My Next Quilt.

My next quilt is underway. Another scrappy one, to use up all those I Spy fabrics I have left. I didn't have sufficient pastel plains for the background blocks though, so after P & Q last Friday I went to my local for the first time in months (been trying not to buy anything! ) to get a few.

This project came to mind while I was making the last quilt ( got the binding fabric for that too ) and is also a continuation of the hearts quilt I made last year. It uses the same basic ,very easy, technique.In the photos I have shown the steps taken.

1. Cut background 7 " squares in a variety of light / pastel shades.

2.Make a free hand template of a basic flower shape or outline.( I did 2 different ones )

3.Cut out, using the template, flower shapes of bright fabric you wish to use up. ( all different - but doesn't have to be )

4. Centre the flower shape on a background block; pin; machine sew around the shape about 1/4 of an inch from the raw edge.

5. Turn block over and from the back fabric carefully cut a circular shape from inside the sewing line - taking card to pinch the background fabric away from the front so you only cut the one layer.

6.When you have lots of blocks made, mix the circles up so they don't match the background and pin one to the front centre of each flower.

7. Sew the centres on - consider if you wish to leave them plain or do you wish to include some embellishment at this stage? I am going to use a variety of methods for different centres:-

Buttons ( sewn on at the end stage ); embroidery; ribbon; Angelina fibres ( see one in the photo ) and anything else I can come up with to jazz the flowers up a bit.

I am still making blocks at the moment so will show more as I progress. How many blocks I am making , I'm not sure yet....maybe enough for a single bed size.

Thank you to all those who left such lovely comments on my last 2 posts; I was very glad to meet some new bloggers - melinda; and mariajaan I tried to leave you a comment at your blog but my Spanish is extremely limited! I was also delighted that Viv hadn't vanished from the face of the earth or met with some awful happening. There is another friend on my side bar list, who has been missing for months - it does make one wonder if they are okay?

New Zealand is getting RAIN! In the far north far too much, causing flooding, but luckily for us in the BOP it is now steady, beautiful, replenishing, much needed rain. 20 mls by early this morning and another 20 mls since and still going. When you grow things ( fruit vegetables , trees or animals ) for your living it is the first requirement really. ( not too much or too little )

That's all I have time for now. I'll do the book meme soon okay.

I was delighted ( and also a bit worried - cause now I will have to be extra careful what I say ) to know the at some local P & Q friends have found and are now reading my blog! Sorry if I made you waste computer time (LOL) but hey that's why we blog ; to reach out to others and learn about them as well as communicating our own thoughts and projects. Keep smiling everyone! ( it's raining ; it's pouring )

Where I'm From .

Part 1 - Pre My Memory. (from letters, documents and photos )

A 4th and 5th generation Kiwi, I am from brave adventurous ancestors who crossed the seas in sailing ships called, "Strathmore;" "Euterpe;" "Fernglen;""Halcione"and "Harwood," between the years of 1859 and 1877. From UK places called Lambeth and Middlesex ( London ),Stockton On Tees, Kent, Hertfordshire,Hornchurch( Essex ),Foresthill and Milton - Under - Wychwood ( Oxford ).

They sought a better life, a new start, these hardy folk with surmanes; Taylor;Ireland; Humphrey; Wheeler; Caush; Chown; Burson; Eden; Mann. ( paternal ) Or Price ; Lound; Lister ( of antiseptic fame ); Fox; Waterson; Burt and Richleau.

More recently, I am from an Anglican Mother and a Brethren Father who compromised and married in the Presbyterian Church just as WW2 broke out. Both lived through Depression Years and felt the Napier earthquake in Feb 1931.

Where I'm From - Part 2 - My Memory.

I am from the white house with the green roof, a huge neat garden, high on the hill surrounded by lush paddocks and pockets of bush. 8 miles from town, down a long drive, with a bodyguard of Lombardy Poplars, across a poostick bridge, over the misnamed stream that fed the town reservoir.There was sheep, and chooks, cows and dogs; fields of mushrooms, patches of blackberries good for pies. A wool shed , cow shed, barn and crops.

With just one, 3 year older, strong willed sister,( but 9 cousins ) I am from a small happy family; hardworking, self sufficient, green fingered, education loving; where no punishment was needed or given to me. Self reliance, helping others - early habits taught me well.

From a Mother with very poor eyesight, headaches and car sickness, who loved to read and knit. Patient, kind, encouraging, who didn't drive till late in life, then not well and not further than the 8 mile town.

From a Father, who worked on a farm, then bought the part with our house and 50 acres, who loved sport, a harrier till nearly 70, a tennis player, a cabinet maker and woodworker and an incredible gardener.

