Weekly Winners :

Connor and Jackie ... togetherness ...

A boy and a dog ....

.. a boy giving a dog a love/a squeeze ...

.... a boy telling the dog he loves her ...

... a boy giving the dog a kiss !!!!

... then 'the boy' gets hold of camera and takes photo of his granny ... (would have been legs and feet if granny hadn't crouched :) )!!!!

Connor and I (photos above !) were in the back garden having fed the birds and not long after Connor had put the apple there, it was nibbled on by a few birds ... amongst them was this Black Collared Barbet ...

Jeanette's birthday was yesterday. I made my 'speciality chocolate cake' without the usual smarties !!!! Ohhh nooo !!! ... but sprinkled it with teeny tiny stars instead ... stars for a 'star daughter' ...

Fortunately I had made the cake earlier that morning as the power went out in the afternoon and had to cook camping style !!!! (which by the way, we don't DO camping - these are for emergency use ONLY!) We have two gas bottles with cooker tops for cooking when the electricity goes off .. which used to be frequent .. very frequent .. but we are now cut off less frequently, fortunately ... but it just happen to go off when I was cooking our dinner .. Jeanette's birthday dinner!

Sooo .. out came the gas stuff. Bryan offered his Mom's Wonder Bag to help with the cooking process - dashed home to fetch it and returned with this amazing bag ...

I had heard of them years ago but had never actually seen one. I had heard how good they were for slow cooking. It's hard to believe anything could cook in it but it does! Whatever you are cooking has to be boiled first (soup, casseroles, etc) then pop the pot into the bag ... pop the lid/cover/hat on .... tie it nice and tight ... and it cooks .... s l o w l y ....!!

It works !!!! It's amazing !!! I must get one !!!!

And here's the birthday girl ...

.. blowing out her candles ...

... and finally, must add Bradley, with chocolate smeared lips and sporting his new haircut !!!!

For more Weekly Winners visit Lotus' blog

Tug o' war ...

"Naughty Jackie has the hosepipe ... let's take away from her ...



... let go, Jackie ...


.. shake it ... shake it ....

... shake it some more ...

.. and really pull hard .... "

This was late yesterday afternoon so the photos are not that great. Jackie is obsessed with the hosepipe and will bite it and shake it as if she needs to 'kill her prey'!! She eventually bites a hole in the pipe, if she gets the chance! Naughty little girl !

Weekly Winners :

Measuring .. sifting .. mixing ....

.. add some Smarties ..

... and some candles ...

... add a birthday boy ...

.. and a little mind that says .. when I can dig into this cake !! ...

... add a birthday prezzie ...

... a mommy who can guide and teach ...

... and a big brother to look over your shoulder ...

... makes one happy face !!! (Mommy got the best photo - from the front!)

Add some flowers ...

... indigenous Nerine's like pink spiders dancing in the breeze ...

.. and sparkling crystal ....


... of my exquisitely, beautiful bud vase from Waterford Crystal in Ireland ...

.. catching the sunlight .... ping !!!!

Add one of our resident froggies which hopped around last night under the watchful eye .. and nose .. of Jackie ...

Add a glorious sunset ....

... and you have my Weekly Winners for this week !!!

For more WW visit Lotus ...

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

Weekly Winners : 8 - 14 Nov

A week with ...

... rain ... and hail ...
.. which fortunately didn't do much damage to the plants ..


We had sunshine ...


... with Erin .. "cheeeeeese" .... or is it ... "pleeeeese can I swim .. "!!

Having a pool net, which is the most difficult thing to put back on, we don't open it up very often .. only if we really really really want to swim ....

.... the garden spray is the next best option ....

.... just a drop at a time ... !!!!!!!

M .. I .. C .. K .. E .. Y ...... M .. O .. U .. S .. E .... !!!!

"Oh ... cruel world !!!! Why do I have to have this on .... "?

Aaaargh .... let us swim !!!!

..... if I do this .... will my Grwanny let me swim ... ?

.. or if I take my clothes off .... ?


For more Weekly Winners go to sarcastic mom - Lotus