Photos of Completed Quilt.

I can hardly contain my excitement! It's finished, it's finished ! Started in August last year my Boys' I Spy Quilt made of 284 individually pieced and bound hexagons is completed today after hundreds of hours work over the last 6 months. It is single bed size. As always I can't get the photos just as I want so I have shown you the quilt in several different poses. ( I must study how Gwen Marston had her quilts displayed in her Collaborative Quilting book ...they looked fabulous.) I now have to complete a little hex shaped label I am hand stitching, ( solid black) so it won't distract. In my next post I will tell the quilt's story.

Summer's Heat and Colour

Humidity in the low 90s is making things rather sweaty here.( it's all that rain going back up again! ) We can almost hear things growing....including the lawn which I began mowing early before breakfast, but it was still hot. When first mowed it looks good but not for long. The big gum trees behind the house are shedding bark and leaves continuously at the moment. Bright and perfumed delights keep me being a gardener.The purple Eucomis ( pineapple plants ) look good and the lilies smell so good especially in the evening wafting in the open window. Having worked hard all morning I hope to sit in the shade later( either on the deck or my red garden seat ) and sew, sew, sew. Nearly there!
I hope you ladies of the Northern Hemisphere; where snow abounds can enjoy the green delights and heat of my NZ summer garden.

Little Yellow Jewels.

The sun is shining again here in NZ and today I picked the 2nd little lot of yellow jewels, or little pear tomatoes. I pop them in my mouth whole they are so sweet. The plant has many more and I noticed the other varieties are colouring up too. Money Maker ( a medium sized red ) and a new sort called Dynamo.( big red )Oh Yum.
Some treats come via the Rural Delivery ( mail ) as well. My sister Ruth gave me a subscription to NZ Healthy Foods magazine, and it is a wealth of recipes, hints, advice, letters and useful information.( that's the 23rd issue in the photo).They have a web site as well.
We also get on subscription the NZ Listener. It has the best articles,( one this time on early onset Dementia), World News, TV and Radio programs and puzzles as well. Very good value. Often overseas visitors comment that it is a wonderful read and why don't they have something similar in their home country....fine praise indeed!
For my quilting fix I also received my copy of the Newsletter from Country Flair ( at Ngongotaha near Rotorua ) one of my favourite quilting shops. Which reminds me I must go visit them shortly as I have a generous gift voucher from my son in London to spend at their store.
This morning I found a good method to get the beans picked, without getting a sore back...pick for 5 mins then quilt for 10 then pick for another 5 mins etc till it's finished. ( it worked! ) Be happy everyone, what ever season and weather you are experiencing in your little corner of the world. ( I do appreciate how lucky we are here and that some of you are freezing, some sweltering ) Laugh and sew is a good recipe!

Picnics and Meetings.

It wasn't too hot and it didn't rain so 18 of our P & Q members met in a local park for the Annual ( apparently ) Picnic. It was a pleasant time but involved a lot of fetching and carrying for a very short time where mostly chat and a little eating and drinking were the order of the day . Some efforts was made by everyone to try and all do some hand sewing but not a great deal was achieved. I guess it was a bonding and relaxing session. ( Notice how green the grass is with all the recent rain! )
Prior to the picnic we had our 1st Committee Meeting for the year; on the other side of the city ( who had that bright idea ) . As a new member I tried to go with the flow....it is all very informal and I think that has inherent risks , but we'll see. Few of the previous comm members are still on board and I think that wastes a lot of time with new folk making that link .( Someone needs to know what has happened historically ) I have already started my job as the librarian for the group. That involves me collecting magazines that are on order from a local shop; ( some are sent ), cataloguing, numbering, making cards, pockets and pockets for the patterns. That is all fine; I've done it before. The perk of the job is I get first look at all the mags that come my way.There are a few other responsibilities and at group days - I have to issue books and check off returns . Firstly I intend having an amnesty for all the ones which are missing.....forget fines just bring the mags or books back please.There are between 300 and 400 books and magazines already in our Library cupboard so it is a good resource and should be used. Obviously some books are more popular than others.
I'm looking forward to another good year for our group and want to help where I can.

Been ( Bean ) Busy.

Rain, rain, rain.....so I'm trying to sew, sew, sew. Between the showers I have been bean picking.....Oh my, Oh My! See what I got. Both the Scarlet Runners ( the bigger fat ones,on the left , that grow up a frame ) and the Chef's Choice ( low growing ) are producing well. Too well, when I am the picker! I'll have to try and give some away; ( don't really care for freezing them ), as it is we are eating them every dinnertime. Sorry , my dear friends who have snow piled up at your doors; you'd probably love some fresh green beans...( come right over ) My Mother said not to put beans in my ears, beans in my ears...what a silly old song that sprang to mind!