I am from cherry red handknitted cardigans over navy school gyms, ( later green cardigans and blazers over grey gyms with brown stockings and brown brogues.) catching the red and cream Bedford school bus every day till I left home. 12 and a half years of school which I loved with a passion. Happy, successful years.

From fun and opportunities, high jump frames, tennis racquets, hulahoops, skipping ropes, basketball hoops/ goals, knuckle bones and piano lessons- walked to in school lunch hour. Coloured pencils, paints and crayons, dolls and prams and teasets. Board games, cards, radio serials and quizzes. Sunny Stories then Girl Magazine, pink Auckland Weekly and orange Freelance, daily Newspapers and lots of books; some too difficult for me, till later.

Strength and fitness from pushing those bike pedals the 8 miles back uphill from town or working in the shearing shed.Fun and laughter from picnics almost every summer weekend at black sand West Coast beaches, rivers or lakes. Flounder netting, games and swimming. Annual summer holidays in small cars pulling Dad made caravans and tents to every far flung corner of the North Island.From fancy dress balls in country halls to dances and Inglesides. My own box brownie camera with photo album from an early age. Collecting stamps and cards and keeping them in albums. ( still have them )

I am from a time of change.Wood range, windmill, meat safe, hand milked cows; changed with power poles to water pumps and electric appliances of all sorts.From a new black hand cranked semi automatic 13 party telephone line. Short, long, long - that's us - answer it!

Grace before meals, prayers before bed, Sunday School with new patent leather shoes, singing "Hear the pennies dropping, listen to them fall, every one for Jesus, he may have them all." Little verses to learn and stickers to keep in your book.( see photo )Later Bible class and Bible class teas followed by Church and twice, bible class camp at Easter, all good opportunities to be with friends and boys.

I am from a maternal widowed Nana, in the town 8 miles from us where 2 teachers boarded, who'd let me 'help' them. I stayed there often. A home with different things, books; a treadle Singer sewing machine, an Queen Anne Chocolate box full of buttons and old business docket books with carbon paper that I could fill out and draw in.The lav around the back corner of the house with a high rough caste ceiling and a very long pull chain.This Nana went many places with us.

I'm from my own small bedroom, sharing it with the sewing machine , with my own proper writing desk with drawers and shelves and secret places and cubby holes. With a small, before it's time, walk in wardrobe. With windows looking out to fruit trees and strawberry beds where possums cackle in the night and the moon shone on the concrete path to the outside loo. Fond memories, happiness and achievemnet were my early years. Where money gifts were saved for me from birth and I was encouraged to continue to save and bank my birthday money or money earned from the pet lambs I fed. The wool and dag man would come around and unroll a big wad of notes to pay the farmer( and me).We also got pocket money, but did lots of jobs, inside and out teaching us to help and work and be responsible.

I am from happy times where work was rewarded and life was mostly safe and fun.

Too Tired.

Sometimes things just catch up with me. By the end of yesterday I was exhausted, so after making tasty dinner I went to bed with a book really early and slept the sleep of need. I'm not always a good sleeper so luckily my body has a way of insisting I slow down .( Slow down, you move to fast). Today I feel much better but am trying to take things at a leisurely pace. After racing to the clothes lines ( LOL) as a sudden shower dropped in, I have even more excuse to not exert myself today . (there is no point in going slowly to the line to grab the near dry washing is there? ...it doesn't wait ) WE WANT the RAIN so MORE PLEASE!

Molly I'll take some time to work on Where I'm from. I don't like formulas or painting by numbers , so I'll figure my own way around it. One programme I have enjoyed on TV ( and they are few and far between lately ) is," Who Do You Think You Are?" Some countries have such extensive records it makes tracing Family History really intriguing. I know quite a lot of mine so may go back as far as I can, and do, Within My Memory and Before my Memory.

Todays photos are of 2 pots seen within the photo of the area of my red seat. One a pretty succulent that has put long stems of flower down onto the lime chip below ( hope the plant doesn't die off now after that big effort ); the other is a small Vireya Rhododendron called Saxon Blush my elder son gave me 2 years ago. It is a little sweety and I really treasure it as he made the effort to find me something he thought I'd like. ( and I did....I repotted it in a terrocotta pot and it seems very happy, this is about the 4th time it has flowered )

Books I've been reading.

I eventually finished "Alaska," by Michener and enjoyed it and learned so much. I then read "Wyoming Stories," by Annie Proulx. She writes well but the characters annoyed me intensely and most of the subject matter too, but I finished it. Now I am reading"Chasing the Chimney Sweep,"by Selwyn Parker, and laughing a lot so will soon have it's 250 pages devoured.

Quilt Back.

