Sister Diny's Rabbit LOVED my Saddlebag from The Bridge Italy

After having been to the Congress in Hong Kong, we continued traveling to Australia for another Congress in Sydney.

Next we flew to Melbourne for a weekend at the Grand Hyatt, using our points.
On Saturday, September 4, 1993 we went to an Italian shop, run by an Italian so I was happy being able to chat with her. In the window we'd already eyed a beautiful tan Saddlebag from The Bridge, Italy.

Now I became its happy owner!

Loved the lock and the stitching around the cording.

So did my sister Diny's pet-rabbit, as it managed to chew a hole in it, while we were visiting her on September 18, 1994... 🐇

Screenshot from video taken at the Gardens of the Alhambra in Spain, with the saddlebag.

We had visited Diny prior to that vacation by bus via France, into Spain and Portugal.

April 20, 1997 at The Spa at Norwich Inn in Connecticut where we stayed at one of their villas during our consulting work.
Wearing my saddlebag (left in picture).

The Spa at Norwich Inn where we stayed in a Villa... click it

From there, we also drove to Logee's for some unique plants

No, I have NO pictures of that favorite bag before the rabbit took a BITE... 🐇

Yep, the Rabbit took a bite right on the leather piping... 🐇

The Bridge Pellettieri in Firenze, Italy

For 1993 pricing Australian $ 119.00

But what to do about the HOLE?

Found THIS: LeatherNu and ordered it... just click link

Well, I have had it for almost 2 years sitting here before using it 'ONE DAY'

Finally I DID!

Starting out with the Leather Repair Compound...

On New Year's Day, I had filled in the RABBIT HOLE for the first time and let it cure... 🐇

On January 6, the RABBIT HOLE looking like this... 🐇

Hitting BINGO with the matching color brown already inside this package and applying a few coats of leather dye.

Got these sponges to apply the dye from the tiny bottle...

Next a few coats with the Clear Leather Sealer...

Result was GOOD! 

And this, after all those years...

Wore my Saddlebag to Church on my Angel Sister's 70th Birthday and feeling happy with it.

Poor Rabbit is long over the Rainbow Bridge... 🐇
It matches well with my Escada jeans and coat.

But I still LOVE my Saddlebag from The Bridge with quite a story attached to it, adventures covering three continents!

Being made in Italy, sold in Australia, taken home to the U.S.A., being bitten in The Netherlands and finally restored in the U.S.A.

Matching also nicely my suede/leather boots from Italy, purchased in 1989 when we lived and worked there. 

Related links:
Our Weekend at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne Regency Club | previous post by me
From Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia | previous post by me

{The Year 2016 Is Ending...The Resilientista Planner}

It is a sunny day today but rather cool.

My final days for 2016 are not as planned, fighting a bronchitis.

But still, it is a time for reflecting 

Great ingredients for happy days...

Sunshine

Fountain pen

The Resilientista Planner by friend Celia, just click the link!

Tiny Baccarat vase with fragrant Cashmere Bouquet (Clerodendrum philippinum) from Logee's, just click on picture below this vase. 

And COFFEE...

Well, I certainly had all the right ingredients and almost forgot to make this photo... having my coffee almost finished!

Never mind; not everything can be perfect all the time...

Wishing you a happy ending of 2016 and a very Happy New Year 2017!

Thanks for your visit.

{Dahlia with Hibiscus and Clerodendrum Ugandese}

We all LOVE to have some fresh cut flowers from our own garden...

Even if it means only a few of them!

On our kitchen table... on June 12.

To the left you see a beautiful Dahlia, to the right a Hibiscus syriacus 'Blushing Bride' that came straight from Our Life in Italy!
In the center, top and bottom is our special Clerodendrum Ugandese or Blue Butterfly Bush.

Husband Pieter also captured them with his camera...
Yes, that Hibiscus syriacus 'Blushing Bride' has a very special story which you can read from link below blog, about our life in Italy.
We are thrilled that we still have it after all those years!

And again and you can see the sunshine that twinkles in the tiny vase.
The Clerodendrum Ugandese came from +Logee's Greenhouses in Connecticut

The Clerodendrum Ugandese or Blue Butterfly Bush flower a bit more in detail...

Together they just made a beautiful and very sweet vase!

Do you love to bring in some home grown flowers?

Our climate is very harsh so we never yield a lot...

Thanks for your visit!

