For the Love of Dogs

This morning I instagrammed two photos I snapped this morning of my dear little pooch soaking up the sun. As some of you don't Instagram I thought I'd share here.

Her aim in life is to keep warm and so she toddles around the house following the sun even climbing a stack of cushions for the best position. I suppose when you're a 12 year old pooch the simple things in life are the most perfect.
As I sat looking at her I reminisced about the joy and unconditional love she has brought my family. Her needs are few other than to be fed, given shelter and loved. This I am proud to say we provide in abundance. I have no time for folk who buy a pet then grow weary of it only to mistreat, harm or dump the animal.

Tessa is sitting beside me as I type...my constant beloved calming companion.


Annie xx

A Pleasant Saturday Afternoon

Mr red roses and I ventured out for a walk along the Brisbane River today. Sunny, warm, hard to believe it's winter.
Huge redevelopment of the commercial port area has seen mega expensive apartments springing up.
Our beloved pooch enjoys a stroll although her advancing years are catching her up so when she lags behind she is scooped up and carried. Bless her.
A stop for bruschetta and coffee afterwards was in order before heading home.
All in all a pleasant Saturday afternoon enjoying the delights of our city.

Annie xx

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

Cars and Cake

Look who is curled up beside me as I write this quick post, quick because I'm exhausted, head achy and  dehydrated after we set about researching a new car today and initiating negotiations with a dealer. Suffice to say we returned home not much further advanced (there goes four hours of my life I'll never see again).

Annoying. 

The trade-in price for our present car was woeful so onto plan B. Whatever that is?...

private sale, broker or just keep the present model until it has a gazillion kilometres on the clock and is worth absolutely nothing (actually today's sob story being spun was our car is worth a mere fraction of the  price paid six years ago). We know better.

Annoying.

Anyone would think the Pooch was the one who stood in the blazing sun and talked turkey.

All I feel capable of eating for dinner is a huge slice of Buttery Butterscotch cake.
With lashings of cream.
Pity it's all been gobbled and I'm too tired to whip up another.

Researching and buying cars is not my forte...it sends me quite delirious and I just wish to curl up like you know who!

xx

A Post Christmas and Almost New Year Post about Nothing in Particular

Well I felt it high time I snapped out of my post Christmas stupor to fire up the computer and wish everyone a jolly old New Years Eve!

Firstly though I must tell you how thoroughly delicious I find these little blue bags. Entering a Swarovski store fills me with delight, not least the superb lighting Mr S uses in his businesses because all merchandise glistens and every bauble shines like all get out. This gift was from Mr red roses for my birthday. Having a birthday in December is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned. Waiting all year for pressies is murder.

One of the reasons I love crystal is walking into a vision like this on a sunny morning. The rays bounce off and create gorgeous sparkles around my living room. A fascination with crystal started when I first saw the film  Pollyanna starring a young Hayley Mills. There's a scene where she is tinkling the crystal shards of a delicate lamp and the shimmers bounce all around the room. Mesmerizing.
Any body else out there who remembers the film Pollyanna?

The perfect card for little old me

A post Christmas tradition in my family as I grew up was to totally chill out and specifically...do as little as possible. My father owned his own business and rarely managed a yearly holiday so the break between Christmas and New Year was to recuperate and ponder the year past and the new year rapidly approaching. Old habits die hard so the last week has seen me being something of a lazy cow and consuming my own weight in Pavlova during Christmas festivities and lashings of cranberry sauce. I'm addicted to anything cranberry and let me tell you, avocado brie cheese and a cranberry sauce combo is to die for.

My darling son recently installed Instagram on my phone. Hellooo I'm hooked thank you very much and can now understand why every man and his dog is Instagraming their photos.
Here's Bing and bubbles doing a duet on Chrissy day while my lovely family prepared our feast. It's also tradition for me to swan around singing along with Bing. I'm allowed half an hour for this indulgence before the mob shut me down...

Being semi-comatose also involves watching dodgy old TV shows like the British series the Darling Buds of May. Truly I adore the Larkin family and the shenanigans they get involved in. I especially love how Ma Larkin can conjure up enough food for an army in her country kitchen. Here's Mariette the daughter aka Catherine Zeta Jones rocking a fabbo leopard ensemble in the early nineties. Leopard print is timeless.

So 2012 is fast approaching and will bring more renovations to the red roses hacienda. Recently friends  reminded us of the massive undertaking we embarked on in February '11 (a stinking hot summer it was too) and mostly completed in three months. As time goes by we forget the enormous amount of hard work and sweat we poured into bringing this twenty year old house up to speed.
The latest completed project was to replace the front entrance walkway and pretty yet functional lights were installed. My whimsical interpretation.... a runway for the fairies who live in my garden!

As per usual the Pooch will be around and supervising from a comfortable position as we commence exciting new additions to our humble home.

Wishing everyone a fabulicious start to 2012 and happy days ahead!!!!

Annie xx

Travel Preparations

Introducing my suitcase.

I hauled it down today to start throwing a few items in so I don't feel tempted to wear them before we depart on our latest adventure. The week before we travel I rush around like a woman possessed washing and ironing so I have plenty of options when I pack the day before departure.

Anyway, my suitcase is my pal. Bought only two years ago but it's survived a good few kilometres in those years and has the battle scars to prove it. The day she curls up her roller wheels I will rush out and buy an identical style. See the extendable zips..never commence the trip with the suitcase full or you're in big trouble girls ie. no space for carting home some shopping. Plus it's far less stressful to pack light.

This wool coat is fab because it's lightweight, toasty warm and portable. Probably the best all round coat I had the good sense to buy. The first leg of our trip will be in a major city with coolish temps while the last stretch will be spent in another major city with warmer temps. Yep one of those shebangs requiring flexible options and ever so frustrating to pack for. Layering will be the focus no doubt.

