I was talking to Joan from Zelandia Nurseries a while ago about Hydrangeas, and how much I loved them, and you wouldn't believe it  -  a huge box of them arrived for me today! Gorgeous!!

 

Many people will remember Hydrangeas from their childhood. My Grandmother had large hedges of them and I loved them because she did - the pale blue was our favourite. I think most NZ gardens back then had a Hydrangea bush or two - in some cases it could even have been bordering on over kill! Maybe that's the reason they went out of fashion for a while however, however I'm very pleased to report the Hydrangea is back! We are falling in love with them all over again and there are now so many varieties available that our grandmothers never dreamed of.

 

It couldn't have done them any harm in the popularity stakes when in the year 2000 American entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart named the Hydrangea her favourite flower of the new Millennium ... sales went through the roof!

 

And now there are so many wonderful vibrant colour to choose from. I think there is nothing more spectacular than a big bunch of Hydrangeas on a dining room table however one thing I insist on is that they must all be the same colour.

 

So thank you Joan, you have more than brightened my day and brought back some lovely memories.

 

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The Aussie version of the X Factor goes to air tonight (Monday 30th August) across the Tasman minus host Mathew Newton. The bad boy son of Bert Newton was removed from the show last week after beating up his girlfriend ... nice guy! However, in spite of the shaky start it will be interesting to see how the show goes down as NZ is also doing a local version I believe. Mind you, that the competition would need to be good to come anywhere near what is on offer in Britain. In the latest series 50 year old Tesco worker Mary Byrne had the audience on their feet and the judges raving with her rendition of the Shirley Bassey classic 'I Who Have Nothing'. Have a look at the video and see what you think. Time to move over Susan Boyle??

 

 

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After years of drinking Sauvignon Blanc about a year ago I went back to being a Charders girl. Now, I know a lot of you will be saying I don't do Chardonnay but you might think differently after trying an un-oaked Chardonnay - its not a brand its a style and I now drink it all the time. Actually I was heading out to a special dinner the other night and I picked up a bottle that I had never tried but one that came highly recommended by the guy in the wine shop. It was way more expensive than I would normally pay at twenty five dollars but it was an award winning wine and it was a special occasion.

 

The guy was so confident I'd love it he told me to pop back and tell him what I thought. Well I haven't been back, and I won't be buying it again because it was just so average and not a patch on my favourite which is Kim Crawford - and at 9.99 on special from the supermarket its a winner on all fronts in my book. Give it a try...just make sure its the un-oaked!