Related links:

{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush} | previous post by me
{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower} | previous post by me
{Our Hibiscus syriacus 'Blushing Bride' from Quero, Belluno in Italy} | previous post by me

{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush}

On November 11, I could make this photo from our Clerodendrum Ugandese - Blue Butterfly Bush and also called Blue Glorybower. A gem from Logee's that we do treasure.

While making this photo, I got bitten by a legion of fire ants... 

But still I was pleased with this photo.

In-between the rain we had, some beauty!

Happy weekend!

Related link:
{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower} | previous post by me

{Jasminum Sambac - Jasmine Grand Duke of Tuscany}

Last year we bought a new Jasminum Sambac - Jasmine Grand Duke of Tuscany from Logee's  and this year it did yield its first fragrant blossoms.

August 9, this beauty opened with yet another bud underneath.

Look what heavy rain did in just one day... 

Waiting 3 more days did yield another double blooming, highly fragrant beauty.

They are so lovely!

Jasmine 'Grand Duke of Tuscany' - Jasminum Sambac ← click it

We hope it will look bigger next year!

Related links:

{Our Jasminum Sambac 'Maid of Orleans' - "Arabian Tea Jasmine"} | previous post by me

{Our Fragrant Hoya Carnosa - Wax Plant}

A treat for the hummingbirds is our fragrant, honey dripping Hoya Carnosa or Wax Plant. Husband Pieter did capture them on camera for you to enjoy. Does any of you also keep this lovely plant?

You can find a variety of Hoya carnosa plants at Logee's  by just typing in this name into the search box.

My husband Pieter captured this photo on June 17. Our Hoya Carnosa is outdoors so the hummingbirds can freely feast on their sticky honeydew.

Side by side with our Orchid Cactus on their pedestal...

Indoor plants are nice but being able to have them outdoors is even better!

Here they are on July 20, in our gazebo on the railing where they can trail freely as well.

This is hummingbird domain...

Enough sticky honeydew drippings for their daily meal...

Have you ever caught on of these sweet honeydew drippings with your finger to taste?

It sure tastes sweet!

{Clerodendrum Philippinun - Cashmere Bouquet}

One more exotic and highly fragrant beauty I would like to introduce to you. Clerodendrum Philippinum or Cashmere Bouquet. They look like tiny rosebuds and are white with a pinkish blush. Logee's in Connecticut does sell  this variety, see link below post.

Complete with ant, as they sure love the sweet fragrance too!

Even its leaves are beautiful...

Perfect for a small vase; this is ONE stem...

Don't you love this Cashmere Bouquet as they are called?

By the way, yesterday I did forget to add the most beautiful photo we had from our Blue Butterfly Bush. You can view it here: 2004 photo from our exotic Clerondendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush

Related link:

Clerodendrum Philippinum Cashmere Bouquet | Logee's link for buying this when you click below picture

{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower}

Last year our young Clerodendrum Ugandense or Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower, almost succumbed to the summer heat. Great was our joy when on May 28, husband Pieter could make two photos from its first blooms. Up till than we kept it inside the greenhouse for protecting its still frail growth. Let me show you first a closeup of this exotic, from an earlier shrub we had in 2004.

Clerodendrum Ugandese or Blue Butterfly Bush and also called Blue Glorybower.

You certainly understand that we wanted to replace this beauty!

This photo shows its beautiful first flowers when the pot got just taken out of the greenhouse.

It is an East African evergreen shrub from Kenya and Uganda, you can find more info below this post.

We found ours in the spring of last year, at Logee's.

Here it is still inside the greenhouse... 

Do you see the almost dead stems to the left and center, from which these new green leaves did branch out? 

Looks like quite a miracle!

It also shows that we should not throw out any plant too soon.

They might come back to life in a surprising way.

Due to the heavy rain and rather dark weather, no more flowers have formed outside but instead it has huge foliage. Looking strong and happy.

Did you know this shrub? 

Related link:
Clerodendrum ugandense | For more info
Logee's | Where we obtained ours

{More of Our Citrus}

Just like to show you more of our citrus, these photos are from June 6 and the last one is from August 12 of 2010 so you can see the end result of all those blossoms. Heavenly fragrance... such a joy to have those! Have a look at those up close pictures of the sweet blossoms and their lush buds. My husband Pieter took those for you to enjoy. Next time you eat an orange, you will know how they developed...

A spider build her web-nest in-between those buds... Smart!

All our citrus trees are in huge planters and are on the brick patio in front of the green house.

I believe this is the Citrus Limon Ponderosa from Logee's Greenhouses