Shannon This one is for you Sweet.....

CONGRATULATIONS MANDII ON YOUR NEWS, AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU SWEET!


Well I promised you guys photos of the Cheap Trick/Def Leppard concert & here they are. A friend who came with us took these photos on his Mobile phone, because Noggins here forgot to take her camera didn't she! Ok so this is Cheap Trick, oh wait of course you can see that, dah!

This poor guy stood in front of me all night, he was one of the security guys placed around the stage to stop over zealots fans getting onto the stage (not that I ever considered doing it hum hum). It was his first job & he had to look at this geriatric 48 year old fan dancing, singing her lungs out, (oh & Im not too proud to admit that I am utterly tone deaf!) & generally getting carried away with the whole atmosphere of the night. That's Joe Elliot by the way, the lead singer.

The lighting show was just incredible & not to mention very very hot from where we were standing, right in the very front. Best seats, ooops standing spot in the whole place. This is Phil Colin.

They set the Microphones up right in front of us about half way through the concert, & dead set I could have just reached out & touched both Joe & Phil honestly I could have, if it wasn't for our little security friend standing right in my way...oh come back Phil I want to touch you again. Only joking!

This was when they sang *two steps behind* & how good do those bods look for guys in their mid 40's, not bad at all from where I was standing I can tell you. Thou I do think *Sav* needs to get a new hair style, still has the same 80's look going on! We all had a chuckle at the young guy behind us trying very hard to impress his girlfriend, saying things like.. Oh & thats Joe there, Phil has been with them for such & such a time, That's Viv, Sav this & Sav that, like he had this up close & personal friendship going on with the guys. It put a smile on my face, young love huh.

Ok pleased I could share our great night out, they still looked great & still sounded great so I was one happy little chickadee & Shannon hope you like the photos Hon!

The Mother-In-Law from hell & my obsession with Dunnies.....

Now I have to let you all in on a secret of mine, I have an obsession with Loo's, Toilets, Dunnies, Lavatories, Out Houses, name them what you will! This first started when I had my 21st at an amazing French Restaurant (I didn't want a big party, just family & friends gathered for a very special Dinner) & of course I took my camera to take photos of my special day. I ordered escargots (common name Snails) & I think everyone was a tad horrified, but let me tell you the taste is just to die for! I have not had them since but they are on my *to do* list which I have recently started. Ok getting back to the Loo thing, when I, excuse me, went to the Little Girls Room, here was the most beautiful toilet I had ever seen. I can still remember exactly what it looked like, all done out in very Chic Black & White tiles on the floor & walls, & it had a wooden cistern high up on the wall with the most sweetest pull thingy, and a white porcelain knob on the end. I rushed right on out of there lickity split & picked up my camera & just started clicking away. I think I spent the longest time it takes to do a *pee*, in fact now I think about it, it should have been recorded into the *Guinness Book of Records*! I just had never seen a loo like it before. It wasn't until we bought our home & I was going through it on *open day* (actually I arrived early & walked out the back & as soon as I saw the back yard I just knew this was the home for us) & guess what, when I walked into the loo room there it was, a cistern on the wall. Yipeeeeeee I said to myself, if we buy this house I get my all time favourite loo as an added bonus! Well I walked right out of there, went up to the Real Estate guy, put in an offer & before you could say *Bobs your Uncle* the house was off the market! My Darlin' was playing Soccer this day & received quite a shock when he came home to be told I had bought a house he hadn't even seen! No it wasn't really that bad as the house we were renting at the time was exactly the same as our home now. I have to admit the toilet in our home was nowhere near the standard of that beauty in the French Restaurant, it had a concrete cistern which had been painted silver of all colours, & over the years the water kept leaking out of it all the time hence the string attached to the spring & fastened to a hook on the right hand side of the photo above. The pull thingy was an old cruddy chain & no porcelain knob on the end. A few weeks ago we finally said adieu to this faithful but broken down friend, it is now sitting down the back yard keeping company with another old concrete cistern which will be turned into little ponds, hopefully with small waterfalls. I do still have a reminder of our old faithfull though, the outline on the wall where she once stood, so when the rain clears I will be repainting the toilet. We went looking for a new toilet recently & I have to admit I embarrassed my Hubby by sitting on all the ones I liked (well they do have to be comfortable when I take a book in with me to read). I haven't found the *right* one yet but I do know its out there somewhere, waiting for the day I find *her*.

