Hi there. Today's the day I'm off to Newcastle again

the weather's not all that great for a road trip

...but tomorrow's really the day

...for mum's operation, rescheduled for the third time

I'm sure we'll be right this time though : )

And...

hopefully I'll be able to grab a coffee with this lovely lady while I'm in Newcastle...

I love meeting blogsters for real!

Thanks for all the well wishes for mum.

They mean a lot.

See you later.

this week's images seen on: wish you were here; scrapbook; a life's design; apartment therapy; the design files; color me carla; effortless style; gild and grace; pia jane bijkerk; white trash beautiful 

The blogging is going to be brief for the next week or so. I'm off to Newcastle on Wednesday for the third attempt at mum getting through the operating theatre doors...fingers crossed that all goes to plan this time. 
I think I'm more than a bit distracted at the moment. I walked straight past John Travolta in the lobby of the hotel I was staying in on Thursday night. Didn't have a clue until the guy who got in the lift with me said he'd just shook his hand. Oh well.
I was doing a bit of blog cruising yesterday, while I was supposed to be burying my head in a work report (and not a book - my usual weekend practice!), when I came across this site...and some very clever ideas that you probably could try at home if you wanted! Half a globe used as a bowl...with the best country front and centre of course...

massed plates on a bathroom wall...

a Christmas centrepiece....I've done this before

lace trim on old tins...either real or stencilled

Now, I just need to find some time!

And I'm sorry, but there's an online shop as well...I have my eye on this...

The top ten is scheduled for Wednesday as usual, but I'm not sure what the week will hold after that. So, I'll see you when I see you. Take care : )
all images found on curious sofa

I'm getting a great deal of pleasure at the moment, heading out to the postage stamp sized veggie patch in my courtyard in the morning, picking some stuff and packing myself a little home-grown salad to take to work for lunch.

Obviously the goat's cheese isn't townhouse grown (there's only room for one goat in this place!), nor are the onions but everything else is...baby spinach, cos, basil, rocket, coriander, parsley.  And once the tomatoes start ripening they'll be in there too.
I don't think the flinging together of a little green salad can be done to the maximum level of perfection without one of these ...

...may I present my current must have, can't live without kitchen gadget... the salad spinner. Don't scoff. That one up there isn't mine...here's mine. Much less flash, and pretty cheap, but still up to the job.

And a touch of this delicious mayonnaise doesn't go astray either. 

Just add some ham or cold chook or smoked salmon or nothing, and throw in a bit of diced avocado...yum. Quick, easy, what more could you want except a fully catered three course gourmet meal delivered by an impeccably dressed serving person, and perhaps a cold refreshing glass of something or other to get the creative juices flowing in the postprandial working hours! That postprandial word was for the word queen Felicity : )
So, what's your personal favourite kitchen gadget this week?

Well, I'm still extremely busy (how are you going?)...

but I did manage to get ten pics this week

Pity that I've run out of time to write a lot though!

Too much time spent at work...

or away from the house on the weekend...

or with my nose stuck in a book...

or best of all, when I can manage it...

having a nice, long sleep!

Or, if it was last night...

a special trip to the movies.

Bill Cunningham New York...

an absolute must see.

Off to Sydney again tomorrow for work so I'm not sure if there'll be a post on Friday...we'll just have to go with the flow, no? Or should that be yes. You'll work it out I'm sure. Lots of love though, to blog friends old and new :-)

seen on: life of riley; a perfect gray; apartment therapy; ivy & piper; my design chic; style files; parlour home; livet hemma; the diversion project; the painted hive; 

I spent yesterday with a group of lovely friends on an Open Garden Scheme tour of Jackie French's garden...

For those who don't know, are too young to know, forget they ever knew, never knew...

Jackie French is a well known and award winning author, columnist, speaker, presenter. She's been on the tv and on radio...she writes and talks about a lot of things, especially the bush and fruit trees...and historical fiction and non-fiction, children's stories, gardening...she's pretty extraordinary.

Jackie's home in the beautiful Araluen Valley near Braidwood NSW was open over the weekend and she was the hostess. So generous with her time and clearly an expert with a vast knowledge honed by an inquiring mind...

 

I lost count of the hundreds of trees, shrubs, plants that she and her husband Bryan care for. You can read a lot more about it on her website as well as about the 140 books she's written...yes 140!  It was a fascinating talk, most of which went right over my non-horticultural head, but wow, what a lovely place to spend a few sunny Sunday hours.

Of course I had to buy a book :-) 

This is part of the foreword ...
"Once upon a time I bought some land. I wanted to build a house, an orchard, a world of peace and plenty..."
Can't wait to read it.

Bless.

It was another mighty reading month here in the townhouse...ten books, making my year to date total 63! Pretty impressive even if I do say so myself :-)
Here are the October covers...

And in order of reading:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (fiction)

A Cup of Light by Nicole Mones (fiction)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (fiction)

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott (fiction)

The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant (non-fiction/memoir)

Odd One Out by Monica McInerney (fiction)

Waiting Room by Gabrielle Carey (memoir)

The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin (fiction)

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble (fiction)

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (fiction)

As you can see, it was heavy on the fiction this month, but my goodness there were some powerful reads...I think that books find you, in fact I'm convinced of it, and this month two of the books dealt with dementia (Still Alice and Waiting Room), and one with ageing (Water for Elephants). I'm sure these books found their way to me to help me understand and deal with my dad's dementia diagnosis. Still Alice was especially moving, and also very instructive. The author is a neuroscientist, or was...she's now a writer...which I think is why the book is so believable, and such a sympathetic portrayal of early onset Alzheimers. She has a blog here. This book was my favourite this month, closely followed by A Cup of Light (the author's previous book The Last Chinese Chef was also wonderful) and The Blackwater Lightship. Odd One Out was a bit of fluff and I really couldn't say to you rush out and read it (to be honest I can't even remember what it was about although it was pleasant enough at the time), but all the others...yes. They weren't all easy reads but they were worthwhile. Most definitely.

I hope your reading is going well. 10 books in the 10th month...I'll be trying for 11 in November :-)

Do you hang out for the top ten every Wednesday? What! You don't! Oh well, that's good because there isn't one this week. I've been too busy working and gallivanting off to Sydney and back and haven't had time to collect random bits of gorgeous decor and other pretty/striking/ thought provoking/ colourful/ quirky/insert own adjective here pictures. Sorry about that. But here are some snaps I took when I was in Sydney on the weekend. Consider it a consolation prize. Lovely house fronts in Woollahra...

 

Is it odd to take photos of tree stumps? No, I didn't think so either...

And to finish...some urban art in Newtown. Just ignore the rude word.

Hopefully we'll be back to normality next week. Whatever that is :-)