Two posts in one day but this deserves to have a post of its own.

This post is all about La Boutique a shop here in Christchurch.    It not large, but it is perfectly formed, it is boutiful and beautiful, so here it is in all its loveliness. A small table for drinking your coffee, yes they do coffee and Basil says a very good cup of coffee, I don't drink coffee myself, I'm a cuppa tea girl. Love this display, I do love ladders used in this way.There is a nice (sorry about nice but trying not to say lovely too much) selection of "baby things" which are orginal and different.Aunt Bee started making a birthday list at this stage, hope springs eternal in her breast that she might get something from this" jewel" of a shop for her approaching big day.I love errings sometimes wish I'd more ears,  just joking with you, the idea would be to get more holes in my ears but I tend to look strange enough, without multiple dangly errings drooping by ears to elephant size, would have to be dangly errings as I don't do modest, discreet errings, how unlike me.

I shall give you the address, Rose is the lovely owner, and the shop can be found at:
                                                163c Cranford Street
                                                 St Albans
                                                 Christchurch
                                                 New Zealand

 Nice little plate, perfect on the breakfast tray with jam on it. Breakfast tray who am I kidding, the one I prepare myself I think.  And red ramikins bought because they were red.

Lovely plate to replace plate that Basil said was broken during the week by Dave (the cat), we can all can guess the real culprit.A very cute possibly Wade dog, with chipped paw, I don't care as he is so lovely. Must stop overuse of the word "lovely".

The sky this morning was amazing and I took photos of it and the views along the drive to Ajs work, I love the fact we are still in the city but could be in the country or other wild place. Aunt Bee

Toes, and Temption (the devil made me buy them).

The toes broken, 2 next to the littlest piggy.Magazines bought this week, bad, bad Aunt Bee, I stopped buying magazines as a economy measure and I've been so good, I've bought myself 3 new magazines this week, yikes and it's still Lent, to be fair I never gave up magazines for Lent, I couldn't I'm so easily tempted. I love magazines especially English ones and craft ones from Oz. The Rebecca Shaw was from the Library, I've been waiting months at one stage I was 44th in line, so she is popular then.While bringing in the washing Wednesday night ,the sky turned to this in a few seconds and the temperature plummeted as a southerly came through. I love photographing the sky as you might have noticed, really would love to have a good camera, imagine all the sky photos I could show you............... admit it you would love it.And lastly this, my oops ok I bought 4 magazines this week forgot this wonderful NZ Gardner, which to be fair isn't a magazine more a work book, or a essential part of Mayberry House's get back to the old days of self sufficency. The gingerbread man is a treat, and the tea a reviving necessity after a stressful day at work, all the days at work have been stressful this week. Below is a story of one of those times.

It's been an interesting week, with Aj's toes the main focus, the dear darling boy, rang me at work a week ago to say he was in agony he thought he had broken his toes. I raced home in Florence Nightengale mode yes saying that doesn't sit very well with me either, but home I raced. To find the boy on the couch in pain with 2 very swollen toes which he has crunched at "touch " you know ''touch" the gentler form of rugby, in fact another player had crunched his toes, but it was ok, becos he was a member of the 1st Fifteen. Of course I said were you wearing shoes?   come on you know the answer to that don't you, boys got to love them or your'd kill them. Anyway the doc couldn't see him, the nurse said they were broken but they don't really do anything for broken toes these days..........which of course meant a weekend of pain and an eventually a doctors visit, his toes were taped by the school nurse so that was good, pain killers were prescribed and he is in pain  but brave boy he is carrying on with school and work. Of course this comes after his back injury at wrestling so he has done no sport for 5 weeks and that is 5 weeks to long, he is the kind of boy who needs to run off some energy or otherwise he starts getting smart.He was giving me grief this morning, so I asked him if it hurt to have his toes taped and he said yes it did, so I said I have to do them for you tomorrow and I'm going to make them hurt worse than her, yes mother wins again.

