Healing Hearts and Avocados.

I managed to get these 11 Healing Hearts blocks completed.

My friend D, made 6 too; in very different shades. All 15 are now making their postal way down to Rangiora, to Shirley and the others putting the quilts together down there. This afternoon as I worked under the vines I listened ( on the radio )to the very moving Remembrance Service held for the 29 Pike River Miners, who died. (Parts of it were repeated on the TV News tonight.) Well done Greymouth and every one involved. It was held on the race course.( I have stood on that ground when I was visiting there in 1968. I was there taking part in a Young Farmers and Country girls Stock Judging Competition.)
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This year we have a much smaller crop of Avocados then we had last year. ( It was our record crop so far. ) Yesterday R and I did the ground picking of the avocados. The hydralada ( cherry picker ) was delayed ( bother! ) and now won't be able to do the high picking till Saturday.Here is how we do our part.

R does the reaching for the fruit using this long picker. It has a blade that cuts but also a grip like pliers that hold after the cut is made. He then turns and hands the fruit to me. Once I have a grip of the fruit he releases the picker's grip.

I then trim the stalk  close to the avocado and gently place it into the picking apron I am wearing. When the apron  gets full it is gently tipped into a large wooden picking bin.  Wearing the apron full makes me waddled when I walk, just like being heavily pregnant. At the end of this work some muscles are understandably sore. But it is a positive activity. Any avos that are badly marked or mis -shapen or damaged we put aside in a large plastic bin and bring home for our own use. We both LOVE avocados. They are a very complete food and very good for us. I have avocado on Vogels toast with vegemite for breakfast almost every day.