Collecting Fabric.

If I had known I was going to be a quilter I could have started collecting fabrics many years ago.....so unlike some I don't have a huge stash, but I am building quite a collection of certain types of fabric.For many projects buying fat quarters is useless cause if you really like a fabric you will need yards of it. Not all projects are like that though.Scrap quilts aren't and nor are I Spy quilts.They both require small amounts of a huge variety of fabrics.
For My boy's Eye ( I ) Spy Quilt many of the fabrics would be termed children's prints. My current project has meant I have expanded my collection of those prints.( so I intend later to make a girl's I Spy ) Some fabric is a really good buy if you can fussy cut several different motifs from one fabric.( the clown faces are like that; there are 10 different ones ) In the photo you can see 4 new fabrics I got today, which should give me the variety I am seeking to make the final row of Hex on my quilt a bright interesting one. When I last laid out all the hex to see how it was looking I noticed that the final end had too many duller coloured backgrounds ...it needed more green and yellow. As I am still sewing together row 14 ( of 21 )I can do a little swapping around and insert some of the new ones to get the colour blend overall that I desire.

I have decided:
1. If you see it and know you have a use for it and can afford it, buy it now ...it won't be there later when you go looking for it.
2. If you love it and just have to have it, buy several yards ( if you can afford ).( we all need a few of those )
3. If you don't like the feel of it or something about it leave it there; it won't improve.
4. If you have a project in your mind's eye that you hope to make, start collecting suitable fabrics in advance.
5. Never pass up the opportunity to visit a fabric shop just for a look!

I Hate It When That Happens.

Rain showers on and off all day ( over much of NZ ) means I get to sew! The orchard work will still be there and have to be done( another day ) but I desperately need a sewing day as I haven't had time for me for ages. It is dull so it's lights on or sit by a window to see. Here's where I started working early with a coffee at hand and my last few hex that I have just cut the backing fabric for, ready for me to work on.( the ones at the front have to have the backing turned to the front. The pile at right back are pinned ready to hand sew. I have also machine quilted a few that were ready. Now I am back to sewing row 11 Hex to row 12 for some variety of activity.
There is no easy solution to my little problem ( blog title ), I know that; but it doesn't stop me trying to find one. On the 27th of this month we have 2 invitations for the same time, same day. One friend is having a small gathering to celebrate her 60th Birthday, in Taupo ( about 1 hour 50 from here ), another younger friend is having a new house warming party and 20th Wedding Anniversary combined party.( about 10 minutes away from here. ) D H saw the words music and dancing on the 2nd invite so he doesn't want to go there.( he has this thing where he won't / can't dance and it terrifies him that someone ( not me, I know better ) might expect him to dance.) I have known both friends equally long and really like them both so it's a hard call. We don't get that many invitations So I hate it when that happens. I need 2 copies of myself so I get to go to both functions!
The book I am reading now is really annoying me, I think because the author has made the 2 main characters so real and flawed. It's called, " You Gotta Have Balls," by Lily Brett. ( Picador ) It's set in New York. Has anyone else read it?
Back to the sewing now.

Ah, Hot Bread.

My savoury Focaccia bread is just out of the oven and it smells so good. Good enough to eat . Many kitchen and cooking smells are delightful but hot bread and freshly ground coffee have to be up the top of my list. I made almost all our bread for a couple of years but now buy Vogels again and Molenburg cause they are great; but I still make My version of focaccia and keep some in the freezer, so it is always on hand. I have added sliced black olives and freshly grated parmesan to the usual rock salt topping.

Here's the recipe. I make the dough in the bread maker on the dough setting ( but it could be done by hand if you have the time and no machine )
Ingredients:
*1 tablespoon of olive oil; 1 tablespoon of sugar; 1 teaspoon of salt; 3 cups of high grade flour; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons of dried yeast granules; 1 1/2 cups of warm water.*

When dough is ready tip onto a baking paper covered oven slide , with floured fingers pat out to cover the slide in an oval sort of shape( and if you wish to cut in half later make a depression across the middle ) and leave to rise. ( will depend on the temperature how long it takes. ) Pre heat oven to 220 degrees centigrade. Brush a little oil on the topof the dough then sprinkle rock salt; sliced black olives and freshly grated cheese ( parmesan or tasty ). Cook 15 - 20 minutes. When cooked it will sound hollow if tapped . Remove from oven onto cooling rack ( inhale delicious smells! ) If cutting in half wait till it's cooled. Enjoy.

