I must go down to the Seas again..............

................ And so to the seas, the waves and the wild everything that is nature she went. 

Karen, the author of Daisies, Doilies and Donkeys passed away in April in her beloved home with her family at her side.

She is missed so much more than we can say and the world is less without her.  Recording her thoughts and memories in this place meant so much to Karen and is now a beautiful legacy for us all. 

May we remember Karen every time we see a daisy on a summer's lawn, admire a handmade doily or spend some time with the creatures she loved so much; the humble donkey!

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking,

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

                                                                                                                        John Masefield

....useful bags...

I had a trip to town last week and needed to get some sewing machine needles and thread.....however....whilst walking through the shop some lovely fabric caught my eye.  I had made a pledge (turns out it's a flexible pledge!!) not to buy any fabric until I've used up most of what I have stashed!!!
Anyway.... "He who hesitates is lost" ran through my mind and so homeward the fabric came!!!

...It's very nostalgic and evokes lovely memories of primary school.  It reminded me of some of the old Childhood Primers .
I am lucky enough to have 2 of the old Primers that my grandad's family used. There were 8 children in the family, the photo only shows 6 of them.

 

The great aunt who gave me the books said that all the children used these books. In this disposable, throwaway world it's hard to comprehend. 

 

When they got too fragile they were covered with fabric, one of my books is covered in a lovely soft plush fabric .

 

 

 

Faded, tattered and well loved by little hands.

 

between the covers lovely little illustrations, some in colour.

 

The pictures are very like the ones on my new fabric.

My husband told me that when they were children they had drawstring bags called  'useful bags', what a cool thing to have!!! I decided I would make some 'useful bags'  with the cute new fabric to put in my "nanna box'

 

I made 4 useful bags , and there is some left over so may make more, they would be useful to put  library books in, books , toys, any thing really!

 

I lined the bags with chirpy green spots, in the background the slate my grandad and family used at school.

Have a happy week.

x

...of this and that....

....another week has fled , a week filled with this and that!

I made jam early one morning, how satisfying watching the apricots, simmering away having it set and put away in jars for the winter. 

 

I had some hours in the garden too which is taking on an autumn feel, bright dahlias and heleniums signalling that cooler days lie ahead.

Dawnings of amber and amethyst eves;

Soft in the south wind the laughter of leaves;

Breath of the poppy and death of the rose,

Midsummer comes and midsummer goes!

Dapple on cheek of the apple and plum;

honey bees droning  a die-away hum'

Swales in a shimmer and dales in a doze, 

Midsummer comes and Midsummer goes!

Darting of dragon-fly, flutter of moth'

Barley in window and wheat in the swath;

Hush-song and thrush-song-the mother bird knows!

Midsummer comes and midsummer goes!

Moonlight and noonlight all glamour and gleam;

Hillside and rillside a thrall to the dream;

Capture the rapture before the days close!

Mid summer comes and midsummer goes!

(Clinton Scollard

1860-1932)

We have been trimming the side shoots off our hazelnut trees in the evenings, its very peaceful down amongst the cool,green with a faint sniff of autumn wafting through.

 

 

 

 

I made the binding for the cot quilts and have been doing the hand stitching every opportunity that I get.

 

  ...while man of the house does a wee bit of fishing.

 

some TV slippers were knitted up as well.

The quilts also had a visit to Frasers beach one very hot and sunny day where we had a cup of tea, walked and relaxed and very exciting watched some little |Hector's dolphins playing in the surf.

The two new ewe lambs I

 got this year have been a delight and very pretty.

 

Katy and Morag

 

We had a trip to Dunedin last week and called at the Hospice shop to do some thrifting, got some delightful finds!!

 

 

 

 

 

this pretty lidded dish was only $2 , I came home and picked big bunches of Oregano and hung them up to dry in the kitchen, they perfume the entire kitchen....mmmm

 

Have a happy week and bee busy

xx

 

 

 

bedroom makeover

Before Thrifty Foxes wedding we did a bit of spruce up in the house, our bedroom needed an update - it was tired looking.   New paint was applied to the walls and a freshen up took place.  I made new curtains out of french linen purchased from Femme De Brocante in Canterbury, I love the soft colours and the way it drapes as it hangs. 
Some old china fitted right in with the scheme.
New lamps, I distressed the bases, painted the shades with the wall paint and glued on some vintage lace.
We painted the bedside cabinets and put on new knobs.
After many years of the wardrobe doors not being painted....they were... and new knobs put on. 
We are very pleased with the result, it is calm and peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a happy week.

 

some potted colour

This week has gone by very fast and I thought without much to show for it, but a friend and I have been working on a project together, it is a gift so still a secret, that was 2 full days this week and a few more hours too.

Potted up some Antique Pansy plants and some varigated geranium plants for pots on the verandah in the autumn and winter.

I love putting plants in pots and having them close through the harder weather of winter.

I bought some of the white and green geranium plants a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the look of them in blue and white pots and also just in the old terracotta pots so was very happy to get some more.

 

...bright mixed colour from the garden....this big lemony perennial daisy is new to me and I love it, it looks great in the border and great inside too...

...the weather has been cool with a lot of wet days, hail too sometimes! so the garden has an autumnal feel creeping in ....I  found these 2 unfinished coathanger covers and completed them ...they echo the hues in the flowers....

The cot covers returned home from the quilter, this afternoon was spent making the binding and stitching it on, just have to buy a wee bit of fabric to go round 2 green quilts, and do the hand stitching. 

 

The inclement winds blew this mossy nest out of a tree...it's beautifully put together.

 

 

A lovely warm sunny day yesterday saw us hook up the caravan, pack up the afternoon tea cups and off we went to the beach...the tide was out ....we had a lovely time relaxing in the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, back for more chemo, more secret crafting, hand stitching little quilt bindings, some gardening.....  I love the start of a new week so many possibilities ahead!!!

Have a happy week

xx