Sunshine in my shadows

Welcome to sunshine in my shadows. This blog is my space to share all the stuff that makes up my every day life. Family, friends, crafts, recipes, books and all the little things that add 'sunshine to my shadows'. We all have a sprinkling of sunshine and an equal sprinkling of shadows in our lives. Hopefully you will find more sunshine than shadows to read about here and on the days when shadows fall, know that the sunshine is peeking just around the corner!


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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sunshine AND Shadows....

It's been a pretty 'ordinary' week here. The puppies are growing fast and are a joy to wake to each morning. (even if I would rather it wasn't at 4-5am) They truly are a joy. Mr B put an inch of water into a sheep trough this week for them to use as a paddling pool and they loved it! Unfortunately like most dogs they also loved the mud created by the splashes of water on the surrounding ground LOL. So both puppies had their first bath here. Neither of them was very pleased about this experience despite the warm water! Mr B has made a mental note to remember to roll up his sleeves next time. I'll share some puppy pics at the end of this post so I can end on a positive note but first I'll share the 'shadow' side of this week.

As most of you know my sister and a friend have been staying with us for the last couple of weeks. My baby sister (18 years between us) has been living in Darwin for the last several years. After ending a difficult relationship with a young army man who suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder my sister finally decided to come back to Victoria for a fresh start. She sold many of her belongings and packed what was left into her car and brought a female friend along for the adventure. Her whole life was packed into her car (her pride and joy, fully paid for and a little prettied up with custom number plates and red to boot - red ones go faster you know!)

We live in a semi rural area and it is usually quiet around here. The girls had barely been here a week when somebody broke a rear window in my sisters car and stole belongings worth thousands of dollars. (handbags,cash, jewellery, cards etc, sunglasses,cameras (all pics of my sisters children) and more) Perhaps you are thinking they were foolish to leave valuables in their car and perhaps that is a fair comment but we are crammed into an already overcrowded house and the girls only brought inside their swags, a few clothes and shoes, necessities to ease the congestion in the house. Fortunately their laptops were in the house. The car was parked in our driveway, locked and alarmed and we didn't hear a thing. (We are assuming they disabled the alarm) This was upsetting enough as the girls struggled to get ID items replaced from interstate and with nothing to prove who they are. The girls both found temporary jobs within days of arriving and were in the process of applying for rental property. Everything came to a standstill as they waited for new cards, licences etc to be processed and mailed to them. Money was yet another issue.

Then the straw that broke the camels back! The thieves (police said and we assume it was probably the same people) returned 6 days later and stole my sisters car, had their fun, dumped it, filled it with aerosol cans and set fire to it. We were woken at 5am Friday morning to be notified that the car had been stolen and burnt out. My sister was totally heartbroken and devastated. Her friend was too of course.(she also lost a considerable amount of property in the car) I will never understand why some people feel the need to steal from others or to damage property. The car was burnt beyond recognition with absolutely nothing salvageable. There was simply a shell left. The police identified it by the number plates which were found beside the wreck.

After considering their options my sister and her friend have returned to Darwin at considerable expense(hire car which was not covered by insurance).I hope they might come back to visit some day but I doubt it will be anytime soon. I suspect such an awful 'welcome' to our city will leave a long lasting aversion with them. We feel badly this happened at our place even though we know it isn't our fault. It has reduced my own sense of security knowing that people who would do such things have been lurking around our house twice without us even knowing they were here! If only these thugs knew what heartbreak and hurt they cause by their criminal activities. I guess the sad reality is that they simply don't care.

I hope everyone else has had a better week. Enough shadows, now I'm going to share some pictures of Max and Cheby enjoying their first baths.
Max at 10 weeks not liking this bath caper much!
Mr B forgot to roll up his sleeves. He won't do that again LOL!
Next it's Cheby's turn. He had already experienced his first bath before we collected him from the breeder so wasn't quite so keen to escape this time.
Cheby 11 weeks. Look how tiny his head is compared to Mr. B's thumb.
Please can I get out now Dad?
I forgot to take more photos once they were out of the bath so here's one from the week before when they were clean and dry!

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tuesday trinkets 18...

