Oohh, pressies!

My English visitors stay had come to a close and Glennis and Sue drove off in their hire campervan to bravely explore other areas of New Zealand.   They were heading off to Hawke’s Bay so we told them they had a choice of routes, each with their own challenges for those not familiar with the roads.  There was the steep Rimutaka Hill Road, with plenty of twists, turns and road works to contend with.  Or the other option was going through the narrow and windy Manawatu Gorge.  The ladies had only had couple of day’s driving experience with their reasonably sized campervan and chose the gorge as the lesser of two evils.  As a “thank you” Sue gave me a bright and cheerful tea towel from the designer of “The Yellow Hat Tribe”, Irene Tyack.  This features ladies sitting outside in the sunshine enjoying a cream tea. The designer hails from Oxford, UK, but her work has a definite vibrant, exotic flair.

The Yellow Hat Tribe taking Tea

Glennis then presented me with all sorts of goodies.  I love the box of cards featuring antique quilts from the recent V & A quilt exhibition, and there was a cute little quilty key ring too.  The tea towel from The Quilters’ Guild is full of all sorts of reasons why we quilters shouldn’t be wasting our time on mundane tasks when we could be spending the day stitching.  How about, “”dust preserves the furniture”, or “only spring clean when Granny’s due to visit”?   And can you see that little strawberry?  It has a secret.

Goodies from Glennis

The strawberry opens out to become a handy little shopping bag, just the thing for those last minute purchases.

Strawberry shopping bag

It was lovely to have the ladies staying here for a couple of nights.  Glennis is my pen-friend from Chipping Norton and we have met up several times, and although Sue was a stranger when she arrived, she left as another friend.  We all enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding together, then spent the next day taking in some sights of Wellington City.  We wish then safe and happy travelling as they continue on their New Zealand adventure.