Author Topic: Bab'sBlog (Read 31667 times)

Babs · « **on:** December 26, 2016, 03:11:09 PM »

I have read a lot in English magazines and on the Daily Mail site about Quality Street sweets, so I thought while we were in the Warehouse today, and who wasn't, that I would buy some as they were on special and do a tasting this afternoon.

Now I have a particularly sweet tooth as do most Taureans I believe, so I opened the box, unwrapped the sweets and chomped on a few. I don't know what the fuss is about or the outrageous cost, 25 dollars for a large tin and that was before the mark down.

I don't mean to offend any of our UK visitors or weather members but give me Macintosh toffee's any day. At least I can get my teeth into those.

Oh and have you tried freezing pineapple lumps or Toffee Pops, to die for, as not only do they taste better but they last longer.

We came home with quite a haul of marked down imported sweets which intrepid will probably hide around the house although he does feed me chunks of chocolate each night on the grounds that it makes me sleep better, the last three night disproved that theory, painkillers at bedtime proved to be tastier than chocolate, now ice cream well that's a different story.

It's turned out a fine sun filled afternoon. The house is free of cats and grandchildren till the weekend when we might have a pizza evening, until later when my brain slips a cog or to and our hilltop gets a bit more interesting...

ato2 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 26, 2016, 08:20:14 PM »

Ah, so much for imported sweets! Now tell me, what is the story with no cats...or has Gareth Morgan been nearby and the cats are being hidden as well as the candies?

JennyLeez · « **Reply #2 on:** December 27, 2016, 12:24:16 AM »

My question is; why is Intrepid hiding all these lollies. Is it because you eat them all to fast or is he stashing them away for himself?

Babs · « **Reply #3 on:** December 27, 2016, 12:47:02 PM »

Ahhhh the cats, no Gareth Morgan just a warm sunfilled day which meant ours and the neighbourhood cats were asleep somewhere.

When we first moved to the hilltop there were no neighboring cats just a dog that for a few months we didn't know existed.

After a few months we got to meet our neighbours when they came over to retrieve a very odd looking dog. Maxine Rose was the dog's name the oldest looking Red Setter you have seen, her coat looked like a Rastafarian hearth rug, she trembled if she stood still, was stone deaf but if you pointed at her to go home she gave a heavy sigh and went back home through the hole in the fence. It's not to say she was neglected as she was well loved but sadly Maxine Rose had reached the end of her days and went to the big bone yard in the sky.

Several months later two little kittens appeared on our back lawn one was ginger the other a fluffy tortoishell. I kept taking them back next door they kept coming back to our house. They had been bought for the young daughters of the house to replace Maxine Rose.

Half the time I don't think the kittens knew which was their home as we found them on our roof, on our bed, in our bed, in the kitchen and asleep in the lounge, rolling in my t-shirt and chewing holes in them (that got them banned for a few weeks, I mean do I smell like a dead mouse!) . In the finish I gave up taking them back home and left them to their own devices. They have grown into lovely cats who have now figured out that we are for visiting and that home is really next door.

I wish the remainder of the neighbourhood cats were just as polite as there are several who steal our cat's food and think our gardens were made just for them to use as a toilet. We have tried all sorts to deter them I suggested a bazooka until it was pointed out I would not only take out the cats and half the neighbourhood but I didn't have the strength to pick up a bazooka let alone fire one!

So that's the cat's tale. We do have on our hilltop Kitten Inn who do a wonderful job with excess kittens and strays, but I am staying away from there as I know what would happen if I saw a armful of cute cats!

Babs · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2016, 03:19:04 PM »

'So do you still want to do it?' he said

'Why not' she replied

'It's still dark ' he said

' Will soon be daylight' she answered

So he leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp. 'there we can see what we are doing' he said as she reached for her clothes...

And that is why at 5.15am this morning I was getting dressed ready to go into the city to sit on Oriental Parade to watch the Emerald Princess berth on a cool overcast very windy Wellington morning.

Years ago we used get up early during summer cruise season to watch the big cruise liners come through the Heads to be met by the harbour tugs and the Pilot boat. We saw the QE2 (the original one) on her farewell visit to Wellington, the Queen Mary 2 on her maiden voyage to this part of the world and the latest of the Queens, Queen Victoria. This year we have new cruise liners to watch arrive in Port that's if the body and spirit is willing...

We have only met one lot of friends off any of these ships or liners and were able, in the time allowed, show them different parts of Wellington on a lovely warm day.

Afterwards we went for a very welcome warm breakfast followed by a wake up coffee and then off to visit shops and family.

ato2 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 27, 2016, 04:05:27 PM »

Sounds like a great day out!

Wolfie33 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 27, 2016, 08:17:33 PM »

Just for your info . . .

JennyLeez · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2016, 12:36:41 AM »

Now that I would have definitely dragged my butt outa bed for

She carries 6500 passengers and crew I read.

