“Pleasured equally, In seeking as in finding” Langston Hughes

Time to take a peek at what I’ve found for the months just gone. A two for one this time around but doesn’t April  feel like forever ago, May too – the days  sprint by so fast and if not for a diary where I scribble and an iPhone full of photos how much of it would I remember, how much would be dogeared in my mind. Its why I’m fond of this monthly look back at what I’ve been doing and what I’ve been finding and occasionally what Ive been learning – its slows me down and  it helps me take notice.

So today I’ve narrowed it down to my six best finds for April and May

1. Outdoor Day Bed

So this curb side find was actually Ken’s find not mine. I’ll admit I groaned  a bit inwardly when I came home from work and saw something loaded on his truck because he hasn’t always backed a winner when it comes to finding things by the road. But bless him I can’t complain as he only does this kind of thing because of me. See the curb side browsing is my problem and lets just say Ken learnt the hard way that when I holler PULLOVER!! out of the blue when he’s driving that its not a medical emergency nor are the police behind us – no need for the white face or  shaky hands or even the bewildered stare – it just means I’ve spotted something really good.

This time it was all him and it was this  – a daybed – the frame  in tact and solid – just your standard powder coated frame somewhat worse for wear around the edges. The winner though  was the mattress that went with it. Now mattress and road side find are not two words you usually want to put together but this one complete with spotless cover looked amazing.  I went over with a trained eye before it even left the truck. It looked entirely unused, very solid, with a cover made of waterproof type outdoor fabric. To me it looks like its been sitting in storage and is a total winner. The frame could do with a coat of paint – undecided on colour  but we have set her up and I’ve now a spot for all the throws and cushions that seem to find there way to the lounge room floor.

Full disclosure – this is her naked with rust spots on show and no longer entirely spotless since we’ve been throwing ourselves on it.

 

 

And this is her dressed up.

Makes a comfy  place to sit on our back terrace.

2. This Bag

For  my birthday I took a day off work and in addition to eating a beautiful breakfast not cooked by me and having a lovely pedicure while sitting in a massage chair  I got to  wander around a favourite thrift store. Not in a rush, not with just minutes to spare, I got to stroll at leisure for a good while. There were a few finds – a sturdy white bowl because I can’t seem to pass up a handy bowl, a basket of course and some lovely yellow striped fabric – but the best of them was a  new handbag.  This one caught my eye because it stands up all on its own so I can just toss things in easily and it has the magnetic closure clip that I like. It was unused which is a nice bonus and still had that new bag smell. So why do I mostly buy handbags at thrift stores? Because I can get a much better quality bag than  what I would get with the budget I have at a normal retail store. This one was $9.00 and I don’t want to be anywhere near a bag I could buy for $9.00 at Strandbags. The other thing – because Ive only paid $9.00 I don’t feel like I have to keep it forever  which is how we feel if we have paid $150.00 – easily done when buying a nice bag. This one I can pass on any time if I want without feeling like I’ve been awfully extravagant but after a few weeks  she’s still doing all the right things so I’ve no plans to move on quite yet.

3. These Geraniums

I have four pots on the back terrace that have been empty forever waiting for just the right plants. Officially I think you would call them urns and I got them when I did this wedding .  At Christmas time I always fill them with bushy greenery from the garden but apart from that they sit empty.  So walking into the shops with Livvy recently she asked me what we getting (I have no idea now what we were getting) but I do remember saying “what I really want is four matching plants no more than $2.00 each – what are my chances?”.  Quite good as it turned out because I found geranium plants for $2.00 each all a similar size.  I found plastic drainage pots just the right size to fit into the urns and with the bag of potting mix it was about a $15.00 project – all in all a good shopping day and I now have plants in urns prettying up the outdoor area.

4. Anne with an E

Livvy and I had this new adaptation of Anne of Green Gables that just came out here on Netflix devoured in a jiffy. We had been counting down the days and while we were waiting watched the 1985 CBC mini series on DVD.  Livvy was enraptured of course and me not far behind. Now its worth watching just for the opening music and graphics  which are so good (see below) and for THE HOUSE !!!  All spare and white with big open rooms and fires and solid hand hewn furniture,  then the prettiest blue green in the good front room because they had parlours in those days !! I stopped short of sketching out the layout.

A lot has been added to the original story in this retelling and being a bit of a purist when it comes to an original story its annoying at first. The simplest way to say it is they have expanded on the underlying themes hinted at but not discussed in the original book. Big serious themes like child abuse and child labour,  abandonment, coming of age, lost love, discrimination, class discrimination, the education of girls and the role of women in society – yep it has the works and makes for a whole lot grittier story thats kind of at odds with the lightness and innocence of the original. For me once  you come to terms with the change off pace it that regards then its captivating viewing. Acting therein is AMAZING, scenery, music and that house are amazing and we are waiting with bated breath for Season 2 but I am hoping it doesn’t get too much darker

You can read a review here.

5. Online

If you like the idea of a spontaneous mini break but don’t want it to cost you an arm and a leg have a read of this one. Agent Grace has some really great ideas for keeping the costs low and the relaxation high.

Operation: MINIBREAK 

And a couple for the heart.

This ladies writing unfolds like a melody and if your a gardener, a would be gardener or you just like staring out windows at gardens you will enjoy reading this.

Garden Bound:  A Maplehurst Tour by  Christie Purifoy

I’ll read anything Emily Freeman  writes but some posts seem to arrive with perfect timing. This was one.

When It feels Like A Long Way Back by Emily P Freeman

6. In My Garden

Always amazed and inspired by what I find with a wander around my garden.

I found these layered pots in a shady corner on a quick early morning turn around the garden before work. This always does me the world of good if I’m feeling a bit blah as happens  at times. I’m a home body at heart and the trek off to work each day  as much as I love the job takes its toll. Give me ten minutes in the garden though and I feel a whole lot more like I can take on the world.  A reminder that “ordinary places can become sanctuaries” Emily P Freeman These guys were almost totally covered by fishbone fern with the plants looking a bit sad and neglected. I  dragged them out of their forgotten corner and they are  now sitting by my front door where they can be admired and given a bit of attention

And heres what else happened in a forgotten part of my garden while I wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention. My “flapjack” plant only tiny when I shoved it into a pot  had without any help from me been growing madly in great leaps and bounds. It has at least quadrupled in size if not more and I found it bursting out of the pot it was in. Now in a much bigger pot with room to breath and stretch and grow some more Ive placed it in prime position so I can admire her each time I walk up my car port stairs. What I learnt from this humble plant? – bloom where  your planted, don’t let lack of attention or applause or less than ideal circumstances stop you doing your thing whatever that is. Hemmed in on all sides – tucked away and hidden ? – grow anyway, bloom anyway, start where you are, give what you’ve got and just do your thing.

And finally these

Which is what happens when you don’t mow your grass for two months. Unbeknownst to me the pumpkin plant from next door grew under the fence and spread out at leisure across the lawn  and these are what I harvested when I mowed the  jungle of a lawn last weekend. Sometimes its scary what happens when your not paying attention.

So thats it for my finds big and small for the last two months.

Any finds your way?

Linking up with:

Emily P Freeman’s What I learned This Spring Link Up. Yep its Autumn down this way but the idea is the same – we are all learning things all the time so share away in the comments below if  you’d like.

Porch Stories with Kristin Hill Taylor

Chasing Community with Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Love from my home to yours

Tracey xx

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