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).

The Next Step.

Although I haven't completely finished sewing all the hexagons I had time at the weekend to spread them all out on the floor and decide on their sewing order. I did the back first to make sure the star fabrics were evenly spread through the spot fabric, then flipped them over and made sure the colour spread darks and lights were okay and that there wasn't 2 tractors together or 2 cats or 2 anythings. I then labeled each row and picked them up in order in little stacks. I have started to handsew them together using a type of blanket stitch with a knot ( I use the same one when making felt balls....It is really strong and tensions each stitch ). The 1st row has 14 hex then 13 fit in the gaps on the 2nd row then 14 again and so on. One pic shows the back, and there are some close up ones for you to see Joyce. If you look closely at the fronts you can see where I have overlapped the machine quilting stitch to secure it...I don't like knots.
I am now on the 2nd row. I will finish making the rest of the hexagons when I need portable work to take with me. As the quilt growsI won't want to lug it with me. Thanks to those who have offered to post me fabric for this, but you don't know what I already have so it makes it difficult..... I think I will get there as I have only a very few left to source now, to make up my 270.

On the orchard the male kiwifruit flowers are out and being collected for extra pollen and the females should be in full flower during the next week. Our bee hives will come into the orchard then. I will show you that when it happens. Let's hope for some calm, fine weather now to make life easy for the little bees and to ensure we don't have to pay for too much extra sprayed on pollen. I am still thinning flower buds and tying in growth in the afternoons. Yesterday was 25 degrees centigrade under the vines. Phew!

Getting Sorted

It's very windy, then this afternoon it started to rain, so I was able to abandon any idea of working under the vines. Instead I crawled around on the floor sorting my Hexagons. You see the number I need is getting close now and I hadn't sorted by colour groups before. I put them out in colour families and discovered that I actually have less red, orange and purple than other colours. I have shown the photo from both ends of the room and one photo shows a group that I called multi coloured and one predominantly black. I think all up I need 270 or maybe 250 would work. I actually did all this so I could get out my fabric and actually check if indeed I did have certain motifs already sewn. I thought I could remember but just needed to check a few. By doing this I managed to cut out a further 20 picture hexies. One photo also shows cut, but as yet unsewn ones. They all look yummy set out and I love playing with them! (Now I have to go and bag them up again.) So if I decide to find 20 more I hope to get some more red, orange and purple ones , but when they are all mixed as they will be in the quilt it looks a great mix of lights and darks. ( for anyone reading this who doesn't already know I am making a boys' I Spy Quilt ( single bed size ) using quilt as you go Hexagons.)
Totals: 216 sewn
250 cut
Not sure how many are machine quilted about 3/4 I think. I am happy with that!

That Magazine.

Gosh what an exhausting week it seems to have been. Since the weather was fine it's been all on with orchard work, so it was just as well I had a hair appointment prebooked from last time or I probably wouldn't have made it into the city at all. But I did ( on Wednesday ) and while there had quite a list of things to do including buying a couple of gifts. One involved me going to Mag Addiction for some beading mags as part of a gift. While there I did a quick scan of the Quilting mags and decided to treat myself to something different from those I have on order.( I have "Quilting Down Under," on order at that shop and get my lovely "NZ Quilter," by post...but it's only quarterly, so I really look forward to it ) I got a September copy of ( takes a while to get to NZ ) "Popular Patchwork," a UK mag and am so enjoying it! Why?

I thought about this for awhile and realized that all the adverts were new and worth reading as well as the articles - I didn't recognize them and know them. Some of the photos were repeats of Australian quilts but that always seems to happen. The other seemingly small but significant difference was the UK mag like the NZ one are stapled down the spine and so lie open easily and stay flat. Now that's an advantage if you are reading it while having a coffee or eating lunch. ( as I so often am ) It is also lighter but seems to have just as much content. ( less storage space? ) I wonder what you all like ....in your quilting magazines....or don't you bother with them?

Potpourri.

Yesterday I spent some time reading other's Blogs that I enjoy; my list has got very long now, so it takes a while. Over at Pieces from My Scrapbag Finn showed a photo of her family treasure the Chamber pot. That got me thinking maybe others would like to see our old family treasures too.

Isn't the po a beauty. I have it in the Lounge with a yellow Begonia in It. ( I am careful not damage it). (The colour scheme there is yellow blue and white.) On the bass it says Aubrey made in England. It belonged to my Husband's Maternal Grandmother ( and may be older than that) and came to NZ with her family from Scotland in 1884.( she was only 4 ). In the other photo is the school bell that same lady used as a young teacher here in NZ.

The is a soup ladle belonged to the other side of the family.( no markings on it ) The Coffee Pot is a complete set; Pot; 6 little cups and saucers; a sugar bowl and jug, all in perfect condition - Copeland Spode Made in England - Spode's Bryon. I look after them all , so I may then pass them down the generations.

