With help from Gemma

 This blog is brought to you with help from Gemma.  She is excellent at holding the lap top bag in place while I'm tapping away.  And it makes such a good place to have a comfy snooze.

Gemma is a big help

Our four days in Christchurch seeing my son Michael had come to an end, so then it was time to hitch the caravan up to the car and travel slowly back up to Picton to catch the ferry again.  We had nearly a week to do this, so we planned several stops along the way.

One lunch stop was at the very royal sounding Balmoral Recreation Area.  No royals popped out to meet us, and then I remembered that they are having a family summer holiday in Edinburgh.  Such a lovely site, surrounded with pine trees, and  very peaceful indeed with just one other van in the grounds.  It would be great to stay here for a night or two on a future trip.  Gemma enjoyed some time outside on her lead.

Fed and watered, we got on our way again to our stop for the night at Waiau Tavern.  No charge to stay for the night, but there is an expectation that travelers would spend a little money in the bar, or have a meal.  Which is quite fair and reasonable, we think, when the parking is free.  Opening time rolled around so we went over for 4zees, just the owner and us in the tiny bar.  Plus a rather feisty ginger kitten who calls the tavern home.

The owner Lindsay told us about the 7.8 Hurinui-Kaikoura earthquake in November 2016.  The epicentre was located close to Waiau township and the fault ruptures ran for more than 180km along known and previously unrecognized faults.  The hotel was badly damaged, then while waiting for council permission to rebuild, was burnt to the ground by squatters.  This new tavern is much smaller but serves the community well. 

Leaving Wairau Tavern it was a short 52km  to our next stop, Conway Flat Ocean Edge.  The photos looked delightful, vans parked on the cliff overlooking the sea, room for large vehicles and pet friendly. We turned off SH1 at Hundalee and drove down to the coast, finally spotting several vans and motorhomes parked up in a large paddock.  This is the place.  Peeping over the cliff we could see the wavelets roll in.  This is a good area for fishing, we were told.    It was a lovely restful day indeed, and we were lulled to sleep with the soothing sounds at bedtime.  There was no show of catching the sun rise over the ocean the next morning, we slept so well that the sun was well up by the time we surfaced.  This is a wonderful place to stay and we certainly plan to return in a future South Island trip.

Our ocean view site for the night

After talking to another couple we mentioned that we travel with our cat.  Can we see her please?, they asked.  They own a Maine Coon but don't take it camping.  Gemma was not at all impressed with being picked up by a stranger, and I had to warn that she was not necessarily a friendly cat.  After that, she pointedly jumped on the bed, and turned her back on these people who dared to touch her!

Continuing on our way the next morning we saw glimpses of the snow capped Southern Alps again.  This is always such a pretty sight.

Snow capped mountain range

We were on our way to another camping site with an ocean view.  We turned off SH1 at the tiny village of Ward, and the first thing we saw was this happy Mama pig.  She wandered over to the fence to show me her very best side.  Shall I tell you a secret?  With a suburban upbringing, I've always rather liked pigs, for some reason.  And chickens too, or rather "chooks" as we tend to call them here.

What a gorgeous pig

We drove to the end of the unsealed road to the camping area.  There were a few other campers on site, and we found ourselves a spot overlooking the beach and settled down for the afternoon.    There is nothing nicer than being by the sea.

Another lovely place to stay overnight

Gemma had a fine time exploring the grassy sand bank just outside the caravan door, safely secured with her lead of course.  Goodness knows what she was tracking in the grass, probably little bugs and insects I expect.  This kept her so occupied for such a long time.   She has aspirations of being a great while hunter, but sadly for her, that is not going to happen.  Gemma was having such a wonderful time that she didn't have time for her usual afternoon snooze.  You know what cats are like, they generally sleep the day away.

Gemma had a wonderful afternoon stalking tiny critters

Painted rocks are very popular and there was quite a collection here, it has obviously grown and grown over time. 

