What's this in the Mail?

 It's always exciting to get unexpected mail, isn't it.  First to arrive was a postcard from France, showing a beautiful mademoiselle smelling the roses.    This was sent to me by my daughter's best friend who is having a marvelous long holiday traveling around several countries with her husband, they are currently enjoying a River Cruise.  It is so nice of Heather to think of me.  In fact last year when they were in USA, she sent me a postcard of Elvis from Gracelands!  I know I'll never get to Gracelands, so that was really special indeed.

Postcard from France

The other exciting mail was a bag stuffed full of quilting fabrics from blog reader Karen from Christchurch, for donation quilts.  There are smaller pieces to make drawstring bags, and yardage to turn into quilts for kids.  It was so exciting opening the courier bag, and checking out each piece.  Thanks so much Karen, I really appreciate you kindness.

So many goodies here

I haven't told you what I've been reading lately, as you know, I am an avid reader.  First was a book by Karen Rose - I've always enjoyed her writing.  Cold Blooded Liar debuts a new woman detective, a couple of phycologists and a sneaky serial killer.  I'll certainly be looking for the next one in this series.  The Final Diagnosis is written by Palmerston North Pathologist by Cynric Temple-Camp and relates some of his interesting cases using  the science of pathology.  This author has written two more books so I'll be ordering these from the library too. 

Interesting reads

Being mid winter, the temperatures have been c hilly, so I've been enjoying making even more soup.  My latest has been a crockpot full of ham hock, veggies, split peas and lentils, so yummy and filling for winter lunches, plus some tucked away in the freezer.

I do love soup for lunch

Here comes a Tuatara

I've spent a little time stitching around a tuatara on my New Zealand panel.  I've been lucky enough to hold one of these rather special creatures.  Those spines on the head and back are not sharp, but rather feel rubbery - yes, I had to touch and see for myself.

Stitching a tuatara

The tuatara is endemic to New Zealand and is known as a "living fossil".  They are the only surviving members of an ancient lineage (Sphenodontia) that thrived alongside dinosaurs, and are unique because they are not lizards.  Introduced predators brought in by settlers have taken their toll, and tuataras are now only found on predator free off shore islands and in fenced sanctuaries.  They can live for 60-100 years.

As well as a little slow stitching, I'm keeping busy with knitting, and have started another pair of socks, using the pink 4ply sock yarn my daughter gave me on Mother's Day.  Because  I prefer thicker socks, I'm pairing it with pale pink double knit.  And doing flat knitting, two at a time, because that's the way I like to knit socks.

A new pair of socks for me

Guess I'll have to admit to having several other knitting projects on the go.  A couple of babies hats,  my summer cotton jumper, and a 12 ply blue cardigan are waiting to be picked up and worked on too.  Just like  quilting, with lots started, it seems I'm just the same with knitting as well.  But they will all get finished sometime, I'm sure.

There has been quite bad weather over parts of the country lately.   Once again, the ferries and planes were cancelled, there has been bad flooding and road damage,  but it seems to have missed my area, luckily.  Today has been cool but sunny here.  Gemma has been soaking up the sun streaming through the venetian blinds while relaxing on a dining chair.  She likes to tuck her head under the corner of the tablecloth.  Cat's have the best life, don't they?

Gemma does a great job of relaxing

But it is mid winter so that means plenty of home made soup.  I love making, and eating soup, and this pumpkin soup was nice and tasty with a little curry powder and cooked bacon added.

Pumpkin soup for lunch

The days have been cool but sunny, with the mornings and evening cold enough to enjoy the ease of the heat pump.  I can remember the years of open fires, buying and stacking wood, chopping kindling, cleaning out the grate,  lighting the fire after returning home from a long day at work.  Fires do look so cozy and comforting, and have a wonderful relaxing ambience, but I'm pleased things are so much easier for me now.