I just had to show you guys this invitation that my friend Anna (boy am I missing her at the moment) in an email. If this is for real I really pity the poor girl who is going to end up with this Mother-In-Law from hell, but it gave me one hell of a laugh. Click on it to enlarge it!

My great $10 find (rocking chair) is still sitting by itself out in the shed, I went into Spotlight yesterday as they had 20% off all their Manchester (gotta love that) & could not believe that I found nothing that took my fancy to cover her in. In Coffs we only have Spotlight & one other fabric shop to choose from. so I am at a loss as to what to cover her in. Bugger! I do have four curtains that I bought off ebay, Rachel Ashwells *Rosilee* print, which I bought to make pillows etc with, got them for a steal at the time, but when I saw them I thought they would look lovely hanging in my bedroom. My Darlin' does not want curtains, just the wooden blinds, which by the way I am very slowly trying to talk him into letting me paint white. I am too scared to cut into them in case he should change his mind & I wouldn't have enough to hang. Decisions Decisions.

It is still raining here, has now been 1 1/2 weeks & it is starting to get me down, I have so much painting to do but is too wet & damp to get anything to dry. So listen guys, I know there are so many of yous who really need all this rain (I should not be whinging) so if I can come up with a way to send it down/up to yous I will



Enjoy the rest of your day



Lyn xoxox

This old house........

This beautiful old Heritage Listed house was the first place I lived when I moved out of home. Back then (I was 17, good grief 31 years ago) it was divided in half, the caretakers lived on the left side & three of us on the right. Apart from my room my favourite room in the house was the kitchen. It had big french doors that opened out onto the amazing garden out the back, full of big old leafy trees where I would sit on really hot Summer days.

The bathroom had the most hughmungest claw foot bath I have ever seen, in those days we didn't even think about saving water, or had to pay excess water bills,(droughts were something only African countries suffered!) & every night I would fill it to the top with bubbles & laze back until the water turned cold!

My Mum is in this photo asking the present owners if I could have a look through, the door on the other side of the bay window was our front door.

Ok so this is a really bad photo of me (as usual, I do NOT like having my photo taken) standing by the outside door that led into my room. The owners have also added another door on the outer wall & use this room as an office now. My room was once the Maids quarters & surprisingly was the largest of the three. It had a massive walk in robe, a real treat 31 years ago, which was once the maids bathroom. I really enjoyed taking this visit down Memory Lane, although sadly the owners have let the house decline, have changed the layout around & my beautiful bright & sunny kitchen is now a very messy bedroom! I just couldn't get over how much stuff they had in this massive house, every room was just spilling over with it.

My love of old homes started out with my Great Grandmothers house in Hapuku near Kaikoura in New Zealand. Every summer we would visit this amazing Lady, she was over 100 when she died & would talk to me about the voyage out from England when she was 4! My Great Aunty Lily lived down the road in the most beautiful Cottage I think I have ever seen & from a young age I just knew this was the type of home I wanted to own *when I grew up*! So when I saw this house it just seemed right that it would be my first rental. I have always wanted to own it, although where it is in Nelson I would never be able to afford it, this is probably the smallest house in the street, in a very expensive area.

So there you have it, hope you enjoyed the walk down Memory Lane with me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Lyn xoxox

Is she going to become a stunner or what.......

Buggar, why is it that the photos always end up in the wrong order??? Um ok so this little gem of a rocking chair is my great find down at Vinnies in Maitland. It needs some TLC done to it, in fact I am not game to sit on it yet as most of the screws are loose!

