Tuesday 4

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4...

Let's talk about your week okay?

1. Is anything interesting on TV this week?  What will you be watching?

We quite enjoy The Brokenwood Mysteries. A New Zealand  programme so we understand the humour, it's a comedy/drama and now into it's tenth year. Each episode usually features a well known New Zealand actor as a guest star. Other than that I enjoy Thursday night when Jacqui and I chat on the phone while watching The Great British Sewing Bee. We try to pick the winner in each catergory and critique the outfits :) Friday nights is also relaxing with The Repair Shop. I love some of the stories that go with the items brought in and find myself grinning widely when the owner sees it restored. 

2. Any books on your horizon right now? What will you be reading?

I'm reading a couple of books at the moment. One is by Jonathan Cahn - The Dragon's Prophecy. Very thought provoking and I'm only able to read small sections at a time. The other book is Gaylene's Take by Gaylene Preston. I went to school with Gaylene and she was the principal speaker at the dinner when I went over to our school reunion. She is a film maker and her book is interesting. Her style is very chatty which makes it an easy read. And it helps to know some of the places and names she mentions. I'm enjoying it.

3. What's been on the menu lately?  Any new recipes caught your eye?

I've seen a couple on YouTube that I like the look of. I liked the look of some easy bread and berry puddings, comfort food because it is winter. But I'm not a cook and so simple and quick are what I like. Last night we had mince pie with potatoes and mixed vegetables. More comfort food :)

4. Who will you spend time with this week?

Later today I'm going to visit my friend in the rest home. Jacqui has been doing some clothing repairs for her so I'll take them in. And I'll deliver a parcel for our newest addition to the family to his grandmother.

Earlier in the weekend we went to see Arlo who turned seven. He's into all things army at the moment so we gave him a little tank with toy soldiers. And later in the day he went to the circus. Lucky boy, the circus arriving in time for his birthday. Here he is with his Dad.

Here is the link if you would like to join us this week.  Tuesday 4

 

And that is about all for this week.

blessings to all,

Diana

Tuesday 4 Reading

 Good day folks. I thought I'd join in with The Tuesday 4 fun today as reading is something I love. If you'd like to join in as well, or read what others have to say here is the link  https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/ 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try and challenge you to think , discover and make new friends through blogging.

1. Would you tell us about a book you particularly enjoyed? 

I tend to enjoy most of the books I read, but not all. I get involved in the storylines and at the moment I am reading a light and trite novel and it won't matter whether I remember any of it or not - but I can't wait to get back to it to see what happens next :) 

As a child I loved JM Barrie's Peter Pan and found a new copy of it that was close to the one I had way back when...but it turned out to be a Walt Disney version. A bit disappointing.

2. Do you have a favorite book series? How about a favorite series when you were a kid?

I really enjoyed The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. The series follows the lives of seven adopted sisters with one book dedicated to each sister. Each book also has a historical backstory introducing us to the people and events that led to each adoption. You could almost say there are two books in each one as the stories are told separately, not as a mish mash. Interesting. 

This series is followed up with the story of Pa Salt, the man who adopted them and why the adoptions came about. It ties everything together and was a good way to finish off the series. Lucinda Riley died during the writing of this book but her son finished it - I couldn't tell where one author finished and the other started.

Childhood favourites, Enid Blyton's Noddy books, which were later banned but we enjoyed them as little kids. Also her Secret Seven series and when I was a bit older her Famous Five books. Great adventure stories for preteens :)

3. Is there a book that you just did not like or one in which you just could get interested?

Crime and Punishment. The most boring book I have ever attempted to read!

4. Is there an author whose books you don't want to miss or one whose books you avoid?

Not really. Oh, wait. I don't enjoy Catherine Cookson - her books are all the same with just names and places changed and very depressing. There are genres I prefer not to read, psychological thrillers, horror or supernatural are all off the shelf for me. Not my taste at all. I like a murder mystery, espionage, occasional chick lit but nothing that makes me anxious.

And that's about it for me this week. 

I hope you're all doing well after the Christmas/New Year break. Take care.

Diana

PS Alice has recovered from her fall with all the resilience six year olds have. Apart from a few grazes and bruises she is carrying on as normal.

