Projects I am Working On.

Thank you all for the Greetings on my last post.

I am currently working on a baby quilt using a lovely, very easy to follow pattern I found on project12quilts.com     It is on the list of free patterns.( on the right )  Little Leapfrog. The pattern was designed by Janeen Getz. Thank you Janeen.

 This little owl fabric is the only pictorial fabric I am using. It has the colour palette I am using.

 These fabrics I am very happy with.

 The other 3 I need might come from this group  below, but I am not sure about them

 I might go back to the cupboard and pull out some more.

 I have made the pieced blocks in the owl fabric and the beautiful turquoise blue and am doing the green spot now.

 The binding will be the blue, I have lots of it. I think the white background fabric will make it look light and bright.

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 I am also knitting a blanket . The pattern is in a Debbie Bliss book Eco baby. Hers done in cotton, mine in wool . Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, which is soft and snugly.

 It is a simple block pattern with a twisted 2 stitches between the change. The colour is a bit more green than it shows here. I am 3/4 finished as it is easy knitting with rows of 166 stitches - they only just fit on the needles.

 Every day we have families of quail walk across the garden. Yesterday we counted 89. ( some of that number here ) It's not easy to get a photo without disturbing them.

 We had our first light frost this morning but it is now a clear although crisp sunny morning.

Wellington Holiday.

The first couple of days in Wellington were fine and bright but then the wind got up and being out and about was not so much fun. We stayed at the James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel which is right in the city and has a lift that deposits one straight onto Lambton Quay We mainly walked everywhere and took a couple of taxis to further away places.
  We spent my big Birthday with members of my side of the family. Some travelled down from the Rangitikei to be with us for long lunch on the day - Sunday 7th . We ate at the Crab Shack down on Queen's Wharf. Later my nephew and his wife who live and work in the capital drove us around the sights.

We spent a whole day at Te Papa the National Museum. My time was spent on the 5th level which has the Art Gallery and a display of Tivaevae manu ( appliqué quilts ).

This was my favourite made by the late Jasmine Underhill. The pattern by her Aunt is called puarata flower.

 2 more I liked.

 We also visited the Air New Zealand History display and rode in the simulator.

 The Gallipoli display is the main attraction at Te Papa at the moment

 The scenes and figures are all larger than life ( 1.6  I think ) and realistic down to the veins under the skin, the sweat and the individual hairs on the body. Made by Weta Workshop and Peter Jackson they are almost too realistic.

 Lottie Le Calais.

 The display included ration packs, flies all over everything including food, wounds and the latrines. The sound effects were also very realistic.

This display like every other at the museum are free and very worth the visit.

We went on a tour at Weta Wokshop.

 3 of these fellows greet you outside. Photograhy wasn't allowed on the tour.

 The part I found most interesting was Kim Beaton working on a project using Pal Tiya. It is the ultimate permanent outdoor modelling clay, developed by her husband Woz.

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 We rode the Cable car which climbs 120 metres in 5 minutes.

 Construction for the original started in 1899.

 We wanted to walk right around the Botanical gardens but the wind and skiffs of drizzle sent us into the cable car museum then back down to the city again, where we spent time in Unity Bookshop.

 We had lovely meals at Logan Brown - a present from R and Boulcott Street Bistro a present from the young ones. But the best Coffee  I had while away came from Bordeaux Bakery. I had lovely hot soup there on the way back from visiting Nancy's Embroidery on Thorndon Quay. They told me the coffee beans come from Borneo.

 We came back earlier than planned as the weather was against our other plans. Unfortunately I came back with a sore throat and cough by the time we got home. Too many public spaces and places probably. ( especially when 10 people cram into a lift )

 We enjoyed our short holiday away, but it is always nice to be home, with the fire going,  when the weather is nasty.

Bonfire,Quilts and Knitting.

This last week has been the right time to light the bonfire of big old tree stumps and branches that were no good for firewood.( We are trying to clear this area so it can be sown in grass and kept mown in the future )( The photos are all a bit smoky. )

 R used the tractor to push it together as it burnt. I poked dry sticks in as extra fuel. 

 R , laid a hose from the house down the bank and wet down surrounding dry growth as a precaution. We had  sacks in the nearby creek wetting ready and a bucket, but none were needed.

 The rain has now put it out. It did not all burn as some old stumps had dirt attached. It will dry for a while and be moved by the tractor and relit in the future.

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 I completed this little quilt top in Jacob's Ladder design.( 34" x 34 " ) It is quite tiny. I used all the small squares I had cut but may decide to enlarge it in the future.

 I finished this wee mauve jersey. It just needs 2 buttons sewn on the shoulder opening. I liked the pattern and the different ribbing design. The wee grey beanie has a picot edging.

 I have now started a little sleeveless wrap in blue. The merino wool felt really soft in the ball but not so soft once it is knitted.So far it is going okay but is a pattern new to me.

We are managing to take a few days holiday. We are heading South, by car this time. We will pack lots of warm things . We are getting quite a variety of temperatures here and know it will be colder down there.

 Thanks for your concern about my eye. It has been totally fine . We went for our 2 year eye checks last week and my sight has not deteriorated so that is a saving and also reassuring. I can keep wearing my same glasses.

Quilting; Knitting and Chestnuts.

Firstly Thanks for your comments. Bubble many of the pickers were Punjabi Indians who live in BOP now and work in the Kiwifruit Industry. Some have done pruning here for us.
 Unfortunately the packing did not go well. Even more fruit was rejected than we feared. Such a dreadful waste.