Yesterday was drizzily on and off all day which was wonderful. Although it only amounted to 5.5 mls it washed the dust off everything and gently soaked in.The blue water lily bowl always reminds me how dry things are getting when I need to fill it up.( Normally the rain does that for me.) During the mist I raced outside and cleaned out the birdbath so it could fill with rain, but any bird washing there today will have to jump around, no ducking under like they usually do ( a sponge bath perhaps ). Clouds are still looming so we may get more.

All day Saturday I gardened like a mad woman cause rain was forecast for Sunday and I had lots of jobs that needed doing. Very tiring but I got there eventually. So when it was damp yesterday I felt well able to take time to SEW! I have backed the little scrap quilt ( yes, it is small; just 41 by 43 inches ) and have machine quilted a grid in the middle by stitching in the ditch and a few rows in the seams of the borders. It is still not lying totally flat but I redid 2 seams but know the centre stretch was the real problem. It will be okay; I can live with it. Now in the wide space of the outside purple border I am just starting to do a circle pattern by hand with variegated green and yellow thread. I am doing it by hand as I need hand work. I know it is a bit bit strange to do both machine and hand quilting on the same article but I make my own rules.

Late yesterday I started pulling out fabrics and scraps for the next scrap quilt (I have in my head) - the idea is a continuation on from this quilt.With a flower theme. More soon! As It is not yet raining again it will be back to the kiwifruit vines - but I've had a wee break which was restorative for my muscles.

Time in the Garden

I cut back / dead headed lots of roses and picked some pink ones for the coffee table, on Staurday evening in the cool. Yesterday was overcaste and much cooler so I spent a good part of it weeding, watering, tidying and admiring. Bumble bees fought each other for the spikey Echinops heads ( globe thistle ). I noted the contrast between those spikey heads and leaves and the smooth round leaves of the Ligustrum hedge.

Although I thought I was being careful one of the tiger lilies put pollen on my trou - it stains.

About a month ago the Alstroemeria almost dried off, with the dry, so I gave it extra water for 2 or 3 nights and it has rewarded by covering itself in those lovely red blooms again.

The strange berry / flower is on a NZ native Astelia silver spears.

Purple Makes it Sing.

I liked the colours before but a wide purple border has really made it sing! Before it was a green and purple top; now it is a purple and green top.

In one photo is Inky the cat acting as self appointed Quilt Inspector. He is being spoilt at the moment cause as you can see he is alive and well/ recovering. It wasn't cat flu!

On Monday evening he was lying on the cool tiles in the kitchen asking for his dinner when I spied about half an inch of something protruding from his nose / mouth ( not completely certain which ). I bent down thinking it was something stuck in his fur but as I gently pulled an 8 inch long ( see photo ) piece of cutty grass of some kind appeared from inside him. ( it had a hard sharp end and clinging texture ) That was his sneezing problem and had been inside him presumably for about a week - poor little bugger..... it came out easily coated in mucus but he was instantly in recovery mode. Now he is playing for lots of extra fuss. He is down to about life # 4 now I think. ( did he eat it ? )

So that is 2 very good things. No vet visit and my quilt top finished . Each border has tended to stretch out the wrinkles. Thank you all for your comments.

Yes, Margaret of course you may use the instructions. The instructions for the original Hearts quilt ( same method ) are back in blogs I posted in April / May 2007.

Still very, very hot. We had a lovely meal and company on Sunday night - I did need to get out, so it was fun! Back to work now after taking a long lunch break.

Slightly More Variety.

It's still Very hot here. We worked last Sunday cause rain was forecast for Monday and Tuesday AND we did indeed get some gentle misty rain which lasted nearly 48 hours and amounted to 40mls. But the heat continues, so the benefits won't last too long, but we are grateful all the same.

After further searching I think the correct name for the flower in the previous post is Huernias pendula - a close relative of the Stapeliads. That flower is just finishing but there is a 2nd bud. Apparently the extreme heat will have helped it to flower.

We are catching up on mowing, gardening, housework etc before starting back at the first block with the Kiwifruit next week.DH got up early yesterday to dig a row of Heather potatoes before it got too hot. I went out mowing lawns then too. Best time of the day, or evening, but all the jobs don't fit into that time space really.