Out and About and Lemon Honey

 I've certainly been out and about lately, meeting up with friends.  Firstly with Louise and Robert who came down this way in their motor home to attend a country and music festival in Marton.  Then they had people to see, family to catch up with, and arranged to meet me for lunch too.  There was a communication breakdown about where we were meeting, as my text message didn't get sent, for whatever reason.  After a bit of telephone tag later in the morning, everything was smoothed out, and arrangements confirmed.   We went to a favourite of mine, Salt and Pepper Cafe.  There was plenty to catch up on, we pondered the menu and ordered our lunches.  There was only one choice for me, with soup on the menu - mmm, delicious leek and potato soup, so tasty.  Louise and Robert only wanted a light meal too, as they were moving on after seeing me and meeting up with family for dinner that night.  And then driving back to Papamoa over the next couple of days.

Lunch at Salt and Pepper

Once they arrived safely home, there was really sad news from their home town and nearby Mt Maunganui.  The severe rain had triggered landslides.  One in Papamoa, which buried a house, killing a grandmother and grandson.  And another which came down at Mt Maunganui at the motor camp, burying caravans and damaging the toilet block, with the loss of another six lives.  So very sad

Then several days later I had a big (for me) drive down to Paraparaumu, I'm not too keen driving along the expressway, especially in the rain.  But I made it, and needed a coffee to recover!  Then I had a couple of things to do on my list, including going to the local Spotlight to purchase some wide backing for the blue heart and and star quilts I'm working on.  That was a  bargain, luckily it was on special at one third off the price!  I had arranged to meet friends Bill and Val for lunch at nearby Waikanae.  Bill and Val went out of their way to help me that day I lost Robin, towing the caravan safely home for me from Hastings, I will be forever in their debt.  We met at Relish Cafe, such a very popular place with great food.  I enjoyed some pate and toast for a change, delicious indeed.

Relish Cafe

Then I had an unexpected invitation to meet with my daughter Nicky and her husband Robert for breakfast.  They were staying in Foxton Beach for the weekend, and the weather had turned bad, so I think they were bored.  Once again, I set off in the pouring rain, luckily the traffic was fairly quiet.  I enjoyed the most delicious mushrooms and bacon with blue cheese sauce, served on toast, so nice and tasty.  Nicky had her favourite Eggs Benny, and Robert had the Big Breakfast.  

Robert and Nicky

So what else has been happening here as well as me being a social  butterfly?  Gemma has been her beautiful self, and here she is getting some treats out of of her little plastic mousie.  She bats it gently with her paw and mousie wobbles about, releasing a couple of treats.  What fun for her, and she soon gets them all.

I think she's got most of them out

And I've also made some lemon honey (lemon curd),  so delicious.  And really easy to make in the microwave.  The recipe just makes a couple of jars which I store in the fridge.  Mmm, so tasty on a slice of toast, or fresh bread.  I think it can be used in desserts too, I'll have to check that out.

Microwave lemon honey

Brr, it's getting chilly

Our weather has turned wintry again, with snow on the ranges.  That didn't last long, when the rain arrived, and some wind.  It is still winter after all, it's just that we have been spoiled with calm, mild, sunny days for ages. Luckily, there is a heat pump installed, so there is clean, efficient heating here in my little home.  And it has been perfect soup making weather too.  My latest batch was pumpkin and kumara, so nice and tasty, with added pieces of fried onion and bacon, after it was whizzed smooth.  This was made in the microwave, and I do love home made soup.

Creamy pumpkin and kumara soup with added bacon

Gemma had a difficult morning recently, it was time for her annual vaccinations and health check.  I picked her up and put her in the carry cage before she realised what was happening.

How did that happen, she's thinking

Gemma doesn't make a fuss being in the car, and it was a short drive down to the Vets.

Here we are

Gemma was a little uncomfortable when she was lifted on to the table and the vet checked her over.  Everything was fine and she was given her vaccinations.  I had asked if she could get her claws trimmed as it always took both Robin and I working together in the past to get this job done.  She was most unhappy with this procedure and had to be wrapped in a towel, growling at the vet and struggling to get away.  I told the vet that I had never had a cat who growled before.  Finally, with three paws clipped, she was getting so distressed that we agreed to give up  - she couldn't get back into her carry cage fast enough.  Poor Gemma, I wondered if she would forgive me for this abomination when we got home.  She hopped into the hidey hole in her tower at home to recover from her ordeal.

I'm hiding, don't touch me.

I've been doing a bit of knitting in the evenings and more importantly, I'm working hard to get my secret sewing finalised for my daughter's birthday.  It's looking rather good, even if I do say so myself!  All will be revealed soon.

Sock Knitting

I'm pleased I have a sock finish, this pair seems to have taken ages.  But only because I don't work on them all the time, I tend to flick from one project to another.   These are for my daughter, I asked if she would like another pair for Christmas.  "Yes please" she said, "I'd like pale blue this time".  So they are done well ahead of time, which is good.

  Socks for my daughter

I knit my socks flat, two at a time then sew up the side seam.  You can't feel the seam and it doesn't go under the sole, but up the side.  None of those tiny double pointed needles for me!  This pair was  made using Tootsies 4ply Merino sock yarn.

But wait, there's more, I'm working on two more pair as well, both up to different stages.  These are thick 12ply socks, using double knit together with left over sock yarn, and will be for me.  The heels are done on the dark pair, and the pale ones have more growing to do to reach the heel stage.  I prefer wearing these thicker socks, especially in the winter.

Two more pair on the go

Our winter weather has been very changeable, cool but sunny some days, and heavy rain on other days.  There was a sprinkling of snow on the hills last week, which always looks pretty in the sunshine, but I'm pleased we don't live in an area with snow on the ground. 

Snow on the Tararua Ranges

Colder weather means more soup making, so I made a batch of French Onion soup in my Crockpot.  It was delicious served with some cheesy toast on the top of my bowl of soup.  Nothing beats hot soup for lunch on a cold winter's day.

French Onion soup

Pink Socks and Blackberries

My pink socks have been a long drawn out project.  I received this lovely skein of sock wool from my daughter for Christmas 2023.

 Christmas gift from Nicky

I didn't cast these on till mid way through the year and the socks traveled with us down to the South Island in August when we went to celebrate my son Michaels's 60th birthday.  The trip across Cook Strait takes three hours so after something to eat in the cafe there is always time for a little knitting.

Knitting onboard the ferry

As I always seem to have more than one knitting project on the go, these socks were neglected for a while.  Then my daughter purchased some sock yarn in the Op Shop, asked for a copy of my pattern, and within a couple of weeks she had knitted her first pair of socks!  That really spurred me on to finish my own.  

I was soon up to the toes, that didn't take long, then sewing up the side seams.  Several have asked if the side seams make the socks uncomfortable to wear.  They run along the side/top of the foot and up the side of the leg, not under the sole, and I don't have any discomfort at all.  The weather is still nice and summery here, so I will tuck them away in my sock drawer to wear a little later.

Finally finished, that took a while

And just so you know, I've two pair of triple knit socks, my blue jumper, a baby's jumper, and a kitten blanket for the SPCA, all cast on and waiting their turns.  Plus all the quilting projects as well. No wonder I have trouble completing things, there is too much on the go!  

I was at a meeting last week and one of the ladies had brought along several bags of frozen blackberries to give away.  I gratefully took one, and made some blackberry crumble.  It was delicious, and I froze a couple of portions for later.

Blackberry crumble for dessert

Hand Stitching

I've been busy doing a little hand stitching lately.   On Saturday I attended a stitch-in day, organized by my quilt club.  The weather was miserable, wet and drizzly, but the hall was nice and toasty with the heat pumps working hard.  Others were machining away, but I don't like to take my sewing machine away from home theses days, it is just so heavy for me to load into the car and take it out at the other end.  So I make sure I have plenty of hand work instead.  Yesterday I starting  hand stitching the binding down on one of the big quilts I had commercially quilted a while ago ago.  I didn't get it all stitched down, but I've made a good start on it.  

Binding time

Eight ladies braved the wet and cold conditions to come and stitch for a while.  We stopped for a mid morning cuppa, and a lunch break.  It's always nice to stitch with company, isn't it.  By 2.00pm we all decided to pack up and head home.

Today, Sunday, I decided to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  I'd found a Jamie Oliver recipe, knew I had some frozen blueberries in the freezer, so whipped them up.  It was a nice simple recipe and I served them with whipped cream, extra blueberries and a drizzle of genuine maple syrup, all the way from Canada.  They didn't turn out perfectly round, but I must say they were absolutely delicious!

Blueberry pancakes for Sunday breakfast

I've been stitching away on a quilt label today, almost there.  I had just written the info with my pigma pen, but decided to stitch over the words.  Then I can attach it to the backing and share a photo of my completed quilt.  

Stitching a quilt label

As for my socks, they have come to a bit of a standstill.  I'm up to the heels, but need to spend a bit of time, sitting quietly on my own, while I read the pattern and mark off each row.  I've knitted heels plenty of times, but really need to concentrate.

Perhaps you remember the oven mitts I completed recently?  I posted them to my granddaughter Megan last week and received a thank you snap chat.

Thank you from Megan

My daughter Nicky has asked if I can make her oven mitts for her birthday, so I'm not finished with them yet.  That's next on my list to do.

It’s been a busy day

With only a few days till Christmas, and one day till we head away in out caravan, it’s been a busy old day here today.  I needed to do some baking to take up to my daughter’s home for Christmas, and had promised to make some of my delicious Chocolate Cherry Slice.  This is rich and decadent and is  a lovely treat for Christmas.  Made with a chocolate base and topped with a coconut and glace chocolate topping, it is certainly a winner.

Chocolate Cherry Slice

I also offered to make a bacon and egg pie to help with dinner tomorrow.  We will have it cold with a salad,I expect.  This has plenty of bacon slices and eight double yolk eggs so should be nice and tasty.  Bacon and egg pie is a family favourite here in New Zealand, usually served hot for dinner, and is excellent served cold for a tasty  picnic lunch.

Bacon and egg pie

I needed to use up a couple of oranges which were starting to look a little sad, so made an orange and raisin cake as well.  The cake won’t be needed over Christmas with all the other usual treats on offer, so is now in the freezer, to use later.

And checking out the veggies in the fridge I found half of a red and half a green cabbage, left over from making coleslaw last week.  With not much room for them in the caravan fridge,  they needed dealing with too.  The green cabbage was chopped, bagged, and frozen and I can use it for stir fry meals later.  As for the red cabbage, I knew I had a recipe tucked away somewhere to make use of it, which I had made one previous Christmas.  Using sliced red cabbage, onions, apples, spices and white wine vinegar, I cooked it all slowly in a pan, put it into two containers, and into the freezer it went.   I’m pleased that I was able to use these items and that nothing was thrown out and wasted.

After my cooking marathon, I started packing the caravan.  Prior to a trip, we move the caravan from the area around the back of our village, and park it in one of the car parks outside our home.  Which means we can plug it into power to get the fridge cold, and it is so much handier for the many trips too and fro with food and clothes.  I mustn’t forget to put the bag of presents in too.  My knitting bag and stitchery project is already safely packed in the van, along with several books to read.

Our caravan just a hop and step away, ready for packing

With these jobs out of the way, I needed an after lunch nana nap!  It’s been cloudy here today, but very warm, so warm, in fact, that I had to change into shorts!  The Santas will wave us goodbye tomorrow when we head away for our Christmas/New Year adventure.  I’m rather fond of the big Santa,and made him in a class many years ago.

Hello Santas

Sending everyone warm Christmas wishes, and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day.

Spring Forward

Spring has officially arrived in my part of paradise, and along with it came Daylight Saving, so we had to put the clocks forward one hour last week.  I’m always so impressed that the computers and cell phones know how to do this themselves, so it’s only a couple of household clocks and those in the cars  which need to be altered, plus watches too of course.

The last reasonably pleasant days of Winter have given way to the tumultuous Spring weather.  It’s always so much more windy in Spring, it’s been rather wet off and on, and the temperatures are jumping up and down all over the place.  The weather has been weird worldwide, and NSW in Australia is suffering from wild fires, brought on by hot temps and strong winds, that must be a terrible thing to live through.

It’s time to hang up my seasonal wall-hanging. Hello Spring was completed last summer so was this is it’s first season up on the wall.  This is hand embroidered and machine quilted.

Hello Spring

It may well be Spring but the weather is cold – so cold I decided to make some nice tasty soup for lunch.  That should last us a couple of days.

Two Little Wooly Hats

In between all the secret sock knitting, I've made two little wooly hats.  These were made using up bits of left over yarn, such a good way to get rid of small balls hanging around.

Two little hats for donation

The brown and white hat used up the last of Robin’s birthday socks home spun brown wool, and I even managed to make a pom pom.  It’s been many years since I’ve made a pom pom, and I think I’ve lost the knack over the years, do hope it all stays together.

The dark blue hat used up other bits and pieces, and I had just enough of the pale blue yarn to eke three stripes out of it!   I’m quite pleased with these and they will be going into the Foster Hope donation box soon.

Even though it’s Spring here in New Zealand, it’s been rather cold, wet and windy lately.  So for a nice warming treat I made a steamed pudding for dessert.  Must admit that I can’t really remember the last time I made one of these, and with some whipped cream, it was delicious.  And with just the two of us here, there is plenty left for the next couple of nights too, so yummy.

Jam steamed pudding tonight

Birthday Socks

When I first started on my sock knitting adventure a few years ago, I declared  I would never knit socks for others as it took so long.  That changed when my granddaughters asked if I could please knit them a pair of socks, so of course I did, making an extra pair for my daughter as well.  Knitting  three pairs of 4ply socks for Christmas really kept me busy.  All through this, my hubby Robin kept reminding me that I’d never knitted him socks either!  Oh dear, guess he was next on the list – so some extra secret sock knitting started.  I finished them in time for his birthday, and kept them safely tucked away till his big day.

These were knitted using brown and cream hand spun wool which was gifted to me by my friend Merilyn, and I added some dark green sock yarn as well, making these triple knit (12 ply) socks.  As I only have two ladies sock patterns, 4 ply plus 12 ply, I had to guess how many extra stitches to add to fit him – I think I got it right.  So here at last is his very own pair of hand knit socks, plus a block of his favourite chocolate.

Happy Birthday, Robin

We had originally intended on having a birthday dinner out at a local restaurant, but as he is recovering from his recent knee replacement surgery, he really didn't feel he could cope with the effort of going out.  No problem, we ordered pizzas instead.  And I made a Key Lime  meringue topped  pie for dessert, so we celebrated with a nice meal at home instead.

Yummy home made dessert

It’s been a Busy few Days

It certainly has been busy, starting with the Coronation on Saturday.  Or in our case, living in New Zealand with the time difference, Saturday night.  The TV coverage started at the very civilized time of 7.00pm, and we settled down to watch.  With a glass of Kahlua and milk in my hand to toast the momentous occasion.  And what an occasion it was, full of pomp and ceremony as only the Brits can do.

The Coronation ceremony stretches back more than one thousand years and represents God's blessing. The ceremony progressed, finally arriving at the most sacred part, when the King is anointed behind screens.  Following the anointment, the King is then prepared for the crowning, which is carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The oil was consecrated by the patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem.

The screens were designed by  Aidan Hart and worked on by the Royal School of Needlework, the designs taking inspiration from the stained glass sanctuary window in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, which was gifted by the Livery Companies to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee in 2002. According to the Royal Family, King Charles personally selected the design.  With the monarchy’s cipher at the bottom—to represent the king’s position as servant to the people—the screen boasts 56 leaves to pay homage to the British Commonwealth’s 56 member states.  And New Zealand, together with Australia, had a part to play in making the screens, the wool for the backdrop was sourced from both Australia and New Zealand, but was milled in the United Kingdom. 

It was a long night indeed, and after watching the balcony appearance, we finally made it to bed at 2.00am, tired but so pleased to be able to witness this historic occasion.  I was around for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, a young 8 year old,  and there was no TV in our country way back then.  My first fleeting brush with royalty came during the Queen’s tour to New Zealand.   All the children from my school were given flags, and we lined up along the main road waiting till she drove past, frantically waving our flags.

Rising a bit late on Sunday, Robin still did the honours and produced our usual Sunday morning cooked breakfast.  Later in the morning I used up the last of our feijoas to make some muffins.

We’ve been cooking

Just as well I did make some muffins as we had a visit from grand-daughter Megan later in the afternoon.  She had driven down to Wellington to help her friend who was looking for a wedding dress.  Not an easy task, it seems, and the prices are horrendous.  Not only that, but the bride-to-be had to pay a fee at the shop for the privilege of trying some dresses on.  I had never heard of that.  Megan stopped and chatted for an hour or so, before heading back home.  She reminded me that it had taken some persuasion on her part before I finally knitted her a pair of socks!  So we checked through my sock yarn and she has selected what she liked for her next pair of hand knitted socks.  No promises when they will get completed though.

Me with Megan

Tuesday was Sew Wot Tuesday again, and we met at Mary’s lovely home.  With everyone having a tidy up in their sewing rooms lately, I took along a little something lurking about in my sewing cabinet drawers to see if Mary was interested.  It was a needle holder with pockets to slip needle packets in, and as Mary was the only one in our group who seems to do hand quilting I thought she might like it, as I had never used it at all.  Yes, she was delighted to take it off my hands.

This found a new home

Of course, there was show and tell as well.  Carol started this off showing Emily, a beautifully knitted doll and clothes.  Emily will be staying with Carol for a while, I think.   Plus two small knitted teddies which will be going to the Neo Natal unit. 

Emily and teddies

Heather had brought along a pretty knitted blanket.  This started last Christmas when everyone at the Spinning and Weavers group she attends brought along a wrapped ball of wool for a Christmas swap.  Heather’s gift was a ball of teal wool, and she added the brown alpaca yarn to knit her blanket.  Each of the teal blocks has a different pattern, and she finished it off with a knitted lacy edge. 

Heather’s knitted blanket

Heather is an avid sock knitter and had just finished a pair of socks for her grand daughter, nice and colourful, aren't they.

made for Heather’s grand daughter

Jude had been knitting socks too.  Not one, but two pair of socks for her son. 

Lucky boy, two pair of hand made socks

Mary had a top to show us, made with beautiful batiks.  Called “Skipping Stones” it is made up of nice big blocks with a partial seam.. Not too hard at all, Mary said.

Skipping Stones

Mary enjoys crochet too, and brought out her gorgeous Pandemic blanket to show us.  Made in shades of white and grey, it is wonderful.  I really admire people who can crochet with ease, it’s something I cannot do.

Pandemic blanket

There were a few WIPs brought along too.  I had taken my purple clam shells to show the slow progress I had made, pin, pin, pin, and carefully stitch along the curved lines. I’m still getting the occasional tuck which needs to be fixed, but not as bad when I first got back to this project.  It I can do several rows each week I’ll be happy.  And Sandra had brought along two WIPs to show us.  After completing a pansy quilt for her Aunty, she decided that she should be making one for her other Aunty too, and decided on star blocks.  The other blocks are inspired by a quilt Jude had made featuring 1.5in strips, so Sandra is working on that design too.

Sandra’s WIPs

We spent a lovely morning together, morning tea was served, but no photo was taken, obviously we were all enjoying it so much.  Thanks to Mary for being hostess, and she had a little surprise for us when we were leaving.  Her garden had produced several pumpkins, so Mary chopped one up into pieces for us to take home.  So nice, I love pumpkin.