I ♥Red

Hello there and welcome to the weekend, or the last half of it for some of you.........

I hope you are able to enjoy some down time, me time or creative time.

I enjoyed some 'me time' last Tuesday and took myself off on a little 'road trip'

Nothing too lengthy, just under two hours drive down the road.

Stopping along the way in two towns and doing a spot of treasure hunting at Op shops.

Yes, you guessed it, I found this wonderful sewing basket at an Op shop at my destination , Benalla.

I heard the two volunteers talking about sewing baskets and my ears tuned in........

no it's not eaves dropping, ear wigging or being rude, hehehe...........

I was down the back of the shop and fortunately I didn't have to fight my way through crowds to bag this little beauty.

Isn't it just gorgeous...........red, I ♥ red.

Despite it's age, it's in excellent condition, with the fabric on top being a little discoloured and rust spots a few marks inside.

It's pure vintage Made in Japan not cheap rubbish and I know you can pick up new ones at Spotlight, but this is the real deal and it was only..............$2.oo

Yes, the dot is in the correct place, that's two whole dollars !!

I assured the ladies that I would give it a good home, where it would be loved and admired for it's beauty, practicality and general gorgeousness.

Ok, I better stop there I think I am getting a wee bit carried away.

We had something similar around when I was young.

It was made with plain varnished cane and had a lovely pale green satin lining.

I wish I knew where it ended up, must ask my sister I wouldn't be surprised if she had it tucked away at the back of her cupboard.

This was the day I chose for the road trip.

Clear, blue sky for as far as you could see and although this photo doesn't show it.

This view is absolutely stunning on a clear day and that line of blue on the horizon are hills and mountains, which were clearly visible on this day.............

Just as well I chose this day as the rest of this week, has been mostly grey and gloomy and has been trying very hard to rain.

Today it has managed to do so, in brief spurts............

One of the mandatory requirements for a 'road trip' is coffee and cake and I didn't let myself down, lol.........

On my way home I found a cafe where they had a delicious display of cakes, so it was decided that a slice of baked raspberry cheesecake and a pot of tea was needed.

I can assure you it was as yummy as it looks too.......

Coffee was also involved but that was at breakfast time, which was hours ago and sustenance is important to maintain energy levels for hours of Op shopping.

Sadly, my sewing basket was the only treasure to be found, but you know what, the whole day was a treasure as I had a lovely little catch up with my cousin's beautiful daughter and I also spent some time mooching through a second hand book store.

Do you ever walk into one of these shops and the aroma of history and old books pervades the air? I love it, breathe deeply and enjoy the antiquity.

I love it and this shop was a rabbit warren of little rooms, beautiful, old books and when I thought I had seen everything, there was an upstairs section as well. I could've spent hours there, but had to be content with one book

'Afoot in England' by W H Hudson printed in 1911, which was given as a gift

'With best wishes from S E B ' on August 8th 1915.

So my week continued with some sewing at long last............

A pretty little tea cosy was on the 'to do ' list.

Flowers, maybe a chicken and definitely a ladybird were asked for.

It's for a one cup teapot and is a lovely fit.

I was very happy with the way it turned out and it should be winging it's way across the oceans

to warm the teapot of a tea loving blogger ........

Let's take a peek at the back view............

A cheeky hen is loose in the garden, but don't worry, I don't think she caused any damage.

Talking about hens or chooks, I have had to cover seedlings in the vegie garden with an eclectic array of wire cages, hanging basket frames and other wiry bits and pieces, to keep the girls from scratching up the seedlings and kicking the straw all over the place.

They have had the run of the yard over Winter as there wasn't anything they could damage, but now I have to keep an eye on them when I let them out of their run which is quite a pain in the neck, so drastic action was needed.

It's not the most appealing look for garden ornaments, but if it does the job !!!

Yesterday I headed down the road to Beechworth, another lovely sunny day and I needed to

visit it's two Op shops as they weren't open at breakfast time on Tuesday.

Rather inconsiderate I thought, hehehe..........

Once again no treasures, but a relaxing couple of hours were spent wandering around the lovely shops and admiring some beautiful spring gardens.

I spied this wheel barrow full of ornamental Kale which is running to seed.

It reminds me of little trees and the colours are stunning.

Another gem was this little corner of garden at a nearby gallery.

Love the olde world lamp post next to the the Silver Birches and underneath ..........

a brilliant display of Sparaxis.

I have only seen pictures in plant catalogues, so this display very nearly took my breath away.

It wasn't just the flowers, but the setting as well.

Let's take a closer look...........

Aren't those colours stunning?

I have a bank o Silver Birches on the slope in front of my house, there are about 30 of them.

Imagine if they had Sparaxis growing underneath them.

What a stunning display it would be.

Hmm, one problem, the chooks, love spending time under the Birches scratching away for hours and doing a wonderful job of breaking down the leaf litter and eating all the creepy crawlies.

I will have to see if I can track down that catalogue and order some for next season..........

One little beauty from my own garden, can't remember the name of this Iris, but isn't 'she' a beauty.

The colour and markings never cease to amaze me.

The Irises are on the verge of blooming and the Iris Farm directly across the road, is gearing up for it's annual opening. Shall have to wander over there with my camera and take a few pics and show you.

Well, I better get going, there are dishes on the sink and I have to go out so I will find my skates strap them on get moving.

Thanks for popping by and reading my ramblings.

Welcome to Followers new and not so, you're all very welcome.

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Big thanks to Cuckoo for her techy help this week.

I ♥ bloggers...............

Till next time, take care,

Claire X