Why I left work in a hurry and left my soup in the staff fridge.

This for Basil because he loves cats and because he is sick, I hesitate to say sick again, but he did have the flu injection two weeks ago and of course he got sick. My sister thinks I'm crazy but I maintain that Basil always gets sick after he has his flu vaccine. He came home from work last friday night feeling very poorly and took to his bed or our bed, unfortunately he took a turn for the worse and I had to rush home from work Wednesday, ( this was particularly distressing for me as I had just heated up my soup for lunch), cut a long story short he's off work till sometime next week and he needs more tests as they think there is something wrong with his kidneys.  I'm sure he'll be fine, he's a tough old codger, old as in older than me by 5 years. Aj has worked for a week and half these holidays, at a real job and real hours, 7.30 to 5.00pm, I get to drop him off and then go on to work which makes me 1 hour early, so I grab the newspaper till someone comes and unlocks the door, the boss has had 3 free hours out of me this week. I'm having tomorrow off as it's my birthday not something I do often but there is a great big book sale on tomorrow so Tom and I are going hoping to get some good books, craft, sewing, and crime for me and history and classics as in the Greek and Romans for him, if I'm good he's taking me out for lunch. Aj is moaning that he isn't off too, not that he would have gone with us, he said going to a book sale is like inviting Superman to a Krytonite party. This working experience has been good for him, he now knows alot about customer service, he works at a large building supply company, he has learnt not everyone is honest, he learnt that not all your workmates pull their weight and that the new boy gets all the rubbish jobs, on the plus side he has learnt that customers can be funny and friendly, that some of the people you work with can have great senses of humour and don't mind helping out the young guy and he found out he never wants to do this job full-time when he leaves school. And he's learnt having money is great. For Autumn the weather has been nuts 27C and 26C today, enough already!  bring on the wind, the cold and the rain.......the leaves are falling but it is warm at night we have had the windows open to try and get some fresh air. Thats it for now hoping to go Op shopping if I have some money over from the book fair, haven't told Tom that yet........Love to all Aunt Bee.

I'm in love with two men. Yikes I bet you want to read on now.

What lovely lads.

I'm in love with the "Hairy Bikers", Si and Dave and I'm not sure which is which but it doesn't matter because I love them both. I love the tour around Britain and  I especially love the Mother knows best shows which are showing now on Sky. They make me laugh, they make me want to try dishes I didn't know I wanted even to try, I shall be making Somerset Chicken tomorrow night for dinner. I love cooking shows, but their are some I don't watch and to save hurt feelings I'll not mention them, but there is nothing like putting your feet up with a cuppa to watch someone else cook. Basil cooked dinner twice this week, I don't know what it means either but it was unusual and both meals were delicious so I'm hoping it continues.
This quilt top which I show in its UFO state,it is to be my "I must finish my UFOs before the end of the year, first quilt". It stretches my weak brain to far to remember when I actually started it, but it was while I attended my quilt group so therefore before full-time work, therefore at least 5 years ago, so" I've started therefore I'll finish",  ten points if you recognize that quote. Now my thinking is, if I show the quilt to you I'll be honour bound to finish it as soon as possible or be humilated by my own laziness or sloth like behaviour that you will know about. Yes I'm dubious too, but this is only one of a pile of quilt tops to be batted so to speak and quilted. Some thing must be done and with the weather turning, it is time to be productive. Watch this space.........not to closely I hope but I will make a start tomorrow, which as Annie said is only a day away..........Love to all Aunt Bee.

Ding, dong the tree is gone and a new arrival.

The tree is gone and there is light, we can't believe the difference it has made even the "men" noticed and said how big the back yard looks now. The contractor a former workmate of Basils, arrived Thursday just as I arrived back from work, it was all done in 1 hour, and although Basil had said cut to the fence I thought no it needs to go all the way down. The real difference will be in the winter time when before we got no morning sun and next spring when we plant more veges in the space behind the trellis. Let me introduce you to Pookie Maximus, I won him in a raffle and collected him on Thursday, he came with a white chocolate Easter egg which has gone of course. It is a tradition that all teddy bears in this house are called Pookie so that is why he is called Pookie Maximus as Pookie the 12th didn't really suit him, he really is a large bear.He lives on our bed for now, Basil isn't too fond of him so he has been found in the wardrobe and the linen hamper, was kidnapped for awhile but ransomed with chocolate so he stay's with me till he is given due respect by the "men" of the family, of course Aj loves him, that boy is a big softie. Have a lovely Easter, and enjoy spending time with family, eating good food and chocolate.Aunt Bee.

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.