Saturday 29 March 2014

Right place, right time!


Just like this seagull - centre stage, right between the clouds!  Taken of course by Phil who was my driver on the recent Investiture ceremony at Government House when I was presented with my award.

It was such a great day, weather was beautiful and my family were all there to celebrate with me.  The official photos will be ready soon - the big names were televised, as they should be but it was great to rub shoulders with them both at the Investiture and on Friday evening at the dinner.

When I was rung and invited to the dinner I thought it was one of my friends having me on! but no, the invitation was for me and one guest so I asked Barbara Freeman who has been teaching with me at the prison for several years.

I have been blown away by all the attention; like the seagull I was there at the right time when we started the class at the prison and, once started, I knew I couldn't walk away.  It's the same with any teaching, seeing the look on a person's face when they "get it" and can then use that skill or information, is very powerful.

One of the women in my class has really got it, and I was thrilled when she said recently, "I haven't felt this good about myself for a long time" as she pinned and sewed on borders for a quilt for a family member.

At the Investiture dinner last week I noticed the chandelier above the table had real candles and mentioned that my granddaughters were disappointed that in one of the reception rooms, the chandelier had electric light bulbs.  The wife of the Governor General was one chair away and she suggested I take a photo to show my granddaughters!  A photo, there?!  Why not?, she said - so out came my iPhone, very discreetly, and I took a quick photo - then, a gentleman sitting opposite, insisted I have my photo taken.  He leaned over and took the phone - I really don't think he was familiar with it - and eventually when nothing appeared to be happening I put out my hand and took it back - and there were several photos of me..........so here's one -


oh dear, the heavy insignia is pulling down my top and exposing lots of camisole........ then, as we left the dining room, a quickie of the table and chandelier -


What an evening!  The food, the service, the ambience and the company, all so great - truly a night to remember!

To close, another photo taken during the recent fog - I've shared some Phil took at Baring Head lighthouse; Wellington hills and the sea are hidden... gorgeous colours.....


I've found a new word to use in the coming winter months to describe the bitterly cold wind - frigerifick -I think it sounds perfect!

Thanks for stopping by,
June

Sunday 16 March 2014

Over the hill!


No, not me - over the hill I mean :) a couple of weekends ago we, the family, went over the Rimutaka Hills into the Wairarapa to visit our only other relatives in NZ and celebrate with them the fifth birthday of their son.  Phil and I went together and he showed me this spot, near Featherston - you might recognise it from other photos I've shared.  The lake is shallow and this is all that remains of a pier the local yacht club built.

By the sounds I hear from outside, the much anticipated storm has arrived; we've had tropical type showers on and off all day, very warm temperatures and now the wind.  I've moved anything I thought might be at risk....

I've not done a great deal of quilting this week, but I have, finally, finished crocheting the bands of knitting to make a blanket for Africa, seventy inches long by about forty five takes quite a bit of knitting!

Well, they did say they wanted the blankets to be bright!  I just have the ends to finish off and it's ready to take to the next Pinestream meeting.

While we were in the Rapa we went to Martinborough where they are many good vinyards and interesting shops, one I wandered into thinking it was an antique shop, only to find it was an upholsterers - serendipity! I have been dropping hints to my sons for some while that my wooden chairs need re-covering and fixing up - they squeak so much when sat upon I was beginning to worry that one day one of them would collapse.

So now, I have eight fabulous looking chairs -


Not a matching set, four are oak, two kauri and two I'm not sure but they have interesting carving in an art deco style on the backs.  They are now unified by this beautiful fabric and are so comfortable to sit on.

At the last Capital Quilters' meeting, I told you I was presented with a different bouquet -


The delphinium is merging into the blue of the block, sorry,  - a most unusual bouquet, isn't it!   That block of the month was fun to do and I didn't win it.  In all the years belonging to three clubs I have only ever won one block of the month - I wonder what the odds of that are?  funny isn't it, how sometimes you get a run and one person wins several times......

I want to share two more photos from Phil, the first one taken at Baring Head on that extremely foggy day recently,


Just the hills rising out of the sea, and this one of a boathouse down at sea level near Eastbourne,


Phil said he often wanted to photograph this but the background was pretty 'messy' - the fog took care of that!

I've been very busy sorting more donations of fabric for the Shut-in Stitchers, washing piles while the weather held and trying to arrange it into some kind of order - no visitors at present, I can hardly get into my spare room - not that I'm complaining but it will be good when the redecorating is finished at the prison and we have access to our Fabric Storeroom again and there will be a place for everything and everything will be in its place!

Nice talking with you, thanks for stopping by - remember, "the surest way to be late is to have plenty of time", Leo Kennedy.

June


Monday 10 March 2014

Jump right in!


Glorious photo, isn't it?  Another of son Phil's of course........ shades of 'silver linings', but perhaps a reminder of the weird - and not always, wonderful, weather we've been having lately.

Remember the fogs? Wow, Wellington isn't known as Windy for nothing, and fogs don't usually hang around.

Trust Phil to go chasing off after the unusual weather -


I love the way it looks like a wave - which I suppose it is, just cloud, not water.

Do you use Twitter?  I've started following a couple of interesting [to me] people; Stephen Fry, Anthony Horowitz, Alan Davies - and then recently as Shut-in Stitcher tutors we were invited to meet Ann Tolley, the Minister of Corrections, at a morning tea at Arohata.  As we left the Minister said she would be tweeting one of the photographs !!

This one -


That's me on the right, we're holding a quilt made by one of the prisoners - the postcard block is very popular, as are the paua colours.


We sat chatting and looking over some of our photograph albums before going into the classroom where several of the prisoners were gathered, along with their quilts.  The Minister spoke to each woman, both Janet and I are so proud of the lovely quilts they have made - my grateful thanks to everyone who has supported this programme.

I went along to Capital Quilters recently and the lovely ladies gave me a different kind of bouquet - it comprised three pot plants! which my h-a-h has planted.......





I'm looking forward to seeing them fill the spaces!

I have been doing some quilting, but bearing in mind that "the artist finds a greater pleasure in painting than in having completed the picture". Seneca - I'm taking my time...........


In the foreground is a block of the month for Wellington Guild which I forgot to take last month, then a pile of ironing and a glimpse on the design wall of my next quilt - I just fancied doing something with the pastel coloured five inch squares I came across when I decided to sort two large containers of them....

Thank you all again for your supporting messages,
We'll talk again soon,
June