vintage boucle coat

the latest addition to my wardrobe coat family this year, is this lovely vintage boucle coat with a luxurious fur collar. Each winter I'm on the hunt for another 'perfect' vintage coat to join the ever growing coat collection. This beautiful coat is a lovely example of 1960s glamour at its best and is a perfect backdrop for my vintage brooch collection. Just right for chilly winter evenings at the netball courts too!

new beginnings

my experience with the cyber stalkers has given me a great deal to think about. In an effort to maintain the privacy of my family (as comments were also made about my children), I've decided to revamp this blog and remove the blog posts that refer to them directly. So it's a new beginning of sorts, for both myself and this blog.

buster the cat

Time for a snooze in the afternoon sun..

You've got your photos, now leave me alone!

finally I've got photos of our elusive cat Buster. This cat has to be the most unco-operative model that I've ever worked with. At last 2 photos of our feline family member for the family photo album.

flowers

Todays photo task was to look at flowers up close. I love the macro setting on the s9500 as I seem to be fascinated with tiny details at the moment. Everything is so much more interesting up close...   

garden

just a quick post to share the first few photos that I've taken using the s9500. These were all taken in our back garden using the automatic setting on the camera and on a slight cloudy, sunny afternoon. I still have to read the manual and learn about all the different settings as well as use a tripod to avoid shakey hands.

Thanks to all who've taken the time to send me an email or leave a comment about the cyber stalkers. I really appreciate your support. I'm going to keep doing what I love.

cyber stalkers

I'm sad to say that this blog has become the object of unwanted attention from cyber stalkers, who have taken the contents of some of my blog posts and have been ridiculing me elsewhere on the internet. I don't know these people and what they're saying isn't enough to get the police involved. I love blogging about my interests and sharing with you all and I'd be really sad to give it up. So please don't be alarmed if this blog suddenly changes format. They haven't got me beat yet!

BSA 1952 motorcycle

a very good friend came to visit with his all original BSA 1952 classic motorcycle. It was a lovely surprise!  even more surprising was my realisation that a classic motorcycle is a thing of beauty. Imagine the miles it has travelled and the many journeys it has made. It also seemed a perfect opportunity for a final photo with my old camera - the new one arrives tomorrow. 

samoa

it's hard to believe that our trip to Samoa is just a few months away - especially with the cold and rainy weather we're having here. I'm not too good with sewing for a purpose (especially if I'm required to stick to a sewing plan over a period of time). However I do need to make some clothes for the girls and I to wear while we're away. I'm looking forward to Samoa's tropical climate, especially the hot, sticky heat that makes relaxing in the shade a necessity. Now I just have to make a realistic plan of what I can actually sew...

reading aloud

Slinky Malinki

was blacker than black

a stalking and lurking

adventurous cat...

our current read aloud story is another Lynley Dodd delight called Slinky Malinki. It's a pleasure to read - the language is poetic and has such wonderful rhythm as we learn all about Slinky's kleptomania. Miss 3 has declared Slinky her all time favourite. Poor Hairy Maclary and his doggie pals (stories also by Lynley Dodd) have moved into second place which is a little sad since I love to read those stories out aloud too!

new camera?

There are so many fantastic craft and sewing blogs out there with the most beautiful photos. Photos that make me green with envy. So lately I've been thinking a lot about my blog photos and how I can improve them. And they do need improving! Up until now I've been making do with my Fujifilm J10, a simple point and shoot digital camera that does an ok job. It's ideal for snapshots but isn't the best when it comes to showing the detail that I want. I did have a fancy Panasonic Lumix with all the bells and whistles which bit the dust when I dropped it in our fish pond. I replaced it with the J10 just in case of future accidents.

So now I've almost convinced myself that a new camera is just what I need and that it has to be the Fujifilm Finepix S9500 or even better. It's a humungous leap from what I'm using at the moment but I'm looking forward to the challenge of a new camera! My other motives for the new camera are so that I can take lots and lots of photos when we're away in Samoa and also the fact that our GST rate in NZ is set to increase from 12.5% to 15%.

Yeah, just about convinced myself...

crochet crinoline lady

put gingham and crochet together and the end result is a beautiful supper cloth with crochet edging and a crinoline lady posing at each corner. Without a pattern, it took some trial and error to get the lady to look just as I wanted her to and I'm very happy with the result.

I'm on a bit of a crochet buzz at the moment, so next I'd like to try making this swan doiley. Why? I love working in miniature and the idea of crochet swans with long delicate necks and tiny beaks really appeals to me. For true nanny chic, the finished doiley will be displayed underneath my maidenhair fern.

The bach is booked for the end of year holidays. This year we're heading to Scandrett Bay which is the next bay over from Martins Bay where we usually go and we're staying in the 'Graham Bach'. As you can see, there's a 70s retro theme in the decor and the water is right at the door almost. All my favourite things in the one place! We're still set to visit Samoa later this year too.