Along with washing everything that stands still I need to alter some trousers for Mr redroses and of course they've been staring at me for weeks but now there is a sense of urgency to haul out my mother's old Singer sewing machine and get those babies hemmed and pressed.

                                
This old girl has outlasted two newer sewing machines. They don't make em like they used to!

                                     
 Hmmm do you think the boarding kennel will tuck her in like this each night? I swear she put her own head on the cushion.


All this activity tires out my darling pooch and she will be less than impressed once she spies the suitcase.
How do animals sense they are not invited on their masters travels?

Annie xx

A Pleasant Afternoon

The Pooch had a session at the doggie beauty parlour today so I thought a photo op would be appropriate.

Actually her name is Tessa. 

Oh spoilt one.

My darling mother used to joke that in her next life she is coming back as a Tessa.

Occasionally the girls put a cute bow in her fro and well hello, doesn't she look glamorous!

                                  The chair was recovered for me to lounge in but T has commandeered it. Yes..spoilt.

So while Tess was being pampered I killed time in my old stamping ground and chilled out. Sat in the park and watched the world go by. Took along a book which I snapped up cheap as chips recently and attempted to begin reading (a nice little neat and tidy murder mystery is right up my alley) but found I was content to people watch and contemplate how my old semi-rural village has developed over two decades.
I no longer live close by but there's still valid reasons to return every so often so I make the effort.

Of course in this village is a gift shop and of course it beckoned. Can I tell you of the internal struggle I endued upon spying this white jug with the dainty scalloped detail.
I ask you 'how many pretty white jugs should a girl own'? I resisted.
However I did bring home two black and white patterned mugs for everyday use.

I confess I'm a sucker for a pretty thank you card. These will be winging their way to rellies who don't rely on texting, twittering, facebooking or emailing. Yes there are still folk in the world resisting technological change and you know, I'm a bit envious.

So I enjoyed a couple of hours kicking back and smelling the roses.
Tessa is sound asleep in her favourite spot in the study (if she's not on my lap) where she can keep an eye on yours truly. This shampooing, clipping and blow-drying caper takes a lot out of an old girl she'll have you believe.
Half her luck I say!

Hope you enjoyed the day and managed to stop and smell the roses even for just a second.


Annie xx

Stamina...and shopping

 The other day my darling daughter says 'lets hit the shopping centre Mum, I'm after a new outfit for tomorrow nights 21st birthday party'. Pardon..another one! Mind you, all her friends male/female alike, keep the gift giving component to a sensible level of expenditure otherwise it becomes quite ridiculous.

Moving along...
So I threw on a comfy three year old Zara long top/very short dress whatsy over leggings, my new on sale leopard print Cue cardi, teamed with a gifted Peruvian necklace.

You would expect a pair of cute little ballet flats for a 'quick' shopping haul would suffice but I'm learning the hard way I really should be sensible and don shoes with support for a few laps of a mega mall. Plus the binding rubbed and caused a blister. Luckily a bandaid was procured post haste.

While I sat and bopped along to Talking Heads over the boutique sound system I pondered if the lovely young ladies perusing the racks and working in these establishments realise we mothers' are one step ahead  as far as decades past bands are concerned or do they assume it 'new' music? Funny the stuff one does analyse sitting in a trendy dress shop.
Anyways for my pleasure there lay an abundance of stylish magazines to flick through between zipping and unzipping the dresses my girl tried on in the itty bitty change room.

After the successful purchase of a divine little pink number we resorted to a spot of  healthy high energy food and a nice cup of tea. That's dd there with the croissant and jam and I'm about to devour these delish hot chips slathered in high fat sour cream and chilli sauce.

It's ok we still had more shopping to gather so the calories were mandatory.

This pic was hurriedly snapped before she rushed out the door and as the evening had turned quite chilly a jacket was quickly organised. Notice the shorter hemline...the young ones with beautiful pins can so carry off this length bless them.

Has my shopping stamina embarked on a long holiday? My body felt tired afterwards. I remember the days I could hunt and gather for HOURS now I'm more of a 'lets get this over with' kinda gal.
Am I alone here??

The pooch snuggled up as I recuperated in my cozy dressing gown at days end.
But guess what? Next time my daughter requests yours truly as her companion for what ever reason I'll be there with bells on because these hours spent together are so very precious and I shall always cherish every minute we share. I vividly recall bringing my sweet little newborn bundle home and never expecting she would be a grown woman forging her way in the world five minutes later!
And don't get me started on my son who is in his mid-twenties, has flown the coup and is truly a man of the world. The years..have..sped..by.
And I love them both, with all my heart.
xx

Warm days and a Rose garden

Today is 25C. It's Winter. That's just silly. So I channelled my black and white kitchen decor and threw on a light cotton dress over a tee and leggings.
Good old stripes and I'm feeling all nautical and summery.

Very exciting news, we planted four rose bushes yesterday. Red of course, white, yellow and pink. Do you notice the mesh around the garden? Isn't it attractive.
This is to deter the resident bush turkeys from destroying the mulch and the bushes need to establish themselves without said turkeys rearranging our hard work.
Look at the little bud..yay.

We are finding interesting garden ornaments from previous owners buried here and there. Like these cherubs which need a good scrub. One can imagine garden fairies drinking from this.

The Boss would like me to inform you she has been to the beauty parlour and is not impressed. The girls do a fabulous job but she gets attached to her hair and goes all sulky on us afterwards.
Someone is a princess.

A friend is popping in so what the heck lets eat cake!

Enjoy the rest of your day, night or whatever it is in your part of the world.
xx