Green.

Everything is looking green around here. The rain perhaps. Green writing; green surrounds; green garden photos and green fingers! The sun shone yesterday so some hours were spent in the garden.

R's  row of peas are just ready. We pulled the row of giant broad beans out and have lots of lovely things coming ready.

From This to this......

SO Yummy!

*********

Some answers.

 * Yes, Lou it was Pak'n Save. Not where I usually shop; I prefer New world, but interesting to check it out while there.

* Sal there was no honey involved  - that belongs to the bee keeper not us; we just rent the hives for a couple of weeks. They went home last night on the bee truck.( I saw the photo of you both in London. )

* Deb I'm useless as a sleuth......but if you are still looking for a gift I think last times was good except the fabric was too coarse and had to be swapped for something with closer weave.

*** Cheers have a busy week everyone.

A little Volunteering.

Yesterday some of the members of my Patchwork and Quilting Group manned the Waipuna Hospice Remembrance Trees in the foyer of a local supermarket. The time went very quickly as we mainly sat and chatted when not assisting folk. Really they only needed someone to guard the money and stop kids interfering with the trees.

I did shifts first with Dorothy seen here and later with Merle. Other good friends who took a turn were Alison, Faye, Nan, and Helen.

As a fund raiser this seems to work well,

as the trees, baubles and straightened paper clips used to attach the baubles and messages are all reused year after year. The messages are blessed in a service and buried in the Hospice garden. Similar trees are placed at Bayfair, Fraser Cove, Katikati, Te Puke and Palm Beach. Last year the trees raised $22,000.
Some folk were very generous giving much larger donations. Everyone knows what a wonderful job the Hospice does.  Some found this simple act very emotional.

The Tree and the Bees.

It's been wet.( In November we only had 22.75mm of rain. ( very dry )) Already in December we have had 80.75mm ( 3  1/4 inches ) of much needed rain.  Yesterday it was cold as well as wet so we decided to light the fire to warm the damp feeling in the house. That was when the BEES ( you remember the ones who wanted to live with us ) got their revenge ( for us killing some of them )Actually killing a lot more of them than we knew at the time.......... The fire would only smoke - the chimney was blocked with these!....

How awful we feel that they all died - they are now fertilizing the vege garden. All their other relations who have been working so hard at pollinating our fruit are still here as it has been too wet for the bee truck to come and take them home. They have been hiding in the hives during all the rain, but are out back looking for flowers again today which so far is fine. No kiwfruit flowers left now they are all little fruit but there is lots else out for them to find including Feijoas Pam!

Now the tree. I wasn't happy with my fabric tree so have redecorated it and it now looks like this.

It needed a little green and yellow.

While the rain has spoilt some flowering things ( like my sweetpeas ) there is brightness still on my wonderful Kalmia bush.

There are some  happy yellow Gerbra faces in a pot near the back door.

With all the wet we are way behind with the Kiwifruit work BUT I have done shopping ,made Christmas cakes and am working on some presents so actually I don't mind...but the work still awaits. In an hour or so I am off to lend a hand manning the Waipuna Hospice Christmas tree  at a supermarket in Tauranga, for a couple of hours.Will try and take a photo and explain tomorrow.( girls from our P & Q group help each year, and it has to be manned every day in December - we just do today. )

Have a busy weekend friends - how could you have any other sort at this time of the year.

Fabric Stars and Rabbits

Rabbits are cute and fluffy  - Yeah right. They are also pests in NZ." They," have been getting altogether too cheeky and when they scratched out some of my just up bean plants R started tucking the gun under his arm ready, everytime he walked to the mail box or along the paths. This morning 4 were frollicing in one spot - he got 3; so one is still at large ( along with lots more I'm sure ), but those ones won't be eating any more veges! ( Well done R ! ) He laid them out on the grass in a clear space so the hawks will spot  them from the air and get a good feed.

I have planted 6 Cavolo Nero plants, which I had read about and not grown before. It may be too warm now but I want to see if we like them. ( black cabbage) ( cross between silverbeet and cabbage I'd say )Apparently they have been grown in other parts of the world for some time. Has anyone tasted it?

While I was checking something out on Kiwiquilts website I saw this free pattern for making a fabric star. ( very easy )( just one page to download or just read it ) I thought as I had all my hexagon templates I should make one. So last night I had it stitched up in no time. I am very used to working with hexagons, one of my favourite shapes for making all sorts of mats etc. Thanks Mary! Do have a look at her site;  lots of great things there.

The only suggestion I would make is pick 2 fabrics that really contrast, so the star stands out.

Finally, orchard things. * We had lovely much needed rain! *

*The avocados are packed and we got 85.66% export ; 6.98% for local market NZ sales and 6.42% went for making oil. ( which if you haven't tasted is fabulous ) That is a great result. *Kiwifruit pollination is finished ; it is now a mass of tiny new fruit - more on that later.

Post 400.

That's what it said.   Post # 400.   I think I'm good for a few more!

Last evening was Tauranga Patchwork and Quilters Group AGM. We decorated the rooms with some Christmas quilts, hangings and  little trees. The Committe got given a lovely little potted rose each and I was lucky to win one of the several door prizes. ( A small plate and a FQ.) Lucky me; that's lovely.   WE had Show and Tell and Liz from the Ruel Foundation came to speak to us and Thank us for all the wee things the group made for them. WE also saw a short video she had.

 Later we shared a lovely finger food supper and I helped Denise check the total library for missing books, DVDs etc. Hardly any missing - good ladies. We managed to get enough Committee in the end but no one wanted to take Tuesday night meetings. I am still to do Fridays, but want to job share. It worked this year and just makes the work load a bit lighter. Still there will be plenty for me to do....it will be a busy year looking after about 90 lovely ladies ( who don't all attend at one time I might add ).

I am going to do a bit more work on my fabric tree- I think it can be improved.

The fabric Tree.

After an early start I got rained off so came inside and finished my fabric Christmas Tree.
I like to finish things I start. It will be able to sit on the Coffee table.

   

I'm Having My Weekend Today.

WE worked hard all weekend picking avocados. 4 Hydraladas and drivers and R and I ground picking with R driving the tractor with  full and empty bins. In fact I was so busy this is the only photo I took this year.  ( The photos would look the same as previous years anyway. )

It truly is hard work. I was the ground picker which means I suddenly "become pregnant," and walk that strange wide legged waddle that happens usually at about 8 months - the difference being the weight goes on gradually when pregnant; when it is a picking apron full of Avos it happens too suddenly and is the equivalent weight of 10 babies. Actually my neck is the part that takes the worst strain. I was too tired to sleep properly Saturday night so was a mess by last night BUT I am recovered today. The good part is we got 32 bins of beautiful big fat green avocados which are now at the packhouse being sorted into trays and bins to be exported . Any with marks etc will be put on the local market and the misshappen or out of grade will go to the oil factory.The smallest fruit got left on the trees and will size up till about February when we willl have a second pick. 

Last Friday at P and Q we had a class to make Christmas decorations like this.

 Not at all my thing I might add but the lady was coming to take the class and as the numbers doing it were small I joined in. I enjoyed the company as we worked...it takes heaps of stuffing... here is mine being sewn up after stuffing.

Yes mine is a blue tree.  ( my lounge is blue and yellow and it might end up there.)

It has yet to be decorated.

I have been picking lots of sweetpeas and roses.

This is Charles Austin ( a David Austin rose named after his father ) and  has the MOST fabulous smell of any of my roses.

This photo of some full bins of avocados, was taken another year, but this weekends pick looked just like these. 32 of them so that is a lot of individual fruit. YUM YUM YUM!