Don't blink....

We started the week with this

Couple of days later it was this!!

 Spring happens hard & fast here. We think this tree is a grafted variety because the branches you can see that are still in bud are in fact pink flowers. Same tree. More pictures when that happens.

Finally a sewing picture. I know it is not a quilt but it is something I have been threatening to make for some time now. Peg bag made with plastic covered fabric. No idea who the designer is & not really into crediting for something I bought & have no idea where bought let alone who designed the stuff. I figure I gave them my money to buy, end of. Then again I am not into buying a fabric (or anything for that matter) just because XYZ designed it.
I wonder if artists have to credit the paint maker??

We love our tree but here is one in the park on the way to Stratford. A.MAZE.ING!!! It is a shame there is no scent for us. Mind you the bees are just gorging!! They damn near fall out of the trees drunk. LOL

However with the sun come the sunbathers. The pudgy white bodies should be out soon! (That would be me LOL)

We went to the hideous Westfield yesterday to do a little shopping reconnaissance for our B&B idea & saw this car hanging from the wall. We are really hoping that they stripped the guts out of this to make it lighter & that it is very securely attached!! 

We went to Wahaca Mexican restaurant for a lovely lunch in the sun & these are the doors & mirrors in the loo. I love the combination of Mexican & British. Food was very nice but we think suffered from a lack of fresh ingredients. Not as much salsa, salad or guacamole as we are used to in Oz.
We did have an amazing drink however. Almond & rice milk with vanilla & cinnamon. Tasted like rice pudding!! Yummo!!

Loving what I do
Lush x

Living la vida London

I am sure I have mentioned that I am soooo glad to be back with my Prince. We missed each other terribly & it has been great to be together again. I have been blessed to find someone with whom spending time is such a delight. Since I have been back we have been once again getting out around the city & enjoying the sights. There is a plinth in Trafalgar Square that does not have a permanent sculpture but allows for different artists to exhibit for a time. This is the latest exhibit from a team from City Hall.

Golden Child

Old & new blending together

Sunshine through the water on a beautiful sunny day

 We had a visit from S & M from Brighton on Thursday evening & we had a lovely day wandering around Walthamstowe market & then the area known as the Village. Beautiful historic houses, churches, pubs & shops. We think this is a place we could love to live & would be great to be able to buy something there.

Just a bit of history resting in the park outside the church

This house dates from around the 1400's!!

We have been enjoying planning our Spring Summer garden & deciding what we want to grow. It has been interesting trying to get our head around the planting schedule in consideration with the weather but we are learning fast. We are hoping that our plants survive this evenings frost & I intend to go wrap them with a towel before bed. Tuck them in & keep them warm.

A house a few doors up has been having major renovations & I rescued a couple of timber pallets & we are trying our hand at vertical gardening. We wrapped the pallets in weed mat & filled them with potting mix. Once you have them filled, you slash a very small hole in the matting & settle the plants in each one. We have put in a few herbs, pansies & strawberries. Once the threat of frost is gone we have some broad beans, tomatoes & zucchini seedlings. We will also fill with basil & marigolds. The big green bags contain 3 types of potatos.

Really enjoying doing what I love. Thank you Prince for another great weekend.
Lush xox

Off to Oz!!

Well the trip to Australia went extremely well. Visa in passport, friends caught up with, family visited & as a bonus, I was able to help the Man Child move in to his new abode!! Sweet!!
Loads of pictures, so sit back, have a cup of tea & enjoy.

Entrance to the hotel in Hong Kong

They are obsessed with the fairy light in HK - it was so pretty.

If you embiggen this photo you can see a guy on the floor using an angle grinder in among the crowds - OHS in action in Honkers!!! Mind you, no one was harmed, no one panicked, no one was harmed & all was well. Hmmm just adults being responsibly sensible. Go figure!

Scaffolding on an 8 storey building

Not much between the workers & the ground :/

So just a few people out for afternoon tea then?

I spent a couple of days in Hong Kong, had a great time relaxing & did a bit of market shopping. Made the classic rookie mistake of looking for a few seconds too long at a handbag, got dragged back to the stall, did a horrible bit of haggling & ended up with a lovely Cath Kidston red with white polka dots Hong Kong knock off. I love it!! Did not need a great deal so the shopping was rather restrained but did get some cute umbrellas & some very cheap t-shirts.
I did walk down Goldfish Street, fascinating street devoted to selling every pet imaginable! Some adorable puppies, kittens & even turtles. I was reliably informed that Hong Kongers are mad keen on their pets. I really loved Hong Kong & would love to return one day for a little longer & a more comprehensive visit.

