{Our Garden Critters}

Often I've joked about how many species there might be living on our entire property. I wish they would all come out and line up alongside the road to introduce themselves to us. Would we really like to know?! Our felines once in a while do lift up a tip of the veil by bringing us yet another species we had not seen up close... Last week I had two of our garden critters being revealed to me. One was a skink, I don't exactly know which one it was. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Georgia has only a few species of lizards, six of which are skinks. So I rescued one of those six! They belong to the reptiles.

I had to hold on to this one while making photos with one hand. Their toes are rather scratchy too.

Big eyes, a funny nostril and open ears...

Tiggy-Tiger had obviously wounded it a little, under its belly, as I have a bit of blood in my hand... But after all, I rescued him/her from a cruel death!

One last shot before I set it free, near the creek where it rapidly disappeared under the water plants. The creek is near dry...

This swamp snake I found curled up on the tiles of the staircase area... all by itself! But there are also some black cat hair so maybe our Spicy, Bandido or Barty did bring me this.

Georgia has a rich biodiversity of snakes, with forty-one native species now documented according to the same source; Georgia Encyclopedia. So I did squat down to take this photo of the dead snake for identifying it later.

I picked it up, behind its head and put it out on the retainer wall next to the driveway for Pieter to have a look at its full length. How in the world do those felines hold this in their mouth while pushing through the cat door?

It was a harmless Swamp Snake of some 45 cm. When Pieter did come to look at it, there was no snake on the retainer wall... Aha, lesson learned is that snakes play dead out of self defense and only move on after quite some time. We saw it one more time and then it was gone. Second chance in life I guess.

{FRIENDS}

The postman did bring a parcel from Celestina Marie Design with her great artwork; LOOK...

Friends

Celestina Marie is also the White House's Blue Room Artist - click Miss C~Goes To Washington!.

I am taking the risk that the dear friend I bought this for, will see it but so what? I had to show it to my readers right away!

Gifts purchased from her Gift Shop are a joy to receive; always wrapped so neatly. She creates Christmas in July!

An organdy pouch with fresh lavender she added on the outside and the inside even held a special tea bag that I enjoyed this very afternoon as a much needed pick-me-up...

Thanks a million Celestina Marie and I can only highly recommend this artist!

{Our Dinner with + Gift to our Medical Friends}

After quite a wait we finally managed to get together with all our medical Friends. Yes, Friends with a capital F! They went the extra mile for both of us. First in January of 2010 when I got almost completely paralyzed and ran for days a high fever that didn't want to go down, they all came together to see me at the hospital. Two Internal Medicine doctors and one Radiologist. The latter traveled after work the two hours to my bedside, with his wife. I was even given some delicious home cooked Indian food from the other friend, the Internal Medicine doctor's wife. We know each other for 28 years! It feels so good to leave your well being in the hands of caring, true Friends! They found a cure for my rare auto immune disease and I was quickly on the mend and therefore forever grateful to them.

In September when Pieter had his heart attack, without the usual symptoms, he was sent off per ambulance to the next big city for treatment by a good heart surgeon, who did his quadruple bypass surgery. Once again, I felt secure for leaving Pieter into the hands of dear medical Friends.

So naturally, we wanted to do something for them in return, something special and from the heart. Due to all sorts of family circumstances we could not sooner get all together than July 19. We made reservations at Ristorante da Maria with Lady Chef Maria and Heinz. This time we had her cook vegetarian Indian food, for all of us. We worked in India for over ten years for Pond's India and for another company in Poona, so we LOVE the spicy food.

Now to the special gifts that I found in Germany, in the north near Hamburg. Elvira from the blog Rosengärtchen (Rose Garden) not only creates fabulous Christening gowns and such but she also designed very unique handbags with Peacocks, which she called Secret Garden.

This one caught my attention in her blog: Tasche Secret Garden and in her online shop. Knowing that the Peacock is a very special symbol in our Friends' culture, I contacted Elvira after she made me a Rose Bag: Tasche Romantic Rose und eine Uberraschung and shown also here: {Introducing YOU to Romantic Rose Handbags from RosenRomanze Germany}. Asking her if she would be able to make three of those. She wrote back yes; all unique items and thus different, but she was more than happy to make them for me. That was in October of 2010...

Elvira used blue seed pearls, semi precious stones and metal rose bead buttons for a closure on this luxurious bag. She designed it such that one looks through a window of an old Palace into its secret garden, where peacocks proudly show their beautiful feathers, between the flower beds...

Also the inside of the bag shows this romantic floral paradise, with on its trails here and there a peacock feather... like on the inner-bag with multiple compartments for cell phone etc.

Elvira made this unique design by using different materials such as linen, cotton batting, wool, and decorated it with fancy embroidery and lace.

On a string, attached to the bag, is a pouch that closes with mother of pearl buttons, for securing money or keys.

Secret Garden Bag 2 with a tassel.

Secret Garden Bag 3.

With a lot of thanks towards Elvira for letting me use her photos!

Which bag would you like most?