A blah day

  It's been a cold, wet and miserable day.  My GKB Bob had an early appointment so he was up earlier than normal. When he left home the temp was -2° C. That's 3° warmer than when he got out of bed. I think our high for the day has been 2°. So a good day for inside stuff. And today I had plenty to keep myself occupied. 

When Bob left the sun was shining and although it was cold I thought I might get a load of washing out and, maybe, even dry. Didn't happen. Just as the washing finished the clouds came over, not from the south which is normal, but from the east. Low, grey clouds. They looked like snow clouds to me and the breeze coming ahead of it was bitter. With the clouds came drizzly, sleety rain which has continued all day. So the washing is draped on the clothes horse, in line with the heat pump, and will hopefully be dry by morning.

I've also spent part of the day preparing a one pot meal for Friday Light, an outreach group which meets at one of the local churches once a week. It's so much easier to prepare these days, when they first started we prepared meat, potatoes and veges and it was quite labour intensive. I only cook once every couple of months now so it's no hardship. 

There's also a jigsaw on the go so I got some of that put together. Still a way to go but getting there. 

And I finished my book. I'm sure I've read this one before but I quite enjoy Donna Andrews' books, they're light, easy to read and humorous. Good for giving the brain a bit of a rest if you've been studying or just reading something a bit intense or challenging.

Did I say I was planning on stewing more feijoas today? Well that didn't happen. By the time I'd cooked the meal and done a few chores I just wanted to relax for a bit. But I'm sick of them covering my bench so I think I'll need to get into it tomorrow and as the forecast is for more of the same what else will I do?  I picked up about four dozen today so took some down to Friday Light, hopefully someone there will enjoy them.

And so I think I'll finish there.

Keep warm if you're in my part of the world

 and whatever else you do look after yourself.

Diana

A year on

It is just over a year since my little mother went home to her Lord.

That time has passed quickly and she has been on my mind

 at some part of every day since.

 

One of my sisters in Australia sent me a beautiful flower arrangement 'for looking after our mother' in their absence.

They really are rather lovely and lasting well. A lovely gesture.

*************

I've been a bit off colour for the past week with an inner ear thing going on so I haven't ventured far from the house until today. So I thought I'd share with you some of the books I've been reading over the last little while. I 'borrowed' the Ruth Rendell book, Going Wrong, when we were holidaying in Aussie last year and I must send it back. I'd never read anything of hers before and found her rather intriguing, with the twist in the plot that you don't see coming. I've read more since then and that same twist in the plot seems to happen, her style I guess.

I always enjoy Dan Brown, Inferno this time, but with a bit of space between books :) I like a good page turning action thriller occasionally.

Then there is Lost and Found by Marilyn Harris, who I'd never heard of until I borrowed this book as well. Also while we were in Aussie and also needing to go back but this one can wait until next time I'm going over. The story is set in the depression era in the 'American dust bowl', the tale of a little girl who is accidentally left on a train and her long journey to finding her family. Also a page turner.

The ones I have enjoyed most though are 'The Seven Sisters' series by Lucinda Riley. I was a bit iffy about the first book, before I started reading, but now I am hooked. The books all stand alone but having read one out of sequence I wouldn't do it again as it throws things out of kilter a bit. Each book is about one sister, all of whom have been adopted, and her search for her roots. I've read the first four books and so far have been to South America, Norway, Australia and England. Beautifully written novels with a lot of attention to historical detail. If you haven't read any of them I highly recommend them.

A couple of days ago eldest daughter rang to say she was coming over and 'don't buy pumpkin'. No wonder, she had three in the car and left two with me. The big orange one is a soup pumpkin so I may put that in the community pantry around by the grandkids school. I certainly won't be making it into soup. I'll cut the other one up and give some of that away as well. It came from her partner's farm, he likes to grow unusual veges on a plot near the house. These are not too bad but we have been given the occasional strange, to us anyway, vegetable. Or odd coloured ones :) And usually enormous!

Winter has arrived with a vengeance this week, perhaps I should make that pumpkin into soup ;(

Until next time

Diana

A slow week

It's been a slow week.

My little mother has gone home and it is 

a bit strange not having her in the house.

Our son and DIL have also been offered a flat 

and will be moving into it in the next couple of weeks.

We shall be empty nesters once more.