These guys were really tiny! Stinking cute!

Fish in bags all ready for purchase!

Arrived in Australia 7am on New Years Eve & was completely shagged from no sleep on the plane. Did I mention the infant that screamed ALL. THE. WAY. ON. BOTH. LEGS?? Arrrghhhh!!!!
My patience ran out somewhere over Vladivostock!!! Oh well at least I had a few days to pull it together before the visa application had to be submitted & didn't I need it LOL. On night 2 I found myself slumped over on the couch & it took me 2 hours before I had the strength to drag myself to bed.

I was really stressed about the visa application & this was not helped by the snarky attitude of the woman at the High Commission office but the great news is that it was submitted, 6 very long weeks passed & then I received the excellent news that I was approved to get a working visa!! Just in time too - my money is running out fast. Now to decide what to do??

As luck would have it my trip coincided with the Man Child finally being allocated a new home. He has been waiting & living in a single room with shared facilities for 2 long years but now has a 2 bedroom town house just around the corner from our Sydney home.We shopped, painted, cleaned, spruced & generally went like maniacs to get as much done as we could before I had to leave. A big thanks to the friends who generously gave of their time & skills to help with curtain hanging, door fixing etc. We could not have done it without you & it is really appreciated.

As a bonus we got a rescue dog for the Man Child. A totally adorable Jug (Pug x Jack Russell)  called Scarlet!

See totes adorable!!

This of course required another shopping trip to spoil outfit her for her new forever home. Being the cross breed gives her more of a snout so no breathing problems like pure pugs can have. She needs to lose a few kilos but the Man Child is walking her several times a day so that should be under control soon. She really has the most lovely nature & is fitting in like she has always been part of the family.

Very happy little girl.

Isabella 1 at the ice cream shop after dinner at the favourite Italian. She looks impressed huh??

Isabella 2 - the most infectious giggle.

 Got to catch up with the 2 Isabella's - very hard to get a decent photo as they are both happy little whirlwinds! Two more loved and wanted children you could not find. Both are gorgeous!!

I was lucky to be able to stay in our home in between tenants & do a bit of tidying up in the garden. I have no idea what these fungi's are but they were removed with well gloved hand. They started out as tiny heads the size of a pencil in the most sulphorous yellow I have ever seen since, well sulphur!! Overnight they spread out to about the size of a tennis ball. Very interesting but not to be left for the new tenant.

The trip was extremely busy, extremely stressful & way too short but I am so glad to be back in the UK & back to the Prince & the fur kids. I feel like I can get on with life now & am out of the holding pattern. I am trying to establish a routine, get an income & move on. Wish me luck!
Loving it
Lush x

Very Belated Christams shenanigans

We had a lovely December, cold & crisp weather but I did not get to experience snow before I left for Australia (sad face!). Typically, it snowed beautifully here, the week before I got back!! LOL Oh well maybe next year??
We had a weekend in Brighton then a visit from the lovely JB of Brighton. We spent a great weekend making  clove oranges & door wreaths while drinking mulled wine & listening to great music.

This is a busker we saw in Brighton

Standing on these clove hoof stilts while playing the bagpipes!! Very talented guy.

It's the Christmas PUG!!! The Prince insisted that I buy this coat for the little peanut.
I didn't really need that much persuasion LOL.

She loves it really! We think she looks like the Christmas Grinch in this shot.

One of the decorations we bought in Edinburgh

Apple & ginger yumminess with Mistletoe in the background

The Prince, Daisy & I went for a lovely walk in our local park where we gathered all the holly for our wreathes. They have the most amazing selection of holly trees so we went for a judicious pruning mixed look rather than denude only one tree.

Gratuitous pug shot

Loaded with pressies

Favourite pressie from the Prince - made of perspex

Yummy breakfast prepared by the Prince - gluten free blinis, smoked salmon, sour cream & red currants.

For lunch/dinner we feasted on roast duck, potatoes & brusell sprouts then much later had gluten free fruit cake for pudding. We had a lovely day & a lovely month all round.
I can't believe it but I managed to get the Prince to the sales at Stratford. The cardigan I gave as a present was liked so much we decided another would be good to add to the wardrobe so off we went. It was busy when we arrived but got even busier by the time we left.
Then off home for me to pack to leave for Australia.

Still loving it.

Lush x