Walking.

 All week I have been doing short walks to help my back. I hurt it last weekend. Walking did not hurt it . Getting up after sitting did.

 Today with it 95% better I did a LONG walk. This afternoon I walked for an hour and 40 minutes, from Hukarua Harbour Park ( at the end of Plummer's Point Road ) to Te Puna Beach. I wore far too many clothes and carried an umbrella. As you can see from the first photo it was dull and spitting when I started out. It improved to quite warm. I have shown you photos on this walk before ( not recently ).

 The tide was fully in today.

 Here the path follows the railway line on the left.

 The highlight of my walk was finding this avenue of Awanui Flowering cherries all out. I counted 50.

It Must be Spring Now.

 It must be Spring now as a whole month has gone by.( it's September half way gone ).

 Iceland Poppy faces are fleeting as Spring winds and rain do their thing.

 At least 8 more buds to come. The Yellow Kangaroo Paw plants are doing well. They seem to love the rain. I mistakenly thought because they were Australian they would prefer dry.

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 Smaller Grandson is a good worker. Here he is unloading the  clean new sand for the new sandpit.

 He and I have been doing lots of puzzles too. Jigsaws and wooden puzzles. This one called the Soma Cube. My boys had it nearly 50 years ago and it's still a challenge. I decided to see how many of the shapes I could still do.

 Here's one I did this morning. That's 5 I can still do.

 I'll keep pushing myself with puzzles of many kinds.

Bigger grandson and son started a very tricky 1000 jigsaw 2 weeks ago and did about a quarter before they had to go. I was then left with 3/4 to finish to get it off the table. R has now cut us some MDF board to work on so the puzzle in progress can be lifted off the big table.

 

 I thought it would be the sky and water that would be hardest but in fact it was the flowers.

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 Yesterday I planted these seeds into 3 trays. So tiny. About 30 in the packet . I do hope some grow as I really like the frilly part and the delicate colour.

 As always lots of gardening happening. I have picked the first few asparagus.

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 Molly the cushion top is almost finished. I hope to show you it complete next time I blog.

Not quite Spring Yet.

 Lots of frosty  mornings. Not quite Spring yet. Many signs of it with daffodils,  cherry blossom, daphne ,Pieris and  Freesias ( what a perfume ) all brightening up the garden

. The final roses are pruned and a few late blooms sit in a vase.

 There is a planting of Pieris either side of the driveway

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 I am making a variety of new cushion covers and found this idea in an Australian Homespun 

magazine from Oct 2022. Annorina made this slow stitching cushion by cobbling together Liberty scraps.

 I had floral scraps but not Liberty. I can do 2 or 3 rows of the big quilting using 3 strands of embroidery cotton in off white, before my left thumb aches and I need to stop. I'll get there. Its a new idea and I haven't done any hand quilting for ages. The big stitch size suits my eyesight. My first rows were not well marked and I have wobbled  so I might redo them at the end.

Storm Damage.

 Last Tuesday the winds were as high as I have experienced here. Our power went out before 5pm and didn't come back on till nearly 8pm. I would not have wanted to be the linesmen who were out working to restore our power. The winds were scary.

 We had damage!.

 One of our Reed avocados is lying on it's side. The roots ripped up.

 Up the hill behind it the apple tree has been snapped off. Its trunk split upwards. ( click to enlarge )

I think the avo falling sideways opened a tunnel for the wind to sweep in.

 When and if the weather ever clears up and the sun reappears the clean up will start 

( with the chainsaw ) We will see if the avo hangs on till we pick its fruit in a few months time .

 I wandered around the garden looking for bright spots.

 Poor little hyacinths had their heads bashed in as they try to emerge.

 The hellebores seem quit hardy. I love their faces which they are reluctant to show.

 The older type are less impressive but lovely all the same.

 I find they don't last in a vase unless very mature so I am picking camellias and proteas and early jonquils and Daphne. The last few rose that hadn't been pruned have sodden rotting buds. Also flowering are primroses and polyanthus.  Roll on Spring and fine days. 

Lucky Me.

 Yesterday at Patchwork and Quilting group I won the raffle.

We all buy tickets and the money goes towards the rental on the building we use and running costs.

 The goodies include hair products ( in metal containers ) a tiny torch, a pink fat quarter, 3 embroidery cottons, some thread, a knitted face cloth and a large cake of chocolate.

Lucky me.

For Your Imformation.

 

 ( click to enlarge if you can't read it )

 Not long now till our Exhibition. With Covid we have missed having one, so some ladies have given those quilts away but hopefully there will still be heaps to see. I have been preparing hanging sleeves and filling in entry forms.

 This is a new venue for us.  Hope it works. Plenty of parking which is essential. Note for anyone who has visited from other places it is for 2 days only..

A Spot of Colour.

Vireya Rhododendron - Red Mountain is enjoying all the extra rain and is flowering brightly under the big magnolia tree at the front gate

 We seem to be getting an early wet Winter which is not so pleasant.

 I have a nasty chest cold ( for the last 3 days ) so being inside because of the rain has been okay.

 My collection of felt Christmas decorations  I've made for the Exhibition Sales table has grown.

 The little bear needs a bed made ( next ).

 Being stuck inside I  had time last  week to read Atlas - The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley ( RIP ) and her son. I will not put any spoilers here for those of you yet to read it. I really enjoyed it ( as I did the others )  and wasn't far off the mark with what I thought might happen!

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Inside Weather Today.

 Although it is indoor weather today I can see from my windows some flowering delights.

