Saturday, November 6, 2010

pawsitive identification...

Mother and I recently went exploring and found a hidden gem of a home decor store/ nursery/garden centre a few miles (kilometres) from the Bungalow.
A lovely drive in the autumn sunshine, a slight break from all this rain...a chance to chat and enjoy each others' company.
We had fun browsing and the shop keeper was very keen to show us around pointing out where he found the unusual wares. An unguarded banter was struck as we were the only two customers and we oohed and awed and pointed out and commented on what caught our eye...we were quite chatty and surprisingly loud...yet it felt comfortable.

Mother and I have very different taste in home decor, she leans to chinoiserie chic and I to simply crafted arts and crafts era furnishings.

Gardening was the major focus and garden accessories were in abundance...planters, seating, statues, birdbaths, sun dials...inside there were exotic scarves, shawls, handbags, candles, lights, fashion jewelry, table linens and all were displayed gracefully in colour vignettes.

Orchids and plants were interspersed throughout the displays.

The exotic and the common contrasted and collaborated to exude an elegant flair...a sensory delight that made it nearly impossible to leave empty handed...such a powerful tactic.
Illustrating skillfully just how objects can be combined to create artful and eye pleasing results that conspire and tempt even the strongest among us!

I am moving my accent pieces around the Bungalow and grouping them in different ways so they appear fresh and new. I have more bits and bobs than I can display at any given time so I am very prudent when it comes to adding more.

Mother and I both purchased...a plant that we were advised to water once a month...no name, no tag...
and were told it was a succulent.


 looks so unusual...

what is it?
anyone know this plant?


Mother had a bag full when we left
and I a single plant.

a few days later...
Mother met Pepper 
 Pepper purred like a bubbling motor!
she's won over another heart...

Pepper up to her usual mischief...


Pepper has got her eyes fixed on the strap of my camera
and she is doing her best
to cat-ch it!


she's swift
sure footed and pawsitive

her nails are razor sharp
(they have been recently trimmed)


sharp teeth

in the last couple of days 
she's taken to climbing up my pant leg
it hurts
and I must say I cannot ignore this behaviour nor condone it...
excuse me 
I must go and play with her or suffer endless scratches
and holes in my jeans.

Hope that you have time this weekend to indulge in something that you love...
be it a hobby, pottering in the garden or greenhouse,
sharing a meal with friends or family,
reading a juicy novel,
or simply soaking in a tub of scented or salted water.
Give yourself that time
a gift to yourself.

14 comments:

jenndon said...

Your outing with your mother sounded wonderful. I'm taking your advice and planning a relaxing weekend! Our son is home this weekend from college and after he and hubby return from fishing I'll have some nice chili waiting for them. Have a nice weekend!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Hi, Isn't it fun when you find a new and wonderful store...especially when it involves plants and the outdoors.(-:

Britta said...

Dear Hostess of the Humble Bungalow,
you have such a cute little cat - and take marvellous pictures of her! I'm quite tempted to have one, too - but in a big city it's a bit unfair, I think (and two are too much - and I think they must be able to go outside, they are hunters) Yours has a paradise!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

jenndon- A family get together...there might be a fish on the menu if the fish are biting!
Enjoy your son's visit!

LaVieQuotidienne- I get so excited seeing new plants and have great difficulty not over buying...new shops with great stock make for serious shopping/browsing.

Britta- Thank you...you have no idea how many shots I took to capture these few...most of them were a complete blurr!

materfamilias said...

I'll soon be hanging out with our little one -- she's on her way over right now for a sleepover with Nana and Granddad. I can't wait!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

materfamilias- I can feel your smile as you type!

Fiona Ferris said...

Succulents are so sculptural, and they thrive on neglect. What's not to like?

Pepper is adorable, as always. It's hard to believe so much character is packed into such a small body, but cats always manage it.

mette said...

Hostess: Congratulations for your blog facelift! I too am in the process making some wee changes. Things like these always give a good feeling, yes?!

Semi Expat said...

Lovely day out with your Ma and what an unusual plant. Such great photos of the baby girl! She is growing already! Lovely blog revamp too - the photos look even bigger and clearer - how is everyone doing this? Need to jump on the bandwagon too I feel!! X

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Fiona- I had a jade plant once and now that you mention succulents I really think it is time to find another...they are a great species.

metscan-I love green, it's my favourite colour so I thought I'd add some and maybe got a wee bit carried away... :)

Semi Expat- Blogger had a "New Template" appear on the bar and I thought I'd go and see what it was all about and a few minutes later I was changing the look with a click of the mouse!

Linda Back in Canberra said...

Dear Mme Hostess, Again such wonderful photographs - I think your new plant looks like a piece of sculpture. I love pottering with my step-mum in shops and then stopping for a coffee or for lunch. I think it is lovely to be with one's favourite people among beautiful things, isn't it?

LPC said...

I rather like the new look too. I think if you wanted to make the photos bigger you'd have to change the template column size, making this one wider and the sidebar narrower. Or use a different template altogether. Your photos really are good.

Sydney Shop Girl said...

Awww, what beautiful photos of Pepper.

I love the new layout too.

SSG xxx

La Belette Rouge said...

That last shot of Pepper is priceless. Thanks for sharing so much beauty!
xo