Blog of Distinction

I was delighted to receive this award from Maggie May, in fact couldn't scoop it up fast enough. So now I humbly pass it along to some of my favourites daily blogs - note this list would include far more names but someone got there before me. So come on down and take it:

BreezyBreakBlog
Expatmum
Her Indoors
Laughing alone in the dark
Missing You Already
Mud Walls and Beams
Rotten Correspondent
Sally's Chateau
Stinking Billy - will he, won't he?
Travelling But Not in Love

I never miss a day - I don't always comment, but I am lurking! Keep up the great work.

One more sleep till France, I know this for sure, because I won't be able to get a wink on the plane. Au Revoir, j'espere ecrire en France, peut etre. Eeeek - I knew I should have put more (some/any) practice in! A bientot!

Well whadya know !

My blog readability score apparently is "High School". Of course being of high school standard I have given this a lot of thought, and Carolyn at laughing alone in the dark is scoring lower (and there is no way I could be considered anywhere near as philosphical or intellectual). it is just that she has been blogging far longer than I. It's gotta be that as more blog entries are scanned the average "readability" gets lowered. (Come on - high school - do you remember what you were reading in high school !!)
Hence I am a recent blogger, so I have a smarter set of blog readers - no comment! :) It's obvious that you just haven't noticed yet - so maybe I should stop while I am ahead? Nah - I don't think so.
I know, I know I have GOT to get a life!

A Good Day

Yup, today was a good day.  First I hung my laundry outside, so I knew it had the makings of a good day.  (First time this year - just making a note for future reference).

Agents' Open House on my current listing and lots of good feedback from my colleagues.

Lunch on my friends to celebrate the upcoming event ....you know the one!

Got another listing, all set to start the day after I get back from my hols ...result!  I had been stressing over that one a bit in case they insisted it started before I went away, it would have been a little rushed.

Now if the right buyer will come along and snap up my current listing, that would be a great birthday present.

Blog of Distinction award from Maggie May (see sidebar) - thanks Maggie, I will pass it on.

Leftover curry for dinner.  Curry is always better on the second sitting and you've gotta love leftovers.  

Telly is not too good on a Thursday night, so probably an early night with a good book. Like I said a good day.

Hallelujah!!! It's Here

No I am not referring to my French trip (but that is almost here - and I am getting very excited), no SPRING, it has officially arrived. I am sitting here on my deck (Aims), admittedly dressed all in black for some unknown reason, got the capris on, legs unshaven, toenails unpainted but loving it.
On my deck it is currently 20 degrees C !!! Yes 20 - and I am (Carolyn) living in the moment !! It is wonderful. Big dopey black lab is agreeing with me as he impersonates a big black carpet down by my (not had a pedi in a while) feet. The birthday list is growing longer as I write (gift voucher for pedi, new capris, new sunglasses....). It is heavenly, there is still a fair amount of ice in the pool, the grass needs a bloody good raking, little green shoots are peeping out and everything is alright in my world right this second. Sigh!! I do not intend to move for a while, I have my cuppa, laptop and a great read by Jodi Picoult (Picture Perfect) and it could be raining tomorrow. See ya!

Fancy a cuppa?

Another lovely award is doing the rounds (brilliantly created by The Fixer) the "Good Chat Blog Award" (see my sidebar) and I am a humble recipient thanks to Mean Mom and Carolyn (over at Mean Mom and Laughing alone in the dark). Thanks so much for the invites - tea, cake and great company - who could resist. Guaranteed to be one of those occasions you just wouldn't want to end as we all head back to our keyboards (oh and families and real life ...) replete with cake, gossip and a feelgood aura.
I love this great female pasttime, especially the unnannounced and unexpected ones, I don't care if my house is tidy or not (and I assume all my good friends don't either). There is always tea in the pot, cookies in the jar and a sympathetic ear or a ready laugh (preferably both).
Being so far from my roots, it is one of the things I miss most. I can probably count on one hand how many times it has happened in the last three years we have been back in Canada. So in no particular order, here are some of my fellow bloggers that I would love to knock on my door some day for a cuppa along with Mean Mom and Carolyn:

A Mother's Place Is In The Wrong
Big Blue Barn West
BreezyBreakBlog
Maggie May
Menopausaloldbag
Milla
Missing You Already
Mud Walls and Beams
Omega Mum
Rotten Correspondent
Sweet Irene
debra in france

Pop by anytime to pick up your award and have a cuppa.

