A bracelet and a winner...

Congratulations to Linda on being closest with the list of items. The serrated strip was from my roll of cling film. The "washer" was actually the metal circle from an old bra strap. Linda please send me your address and post-it preference.
The bracelet above is a charm bracelet of sorts, and much as I love it, it is listed in my ETSY (SOLD).Can you imagine my joy when I found this amazing old wooden box full of rusty nails at my local tip-shop? A real holiday treat, and I am so proud of my friends for hiding their complete horror at my purchase choice.

And finally one of the joys of life is my darling nephew, we've spent hours playing with pegs (Archer was not so keen on that one - the dear boy had Archers ears pegged all over), drinking imaginary cups of tea, tickling and laughing. Joy.

Snippets from an Enchanted Wintery Week

Beautiful metal and mother of pearl buttons selected from a huge basket, in a local op-shop; you would have laughed to see me cross-legged on the floor surrounded by mounds of little plastic bags, I laughed at myself. The precious friend I was with smiled to see me happy as she browsed among clothes. The cost of these little treasures, $2!

Of course we could not visit just one store, or select one treasure, somehow by the end of the day I had spent the princely sum of $12 and had ties, fabric scraps, tortoise shell knitting needles, a little set of drawers, coasters, books, toast racks and more. Why toast racks? they are the best for standing my board journal covers in when they need to dry and I don't want to spread throughout the entire house.

Sweet Harvey who played happily with the cord from a skirt carelessly thrown on the top part of his tower.

Charles, who seems to get prettier as he gets older was rolling in the sun, delighting in the rare rays coming though the glass doors.

Phantom asleep, apparently comfortable on top of the little garden shed, able to keep an eye on all of us, and claim he had been outside for some fresh air.

My darling niece calling, "Come and find me!" as I stood not two meters away folding washing. Of course I indulged her and searched the whole garden before finding her in among my dry washing.

The same niece delighting in the large tub of plastic beads we spent hours stringing. Butterfly bracelets came first (one for L and one for her best friend S), then a bracelet for Gran (Shhh, don't tell her, it's a 'prise), a key ring for Daddy, a necklace for L and then a necklace Mummy and S can share(?)!

A little happy creativity, some different brighter colours - Winter you won't make me grey!

See Mum, I told you I look best in the morning sunlight, I really am orange you know.

Do Pelicans flirt? I am sure this one was as Archer and I went for a bracing walk along the foreshore.

Why didn't you tell me it was cold? What do you mean I smell? It's the weed that smells not me, promise...

I am going to shelter under the jetty, perhaps you should go inside for yet another cup of steaming tea, or hot coffee, another chat with neglected friends, another play with a borrowed child, another quiet hour in the cave, another enchanted moment.

Lemons, Jewellery, Bargains and Lemons

This sterling silver necklace will wing its way to an overseas friend very soon. I love the little box on the bottom, perfect for a lock of hair, favourite verse or emergency panadol - well I am a practical girl.
Look at these keys, 15c each at my local second hand store and already rusty - poor Graham (the owner) is still shaking his head over the fact I won't look in his shiny key box.

Now to the lemons ... I realised recently that I have been blogging over a year and that about this time last year I introduced the lemon tree. My lemon tree is psycho! It has reverted to root stock and has thorns 2 inches long - they always make me think of the crucifiction - the cats won't climb the tree and birds do not play in it. However it has lemons 10 months of the year, and for about six of those there are more lemons than leaves. I pick a hundred at a time and give them to school, friends, neighbours, anyone who walks past the front door. My friends five year old associates pancakes with lemons from 'Julie's tree' and some of the children at school call me the lemon lady.

Which children? The aboriginal children mostly. I have learnt that Nyoongars (South West Aboriginal People), whether they have healthy balanced diets or poor diets love lemons. I take a hundred at a time to school and they are gone within a day, eaten whole and occasionally sprinkled with salt.

If you are down south, pop in for lemons - I have plenty.