Tete a tete - miniature daffodils

My GKB and I decided to drive to Outram one day

 to see if the cherry blossom was out yet. It wasn't 

so we opted for an ice cream instead. While we were 

eating it I spotted the spring bulbs on sale 

and decided to buy a pot for DIL to take to her new home.

They are getting past their best now but will be lovely

 in a pot next season.

Chopped and ready to freeze

I was rostered on this week to do a meat dish for our church outreach and as the man in charge was to be away he asked me to do a big pot of potatoes as well. That was fine but what he failed to do was let the lady know who usually cooks the veges and she had done a big dish of roast potatoes. Oh well. For some reason our numbers were down so we decided not to use my spuds and I brought them home. I'll freeze them and turn them into a potato/vegetable bake dish for next week. AND I shall remember to tell everyone, lol.

I finally found a Jan Karon book and must say I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it a bit hard to get into as looking at the cover I imagined Mitford was an English village and couldn't work out why the author was using American words and expressions. Thank goodness for the internet, I looked up Jan Karon's books and discovered these ones are set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, phew. You don't realise how much easier it is to read something when you have it all in context rather than a wrong world view of it. I found it very hard to put this book down :)

Enjoy your week

Diana

Of cyclones, taniwhas, sunflowers and such like

A section of Mackay

Earlier in the week we were tracking cyclone Debbie off the north Queensland coast of Australia. She was due to make land just north of where my sisters and their families live in Mackay. Once she landed she became a slow moving category 4 storm bordering on category 5. Luckily none of our families were in the evacuation zone and had no damage to their homes either. So fortunate. One sister had a tree fall in the yard, missing the house by a few feet and the other only has water lying around. The nurse managed to get to work and did some long shifts while the other was too far out and stayed over with her son for the duration and had cuddles with the little grandkids and the four legged, furry family members. Now it is the people further south who are dealing with floods after the rain in the aftermath of the storm.

I went down the back of my yard a few days ago and saw a lovely bright yellow sunflower in full bloom. Unfortunately it was lying flat on the ground and as my GKB was about to start mowing the lawns I thought it might be wise to cut it and bring it inside. It's amazing how things get accidentally pruned by the lawn mower when you're not looking. Anyway I am enjoying it in my sitting room now :)

What you come across when you are sorting through old photos. This is a picture of my GKB and our best man in the days before I met him. They toured the country as a comedy mime act, The Teen Tones, performing such songs as My boomerang won't come back and Come outside. After we were all married it was a good way of supplementing the wages, doing evening and weekend gigs as well as weddings and 21st's. Eventually we moved towns and as families we lost touch with each other, sadly.

A new mural on a wall in town. A taniwha*. (A water monster of Maori legend).

This is a picture of the taniwha from local legend and I have taken an excerpt from Wikipedia to tell the story.

W.R. Kirk** repeated the later story of a taniwha (water-monster), the "familiar spirit or guardian of Te Rakitaounere (also given as Te Rakitauneke) a famous chief and warrior" who lost his master about the Dunedin hills, slithered down the Silverstream, 'Whaka-ehu', and 'lay down and left a hollow Te Konika o te Matamata' on the site of Mosgiel. The taniwha (named Matamata) wriggled down the Taieri, making its tortuous course, and when he died became the seaboard hills, including Saddle Hill. 

*taniwha

ˈtanɪwɑː,ˈtanɪfa/

noun

noun: taniwha; plural noun: taniwha; plural noun: taniwhas

1. a water monster of Maori legend.

**W.R. Kirk is a local author who wrote a book about the Taieri area - Pulse of the Plain, A History of Mosgiel.

And what am I reading at the moment? To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Why do I do it? The prose is so tedious, so hard to read and enjoy but with just enough of a hook to keep you reading. It was the same last year when I was reading Portrait of a Lady. Same style of writing, nearly one hundred years since these books were written and writing has changed so much. This is supposedly her best book so I don't think I'll be looking for another one. 

Still I have just finished reading Child of the Covenant by Michele Guinness. So interesting, her story of growing up in a traditional Jewish household to her becoming the wife of an Anglican clergyman. I found it quite a fascinating read.

And that is my five 

this week for 

Five on Friday

Done and dusted

No not 2016, although that is certainly done and dusted.

And not Christmas either, although that is well and truly done
 and dusted too.

