Jukebox Memories...

Hello dear friends.

Great to have you back here and welcome to all my new followers.

 I recently had the pleasure of attending a charity spring tea celebration thanks to an invite from a friend. She said I would adore the attention to detail and that it was an event not to be missed. And my oh my.... do these ladies know how to lay on the glam!  This was in no way just cake and tea my friends. Oh no... the tables were veritable works of art!

Each table was hosted by a lady who did the decor and the eats and let me tell you that it was a feast to the eye let alone the tastebuds. There were various themes for the hostesses to choose from to decorate their tables in and wonderful prizes to be won for the best in each category.

I was seated at table thirty four and the theme was "Do you still Remember the Fifties?"

Well dear hearts, I don't as I was not about in the fifties!!!!

But...

We did have long playing records....do you remember?

They seem ancient nowadays, don't they?

So this was a blast from the past....

Have a look at some of the song titles...No 1 Country Hits....

Go on, get yer glasses lassy!

I bet you know some of those tunes.

We were welcomed with a smoothie milkshake..

Popcorn was right on cue...

A mini jukebox set the mood....

How about that cake?

I wondered if it was to be consumed later or was it just decor?

Under the cake stand were twirly lollies.... my hat, those were the days...sorry, I was beginning to feel like a kid again...

I told you these gals know how to lay it on...

But, before we got to the sweet stuff we each had a basket of treats to breakfast on....atop a long playing record charger.

 

Have a peek inside... and note the serviettes  liner please.

How many of you made out in the back seat of a car like that on the serviette....hmmm?

Remember the song "At the Hop?"

A wonderful morning of entertainment and speakers followed a fashion show of the most adorable little kiddies.

We were treated to these desirable morsels of sweetness...

....followed by decadent chocolate mouse

The cake stand had finery of its own, in the form of these little

beauties...

Take a look...at those shades doll!

Well, by this time it was way passed lunch time.. honestly!

And another cup of freshly brewed coffee was in order.

Accompanied by this!

Goodness but it looked intimating but seductive none the less... so the cake was not just decor after all...

Hmmm... I was not going to manage this ...

So I turned it on its side to see if it looked more manageable,  but alas, it seemed to be larger that way...



I did try my best to do it justice as best I could,  but in the end had to opt for a "take away"

...along with my goodie bag of toffee and sweet treats.

I had to...it had my name on it!

It was a wonderful day spent for a great cause and I will be sharing some of the other amazing tables over the next few weeks.

So folks, put in another nickle into the Nickelodeon... and while you take a trip down memory lane please leave me a comment of your favourite jukebox song...

Thanks for stopping by.

Live Well and keep those songs rolling

Veronica

xxx

I will be joining Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch here

Freshman Friday at Home Savvy A-Z here

Inspiration for Celebration October Celebration Linky Party here

Japie's Tropical Paradise Part I

Good morning all! I trust you had a great weekend and that you are ready for the new week. I have a wonderful garden to share with you. This is my favourite garden ever! What is more, it is just down the road from me in a neighbouring suburb and I often drive a detour to pass it and stop for some soul food without even getting out of the car!

I came across it when I got lost one day trying to find the doctor's surgery and what attracted me was the unusual Traveller's Palm (for this region anyway) that was just spectacular. As an avid gardener I stopped and knocked at the door to ask permission to walk through and take a closer look. Japie graciously accepted a complete stranger into his home and garden and showed me the back garden as well. Wonderful that gardeners are all sharing people, isn't it? To say that I was entranced is an understatement...more like gobsmacked!! By the end of that first visit I left with an armful of  cuttings and a whole load of inspiration and admiration for a true artist! Trust me if I say I absolutely do not know where to start....

I thought I might start with the post box... If I went out here to fetch the mail I would never get back inside again...

Getting out of the car I catch a glimpse of the path to the front door...just this short path is so filled with treasure that I am snapping away before I have even knocked at the door to announce my arrival...but who wouldn't?

Love the lattice pattern that the cut branches of the palm made...gorgeous!!

Now, let me just inform you that the Western Cape is most definitely not a tropical climate, but looking at this garden you would think differently....It is lush and is filled with colour, texture, shape and form of every description. Please take time when you look at the pictures to note the variety of plants and also the canopy of the garden.

