Jeni Simpson

I'm a thrift store junkie, too, I love buying kitchen items there, My clothes also come from thrift stores and I have a rule, for every item I purchase, I drop one item at the store, so I don't clutter my wardrobe. I'm bad at buying books there also.

They are really beautiful flowers, Susan. I love the way you have showcased each one.

Thank you, Susan, I appreciate the comment.

In Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand, we have a beautiful large space for all to enjoy, children, sportspeople, gardeners. The park is a mecca for those who enjoy the natural and the planned. Its numerous gardens and botanical attractions provide vibrant displays whatever the season. I love Demolition World in Invercargill. Although the business sells pieces from demolished buildings, windows, doors, lighting, corrugated iron, etc, Lee and Dave have created a wonderful retro village. For years I have used an image I grunged up as my avatar online, and the mannequins are a delight, as are the gorgeous plastic clothes hangers found in the village, 2nd and 3rd from the left in my image below. I had a few photographs that might have gone in this no-scrap image, however, I thought they would all compete against each other, so I used alternate spaces with scrap paper instead. The area is on the Southern Scenic Highway, through Tautuku [pronounced similar to toe-too-koo] and on towards Owaka and onward to Dunedin, Otago. Through the bush are some beautiful sights, the magnificent Tautuky Beach and McLeans Falls, and Cathedral Caves where there is a slim chance of wandering along the beach to walk to the caves. They are only open for a short time each day. I used hue saturation and lightness to match the colours of the photographs used. These quick pages have been fun to create. Thanks, Carole, and everyone, I've loved the creations of everyone. Jeni

Kittens are such a delight, these kittens belonged to friends. Photographs of roses. I do love the scent of roses. I'm unsure how to re-colour some elements, so I just did the piece I could easily change. Photos of friends taken back in the 80's.

Thank you, Sue. I didn't know that.

I lived for about 19 years in Christchurch and travel up there at New Year to housesit for friends. The photo on the left is taken from the Port Hills looking towards the Southern Alps, The photo on the right is a cottage we stay in other times we travel to Christchurch. In January, 2018 and 2020, I travelled with a group of friends to Tamworth in New South Wales, Australia for 12 days of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. We travel to Tamworth by train from Sydney, a journey of 6 to 8 hours, depending on how hot the day is. The train travels much slower in hot weather due to tracks possibly buckling in the heat. Ruby came into the family in January this year, sister to 3-year-old Poppy. Poppy happily moved out of her bedroom to make way for her baby sister, she was so looking forward to the new baby. Jeni

Carole, the packages are round and is balage covered in a light-green plastic. Balage, is baled silage. Some more eco-friendly farmers leave them uncovered.

Mary, many Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed around Fiordland, although I am not sure where exactly. There is a guide book available. Fiordland is an area where I lived and worked and I have travelled over quite a bit of the places tourists go. One of my jobs in the off-season, was to guide travel agents to the various destinations available. Much of Fiordland is only accessible by boat or helicopter. There are few roads, the most travelled would be the Milford Road taking people to Milford Sound. I have not been to Hobbiton.

Doubtful Sound in Fiordland is accessible by boating across Lake Manapouri, then travelling by bus across the Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove. It is a popular tourist destination and somewhere I worked on the first overnight launch trip to the Tasman Sea in 1992. On the overnight journey passengers have the opportunity to either take a kayak onto the Sound, or to enjoy being taken out on board a tender. I spent my 70th birthday in Riverton, about an hour away from my home in Eastern Southland. It is a beautiful fishing village on the south coast where my great-grandparents lived, and mu grandfather was born. Travelling down from Venlaw Forest, near where I live, one gets a great view across farmland in Eastern Southland, New Zealand. Jeni

Susan, thank you. I, too, love Australia, the country has so much beauty, yet I believe we all can become immune to our surroundings. I found, that in Australia, many would tell me how lucky I am to have been born in New Zealand, yet there is so much beauty in their backyard, and they don't notice.

Thank you, Susan. Because I am in the Southern Hemisphere, so far away from most others, I enjoy showcasing our beautiful region, both Australia where I lived for a while, and still enjoy travelling to, and New Zealand where I live. The water dragon in those photos is about the size of a small cat. My housemates and I used to take a salad and a loaf of bread across to the Manly Dam in Sydney, Australia for our breakfast on weekends, and I remember seeing a small iguana sitting on a log close by. Jeni

An old run-down building in St Bathans, Central Otago, New Zealand. The owner of Ohinetahi, an historic homestead on Lyttelton Harbour at Governors Bay, Christchurch, New Zealand hosted a garden party yearly on behalf of Save the Children. I loved to attend partly because of the scenery, and partly because of the gardens. An Australian Water Dragon, posing while enjoying the sun at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia Jeni

Thank you, Carole, I find once I am on a roll, I try to complete everything concerning that project. I also decided to enjoy all three, rather than do just one or two projects. I'm no longer doing scrapbooking, although did enjoy making various bits and pieces to make kits, etc years ago, it was for learning purposes, finding out what PaintShop Pro can do, more than anything. I have always loved to create.

This first Quick Page uses a photograph of a statue of a crocodile. This photo was taken at Gethsemene Gardens in Christchurch. Sadly, these garden are no longer. My next Quick Page shows a cruise ship docked in Circular Quay on Sydney Harbour, Australia. For the non-scrap page, I chose a photograph taken of my parents on the occasion of their engagement, probably in 1946. Jeni