The puppies are sleeping peacefully and hopefully will continue to do so until I finish this post!
Today I have a small assortment of novelty pins and brooches to show you.
This beautiful spider brooch is handmade and I was told dates to the 1920s.He measures a scant 2 inches long. Apologies to any arachnaphobes out there!
This cocky brooch is tiny measuring just slightly more than a half inch. I wonder if he might have been part of a set of collectibles available through collecting Lipton tea coupons? He has the look of that kind of thing about him.
This sweet little dog brooch is marked Gerry's. Gerry's produced mostly figural items from the 1950s through to 1996. Their jewellery range was priced in the low to medium price range and their items are relatively common.
This hummingbird is beautifully enamelled and finished with clear diamantes. I am unsure of the vintage.
He was very hard to photograph but I adore this charming little hedgehog brooch.He is domed and quite chubby,approximately one inch long. Vintage unknown.
A pretty enamelled Rosella brooch. He is larger than the cockatoo pin measuring slightly more than an inch long. A souvenir pin perhaps? Vintage unknown.
Cute 1950s fly or bee brooch. Made in Czechoslovakia. Approximately 3/4 inch long.
Another sweet puppy pin. I'm unsure of the vintage but would guess 1950s or 1960s. He is unmarked and measures just a bit more than an inch long.
A tiny poodle face brooch. Barely half an inch tall. Apologies for the poor photograph. He is unmarked and again I would guess his vintage to be 1950s or 1960s.
Adorable elephant brooch.Measures approx 3 inches across. I have another of these somewhere in a different colour. Perhaps they were a souvenir from an overseas trip? He is very heavy and solid and also has a pendant clasp attached so he can be worn either as a brooch or pendant when attached to a chain. He appears to be made of some kind of moulded plastic with extensive goldtone  finishing. Vintage unknown.
This owl brooch refused to photograph well which is a shame as he consists of absolutely gorgeously designed and worked sterling silver. The whole owl is worked in fine filigree within a heavier silver frame. He is marked with the 925 mark. He stands at approximately and inch and half tall. Vintage unknown. I purchased him from a UK seller.
This butterfly is one of many I own and is one of the loveliest. Again my camera doesn't do justice to the delicate work on this piece. It is beautifully layered and the back looks as attractive as the front! I have no idea of the vintage but it sure is pretty!
The final brooch for today is this lovely fox. I believe he is from the 1920s or 1930s. He is missing one stone eye. He has an older, simple type 'C' clasp. Although his body appears to be made up of diamantes or stones this is an illusion. He is made from pressed metal and has been designed using a technique that resembles marquisite stones when looked at. The name of this technique/style escapes me at present.
I hope you have enjoyed todays trinkets. I love the figural items, they are such  a lot of fun!

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Puppies are fun....

But Oh soooooo exhausting! I have barely been on my computer since the puppies arrived but maybe that is not so bad? I am getting more exercise than I have had in a while and they really are a joy to watch. I feel like a new mother all over again. So I hope you will excuse my absence from blogland a little longer.

We also still have my sister and her friend staying. The house is a little squishy, it was never mean't to accommodate so many people at once. They have both started temporary work and are looking for a place of their own. Ohhhh how I wish our builder could get on with our extension!

The cats are carefully avoiding confrontation with the puppies and each other. My girlfriends cat has the puppies bluffed after a couple of firm swipes across their noses. Our two cats are curious about the puppies but also a little scared and are still sulking in the bedrooms a lot. Our cats are definately not happy about having another cat in the house but thus far we haven't had any real fireworks thank goodness!

My sister's pet rat is oblivious to all!

I may not be commenting much but I am trying to read a few blogs each day.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Meet Max and Cheby...

I mentioned in my last post how busy life was around here recently. We have a lot going on.
Thursday we picked up one of our new puppies. He is an 8 week old Bichon Frise Miniature Poodle Cross and just the cutest bundle of fluff at present.

Meet Max!
My girlfriend who became homeless recently owns a beautiful long haired domestic cat named Simba. Mr B and I told her that if she could not find a new home for Simba we would adopt her either temporarily or permanently. Simba arrived on Friday, perhaps not the best timing but we promised we would give her a home and so we have.

Meet Simba.
and yes her eyes are a beautiful green!

Saturday we collected our second puppy, a purebred miniature poodle we have named Cheby. Mr B tells me Cheby was a famous mathematician. Cheby is prounounced Ch for chain and Ebbie on the end.
Meet Cheby!
The puppies are settling in well. Simba is still very unsettled but coming out of hiding more and more. She seems unperturbed by the puppies but is nervous of people with the exception of my son, Sam and myself whom she knew previously. Simba sat on my knee for a short time today with one of the puppies so I think that is a good sign. Our two cats, Squeaky and Tabby are totally miffed and are still hiding in my daughter's bedroom only coming out to go outside. They are scared of the puppies and not happy about a new cat in the house. My sister and a friend are currently staying and I think my sister's pet rat, Hermione, is the only animal in the house truly relaxed at present. Hopefully in a short while all will settle in and at the very least learn to tolerate each other.
I imagine my time will be taken up with puppy raising duties and animal reassuring for some weeks to come.
I haven't owned a puppy for some 30+ years so it is quite an experience for me.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting our new babies, I have enjoyed showing them off!
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Busy busy week!

Just a little note to say there will be no Tuesday trinkets post this week. I have had a very busy week and have not had a chance to take photographs.
Last week Mr B had further surgery on his jaw and the rest of his teeth removed. I am glad to say he is recovering well. This surgery and teeth removal is due to complications caused by his cancer treatment last year.

My sister and a friend arrived to visit with us unexpectedly last week and are staying with us whilst they search for work and a place to live. My sister has lived interstate for several years at the opposite end of the country and we haven't seen each other for about 4 years so it has been wonderful catching up. Having two extra adults in the house has seen things a little cramped and a lot chaotic here but so far we are managing ok.

I have two very dear friends who are undergoing very serious health issues at present. I have been very anxious about them both and thinking about them a lot in the past week.

We are awaiting the arrival of a sweet furbaby addition to our family. I have spent a lot of time this week chasing up a second furbaby as a companion, thus far without much success. I didn't realise adopting a puppy would be so jolly difficult! There will be pictures and more info in a few weeks when our new purebred puppy (and hopefully his companion pound puppy) is welcomed into his new home!

So you can see I have had a few things taking up my time this week but hopefully Tuesday trinkets will be back again next week.

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen