Today's Daisies #67 - Last Days of Winter

Winter is on the way out, Spring starts on Monday. I noticed that the first of the freesias were out in the garden, so took the camera out to take a couple of snaps. Then I got carried way. I didn't even realise that there were so many plants blooming in our garden at the moment, even the first blossom on the Peach tree is out. Thought I better include them all.

Today's Daisies #66 - Nearly finished

After over a year of sewing and days away from Spring, I have nearly finished my green daisy quilt. The first quilt I have made that I have worked on for a long time and still like. Usually there is a point I reach where I hate the quilt and have to put it away for a while. Not this time I can't wait to get it finished and on the bed. I really love this quilt.

Latest Bargains

I have been bargain shopping again. This time via Trade Me, which is the Kiwi version of Ebay. Above is my favourite, a handpainted vase from Italy.
Next is a lovely green spotty tin. Not sure what I am going to keep in it yet. Any suggestions.
And lastly a wooden ironing board. Yes, I know I am mad and it does not look very glamourous. But just wait until I have made a cover for it, well eventually when I actually do get round to doing that. My todo list just gets longer and longer. The ironing board cost $10 which is about £2.70.

A bit of a wobble

We have just had a bit of a wobble here. As you can see on the image above there was a 5.9 earthquake, just a couple of k down the road. I was just dropping of to sleep when the wall behind the bed started shaking and then then the whole room shook and the windows rattled. Quite exciting really, but now I am full of adrenalin and can't sleep. Hopefully no damage was done.

Update: Yes I did get to sleep eventually. No we have no damage. There are reports of broken windows and things falling off shelves, but apart from that Hawkes Bay has been very lucky this time.

Apple and Ginger Muffins

Woke up this morning to a misarable wet day. So went back to bed with my laptop. Just happened to mention to Peter that I would quite like a Apple and Ginger Muffin, which I had seen over here. Twenty minutes later the Apple and Ginger Muffins were ready, Peter had gone off and made some for me. Think I will keep this husband as he is really useful. He didn't use the right recipe, but that did not matter they were really, really yummy. Hopefully he might put the recipe he did used on his blog some day soon.

My oriental magnolia is in full flower and looks pretty amazing during the day. But at night it is stunning, like a tree full of pink stars.

Beauty

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this case I don't think anyone could say that these flowers are not very, very beautiful. No idea what it is, it looks like a Pehutekawa, just way to early. Please leave a comment if you know what it is.

Views

Some views of the Heretunga Plains, the Tuki Tuki valley and Napier from Te Mata Peak above Havelock North.

Today's Daisies #65 - Ahuriri and Otane

This morning we had a trip out to Ahuriri, Napier to take my youngest fishing. The fishing wasn't very sucessful, no fish were caught. But we did have a great time.
After buying fish and chips to make up for not catching any fish we went down to Otane to meet friends at a newly opened cafe. Nice to see Keriann and Ian, but there was a distinct smell of small child with stinky nappy that kind of put me off eating.

Glittering Blossom

Some of the early blossom is out in the orchards around about Havelock North.
As it is winter here we are still getting frosts in the early mornings. Different orchards protect their blossom in different ways. Some use huge fans and windmills. Some use helipcopters to keep the air moving.
I think this orchard must be spraying the trees with water to keep the frost off. Each morning this week when we have had frost, these trees have been absoulutly soaking and glittering in the sharp morning sunlight like trees made of pink glass. Sorry my photographic ability was not enough to capture this, but take it from me it is a wonderful site.

This week's bargain

I picked up this log basket on trade me for $9. Rana the cat thinks it is her basket, she fits the bottom of it perfectly. My youngest thinks it is a rubbish bin and has started filling it up with rubbish. Luckly underneath Rana not on top. Think I might leave it around and see what the rest of the family do with it, before I decide what I want to do with it.

This is .... how I like to spend my weekends

"This is" this Sunday is "This is how I like to spend my weekends" . Always good to start the weekend with a good breakfast and some magazines to browse.
A project with the kids. We had an old worn out chair, which my eldest and youngest helped me recover so my youngest could use it. It was a good job the eldest helped as there was a lot of technical fiddleing to do with screws and bolts and things. I don't really do screws and bolts and things.
A bit of gardening in the fresh air is always good. Before having friends over for supper.
Finding a bargain.
Getting my Sunday dinner cooked by my eldest son. Roast duck, roast parsnip, roast potatoes, carrots, greenbeans and Eve's pudding to finish. Brilliant for a novice cook, even if he did taste quite a lot of the raw cake mixture.

There are a lot of other things that would go into a perfect weekend. But as weekends go this is how I like to spend my weekends, with my home and family.

