It has been a source of great consternation to me over the last 28 years that one of Hubby's most interesting idiosyncrasies is the need to know from which direction the bleeding wind is blowing.

In fact his whole family are mildly obsessed with it - and the wind doesn't even blow in Nana's garden!(According to Nana anyhow).

And there's no excuse. It's not as if they are farmers or anything.

The roads are well sign posted, it seems hardly relevant.

So I found it very sweet when he informed me later that he had chosen it because he thought I'd love it, and not because he needed me to be more accurate about the direction of the prevailing wind.

And I do love it. And I still have no idea which way the wind is blowing because I haven't the foggiest if it's the way the cat is coming from or going to... and he's never going to get that mouse!

So now I'm getting to the confessing part. There was another book I really wanted. Cath Kidston's Stitch. But writing two books on the list would have looked a tad greedy don't you think?

Si I bought the book myself. Boxing day is close enough i figure, for it to be legitimate. A prese from me to me.

You see Blog chics, it's the Cowboy. I love the CK cowboy with a passion. He just epitomises what i love about 1950s stuff. He's so masculine. It kind of amuses me, him stuck there with his lasso amongst the cabbage roses. So now I'm going to have him in a tapestry cushion for my very own.

This is inside Annabel's book. It's such a lovely book. The photography is wonderful.


Here's the CK Cowboy cushion photograph from the book.

But wait, there's more... I have a further prese confession. If I'd seen this fab shabby painting before Christmas I'd have definitely wanted that for Christmas too.

By chance I only happened upon it today, in my favourite shabby chic/retro shop in

New Plymouth - Faded Fancy.

The colours just jump out at you. It's in perfect condition. No fading, even the frame isn't chipped. Not that i mind a bit of chipping.

So now i just have to assist Hubby to hang it, facing in the direction of the prevailing wind!

See ya!