Healing Hearts.

Thought you might like to see a photo of lots of orchardists standing around in our orchard........ Thursday by some fluke was a reasonably warm and sunny day and about 49 people crowded under the Kiwifruit vines to listen learn and discuss.( what they should be doing right now in their own properties. The pros and cons of different methods etc. )

Yesterday I sat and made a healing heart block for a friend in my on line group ( Picking Up Threads ) in Australia, who has just had an op. Hope it helps and that she gets enough to make something worthwhile from us all. ) ( in her favourite colours )
Today is dull and overcast but we went across to the Mt. ( Mt. Maunganui ) and did a walk along the beach boardwalk and other parts for an hour or more and DH was delighted to see overhead 3 Yak planes doing aerobatic / formation practise. We then called by the Classic Flyers Club on the way back for some lunch and a closer look at those and other planes ( that's one of DH's passions and hobbies ) ; it began to rain on the way home and has drizzled ever since so I am sitting quilting some of my hexagons.
The Hexagon total is now 187 sewn and about 120 quilted.

Birds that Frequent.

Thanks for your comments ladies. Yes it can be busy around here. This morning while we ate breakfast I enlisted DH help and we compiled a list of all the birds we could think of that we see on our property. Our property 11.9365 hectares in total has orchard obviously and native bush, gullies and garden. This current interest in birds was sparked by the sudden and recent appearance of a Peacock strolling around our orchard. He has appeared on the lawn beside the house twice now just at dusk, but is camera shy and can run quite fast!
The list of birds has 31 different in all; some are here always, others from time to time:-Peacock; Pheasants; Pukeko; Harrier Hawk(Kahu); Paradise Ducks; Mallard Ducks; Native Pigeon ( Kereru); Kaka; Eastern Rosella; Morepork (Ruru); Tui; Thrush; Blackbirds; Californian Quail; House Sparrows; Indian Myna; Starlings; Magpies; Shining Cuckoo (Pupiwharauroa); Kingfisher (Kotare ); Welcome Swallow; Fantail (Piwakawaka ); Bellbird (Makomako or Korimako ); Yellow Hammer; Grey Warbler ( Riroriro); Silver Eye ( Tauhou ); Chaffinch; Greenfinch; Goldfinch; Black Shag and White Faced Heron. ( in brackets are the Maori names )
I wonder if we forgot any?
( the green feathered bird on the hand is a Shining Cuckoo that flew into a window.)
I love them all, well almost; some like the Rosella are a pest and peck off the kiwifruit buds cause they are parrots and like to play.
The Quails arrive in family groups of about 15 and walk around the lawn. Mrs. Thrush baths daily in my birdbath - very clean lady; sometimes the Tui do too.
If I have to pick a favourite I think it would be Ruru the Morepork.

Labour Weekend.

Although I have written myself a list, my 3 day weekend is consisting of a little of what I fancy mixed with things I must do. I did some baking; I sat for an hour and edited a section of DH life story; I weeded a little till it drizzled; I watched the rugby....aha Waikato beat Wellington in the final of the Air NZ Cup! ( sorry Dale it was a great game but we were just a little better ). I sewed some hexies. I did some housework as I work better in tidy / clean .....Once it's done I can relax ...Till it needs doing again! I picked some flowers from the garden. I read some blogs and other things. DH cooked dinner....I love that !
Unfortunately we were told late on Friday that our kiwifruit packhouse wants to hold a Growers' Field Day here next Thursday so that has added items to my list....... garden weeding that could have waited has now been stepped up in priority as we like to have our property looking neat and tidy. It's neatly mown already but some of the kiwifruit blocks are near garden areas so I don't want any obvious weeds showing! When I finish writing this I am on with some gumboots, off with the watch and down into the front creek ( stream ) to do a little tidying. The water level is quite low with no recent heavy rain so I should be able to stay reasonably dry ( watch my step ).

I have been wandering with the camera taking pics of lovely blooms. Sally Holmes rose has such a simple delicate face...I love to be able to see the stamens in a flower. Arylies rose is tiny and frilly but also beautiful. Both have different quite subtle rose perfumes. Ahhh...

The other photo is of a rarer plant Xeronema. [xeronema callistemon or Poor Knights Lily or raupo-taranga ] It has rigid sword like leaves and is hard to get to flower. Best kept with restricted roots and frost free ...but mine is now a big clump in the garden. Last year it had 2 flowers; this time 4 so far.( They are like red bristled tooth brushes or bottle brushes or dish brushes. )
















Next time I might tell you about the huge variety of birds we have around here....The latest is a peacock...Now where did he come from? I'll try and get some photos too. Those others having a long weekend, enjoy a little of what you fancy, it's probably best to stay off the roads.

Being organized.