Lots of painted rocks

So how has my knitting coming along then?  Rather slowly, I'm afraid.  I often knit while in the car, but not when we are traveling up and down hills and around sharp corners, that's too difficult for me.  Waiting time at the laundromat is also good knitting time, so as I tell myself, each row helps.  I'm knitting socks for my older granddaughter.  It is interesting how the two balls of yarn make different patterns on each sock.  And I've also spent some time knitting a beany for donation.

4ply socks for my granddaughter

Started knitting a beany

Our trip is winding down, and in a few days time we will board the ferry for our homeward journey.  It's been a great trip, and I'm so pleased we spent some time with my son Michael to share his 60th birthday with him.  Will you come down for my 70th? he wanted to know.  Probably not, sadly.

Christchurch with Michael

 We traveled down to Christchurch to spend some  time with my son Michael to celebrate his 60th birthday.  He had a busy week as he had flown up to Wellington to spend a couple of days with his Dad, then flew back down again in time for our arrival in Christchurch.  I had booked a table for dinner on Friday night at the Platform Brew Barn, a riverside establishment in Kaiapoi, quite close to where we are staying at the NZMCA park.

Platform Brew Bar

This was a busy and popular establishment indeed, and we took a little time checking out the menu.  It was an easy choice for me, roast pork, Robin chose sirloin steak, and Michael decided on a burger.  Don't ask me why, but we all ordered dessert as well.  We really didn't need it, but it did taste nice.

Birthday Dinner

Then we met up for Sunday breakfast.  This was another very busy cafe and we ordered our breakfasts, and sat at chatted away.  

Michael and his Mum

Sign in the cafe, who would have known

So what else have we  been doing while down in Christchurch?  We took up drive up to the top of Dyer Pass yesterday a narrow twisting road very popular with cyclists, who seem to dice with death with the cars as they whizz along.  We were doing a return visit to   the cafe The Sign of the Kiwi, famous for their date scones.  We secured a table, and sat and enjoyed our afternoon tea.

Date scones and coffee

Plenty of happy customers

The Sign of the Kiwi was one of four rest houses built to provide access and refreshments for people walking on the Port Hills, back in the 1920s or so. 

 Way back then

Another place I was keen to visit was the nearby Kaiapoi Woolen Mills, which made the famous Kaiapoi wool blankets, a household must have back in the days when every home had cozy woolen blankets,  before duvets made an appearance.   Opening in the 1880s the mill was a boon to the town and recruited skilled weavers and spinners from the north of England.  The company secured contracts to supply cloth for military uniforms for both World Wars, but business slowly dwindled post war and the company closed in 1978.  However, I'm sure there are still many Kaiapoi blankets tucked away in households throughout the country.

Kaiapoi Mill buildings

Gemma is enjoying her caravan trip, having short trips outside the caravan, safely on her harness and lead.  She is not really very brave and prefers to sit in the doorway to keep an eye on what is going on without feeling threatened.  Dogs and noisy cars send her scurrying back inside to safety.  Another thing she enjoys is insisting that we open the wardrobe doors for her to climb inside.

The wardrobe makes a cat friendly hidey hole

My knitting is continuing slowly, but as I tell myself, every little bit helps.  More knitting took place while I sat and waited at the local laundromat.  Holiday or not, the washing (and drying) still need to be taken care of!

Laundry day in Kaiapoi

Birthday Trip South

Do you ever look back and wonder where all those years have gone?  My son Michael's  birthday is fast approaching, and he will be turning 60! That's certainly hard to come to terms with.  I certainly can remember his birth, the toddler years, then schooling - how on earth did he get to be 60?  And how old does that make me?  I was 18 when he was born, a couple of months off 19, so a young Mum indeed.  And 12 months later I did it all again, when his sister  Nicky was born.  Those were the days.

With such a momentous birthday coming up, we decided to take the caravan down to Christchurch in the South Island, where Michael has lived for the last 15 years or so, and celebrate with him.   So we packed up, drove to Wellington and boarded the ferry to take us across Cook Strait.  This trip takes about 4 hours.

BlueBridge Ferry Feronia

We arrived at the ferry terminal in good time.  Handing the paper work over to the girl in the kiosk, she handed over the boarding pass, and asked us, could we  manage 5 flights of stairs, or she could park us close to the lifts.    That was a shock, we  must have been really looking our age, we thought, as we replied, close to the lifts please.  We were guided into the correct line, and sat and waited till the ship berthed, and the passengers travelling north had all disembarked.  Then it was our turn and we were waved aboard.  Gemma has to be a big brave girl and travel in the caravan all alone.  It's rather noisy down in the hold so we imagine she just hunkers down somewhere till it is all over.

Everyone seems to make a bee-line to the cafe on these trips, including us.  It was a late lunch for us, so we purchased some sandwhiches, and a drink, sitting in the cafe for a while.  A little way into the trip,  the ship was starting to roll and we decided to leave the cafe and go and sit in the Quiet Room which we had spotted.  Oh dear me, just walking up the corridor was an effort, holding on to whatever was handy, as we tried to keep on our feet.  I'm sure we looked just like a couple of rather drunken OAPs as we stumbled about, it was not easy at all.  We curled up on a couch in the Quiet Room, waiting for the rolling ship to quieten down.  

I had a funny thing happen to me in the toilet block.  The lady in the next stall tapped on the wall and said she couldn't open the door.  Of dear, what could I do, I wondered.  So I looked at the square door handle and presumed she had been trying to turn it.  Just slide it to the right, I advised, and yes, it worked.  English was her second language, and no doubt she had visions of being trapped in the toilet, no wonder she was getting agitated.  So that was my good deed for the day.

Then we changed seating areas and I got my knitting out.  These socks are for one of my granddaughters for Christmas.  In fact, tucked away in my knitting bag is two pair of socks, and a couple of beanies I'm knitting for charity.  After all, I don't want to run out of knitting while I'm away.

Socks for Christmas

It is always such a lovely sight when the ferry reaches the Marlborough Sounds and glides along in these sheltered waters.  We went outside to enjoy the scenery and the smell of salty sea air.  It was a bit breezy so Robin had to hold on tight to his cap to stop it blowing away.

Gliding through the Marlborough Sounds

We made good time, and arrived in Picton a little early.  Our first overnight stop in the South Island was just a short 8kms away at Koromiko.  There were only a couple of other vans in attendance, so there was plenty of room.  This is a lovely place, surrounded by beautiful mature Totara trees.  The custodian came to get our fees, and remembered us from our previous stay.  She used to have a Birman, so was particularly taken with Gemma.  Sadly, her cats had died young, and she had several other losses over the last two years to cope with.  Such a shame, she is a lovely lady, and she recommended the  Birman breeder to us when we last met, where we got Gemma from.

Our first night in the South Island, plenty of room for us.

An old fridge full of books to swap

It was a very chilly night indeed and we awoke to a rather foggy morning

Lunch on the coast the next day

Our camp for the night consisted of several bays, so after checking them out, decided on the lower one.  Not too full, so plenty of room again.  It was such a nice day we sat outside for a while, making the most of the warm South Island sunshine.  But once the sun started going down, we could tell we would be in for another chilly night.  Just as well we have an efficient diesel heater to keep us warm and toasty.

Staying at Kaikoura

Just look at that snow on the mountains

Stitched Sewing Bird for Kate

 My great niece Kate is turning 25 and having a get together to celebrate this milestone with friends and family.  Sadly we are unable to travel up to Hastings to join in the fun, as we had planned.  My son Michael turns 60 this month (gulp, how did that happen?) and we will be having a short caravan trip  down to the South Island to see him.  

I made Kate a cushion for her birthday and sent it up by mail.  She received it the following day, that was really quick, I though.  Kate likes blue, and she is one of those clever girls who can stitch hexagons together with ease - I'm sure I couldn't do that.  

