Wednesday, December 4, 2013

....some little wild things...

...walking down the paddock the other day we came across a nest that had been blown out of a tree a couple of days previously...miraculously there when my husband picked up the nest it wiggled and squeaked and two little dwellers were alive and well....

..its a very messy sparrow nest...they are not good house builders...


..luckily these wee fellows were almost fledged  and probably ready to leave home soonish anyway.



..magic moments!


..these delicate feathers had come loose in the fall.

And while talking of little birds our pet banty 'Chooky' hatched 5 little chicks this  week, we had put a mix of bantam eggs under her so some chickens have feathery legs and some don't. She has turned out to be a very conscientious little first time mother, and sort of growls at us when we pick her bubbies up.


..one of these eggs hatched but the other didn't.


On the donkey front...things are looking very scruffy as they lose their winter coats and put on their smooth summer wear.




I never tire of my garden, there is always something to entrance me, every season has it's treasures, the old roses are lovely at the moment.



The |Lavenders are flowering well.



Every week friends do lovely things for me, visit, garden, post me letters, give me flowers, send cards  and gifts, bring cooking and baking, I am thoroughly spoilt. This week a friend who sends me little sprigs of Central Otago Thyme also sent me some dried wild flower petals.  Another friend sent me a gorgeous hanky to have for the wedding. It is all overwhelmingly special.








It was very satisfying to knit up another teacosy, this time for our youngest daughter...It is a really pretty apple green but that hasn't shown up in the photo.  The adorning bits are the most fun to do...


and on the very day it was finished a friend I grew up with sent the little green teapot card....magic moments!


A gorgeous, velvety, apricot coloured foxglove that has popped up.




..and on the bedroom wall 2 more gifts from friends.




Have a happy week.






















 





Tuesday, December 3, 2013

...of gardens and winged things......

The week has flown by as if it had wings, two trips to Dunedin in three days for oncology appointments, my lovely oncologist and nurses who care for me, lovely friends who have helped in the garden   (Angels...you just can't see their wings),



the garden is looking very  tidy, it has been a hive of activity preparing for Thrifty Foxes big day.

We have had visitations by winged creatures ....



...this beautiful moth...

which the candle bag on the table echoes...


...a card that flew in from a friend.....some very serendipitous (not sure if this is a word but I like it!)
moments have been occurring lately...


While we were relaxing on the verandah this little bird fluttered in to have a drink, such a cute wee baby...


...it was a little weary after mastering the aerodynamics of landing....


...so stayed to rest a while....


...before leaving for adventures unknown.

A friend came for an afternoon of dabbling in water colours....we had fun!



We had some chickens hatch....2 lots of 4!




I completed a  couple of projects, 

a little jacket ...


 ..a tea cosy for Thrifty Fox, it was so much fun to do!!! I made up the hollyhocks and I think it has a very 1920's look?  ...hopefully a little bit vintage, it's been parceled up and posted off..



The Beatrix Potter cot quilts have been delivered to the quilter, the new bedroom curtains have been hemmed, the sewing  machine has been put away (temporarily) and I have to say it was quite exciting to see the top of the table again !!!




"The wall is silence,
the grass is sleep,
Tall trees of peace their vigil keep,
And the Fairy of Dreams,
with moth-wings furled,
Sings soft her secrets
to the drowsy world."

(Ida R Outhwaite)



 
 

 
 

 
 
 


 


Friday, November 22, 2013

A sea of blue forget-me nots...

...they are almost past now but the forget-me-nots have put on a very pretty display in the garden for a number of weeks.

They are now at the stage where they want to stick their little seeds to your clothing and come inside...






Silently
one by one
in the infinite
meadows
of
Heaven
blossomed the
lovely stars.
The
Forget-Me-Nots
of
Angels.


(Longfellow)



...in one of my Scrapbooks I found these snippets about these dear little flowers....







....you do get a feeling of shyness when you look at one of these little flowers....

I sewed up the Beatrix Potter quilt tops this week ready to get quilted...so pleased to have these ticked off my list.



some close ups of some of the fabric...



My favourite rose has been picked and brought indoors....



love this container given to me by a friend...



and as this week comes to a close I hope I will have more energy next week ...still so much I want to do....


...we have repainted our bedroom, I have made new curtains and a little titivating has been happening, will have to take some photo's for my next post.

Have a happy week
xx
 

 A friend brought over this lovely bouquet from her garden ...perfect in our newly purchased crock, the white Brides Blossom smells heavenly...


 ...and almost forgot some of those little hym books from last week found a spot on the mantlepiece along with some UK trip memorbilia...the little robin is handmade Irish pottery.


..and because Christmas is coming up I found these lovely tin stars in a shop ...so have hung up first decos of the season...