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Showing posts from June, 2015

Dear Haroun,

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Dear Diary, A ngelo :  Papa, Adam and I really like making friends and keeping in touch here on our blog.  As more people visit our site and we get more messages, our circle of friends is growing wider. New friends are wonderful but it's equally wonderful is when old friends resurface after a long absence. Very recently I received this message in the comment section of one of my postings: Angelo? ANGELO!!  My dear Angelo,  So many years have passed since my Mamma and I would sit together to read your Picture Trail blog and so many not very nice things have happened in the meantime. The worst for me was being locked in a box for what I now know was years and years. Did you know that you are the reason I am here? Probably not, but Mamma saw you and fell in love with the idea of having a boy just like you. She took a few months to find me and then had to keep me a big secret but we would spend an hour or two each day together and looked out for your posts with great excitement. D

Maplelea Footwear

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Dear Diary, J esse : I have a footwear fixation and I think my boys should have all the latest styles. Angelo has his custom made but it's a different story for Adam.  As anyone who buys the generic footwear for 18" dolls knows, there is no consistency as each manufacturer makes them in different sizes and shapes, not to mention quality.  My biggest complaint is that they are wide and clunky. Not long ago, Usha, a member of the Carpatina Yahoo Group, recommended that I try the footwear for the Maplelea doll, Canada's own version of the American Girl.  It seemed like a reasonable risk so I purchased these: Back row L - R: Summit Boots, Silver Streek, Snowdrifters Front L - R: Skedaddlers, Carpatina loafers for comparison They each appear to be nicely made and look good.  Unfortunately, almost all their footwear is for girls and can't cross-over for boys.  I thought I'd show these, comparing them to the proper-fitting and proportional Carpatina shoes

"Lemon tree very pretty..."

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Dear Diary, A dam :  It's almost the winter solstice and our lemon tree has decided to give us all these beautiful lemons.   We bought this tree last spring but didn't know where to plant it to keep it out of the winds so it spent all spring and summer in  the glass house.  In the latter part of summer it got too hot inside so we moved it outside.  In early spring we'll plant it. We have another potted lemon tree which thinks it's spring so it's put out new blossoms. Silly tree - fooled by Mother Nature! "Love those lemons!" A ngelo :  We make a number of wonderful baked goodies for afternoon tea time with fresh lemon juice and zest.  I suppose we never have enough lemons!  Next year we should have a big crop from both trees and lots of lemon cakes and biscuits - yummmmm! "You don't really need any shade in the winter sun." A dam : I want to point out our new shoes.  Mine are from Maplelea and Angelo's are from Ru

Happy birthday, Your Majesty!

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Dear Diary, Adam : Today is the Queen's official birthday.  "Happy birthday, Ma'am!" A ngelo : It isn't her actual birthday, that's on 21 April but since 1748 the subjects of the British Crown have publicly marked the sovereign's birthday. Each of the 16 countries which comprise the Commonwealth of Nations, selects the day to honour the monarch's birthday and legislates it as a public holiday. In New Zealand, we celebrate it on the first Monday in June. Most celebrations are mainly official, including the important Queen's Birthday Honours list which include Knight or Dame Grand Companion of the Order of Merit, Knight or Dame Companion of the Order of Merit and other honours in recognition of special service to the public. "How does 'Sir Angelo' and 'Sir Adam' sound?" A dam : We're all dressed-up and ready just in case our names are on the Queen's Birthday honour list this year! Queen