My Donation Quilt is Finished.

 Friday was such a wet day ( 215 mls of rain from late Thursday till early Saturday ) I sewed at home because for the first time ever that I can remember Patchwork and Quilting in town was cancelled. ( for our safety - keep off the roads as minor flooding everywhere )

 Putting my time to good use I choose this purple spot fabric for the

 backing and binding  of my donation quilt. I quilted it  using diagonal lines through the hearts blocks. ( straight lines so fairly easy.) it is small 33 x 30) inches.

 Here  it is with just the last part of the binding to hand sew down and a label added.

 I am pleased with it and everyone who sees it says ...love the colours you used.

 It is called Mended Hearts and is being donated to the Heart foundation for hospital use when patients have had a heart op ( any age ) ( they let us know they had run out of quilts to give to patients to keep. ) 

Autumn Seems Early this Year.

 March arrived and so did cooler night  temps . Autumn is a very busy harvesting time for us. Feijoas suddenly started dropping and walnuts and all the pears were being destroyed by wasps.

So I have been collecting walnuts from the very big tree at the end of the middle lawn. Some I am able to take straight from the tree if they are low down...they are the best cleanest nuts.

The walnut is the big tree in the middle of the middle lawn. Its huge.

 Both pear trees are getting far too tall and thick so over 2 days I slowly managed to prune one back using just a hand saw and loppers .I like to keep the steps down to the bottom level open and clear to walk down without dodging any branches. ( R trims the row of ball corokia bushes. ) There is also a drivable sloping grass track to the bottom...on the big mower or 4 wheel drive little truck.

 Inside I have been making heart blocks for a donation quilt for the Heart Foundation. ( they said they had run out of little quilts )

 I have made 25 blocks using greens purples mauves and whites.

A little Giving.

 It feels good to give . A friend and I both responded to The Love Grace Handbag Appeal 2026.

 

 You donate a ( used clean ) Handbag filled with essentials ( toiletries and optional extras )for a woman to use. Our area's bags go to the Women's Refuge. 

 Now in its 5th year the appeal was started to honour the memory of Grace Millane a young British Traveller who was murdered in NZ in 2018.

****

 I have also spent time at my Grandson's School Fair which was well attended on a bright sunny day. Lots of fun.

A Donation Quilt.

 Yesterday I was able to hand in the small quilt I am donating to someone in need.

Although it was a wet day quite a few ladies turned out to our first day back at Patchwork and Quilting for 2026.

 In the quilt I was able to use up what was left of a blue jelly roll and lots of paper backed hand pieced squares and shapes.

***

 I picked these roses to save them getting trashed in the heavy rain we are having ( again ) . The rose is called Attention Seeker and its doing really well in it's first year.

 On Wednesday afternoon we picked lots of Luisa plums .... (many of which get rots) to save them splitting in the forecast rain.

Yesterday  I shared them with my sewing buddies and passionfruit too.

 

The Darkest Red.

 

 I am thrilled with my newest Dahlia. It is so dark red its almost black. The stems are a dark red wine colour. ( The top photo makes it look pink which it isn't ) 

 It doesn't have a name just XXL ( which sounds like a clothing size ) 

 It seems sturdy too and holds its heads up.

***

 We are back to hot muggy weather so I have spent the hottest hours of the afternoons working on my little quilt. I haven't quite finished quilting it but am putting the blue binding on anyway. That has almost used up all the 2.5" stripes from a jelly roll.

 Aren't the little pegs / clips so much nicer than pins when doing hand stitching like a binding.

Severe Weather caused so much Havoc and Tragedy.

 My row of rain flowers ( zephyranthes candida ) are out.

 The last 4 or 5 days in New Zealand have been very stressful for all Kiwis. Extremely heavy rain caused slips and wash outs in many, many places. The worst loss you may have read is at Mt. Maunganui camp ground when the side of the mount ( Mauao ) slipped down and enveloped the shower and toilet block and moved caravans and tents. At least 6 people have been killed and another 2 died in a landslide at Welcome Bay ( Papamoa end ).  Most bodies at the Mt. site are yet to be recovered.  the site is large and  the ground sodden and there are worries of more landslides.     There are slips on hills  everywhere.

 Our own young ones lost the bottom  end of their property and along with their 11 neighbours were blocked in and without power and water for a day. There is a huge scar in the landscape.

 Over here on that same day ( Thursday ) the tide was very high at the bottom of our property. Here are photos .

 here is a comparison of a low tide 

 We are fortunate and have only minor garden damage...which happens quite frequently.

  I have been sewing and quilting.

 Its only small., but I am making good progress these last few days.

A Small Finish.

 Finally I finished knitting and sewing up this sleeveless reversable vest for 10 year old grandson. I thought it would be long on him but he has grown so much and I was so slow making it, it is none too big. I am now totally sick of this pattern but the boys like the sleeveless warmth as it doesn't restrict movement as much as a regular jersey or sweater. Its a beautiful blue with a fleck ( which doesn't show up when its knitted as much as it did in the ball.) I hope it still fits by Winter or 7 year old will claim it.

Early This Morning.

 After heavy rain in the night I thought the high tide  ( 2.1 m ) might be up on our bottom lawn.( that's quite a distance from the house )I took my phone and went walking down there and back. It was high but not the highest tide I've seen here.

 The water is right to the top boards on our jetty.

 Up on the lawn a bit here.

 Then back up one set of steps towards the house.

 Past Grandson's bunch of bananas that are nearly ready.

