cold weather crafting

The snow has melted

sparkling drops were glinting on the trees

it was so beautiful.  The weather continues to be stormy....I love it!
I love winter!!!
I love crackling fires, woollen rugs, cosy slippers, winter clothes, hats, scarves, winter skies, winter seas, winter trees, winter food, frosty mornings, ice on puddles, bracing walks, lots of reading, hot soup,  winter crafting!!!
I have quite a few UFO's and a rather large stash of wool and fabric, I am looking forward to getting into some of this over the winter.  I have found rather a larger pile of unfinished projects than I had thought existed!!!  one of these is a sampler started a few years ago, I got heaps done and then came to the wording which is one thread over one thread...and became worried that I wasn't getting it right etc....so filed it...and have put it off until now! what a good feeling it is getting it done, I have set myself a few words each day and its taking shape.  ( I have to wear my new glasses with my old glasses over the top and sit under strong light to see what I'm doing!! LOL not the sort of stitching to do in public)  Now I see the birds on top of the trees aren't very clear so may pull that bit out and darken them...

Yesterday I made a couple of bags for friends who are sheep farmers and love all thing sheepy.  Unfortunately the fabric is new and not from the stash , but the lining is....

love the expressions !

The crochet flowers keep coming, stitched some onto gloves and like it!

Also this weekend, did lots of fabric cutting, I finally have all the pieces cut ready to start sewing.  Its going to be a queen size bed quilt, with large plain squares, some 9 patch squares and some 4 patch squares.  (all from the stash)

 Can't wait to get sewing.

There is a big pot of homemade Pumpkin soup heating for lunch, the fire is on, its cold outside but the sun is shining through the windows, it's Sunday afternoon....bliss.

today.....

I love snow.......

my little card making hut

icy road

warm water and hay delivery!

The snow has frozen so not suitable for snowman making...which is a shame so will settle for this....

Will make some vege soup, and a big casserole for tea ...maybe get the sewing machine out..do some knitting....  and stay snug .

Welcome June

It's Queen's Birthday a long weekend ..love that feeling of an extra leisure day with no alarm clock.
Looking at other peoples blogs and seeing all the gorgeous bunting , the street parties and festivities in Britain is so cool...what a lovely feeling there must be over there.
June came in with a frost, Jack had been out in the night, I love his art work.

delicate strokes on the verandah glass.....

broader strokes on the lawn....

I have been doing some artwork too

this one is finished I think apart from painting round the edges of the canvas.

This one is very unfinished,

inspired by a very noisy extended family of sparrows who took up residency in the creeper on our verandah a few years ago and who keep us amused by their squabbles, cheekiness, snuggling up to one another, and their babies .

I have been doing some crocheting, a friend has been using the little borage flowers to adorn her grandchildrens hand knits, she has put them on wee hats, boleros and has made a wee broach with some, I think they look cute on this birthday parcel for her too!

Sunday seemed like a good day for a seaside drive and walk, Bluff was our destination, they have absolutely the best Fish and Chips anywhere...the perfect Sunday roast!

 

a couple of oysters in there too...yum

We had great company, a pretty view and the smell of the sea

The famous Bluff sign

The sun had had enough for the day and the rain came in so we went for a walk on the way out of Bluff at Greenpoint.

 lots of native plants

 The Manuka was a bit spindly, sculpted by the wind  some of it looked very Dr Suess.

Manuka flowers, you can make tea from this bush (I have never tried it...I love my Earl Grey way too much)  Manuka honey has wonderful healing properties and is being used by some hospitals now, for its antiseptic anti bug properties. I love the way nature brings us back to herself, we have so much to learn.

Grey skies, cold wind, dulled down, subdued water gave this scene such a sense of desolation and dejection, these boats looked so dismal and  tragic, you could almost feel their  sense of abandonment.

 

I liked the bit on the notice that said their adventures could fill a book...oh if only they could speak!

Maybe on a sunshiny day with gentle waves lapping at their hulls, it may look more as if they are happily resting after along and exciting lives.

Home to the warm fire and cheerful

thoughts of a another day off.

PS hoping the builder may be back this week..has he forgotten our bathroom...

goodbye to month of May

It has been a lovely month unseasonably warm really.  While out in the garden the other day a drift of sweet perfume had me looking for its source, little violets tricked by the warmth into thinking it is spring maybe,

they didn't look up and see  autumns signature...

While the weather was so sunny we thought a drive to Oreti Beach for a walk would be relaxing and refreshing,

  our wee mini

it's about 45 mins south of us and by the time we arrived a southerly front was closing in ... the walk was a short one!

Oreti Beach is 26 kms long, has very smooth sand and is classed as a road it even has a speed limit!  30 kmph. The famous Bert Munro motorbike race is held here anually.  Its a great surfing, swimming and floundering beach, when its clear Stewart Island looks very close, and you can see across to Riverton.  You can drive, walk, horseride or take your motorbike,right round on the beach to Riverton, we must do that one day.

More beautiful sunrises...

some flower picking....of course!

and some fabric purchasing...very lovely but very naughty!!  Love it though!!

I am so excited to have 3 lovely followers, very unexpected but exciting!!  I am very unsure of the etiquette here but its so lovely to have blog friends.  Thankyou.

Mouton at the beach

Mouton is a girl after my own heart, she loves the beach!

She was just a baby here and still wearing her woollen baby coat for extra warmth,

And like all beach babes she slept very well that night after a long beach walk and lots of sea air.

sheep and donkey friends

I have some lovely friends, not all of them people! 
I love our donkeys, they are not co-operative when I try to photograph them though.

This is Stan, he's a little shy....he loves having his back scratched and likes to back up so we can get his favourite scratchy spot.  We were given him by some farmers that no longer needed him, they had him to stop their bulls fighting.  He is such a gentle sweetie, now he has a peaceful carefree life.

Stan and Jake

We bought Jake when he was just a baby, and a very cute baby at that!  I have tried to put some of his baby photos in this post but have had no luck so will try and put them in a separate post...sometimes I just can't get this computer to do what I want!!  

Jake is probably a little spoilt and does try very hard to claim all the love and attention that is on offer.

The slightly blurred brown donkey on the right is Storm, we bought her when she was a year old, she is very timid and nervous and ever so slightly naughty...she is a little prone to PMS I think....

They are very loyal,  loving pets, they know the sound of our cars and when they hear us arriving home they bray and he haw very loudly!  most welcoming!!!! They call out when they hear the door of the house opening or shutting, they have amazing hearing.

I also love sheep,  we have a bit of a mix, some black Cheviots, which are very beautiful....

This is Margaret and Margaret, the other Margaret isn't in the picture, generously given to me by my friend Margaret!

I am looking forward to having them shorn and spinning their fleeces. 

These are my last seasons lambs, they are Wiltshire crosses, they shed their wool and don't require shearing, the gorgeous, clever and most adorable lamb on the right is Mouton, she is my bottle reared lamb....She is very chic, called Mouton because her first  home was a cardboard carton that had French Country Collections stamped on the side ( French Country is a beautiful gift line in NZ, and I had been a bit naughty and bought some lovelies from them).

Anyway, Mouton is french for sheep.

   Mouton

She does have that elegant sort of sophisticated french look!!!

She is prone to liking her food rather much, and has had her head under the fence and eaten an entire row of young sweetcorn plants belonging to the man of the house...and just last week found the gate to the vege garden wasn't properly latched and had some fresh veges.....