Borrowed Comfort

One of my friends wanted me to pick up one of the quilts from Keirunga quilt show. Because she is at home in Calafornia at the moment, I get to look after the quilt until she returns. Which is really cool as it was my favourite quilt in the show, and it is brilliant to be able to get my hands on the quilt and get a better look at the lovely hand stiching. Thank you Katherine.

A survey from a friend

One of my friends from back in Scotland sent me an email with a list of questions that I should answer and forward on. Usually I don't do this, but she named me as the person she would be most curious to see my answers. So being the akward person I am here they are. And if you fancy a go please feel free and leave me a comment, so I can go and view yours.

1. What time is it? 21.29pm
2. What's your full Name? Nicola ................ the rest is a secret.
3. What are you most afraid of? Not having Peter around.
4. What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a Theatre? Mrs Pettigrew lives for a day.
5. Place of birth? Berwick upon Tweed
6. Favourite foods? Cheese or Chocolate, but never ever together.
7. What's your natural hair color? Kind of dark brown I think you might call it.
8. Ever been bungy jumping? No.
9. Ever been toilet paper rolling ? No, not on purpose.
10. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes.
11. Been in a car accident? Yes.
12. Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons but only if Peter makes them.
13. Favourite day of the week? Thursday Peter's day off and I get a break from the kids.
14. Favourite restaurant? In NZ the Black Barn in Scotland Marmions in Melrose.
15. Favourite Flower? Daisy.
16. Favourite sport to watch? Absouloutly none.
17. Favorite drink? A good Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc.
18. Favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerry Phish food, have not found any in NZ yet.
19. Disney or Warner Brothers? Pass
20. Ever been on a ship? Yes.
21. What colour is your bedroom carpet? Bare floor boards here, hate carpets.
22. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Twice.
23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? Lisa
24. What do you do when you are bored? Does not happen often, but always have my camera with me.
25. Bedtime? Far too late for Peter who goes to bed at 9:30!
26. Who will comment on this blog the quickest? Curly Pops!
27. Who is the person that reads this that is least likely to respond? I have no idea.
28. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? Everyone, I am greedy.
29. Favorite TV show? Dr Who and Grand Designs.
30. Last person you went to dinner with? At Katherine's with Keriann and Ian.
31. What is your favourite vacation spot? Haven't been there yet.
32. What is your favorite color? Green no red no blue or is it yellow. hmmm.
33. How many tattoos do you have? None.
34. How many pets do you have? 9, 2 Cats and 7 Guinea Pigs (started with two girls who weren't)
35. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Obviously the chicken.
36. What do you want to do before you die? Have a very long happy life.
37. Have you ever been to Stewart Island? No.
38. How many countries have you been to outside Australia? 9 if you count England and Wales. But I haven't been to Australia yet. Hope to go next year.
39. How many people are you sending this to? The whole world if they want to read it.
40. Type the first word that comes to mind. Sausage?

Traffic Jam #5

Apologies for so many pics, but ................... you are going to get them anyway. I got stuck in a traffic jam for a couple of minutes this morning and here is the result. My favourite is the one of the branches.

Vanishing Car

Now there is probably an explanation for this, which I am sure my teenagers will explain to me in very simple terms slowly. But why when following this tanker can I not see my car, the shadow of my car seems to be there. But the road behind the tanker looks very empty.

Anyway thought that the reflection looked so cool.

Today's Daisies #64

Today's daisies are very, very frosty. The temperature dropped to below -4 centigrade last night.
Something has been sitting on the table outside. Peter was hoping it was a passing Wallaby, but I think it was a very fat cat.

This is ......... work in progress.

This is my work in progress. These are all projects that are waiting to be finished, some of which have been in progress way to long. I haven't included the projects that I have hidden away never to be seen again, I think they are best not mentioned. Three quilt tops ready to be backed and quilted. Not sure that I actually like any of them at the moment. But maybe I will soon.
An amish block of the month project, with one block to finish and then figure out how to put them together.
Hand stiched grand-mothers garden quilt as you go quilt.

Yo-yo's to make a tea cosy for Peter's teapot.


And finally my green daisy quilt. I will have to get a move on and finish if I want to have it on my bed this spring. Actually it looks quite good as a table cloth.

At last

Ever since we moved here I have been trying to get this picutre. The snowy ranges in the background and Hawkes Bay Opera House in the foreground. Sucess at last due to my current camera.

Saturday Night In

Where better to spend a cold Saturday night. In front of the fire, watching the tv and drinking a nice cool New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Spring is perhaps on its way

The wind was coming straight out of the south today, the temperature dropped way down and I could feel the snow on the ranges.
But the sun was shining and the flowers in Keirunga Gardens were flowering. Somewhere around the corner spring is on the way.

Today's Daisies #63

Today's daisies are on a quilt I spotted in this year's exhibition up at Keirunga Gardens. I loved the teapot and teacup.