Need to recover it to get rid of the yucky, yucky fabric that is on it now. Will have to have a real think about what I am going to cover it in.

A coat of paint (white of course) & she will look brand new, well sort of. Will show her off when she is finished.

A short one this morning, Anna's last day here (sob) so are going shopping again.

Oh & I cannot believe I forgot to tell you guys that our Bonnie had four gorgeous pups while we were away last week. Photos coming up of them latter......

My Bestest friend Anna, Def Leppard Concert & our Pub crawl.......

I have been a bit slack with my postings lately (well yep ok you guys are right, I have been REAL slack) but then I do have a really really good excuse, my bestest friend came back up with to stay for a week, so I am allowed to do NOTHING but sit & talk, relax, go shopping, laugh until my insides hurt, have a few drinks (ok ok quite a few drinks) & just love this very special Lady who I am sooooooo lucky to call my friend. (Boy is she going to go OFFFFFFFFF when she see's I posted these photo's of her!)

I cannot believe that this time last week we were down in Maitland getting ready for the Def Leppard concert, where has the time gone, well I guess sitting around doing nothing, talking etc etc. The concert started at 7pm, we left Mick (our eldest son) at 1pm, caught the train into Hamilton where I found a shop I have always wanted to go to, *Anne's Glory Box* where I spent quite some time taking in all the beautiful fabrics & laces etc they sell. The only thing I bought was a pattern!!! The guys didn't want to visit this treasure trove with me so they went to the nearest pub, well you really couldn't blame them as it was a stinking hot day & we really did need to find somewhere that had air con! We ended up doing a pub crawl all the way to Broadmeadow where the Entertainment Centre is, good grief it had been a LONG time since I had done that. I even had a win on the pokies!

We finally got there, bought Macas for tea, & stood in line (up near the front) & waited & waited for the doors to open! Ok so the mad rush was on to get the BEST spot & still cannot believe that we managed to stand right in front of the stage. Yes sireee, we could just reach out & touch them if we wanted to (but didn't) In all there were 3 bands, the support band which I am a bit ashamed to say I cannot remember their name & they were very very good, next Cheap Trick (could only remember 3 of their songs!) & then who everyone had come to see (although I doubt doing the pub crawl thingy like we had) Def Leppard came on. I must admit I was a bit worried they wouldn't sound as good, we are all getting older after all, but no they did not let us down. Shannon *Love Bites* sounds so incredible live, *two steps behind* they sang right in front of us, I could just go on & on. I have to tell yah, I wont be forgetting this concert for a long time.

The only let down to the night was that we had to walk back to Hamilton train station after the concert & missed the train by 5 minutes so had to wait over an hour for the next one, but hey that's life huh.

Friday was spent doing the rounds of the local Op shops in Maitland. Ooooooooh wait until I show you the little beauty I bought for $10, I had to go & ask the ladies behind the counter if *the price was right*! & yep you bet your bottom dollar it was, so paid for it straight away while I looked for other little treasures I could purchase for next to nothing! My Darlin' was a bit horrified when he saw my steal, *why do you want THAT*, *How will it fit in the car*, where are you putting THIS when we get home*, *you are not painting it WHITE are you*, etc etc. I just smiled & told him how great it will look when I have finished giving it a new lease of life! Sorry but you will have to wait until my next post to see what IT is. Due to 3 males who are not into Op shops I didn't get to spend nearly as much time thrifting, but was really happy with my treasure that I bought.

Oh forgot to mention that I forgot to take my camera to the concert, can you beleive that, but our friend who came with us took some photos on his camera. Will post them as soon as I get them on my computer...

I finished the frames, have hung one in my bedroom, put the oil painting that came with this frame back into it, but am not really fussed with it, it seems a bit bright to me, but it will do until I find something to replace it?? My next job will be our duchess (you can just see the corner of the mirror on the bottom right hand side, feel a bit guilty as it took *My Darlin'* hours & hours of varnishing years ago to transform it from the Mission Brown paint it had on it when we bought it. What was it in the eighties with *Mission Brown*, I think Australia must have had a huge sale on that colour paint!

