Sunday, August 4, 2013

Spring is in the air




We didn't go to Shoestring Cottage last weekend because the Duke and Duchess of Ringloes came to visit us in Auckland.  It was strange to be in the city during the weekend, we visited the art gallery (excellent exhibition about California Design 1930 - 1965) and saw a film festival movie chosen by the Duke of Ringloes (Blancanieves, a silent Spanish black and white flamenco/bull fighting interpretation of Snow White, most excellent and see if you possibly can).  We walked around a hidden reserve in Parnell full of palms (we never knew of its existence), scoffed pastries at La Cigale market, went over to Waiheke Island on the ferry and imposed ourselves on some new friends we met at winter deco, and generally felt like tourists in our own town.  It was most refreshing and made us think that we should make more of an effort to get to know our own city.


All the same though, it was also good to be back at Shoestring Cottage this weekend.  The garden was looking rather forlorn and unloved after several weeks without attention and I resolved to get out there and rattle the weeds around for a few weekends soon (weather permitting), and press on with plans for the suppression of evil oxalis and that ghastly plant which masquerades as some kind of lily but is on a campaign for world domination, starting at my patch.  The spring seems to have arrived very early and the air is already quite warm and balmy, hinting of sunny days to come and happy times outside.


I sadly unpacked all the art deco clothes and put away the bounty from op shop hunting on the way to Napier winter deco and began planning new costumes for next year.  The possibilities are endless, I have a new cornflower blue cloche and some matching tweeds.  All I need now is a "new" fox fur (without a snapped off tail) and we will be on the way to an even better winter deco in 2014.

This doiley from a Putaruru thrift store was the icing on the cake after our visit to the wonderful hotel. I feel sure this bluebird will look superb in the doyleys and damask crazy quilt and it came with the added bonus of some bells which will liven up some corners in the patches




And there was also this piece with fabulous soft apple blossom coloured blossoms in variegated threads


This gorgeous intensely coloured "imari" china was given to me by my mum and one of my sisters and I spent a happy time unpacking it and wondering where it might go.  My mum was visiting and seemed to think the walls of the gypsy room might collapse if I tried to hang it there, but I feel that is the right place for it to go so there might be some editing necessary to make space.  (Mothers can be very cruel, she implied that we needed to build an extension onto Shoestring Cottage to accommodate all the things we have been taking there, but I know with a bit of a reshuffle we will be able to fit everything in.  I hope so, because it is very hard to decide what to part with when space is at a premium.)






Have a happy week, onwards and upwards!