Bethlehem Town Centre which is closer to me than Tauranga has these and other decorations on display.

 There is quite a good selection of shops there ( tho not every type ). There is a large elderly population in the surrounds so it  is often very busy. As long as I can find one, parking is okay.

 We can post things at Te Puna ( closer still ) at the local store. I'm trying to keep off the roads as much as possible as there are so many road works and a very large population trying to use them.

 

Caring for my Indoor Plants.

 Firstly Thanks Janice for your reply. I am just going to ignore the threat for now and see what happens.( if my blog got wiped I'd start another one! )

 

 This morning as I often do, I have been caring for my indoor plants.I have lots.The peperomia obtusifolia seen here is one of the easiest to care for. It lives upstairs on the dressing table and gets plenty of light from the ranch-slider It does however get dusty and is time consuming to clean, so I took it down to the lawn and sprayed it gently with the rose nozzle on the hose. It is dripping of dry now..

  I have one position in the house which causes plants to sulk and degrade. It is on the side table inside the front door. The position. really needs a plant there but the light is very low. I leave the hall light on for it often but that is not enough. Sometimes I stand the plant in another room in the light but what I really need is a new plant ( or something else decorative ) that will thrive in low light. Are Aspidistras still available?  I know in my grandparents day that was the plant that stood in the near dark passageway.

 My maidenhair fern does well and also my several African violets and Calethea and Kalanchoe but more tricky to get just right are my Peace lilies.. The tips of the leaves go brown and I know it is either too much or too little water - that is hard to solve.

 What do you grow indoors ladies, that thrives for you?

What to Do?

 

 

This white Hydrangea likes a dull drizzly day (It sunburns quite easily )

 All the garden plants are getting a slow( so far ) gentle watering from rain.

What to Do was the title of this post, so here's my question. Have any of you had a threatening email from somewhere called legacy blogger or Legacy migration ( in USA )?  I was told to migrate my blog to them. because my account has someone associated with it who hasn't blogged since 2006. If I didn't move,  my blog would be closed down in 60 days.

 Question - is this for real or yet another scam email ?

 Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

Project completed.

 

I am pleased with how my 'long stitch,' cushion cover turned out. Finished and a good fit with the inner.

 The back has a generous  ( 2/3rds ) envelope entry.  ( like a pillow case ) I prefer that to a zip.

 I can start something new now.

*****

 Despite damaging, relentless winds some patches of my garden are bright and cheerful.

 Snap dragons, cineraria , larkspurs, bedding begonias,  primrose and low alstromeria.( too low for picking really ) There are some new taller ones due out this month that I want to buy a couple of. They keep  so well picked

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.

*****

 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.

****

 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.

*****

 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

****

 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.