July Goals

Wow. I can't believe it's July already. Sorry for the lack of posting in June, but it was a bit of a rough month. But the good news is... I got most of my May goals ticked off : ) I thought I'd done quite badly, ha ha. But upon reflection, the only two I didn't manage to accomplish are 34 and 85. YAY!

From Once Wed

So, onto my July goals (more on our trip to Queenstown next time)...

- Host a proper English tea party
- Grow my nails
- Make at least two of the projects I pinned on my Made With Love board on Pinterest.
- Try 4 dinner recipes off my Yumminess board
- Really put some effort into thinking ways to improve my job and how to leave it at work

I have to say, I'm very jealous of all the summer pins floating about and all the blog posts I keep reading on summer fun. It's been freezing (okay, cold) and wintery here. But all in good time. At least I have a good excuse to snuggle with hot chocolate!

I'll be back soon with a recap of our fantastic holiday to Queenstown.

Spot you soon
xoxo

101 in 1001

Right, so first of all, sorry it's been ages since I've posted! I guess life just got away with me. I took on a new role at work, and let's just say it's kept me very busy...

I've been doing the Day Zero Project since 1 January 2012. It's basically a list of 101 goals or challenges to complete in 1001 days (ends up being 2.75 years). I'd post my entire list, but I think you'd probably be bored stiff. So instead, since I've been a little useless and not really ticked off many goals, I'll take after Emily from Em for Marvelous and break it up into little manageable lists. She's amazing and makes everything seem so effortless.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my list for May...

- No 3. Start and keep a bible verse journal
- No 34. Stop biting/grow my nails - I'm attempting to do this by rubbing cuticle balm into my cuticles, trimming the
  pokey bits and putting hand cream on every night before bed. So far so good!
- No 62. Visit the South Island
- No 65. Visit the Lord of The Rings film locations (nos 9 Queenstown region, 13 Arrowtown Reserve and 18
  Wanaka)
- No 67. See the Nutcracker ballet
- No 73. Clean out and organise my room
- No 85. Learn how to French plait my hair

I can't remember who's photo this, but pretty sure I got it off flickr.

We're going to Queenstown at the end of May : ) Weeeeee! So that should sort out numbers 62 and 65. I'm so excited I can hardly wait. I may or may not (I'm not admitting anything) have already made a packing list for our 4 day trip. Ha ha ha.

Spot you soon
xoxo

How I miss Africa...

Photo courtesy of Facebook - ha ha! I love how at peace Robs looks, and in her own little world.

I got to talk to my friend Robs this weekend, which was fantastic as we haven't chatted in a while. She's working in Botswana at the moment, and gets to see and do some incredible things! This is a photo of her (which I stole off facebook - sorry :)... It made me miss her so much. And looking through all her photos made me miss home so so much!

Don't get me wrong, I love New Zealand, but it'll never be able to compare to Africa. I miss the thunderstorms most of all. It would be a really hot day, and at about 4 o'clock the clouds would suddenly gather and we used to get the most amazing storms. They had a certain energy about them, and when the rain came it was like your very soul was being cleansed.

So beautiful! This was from Dom Cram off flickr

And one last one just because I love it! This was taken by Robs' boss Louis I think...

On the bright side, I'm going back in June next year and will hopefully be able to squeeze in a trip to Botswana to see my friend. And hopefully a thunderstorm or two... Hope you enjoyed the photos and it gives you a little inkling of how lucky we are in Southern Africa.

Spot you soon
xoxo

Happy Sunday!

From John&Fish

Today I'm hitting the books hard, so not much from me I'm afraid. I did have to share this super cute little birdie with you though... Don't you just love his little (big) tummy?!

Spot you soon
xoxo

A tribute to Mum's garden...

It’s spring here again, and what a beautiful time of year. Spring has always been my favourite season, with all the flowers reawakening and the hint of summer in the air. Daylight savings has kicked in and with that brings a sense of excitement and seeming indulgence. Just getting that extra hour of afternoon light makes all the difference to my day.

As much as I wish I could say these are photos from my own garden, alas, they aren’t… YET! But as soon as I pay the deposit on my first house (aiming for a year’s time), rest assured, I will definitely be enlisting mum’s help! Mum and Dad have been very busy in the garden, and it’s starting to pay off. So I thought I’d give you all a tour of my favourite spots…

The little stone birdfeeder I bought Mum from French Country Collection - isn't it cute?

Our crabapple tree - trust me, this baby looks way prettier in person!

What's not to love about a cup of tea in the garden on a sunny afternoon? This is my favourite Maxwell & Williams mug! I like to collect them...

I love our little 'daisy rockery' by the postbox. I have a bit of a thing for clean green and white.

And to top it all off, these two ducks came up from the pond to visit! We fed them a bit of bread in the driveway, and named them Jeff & Cait after my sister and her boyfriend. Ha ha. The male was much cockier than the female and even ate out of my hand.

Happy Spring!

Spot you soon

xoxox

Homemade Christmas Cards

Well, it's nearing that time again... There are only 2 months left until Christmas, and I haven't even started making my cards yet. Not so shocking except for the fact that the majority of my cards now need to be posted back to South Africa, so I have to allow for extra time. Either way, I have been furiously gathering ideas. Here are some of my favourites...

Corky wreath card from Misiu

Fantastic CD card from Pebbles and Poppys - GREAT for a Christmas CD swap

Cute little snowman card by Pixel Adventures

Felt characters from AnK - they're actually hairclips but would be super cute for cards!

Thumbprint reindeer cards from Family Fun

I'll post up pics of the ones I actually end up making soon! Back to the books now... Any ideas of what your Christmas cards might look like?

Spot you soon
xoxox

Heaven...

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic at the moment, so I decided to make a little treat for dessert. Back when I was living in Pietermaritzburg (in South Africa) my best friend Jade and I liked nothing better on a hot summers day than to pop down to Rosehurst for some rose iced tea and Eton mess. Wow, what a treat! First, you need to see Rosehurst to understand the attraction...

One of the rooms in the house than was converted into a shop

The cafe part of the shop



The verandah leading onto the back garden



The view of the house from the country gardens

Rosehurst is honestly the most delightful little tea garden and 'things' shop. They sell the most beautiful handmade things, from jewellery, to baked good, to fabric and vintage teacups. It's amazing! And the food is to die for! Just to give you an idea, here's a sneak peek at their menu... All the photos of Rosehurst are courtesy of Ninene at Lily and Rose 1126.

Now imagine it's a hot summers day and the flowers are all blooming and you can smell the cut grass. Add a bowl of Eton mess and a cool, fragrant rose iced tea. See the appeal? Gosh I miss it : (

Photos courtesy of Room for Dessert and Jamie Oliver

Well friends, I must be off. Got some yummy dessert waiting for me... and some textbooks staring! Spot you soon

xoxoxo