Yesterday afternoon I had just got my scrappy quilt out and was cutting some borders when visitors arrived - so much for that. Last evening I put the first one on and cut some 1 inch darker green strips to go on next. It is still a tiny quilt but was not intended to be large. I am going to have to be extremely careful when I get to sandwiching and quilting it as you can see in the photo, the way it is constructed, it has extreme stretch in one direction. So far I think it will be okay as I am aware of needing to stretch it taut before quiting ( fingers crossed )

Now a little animal content. This was never intended to be a blog with animals but Percy Peacock found his way in here - By the way Meggie he only comes on short visits now - he discovered the young neighbours up the hill across the road, are even more of a soft touch than us. They feed him cat food and all sorts of treats. They have many, many PET animals ( are animal crazy );there's cats; a dog; chickens; ducks; a cow; a goat some doves and goldfish. Maybe Percy likes the company. ( We are quite happy for him to be there ). Our small black cat ,nearly 12 years old, a slight, jumpy, from the wild, little fellow (who adopted us at a few weeks old, when his wild cat Mum died ) is not well. He has been sneezing for some days and is very skinny ( never been fat ). He is still eating a bit and seems happy enough but has truly bad breath and bloody mucus ( sneezes - yuk )- so something is wrong. IT may be cat flu???? ( anyone have any experience with that? ) We rang the Vet but only got the receptionist. The Vet did not ring back ( as she said he would ) so now we have to wait till Tuesday ( long weekend ) to take him in. I am not sure if he should go there if it is cat flu? So Incubus ( his real name) or Inky or Bad Boy Bubby or just Bubby may not be with us much longer. He has always had that natural immunity wild cats seem to have and never gets infected sore scratches if he fights. So he may survive this. A neighbouring cat sometimes tries to steal his food, so maybe that's where he caught it?

We are invited out for dinner tonight to my Cousins' place with about 4 others so that will be lovely. Any company is to be appreciated. I'm glad I have my blogger friends popping by leaving comments !

Just too Hot!

Firstly Thanks for your comments everyone. Georganna, I'm so glad you commented to tell me of your New Zealand holiday( see comments ) and that the suggestions you found here were of use. Yes, we are lucky NZ is such a beautiful place....but Hot! So hot, ( 32.5 C in the shade some days ) that all week working outside with the Kiwifruit has been exhausting. We now really, really need rain.

On Thursday afternoon we stayed inside for our Annual Globalgap Audit, which we passed, so can have our Kiwifruit exported for another year - of course that meant jumping through an ever increasing number of hoops. Several new signs had to be purchased and erected; a policy had to be written of a risk assessment for our water supply - we've been drinking it here for almost 30 years now, but what the hell we just add it to our other policies -( too many to list! )and they tell us it is about to get worse - has the world gone completely made? Do adults really need a sign in our outside toilet telling them to wash their hands before picking fruit? ( personal visitors think it is amusing )Grubby people still pee on the floor and anywhere they dam well like, I'll make a sign for that too! ( sorry I've raved on about this before - probably last year.)

Something different. I noticed this succulent flowering in the carporch and it has never done so before. I think it is a Stepelia but am not completely sure.( it is most unusual.) To get the photo of it's inside colour and detail it had to be tipped right up so the light would penetrate.( it's like a bell )

No sewing what so ever this week , I might sneak some in later. Have not kept up to date with all your blogs, so must do that too.

Very Mundane.

The old adage about " All work and no play makes ..........", seems particularly true at the moment. All week under the vines thinning reject fruit and pruning in this heat , with only the radio or CDs for company. DH working at the other end of the row most of the time gives one far too much time thinking. When sad News about the death of our amazing Sir Edmund Hillary dying aged 88, comes on the radio it seems very personal - someone I and every other New Zealander my age probably, have known my entire life, now gone. What a life though; what good things he quietly achieved. I especially like it that he wasn't a rugby player or a politician but a practical person, a beekeeper, a risk taker and adventurer, a kind and decent bloke. I wonder how much influence his early life had on him? He said he didn't have friends at primary school.( none? - that's sad ) The PE teacher when he first went to High School ridiculed him and other weedy or fat or small kids and gave them hell - what right did that Teacher have to take those kids' self esteem away? ( Really upsets me ) His father also made life difficult for him. Luckily his Mum was remembered kindly - Thank goodness for great MUMS! Maybe that ( his early life ) was why he was so kind and considerate to ordinary folk here and in Nepal.

Today's photos are of the (so far ) biggest ugly fan kiwifruit I found - because what we are doing is boring and repetitive any distraction is good - hence the competition between us for the biggest reject fruit or the silliest shape. ( you can see why this is referred to as a fan! )

The other photo shows the very little progress I have made joining the strips together for my scrappy quilt. I grab the odd minute to sew a few together, but have not spent long at it. The weekend has been filled with housework, gardening ,picking veges ,clearing leaves and a little reading. I did go on strike yesterday after lunch and enjoyed watching the tennis finals. I haven't seen another person, other than DH in so long I may be becoming a recluse - not of the religious kind. Thank goodness for email and I got a regular letter from my only sister, so I know there are others still out there in the world.( but just not close at hand )

Still only one person has viewed the property - so I don't think we are going anywhere else any time soon!

My Favourite Pasta.