Love how Taska's bed side cabinet turned out. *She* looks so much better with her white paint & glass knobs, now I just have to make Taska a new quilt for her bed, I had to bribe her (SHE IS INTO BLACK & WHITE) so will make her a quilt in black & white for her bed to keep her happy!

Ok so this is a short & sweet one from me today, heading off to Maitland in the morning, Deff Leppard concert at Newcastle on Thursday, doing the rounds of Vinnies etc Friday in Maitand (so many thrifty shops down there) my best friend Anna is coming back up with us on Saturday to stay for a week (REALLY looking forward to that, heaps of time spent on the front veranda) planning on coming home via the New England Highway, will be my first time, & out west hopefully will have heaps of small towns with thrifty shops, YES will be in HEAVEN!

Put a bet on the Cup today (my one & only time I pl;ace a bet) my horse came in 4th, them the brakes huh, but still really enjoyed the thrill of the race.

Hope yours horses came in for you's

Enjoy your night

Lyn xoxo

Wow my first ever blog award.....

Wow I do not believe this but I have received my first award from Kathryn at http://ourshabbycottage.blogspot.com/. I am honestly over the moon & have the hugest smile on my face that will no doubt stay there for the next few days. Thank you so much Kathryn, you do not how happy you have made me.

Ok so now it is my turn to pass this award on to 7 other great bloggers out there, so here goes:

http://thepink-poodle.blogspot.com/ Andrea because she has become a close friend & I smile every time I read her blog. Hey sweet this is your second award in one day!

http://adregan.blogspot.com/ Ali a fellow Kiwi because she bought my blog to life & I still cannot get over how pretty it is.

http://shannonthompson.blogspot.com/ Shannon was the first person to leave me a comment on my blog & boy it meant so much to me.

http://http//abiteofcountrycupcakes.blogspot.com/ Kylie because her blog is just so cheery & she tells it how it is!

http://melsroseplace.blogspot.com/ Mel because I just really enjoy reading her blog, & she has a picket fence & roses in her front garden just like me!

http://wwwbloggercomcottagerose.blogspot.com/ Rose because her blog is just such a delight to read, & she loves her gardens!

http://www.abeachcottage.typepad.com/Sarah because I just love how she has renovated her Beach Cottage, & her wit is very infectious.

Ok so I know I said 7 & if I can still count properly that is my seven (thou mind you I could just keep going) but there is one more that I need to give this award to:

http//ourshabbycottage.blogspot.com/ Kathryn because her's is the first blog I read every day & I just love all her creations, a very talented Lady.

Ok so there you have it, if you accept this award you can place it in your sidebar & you must blog it & send it on to seven others. ( Leave them a comment on their blog to let them know)

Enjoy the rest of your day

Lyn xoxo

My special trip home.......

In January I went home for a couple of weeks to surprise my Mum for her birthday. It was the first time in 27 years that I had spent both my Mums & my own birthday back home with my family, well & truly long over due. I will never forget the look on my Mums face when I walked in the door, it was priceless & my Dad had kept the secret for me since August of last year, no mean feat when it comes to my Mum I have to tell you. Anyway last night I was looking for some photos that I had saved & came across the ones I had taken back home. These were all taken in the Chinese Garden in Nelson, it really is quite breath taking.

Ok so this one is of my gorgeous Dad, Cindy their little girl & well me! Yuck I never like how my photo turns out!

Love this one, my gorgeous Mum & Dad with Cindy. I have this photo as my background on my computer.

It always amazes me how Chinese gardens are so peaceful, would just love to have this in my back yard!

Love the white, so clean & crisp looking. Love this shot of Cindy, she is the most sweetest little Australian Terrier, my Mum & Dad really love their little girl.

I took this shot because of how the pebbles were laid, all on their ends rather than flat, would have taken weeks or even months to do & they all form a pattern!

