Little Daphne's scary day

 

 

We had a bit of a disastrous drama last week. My sweet princess Daphne had a horrible accident tearing her leg badly on a piece of mesh that had just been delivered that day as we are having our patio concreting and tiling done. Talk about a bad luck accident.

So we rushed her to the vet in rush-hour traffic and ... inched ... along. But we got there, they sewed her back together, and now she's at home feeling sorry for herself with a clonking unbendable leg and it's probably pretty sore too.

I'm just so thankful it wasn't worse - she missed a major vein by some miracle. And she was so brave in the car going there. What a star my little Daphne is.

She had pain medication and antibiotics and the bonus for her is that she had to take her medicine with food so she received a small extra meal before bedtime. Thankfully she kept her appetite throughout the whole ordeal; as if I ever expected her to lose it!!

 

We didn’t leave the house all weekend and I've stayed home most of this week too. Daphne rested a lot. I don’t need any encouragement to stay home so it's been great :)

 

 

Daphne is continuing to do well, her leg is healing and her bandage has stayed on, amazingly. No cone of shame necessary thank goodness! She is definitely looking forward to getting her bandages off and the stitches out in a week's time though. Poor wee baby. She has been allowed to sleep on the bed with her poor sore paw since the accident.

She has to stay at home while we take the other two doggies down the road for a walk. I'm sure Chloe is looking for a way to injure herself too... she is NOT a fan of going for walks.

Micky on the other hand launches himself down the driveway and would walk for hours if I kept on going!
 

And I've finished my latest book too! I am now proofreading it. It feels SO good to write that last word, lol. I’m excited for you to read it very soon. I’d love to release it within the next week, we’ll see how I go!

 

 

 

I'm making the most of my summer clothes now that we're heading into autumn. There are still days when I can wear my wedge sandals.

As is my thing, I bought them in two colours - yellow and orange. And they were on a good special, so I got both pairs for less than the price of one pair. Just as well as I couldn't choose.

And the blouse I'm wearing I also have in Kelly green. Plus the jeans I'm wearing I also have in denim and black... What can I say, I love making things easy for myself by buying different colours of pieces that work for me.

And, of course, waiting until they go on special. The brands are New Zealand so you probably can't get them overseas (DecJuba clothing and Merchant sandals).

I love to wear my nice clothes at home since I don't often go out. It just makes me happy to dress in pretty colours and do my hair and makeup. And if I do go out or someone comes around, I'm not a scruff.

It was actually proven to me when I had to rush Daphne to the vet last week. I'd been at home all day, writing and also doing home things, and then Daphne had her accident.

The next day I thought how glad I was that I looked presentable and wasn't embarrassed by looking like I'd given up on life, lol.

I hope your week is going well, and please tell me, do you buy multiples of clothing items that you like? Do you like repeating outfit combinations in different shades?

xx Fiona

 

 

PS. My book 'The Chic Closet' is available on Amazon here. Of course I had to mention it since I was talking about clothes! 

 

 

 

My Amazon links are affiliate, which means that I may receive a small commission on anything you purchase through my link. The price you pay is the same ❤️

Chic home style, and loving reading

 

 

We went outdoor furniture shopping (more just researching really) and I had to test out each set! I really like the chunky woven cane in the second photo. It's got a Hamptons vibe and our outdoor area is quite spacious so a bigger ‘look’ will have presence.

It's so hard to choose! It's a sizeable investment too so I want to make a good decision.

Do you have any tips if you've furnished an outdoor area? A patio is like another whole room of the house!

I'd love to have a living area space and a dining area space. Outdoor sofas have always appealed but I've never bought one before. I’m quite an impatient person but I can see that I’ll have to do some looking and planning to make it lovely :)

 

Our new outdoor area has been in the making for a couple of years now but there have been delays owing to various factors, our most recent being the cyclone. But our tiles started to go down this week so it is coming together at last.

The good thing about our timing being longer is that it gave us more time to save up to pay for everything, which is a good thing! I almost feel like the Universe slowed everything down on purpose because the timing is pretty much spot on.

There was a cool quote I wrote down from listening to Rhonda Byrne, I can’t remember which audiobook it was of hers (I listen to them all at once):

‘The matrix of the Universe knows only perfect timing.’

It’s so soothing to take that on. It calms worried thoughts and early hours catastrophising :)

Please let me know any advice you have for furnishing an outdoor area, too!

 

 

Hallway detail with my faux orchid plant

 

I know some may scoff at faux plants but I love them. I love that they always look good, I don't have to water them and potentially get rings on wooden furniture... there are no dead bits dropping down onto the table. So many good things :)

I know plants purify the air, and I do have one... ailing... peace lily. But we live in the country and I open windows daily, even in the winter, so that must keep our air good, yes?

Anyway, I'm going to keep on enjoying my faux plants. What I love about life is that we each get to choose what we want to do, which way to go.

I really admire people who enjoy pottering with their plants, and fresh flowers too. But for me, I've now owned that faux is my way, for now at least. Maybe one day I will get into real plants. I'm always open to change.
 

 

 

I wonder if all writers are also keen readers? It certainly is that way for me. I have read books my whole life, and it was always a treat to open a new book, whether it was a Christmas present or new-to-me from the public library.

Weren't libraries just the most wondrous places as a child? Even in the tiny town where I grew up we had a nice library which provided me with all the books I could ever read, from novels to crafty books on candle-making and crochet, lol!

These days I'm just as much a reader, with a Kindle full of books, a curated bookshelf at home, and a local library at my disposal.