2008 has begun very hot and fine for us. Not so for some of my Australian friends with storms and floods . Also we see on TV some USA states are having heavy snow storms. So I better not complain of having to work in the heat.I do come in ( from Kiwifruit thinning ) feeling very tired and don't dare sit down but rather go straight to making dinner while I'm still standing. At a loss as to what to make tonight I decided to make my favourite pasta.

It doesn't have another name , but is very versatile. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand.Broccoli is good but tonight as we had fresh peas and green beans straight from our garden I used those.The pesto we use we also make ourselves when the basil is ready and freeze jars and jars of it - enough to last all year. commercial pesto would be fine but the consistency varies so don't make it all too runny. Right here's the recipe.

Ali's Favourite Pasta. ( serves 4 )

1 whole packet ( 500 gms ) of large spiral pasta.

4 slices of bacon

1 med head of broccoli ( in florets )

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup olive or avocado oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup firm rich pesto ( or similar )

Method:

1. Put a very large pot of water to boil.

2. Empty the pasta in when water is on a rolling boil and time it for 8 mins.( stirring occasionally )

3. While that is cooking steam or microwave the green veges, to how you like them.

4.At the same time microwave between paper towels ( or fry ) the bacon till crisp.

5. Mix the lemon juice and oil, and balsamic together ready to pour on.

6.When the pasta is cooked drain it then mix in the pesto while the pasta is still hot to distribute it. Then mix in the other liquid and the veges. Cut or crumble in the bacon.

Serve in deep bowls, add ground Black pepper to your taste. ( I added some sliced black olives too ) Enjoy!

Macadamia Nuts.

One of the jobs we fitted into yesterday schedule was picking Macadamia Nuts ( Beaumont variety mainly ) from some of our 10 trees. The trees are 25 years old and are planted near our top boundary fence. Most have a good crop of nuts which we had been forgetting to go and pick and DH saw 2 rats running away with nuts, so we thought we better get there and pick our share. You can leave them till they drop but by picking them we know they are fresh and will keep. They hang in bunches and easily come away from the branch. ( next year's tiny nuts are already there too )

We collected a full sack in less then an hour. Now they are drying in the sun on my trolley and a blanket. As they dry they split exposing the nut. All these outer husks then have to be removed , then further drying before cracking. We have a special cracker but it is still time consuming work - lucky they are so yummy. If you have only ever tasted them coated in chocolate ( YUK ) you have not really tasted them. We lightly roast them to bring out the flavour and add just a hint of salt. They are also good for crumbing and putting in baking. AND they are good for us!

On Christmas afternoon I started a scrap quilt project.( loosely based on my hearts quilt from last April).( I have a system where I save my usable scraps then have a cutting session. I iron the fabric and cut the" best use of," squares or strips from them. These are then put into containers for each different size. That way when I want a quick project some of the cutting is already done.)

I decided to limit the pallet to greens, purples and mauve with some small pattern and lights.The photo shows the stages.
Starting at Left top is a pile of finished squares.
HOW TO.
1. ( TOP MIDDLE )On the base square ( in this case 3.5 inches - could be any size you like ), a free hand circle is then cut from a smaller contrasting fabric.( 2.5 ") and sewn on top. Raw edge. ( start sewing at the top - this gets hidden in the seam later and overlap where you finish sewing )
2.Turn this over and carefully pinch up the fabric and cut a circle away from the back being careful not to cut both. ( like taking the back away from applique )
3.( bottom left )This new salvaged circle is then used as the centre or 2nd circle on another square. This way the fabrics get mixed up for a scrappy look.[ so you have a square base with 2 circles sewn on top]
4.( bottom middle ) The squares are now cut exactly in half.
5. These halves are then mixed and resewn, 1/4 " seam, with a new partner...further mixing up the fabrics.
After that these now rectangular pieces are put in rows to form a quilt top - I haven't got that far get as I don't know how big it is going to be. With washing the raw edges start to fluff like chenille. Using these small sizes I am able to use up lots of 3.5 and 2.5 inch squares.
(Click on to enlarge photos )

Season's Greeting!

To All My Blog Friends, Best Wishes at Christmas. I have enjoyed your company this year!

Old and new forms of greeting.
One a wonder of the internet the other very old. Both expressing and conveying friend's Greetings.

The photo is of some very, very old unused Christmas cards. The 2 smaller ones on the right are of English origin judging by the pictures on them. The other 4 depict Birds of New Zealand.

(top left ) NZ Pigeon, (top right ) the Shining Cuckoo, ( bottom left )Takahe and ( bottom right ) 3 types of Parakeet.

The cards are very ornate with scalloped gold paper edging and shiny cord tassle. They have very flowery ( by today's standards ) messages inside. The are old treasures and the person who bought them originally must have considered them too good to send or write in.

