Weekly Winners : 13 - 19 Dec

Hi there ..... !!

... look how good I look in my Christmas hat ...

... my buddie, Robbie, didn't really want his Christmas hat on ... but I think I see a little smile on his face .. do you see it too? ....

A feather ..... promise, promise, promise ... I did NOT catch that birdie ....

... even though his feathers looked sleek and shiny ...

... and so fluffy ...

Erin came to play but she went with Granny to play at Bradley and Connor's house. After swimming - 'cos it's been soooo hot lately - they had a picnic and she was 'mommy' .. pouring the 'tea' ..

.. yummy ... it must have tasted good ....

I wished Robbie and I were there too, 'cos they all played with balls ... our favourite toys ...

... they were throwing and catching ...

... and while the boys were playing with their Daddy ...

.. Erin was throwing ....

... and catching with Jeanette ... oooops ... keep your eyes on the ball, Erin ..

Lots of love from

Jackie x x woof woof !

PS. here are some flowers from my mistress' garden ... she says a Weekly Winner's isn't the same without a flower or two from our garden ...

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' blog

Jackie's friend ...

... came to visit today!

He's a miniature doberman who lives down the road ... and who is so small and thin, he hops through the gate ...



... and comes to play!!

Robbie sometimes chases him away .. or sometimes, like today ... lets him stay to play ..

Jackie and her friend whizz around the garden ....


... and usually Robbie joins in ...

.. and then he goes ..

Apologies for the blurry photos - they dash around very fast !!!

Weekly Winners : 19 - 25 July

What have we today, for our Weekly Winners ?...

... ummm ... let's see ....

we have the odd rose ... singled out from a bunch I bought for the vase ...

... the purples/mauves/lilacs of the lavender flower ... (Connor would call it a "power") !

... and the dainty Alysum embracing the winter sunshine ...

We have little feet stomping through the leaves ...

... and galloping around the garden ...

We have chocolate covered little fingers creating a masterpiece ...

... for hubby to share with his grandchildren ... blowing out the candles is a team effort!

.. and altogether .... 1 2 3 .... blow !

We have our pretty little Erin having fun with bubbles ....

... and then cuddling while 'Lainey reads ....

... and warming up noses on a cold winter's night

And then we have a smiley face on hubby's suitcase to cheer him up as he packs for another business trip overseas ... which he never looks forward to the long haul across the seas ..

So ... am on my own today and will go out into the garden where the fairies and elves ...

... and mushrooms ... smile and peep through their winter leaf blankets ....

.. and we can all enjoy this beautiful sunny warmish winter's day!

Usually link to Lotus' Weekly Winners - but it's not there today!

These are the flowers ..

.... chosen by Connor to give to me yesterday, on Mother's Day.

Jeanette said that whilst they were shopping they walked passed these flowers and Connor stopped and said "Flowers ... for Nanny". J asked him if they should buy flowers for me as they hadn't decided what to get ..... and he replied "yes"

Cute as a button, he is!! And when they arrived for afternoon tea, Bradley came running in to give me the bunch and a huge hug!! Elaine made tiny baby muffins and I opened a tin of shortbread which hubby had brought back from his recent trip to London.

I spoke to my son on the phone earlier in the morning - they were going to spoil his Mum-in-law for the day

We went out for breakfast to a small quiet cafe in our little local shopping centre. It was lovely! Most of the larger eateries and cafes are packed with families spoiling their mothers/grannies for breakfasts, teas, or lunches. We've tried various places over the years. Bookings for breakfast and lunch are essential as they are always full. We have had good and bad experiences!! This year, the four of us - hubby, Elaine, Bryan and I decided to book a table at our local cafe which always serves a delicious breakfast. Nothing fancy but home-style fare! It was lovely! No camera with me :(

... and the cherry on top ..... Elaine gave me an extra special gift ... a morning to share with her at a health spa for a hot stone full body massage and foot treatment including a pedicure! Lucky lucky me !!!! We will be going in two weeks time when hubby is away on business again - can't wait!