Glancing back towards Noddy standing in the road. Note the plant combination....and the colours. Aloes, Mother-in- laws -tongue and of course Japie's passion, bromelias of every description.



Spy the bird's Nest Fern?

There are amazing vignettes where ever you look from every angle and  it is like viewing a painting layered with colour, shape, textures and charm...

This is what greets you on the way to the front door!

See what I mean? ...paradise in the suburbs...

Lushes curls of the new growth....

Glancing back towards the road...you have to do that here!! or you will miss something great... um...so I got it from all the angles... but you know me by now as being completely snap happy....The design is so amazing that the picture changes all the time...

The palm trees are magnificent and although the garden is not large it felt like I had  entered a forest! There are so many lessons to be learnt here, both in design and the effective use of space, plant combinations, etc, etc...sigh



Look closer...

The birds nest fern planted in an urn is a focal point and I adore the luminous green splash and the shape.

There is another Birds nest fern to the right also in an urn...

Stunning colour combination in this hibiscus.

The irrigation system reaches into the trees to mist the plants and create humidity with astonishing results as you can see.

Japie has made attention to detail into an art form in its own class!

Finally folks, we arrive at the front door. By now I am sure he must have caught a glimpse of me through the window snapping away, and probably thought to himself.... "Leave her, she will eventually arrive at the front door" Well, I am about to ring the doorbell and a melodious melody wafts from within....sigh...what a wonderful way to have spent a Sunday morning.



At the front door the  Croton is a fiery display of pure magnificent colour...

....have a look at how it shows of its splendour against a creamy backdrop...

Perfection, don't you think?

Below is the red hibiscus seen in the photo above, snuggled against the palm tree's trunk of grey making the red even more intense.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the first instalment. Believe me there is much more that I will be sharing with you from the wonderful piece of paradise that I have had the pleasure of photographing. I will however not reveal to you just how many photos I ended up with...it is indecent, you understand! It was an overcast day with the odd bit of rain and the light was perfect and just got better and better.

I would like to thank Japie for graciously allowing me into his home and piece of paradise and for allowing me to share it with you. The great thing is that it is here for reference and to learn from and to inspire everyone who reads it. Next, I will be sharing the treasures of the back garden with you and thereafter I will take you through the rest of the front garden.

Live Well

Veronica

xxx

I will be joining the following linky parties. Please join us for the fun and to support and meet fellow talented bloggers from around the world.

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House here
Creative Bloggers Party at Homemaker on a Dime here

Debbie Doo's Newby Party here

Amaze me Monday at Dittle Dattle here

Savvy Home Made Monday at Home Savvy here

Blooming Tuesday atMrs Green Thumb Jean here
Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer here
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style here
Wednesdays Bunny Hop at Bunny Jean 's here
Cottage Floral Thursdays at Fishtail Cottage here
Potpourri Friday at 2805 here


Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Please  make my day and regale me with your comments in the comment box below....

Screenplay in my Lounge...

Good morning friends. It is a wonderful spring day in Cape Town and so far no wind!! So, we are making the best of it while it lasts.

Do you decorate with screens? Or do you have a wonderful antique that has been handed down to you? In that case I am seriously envious. Screens are wonderful and can add another dimension to a room lacking in architectural detail. Some screens are carved elaborately, or have the most divine fabric covering them. I love the pattern, texture and depth that screens adds to a room. In days gone by they were mostly functional and oh so beautiful, whilst being functional, but today we seem to use them mostly for eye candy....

I only have one screen in my home, which I bought at a closing down sale. It was tucked away behind a pile of boxes and I spotted it on my way to the ladies room! Sometimes the call of nature can be most profitable!!

My screen has had a tour of duty all over my house and currently it is presiding over my formal lounge.

It brings interest to an otherwise dull corner and is a focal point when entering the room.

I love the detail...

It shows off my favourite urn perfectly...

...as well as the urn shaped lamp...

Here are a few screens that I found on my Pinterest boards...

Hard to choose a favourite.... I can surely find a space for each one, trust me! I simply love the one used as a head board in the first picture to the left and the pink room's screen behind the bed is exquisite!