Being organized is essential to my way of working.( I don't have a sewing room, just a big double doored cupboard ) I like everything sorted and stored so I know where it is. For my Hexagon I Spy Quilt I have all the completed hex bagged in lots of 40 ( cause that was a good fit ) in zip lock bags and the latest bag I am filling has a notelet with the running total written on it.
As there are 3 parts to each hex there is a pile of batting 4.5 " hex ; a pile of fussy cut 4.5" feature fabric hex and a pile of 6.5" backing fabric hex.
Today I had to go into the city for boring things like printer ink and stamps and a new farm diary, so didn't miss the opportunity to hunt down a few more Fat Quarters to fussy cut for my quilt. Good ones that produced 4 or 5 motifs per fabric. I also happened to come home with 2 new summer tops...But I won't be wearing them if the weather keeps like today. ( if you wait they won't be there when you go shopping again later )....I was restrained as about 7 in all fitted so I picked the 2 I really liked. Roll on warm weather. Only about 17 degrees C here today.
I also picked up my on order copy of Down Under Quilts ( # 101 ) from the mag shop. Storage is starting to be a problem with them, so I may cut back just to the NZ Quilter which is quarterly and gets mailed to me ( much more convenient ).

Hexagon Running total 158.

Current Orchard Work.

Here's what is happening in the kiwifruit orchard AT THE MOMENT. The vines have new growth that is very tender and vulnerable to wind damage. We have just had a week of strong relentless wind. Our damage could have been worse. One photo shows a broken withered shoot that is now lost. Another photo shows a long opening shoot that needs tipping to stop it growing more....... it gets pinched at the end between the thumb and forefinger ( squashed )

If you look carefully you can see the flower buds along the stem. My job during the next fine weather is to thin those buds to just one at each growing point. ( look carefully and you can spot some triples and mis- shapen ones.) You can see from the photos that the camera was pointing up towards the sky....That's cause the vines are all on overhead pergola structures...so you see I get quite tired arms, neck and shoulders by the end of the day. I have to limit how long I spend doing it or suffer.( good excuse ) ( here endeth the lesson ! )

So far, so Good!

Yesterday after we went to DH's eye appointment we went shopping for the new computer. ( isn't it amazing how long it all takes. ) Anyway we decided on an HP - the best for our requirements and DH wanted extra grunt so we got extra put in on the spot ( so we don't have to take it back later to get it done! ) We spent more than I thought we were going to, but that often happens if DH goes shopping! You've all been there done that so I won't tell the whole saga - briefly we got it all together and it is up and running, but I have spent hours getting it all going as we are used to.( very proud of my efforts ) So far there has only been one ooops with the digital camera...it didn't like me using the new computer and after I had, I had to reformat the card. Hope I have sorted it all.The good news is I can still access and use the important places like Blogger....so I can still visit with you all.
While we were in the city I got my Bernina checked and Yes I was right....it did need adjusting. It's purring along now. Haven't had any sewing time though.
We nearly got blown away in the kiwifruit orchard this afternoon...It's blowing a damaging howling gale.
I have P & Q Group tomorrow...Good....Better get some work ready to take. Happy sewing everyone!
( this is the 1st blog from the new puter! )

Simple Machine Quilting

Today I sat and machine quilted a simple border around 40 of my hexagons. That is all they will need. I used variegated thread ( red and green )and don't want the stitching to obscure the object in the hexagons. It is there mainly to hold the batting so it doesn't creep if washed.

Thanks to those who sent computer advice; Anne W of Grains in the Wind; hedgehog and sue. I realize everybody has had differing experiences and probably like cars there are good and bad examples of all models. No further progress has been made, deciding what to get; we need another wet day, but as you can see by the photo DH has put together the new desk ready for the new computer when we do decide.

Score with the hexagons is 130 plus. I'm starting to struggle finding different fabrics now but am not in a hurry. Any motifs that are suitable for a 2nd quilt ( for a girl ) are being cut at the same time as the ones for my boy's quilt. I did some measuring today ( just spread them out on the carpet ) and have some way to go to make a single bed size. I'm still enjoying making them - so that's great.

What To Buy?

These purple Sparaxias have been putting on the usual magnificent show, but a thunder storm and very heavy rain last night have made them look a bit sad now. ( we needed the rain! )

I need some help and advice please. We have decided the time is right to buy a new computer. The one I am using now has some problems and is getting old and slow. It also has some really good features. We have decided it can become the off line computer as there are times when we both want to be using at the same time . It is good to be in a situation where we are not buying cause this one has died...and therefore in a hurry..we can look around ...and ask around. What I would like to know from you dear friends out there is....do you have any recommendations and why...or do you have any "beware stories," about poor service or real dog computers. Should we go for XP Home ; XP Professional or XP Media ? (none have a good photo programme like this one....(Microsoft Photo Editor) (I will have to get photo shop and install that on the new one...ooh!)
Any advice would be much appreciated.