My reading challenge - done and dusted, thank goodness.

Would I do another one? I don't think so. Having a deadline to finish a book took the joy out of reading, for me anyway, so what's the point? But it meant I got some books out of the way that have been lying around for years in some cases. I will probably do the winter reading challenge at the local library though, it encourages you to look at different genre's, has a bit more focus than just getting through books you haven't got round to reading yet.

Some of the books I enjoyed, some I struggled with and one I didn't finish. A mixed bag. Most of them have now gone to a book sale for  someone else to enjoy.

*************

And as it well into New Year's Eve here,

all that remains is for me to wish everyone a 

Happy and Prosperous New Year

Diana

A Daybook post

I thought I might do a daybook post this week

 seeing as it's a long time since I have participated.



So without further ado, here we go.

Looking out my window is not much fun at the moment. It is dark and the street lights are reflecting off the wet tar seal. It is 8.2 C and I am happy to be sitting inside with my heatpump going and the temp. at a balmy 19.9 C.

earlier this week

I  am thinking I will be pleased when winter is over and we can get outside in the sun again. I am not a winter person, much prefer the warmth of the other seasons with the between ones being my favourites.

I am thankful for Sis who took me in hand when I was feeling overwhelmed with organising a family reunion. She helped me plan  the weekend and has left me with a timeline to get things done. I am so grateful. I am not an ideas person but I can get things done once I know what I am doing or aiming at.

I am reading 'Does this Church Make Me Look Fat?' by Rhoda Janzen. It is rather interesting, true story. The blurb on the cover reads - A Mennonite finds faith, meets Mr Right and solves her lady problems. Quite fun and very real. I've just finished reading 'A Journey to The Centre of The Earth.' by Jules Verne. Really fantastical and rather strange to my way of thinking. This was my July read for the book challenge I'm taking part in.

I am wearing really comfy grey pj's with pink trim, pink scuffs and a pink fluffy dressing gown. I like pink, can you tell?

I am hoping praying that my little mother's health will hold out for her to get to the reunion. She has been having the odd health problem lately so I would appreciate your prayers for her. She is the matriarch now with just one sister left out of six of them and the family are looking forward to seeing her again.

One of my favourite things is my daughters both calling in for a cuppa together, and they did today. We had a great old catchup. I drop whatever I'm doing and we put the kettle on and go for it until they have to go. Lots of fun.

In the kitchen I have a vase of what I thought were dead rosebuds. Today I was going to throw them out in the rubbish but guess what? There are new green shoots appearing so I think I'll keep them and see what happens.

In the garden most things are dormant apart from the jonquils which are pushing their way through the earth and some already showing us beautiful bursts of yellow. And my potted polys have needed watering because they grew so well the rain was running off the leaves and onto the outside of the pots. And they got quite badly frosted as well but have come away again now that I have shifted them back under the eaves.

And to finish, on a sign in an op shop today:

Our volunteers are not paid. 

Not because they are worthless

 but because they are priceless.

joining: The Simple Woman's Daybook

I hope you'll go over for a look as well.

Diana

Winter activities at home

Yes, I do in fact, spend time at home and in the winter

 it is a matter of finding things to do on long dark evenings.

So, no. 1: I like to read. This is the latest book I have finished for the reading challenge. A Fistful of Summer by Peggy Dunstan. 

It is a collection of short stories written by a New Zealand author and based on her childhood in Christchurch and Wellington. Although set a decade or two before my childhood days,

 probably in my mother's, I could relate to it and so 

thoroughly enjoyed it. I may have to read it again.

No. 2:  Now I don't neccessarily like to knit but have found myself enjoying it more now that I am not trying to keep my family warm with nice woollen jerseys. It was such a challenge to make sure they all had nice new jerseys for the winter, then as they got older there were those  jackets worn by Starsky (or was it Hutch), and everyone had to have one or they would be the only kid in school looking uncool. I find it more relaxing these days and as well as the snoods for my daughters I have knitted this beanie hat. I will probably put it on a bring and buy table later in the month.

No 3: I quite enjoy doing and completing a jigsaw. This is the latest one and let me tell you it took me as long, or longer, to do the sky as to do the rest of it. The one before this was shades of white and grey with a little bit of blue, this one is shades of pink and peach with some darker shading. I pulled out the next one in the pile and it was shades of white and grey with touches of gold! No! I wanted a change so have opted for a more busy one, I've done it before quite a while ago but am finding it more challenging this time.

