A Homespun Year....What September brings...

 

September in my part of the world brings displays of Bromeliad flowers and Gazanias in my garden....

 

 

It sees my lovely husband out in the garden, trimming my topiary trees, which he maintains carefully, just because he knows I love them...

 

 

...the orchid my Mum gave us when we first moved to this home, always flowers...

 

 

...and September sees us enjoying our afternoon cuppa in the outdoors, with tea served in a large pot, served with freshly baked chocolate cake...

 

 September also sees me treating myself to something nice, as Mum used to say. It would have been my Mums birthday you see, so my sister and I always celebrate by buying ourselves, what we would have bought for Mum at this time of the year. This time for me, it was an Art Deco Toi et Moi (You and Me) diamond ring. Mum adored the Art Deco period, and passed that passion on to us, so if she were here, this would be a lovely gift for her. I know she would approve. Happy Birthday Mum.

 

 

Of course, the other passion we inherited from her, was shopping at Thrift Stores. So a recent find of a linen jacket, has seen me meticulously stitching a neon beaded embellishment to upgrade my Spring wardrobe....

 

 

....of course while I had needle and thread in hand, sewing in September, also means the sewing for the annual Dance Performance Night at my daughters senior school. This is always lavish beyond belief, with the choreography, lighting and costumes, rivalling any Studio performance. As always, I assisted with costumes, by making silver boots, headpieces galore, and several Card Soldier costumes for an Alice in Wonderland routine. These were easy though thankfully, and were simply a white pillowcase, slit at the sides, a small sliver cut from the closed end to form a neck hole, and shapes cut from red lycra (no fiddly edges to finish!), hand stitched to finish. Thankyou $6 costume...schools love you. And with Halloween coming up, busy mums love the $6 costume too!

 

 

And well...things never run smoothly. No sooner was all that out of the way, and the week long virus struck. All thoughts of food, drink and movement of any kind fled, and all I could manage was lying prone on the living room lounge, hair awry, sips of water at hand, and Casablanca on the screen. Awful. And in the end....very boring! Sorry. Not Casablanca, for how could it ever be boring or awful. I mean the virus.

 

Here's a still from that famous scene where Humphrey says "We'll always have Paris" (swoon), and "Here's lookin' at you Kid" (double swoon). Why don't well dressed folk wear little hats any more, I ask you. So glamourous and fabulous...

Naturally this too passed, as all things both good and bad do, and just in time for school holidays. Oh joy. I LOVE school holidays because not only do I get to see my darling daughter, but I also get to host my little Munchkin for a sleepover. We of course had to buy a new outfit (because that's what Nannas do), and of course it had to involve tulle, glitter and sparkles. Thankyou End-of-Season sales. This whole ensemble, head to toe, relieved Nanna of just $24, including the headband. The boots? $3. The sparkly dress? $6. Leggings and metallic knit and headband? $15 all up. Smile for Nanna? Free. Hugs? Many.

 

A sleepover at Nannas always means an adventure too. By request, yesterdays adventure was a trip to the local ice skating rink where the Munchkin was becoming quite accomplished at all things slippery and chilly....

 

Of course this meant Nanna had to sit in the bleachers shivering her way through several cups of weak and watery hot chocolate, but well, that's what we do, isn't it?

 

Needless to say, September is not yet done, and more fun is to be had as we tumble headlong in to Studio Dance Recital rehearsals, Eisteddfod Duos and Groups, end of year exam preparation at school, and then Christmas. I think I'm ready....

 

The years fly by so quickly these days, when all I really want is for them to slow down. I guess that will come...

 

What does September bring in your part of the world? I'd love to share your photos too! Send them to me at atrayofbliss@yahoo.com.

 

....love ya..

 

Remember too that Five Star Frou-Frou is a never ending linkup, with a feature each and every time I post. Thankyou to everyone who continues to add their gorgeous posts to the linkup!

 

Todays feature is from my lovely friend Jes over at Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth. All this talk of Spring here, seemed an opportune time to feature Jes's post on what's lurking under the kitchen sink, and how to tame it!

 

 

Thanks Jes! Love it!

 

...Mimi...

This weeks insourcing #18...Spring, Possums and Blossoms...

 

It's Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, and while all our Northern Hemisphere friends are decorating with Pumpkins and admiring the golden, auburn, and rust foliage, we here are basking in the glow of Spring sunshine, gardens full of colour and clear blue skies.

 

I always admire the enthusiasm with which my Northern Hemisphere blog friends embrace the change of the seasons. It's actually never occurred to me to do so until the last year or two.

