I`d like you to meet.....

.....my new best friend. His name`s Roomba and he`s a great little worker. I wish I could keep him at my house but he was only here for his holidays, while his real owner was off on hers. She asked me to look after him while she was gone, so I brought him home (with owner`s permission, of course) with me to stop him from getting too lonely on his own and he`s been working his little brushes off ever since! He even talks to you occasionally, like when he gets stuck under furniture ....he lets you know in his funny little American accent, so you just have to find him and press his tummy button and off he goes again. He even finds his own way back to his `parking station` when his battery is running out and needs recharging!He`s just so clever! He`s everything a girl could want (well, apart from the obvious!)...and while he`s busy doing your work for you, you can toddle off and do other more interesting things like.....

....taking pics of some trees! This one`s Laburnum and is spectacular in full bloom with thousands of beautiful yellow blossoms dripping from every branch.....still looks great even with bare branches against the clearest,blue-est sky so far this year.....

....underneath a spreading Scots Pine tree, whose pine cones are great for kindling; you just lay a bed of them in your grate then top them with a couple of firelighters, add your fuel of choice (logs are best) and away you go!.....

.....or you could wander up to the greenhouse and see how pretty the apricot blossom is looking.....coming along fine and dandy, wouldn`t you say?....

.....then you could have a dally down to the boggy part of the garden to see these little beauties in all their glory.....

...then when it`s time to go home and see what a clever little chappie Roomba`s been while you`ve been gone, you can try and take a pic of the setting sun from the car but you won`t always be successful as Exhibit A proves! .....

but we`ll have to say so long,farewell, auf wiedersehn and adieu to Little Roomba for tomorrow he has to return to his own home... don`t worry though, he`ll be back soon when his owner goes off on her travels again!

Have a great week, y`all, however you get your housework done! x

p.s. My cousin and her family in NZ are all safe and well, although their house sustained some damage. Thanks for all the well-wishes, that was very thoughtful of you all. You`re a very caring bunch. x

The Garden City of New Zealand

Christchurch Cathedral - pic courtesy of Rex Features

When you`re going about your business tomorrow and maybe somewhere in your day you catch yourself thinking that your cup`s only half full, please spare a little thought for those poor souls in Christchurch, some of whom lost their lives. The pictures on the news of the chaos and rubble that ensued without warning and  the narratives from the survivors were heart-wrenching and very moving and kind of put into perspective the humdrum of everyday life.
Heartfelt prayers to everyone in Christchurch (especially my cousin and her family, from whom we`re still awaiting news).

"So Long Dearie" from Hello, Dolly!

....`and on those cold winter nights, Horace, you can snuggle up to your cash register...it`s a little lumpy but it rings`!
Best line ever and it stills makes me laugh, 42 years later!Sheesh, how did THAT happen?!
Nothing like a little Dolly Levy to raise the spirits!
Thank you so much all my Precious Bloggy Sisters for being there - you`re all little `Dollies`, in your own special ways.xxx
Have a great week all of you.

Hurrrummphing Saturday........

I really wanted to feel like this today........

...........but unfortunately, I feel like this instead.......

.....don`t ask me why, for I couldn`t really blame it on any one thing (well, actually what set me off this morning was the news that women of my age will now have another 2+years (in my own case 4! and if you really want some number-crunching, that`s £40,000 I`m saving the Government if I live long enough!) added on to their working lives before they become eligible to draw what pittance a state pension will be worth by then but I`m not going to go into any kind of political rant on here - that`s not what I intended for my little corner of Blogland). Maybe it`s the weather which has been very dark,grey and miserably wet all week and makes for a very lethargic state of mind, wouldn`t you agree?......

anyhoo I`ve settled down for a bit of R&R with my cd player to listen to......

....(`Yes`, I hear you cry, `That`s all She needs!` but trust me, Misery loves company!)....which I got from the library the other day, alongwith....

.....which has some really pretty pics in, e.g. .................

....so simple but so fresh looking and.....

....I could live on this one, permanently!....and for the summer garden.....

....I may find the time to sit and use up some of this.......

......to make something nice from one of these....

....like maybe this little bag, requested by my sister....

... or this lovely Messenger Bag, as requested by my niece..

but then again....

...I could do with finishing off the many WIP`s I have on the go at the moment, including this cushion cover! Marks and Sparks are selling similar at the moment for £45 if you`ve money to burn!

.....similarly, I could add an edging to the lovely Giant Granny Square blanket which has been languishing at the bottom of the basket for a while now!

....and of course, no visit to the library is complete without a spot of....

....and...

......I know exactly how she feels!

Never fear, when the new day dawns tomorrow, I`m sure I`ll be feeling just like....