I was very fortunate to find my screen at a bargain basement price tucked away behind boxes to be thrown out! The shop owner was quite astonished, believe me and I got a further discount for locating it! So it was a win win for both of us!

Live Well

Veronica

xx

Joining Mary for Mosaic Monday at Little Red House here
Creative Bloggers Party Hop at Home maker on a Dime here

Debbie Doo's Blogging and Babbling  here

Show off your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses here
Amaze me Monday at Dittle Dattle here
Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia here
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here here
Treasure Hunt Thursadyas at From my Porch to Yours here
Furniture Friday at Miss Mustard Seed here

Weaver Struggles to please the Missus!

Morning all! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Monday is a grand day as it is my blogging day  and I try to set it aside to catch up with everyone and do my blog posts for the week. We had a great weekend and the weather was amazing. Today is a bit dismal and windy so its great to be here in blogland and seeing every one's fall decor in the Northern Hemisphere. It fascinates me how we are in spring you some of you are doing gorgeous fall decor. Just goes to show, here in blogland we can have the best of both worlds!!

 A while back I did a post on my Queen of the Night which smells just heavenly and about the weaver who was building a nest. You can catch up on it here to see how the nest started.

Some of you asked for an update on Weaver's antics and to show you the completed nest.

Busily stripping the palms for building material and looking rather fierce at my photographic interruption!

It is truly amazing how nimbly they weave with their beaks and how fast! I can watch them for hours and of course the singing and chirping is a delight! Although when there are a few together building the decibels can become unbearable as Smirnoff the Labrador will be quick to point out!

Finally, A completed nest that seems to meet with the approval of the Missus! She is a feisty creature and had ripped poor Mr. Weaver's grand construction to shreds a few times!!! This time she seems pleased and I missed her inspection but since it has been dangling there for a week and I have seen her in and out, so I take it, that this will be the new nursery in the garden!



Construction start to finish!

As you can see below they like to build all the nests in the same tree close together as seen here on a farm, so I am quite lucky to have a single nest in my garden!

Loads of blooms in the garden at the moment...

The most prolific rose in my garden is Dream Yellow. It seems to be in constant bud or bloom nearly all year round including almost all the way through winter and each year when I eventually decide to prune it, it usually still has flowers on! It was a gift from my children for Mother's Day many moons ago!

Smirnoff has been taking a daily swim as is his custom since his first swim of the season (click here)



Veronica

xxx

Hope you all have a great week.

Live well

Joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday here
Debbie Doo's Blogging and Babbling here
Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer here

I'm Back!!

Good morning friends. I am back from my trip and happy to return to blogland to catch up with all my favourite blogs, friends and followers! Time is travelling faster than any of us care for, and I am looking towards Christmas already...When do you all bring out your Christmas finery? Well, I for one am like a kid when it comes to Christmas decorations and can actually not wait to unpack them!

But for now, I am sticking to flowers if only to celebrate spring, properly!  I had this bouquet in my living room to enjoy for a while...

Well, actually the kitchen island, as my kitchen, breakfast room and living room is all open. My favourite space in the house...

The St Joseph Lilies are so fragrant and perfumes the whole house, even upstairs...

I bought quite an odd ensemble, what with the eucalyptus in the mix, and after I had done, I thought, Oh Dear! The smells are going to clash... but for some reason, the eucalyptus did not smell strongly, in fact I could not detect it at all, so I left it.

The crew was keeping a close eye on my doings...

Just outside the patio door, the smell was still heavenly as the Jasmine was now in full bloom....

So, I put some in all the bathrooms and the guest loo below.

The farm across the road uses the pastures down here for spring grazing so from my desk I have this lovely sight in the mornings and some sounds that I don't usually hear!

I have some lovely posts lined up for you and am looking forward to hearing from all of you again! Thank you for all the wonderful comments I received via my Blackberry while I was away. You kept me entertained with all your great input as usual.

Live Well

Veronica

xxx

I will be joining Bunny Jeans Bunny Hop here.

PS: have you noticed the Big Blog Roll over at her blog. Do have a look. Button in my side bar as well!

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style here

White Wedenesday at Faded Charm here