A Green and Pleasant Land

Happy New Year - 2007.
Over night the last 1.5 mls of gentle rain fell, making the total rainfall for 2006 1514 mls ( or 5' 3'' ). That's about average for us.......it makes New Zealand ( in our area anyway ) " a green and pleasant land." I know we are so lucky!




I have always been a record keeper and to some extent so has HD ( maybe it's catchy ). He keeps the weather records and has done since the 1980s. We find it useful for orchard decisions but also as a general record talking point and comparison of years.

So 1st January is a day to add up the last years totals, like rainfall and books read and other things written in notebooks. A time to put up new calendars, always a difficult decision when there are so many lovely ones to display.( 8 ) One showing Wild and Beautiful Scenes of Alberta, sent from friends in Lethbridge, wins pride of place closely followed by one with scenes of our own green and pleasant land!
The final book I read for the year, was a compelling read - The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.( Penguin /Viking ) ( recommend ).

Other progress to report, although slow, my Hexagon Quilt is now halfway assembled. The photo shows it face down on the table, so that is the backing pattern - it's a lot of handsewing but I work at it most evenings. Yes I'm hiding the feature side....it's looking fabulous but don't want to display it too soon and spoil the final finished shots.
I wonder what pleasures and delights, sorrows and troubles await us all in 2007? A mixture as always I'm sure. I don't do New Years Resolutions, don't find them useful. Note books of records ; photographic records and lists of to do , I do find useful. 2007.

Gifts that Give Lasting Pleasure.

I do not agree with or encourage the new type of Commercial Christmas. I love it when folk spend time ( not money ) making something for you to keep and treasure ( made for you with their own hands and precious time ). Some young adults in our family have little spare cash and so it is wonderful when they make some simple gifts. My elder son's partner makes jewellery which she sells and so I received a new necklace to wear.
I really think it is valuable to encourage children to make cards , wrapping paper and simple gifts from a young age...with help at first if they need it. Maybe it is just the school teacher in me ??? Our neighbours' girls made little gingerbread Christmas cookies which they took around to those living nearby.
Other clever people I know also make their own gifts, my friend Sooziii in Australia sent me a wee decorated and named stocking with 6 little white snow flake tree decorations and a beaded scissor name bangle. She did not know that DH had given me a good pair of fabric scissors so it had an immediate home. Like Dale I think books are wonderful gifts, and only some of those can be homemade. They give lasting pleasure and also can be lent on to friends and family. Home made Christmas cakes, jams, pickles and sweet treats also make very acceptable gifts and because they get consumed can be done time and again. Also things you have grown are often much appreciated. We tend to give fruit, nuts and veges we have grown. Home raised seedlings are another suitable thing for kids to grow themselves to give.
I think I might start on some homemade gifts really early this year and have some on hand so there is no last minute rush. We'll see. I'll keep you posted on that one. Understandably I have had very little sewing time in the last week That can wait.
Today with family returned home it was back to the kiwifruit vines for us.

Out to Lunch.

New Zealand Christmas Trees or Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa ) can bee seen flowering at this time of the year in the more Northern regions of NZ. The ones in the photo are on our driveway. We have several areas on the property with these lovely trees and they are all a little different, some lighter colour, some darker and they don't all do their thing at once so we are able to enjoy them for several weeks.

When we finished work last evening we got in the truck and drove around the orchard shelter belts till we found a suitable branch of Cryptomeria to cut and bring inside for our Christmas tree.( it has that lovely fir tree smell and will last well.) Here it is with just the light strung on it. Decorations still to be added.


To All My Blogland Friends -
* *** I Wish You Season's Greetings from Te Puna, New Zealand.****

New Zealand Christmas Trees.

New Zealand Christmas Trees or Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa ) can bee seen flowering at this time of the year in the more Northern regions of NZ. The ones in the photo are on our driveway. We have several areas on the property with these lovely trees and they are all a little different, some lighter colour, some darker and they don't all do their thing at once so we are able to enjoy them for several weeks.

When we finished work last evening we got in the truck and drove around the orchard shelter belts till we found a suitable branch of Cryptomeria to cut and bring inside for our Christmas tree.( it has that lovely fir tree smell and will last well.) Here it is with just the light strung on it. Decorations still to be added.


To All My Blogland Friends -
* *** I Wish You Season's Greetings from Te Puna, New Zealand.****

I kid You Not!

