Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wednesday Wanderings



 Hong Kong

Hong Kong is on my mind because we are planning on returning later this year and I am excited.
Honkers is one of my very favourite places and it was my first choice to revisit when Mr red roses and I discussed destinations.

The food
The shopping
The scenery
The buildings
The people 
The food.....

What's not to love about Hong Kong!





Next time I aim to pack minimal clothes (yeah right) so I can pack a empty suitcase inside a bigger suitcase.
The Countdown has begun!


 Annie xx                                                   

Monday, May 28, 2012

My Secret Little Man



Introducing the new addition in my home. A secret little man that my family have yet to discover.
I found him waiting for me at the antique centre. I spied him on one of my visits a week ago and knew just where he would fit in my house.
But I wasn't convinced so did about six laps of the centre to make up my mind. He was reasonably priced so I figured I had nothing to lose. 




He fits brilliantly in the wall cut out near the entry. I believe we will be very happy co-habitating




A secret little nook to display pretties




Lately I'm drawn to subtle blue hues for calm and serenity




He does look wise




I suppose I'm easily amused because I'm filled with mirth that my family haven't discovered my little man who stands in his little nook.
How long I wonder before the cat is out of the bag?

Annie xx

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Our Resident Canine Fashionista





Our adorable ageing pooch needed yet another jacket to keep her toasty warm as winter approaches.




Selecting this new house coat/dressing gown took me a considerable amount of time and consideration and foofing around. Rather an embarrassing amount of time actually.
The perky cap sleeves are giving me endless amusement. Too cute.




Obviously there's been a rush on doggy coats because the available patterns left in store, in her size, were what can only be described as Butch. So I grabbed this model in the hope she would approve.




A picture speaks a thousand words...  'Hurry up. I'm so over this photo shoot'

Love her :)

Annie & Tessa xx

Friday, May 25, 2012

Pink Slippers and Rumination





Rumination

1. To turn a matter over and over in the mind.
2. To chew cud.

How in the devil's name is this word and it's meaning associated with a photo of pretty pink slippers you ask?
My gorgeous new slippers are the perfect foot attire when sitting in my rocking chair to Ruminate. Mr red roses informs me I ruminate a lot. Maybe chewing some cud might be beneficial although I'll keep that up my sleeve for desperate times.







For several weeks (probably more) I have toyed with the direction of this blog and how I need to proceed. Often I have wavered with throwing in the towel like all bloggers who are finding their own unique path and not because I run dry of ideas but dithering over HOW often do I want/need to post. The direction I'm journeying along has become apparent to me and herein lies a dilemma. My creative side is nudging me to be more prolific with posting with emphasis on a photo to convey my thoughts because I'm no wordsmith. Sure I can string a sentence together but if I'm honest I find composing time consuming and laborious and I truly admire bloggers who write so eloquently (and probably don't do a gazillion drafts with endless checks in the process).
Changing to a different format like Tumblr was considered but my kids and a couple of wise fellow blog friends advised I can still mould my blogger blog into what I desire and I ran the risk of losing my connection with my blog readers which didn't appeal.

A part of my blog journey has been to answer all comments because I appreciate and value the effort my readers take to do this. There are literally thousands of blogs circulating so to capture the dear folk who stop by RRC astounds me. The rapport I've built up with many of you since commencing the blog last August has brought me untold joy and I certainly don't wish to lose this camaraderie.
I guess what I'm trying to say is if I step up my input into this blog I may not have time to answer comments as frequently, sometimes not at all? Also I want/need to find time to follow and comment on my favourite blogs which is important to moi. Truly there just isn't enough hours in a day and I suppose we each need to discover what works best for ourselves.

Even as I waffle here about this issue I'm feeling overly dramatic but I would be sad if any reader felt I had lost interest in what they had to say. Far from it, I read every comment twice before publishing and again after publishing. Your words make my day!

Finding the quirky angle or beauty in a photograph brings me a silly amount of joy and I'm revelling in this. Who knew! 
The Instagram app on my iPhone has become addictive due to the fact it is quick, easy, followers can easily leave a comment or push the Like button. Instant gratification which has lead me to question the merits of blogging for me personally. So much so I find I'm taking photos that could be displayed to perhaps better effect on this blog. I'm no photographer as such..heck my hand-me-down SLR is still on auto, I don't use any whizz bang features or tricks and I still haven't learnt how to crop. *Note to self...Read the Manual Annie.

Finding something to snap helps me focus on the beauty in my life and surroundings plus it's also a great stress reliever and stress is front and centre in my life at the moment. My husbands workplace is going through very turbulent times and I have a health condition I need to get my head around. 

I do feel like I'm waffling now so I hope you get what I'm saying. Basically I'm going to attempt to bombard you with more frequent succinct posts which hopefully are entertaining.
Well that's the plan! I live in hope.