The cushion features a pretty little stitchery of a sewing bird, which I had done some time ago.  It was sitting waiting patiently to be made into something and I'm sure it is one of  Michelle Ridgeway's lovely designs.

Happy Birthday to Kate

Donations, and Lunch with SLG Friends

It was time for our monthly lunch with our Super Leisure Group (SLG) friends, and Calvin had arranged for us to meet down at Porirua.  That suited us fine, as on the way I could do a donation drop off at Paraparaumu Beach, on the way to Porirua.  So I packed up some goodies for Foster Hope, and we set off bright and early.  These had been finished some time ago, and were waiting patiently to be delivered.

Three draw string bags for toiletries or pencils

Three toddlers aprons, a woolly beanie and two pencil cases with pencils

Two quilts, one for a boy with Happy blocks, and one for a girl with floral nine patches

These were handed over to the local Lotto and book shop which accepts donations for Foster Hope.

We had plenty of time to spare before our lunch date so parked up on Paraparaumu Beach for a while.  The tide was out, and empty several boat trailers attested that a  few fishermen were out to sea.  Sea gulls were busy calling and it's always nice to see Kapiti Island offshore.  Robin remarked that when he was truck driving for Toops he often used to park up on this beach during his lunch break.

Kapiti Island off shore

Then it was time to continue with our journey down to Porirua to meet our friends.  This was at a "new to us" cafe in Mitre 10 hardware store, and it certainly was busy.  Just as well that Calvin had booked a table for us.  There was a further donation at the cafe.  You may remember that I had gifted Trish's GGD Charlotte a quilt featuring pretty unicorns a while ago.  With some of the unicorn panels left over, I stitched up three unicorn cushions recently, and gave this one to Trish to pass on to Charlotte as a little extra.  

Trish with a cushion for Charlotte

As usual, we had plenty to chat about as we checked out the menu and the cabinet food.  The cafe was humming with customers.  Then it was time for the draw.  Our group originally started with 12 members, so the draw was done annually.  Sadly, with only five remaining SLG members the drawing of the months comes around much more regularly.  The name of the months we each organise our outing were pulled out of a cup, and notated, always very necessary in case we forget.  Robin's month is September, so he will have to put his thinking cap on and decide where we will meet.  In the group's early years we were all so much more actine, and went for tramps up and down hills, along beaches, and walked through fancy gardens which were open to the public.  These days with our various sore knees, backs, feet etc we just meet somewhere for lunch.

Helen, Calvin, Robin, Jenny and Trish

It's always so nice to get together and Trish had brought along some photos of our escapades from earlier years.  Goodness me, not a grey hair in sight back then!  Many thanks to Calvin for planning our day.

The following day I received an unexpected phone call from a lady thanking me for the donations, and the quilts in particular.  She is the founder of a group "Grandparents raising Grandchildren" and obviously works alongside the Foster Hope charity.  She told me she was very impressed with my thoughtful donations and told me she was going to take the two quilts to use in her own group.  I commented that I had no problem with that, and also that she was the only person ever to acknowledge my donations that I had made over the years.  She was astounded by this, and thanked me profusely, explaining what her group did, and how many grandparents end up taking care of the grandies for various reasons, usually drinking and drugs.  I'm sure like all who donate to good causes, I don't do it for thanks, but as I always leave a note inside the bags with my phone and email details, would just like to be acknowledged.  

   

Sew Wot Tuesday

Sew Wot Tuesday had rolled around again, and this time we met at Jude's home.  It was good to see Mary again, she is in recovery mode and getting better.  Jude showed us her new mystery quilt, a Kaffe Fasset design in pretty blues.  That will keep her busy for a while.  

Jude was first up with the Show and Tell too.  She had a wonderfully graphic quilt back from the commercial quilter, and what a beauty it was.  I  rather like the way she did the borders too.  There is just the binding to be done, and then it will be going to a grandson.

Jude's quilt for her grandson

Helen showed  us   a boy's jumper she had made with interesting patterns in the various stripes.  Well worth a closer look as it was passed around the group.