 

Last year I made a pretty in pink feather wreath to welcome Spring.

 

 

I loved it. It was pink, it was girly, it had roses...what's not to like?

 

This year, I wanted to stay true to what Spring is really like in our back yard. There are, sadly, no Roses to speak of, the pink oleander has yet to bloom, and whilst we have abundant birdlife, none of that is pink in any way, shape or form.

 

For us, Spring means lots and lots of rain, and lots of new wildlife, from lizards, to birds, to possums, and perhaps not so much in the way of pink feathers and roses...lol!

 

Which brings me to Poe the Possum.

 

We've had a Poe the Possum residing in our roof ever since we moved here 13 years ago. Not the same Poe the Possum. And sometimes more than one. We and the Poe(s) tolerate one another. Mostly it's a peaceful relationship.

 

But then there are those years,  when the Mama kicks the baby out of the nest....a regular occurrence come Summer, and one of them comes off worse for wear. This usually means the injured one crawls off into a corner to kiss this earthly life goodbye. Don't be sad. That's Mother Nature for you...survival of the fittest and all that. We don't know about this despite the screaming, howling, wailing and tumbling in the roof cavity, until about October when the weather warms up.

 

Cue scary music and evil smells....

 

How many times have I gone searching for a rotting potato in the kitchen, only to realise it's poor old Poe (we always call them Poe), leaving a last loving reminder of his or her time with us, whilst adding a certain something to the ambience of our home. Poor Musician Husband. He's the one that has to mask up, crawl into the furthest reaches of the roof, and peel Poe from the rafters. Sorry for the graphic image.

 

Poor Poe.

 

Fortunately, there is always another Poe. This year we have two Poes, dancing across our rooftops in the wee small hours, claiming their part of our home as their own. Oh Joy!

 

So I've decided to celebrate Poe. Poe is as Spring to us as Pumpkins and rust foliage are Fall to my American friends. And our Spring downpours...they're scarcely 'showers' in this part of the world...mean that we never leave the house without an umbrella.

 

So Possums and Brollies it is.

 

Here is Poe peeking expectantly from my frilled umbrella. He's waiting there with his best cravat on, to greet Sweet Granddaughter when she comes for a sleepover this afternoon. She'll be VERY excited to meet Poe.

 

And before you ask, yes Possums are this big. Bigger. Ask my whippet. They are not cute lil critters.

 

I must say that personally, I think the Poe I bought for Sweet Granddaughter looks rather more like a wombat actually, but who am I to argue.

 

 

 

And here is Poe yesterday, nestled with my pink geraniums at repose.

 

I think Poe will keep us entertained for some weeks.

 

Here's a real brushtail possum of the kind that shares our home with us....

 

 

...so I guess our Poe looks similar enough.

 

While Poe decides his next move, I planted these Blue Eyed Yellow something-or-others....I lost the tag...sorry, so I don't know their name. But they're very pretty anyway...this photo is completely un-retouched...they really are that eye-popping vivid colour.

 

 

On the insourcing front, I made an enormous batch of Coriander Chilli Chicken Fried Rice. That fed us nearly all weekend what with The Diva off at Dance Concert rehearsals, me visiting a cousin from overseas, and the Musician Husband doing the garden and whatnot. Big savings there. Around $120 at least I think, given the alternatives of easy but expensive fast food.

 

I bought a $10 bunch of neon orange Gladioli (who doesn't like Gladi's...tall, elegant, and they last WEEKS!), swathed them in burgundy paper and tied them with an orange organza ribbon and a home made card, to gift to my sister who just got engaged for the second time in her life (after an unhappy ending to her previous marriage 12 years ago), at the age of 50. Go Sis! She loved 'em.

 

Things are astir in the garden including geraniums....

...and Clivea.

 

 

Not much else on the insourcing front this week, but that's okay. I still saved lots on potential takeaway purchases, and a bit more on a traditional engagement gift (which Sis doesn't want or need anyway).

 

Previous weeks have stood us in good stead, and insourcing regularly, building up your home stores, socking away a few simple meals in the freezer for those days when everything goes wrong, and making sure you have other small joys in your life, still saves big dollars.

 

That's was certainly the case here last week.

 

What did you insource last week, and what was your value in the home?

 

And how do you celebrate Spring?

 

  Sharing with....   Inspire Me Tuesday Roses of Inspiration Tuesdays @ Our Home The Art of Homemaking Mondays  Wow Us Wednesdays Best of the Weekend