40 Years.

This is a real shoe, off a pony. It was chromed and given to me 40 years ago today, by Denise. She was the young daughter of the family I boarded with for 2 years when I was a young teacher in South Taranaki.

At 12 noon on a sunny day on the 23 rd of December 1967 DH and I were married at St. Andrews Church in Marton. He a young farmer, me a young teacher.

Why get married at such a weird time of year?

Well, It suited us. New Zealand shut for the weekend in those days! I didn't finish school till 2.30 pm on the Thursday afternoon of the 21st December. That gave me the rest of that day to drive home ( about 2 plus hours ) and the next day to get organised. We only had the school holidays till I needed to be back working and DH had to go into Military Annual Camp in the Army at Waiouru in the middle of January. He had been drawn in a ballot to do Military Service and every year had to attend an Annual camp . So we decided the best use of our time was to get married before Christmas, go on Honeymoon for a couple of weeks come back and I'd get everything sorted in our new home while he went off to camp. Strangely just about everyone we invited turned up so it can't have been that inconvenient. DH's younger brother was doing VSA work in Thailand and he didn't get there but everyone else we wanted to be there, was.

Our wedding was quite low key....we didn't want a big fuss.......My only elder sister had made a big drama of her Wedding and I knew that was her way of doing things - not mine. ( I knew exactly what I wanted, didn't change my mind or have any tantrums ).We didn't get Studio photos taken so just had some taken in the local park ( no I'm not sharing those ), but I have kept a few mementos like my lucky horseshoe; the guest list; and I still have my wedding gown and can still fit into it! I haven't stored it so well and some of the guipure lace on the train has discoloured. ( I still like the elegant design - nothing frilly for this girl .)

We had a party with friends on our 35th Anni but can't really afford that this time so we are going out to lunch shortly; just the 2 of us. We decided to have the day off !

I think that is a Ruby Anniversary....but I'm not expecting any ( ha ha ). Many of you reading this have already got to this milestone. I think in those days you were expected to get married, far more than today, and many of my friends from that same generation are still married. I wonder how many more we can clock up?

Lovely Things.

Cards sent from friends and a lovely vase of Pohutukawa ( New Zealand Christmas Tree ) on the fire, are the only signs of Christmas approaching around here.
Today is wet so I got much needed catch up time; GST return done and bills paid, food shopping done ; lovely fresh veges picked ( peas, beans and courgettes - yum )and now time to blog.

I think some good luck has been granted me. Last Friday at the final lunch for my P & Q group I won the lucky number - the prize was a wee bear sitting in a coffee mug.( photo ). Yesterday the mailman bought me a package.DH gave me a funny look ( cause we had agreed not to spend money on ourselves at the moment ) and said " Did you order this book?"
"No I didn't! I think I might have won it !" Sure enough I had.
It had a letter telling me of my win. ( I only had to put my name on the back of an envelope !)
Kiwis have already had the opportunity to see the TV series Hunger for the Wild ( this book is based on it ). If it comes to others overseas I am sure you would love the New Zealand scenery and food content so do watch if you get the chance.

So aren't I the lucky one. It's a lovely book - smells nice, has recipes, story and great photos.

As it is hot here at Christmas time I think it is lovely to try and make decorations,have food and gatherings that suit the climate. Outdoors when possible. Snow doesn't feature so why should we pretend it does. I may still go and cut a Christmas tree from the shelter belts on the orchard, but am so far happy with our lovely Pohutukawas flowering all around the property.

I just have to mention last Monday. We both spent all day at a First Aid Course, doing CPR on dummies ( on a not so clean concrete floor ! ),applying bandages etc etc. We have to do it ( at $80 each ) as a requirement for Globalgap - which is what we get audited on to be allowed to Export Kiwifruit. ( things have got a little crazy), but apparently you customers in Europe and other countries demand it of us...... I bet you don't!

Handmade Gifts.

When it was wet at the weekend I had time to cut out the parts for a purple bag for a gift. I have worked on it every night since to get it done and am pleased with the colours . It is gift for someone who wears lots of purple so I hope she likes it....you never know with younger folk though.

The table mats are being my hand work at the moment. Then I will quilt them with a large star pattern.

It is fine again now with low cloud and working in the Kiwifruit is a bit like working in a sauna today. The little fruit are growing rapidly so I am on my first round of fruit thinning; taken off the mis-shapen or too small.

Perfume Fills the Air.

There is a competition going on in my garden to see which plant smells the best. Close to the house are 2 unusual Philadelphus , one climbing ( Philadelphus Mexicana ) and one miniature. Do they smell sweeter than the Port Wine Magnolia...I think so.

