Satisfying Weekend.

So far my weekend is going very well.  This is what I could see out the bedroom window as I had a hot drink and read a chapter of my book before getting up.( the sun on the Viburnum -  the reddest tree so far this Autumn. )

 The sunshine pouring in across the garden.

 If I go a little closer this is how the garden has changed since I showed it last. Loads of wind anemones flowering and big cream marigolds.

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 Yesterday afternoon and again today I have been fitting in some sewing progress on my quilt.

 12 rows  in pairs of the same colour.

 The first 4 sewn together. This is much harder than the first 2 stages as I must have them meeting exactly. So a tiny bit of tweaking happened.

 A lot of very careful pressing is required. Every row must lie pressed in the opposite direction to it's neighbour in order for it to nest in snugly. The bulk at the points would be unmanageable otherwise.

 So on the sewing front, so far so good. Progress has been made. How good to be able to say that!

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 Meanwhile other things have been happening outside.

 This tree ( at the front ) is a Sydney Christmas tree ( that flowers later in NZ ) Cerapetalum Gummiflerum. It's  35 plus years old and not planted by us. It is quite attractive in flower but causes us much angst when its tiny dried bracts fall and blow everywhere - particularly inside the house.

 The back has a sharp little stub that pricks bare or socked feet just like a prickle.

 We decide as soon as the big BBQ was over and before it started falling we would remove it. Well we've been busy and it got a march on us ...but today was the last for it.

 R has a lot of experience at felling trees and knows how to use the tractor to guide the direction a tree will fall. Not a lot of leeway here as damage could be done if it goes the wrong way.

 He got it spot on! As it was quite large ( 30 foot plus ) and had to be dragged away down the drive trunk first he cut it in half. 

 He made it roll off the garden by the way he placed the rope then dragged it away....

Down to the carpark where the firewood stack is. It has some useful wood in it ( this is the first half then the second followed just right too. Well done that man...very little damage to the garden.

 See it's hardly missed. Just a gardening stint by me now to clean up underneath and no more ouches as we step on one of those damn prickly flowers. ( we hope ).

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 The rest of the time we have both been harvesting...the walnuts are falling, the tomatoes are splitting  and rotting with the rain -  so pick more before they do too; the red capsicums are excelling themselves with at least 12 more ready. Some got pickled yesterday...we might have to give some away. Sometimes we don't quite get the quantity right.( as in a bumper crop ) of some things and not so much of others. ( my beetroot were pathetic! )We are still picking some beans, lots of courgettes still, lovely silver beet, lots of  potatoes,  kumara, onions  and carrots. The  parsnips aren't quite big enough yet but look amazing. The corn is now finished. So, it's  busy, busy time in the kitchen, but we are managing to fit relaxing things like sewing, reading, games and tree felling  around all the work that growing your own yummy produce requires. Tonight we just fancied a roast so we can eat some of those veg and know that we did the work and that's why it tastes so damn good!