No.4: I have had a few cards to send out this month, bereavements, birthday and invitations. But finally they are all done. Well no they are not really, next week youngest grand daughter is turning 18.   So I will be on the lookout for a nice card for her over the next few days, and a gift to go with it. I can't believe how quickly these kids have grown up.

And so to no.5: Once a month I am rostered on to help in our church hall in the kitchen, I generally enjoy this particular evening out. An alternative church service is held each Friday night and I usually make a dish and take it down. The service is attended by some of the more marginalised people in the community some of whom travel out from the city to attend. They start off with a cuppa and a sing along followed by a bible teaching, then they have a hot meal followed by another cup of tea or coffee. It's my night tonight and I have made a big fish pie. It looks a bit pale in the picture but is set to go into the oven to brown up before I take it down. Maybe I'll grate some cheese onto it as well.

And that's my five for this week.
I'm joining Amy and friends for: 
Five on Friday

Diana

Netball and butterflies and other things in between

This morning my daughter rang to see if I wanted to go and watch the netball with her. Youngest grand daughter was playing a social game at 1pm. It's a while since I've watched her as she has played football (soccer) the past two or three years. I noticed she'll have to get used to using her arms again in defence, she hasn't been able to do that in footy. That's her with the topknot hairdo just under the ball. They played a good game for the first of the season and won 25 - 12. It was played inside where her brothers were playing futsal during the summer.

Autumn has arrived, the mornings and evenings are drawing in and getting just a tad nippy. The days are still warm though, in double figures, and in fact some of them are as warm as our summer days were. Anyway, I have finished knitting my daughter, same one as above, a snood for the winter. It's the same as the one I knitted for her sister a few months ago - I had several balls of  the wool left over so thought I could do that. There is still a ball there so I have decided that I will knit the beanie that is on the wrapper you can see around the wool. It is black I know, but it is fun wool and okay to work with once you get used to it.

I have finished my book for April and as I said I was going to do I picked one that was  light and trite. So much so that I can't remember what it was about. So if you want something light and easy to read and you don't have to worry about, this is a good one. 

That Certain Age by Elizabeth Buchan.

But having said that, I have read several others since. (Excuses, excuses). And I am well into the one I picked for this month. I think it could be classed as an autobiography but I'm not really sure. 

Pippa Blake - Journey.

It is the story of her life with Sir Peter Blake up until his untimely death at the hand of  bandits in December 2001. So far, so good. A Christmas gift several years ago from one of my children.

During the week I ventured down the yard to the roses thinking I would cut them back and then dead head the dahlias. Well the roses were not co-operating at all.  Only one of them had finished flowering and all the others are in bud and starting to bloom again. Honestly, even the plants think it is springtime. So I cut the one back or perhaps I should say I pruned it, and tidied up the rest of them. You can see one of them in full bloom below, with a bud ready to open just behind. Then I walked over to the dahlias to begin on them. They also have a lot of tiny buds on them, but I think the frost will get to them before they get to the opening stage. But who knows? So just the deadheading was done there as well.

Speaking of the garden we have noticed a lot of different butterflies this year, and more of them. Among them were the monarch butterfly which is so lovely. This a photo taken while I was still working. We had hatched some caterpillars in the dining room and released them outside when they were ready. This one flew onto branch just outside the window and stayed there for most of the day, much to the joy of the elderly folk inside. It is sad that they have such a short lifespan, only 2 - 5 weeks.

We also had visits from the Great White or as we know it, the cabbage butterfly. These are far more common than the monarch or any of the others we saw and gardeners regard them as a pest. As well we had visits from a black butterfly with white spots on the wings, which was quite common when I was a child but which I haven't seen often since I moved south. I have no idea what it is called as I have always, mistakenly, thought it was a codling moth! 

The other visitor we have seen is red admirals, I think. I say I think because it is a slightly different colour to the ones I remember, so perhaps these ones were yellow admirals? I used to see more of them when I was a child as well. Of course none of the more uncommon ones stayed on the foliage long enough for me to go in and get my camera, so no pics. But isn't that the way?

And that is it from me today.