 Now 18 months old (in my garden )  the Vireya rhododendron at the front door is looking very happy and healthy. Its called Dawn Chorus. I had one at the orchard that did brilliantly so knew I liked it.

 On the other side of the house the Zygocactus is coming into flower. I was doing some research on it and it is now reclassified as Schlumbergera. I know in the Northern Hemisphere you call it Christmas cactus. ( I hope I can remember its new name! ) Its many years old and is happily repotted in a terracotta pot..

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 In July our Patchwork and Quilting group is having an Exhibition. As I have lots of felt still I have been making Christmas decorations for the Sales Table. It doesn't really show here but they need something shiny to look any good. ( thread or beads or baubles ) I have more cut out . They are my hand sewing project at the moment.

 I will show you this for a laugh. The all time largest feijoa I have seen

 Back to the kitchen now where I am making bread and have made a date loaf. Its chilly  ( & wet ) enough outside to day to appreciate the heat from the oven.

Plenty of feijoas and walnuts .

It's Autumn so collecting the fallen feijoas is a daily task. When it has been windy or raining or both there is over 100 at a time to get. They have been being distributed to friends and family and friends of friends. With feijoas there seems to be no middle ground. You like them or hate them. You have none or lots.

 Yesterday  the Grandsons helped me pick up the walnuts. Smaller is in the front and bigger grandson is in the photo. ( where's Wally situation )  The walnut is now quite a large tree.

 Previously I have been laying the collected nuts to dry on an old drop cloth outside  in the sun for a week. That doesn't work when it's raining so I have them lined up on trays  along the window sills inside ( much easier as long as there aren't too many )

 4 year old G/ son wanted some knitted slippers for kindy - ones that would be good for sliding on the wooden floors! 

 I had to adapt a baby bootee pattern using bigger needles and 4 ply to make some to fit. He was happy. 7 year old g/son is now knitting at school and comes to me for help with casting on and off.

Although my dahlias  required quite a lot of tying up and staking they have been a delight for weeks and weeks. These white pompom ones  have long  stems for picking.

 

More Harvesting.

 

 I decided if we wanted any I   better get to it before the wasps hollowed out all the pears and the ducks from the estuary ate all the apples. ( so the Granny Smith Apples may have been picked a little early)

 Its quite a steep slope where these fruit trees grow so I have to be very careful of my footing.

Two Finishes.

 Finally, I've finished Felt embroidered ball # 30, for Matilda.

 The motifs are:

 a pear; a ladybird; a sunhat; a peapod ; a balloon; a grey cat; a strawberry; a birthday cake; some flowers;  a hen;  a

star and a capital M for her name.

 I will post it off on Monday. 

I also made this little bear in a sleeping bag for the Sales table for our Exhibition in July.

Harvesting.

 From 3 plants ( one butternut; one crown and one Queensland Blue ) we got well rewarded.

 One got a rot and we already ate a butternut and shared another.

 R built some more shelf space in the Hustler Mower shed to store them.

 The rest are on a trolley in the same small shed.

 We have already had one big batch of roasted pumpkin soup and we will share them with our young ones and one lot of neighbours.

 We know to inspect them frequently for rots while we are storing them.

 That was worth doing!

Recommendation.

 If like me you are a reader and sometimes ( like now ) run low on books to read I suggest if you live anywhere near Tauranga in BOP, you go the the Rotary Club ( Used )  Book Sale . Its on all this weekend at Seeka Coolstores,  Harvard Way Mt. Maunganui.( 9 - 4.30 pm ) 

 For the first time they started it at noon yesterday. We went yesterday afternoon and it wasn't too busy and we got parking easily.  As well as books they have jigsaws; records DVDs;  CDs and  second hand art.

 Kids books and Jigsaws.

 My lot.( 23 )  R also got a bag full. Surely between us that will keep us reading for the next year.

  

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 Thanks for you comments on my last post post. We got off very lightly with Gabrielle . Not so other parts of the North Island. The clean up needed in some areas is beyond belief. The number of new bridges and roads huge.

Getting prepared.

         As cyclone Gabrielle approaches NZ there is not much we can do to prepare. I went out this morning and picked all of these Dahlias ( Holly Houston ) that have really big heavy blooms. 2 weeks ago the storm trashed this plant so I know it will happen again. After dinner last night I went down and picked a large container of Luisa plums.( 1/3 have rots 1/3 have split with the wet so I was picking from the other 1/3.)

 Our bottom level grass / garden beside the estuary has still not dried out since the last huge amount of rain, so I guess it will jus get wetter. Part can't now be mowed. Our house is well away and above this area.

 The top of the North and Auckland and Coromandel are more in the storm path than we are so here's hoping it's not too bad for them.

Big Clean Up.

Fine but windy is okay for our planned big clean up outside today. With time and so much rain the concrete and the exposed wood on garden walls and outside seating area and furniture were black and stained.

 First move all the seats, pot plants,( inside the door out of harms way ) 

 extra chairs etc out onto the lawn so R can manoeuvre the Hustler with sprayer on the back around the area he is to clean. Using a diluted Hypo solution he cleaned the wood and concrete areas.

 Later when it is dry I replace every thing and it looks so much better. This is where ( on the grey couch ) I take a book or sewing if its a really nice fine day. ( not many lately ).

 The retaining walls up the driveway and an area at the entrance are getting done too.

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This is the 3rd flower a new Vireya (called Scented sun) has had following some sunburn when first planted then a touch of frost during the early Spring. I think its happy now. It was planted in September last year. Vireya Rhododenrons  do really well in BOP. I see in my garden record book I have planted 16 since we moved here.