Lemon Curd ( honey ) and More About Puzzles.

 So many beautiful lemons all getting ripe. So  my favourite thing to do with some is make Lemon Curd / Honey.

 One of my favourite flavours is lemon.

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 After seeing neither of my usual pieces of hardboard were big enough even together ( and of different height/thicknesses )I decided to purchase one of these fold away mats. I had seen a smaller one at a friends recently. Hers was a thousand piece size. Mine is a 2000 piece size.  My current puzzle is 1500.pieces. Opened out it is the entire length of the dining table.

 The whole opened length.

 

 The main area in the middle.

  2 ends with lift out mats.

 It makes room for several people to be working on a puzzle together and at once.

 When not in use or to move, the 2 ends fold into the middle with the mats inside.

 This one shuts with Velcro.

 

 

Jigsaw Puzzles.

 

 Do any of you do Jigsaw Puzzles. I do from time to time. At the weekend I had a Birthday and received among other things 2 puzzles. The one Grandsons selected has 1500 pieces. I never did one larger than a 1000.

 It needs a lots of space.

 Any helpful hints as to how you go about a Jigsaw. I always start by sorting out all the outside pieces, then doing the easy bits like words. I will show you how I am getting on. Unfortunately I find having a puzzle to do quite addictive.

Vireya Rhododendrons.

 It's raining! My Vireya rhododendrons will be loving a good deep drink. I grew Vireyas in my previous garden and they did well and as we are in the same area  still,  they were an obvious choice to plant in this garden too. One small variety  (Saxon Blush ) my son gave me travelled here in its terracotta pot and is still flowering of and on under one of the cherry trees. ( it has to be 15 years old ).

  Most others are at the front road entrance in partial shade under 2 large Magnolia trees. here are some current photos.

Red Mountain

 Popcorn

Tickety Boo

 Dawn Chorus  its near the front door on the shady side of the house.

 It has very shiny healthy green leaves.

 Around the side of the house I have a lovely yellow one Scented Sun but its not flowering at the moment.  Another white Aravir is scented too.

  I get 2 or 3 flowerings per year out of them.

They pick quite well and that's a good way to give them a light prune.  I try to chose the more compact medium sized ones. I have 16 altogether I think.

Autumn Leaves in June.

Autumn leaves have been falling for some weeks now. Lots of trees are already bare.  

 This flowering cherry is always the best of our cherries. From upstairs the sun catches the top of the tree and the colour is amazing.

 Light wind spreads them all around.

 Some land in the birdbath.

The other bright trees are the persimmons. All the fruit have been picked.

A Very Windy Day at the Mt.

 Yesterday we were at the Mt. and it was blowing a gale. Never the less I rugged up, pulled my new green velvet  Vera hat down firmly and went for a very long walk by the sea.

 Quite a lot of surfies were enjoying the waves that the wind threw up.

 Closer towards the mt. the sun was a dazzling spectre on the sea.

 I walked along the street at the base of the Mount but the landslide area is all sheltered off behind double cloth fencing so one can't see in. the street more or less deserted. So sad.

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 A few weeks ago at club we had a "destash" day. Everyone brought along quilting gear  ( fabric, cottons, books, patterns, tools etc. ) they no longer required and donated it. Tickets were cheaply sold and an auction ( using ticket stubs in saucers ) began.  Luckily I only won one draw. One of my friends got 5! Such a lot of stuff to lug home. Anything you got that you really didn't want was given to a lady who takes it to the women's prison in Auckland where they are learning to quilt. ( nice idea ).

 In the process of cleaning out my cupboard to find stuff to take I found I still had lots of felt left so decided I would once again make a felt embroidered ball.

 Anyone who has read my blog for a long time will remember I have made lots of these. This one now started will be # 32. I started in the year 2000.

 These are the parts on my bench today. Showing the rattle inside  2 bottle tops; masking tape to secure those; then strips of batting to wind the ball inner. 12 different coloured felt pentagons to make the outer.  I last made one according to my notebook record of Balls Made  in 2023.

 Ill post photos as I progress.

 Tomorrow morning my sewing group friends meet here so I have also been baking,

Pink.

 I purchased this ( new to me )  lovely frilly double petaled cyclamen as a gift.

 My Christmas ( in the Northern hemisphere ) Cactus is flowering but has a few spotty leaves.

 The Queen Protea has another splendid display of flowers which I pick and give away. It needs heavy pruning so picking when in flower is a good way to do it.

 Just one head of flower on my very, very, very  old ( from my Mum's garden )  Spider Lily.

 

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Chilly start but a fine sunny day! R was going to Omokoroa for a haircut so I went that far then walked to the wharf at the end of the peninsula.  The sun shone. A large truck and trailer passed me and I wondered where it was going. When I got to the wharf it was waiting for the ferry across to Matakana Island.

 An orchard sprayer on the back of a truck came off. That gave me a clue. They are probably picking early kiwifruit out on the island.

 The truck is probably delivering empty picking bins and bring back fall kiwifruit bins.