I am so glad there are plenty of you out there who love Avocados...they are so good for you. I said I would tell you a little more about their strange habits ( sex life )...well here we go. Firstly it is very complicated so I will try and keep to the basics.
NZ only exports Hass variety. ( so that's what we grow).
Flowering and hence fruit set are very dependent on weather conditions, especially temperature. For about every 1500 tiny flowers One fruit may set.
Each flower had a female and a male phase ( yes the same flower). With Hass, when it is warm enough the very tiny flower opens as a female.( 20 degrees will see it open for 2-3 hours ) hotter = longer. The flower will then close and later open as a male. Avocados are pollinated predominately by insects - mainly bees. ( sometimes by wind )
The flowers can be self pollinated or closed pollinated ( another flower on the same tree ) or cross pollinated ( flower from another tree ). The cross pollinated are the strongest and are most likely to not fall off later. ( some orchard have other varieties just as pollinators ) As I am sure you all learned basic biology at school I will not go into how all the different parts of a flower work. But you can see why with Avocados the crop from year to year is very variable with so many dependent factors.
Needless to say this rain we are getting is just what we need. I wish I could send a few clouds over to my friends in Australia - where it is desperately needed.
The photo shows the small red netlon bags of reject fruit I got ready for callers who come by as little Christmas gifts...so if you are in my area....... ( the red looks nice with the green fruit)

* Shirley it is the freight to the South Is. that puts the price up so high. The grower doesn't get that much per fruit. ( the high air fares between our islands is a killer, that's why folk pop over to Oz instead cause it's cheaper to fly there - crazy eh )

Growth.

Today we have glorious rain, right when it's needed. The kiwifruit are growing fast. The first 6 weeks after pollination is when the fruit grow rapidly, by cell division. After that they stop cell division and plump up the cells already formed and gain size and weight more slowly till picking time in May/ June.
In the photos you can see the remains of flower petals and stamen still attached to the young fruit. Where my hand is holding up a match box for size comparison the fruit nearest the match box needs removing cause it is going to be the wrong shape - it will turn into a flat fruit ( not export standard ) so it will get pulled off. The quicker we can remove those ones ( reject thinning ) the better so the vine doesn't have to feed them, instead putting the nutrients into fruit that will be exportable.
It's a shame I can't share the avocados with you all. This morning I bagged up some for gifts for friends and neighbours. All the Christmas mail is now posted and another batch of fruit mince pies are in the cupboard.I even wrapped some gifts in a spare few minutes. ( glad it rained so I have a good excuse to be inside ) We haven't had time to go select a Christmas tree yet. We get one from under the shelter belts around the orchard...not always a perfect shape but free and we are not cutting down a good tree.

Avocado Picking.

Yesterday was Avocado picking day for us. We began at 7.30 am ; R ( DH ) and me picking from the ground and 2 guys up in the tree tops using hydraladas ( elevated work cages ) to pick the high up fruit. The crop was off by just after 4.30pm with 12 field bins picked.
The photos show the long picker which grips the fruit and then cuts with a blade allowing the fruit to be carefully lowered and put in a picking bag, still being held by the grip.
The yellow hydraladas are similar to what some of you may have seen lifting someone to change high up light bulbs in the streets. (They are called cherry pickers in some places.) The guys up in the hydraladas maneuver around the tree tops trying not to damage next season's crop. Avocados are one of the only crops where the next years fruit has just set before this year's crop is picked.

One photo shows the tiny wee fruit just set which we hope we will be picking during summer next year. The photo showing the mature fruit that we were picking also shows the flower branch with some tiny fruit. You may also spot a strange small fruit not avocado shaped at all....They are called cucs ( short for cucumber ) and are fruit that have no stone and did not get properly pollinated last year ( they are useless ). If you thought kiwifruit were complicated wait till I tell you about how avocados behave ( another post will be needed to tell you about the sex life of an avo ! )
Life is certainly busy as we are still working with the newly set young kiwifruit -( have more photos to show you of their progress - next post )
So not much sewing getting done just a few more hex as I blob out at the end of the day. Still trying to finish Christmas Correspondence too and cooking...I'll get there I always do.
Suzi-k thanks for your helpful tip re blogger comments - it worked.

Fresh Green Peas.

