Full of promise.....!

Even though the first day of spring was cloudy there was no rain. Taking advantage of this to get reacquainted with my back garden I was delighted to discover buds galore! I bonsai'ed le petit azalea above, amazingly it's been in the same shallow pot for over twenty years, it blooms twice a year, sometimes three, it's a plant that keeps on giving..it feels the love :) The bambino bougainvillea below flowered all through winter, can't ask for more.. the yellow climber to the right and the bush below (not sure of their names) are pregnant with promise, the white star shaped flowers smell divine when in full bloom. I wonder what this week will bring.. a kitchen for me hopefully, I won't hold  my breath though :) Happy Monday, only five more days until the weekend, take care.....

Pretty in pink.....!

There are a few 'happenings' today here in Oz..but to start with it's the first day of the month and that means 'pink' day in the CDP group. I've been saving this one because...well it's pink and because it's too gorgeous! Aimee, baker extraordinaire, queen of the birthday cakes created the Dolly Varden cake above for her four year old second cousin's birthday a few weeks ago and yes it was as delicious as it looked. Seriously if she ever gave up her day job she has a talent to fall back on n'est pas! Also, happy Father's Day to all dad's here in Australia, I couldn't resist this shot of a young 'fashionista' disappearing with her dad into Gordon St Garage, a very cool new cafe in West Perth..... Lastly, although it doesn't really feel like it weather wise, it's officially the first day of Spring..there's not even a small chance of any spring cleaning for a while, not while the kitchen is a disaster :) Hope you're having a good weekend, take care.....Click here to view all participants of this theme day

Quo Vadis..'the place to be'.....!

St.George's Terrace reflected in the main entrance to the QV1. My favourite story re the naming of this 40 storey building is from an Anonymous insider and start's like this.....

 'During the late 1980s a gathering of suits (of de rigueur Enlightenment progeny - not pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic) around a Perth boardroom table were pondering the naming of a 60,000 sqm NLA tower being built in St. George's Terrace, when one suit mumbled...

and ends like this..click the above link if you're interested in the middle bit :))

Thereafter a highly influential suit (who has since been banished from The Terrace) spoke across the table with a tone not dissimilar from that of an English lecturer conducting a tutorial for the benefit of convict progeny: "Well actually chaps that is a Latin phrase which translates in English to: The place to be. "After which the collective response was: " Brilliant - thank you Mr. XYZ ,......... now we know what to name it... the number one place to be...QV1"..

Ah! so many tales from the Terrace! Sorry I haven't been around much this week, things to organize re kitchen reno..looking forward to catching up, have a fab weekend, take care.....  linking here to James's weekend reflections

Beating the blues.....!

Whenever I get a little grrrrr! there are two things guaranteed to calm the nerves.. one is to get out and work in my garden, the other is to take a walk along by the beach and remind myself  how lucky I am to live here in Perth beside one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world and that there can be days in winter when the sky looks like this and the Indian Ocean so blue.. can you see the lighthouse way out there! Happy Friday, take care..... Click here to view all participants of Skywatch Friday

Shortcuts & Allen keys....!

Four small words that strike panic and fear into the heart of most men...'let's go to IKEA' :)) Whether it's the sheer volume of goods they may be required to admire, or the strong possibility that they are going to have to 'put together' a piece of furniture using only an Allen key, the dread is palpable, the 'follow the arrow' sign even makes me flinch :)

       There are 'shortcuts'..up to date I've not found one that is actually short!!

Need me..want me..take me, words that used in another context could be rather enticing :) NOT when you're heading into a warehouse filled with sanity challenging flat packs containing everything from a coffee table to a whole kitchen, imagine building a kitchen using an Allen key.. no thanks! 

.....and then, just when you thought you would never see daylight again.. the exit ahead and you have to keep a grip to prevent yourself losing your nonchalant demur, it would never do to show that passing through the warehouse of 'trial & tribulation' had freaked you out :) Seriously I'm only kidding, I can't speak for P, but as long as you go really early and NEVER on a weekend, it's not so bad, they have some really cool Swedish stuff :) We were there yesterday to pick up a few things for the new kitchen, like... a new kitchen! You can't beat them for the basics, the details you can personalize oui. If it ever gets finished I'll show you.. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe...don't forget The theme for September for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Pink.".....

Hanging in the balance.....!

There was a gasp as the 700 strong audience in the spiegeltent breathed in as one, for the next what seemed like an hour but in reality was about fifteen minutes all eyes were glued to the spectacle before us. Beginning by balancing a feather on the end of a branch and continually adding to it until it almost took on the shape of a giant ribcage reaching out over the front rows..finally resting the whole structure on a centre piece (you can see the finale here) the 'maestro of concentration' stepped back, smiled, went up on his toes and blew the feather off causing the whole erection to collapse :) Oh and btw I made a mistake yesterday, I read that the stage where all this awesomeness occurs is actually two meters round not three, incroyable oui! Can it be Wednesday already..is it possible my kitchen is still in bits..yes, yes it is possible :)) take care.....

Somersaulting, slapsticking & stripteasing.....!

The night before the wall came crumbling down last week, we took my sister on a surprise 'outing' to celebrate her birthday. In the grounds of Crown Perth (aka the casino) under the magical canvas of the Spiegeltent we watched in awe as the performers in the New York production Empire (two minute video of fabulousness) executed mind boggling feats..all on a 3metre round stage. Above Russian born Elena Lev twirls and contorts in a bubble high above the audience before a cascade of sparkling real bubbles rained down on us. It was adult circus at it's very best, rude, raunchy and incredibly funny! If you get a chance to see it, take it, you absolutely won't be disappointed. Perthites enjoyed it so much that the show was extended. I didn't take all that many shots, difficult with heads bobbing in front and stage lights, apart from that I really didn't want to miss a thing. I'll show you the finishing act tomorrow, it was incroyable! Have a great Tuesday, take care and stay safe.....The theme for September for City Daily Photo bloggers is "Pink." To participate, link your post on September 1 to the CDP theme day page.