Simple Pleasures

Margot over at A Mother's Place is in the Wrong is waxing whimsical about an English Winter wonderland and snowmen today. That is not quite what we call it here in Canada when we get snow in April!!! Anyway no complaining. Yesterday we had our first glorious spring day and today is shaping up pretty well.
Living here in Canada you really have to treasure these days because literally before you know it, it is too warm. No honestly - regularly 30+ and very humid. Yesterday was 15 degrees C - fabulous. All the human animals were out of enforced hibernation raking, car washing, walking, jogging - it was great!
I absolutely love this time of year here, the buds are budding, the shoots are rising 6" at a time, it is amazing. And yes, we really did have a snow storm two weeks ago!! Now most of the (can't say white) grey dirty stuff has almost disappeared. Around our neighbourhood there are one or two piles left here and there but basically we are heading for another fabulous spring day.
Debra over a Us in France was saying how she loved the smell of laundry dried outside and I commented that hanging out laundry was one of my favourite things to do, the sign of a good day. Looks like I will be doing a fair bit of laundry this week. Simple pleasures :)

Some of My Favourite Things

I did not know what to blog about this week, I have begun stressing about the fact that I am about to go to France for a week and murphy's law of real estate says "plan something and you get busy" so not actually busy yet but stressing anyway. It does look like I am likely to get another listing next week (yay!) but my old listing is still hanging around. Anyway in a renewed marketing effort for the current listing I have been taking new photos and making new feature sheets and it gave me an idea. What about my life, my house. Well here goes a few snaps shots of my world and some of the "stuff" I have picked up along the way.

This first one is of my hallway, this chair has been re-upholstered by me twice, I bought it when it was down to the springs for $45 in Montreal back in the early '90's - it is Eastlake I have a dressing table in the same style. The quilt, also made by moi, in a quilting class, when we lived in Montreal. Back in those days I wasn't allowed to work in Canada and so had a lot of time on my hands. The mirror is made from an old window frame I found left behind in the garage of a house we rented, actually again in Montreal, so I stripped it and put the mirror in. My daughter covets it, and I have promised it will go to her when I die!!



The next two are just of my living room, see my first ever cross-stitch, remember time on hands, you will see another one below. I don't do any hand crafts these days, no cross stitch, no quilting, it just takes far too long to thread the needle now! I should get back to knitting - note to self!












I have three of these prints by Graham Clarke, I bought these cards from an art shop in the UK many years ago, they used to be in plain clip frames but I have just upgraded and I am pleased with the way they look. They are etchings and I have tried to find this artist again. I did meet someone years ago who had one hanging in her hallway (again in Montreal) she, like me, loved the style but we were never able to find any others. Another note to self - find more.

This dresser I managed to snag with a matching bedside table for $15. They had been painted in a dreadful red stain, so again I rolled up my sleeves and revealed this lovely cherry wood. (Are you sensing a theme, if I can't make it, I want a bargain). Unfortunately it is suffering from too many moves and is a bit fragile these days so I don't think this will make it to France with us. Another cross stitch, it is supposed to be a Christmas angel but after the hours it takes me to make these things, there is no way they are only coming out once a year. GWE bought me the lovely big jewellery box for Christmas last year from Bombay Company, not quite the one I had pointed out, but he means well!!



And finally my kitchen, here again a bit of DIY by me, I did the tiling when we first moved in. Quite pleased with it actually. The plate on the wall is Jerusalem pottery, one of the few that have survived the gypsy lifestyle of this family. We picked it up in the Old City when we lived in Israel back in the '80's.

So there you go - a little taste of my world. If anyone else wants to join in, please do. Like I have already confessed (and it is what I do for a living) I love looking at other people's houses and stuff.