Autumn at Keriann's - Yes, really more Autumn

Peter and I had a brief outing on Sunday to drop off Keriann's birthday present. My first visit out for ages. Her garden looked so gorgeous covered in Autumn leaves. I hope she does not mind me including these pics in my blog.

I loved this view of the courtyard outside her sewing room.

I also loved the Pineapple sage at the kitchen window. I must remember to plant out more pineapple sage next year.

Even the gutters full of crisp russet leaves looked cute. Driving back down her drive there where so many photo opportunities.

Liquid gold leaves with the sunlight shining through them.

And beautiful red serrated leaves.

Today's Daisies #89

Today's daisies are part of another batch of bargain fabric scraps. Each piece was $2, found in Freedom furniture. I think perhaps somebody that worked there was selling off their fabric stash. The spotty yellow daisy fabric I nearly did not buy, in the shop I thought it had bows on it. I am not keen on fabric with bows, in fact I don't really like bows anywhere except on shoes. Don't know why, just not my cup of tea. I have enough fabric now to keep me busy all winter I think.

Today's Daisies #86 and lots of Bargains

No this is not a daisy, but it is the reason why I found my daisy bargains. My youngest went to a dress up birthday party yesterday as an elf. For his costume he reused a Knight Templar costume I made last year for him. It had to be inside out to hide the big red cross as apparently elfs don't have crosses on their cloaks! To make the elf ears I needed some skin coloured felt from Spotlight. The ears worked quite well for a two minute creation don't you think.
Peter dropped me and the wheelchair at Spotlight while he went to the optitions. I was in heaven, they have a mega sale on there at the moment. I had to make the most of my time as this was my last wheelchair trip. We had to hand it back to the hire place that day. My ankle has improved enough to put weight on it with the help of the crutches, I don't have to hop anymore. The problem is my lack of energy and breath. I can manage about five minutes before I need to rest. Anyway back to daisies. In the sale they have quilt fabric at $2 per metre, an incredible price. How could I resist, especially the red and white daisy fabric to be added to my stash for the red and white quilt that I will do very soon (yeh right). An odd group of fabrics, but they will be very useful for different projects I have planned.
I also bought some of the fabrics below. Not my usual style, but again I have plans. I always have plans, one day I might even put some of these plans into action.

I got some teddy fabric to back baby quilts.

While I was waiting for Peter I had a good rummage around the rest of Spotlight, it was difficult to drag myself away from the fabric. I am so glad I did, because I found king size duvet covers for $20, reduced from $120. Our duvet covers are getting a bit worn out and I have been looking for new ones for ages. Problem was I could not find any I liked, and did not want to pay $100 for something I did not even like. What I really wanted was something red and white with stripes and florals. Guess what I found, actually it was Peter that found the red one when he came back to drag me out of Spotlight. We also found a blue one and a stripey double one for one of my sons beds. So we got three duvet covers for the half the price of one full price duvet cover. A very good feeling.

Just in case .......

Just in case you have not seen enough Autumn snaps here is another one. I love the view of this golden tree.

Food Fads

I am not a fussy eater, but I am a bit of a faddy eater. I get cravings for foods every so often. I think it is important to pay attention to these craving, as it is probably your body needing something that causes the craving. A month or so ago it was avocados, I could not eat enough of them. I am still very keen on the avocados and live in the perfect place to get fresh and delicious avocados easily. But I have moved on to ....... porridge. I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. I am not sure if it is the change in the weather or if it is the fact that the evenings have started to draw in or even if it is because I need to build up bone in my ankle. And yes that is sugar you can see on top of the porridge. Peter calls it luxury porridge because I make it with milk not with water. His Scottish roots showing again. And not that he ever refuses to share it when I make some.

Autumn, Autumn, Autumn and some more Autumn

Autumn colour in my garden.
Autumn colour and light through the window of my sewing room.

At the bottom of my drive.

In the supermarket car park.

A Different View

I decided to move the place I sit in the lounge, a much better view than looking though the mirror at the outside. Unfortunatly my youngest has decided it is his sofa and I was not welcome, unless I had some chocolate.

Birds

I promised somthing other than daisies. So here they are a couple of birds from my garden. A New Zealand Kingfisher and a Tui. The Tui really is there in the cabbage tree. I watched it for ages before Peter brought my camera for me. It then turned its back and flew off. One day I will get a good pic of a Tui.

Today's Daisies #86

Today's daisies are from my garden and are in my favourite vase on the table next to where I sit in the lounge. I really love the way this pic has come out.

There seem to have been a lot of daisies recently and not much else. As soon as I am on my feet I will try to post a bigger variety of pics.

Knitting # 2 - Another Scarf

I have started another scarf. A red feather and fan pattern I found on Thimble's blog. I love the purple colour she used. I choose red, but think that I might do another one purple one, depending upon how board I get doing this one. I have not finished the first one, I ran out of wool to make it long enough, so I am waiting until I can get somebody to take me to the shop to pick up more wool.

Colour Combinations

Sometimes the strangest colour compositions really work. Like the pale pink of the Japanese Anemones combined with the bright raspberry red of the Pineapple Sage.