How much do I WANT this is my back yard, just so peaceful sitting in here, can see me sitting in this in my back yard with a good book!

So these are just a few of the photos I took, will show more at a later date.

Have a busy day, we are off on Wednesday down to our sons to stay for a few days to catch the Def Leppard concert on Thursday night, am really getting excited. It has been raining here for the past 3 days so has taken longer to get Taskas bed side cabinet painted. Hopped out this morning & gave it its final coat so will take photos of the finished result when it is dry.

Hope you have enjoyed sharing my very special trip home with me, let me know what you guys think!

Have a really great day

Lyn xoxox

Vinnies, Vampires & Vacations.....

Taskas friends popped over last night while doing the Halloween thingy so I just had to take a photo or two of them. A LOT of preparation went into looking this good!

I have been feeling VERY VERY down lately, has been quite some time since I was this bad & let me tell you it is a road I dread going down, anyway after weeks of not being able to do anything, especially housework, I decided yesterday to get in & tackle the growing mess around me! Yeah right after I go for a walk down to our local Vinnies. I do not know what I was looking for, just had the feeling something was waiting for me to take them home. Nothing in Vinnies so went next door to Legacy (I keep calling this place Leprosy, not good.) Well what do you know but sitting there all by its little lonesome was the bedside table I have been hunting & hunting for Taska's room! Yee Haa, even did some haggling but nope the guy wouldn't budge on the price. What the hell, its what I have been looking for, so as I do not drive (yeah yeah, shock horror, rapidly approaching 50 & still cannot drive, although I do own my L's) I had to leave her at the shop until this morning. Taska took one look at it, fell head over heals in love, telling me how perfect it is, trashy handles & all, saw the look of horror on my face & bellowed *please do not tell me you are going to paint her WHITE! Ummm yeah! is that a stupid question or what, she knows every single bit of furniture I get my hands on is painted the sacred colour! As I still have a cane table & more photo frames out in the shed in the process off being painted WHITE, I will allow the new comer to our family to sit very quietly in Taskas room where I will choose to ignore her in that disgusting burgundy colour, until I get to her!

So after my big find of the day I was feeling soooooooooo much better & stopped in at the THIEF"S shop, our biggest & only privately owned *second hand* shop. I had spotted a great looking out door lounge the day before that I could just so see sitting on my front veranda (if you have visited before you will know this my favourite spot) & had spent that night having dreams of painting (WHITE of course) & making up more poofy cushions to match the chairs, & just have something to lay on & read by book, have a coffee (or the odd beer or even better Vodkas) in peace, so had decided that it was going dirt cheap, so imagine my horror when it was not even there! Ok so around the corner to yet another thrifty shop where I found the little collection above. Two very tacky gold frames, a curtain that has the most sweetest roses on it, & a book on Madame de Pompadour (YEESSSSSSSS). Ok so the frames have now been painted white & lookin' real good, the curtain I am going to make new cushion covers for the front veranda as the pink & white stripe are toooooo small & I really have to have rose fabric out there, & the book I am just going to sooo enjoy reading 'cause I have always wanted to go to France, like forever, I think in a past life I lived there! So after two hours of thrifting I walked home (remember there's no license here) in 35 degree heat & finally arrive looking like a beetroot, dripping wet, but OH SO HAPPY, which I have not felt in I do not how long.

It has been a few hours since I started this post, My Darlin's best mate arrived round, few beers in the shed(out of Vodka) & have had a painting frenzy. The frames are finished, the cane table has one coat to go, & best of all one blue eye, one green eye, Taska is sleeping over at a friends tonight SO the burgundy has gone, draws have had 3 coats, the rest just the one, but am hoping to have it finished before she arrives home tomorrow. Will bribe her with a black & white doona cover!

Thanks heaps for popping in, you know what to do, leave a comment, see yah's

Lyn xoxoxo

Oh yeah as for the Vacation! there isn't one, just couldn't think of a third V that I did yesterday!