Down the driveway where you walked with me in Spring flowers are now of a paler colour, lots seem to be pale pink; 2 big bushes of Apple Blossom Flower Carpet Rose , a tiny late Azalea then a splash of brilliance from the day lily in the photo. Also my 10 year old Kalmia latifolia - Ostbo Red. My love of Kalmia comes from my childhood; my Mum and my Nana both had them in their gardens, the paler coloured one. The buds are surely made of icing from the star nozzle of a cake icing set! ( click on photos to enlarge )

37 mls of rain was just what we needed.The plants are all very thankful. The wee fruit are almost growing in size before our eyes. That's good! Of course that will mean more grass to cut and of course a new crop of weeds but that's the trade off.

Thanks to those who gave me feed back on our "For Sale," on the web site. Not a single buyer yet...partly it could be the wrong time of the year; everyone's too busy.

The rain gave me some catch up time; I cut out some more table mats to hand sew. We are going to friends at the Mt. for dinner tonight so that makes my heart glad, it will be fun! I just picked a big bunch of Charles Austin roses ( apricot colour ) for my friend Liz. She lives by the sea and has no roses in their tiny garden.

Completed Tasks.

Such a hectic fortnight! Ah, we get a weekend to catch up on all the normal tasks.

Photos are some of the things that got completed.

The bag is very quick and is just 2 identical linings of the Bucket bag. I cut 8 rectangles slightly larger than the normal bag and sewed as for the normal lining; only I made 2. ( if you don't know what I mean go back to where I made the quilted Bucket bag). When it is turned through at the end I didn't top stitch it, just ironed it and so it it reversible. I used all the same fabric but it could be done with different fabrics then reversing it would give a different look. Great for shopping or books or keeping folded inside another bag for times when you need more carrying space.Very washable too.

Kiwifruit pollination is almost complete. The young fellow in the photo is applying male pollen using a leaf blower. You can see the canister of pollen sitting on top obscuring his face. Twice we had gangs come through using this method. They very quickly walked along swinging the blowers from side to side blasting pollen into the air. If you are a follower of this blog you may recall a different ( and more expensive ) method was used last year. This was in both cases supplementary to the 15 bee hives - the inhabitants of which have been quietly humming around for the last 2 weeks. When the pollen is blown into the air they get extremely active , so working in the vines is a little precarious, but we know to look carefully and mainly the bees look out for us...if we get a hand to close they just fly off. The fruit set is looking very even and a good number.

The Avocado picking was completed by Thursday afternoon. 48 bins in total. The small fruit was left on the trees and may get picked late Jan or Feb if prices make it worthwhile.....they will have sized up by then. The trees already have next years crop pollinated and are still smaller than a pea. This morning I went through the containers of reject fruit I had put aside when levelling the bins and sorted them into bags to give away. I expect friends and neighbors to come and collect them if they want them, but it is surprising to me that some folk still expect us to deliver. This tough ol girl does not do that any more. DH still delivers to neighbors, cause he likes an excuse to talk. And no before any body asks the freight to send them ANYWHERE is TOO much. These are rejects only.

On Friday lunch time we had a party of English Teachers visiting from Singapore come with a Zespri Rep we know, to look around an orchard. DH showed them around and I met and talked to some when they finished. They were a friendly bright lot with excellent English. Percy Peacock, made an impression on them and featured in some of their photos. Very pleasant young visitors to have .

So far with the property being on the market we have had NIL lookers actually physically here but lots looking on line. It is not the right time to be selling and properties are just not moving they tell us. We are prepared to wait and know we are not ready to reduce the price. Our plan A is to ride it out. If in 6 months nothing has happened Plan B is too look at other options.....sub dividing....or pulling out all the avos and kiwis. I don't think that last plan is ethically sound I really don't, but maybe if we get that poor I might change my mind.

If you wish to look on line go to http://www.nz.open2view.com/search and then either put in ID # 167723 or got to the map and pick out BOP; then Tauranga; then Te Puna on the drop downs and look for a property with that ID #.

I'll be interested to know if you manage to find it , some overseas friends have been able to, including younger son in London who found it and the 35 photos quite interesting.

Another completed task was reading " Louise Nicholas - My Story" by P Kitchen and Louise Nicholas. Kiwis will know what that was about and although I knew all about it before I read the book it was still worthwhile but infuriating to know that all that went on here in the BOP in our country and that one of the blokes involved has just retired and gets a huge golden handshake. Justice was certainly not seen to be done! I think 3 of the others are still in prison for other crimes.

My next read just started is has been on our bookshelf for years and I had never read it...all 1275 pages of it. "Alaska," by James A Michener. I have read most of his other books so should enjoy it and I know I will learn heaps from it. It just might take me a while.
On Friday night we had some much needed rain....kind of it to hold off till all the picking and pollination was done.( warm was good for that! ) .......but lawns are browning and dust is rising so hope we get more. Our new potatoes are just yummy and I am getting quite a few strawberries, The peas are flowering so I guess its Summer! Still lots to do here but we are enjoying being able to decide how to spend our time this weekend.