It's funny how precious books are to so many of us.

And now I get to write my own books too. I'm telling you, it is such a blessing to have my books in the world. Each one is a piece of my soul. I know they're light and fluffy, but they really are part of me, for you.

I want to share my happy thoughts and positivity to live a brilliant life without spending a lot of money. Of living well and having a helpful mindset. My 'spin' is combining fun and feminine inner work with financial savvy and a chic personal style - both at home and how we present ourselves.

Please tell me, if you are a writer, do you also love reading? And if you are a happy reader, do you ever dream of writing a book?

xx Fiona

 

PS. You can find all my books here on Amazon.

 

 

 

My Amazon links are affiliate, which means that I may receive a small commission on anything you purchase through my link. The price you pay isn't any different, so thank you if you choose to use my links :)

Rockin' Rod Stewart concert - we went!

 

 

Hello chic friends!

 

I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend.

We were lucky enough to see Rod Stewart in concert on Saturday night, right here in Hawke’s Bay.

He gave such a good show too. I loved the start with Scottish bagpipes which turned into a rocking ‘Addicted To Love’ complete with hot guitar playing girls!

 

 

I love how Rod has fun with his performance and really seemed to be enjoying himself even though he’s probably repeated the show hundreds of times.

What a legend! And an inspiration at 78!

I didn’t see her but a friend told me that his wife Penny Lancaster was there too, wandering around up the front taking selfies with people. How cool is that!

Mind you, if you were Rod’s wife you’d probably stick close too :)

All in all a good night and it didn’t even rain like it was meant to. Phew!

 

And, we got our internet back on the next day. After seven weeks!! Hallelujah. I’m so grateful!

 

 

How about this beautiful autumn sunset the other night? It was fleeting but spectacular.

 

 
Little Micky Dog gets tucked in at night, but then migrates onto the carpet complete with blanket :)

Is his bed too comfortable I wonder? Or too cozy?

Apparently he has always been a floor sleeper. Funny wee thing. He's such a honey.

That's all for this week, wishing you a good one :)

xx Fiona

 

 

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The Green Post 💚

Dog walking on a breezy day 💚💚💚 #autumndays

 

Hello chic friends!

Hope you're having a great week! We switched out of daylight savings time last weekend, so now it's properly into the autumn feels here 🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

 

Who wants to see the before and after of my herb garden upgrade? I know, you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for it :)

Neatly tended After, with Daphne (and Chloe in the background)

 

The first photo (above) is my lovely weeded herb bed and the second photo further down, well, it's the weedy before photo (but a before-and-after is always fun to see, right?)

 

From left to right in the photo above:

🍃 Parsley (struggling a little I admit, I may have to buy a new plant if it doesn't take off).

🍃 Chives going gangbusters and so yummy in mashed potato since my parsley is currently 'out of stock'.

🍃 Thyme, delicious with scrambled eggs (I fry it in the butter before I put the whisked eggs in the pan). Also very good pressed under roast veges (a few leaves per piece of potato, pumpkin or carrot).

🍃 Oregano, it grows plentifully so I use it! It is nice with roast veges or in a sauce. Delicious added to a homemade pizza too.

🍃 Rosemary, transplanted from another area, and in this photo being photobombed by Daphne. It's nice on roast lamb, and in potato gratin (finely chopped).

🍃 Mint, corralled in its own little pot and seems to be thriving after I transplanted a chunk. I have a big patch growing wild which I originally planted away from everything because if you've ever had mint it takes over. I love putting a handful of leaves in my green smoothie, so good!

The first mint I planted here came from my dad's property which is very special since my dad is no longer with us and the property has now been sold. I remember when he went to get some mint to put in with the boiled potatoes and took me for a trek into the paddock where the most amazing mint patch grew, the leaves were huge. And now I have a satellite mint patch of my own. Thanks Pa!

 

Weedy Before, there are self-seeded TREES growing in there!

 
I hope you enjoyed my herb garden tour. I don't grow anything else at the moment. Herbs seem to be the easiest thing for me and they pay great rewards too since I love cooking with fresh herbs.

This little garden is just one of ways in which I love being 'financially chic' - living a good life without spending a lot of money.

 

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With people here having lost their entire homes in the cyclone floods, I got to thinking what would be the possessions I'd be most upset about if our house was engulfed, and one of my top things was my books. So I took photos of all the shelves and sections of books on our built-in shelf in the hall as an insurance safeguard, plus to remind me of all the titles I have.

 

 

I love my books so much! This is one section of my French Chic shelf, of course. As you can see, I often leave bookmarks in non-fiction books and dip into them as desired. Many books I have collected second-hand from places like Abe Books or Thrift Books over the years, simply because they are not in print any longer.

 

I have been re-reading Jennifer L. Scott's book 'Lessons From Madame Chic' recently. It is such a charming book and reinspires me every time I read it. The ten-item wardrobe chapter is a good reminder at the change of seasons too.

I am thinking about my autumn/winter wardrobe at the moment. My goal is not to buy anything new and to put together a collection from items I already own – to lovingly curate a look and make sure everything is clean, good-looking and mended if necessary. Such fun!

If you are a booklover like I am and have a carefully curated selection of books too, take photos of all your titles today. Just to keep in your phone as a safeguard. And, the bonus is that you get to look at those photos from time to time. They will make you happy! Or maybe that’s just me 😂

Wishing you a lovely long weekend, if it's Easter where you are like it is here.

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

My Amazon links are affiliate, so I may receive a small commission on anything you purchase through my link at no extra cost to you.