......so much

....to you all..and thanks for calling in to glance at the inane and not-so-rivetting insight into the life that is mine....... preeshiate it muchos.xxx

Have a great weekend, y`all.x

Garbo and Fonda images courtesy of `Google`.

Anyone know what time it is????!......

.......oh yes, it`s time for hearts.....

.......and flowers.....and choccies....

....and if you`re really lucky, you might just get all three.....!

....and if you don`t have a sweetheart or generous benefactor in your life at the moment, buy them for yourself ......Valentine`s Day isn`t just for lovers!

Happy Valentine`s Y`all....however you`re spending it.

p.s. little crochet hearts all done by me,with the pink one in first pic being made for Wendy@LittleCraftingBird as part of her Birthday Swap and sweet fabric heart made by Sophie@ChezSophie and wicker heart  from Jackie@SewSpecialBears, both gifted as part of my Birthday Swap.

x

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Verse from `Sonnets from the Portuguese`
by Elizabeth Barret Browning

Ahoy Me Hearties......By Royal Appointment.......

.......well not really an appointment exactly....more of a visit to the flicks to see Colin doing his stuff in `The King`s Speech`.....which was very good, although I thought Geoffrey Rush was just as good, if not better than said King...but that`s just my opinion! I have to say, I came away thinking that it should be everyone`s given right to live in a palace, or at least a very big house with enough garden space to land a small light aircraft upon - I kept imagining how many times my very humble abode would have fitted into the Royals` modest appartment in Piccadilly! And those chandeliers!Anyhoo, it just so happens that the Royal Yacht Britannia is `parked` directly opposite the cinema complex....in fact, we had after-cinema supper at the restaurant which overlooks this magnificent ship...great pasta...great view! (apologies again for poor quality of night-time shots!).

......and this little boat was moored right in front of RYB....we thought perhaps it was some kind of `Staff` vessel, anyway she was very pretty all lit up and she was named `Harmony II`....

 ....and at the other end of the dock, a very large Russian Ship....

......and some kind of container tanker which was HUGE....and very bright!

**********

......and now for some loose ends.....

Birthday Swap Part Deux

.....sincere apologies to the very talented Clare@Weekend Crafter for not mentioning this sooner but I honestly thought I already had....clearly not when I double-checked my `Birthday Swap` pics......

......and this is the cute little bundle of goodies which were inside the parcel (the crochet cushion cover is my own)...I love the colours Clare chose for everything...so bright and cheery.....Thank You Clare....

......and an even HUGE-r apology must go to the lovely Nicky, aka Vera Amos@ http://alifelikevera.blogspot.com/ for not posting about the cute cowl which I won on her giveaway.....AGES ago....very remiss of me, I know so here it is now......

....the pic doesn`t really show up the true colour which is a delicious shade of blue and the yarn is very tactile and so cosy around my neck..and don`t you just love those pom-poms?....I subsequently crocheted a blue slouchy beret to match .....they make the perfect couple!Thank You Nicky.

.....and after all that, I`ll bid you Adieu until next time. x

Great Scott..........or `Bright Lights,Big City`.......

....poor Sir Walter, I felt so sorry for him up there all alone in the darkness of the night with nothing for shelter except an enormous great towering monument above his head.....I think someone ought to `yarnbomb` him in great swathes of multi-coloured yarn to keep him cosy......

......not a great pic (taken from the Grassmarket) because my camera`s flash doesn`t cope well when it`s really dark but in the background, if you peer really,really closely, you can just about make out the majestic shape of Edinburgh Castle.....

.......I found these in the window of a very posh shop in picturesque Victoria Street which hand makes and sells tartan stuff (at the other end of the scale from `See You, Jimmy hats`!).....

.......I loved the colour of this bodice and skirt. Also, it may look  like I`m very vertically challenged....the window was very high up!

Looks like just an ordinary vase but on closer inspection, it`s HUGE (look at the staircase behind and you`ll get an idea of the scale!)....too much dusting for my liking!.......

.......I have no idea how this blue pole came to be in the pic, it`s certainly not mine!

I took this pic of St Giles` Cathedral and when I downloaded it to my computer, it had this really ghostly effect .....

.....here`s another pic taken directly after the last one, sans apparition.......spooooooky!

This is where you go to book your tickets for The Edinburgh Military Tattoo.....be prepared for a looonnnnggg wait! Mary King is a ghost.

 I love quirky little shops like this one which sells lots of fabulous fabric....

.......and this one filled with globes of every different size...and a cheeky little vintage sports car!

.....and finally, for the culture vultures, a couple of `must see`s` on my `Things To Do In February` list.

p.s. after the excitement of the Birthday Swap last week, the only thing of any note which the Postman has brought me is a Bowel Screening Kit!Wonderful!