I love Canna Lillies in reds and yellows, but not so keen on the peachey ones in my garden, until I saw them against the apples on my apple tree, they look so good. Sorry I have not got a better pic, the batteries on my camera have run out and I can't find the battery charger.

Today's Daisies #85

Today's daisies are on some beautiful fabric I ordered from Rossville Quilts. I would like to some time do a quilt with thirties inspired fabrics. Another project to add to the long list. And some red and white fabrics for my long planned red and white log cabin quilt. Because I am spending a lot of time sitting down I am getting a bit bored. So when I saw a link to the above quilt shop I thought I would have a quick browse. I am glad I did, they had a great sale on and some beautiful fabrics. I placed my order and got a confirmation email straight away. The lady at Rossville Quilts suggested that for the same postage I could include another couple of yards of fabrice. What quilter could resist such a helpful suggestion. A very good sales ploy, sell more fabric and give the customer the impression they have saved money, a win win situation for everyone.

The fabric arrived very promptly, one week from ordering to the fabric arriveing in my letter box, all neatly packed.

Peter wheeled me around Spotlight last week to get some knitting wool for another scarf. I spotted these lovely fabrics on the way past and could not resist. All I need now is my energy back so I can do some sewing. Maybe next week.

Today's Daisies #84

Today's daisies from my autumn garden.
Some daisies that have planted themsleves.


Some daisies that Keriann gave me last year, as roots from her garden. They seem to be enjoying their new home.
And lastly a bright sunny daisy. Not feeling so sunny myself today. It was my youngests birthday yesterday and he had a couple of mates over for his first sleepover. Which went very well, they were all asleep by ten. What I did not anticipate was the fact that they would wake up at 5am, running around like the duracel bunnies, with me as the one with the flat battery! Think I will need a nap this afternoon when all the little bunnies have been taken home.

Today's Daisies #83

Today's diasies are a lovely get well soon gift from Keriann, a lavendar wheatbag. If you want one too she will be selling them at her usual place in Napier tomorrow.

The slow road down hil

Both Peter and I hate taking medicine of any sort. We are not into alternative medicine either, we just like to have a good balanced healthy life. Unfortunately due to recent circumstances I now have a handbag full of drugs to carry around. There is two different types of Warfarin. A little red book to record my INR levels so that the doctor can get my warfarin correct and to let the emergency services know I am on warfarin if I am in an accident. Mega doses of ibuprofen for the pain in my chest and some omeprazol to make sure I don't get stomach problems from the ibuprofen! Hopefully I will get rid of some of this stuff soon. I hate the thought that this is the beginning of the slow road down hill to being past it. I have way to much too do before I get to that stage.
My cast has been removed and I have a lovely large Velcro moon boot to wear. Which is brilliant, I get to take it off to have a shower and at night. It also means I can put my foot on the ground, no more hopping.



Yip I have taken up knitting as I have to spend so much time sitting down. I must be anticipating a cold winter as I have knitted a huge thick green scarf. It should keep me cosy.

The Lady of Shallot and Autumn

As I sit resting on the sofa in our lounge I can see through the mirror above our fireplace glimpses of Autumn. It makes me feel a bit like the Lady of Shallot, viewing the world through a mirror.
Thankfully I get to turn around and view the reality of the world in all its Autumn glory, unlike the poor Lady of Shallot. In our garden there are just a few little touches, at the moment.

A promise of what is yet to come.

Some new vistas opened up when I cleared some lower branches, the day I broke my ankle.

Before I cleared the lower branches of the Liquidamber tree it was difficult to see the Pseudopanx above. But it is such a beautiful tree and so typically Kiwi, I am so glad we have a few of them in our garden.

When I get a chance to leave the garden and get out into the big bad world (not being able to drive because of my broken ankle, has limited my trips) Autumn is in full beautiful swing.

Today's Daisies #82

Today I am feeling a bit floppy and past it like the daisies below. On Saturday morning I was feeling not great and had some pains in my chest. I thought they were just muscle pains from using the crutches. Just to be sure we went to see my GP. Who suggested that I should go straight to the Emergency Dept. Peter tried to pay the bill on the way out, no no she said, we can sort that out later. In other words, don't wait just go straight there.
Anyway, we got to the ED and sat about for a little while, while they tried to find my notes. Not helped by the fact that the Doctor had muddled me up with a different Nicola. Peter had to go back to sort out the kids, so he left me sitting in the waiting room. By the time he got back I had be poked and prodded and had blood extracted and x-rays done and CT scan done and ultrasound scan done and was attached to monitors and given oxygen. Don't I look great in the lovely hospital gown.

Because I have a cast on my ankle I managed to acquire a DVT in my calf. Which then disintegrated a bit and moved some of the clot into my lungs. So I got to spend the weekend in hospital.

On the upside I got a bed with a view and watched the sunrise.

I am home now. I have to have daily blood tests to set my Warfarin level and daily injections into my stomach, for a week or so. I chickened out at doing the injections myself, so Peter is doing them for me.

Who would have thought that gardening could be so dangerous.

Today's Daisies #81

Today's daisies are on my cast. Unfortunatly, I only had quilting pencils so they rubbed off quite quickly.