Helen's knitting

The only other Show and Tell was mine.  One item was being sent away as a birthday gift, so I won't show that till I know it has been received.  And the other was my recently completed selvedge bag.

My selvedge bag

There was a lot of knitting going on as we chatted away, and looked through some magazines looking for a new home.  Then the tea trolly was wheeled in, full of tasty goodies for morning tea.

Our delicious  morning tea

We were kept entertained watching the family dog racing around outside through the window, he is a gorgeous  young blue merle Border Collie and full of energy.  He picked up a shoe, and off he went, round and round the front garden.  Then he found an item of clothing, that was just as much fun as the shoe.  Jude was kept busy trying to rescue these items.

It was another lovely morning, thanks so much Jude.  I won't be at the next Sew Wots morning, we will be away on a short South Island trip.

High Tea

 What a delightful afternoon we had.  My friend Dot and I attended the Daffodil Day High Tea, a fundraiser for the Cancer Society.

There were raffles on sale, so I purchased tickets in several gift baskets, they always look enticing.  And there was a sales table too, manned by the volunteer ladies from the Cancer Society.  I bought two jars of homemade jam, plus some shortbread biscuits.  All for a good cause.

The beautifully decorated tables soon filled up.  

Fancy cups and saucers were set out at each place setting.  And a little later, the food arrived.  Sandwhiches, and savouries first, then the fancy tiered cake plates arrived with little dainty cakes and slices.  Plus scones with jam and cream, and delicious sticky chocolate eclairs.  We certainly didn't go hungry.

Lots of tasty goodies

Pupils from the local High School were busy refilling our cups with tea or coffee, and brought the food out to each table.  

The tea and coffee brigade

Our Mayor, Bernie Wanden was MC for the afternoon.  He spoke of the dedication of the Cancer Society volunteers, and everyone else who helped with the food, raffles, kitchen duties, and thanked us all for coming to support the fund raising afternoon.

Dot and Jenny

It was a lovely afternoon indeed.  And as for those raffles - no luck at all, I didn't win a thing.

What's on the Table?

Another tablecloth, another story.  This tablecloth was purchased as a kit, way back in the mists of time.  So long ago I can't even remember where and when I bought it.  I thought it was lovely, the design was marked on the linen fabric, the lace edging was attached, and all the threads were ready and waiting.  But, I'm not really an embroiderer, and long ago I decided that I really didn't like working with stranded threads.  So the kit sat, lonely and forgotten, and I seem to remember it was discovered when we moved homes from the Hutt Valley to here in in Levin.

Several years ago I asked my daughter Nicky  if she was interested and would take it off my hands.  Yes, she said, took it away, and out of sight, out of mind, I forgot about it again.  I presumed that she would perhaps stitch it and keep it for herself.  She diligently stitched away, and presented it back to me a while ago as a birthday gift, or maybe Christmas.    I was speechless

 Hand embroidered by my daughter Nicky

There is such a lot of work in this, it must have taken her ages.  I really appreciate each and every one of those stitches she made, this gift is so beautiful.

Orange blocks for Rainbow Scrap Challenge

 Orange is the RSC colour of the month.  How much orange do I have, I wondered?  Not too much but enough to make some blocks.  First up were some Hollow Nine blocks.  I'm only using cut squares tucked away in a small bag.  There were enough little squares to make two orange blocks, and then I found some cream squares to make two more blocks.  That will do for August.

Hollow Nines

I've used up the final  previously prepared four patch blocks this month, to turn them into bordered four patches.  There are spots, cats, flowers and afternoon tea settings.  Guess I'll need a count up and see if there are enough blocks stitched for a small donation quilt.

Bordered four patches

There was only one more block set to work on, Happy blocks.  Wonder if there is anything in orange tones in my collection of 5 inch squares?  Only three - orange pumpkins, orange sheep, and pale orange/cream batik leaves.  

Happy Blocks

So that's all I have in orange this month.  Happy stitching everyone.