Babs if you have photos please get Intrepid to upload for us.
What a lovely morning you two had

Babs · « **Reply #8 on:** December 28, 2016, 07:22:56 AM »

Here's what the Emerald Princess looked like entering Wellington Harbour yesterday morning

ato2 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2016, 08:14:02 AM »

Now, that is impressive!

Babs · « **Reply #10 on:** December 29, 2016, 01:59:08 PM »

Potted gardens..

I used to be a great gardener, digging, weeding, mowing lawns, pruning trees not a problem then my body started to crap out but I thought no way am I giving up growing vegetables, herbs and flowers so several years ago I started growing the forsaid plants in pots of various sizes.

Our dining room and kitchen both open onto different parts of a big deck and it's great to just walk out and grab a handful of lettuce for a salad, herbs for a pasta, beans to steam as a side dish and strawberries as a dessert.

I have two large plastic rubbish bins with clip on lids full of rotting comfrey and seaweed used for liquid manure on the plant. Evidentially they stink but seeing I have lost my sense of smell it doesn't affect me but drives the cat nuts as she loves the taste of the liquid but it's toxic to animals and makes her sick.

This year we are growing pots of strawberries, lettuce, rocket, spring onions (a tip, when you buy spring onions from the supermarket just push the roots into a pot of potting mix and hey presto at least several cutting of onions), two olive trees, a bay tree, sweet peas, lobelia, 8 pots of various sizes of lavenders, straw flowers, courgettes, Californian poppies, dwarf beans (another tip, when planting the dwarf beans in round containers use the base of a hanging basket minus the liner and the hanging chains over the top of the pot as it stops cats from digging the seeds up plus as the beans grow it acts as a support) and runner beans called Painted Ladies a relation to the old Scarlett Runners and each year they re-grow from a bulb that they form, chives and thyme, two large pots of Calendulas and a very large container of wild flowers as an experiment to see if they will grow in pots plus the bees love them.

I think that's about all hopefully I will be able to add some photos to this post.

Babs · « **Reply #11 on:** December 29, 2016, 02:21:28 PM »

Runner beans and straw flowers

Babs · « **Reply #12 on:** December 29, 2016, 02:24:18 PM »

Pots on the deck

Babs · « **Reply #13 on:** December 29, 2016, 02:29:40 PM »

More beans

ato2 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2016, 05:11:29 PM »

These definitely look good enough to eat...yummy and fresh!

JennyLeez · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2016, 06:34:41 PM »

Gosh look how green your lawn is. Ours is brown and dying/dead after 2 months of precious little rainfall.

Plants and vegies look great

Babs · « **Reply #16 on:** December 30, 2016, 06:32:42 AM »

In past years there have been times when our lawn have looked like straw but for the last several years they have been green and lush due probably to the amount of rain we have had....

ato2 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 30, 2016, 08:58:42 AM »

Green and lush is the way to go...nice spot there, Babs.

Babs · « **Reply #18 on:** December 30, 2016, 09:17:05 AM »

Thanks Tom living on a hilltop is very interesting especially with the bird life we get up here. The Bell bird is still singing his wee heart out I think he has scared the Tui's away. We get wood pigeons too lumbering their way through the trees.

It can be, on very windy day, quite scary up here. We only feel the magnitude 5 and over earthquakes as we are on the other side of the fault line plus we are on bed rock.

All in all quite a pleasant place to live and very popular houses up here sell very quickly.

Enjoy your day.

Babs · « **Reply #19 on:** December 31, 2016, 12:22:45 PM »

On the nights when I can't sleep due to pain, and there have been a few of them lately, I think of all the things I could write about in a blog on here. Like the tortoishell cat next door called Miss Daisy. She is one of a pair of the kittens I mentioned in an earlier blog, her brother is called Macavity.

Miss Daisy's owner have gone on holiday for a few days and asked another neighbour to feed the cats. He came knocking on our back door several days ago frantic as he couldn't find Miss Daisy anywhere and neither could we.

Ross looked out the small bedroom( the one we use as an office) window before bed that night and there was Miss Daisy all tucked up and sound asleep in a patch of long grass that is growing through our hop plant so we were able to text the cat's owners that she was safe. Now Miss Daisy has been there for three days and nights so either she is stoned from sleeping in the hop plant as it does have relaxing properties or she just likes it there.

Last night I dropped a handful of cat biscuits out of the window which the cat quickly gobbled up and this morning took her a bowl of cat food and persuaded her to come out from her hiding place for a walk up our back lawn to bring the washing in, she decided that was enough socialising and has vanished again but we now know where she goes.

I could also tell you about our 9 year old granddaughter who is coming to stay for a day and a night in the New Year, this is the same granddaughter who decided I needed to learn to be a Ninja and ended up calling me Ninja Granny but that I will save for another time when the visit has taken place as she is a very entertaining child and a drama queen to boot....

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Author Topic: Bab'sBlog (Read 31667 times)