Shopping

September 5th, 2010

Time for bulbs



I’ve just discovered Thompson & Morgan as I was trying to find a non high-street online shop for bulbs – how had I not discovered them before?

So as the seasons change and we move house in just a couple of days it really is time to start thinking about the garden – and most importantly, the bulbs for next Spring. That’s the one job I never fail to get done. Imagine a Spring without beautiful bulbs coming up – it’s just not worth it. I am so excited I just had to compile a list and I’ll whittle it down from here.

Did I mention we’re moving home on Tuesday? Can’t wait! A proper, big, whole house. A beautiful rustic English home. With a proper garden just waiting for me to get planting. And a whole blissful month of quiet, doing my projects, writing new blogs, having some time for glorious end of Summer walks on the Heath. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Anyway, here’s my garden wish list;

Buddleja Buzz™ Half Price Collection
Allium Cottage Garden Mixed
Tulips pink passion mixed
Brodiaea laxa Royal Blue
Daffodil poeticus Plenus
Hyacinth Midnight Mystique™
Hyacinthoides English
Lily Oriental Miss Lucy
Russian Snowdrop
Tulip Paul Scherer
Daffodil – Fragrant Jonquil Mix

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August 1st, 2010

Bread glorious breadmaker





Spelt flour bread

For the past few years every time we go up to Leeds to visit the family we wake up to gorgeous freshly baked bread machine bread. And finally the other week when I saw the new Panasonic breadmaker was out I caved in and bought one too.

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June 20th, 2010

More days like this





Somehow this morning seemed to organise itself. We arrived in true London fashion twenty minutes late, after making several phone calls from the car to Eireann, who was also running a bit late. Erin, Fatty, Jane and Kate were all there looking very fresh for people who not that long ago were sitting on a long flight.

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October 18th, 2009

Mexican specialties





My new favourite shop. Each weekend we make the pilgrimage for refried beans, pinto beans and a good look at their menu. One day we’ll go for lunch.

Marua Road, Ellerslie.

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September 15th, 2009

little glowing lights



Discovered via Yvonne, Little Glowing Lights has some lovely printed tea towels and calico shoppers!

www.etsy.com/littleglowinglights

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May 25th, 2009

me and my pans

I don’t know whether i’ve mentioned this – but my main ambition for our trip to the uk this time was to furnish myself with a nice set of le creuset pans. So I’ve been monitoring amazon – and I must admit I’ve been kicking myself for not just buying everything I wanted when the satin blue was half off – but i think I’ve found my final two pieces to complete the set.

Because my life is so exciting I spent all of last night looking for the best pan to buy before we go back because they’re six hundred dollars in New Zealand (also not a joke) and our red habitat one has well and truly died. And because I’m not averse to the odd bit of mixing and matching – and because we like yellow – we bought the olive pan which is quite nicely reduced. I found a nice Tefal Jamie Oliver one but that would be one step too far in the mixing and matching department.

And while I was buying the olive pan I discovered the 26cm olive baking dish which I already have and love is reduced from £20 to £7. And the ramekins are a bit of a bargain too. Anyway just in case anybody wants to know, that’s not bad.

As long as you like yellow that is.

edit: changed my mind today as I saw the olive pan in a shop and it’s way too shallow and small so I bought the non-stick lidded wok instead. And the baking dishes at that price have sold out.

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May 14th, 2009

(muji) spree



It all began with a pair of black shoes and a navy raincoat.

Nothing like a few pieces of beautiful simple design to refresh one’s everything. I feel brilliant walking down the road in a lovely black jersey knit dress, black leggings (today indigo marle), grey cotton socks, simple shoes and a navy cotton jacket.

Brilliant.

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May 2nd, 2009

last IKEA hurrah







We’d been avoiding the fact but Edith is well and truly filling up the moses basket now. And the mattress is all lumpy and rubbish. So off we went to IKEA last monday. For the last IKEA hurrah. To buy her a cot as we’d sold Astrid’s fancy organic one. And some frames for prints that have been sitting rolled up for far too long. Two wall-lights also because we never could find any in Auckland that we either half decent or remotely affordable. We got these, in white – perfectly fine and as usual for us, the cheapest.

Oh how we’ll miss IKEA. They won’t let it into New Zealand because it would put all the crap overpriced furniture places out of business. The government’s excuse was, “IKEA cannot come to Auckland – it will cause too many traffic jams”. And guess what, I’m not joking.

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April 3rd, 2009

note to self

Do not buy any more fabric or yarn.
Buttons and trims, well ok then.

This is of course interesting timing due to my extremely close proximity to Cloth House next week. Buttons and trims. Buttons and trims.

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February 20th, 2009

Rosie Flo’s colouring books











Funnily enough, in my favourite little studio next door – the one I see out the window of my little room, were once produced the Rosie Flo colouring books (which are more than just colouring in books because you draw faces, arms and legs and backgrounds too).

I found this out the other day when helping a neighbour with a book he’s publishing – and the first thing I saw upon arriving was a display stand of lovely colourful Rosie Flo books. It would transpire you see, said neighbour is involved in the running of the Rosie Flo publishing empire. Yay for that.

So of course I left with an armful of books, some of which are now in little packages ready for their journeys around the world, but I’ve saved one or two for the blog, so if you’d like one please just leave a comment and I’ll draw a winner or two in about a week.

There’s an AMAZING japanese book too which you can buy easily enough from Amazon – it’s marvellous – it includes illustrations done by famous Japanese artists and drawing and colouring in space for you too.

More Rosie Flo goodness at Amazon.

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