 Another large truck and trailer pulled in beside this one, then up with the ramp and off. Less than 5 minute turnaround!

 Meanwhile other hopefuls fished off the jetty and  some preschool kids splashed in the water.

 Loads of folk, many elderly like me walked and chatted in the SUNSHINE.

Too Early to be SO Cold.

  I think the weather here has gone straight to Winter its so cold. But...the deciduous trees still have leaves so maybe Autumn will be back next week.

 So homemade roasted pumkpin soup with homemade Focaccia Bread it is then.

Some Things Change But Many Stay the Same.

 Hello Everyone. 

I've been looking back because it is now 20 years since I first started Blogging. The Benefits I have had from Blogging are making contact (friends ) with ladies all over the world. A few I have met in person but not many. Some who post frequently ( I don't ) I feel I know quite well after reading their posts for many years. Perhaps the greatest benefit I have found is using my own posts as a type of diary where I can go and check out when things happened. Sometimes I have have sent  a copy of my " own'' photos back to my computer as it is the quickest way of locating them ( especially ones that were lost when Nerds upgraded the computer ! Blah ! )

 I used to be able to blog about orchard ( kiwifruit and avocado ) happenings because folk didn't really know about that but now I am no longer an orchardist ( so the name of my blog is wrong now ...but I'm not changing it )  so have to stick to quilting / sewing / knitting; gardening/ growing of all sorts of flowers trees, fruit and vegetables. )  reading, walking,  cooking  and some times family. When I started out I decided not to include recognizable photos of family and when I became a Grandmother ( Nanny )  I really didn't want to be responsible for putting photos of my 2 grandsons on the net where they could be used for the wrong purpose.  That of course has changed with the use of mobile phones.

 Something I do think is important is all who blog should leave  instructions for a family member on how to close down a blog if the writer ( me ) is for no longer able to do it ( could be for various reasons...or the big one )  Till that happens I will keep posting when I can think of anything interesting.

 I have picked  and eaten the first 3 persimmons for this season and the mandarins are ripening. Thankfully its stopped raining.    Today I have been cooking. I've made pikelets and ginger biscuits and Focaccia Bread.

 I hope to see you all here again soon.

My Donation Quilt is Finished.

 Friday was such a wet day ( 215 mls of rain from late Thursday till early Saturday ) I sewed at home because for the first time ever that I can remember Patchwork and Quilting in town was cancelled. ( for our safety - keep off the roads as minor flooding everywhere )

 Putting my time to good use I choose this purple spot fabric for the

 backing and binding  of my donation quilt. I quilted it  using diagonal lines through the hearts blocks. ( straight lines so fairly easy.) it is small 33 x 30) inches.

 Here  it is with just the last part of the binding to hand sew down and a label added.

 I am pleased with it and everyone who sees it says ...love the colours you used.

 It is called Mended Hearts and is being donated to the Heart foundation for hospital use when patients have had a heart op ( any age ) ( they let us know they had run out of quilts to give to patients to keep. ) 

Autumn Seems Early this Year.

 March arrived and so did cooler night  temps . Autumn is a very busy harvesting time for us. Feijoas suddenly started dropping and walnuts and all the pears were being destroyed by wasps.

So I have been collecting walnuts from the very big tree at the end of the middle lawn. Some I am able to take straight from the tree if they are low down...they are the best cleanest nuts.

The walnut is the big tree in the middle of the middle lawn. Its huge.

 Both pear trees are getting far too tall and thick so over 2 days I slowly managed to prune one back using just a hand saw and loppers .I like to keep the steps down to the bottom level open and clear to walk down without dodging any branches. ( R trims the row of ball corokia bushes. ) There is also a drivable sloping grass track to the bottom...on the big mower or 4 wheel drive little truck.

 Inside I have been making heart blocks for a donation quilt for the Heart Foundation. ( they said they had run out of little quilts )

 I have made 25 blocks using greens purples mauves and whites.

A little Giving.

 It feels good to give . A friend and I both responded to The Love Grace Handbag Appeal 2026.

 

 You donate a ( used clean ) Handbag filled with essentials ( toiletries and optional extras )for a woman to use. Our area's bags go to the Women's Refuge. 

 Now in its 5th year the appeal was started to honour the memory of Grace Millane a young British Traveller who was murdered in NZ in 2018.

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 I have also spent time at my Grandson's School Fair which was well attended on a bright sunny day. Lots of fun.

A Donation Quilt.

 Yesterday I was able to hand in the small quilt I am donating to someone in need.

Although it was a wet day quite a few ladies turned out to our first day back at Patchwork and Quilting for 2026.

 In the quilt I was able to use up what was left of a blue jelly roll and lots of paper backed hand pieced squares and shapes.

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 I picked these roses to save them getting trashed in the heavy rain we are having ( again ) . The rose is called Attention Seeker and its doing really well in it's first year.

 On Wednesday afternoon we picked lots of Luisa plums .... (many of which get rots) to save them splitting in the forecast rain.

Yesterday  I shared them with my sewing buddies and passionfruit too.