 Then between the pears.

 2 pear trees with fruit getting larger.

 Up onto the middle lawn and from here  You can see the new area of garden I have changed. ( pulled more agapanthus and made a space for 2 new roses and a dahlia and annuals.)

 Hope you didn't get your feet wet.

Plums Galore and a Puzzle.

 

 R and I picked this lot on Monday.

 Grandsons picked nearly as many yesterday, a lot by climbing the tree.

We have distributed all those to family and friends.

There are more to ripen yet. The ones we have eaten are sweet and juicy (  the dark red  juice stains you clothes ) so eat carefully.

Encouraged by a certain blogger I got out a jigsaw I had been saving. Only 300 pieces and no sky or sea in it!  Entitled "The Quilt Shop ,"  how could a not buy it when I saw it for $4 at the used book sale, a while ago.

 Finished in less than 24 hours.  ( click to enlarge )

 Happy New Year Everyone.

Not an Easy or Quick Job.

 This morning I decide I better see to the fridge because things were coming out "wet."   ( possibly overfull )  or something sticking to a side wall. In order to get at the power point to turn it off, this fridge, has to be pulled from it's alcove. As I suspected the drain hole was blocked and the fridge had been incontinent on the floor . Clean that up then tackle pulling the drain tank off the back ( on top of the motor ) Clean that all up plus the cobwebs and muck.

It  looks so clean now!  Turn the power back on push it back in and 

 then wash and dry  every single shelf and  the inside shell of the fridge. 

 Go through the entire contents and throw out only 3 items.

 Put it all back in and wow it looks so good and spacious !

 Job well done even if I say so myself.

 ( we also have a separate freezer and drink fridge which do not need cleaning currently !  )

*****

 The first Billington plums.

 I'm off to pick more as ducks ( from the estuary )  are eating any wind or rainfall ones on the ground  and birds are pecking others still on the tree. ( the 4 on the left are damaged so look ripest.)

***

Season's Greeting to All.

 

 Wishing all my Readers an enjoyable Festive time.

***

 While I was looking for something else in old pictures I have, I found this Gif that still works.

I don't know who the clever person was who made it ...but  Thanks it still works.

Drizzly Rain.

 I hope the weather moves on to sunny for Christmas day.

 We have just been out to a casual lunch at the 2nd closest place ( as the traffic is SO bad we decided to not go far ) . Today is our 58th Wedding Anniversary. It would be too easy to not note it at all. Since we got married at 12noon back then lunch always seems a good time of the day  for a quick celebration.  Life has become so busy these days and everyone seems to flood into Tauranga and the Mt. Journeys anywhere  can be a lottery timewise. ( try and Stay Home! )🎄

Out and About Near Me.

 

After going out to lunch with my very compatible 4 sewing group friends, I stopped to do some shopping at Bethlehem town Centre. ( that's Bethlehem near Tauranga , NZ ) before coming home. Here are some of the decorations on display. ( the same as last year I think ).

A small tree on one round about.

 Santa's mail box outside paper Plus shop.

 A large tree at another round about.

 A sleigh on a corner ( someone is in it I see. )

 I always find the book shop a great place to shop, but my recommendation for a lovely shop to visit is Chalk and Charcoal at Te Puna Village.....my nearest place to shop.( parking may be a problem as it  has become such a busy area now with doctor, dentist, pharmacy, hair dresser,  cafe etc,)

 Traffic around Tauranga can still be chaotic though and deciding how long to allow for a journey is anyone's guess.!.

*****

 Yesterday and today we have had 2 sudden short storms come rushing through, trashing plants in the garden ( when they were just looking nice of course. )  The sweetcorn needs more protection and tying up but for my new dahlia that was looking bright I decided to pick it as it was in danger of splitting open with the weight of the flowers.

 Here before and now.

 Dahlia Mambo NL an anemone type. ( I haven't grown one like this before . Its very attractive. )

Rapid Progress in the Garden.

 Lately we have been putting a lot of time an effort into the garden. Both vegetables  and flowers.

This was yesterday's harvest.

It looked and tasted yummy. One of my favourites.

 The blueberries, asparagus, courgettes and strawberries  need checking daily. The peas are only days away.

 Colourful spots everywhere .

 Yesterday Today and Tomorrow have seeded all around. They go with yellow and white and pink and are aptly nicknamed..

 I'm thrilled with my new Attention Seeker rose.

 Planted in front of it are a row of bedding dianthus.

The birdbath with clean water. It gets very warm and grows red algae if it's  left ( and I want the birds to have a clean wash - tho some leave droppings in it ) The piece if metal is to allow bees to climb out if they topple in.

 Other garden visitors are not all welcome. This fellow ate poison. 

 He looks very healthy ( altho dead. ) It  has had a diet of avocados, compost bin scraps , citrus fruit and who knows what else. Luckily a neighbour sets lots of traps around the area or we would be over run because of our  proximity to water and lots of vegetative cover.

I put poison bait  down one of its many holes and tunnels under a cherry tree. Another got caught in a trap R set then  it dragged it away under a bush.  Several days later I found it by smell....I have a very good nose. I  also got one baby rat.

****

 Yesterday I spent the morning with my very dear friends in our little sewing group. We are so happy together and hand stitch and talk and eat and drink and laugh a lot. My therapy. We take turns at hosting. We do lunch out  quite often if there are birthdays or some other reason. I really really value their friendship.

 My hand sewing is slowly progressing.