I am going to join Amy for Five on Friday

 and hope you'll pop over for a look as well.

Diana

Checking in for the book challenge

It's time to check in for the book challenge - and I am pleased to say I have managed to finish the book I started 20 years ago! How about that? I can't tell you I enjoyed it because I didn't. I found the main character quite obnoxious and kept thinking to myself that in real life in this day and age he would have been heavily medicated to control him or locked up. I found the parts of the book most readable when the main character wasn't part of the narration and struggled when he was. Well, what was it I hear you asking? 

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

It was first published in serial form in 1866 and later published in one volume. I read it at the same time as another much lighter one and that enabled me to finish it, phew. And the reason for reading it was that it was part of a set and I'd already read the others.

an illustration from Crime and Punishment

Finishing this third books gets me quarter of the way up the mountain, Pikes Peak, and on target to finish in December as planned. I have decided to read one challenge book a month along with my other reading.
 One of the things we've been asked to do, if we want to, is Title Scrabble, making a word out of the book titles. I thought I'd have a go as I only have three titles so how hard can it be?  I hope that doesn't prove to be a case of famous last words in the future, haha.

My word is COD.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Out of Africa by Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen).

30 Days to Understanding Church History by

Max E. Landers and Judith A. Lunsford.

It may not always be that easy, especially if I get more vowels than I know what to do with. Anyway, if you'd be interested in seeing what others are reading you can go here and check them out.

Have a great week,

Diana

I've finished book #2.

I have finally finished book number two 

in the reading challenge I am doing.

Out of Africa by Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen).

I have to admit I found it a hard one 

to get into, partly I think, because language

 has changed so much over the course

 of the last 80 to 100 years, and the use of 

words and their meanings have also changed 

just a little. Still the story was interesting 

and the more I read the more I enjoyed it. 

Now I have a third book on the go which I was reading 

at the same time as this one, and hope to have

 it finished before the end of March to keep me up

 with my set task of reading a book a month.

This is the one which took me 20 years 

to finish the first chapter, so wish me well!

For April I think I will pick 
something light and trite :)

Have a great day,

Diana

Books, veges and other stuff...

Well it has been one of those weeks where I seem to have been busy but couldn't tell you what I've been doing. So please, take a load off your feet, make yourself a cuppa and take five minutes and I'll see what I come up with.

What I can tell you is that I have completed my first book in the reading challenge I'm taking part in. I wrote about it here. I quite enjoyed it even though it was a study resource - '30 Days to Understanding Church History' by Max E. Anders and Judith A. Lunsford.

It was easy to read and understand, chapters were short and there was a test at the end of each chapter. I've started another one which I think will take the rest of the year, I've been reading it on and off for about 20 years and only got to the end of Chap. 1 this week so I'll read others in conjunction with it. One day I might even tell you what it is :) I definitely will if I ever finish it!

Today was Shrove Tuesday so we had a pancake morning tea at church this morning. My GKB was coming but missed out because he has come down with a cold and is a bit miserable with it. There was quite a good turnout and we had the vicar and one of the ladies making the pancakes. I had mine with maple syrup. Yum. Some kind people had brought produce from their gardens to share so I came home with rhubarb and a courgette. Actually it is a bit big for a courgette but not quite big enough to be a marrow.

 I'm sure it will still be tasty.

Quite a while ago I said I would show you some of my 

demitasse teacups.These are more that my GKB 

used to bring home for me on a Friday night after work 

when we were first married. They are rather dainty

 and pretty and are stamped with

fine china, Japan.

Aren't they gorgeous? Very feminine.

I love the gold trim on them.

And of course it is Chinese New Year, the Year of the Monkey.

In fact it is the year of the Fire Monkey.

This big celestial dragon was in one of the city malls when we went in on Monday. Sorry the photo's are not clear, it was behind glass and the mall lights were reflected in it. Unfortunately the Lion Dance wasn't taking place until 7pm and we didn't want to hang around for another four hours so headed home. 

A close up of the dragon, if you look closely you will see that he has caught the 'sun' and is holding it in his mouth. I'm not sure whether that bodes well or not.

joining Martha at:

Martha's Favorites

and Stephanie at:

roses of inspiration

And also with Amy at:

Five on Friday

Wishing you all a 
Happy and Prosperous 
year of the monkey.
Diana