Now if all this talk of Instagram wets your appetite please don't ask me how to set it up to link to your blog from your smart phone because I took the lazy easy option and asked my incredibly smart son to install it! However you can visit here where Beth has written a post on how to set up the gadget-thingamy-whatsit.
For those not familiar with the workings of my Instagram sidebar just place the cursor over a photo and a brief description appears then click on the picture for an enlarged vision. Each day I usually place a couple of pictures of whatever takes my fancy. 
Fun fun fun!

Righto then I'm off to boil the jug for a cuppa and contemplate reorganising my wardrobe. A far bit of cajoling is happening to get my daughter on board to do the deed for me!

Take care one and all...

Annie xx






Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Wednesday Wanderings



The Eiffel Tower 
Paris
France

Paris has played on my mind of late, maybe due to the blogs with a delightful French flavour which I've been enjoying. Several years have passed since I was in this magical city staying with my family for a week in a La Marais apartment.
I have no idea when or if I'll return.

One can live in hope...





Altogether now... c'est Magnifique! 




Annie xx

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

An Award and some Blog Love






To my surprise I was very kindly given a blog award by The Silver Bunny.
After I sent off a reply to Silver Bunny to accept I remembered that last December I was also handed The Liebster Award which set off a Oops! am I being greedy moment, but I quickly decided to accept graciously in the manner with which SB bestowed the award. After reading through the stipulations I realised that perhaps I should have pasted the tag on my blog as an indication of being a previous recipient (which I may add I've tried to add to a gadget thingy with no luck).

So enough of my rambling and I shall plough full stem ahead and share some blog love.

The Silver Bunny is a new kid on the blogging block but already she is gaining a faithful following of readers revelling in her musings about life. I guarantee you will be entertained.






Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.

The award has a few stipulations:

1.  Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2.  Reveal your five blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4.  Hope that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favourite bloggers.

Here are the five blogs which I have chosen to nominate and I trust you will enjoy visiting these charming and entertaining blogs. I certainly do!





McCarthy Designs


The Distressed Mother


Quite co-incidentally these blogs are all winging their way to you from Australia  xx











Sunday, May 20, 2012

A Bouquet





Beautiful palest pink roses used in a bouquet for a bridal fashion shoot which was styled by my talented daughter.

This photo is on the sidebar temporarily so I couldn't resist including it on my blog to share their sheer beauty and keep the memory forever.

Perfection.

Which leads me to ask...'which is Your favourite coloured Rose'?

Annie xx



Saturday, May 19, 2012

Perfect Camouflage



At first glance you can be forgiven for not noticing these two visitors in the tree, snoozing the day away.
Standing on our deck and happened to look up and notice these two doing a rather good job of camouflaging themselves.




So serene and beautiful with not a care in the world.
A mother Tawny Frogmouth owl and her offspring basking in the autumn sunshine.



Can you see them?

Mother nature at her best.


Annie xx

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Pretty Heart all Wrapped up in Blue







Yesterday I received a beautiful gift from Jane, a dear blog friend. Jane is a talented and crafty lady.
Handmade gifts are extra special don't you agree?

Thank you Jane for creating my 'heart from the heart' and I do believe it will look right at home in my precious favourite room.

Annie xx





Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Wednesday Wanderings



London.

I love London to bits. Visiting England again one day is on my must do list. Our first trip there was in 1984 as a young married couple, hauling backpacks and staying in some rather cheap and less than salubrious accommodations. 

In 2008 we had the pleasure of taking our two grown children to this magnificent country and gained much pleasure in showing them the wonders of London town.

A week was spent in a delightfully cosy Kensington flat during November (brrr it was getting chilly for this Queensland girl) and one morning as we were heading out for the day we spied this very cute black taxi which had been given a quirky and colourful make-over.





Did I mention I adore London?

Annie xx

Ps. I'm having oodles of fun with Instagram. Look on my sidebar to view my attempts at photography. Fun fun fun x




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Wednesday Wanderings



Today I have chosen several photos snapped on our sailing trip last week around the Whitsunday Islands.
Luckily we experienced glorious weather and fairly calm conditions. 
I hope you enjoy these images. 








 Bat fish


 Whitehaven Beach








Three wild goats out for a midday stroll


 Just hanging around





 Hamilton Island 


 Mode of transport is golf buggies. Cute


 We moored at Hamilton mariner for a night 




All very tropical and lovely and special don't you agree?

I am blessed to live in a beautiful part of the world.

Annie xx

Monday, May 7, 2012

Reality Bites



Last week I was dangling my tooties over the side of a sail boat, gazing at sublime aqua hues. 

Bliss..




Now I am home and instead of daydreaming while cruising the Whitsunday Islands, I am busy watching this go round and round as it churns through a mountain of washing.

Blah..




Back to reality!

Annie xx