Yesterday was bittersweet though. Our old Labrador, Robbie slipped and fell on the kitchen floor yesterday morning and is now battling. He is 11 years old with arthritis and failing eyesight ... hurt himself badly yesterday so Elaine and I took him to the vet. Not good news as he may have only pulled muscles and nerves but the vet doesn't think so. He may have permanent muscle and nerve damage down the one leg which is just caused by the arthritis and generally the onset of old age. He has always had problems with his joints which apparently is a common Labrador 'thing' but when he was 2 years old he needed an op on the one elbow - this is the leg that is now giving him a problem. Because he is older, and arthritic, he is not stable anymore on his feet ...

Our Robbie

Bradley and Connor giving Robbie some TLC a few weeks ago

Weekly Winners : 18 - 24 Jan

Raindrop

Coffee in the garden

Dirty bucket .. clean cars

More crayons?

My calendar

Our beautiful Robbie...
.. and our beautiful Jackie

Teeny tiny toadstools

'Australian' violets

Lastly ... another sunset ... yesterday ... through the neighbour's trees

Now - shall see if I submit this properly - this time !! For more Weekly Winners go to a very patient and helpful Lotus!

Down memory lane ... and splashes of garden

A very relaxing weekend started off with Bradley's graduation ceremony where one of the songs they sung began with :- Boom, boom, boom .. boom, boom, boom, .... and I had that song in my head the entire weekend -

Win or lose, sink or swim

One thing is certain we'll never give in

Side by side, hand in hand

We all stand together

Play the game, fight the fight

But what's the point on a beautiful night?

Arm in arm, hand in hand

We all stand together

La la la ................

(Written by Paul McCartney)

Rupert the Bear and the Frog Song ... 'I remember that' Elaine said with great big grin and eyes lighting up, 'from when I was little' !!!

At the graduation, all the little kiddies sang with such gusto, it brought tears to my eyes, especially when they linked arms and sang loudly ' we all stand together' - words to live by in this country of ours. This generation WILL make a difference!

And then they sang our National Anthem - Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica - hands to hearts .. loud and proud ! A very special evening!

Sunday was spent doing ... um ... nothing much !! So nice, for a change! As hubby is away on a business trip, it's only Elaine and I, and the doggies, at home and we had absolutely no plan for the day. When that happens I tend to spend the day ..with dirty gardening gloves, secateurs, spade, fork and my 'gardening bucket' in hand.

Elaine's boyfriend, Bryan, popped in on his way to work (he often goes to work on Sundays), for breakfast .. and never left. We sat, even me, and did the unthinkable for a glorious sunny day -watched a home video! Elaine wanted to show Bryan what our labrador, Robbie, was like when he was a pup - in 1997. I kept passing the TV area and glancing at the antics of this cutest little puppy .. all fluffy and chubby with the cutest eyes and ears .. and nose .. and then couldn't take any longer ... just had to sit and watch. We watched the whole tape! Haven't seen those old videos in years - oh my, how time passes !! And oh my, how we have all changed!!!! Jeanette had recently got married, Carl was still living at home, studying for his B.Tech in Emergency Medical Care, and Elaine was 10 years old! So glad I did all those videos in those days but I need to convert them onto DVD's !!

Robbie - 6 weeks old with Elaine and her cousin, Daniella

After going down memory lane for a bit - and it's good for the soul to do that once in while - I left the 'love birds' watching TV, then attempted to do my gardening. Kept stopping to grab my camera! Exciting .. now that I can share my garden, plants and flowers with all of you !!! Although Jeanette has done the honours many, many times !!!! When I see her walking down the driveway with camera bag slung over her shoulder and says those four little words - "I need a photo!" ... it's either the garden's turn, the children's turn, or the dog's turn to be the photographic subjects!

Agapanthus "Blue Velvet"

Wild Iris (this one is the pale yellow variety altho' it looks white here)

Flower of the Philodendron selloum