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Monday, December 18, 2017

The Pin Tin in Geraldine

It’s always so nice to find a “new to me” quilt shop while we are traveling around the country in our caravan.  We are currently staying in Geraldine, such a pretty little town, and The Pin Tin is the LQS.

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I was after several skeins of Perle No5 thread for my native trees stitchery project, and managed to find a bright yellow I was after.  The owner Lisa, kindly gave me permission to take a few photos of her shop to share on my blog.

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There was lots of luscious fabric to drool over, plenty of notions, patterns and knitting wool.  And many of the quilts hanging on display were upcoming class samples, I was told.  The Pin Tin is a great little shop in a lovely town.

And as for holiday news – I’ll bring you up to date on our adventures over the last few days.  On our last day in Christchurch we visited Orana Wildlife Park and had a great day out.  It was great to have an overview of the large park onboard the free shuttle bus, driven by a very friendly volunteer.

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All aboard the shuttle bus

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We saw our very first porcupine, and some sleepy orang-utans snoozing in the sun

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Two sleepy rhinos and a lion trying to get to the people onboard the feed out truck

And so much more of course, it was a wonderful day.  Although we have been to Christchurch several times over the years, this is the first time we had made it to Orana Park.

Currently we are staying at Geraldine for a few days.  The giant  lilies in Peel Forest were a “must see” we were told – so that’s where we went on Sunday.  Thousands of giant Himalayan lilies grow among old oak and beech trees, and it is believed the lilies spread naturally after a conservatory blew down in the 1930s.

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That’s certainly a giant lily

On the drive back to our camp  we noticed some white deer in the adjacent paddock, together with red deer.  We parked the car as quietly as possible, and Robin crept over the road with his camera, trying not to spook the animals while they sheltered under a tree.  The stags were sporting full sets of antlers, and looked magnificent.  Peel Forest Estate have been breeding white deer for over 20 years – with the deer originating from the Royal Park in Denmark.

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Magnificent white stags

It is wonderful country down here in the South Island, and although it is summer, the mountains still have a touch of snow on the peeks.

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5 comments:

Janice said...

It looks to be a lovely shop. How good to get the colour thread you were after. I was very strong in NZ, and hardly visited any patchwork shops, as I didn't really need anything. I made an exception in Arrowtown and Coromandel, though.

Tired Teacher said...

Giant lilies, indeed! They are beautiful and so unique.

Nancy J said...

I think the scenery down south is beautiful, and Geraldine, a lovely town to visit. Hope I get to the new quilt shop when we go in February.Snow, always wonderful to see a touch of it on the far peaks.

Allison said...

All NZ is beautiful, and each place is unique. I love looking in LQS's when traveling, -to get my 'quilting fix'. Did you make it to Akaroa? A lovely little village filled with history (and cafes).

Karen S said...

It is always fun to explore a new quilt shop. Looks like a great find.
And it also looks like you have found plenty to see with the parks and the animals. A lovely trip.