Still Avocado Picking.

DH and I completed the picking from the ground after 2 days but the 2 guys in the hydraladas ( cherry pickers/ elevated platforms ) are still working. They may get finished today , but we'll see. Today is a kinder day for them .... a little cooler with some cloud cover. Sunday was our hottest day for ages; 29 degrees C in the shade; pretty hot whatever you were doing! Some of the time the guys can sort of hide in the shade inside the trees but not all the time so they need lots of sunblock! ( hats get knocked off easily and caught upon twigs )The 3 photos show the hydralada extended to reach up the trees and the next 2 show how the big bag in front of the operator that he fills with fruit is then lowered down over the bin, the bottom folds down on a chord and the fruit slide down into the bin. The chord is then hocked up again folding the bag bottom up and is ready to fill again. It takes 3 of these bags to fill a fruit bin. ( click on photos to see more clearly ) ( the men are getting paid NZ$40 an hour and the hire of the hydraladas is about the same. They are working 9.5 or 10 hour days...so it's a well paid job! )

Since we finished our ground picking we have gone back to working in the kiwifruit and DH goes across to the avo blocks with the tractor and bin fork about 4 times during the day and brings the filled bins back to the shed by the house where I smooth them out and pull out any rejects or top them up to completely full, from a bin of spares.

So far we have picked 36 bins and may get another 8 - 10 today so that will be our 2nd biggest crop ever. I wonder if we will actually make some money from them ( I will keep you informed on that ) ...it's a b...... crime if we don't!

The photo of 3 big ones is just a skite. The biggest one weighs 486 grams! ( Now you will laugh at this Meggie.....fruit that big are TOO BIG to go in a tray and so would not be exportable! ( someone at the packhouse would probably take it home for free to eat! So I keep any I see here!) Too Good! We only want fairly good!

I'm so glad we are having more converts to eating avocados suzi-k. I think good ones are just yummy. Not all varieties taste the same.....the only ones we grow and the only ones New Zealand exports are HASS variety. ( a not nice one is very off putting I realise, so I get cross when folk pick them immature and have them for sale ). Ones left on the tree after picking that really mature are the very best....but that is the same with any fruit. They become richer tasting and quite nutty.

Next post I must update on the sale ( or NOT ) of our property. Too busy to even care at the moment.NO SEWING TIME at all...hate that!

Purple Iris for Soozii.

Just 2 of the varieties of Iris that have been looking fantastic here. The single one is a flag iris ; don't know the correct name of the group and I didn't remember to get a photo of the Louisiana ones down by the creek.

I love purple too Soozii! I would bring you a bunch over if I could; but sorry you'll just have to enjoy the photos.

Look What We picked Today.

There is certainly a lot happening around here.
The 15 bee hives to pollinate the kiwifruit came in on a truck about 10.30 last night. The air is full with the distinctive smell of kiwifruit flowers and is also now humming with bees. ( they alway move them at night so all the bees will be home when their house shifts )

I'm a bit sad I had to miss my usual P & Q group today,( and so won't get to see the finished bags I taught or the dolls some ladies made at the weekend ) but firstly the car had to stay over night at the garage till it's new exhaust pipe arrived and was fitted so it would pass it WOF it went in for yesterday...so no transport but also TOO busy. Busy at picking Avocados.

The hydraladas ( to reach all the high up fruit ) will arrive tomorrow so we wanted to get ahead of them and do all the ground picking we could before they got here. We do not want to pay someone else to do something we can do ourselves. So just the 2 of us spent the day picking avos from the ground using the long pickers and clippers. It was hot but some of the time we could get in the shade. DH picks and I clip the stalk to about 2mm and put it in the picking bag around my neck, so you understand if I say my back feels like it has had quite enough for today! ( couldn't really take a photo of myself doing that ) We noticed how quiet and nice it was with just us and birds singing in the bush nearby.( no machinery ) We are very pleased with what we got and stopped when we had 2 completely filled bins. Don't they look just yummy! I did a bit of quality control as we went along and put aside any fruit with faults, so the 2 bins that went on our truck up to the cool store at the pack house, late today, looked really good quality. What a shame the price we are going to get for them this year is so low, cause you folk buying them won't get them cheap....it's that dam NZ dollar again. Most of these Avos will go to Coles in Australia I think. Anyway I shall try and get some action shots of the rest of the picking tomorrow. I 've earned a drink!

Percy Peacock came to inspect what we had picked and I think I heard him say "Hello" , Meggie. And, "Yes of course I'll poise for a photo I am a peacock after all.