Rosy Autumn!

Hello, Lovelies!🌹

I think Autumn has finally arrived. This is hands down my FAVOURITE of all seasons. The Season Of The Great Cool Relief is what I call it because Summer is The Great Hot Flush!😄

It's been another week of Alfie and his snotty nose. Poor boy, back at the Vet today for another check up and a round of designer anti-biotics for his virulent nasal bacterial infection. I can't imagine ( or maybe I don't want to imagine ) what he'd been sniffing in his past life that caused such a horrible bacterial infestation! But we'll get to the bottom of this and hopefully soon Alfie will be breathing normally which I suspect is something he has not had the luxury of doing for a very long time. Mind you, you would never know that he's uncomfortable seeing as he's full of beans, and has the appetite of...well a Dog who has not eaten a good meal in his entire life! He didn't mind posing for this pic because the Vet managed to clean his nose! 😊

Cape Town is bracing itself for the coming Winter. In a good way. The rains will bring the green spectrum back into the parched rolling fields of the countryside, which look so dry you feel your gaze could set them alight like tinder under a magnifying glass.

This must be the complete opposite to all of you Northern Hemisphere Yarnies celebrating the much-anticipated arrival of Spring? You're packing away the woollens and dusting off the ol' bikini right? Digging out the flip flops from behind the boots? I am doing the exact same thing but in reverse! Can't wait to pull on lovely warm socks, slip my feet into a pair of ankle boots, squash a beanie on my head and venture out for puddly walks or long windy beach rambles with the dogs dashing madly into the surf while pearl grey clouds hang their water-pregnant bellies over the mountains like benevolent giant Mama's taking a rest.

While I wax lyrical about this gorgeous season... I grew a Rose! I am beyond excited about this. It's as if I performed a magic trick and voila, a ROSE. You probably think I'm bonkers but let me tell you...it's been almost 18 years since moving down to Cape Town, the soil here, especially closer to the beach where we live, is basically sea sand and I have had to re-learn a whole lot of new gardening skills.

There have been many tears shed trying to tease out green flowering things to thrive in the beds here but finally, I twigged that EVERYTHING will grow in a controlled environment...enter The Container Garden ( and Monty Don's Small Gardens Big Dreams series ) and also this very lucky find in a second-hand book store by Nancy Gardiner called A Celebration of Roses! It's such a beautifully put together book too. 💗

Today my colour mood is definitely Autumny! I cannot lie, these are my colours all year round.😊

Some great news!  Just when you think they've done it all...Scheepjes has launched a brand new colour range called Metropolis!

I used some of the colours for today's colour mood but there are dozens more. 💗

The latest update for the extension of High Tea, one word...PROGRESS! In spite of constant interruptions, I am getting there. Here's a teeny sneak peek just to prove I am working on it just in case you think I'm in the Bahamas sipping Pina Colada's, or something else I DO wish I was doing that requires minimal effort!  😋 I don't want to give too much away because it won't be a surprise then!

I hope your weekend rolls in gently and that you find space and time to do whatever makes you feel good. What does make you feel lovely? Reading a good book or crocheting/knitting/crafting uninterrupted? Meeting a dear friend for coffee or lunch? Doing a Spa/Hair day? Going for a long walk or digging in your garden? Let me know?

💗Jen