What's blooming in the jardin?

Happy Palm Sunday, everyone.  Let's take a look at what's blooming, or getting ready to bloom, here at the Jardin de Rosas.  Here's a hummingbird I snapped last summer, he was sucking the Turk's Cap dry:

I'm jazzed now, because the oakleaf hydrangeas under the big oak tree are going to bloom soon.

 They didn't bloom last year, and who could blame them, with the drought & all?

The amaryllis I got from Michael (rag!) years ago survived the move and the drought.  They're putting on a show.

 Meanwhile, the front garden is full of these nasty mushrooms.  I suppose that means the soil is full of good, organic stuff, but they creep me out.  Ewww!

Here are some little tomatoes, can't wait to devour them!

A visit to Bayou Bend

It's Spring in Houston, that time of year when we sincerely enjoy being outside.  Last week, thanks to the big law firm's sponsorship of the "Sip &Stroll" series, hubby & I visited Bayou Bend.  This is the former home of Miss Ima Hogg (make all the jokes you want, this lady was rich, philanthropic, and had good taste.  And NO, she didn't have a sister named Ura).  This home is less than a mile from ours but it was our first visit.  Doesn't it look like Scarlett O'Hara could burst through the door?  Wrong state.

 I stopped sipping & strolling for a minute for this pic:

Loved this fountain & wish we had one in our yard:

 Here is a huge sycamore tree.  They have run cables up the length of it to take lightning strikes.

 Here is the Diana garden, named after the Greek goddess.  I'm not a huntress, but Diana was apparently a good shot with her bow & arrow.  Looks like venison for dinner!

Enjoy the weather, soon it will be too hot!

Nora gets a new cool ride

Well, gang, it was time for Pookie the Smart to be traded, cute as he was.  Time for new car!  Here it is, this bada$$ Ford Focus hatchback.  Check it out!

Nice, big 18-inch wheels.  It's a smooth ride.

The gas cap is . . . non-existent!  Just like a race car, you jam the nozzle in there, start pumping and stop when your wallet can't stand the strain anymore.

Happy motoring, everyone!

Career highlight

Your blogmistress went to London in January.  This was a business trip and the culmination of a 4-year fraud investigation.  I was supposed to testify in criminal court.  Scary!  Before the witnesses began testifying, both parties pled guilty.  WOW.  That was the best week of my 30 year career.   Here is a link to the press coverage:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24027024-solicitor-and-wife-faked-pound-100000-expenses-to-pay-for-lavish-holidays.do

Meanwhile, I haven't been so far North in January in a long time.  It was dark at 4:30pm, so all of my pix are night shots.  Here is a view of St. Paul's Cathedral - that's where Charles & Diana got married in 1981.  Beauty!

Our office is in the old City of London.  Here is the dragon that guards the edge of the city, complete with a double decker bus going by.

It's good to be home.  Where it's light out until about 6:30 and flowers are blooming in the garden!

It's 2012 - time for more goofy signs

Happy New Year, everyone!  Kids don't like to go back to school after the holidays, but when they do, MAKE SURE THEY PAY ATTENTION.  Otherwise, their grammatical errors will end up as examples on this blog.

Here is our first entry for 2012 - They might be the healthiest donuts ever, because they are bake, not fried. 

Next, I noticed this sign at a pub near our house.  If I can see this error while driving by at 35 mph, why can't Bubba?  He got karaoke right, but the elusive "too cheap" was a lesson he must have missed in school, again and again.



Manic Monday, (or) Diane Designs the Divine Drapes

 I took my final vacation day of 2012 today, just in time to get our long-awaited new drapes.  You know how these things go - take a picture of the "before" look, realize those windows should probably be washed, run around doing that (inside & out), bake some Christmas cookies while you're at it, blah blah blah.  I was never so glad to see the guys show up to intall the drapes so I could finally sit around and watch.  Here we go - this is the living room in the front of the house - before:

 Here is the after shot.  Notice the artwork has been moved around, too.

 Here is the TV room, pre-drapes (sorry, the light was bad):

And after.  Diane helped me move the furniture around so it all looks right:

Here is the kitchen window, "nekkid" as they say in TX:

And here is the nice roman shade, perfect!

Breakfast nook, before:

Here are the valances:

Here's a detail shot, check out the origami effect.  Whoever sewed these paid a lot of attention to matching the fabric patterns between the panels.

Finally, here is the master bedroom, before & after:

Our thanks & Merry Christmas to our friend & fabulous designer, Diane.  I'm sure she will take referrals, we're pretty good customers.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Wanted: New Editor for the local 5pm news

 Please.

Meanwhile, we put up some Christmas lights last weekend.