Let there be light I commanded, and low and behold there was a tomato.

Note the beautiful day and the use of safety equipment, obviously "real men" don't mind losing toes.

I came home this afternoon to see that in a fit of Autumn cleaning Basil and his pressganged helper Aj were in the back garden, chopping the big tree and had removed a smaller one near the garage. I know some people get a bit strange about trees and chopping them, but last winter made me determind to cut the big tree right back as it blocks any morning sun, which is very little as is, so we have decided it will go down to the fence line.

The advice from Dad re tomato plant was to trim the outer leaves to get some light in and I did,  result one orange not quite red tomato, much excitement from me, as the others are sure to get the idea and follow suit.

Made my delicious truffles for drinks and nibbles at friends house took them in this cute retro looking tim.We had a great night, the next work "do" is at Mayberry House for midwinter dinner. I got Nigella's Christmas book out of the library last week for inspiration, as I'm already starting to panic and it's not till  June.  My one coloured tomato deserves to be shown twice, or the real version don't know how that happened but as it is a thing of beauty feast your eyes. Love Aunt Bee. Gorgeous day but is supposed to drop 20 degrees with a southwesterly front coming in tonight, are vargaries of Autumn, I love it.

Calling Dr. Vege, tomato emergency.

Gosh we are clever in NZ we can grow tomatoes horizontally.Plenty of tomatoes, but all green.

I've been out in the garden , weeding the vege patch and preparing the ground for some winter vege, brussel sprouts, onions and cabbage. This brings me to my "triffid" the tomato plant, I need a Doctor for it, I not sure what to do, the summer has been so bad that although I have lots of tomatoes on it they are green. What should I do, it's definitely getting cooler, the mornings are darker, there has been some heavy falls of dew and I'm worried about an early frost, so do  1. pick them soon to ripen on the window sill, 2. pick and make chutney or fry them in parmarsan (excuse spelling) and cornmeal. 3. leave them and hope we get a late blast of sunny days or leave another month and hope for the best. Answer on the back of a postcard please.........no don't do that, just my little joke. But all thoughts will be gladly appreciated.  The agapanthas are all done and the roses are gracefully losing their flowers, I might go to the Ellersie Flower Show next week,it's starting next Wednesday, just to see how they keep everything perfectly blooming till March, I bet they cheat somehow.   Oh I forgot too mention that the window sill for ripening the tomatoes gets little sun, the forces of nature are working against me, I could but them in the lounge window but would that make me one of those strange old ladies of my youth, read my mother who had tomatoes ripening all the house. No Contessa you don't have to reply to that comment. Love Aunt Bee.

A Maori war canoe or not?

This is a photo of the sea (obviously) but it was a really mean sea, and whitecaps as far as the eye could see.I'm trying to show how far the tide had come up, you'll have to take my word for it but it had been just a metre from the sand dunes. Now  there had been a full moon, but after the earthquake and resulting "surges"  on the weekend, they did predict all week we could expect continuing "surges" and I think this is one of the results.From afar this looks like an Maori war canoe, not that I've seen many Maori war canoes, but this did capture my imagination for moment.I'm wondering since there is nothing much between us and the South American coast perhaps this was on it's way from there and got a big push this week to arrive here on our bit of coast.A photo of the birthday boy, 19 on Monday the 1st of March, he is a lovely young man, with a great sense of humour, we love him dearly. It's also the beginning of Autumn yeah, it hasn't been a good summer, roll on the cooler weather and an end to the horrible daylight saving, Oh dear the daylight grinch is rearing her head again.

 I have decided that I will be walking on the beach for my exercise this year and not spending money, time and worry by going to classes. I came to this conclusion when it was time on Wednesday to go to my StepBasix class, I love the class but not the actual going into the class I hate, I feel like a large well feed NZ heifer, and so I thought, I love to walk/run and I love the beach so I'll combine the two and do something that doesn't feel like exercise, as it is for me a pleasure. Love to all Aunt Bee.