 Do you like chestnuts? We do and have one tree. We are using them more this year in various ways. I have discovered dropping half a dozen peeled ones in with a roast dinner is delicious. I have also been putting a few into any sort of soup I make. When we were kids we sometimes got given some and then we pricked them and held them on a metal hearth shovel in an open fore till they cracked open. They taste  a bit like very dry Kumara.

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 I am back sewing now after having to take time out with a very sore eye. The optician found I had an ulcer on the eyeball. It was very, very painful but is better now. It healed really quickly once I  applied the prescribed drops.

 It meant I couldn't see to use the computer or sew or drive etc. so I had a couple of miserable days and sleepless nights. All good again now though.

 I am making a small quilt because I had a lot of small unusual sized square blocks cut for my last flower quilt. They were going to be in a final border but I decided it looked less busy without, so had the blocks left.  I did the maths to find what size half square triangles would match a 4 patch made of the small squares and am now almost finished enough of the above blocks for a quilt top. ( Jacob's ladder pattern. )  I will show the top in the next post.

I have also been knitting each evening. This is a little jersey which is now finished and being sewn up. I hate the sewing up part. I have also finished this little 

 dress or tunic top. Both patterns came from a Patons Book 1101.

 I have also finished a collection of booties and  beanies, in varying sizes and colours and types of wool. I liked all the wools and combinations of mohair, possum, alpaca  or angora except one garment I made with bamboo. It was not nice to knit and feels cold so I won't use that again. I think wool or a combination of wool and other fibres is best. I never use acrylic. 

 My favourite yarn, so far is a Zealana AIR lace weight . It is probably 2ply, and one ball was just 10gms - enough for a pair of booties. 

2015 Kiwifruit Picking.

It is wet here today so we were very lucky with the fine weather yesterday when our whole kiwifruit crop got picked in a day.
 Although everyone was here bright and early 

the fruit and leaves were considered too wet, so picking didn't start till just after 10am.  Empty bins arrived and were unloaded.

Then some of the tractor drivers, truckies, R and R stood around putting the world to right ( as they do )

Once everyone got to work they got stuck in.

 The area closet to the camera has been picked and looks quite different from the fruit laden area.

 They worked in 2 gangs  each with 2 tractors. 

Here drivers Sam and Richard level the fruit on 3 full bins before they transport them up to the loading area.

It was looking as if we didn't have a chance of finishing in the day with 25 pickers when about 2.30 pm another gang who had finished elsewhere arrived and so we got there by 5.15 as the light was fading.

 The new gang had 4 lady pickers who work as hard as the men.

 They were a cheerful lot and there were no incidents or breakdowns all day.

 Colourful too.( notice the hands moving fast. )

 Meanwhile at the loading area Josh was putting the full bins onto the truck.

This is always a good sight ...a truck disappearing down the driveway with a full load .

 In the photo above( left ) you can see where I spent the day. At the table with bowls of fruit cleaning sooty mould off them. As the bins came to the loading area R and I quickly collected the biggest best fruit sitting on top that had sooty on them. I then cleaned them ( as I have been doing for some weeks now ). ( wet  cotton picking gloves and a tooth brush for around the calyx and a spray bottle of CP clean ) It is much quicker and easier when the fruit are already picked. We then feed them back into bins once cleaned. At one stage I took my wet cp clean soaked gloves off and this is how my hands looked.

 Today I have a couple of minor blisters. I probably saved a few hundred fruit from the reject bin.

 A very successful day We picked the largest amount of fruit ever, but know the pack out won't be good because of the sooty mould rejects.

 They pack house rang just now to say some is being packed during the night ...... 2 am and the rest tomorrow. That hasn't given it long to cure ( heal the picking scar ).( It's allowed up to, but no longer than 4 days by the rules )

We did a few jobs outside this morning before the rain set in and are being lazy for the rest of the day. We earned it!

First on my List of Pleasant Smells.

 The last Rose of Summer ( not a sad one as in Thomas Moore's poem ) but a spray of Charles Austin that I picked and put on the windowsill at the sink where  I can frequently inhale it's delightful perfume.

 It got me wondering what my other favourite smells are.

1.  This rose or any other delightful flower :Violets  Carnations;Daphne; Honeysuckle Freesias etc. )

 2. Grinding Coffee beans.

 3. Freshly baked Bread.

4. Mint being chopped ( or picked or touched )

5. The smell of the sea, or pine trees; or lemons or vanilla or even CRC.

 Do you have a favourite???

 Apparently as one gets older the sense of small (Olfactory ) weakens. Mine hasn't.

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 I have been still cleaning kiwifruit. I am now picking them if they are rejects as they are now edible....for us picking time must be quite soon.

 I also decided to pick most of the persimmons .

 The birds and wasps were devouring them. They are ripening in this bin. One of my favourites.

 I have also been doing the walnut pick up but I tell you about that every year. Lots of Beautiful nuts.

I have planted out seedling silver beet; beetroot; broccoli; cauliflower lettuce and celery 

 I got a lovely new red Cyclamen for by the back door.

 I also plant them in the garden. They were very cheap and make wonderful colour at this time of the year.

 The big oak tree in the garden is now dropping leaves daily. so this is what an Autumn scene looks like.

 As you can see my Vireya rhododendrons are flowering well.

 There delights are visual not smell.

 The buds are quite interesting too.

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 Apart from taking in some trousers the sewing machine has been idle, but the knitting needles have been busy. I will eventually show you what on.