Day 6.

Little yellow marigolds in a pot. As it is a smallish pot they need water every second day or they wilt.

 There were lots of chores I could have decided to do this afternoon but I said no do something you'd like to do, so I sat at one of the outdoor tables and knitted for quite a while.

 This is the view I had.

This is looking in to where I was sitting.

( We have 2 glass fishing floats hung up here . They were found on the beach north of Patea,off the edge of our property where we lived on the family  farm when we first got married in the late 60s.) 

 My knitting grew by an inch or more on each part. ( I'm doing 2 sides at once to make sure they match exactly. 

Hope you are all okay still.

Day 5.

This little Chrysanthemums has been flowering in the garden for weeks. I just keep it dead headed and on it goes.

 We had a dribble of milk going off in the fridge  I decided to make pikelets ( my recipe requires souring milk - usually I add a dash of vinegar to turn it )  out of it.

 Neither of us take milk in our tea or coffee so I mainly keep milk for cooking and visitors cuppas. There won't be any visitors.! I made a double batch and put most in the freezer.

 We had a long thunder storm last night which gave us a little rain! We are grateful for that.

 Hope you are all okay out there.

Day 4.

                     Thanks for commenting Ladies.
 So sad to read this afternoon that the first NZer has died of Covid - 19. A lady in her 70s in Greymouth in the South Isalnd ( West Coast )

 This shows some of the road where I walk. That's a friend's house on the right. I live further up and around a corner to the right. It's always quiet but now even quieter on our road.

Day 3.

 Very bright Zinnias give my heart a lift. No nice perfume but the colour makes up for that.

 Someone in our subdivision ( gated community ) suggested we were all at risk of catching the virus from our mail boxes. If the mail man or the mail was infected or any of the box owners there was potential to spread it along  all of us if we collected the mail.

 The boxes are situated inside our communal gateway that leads out to the main highway.

 When I walk I take a walking stick - not cause I need it to walk but in case I meet an unattended dog ( s) ( I started this long ago when I used to walk in the Quarry Park behind where our orchard was.) ( so for self defence ) 

 Yesterday I found I could use the bottom of my stick to open the mail box. There was mail inside so I returned to the house and collected a spray bottle of meths and a cotton glove and a large paper bag. I returned to the mailbox and sprayed it ( it's plastic )  I put the glove on my right hand and removed the mail and dropped it into the paper bag. When I got home I tipped it all on the concrete and sprayed the plastic wrapping around the Sky watch magazine. I sprayed the other paper articles and left them to dry in the sun. I put the paper bag in the incinerator.

 This is rather a rigmarole so from now on I will collect the mail only when I know there is some or on Mondays if the Listener has been sent ( or a proper snail mail letter ).

How are you all coping?

Day 2.

Another rose with a lovely perfume sitting on my bench. ( Abraham Darby )

One of the projects ( if you could call it that ) I'm doing  is to cut up all scraps in my scrap bin into usable squares 1.5 up to 5" or into long strips. I'm doing some each day.

 I cooked a very large savoury scone that will be cut into wedges . Any left will be frozen.

 On my walk I did pass 2 neighbours going the other way. We stayed on our separate sides of the road and called out greetings to each other.

A different Normal - Day 1.

I don't normally go out much but this is different. Lockdown means I'm  ( we ) ( everyone ) not allowed to go out being an older person and ( non essential ) makes me feel a bit useless and selfish but I do understand why it is necessary.  I can still smell the roses and go for a walk around our very quiet gated community. Today I walked just before lunch in some sunshine  and was able to chat across the road to some other folk and the mail man. Out on the main highway the trucks to and from Auckland are thundering by...delighted I'm sure to be travelling on near empty roads (they were probably going too fast ? )
 I have been doing lots of planning to make sure our supplies last as long as possible. Having a bread maker and a big supply of flour I intend to make foccacia bread every 2nd or 3rd day to keep the Vogels and Molenberg for toast.

This one just ready for the oven.  R is quite a good cook to and takes his turn when he feels like it. We have a very full freezer altho most fresh veges are coming to and end.

Tomorrow would have been my Patchwork and Quilting group day but that is off for the foreseeable future so I will make every effort to work on a project at home.
 I have also been into my knitting supplies and decided I will start a vest for littlest grandson.
 It is quite worrying how indispensable our TV, phones and computers have become...our lifelines.
 Please all keep posting about how you are managing.
Skype Grandchildren don't create much mess do they!

Guest Speaker.

Yesterday at our patchwork and Quilting group meeting we had a guest speaker - Liz Wilson who is a textile artist and dyes fabric and works in mixed media.She showed us many dying techniques using indigo and Japanese traditions. She also dyed  paper using garden leaves and below on a 

re purposed white shirt using grasses seed heads 

 She also dyes and sells silk scarves using indigo  tying , marbling and and eco prints.

****

 There have been some interesting moon risings these past few nights, causing the high tides. 

Harvesting and Gardening.

 This is the last of the peaches. We have eaten them raw and I have poached and frozen some and given others away. ( most develop rots within 48hours of picking ) So work fast!

 The William bon Chretien pears ( also known as Bartlett pears in NZ ) have been prolific but I picked this final lot as the wasps and birds were making them disappear too fast. After a short while these will begin to change to yellow and are very juicy and sweet. They are nice raw or cooked.

 Lots of pulling out of vege plants that have done their thing. Tomatoes particularly. I am clearing all plants from the unsightly old poly house. R is going to pull it down and replace with a smaller structure.

In the flower garden, which is just hanging in there because of watering restrictions, I am planting a few new daffodils and freesias.

 At the moment we are getting really high tides.

 So far since we have lived here the jetty has never been underwater but apparently it has happened ;the neighbours have photos.