Growing our own veges is satisfying but time consuming. When they are ready, as these yummy green peas are it takes longer to prepare dinner as they require picking and shelling, before quick cooking. Even the silver beet you see beside them takes time as it has too be really carefully washed to be sure there are no bugs. The new potatoes need digging and washing or scrapping but are so, so yummy. We have grown 2 potato varieties this year Heather and Agria. Can't wait till the green beans are ready. They are flowering, but not quite there yet. Mint with the spuds and peas of course!
I'm off to do today's' picking cause even though we are going out to a friends 50th dinner party tonight, the peas need picking and storing in the fridge...don't want them getting to old and tough....babies are best.

Finished that Round.

Yesterday afternoon I completed my round of every kiwifruit block in the orchard. ( has taken me several weeks ) I was tying in new growth, thinning flowers ( now small fruit ), pulling out wind broken shoots and making sure every bay is set out to get the optimum amount of sunlight. As always I now can start back at the beginning and thin fruit where necessary. Having an orchard is a bit like having a garden you never really finish, there is always more you can do.

I spent time in the garden at the weekend. These bromiliads love the warmth from the rocks, but the rocks had maiden hair fern still sprouting up from a previous planting, so in desperation I moved lots of the rocks off, weeded, then put them back. Some people find it hard to grow maidenhair fern...I find it hard to kill.( it had to go as it was rotting the decking by constantly dripping onto it, after rain )
The other photo shows a new black leafed Ajuga that has finally started to creep out and cover some ground.I'll make more space for it as it needs it.

Today I am taking time to catch up on other tasks that were piling up. Pleasant tasks like organizing a birthday lunch for my cousin( and friend ), that involved phoning or emailing lots of ladies, some I know, others I will meet.
I have also spent some time making a costume for a silly skit I got roped into, to do at our P & Q Groups end of year Dessert Evening and Annual Meeting. ( cunning aren't they having those 2 things combined ) That's tonight so I still have to get food organised too and wrap a small gift to swap ( a fat quarter and copy of one's favourite recipe ) I am using my Crustless Quiche recipe.

But the sun is shining, it's just a pleasant temperature ( not snow ; not scorching hot - just right....NZ is lucky! ) so I can cope with being busy.

Score for the Hexagons. 6 rows attached and looking good.
I'm reading "Blindsight," by Maurice Gee ( a NZ author ) and enjoying that - I have read several of his other books too. Guess every one else is getting busy...it's that time of the year.

Very Long Strips.

Glad to have you call by Kirsty. Take care.
Hello everyone else.
It's really windy here in NZ these last few days, not good for our avocados or kiwifruit vines but it always seems to blow at some stage.( pollination is all over really except for a few late flowers )( wow, there are so many little fruit! ) I took advantage of the breeze and washed the quilt( my 1st ever quilt /duvet cover I made by hand) off our bed and now it looks brighter and smells lovely.
The long, long narrow photo is of one strip of my Hexagons. After a bit of experimenting I decided it was by far the most straight forward way to proceed with the sewing together. Sew each row ( diagonal strip ) together then sew that strip to the next. The row on the photo is strip 5 out of 20 to be done ; but it's looking good.
I'm mainly sewing at night or the weekend as the days seem filled with orchard work - doing exciting things ( blah! ) like the GST ( goods and services tax return) and garden work. I must remember Quilting is my hobby....not my reason for being! ( or have I got that wrong?)
I wish to tell you other bloggers how much I enjoy your day to day happenings; your quilting and creating; your joys and your sorrows and especially your photos!

Liquid Pollen.

On Monday and again today we had 20 young folk ( from about 5 countries )spraying liquid male pollen onto the female kiwifruit flowers. The pollen was collected earlier and milled and mixed in a slurry with red food colouring added so they can see where they have already sprayed. This is a very expensive exercise, for the pollen and all that labour but we hope it will ensure a really excellent fruit set. The bees are also still working away. Many fruit are already set...The petals darken and then fall leaving a tiny new fruit about the size of a marble.
I haven't got much more sewing done( too busy ) but am working on attaching the 3rd row of hexagons to the 2nd row. The count for the individual hexagons is now 261....so only 9 more needed.

Pollination

The kiwifruit are in full bloom. One photo shows white female flowers on the left and more apricot coloured male flowers on the right. Another shot shows a line of 6 beehives against the hedge in a sheltered, sunny spot. The next photo shows a bee in a male flower collecting pollen and the last shot shows some flowers already pollinated and the flower petals have dropped. You can see the basic shape of the little kiwifruit already there.
The weather has been mixed; some rain, some wind and some sun. Bees work best in warm calm weather and before about 1pm. We have 15 beehives spread around the orchard blocks but are still going to have artificial pollen sprayed on tomorrow ( as insurance of a really good fruit set).