Vintage Polyester and more

Hi everyone,

I hope you have all had a good week.  I have been taking photos, but somehow too busy to actually upload them.

Firstly I want to share with you some exciting news - we have bought some land and are planning on building a new house (next year sometime).  

It was originally part of someone's garden (very large garden) and about 1500 metres square in total area.  Its sunny and sheltered by a large row of some kind of conifer trees.  It is bordered on three sides by two streets and what we call a paper road, which is a road but it only goes to one house and is more like a driveway than an actual street.  Its in the same area as where we live now, so we know the climate and the neighbourhood.  Because it was part of a large garden, about a third of it is rhododendrons and azaleas in a quite traditional design, a third is native bush - including a lovely kauri tree (which is New Zealand's biggest tree and now protected having been harvested for furniture and wood for houses) and two Rata trees which have the most amazing red flowers which I can show you in summer.  The final third part of the garden was a greenhouse/potting shed which has been removed and it is this area where we will build a house and garage.  

The garden is divided into areas by big hedges which we may keep - or not depending on where exactly we decide to build our house.  The only thing it does not have is a view of the beautiful Otago Harbour.  There is one spot where you can see the harbour, but alas, it is not where we intend to build a house as it is quite close to the shelterbelt trees.  So I think I might have a pagoda in this area so I can sit and see the water.....

You can just see the water through the trees.  Hopefully, we will be able to design a house which will enable some kind of harbour view,

Here is a photo of me standing in front of a Pohutakawa tree which is known as New Zealand's Christmas tree.  I am wearing the $4 black and white polyester dress with shocking pink cardigan and shocking pink tights.

Black and white polyester dress, Butterflies Hospice Shop $4
Pink cardi, SaveMart
Black leather jacket, Salvation Army
Belt, scarf and pink tights, retail
Furry Shoes, St Vincent de Paul

A while ago I bought a maxi skirt from Butterflies Hospice Shop which required shortening because it was so incredibly long.  Here is is - not looking quite right because I should have straightened up my clothes before the photographer pressed the button:

Blue vintage polyester maxi skirt, Butterflies Hospice Shop $2
Vintage brown waistcoat, St Vincent de Paul
Blue necklace, Presbyterian Yellow Shop
Blue and white bracelet, Butterflies Hospice Shop
Brown Clarks shoes, St V de P

The last few days have been spectacularly warm - unseasonably and I am suspicious about what might happen next.  However, today, for the second day in a row in September I wore bare legs.  I bought this dress off Trademe because I fell in love with the pattern - a wonderful combination of polka dots and stripes:

Vintage blue and white dress, Trademe $7
Red belt, necklace and shoes retail
Red cardigan, Butterflies Hospice Shop $4
Red bracelets SaveMart $4 each

I want to finish tonight's post with these two photos of me and my lovely, handsome cat Handbag (which is his blog name).  He is a big softy and he and his sister have been terrorised recently by a marauding tom cat.  I think it is a wild cat as it is not at all scared of humans, hisses and spits, and  it  has been wailing and calling all hours of the day and night.  Both my cats are very unsettled.  So when my boy wanted to be part of my photos yesterday I decided that I would make sure he appeared in my blog!  I notice that many of the blogs I follow include pets - dogs, cats and a tortoise, and even a condor.

Paul Klee printed vintage skirt - previously a maxi dress, Presbyterian Support Shop
Red 460 Waughs tee shirt - in perfect new condition, found at the Hospice Shop, $2
Blue belt, Hospice Shop 50 cents
Denim jacket retail
Enamelled Bambi brooch, Rockbourne Jewellry

This weekend in addition to washing and shopping, I am hoping to go through the wardrobes and look for more things to donate to charity.  A group of us are going out to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate my best friend's 40th birthday, and on Sunday we are planning to go for a swim and then my daughter has invited a friend around to play.  I really hope the weather stays calm so I can get out into the garden and do some weeding.  Spring is definitely on it's way.  YAY!