Dog, cat and earrings

Here's the dog - amazing rock formation near Waitomo, photo taken by my son Phil a few weeks ago. Reminds me of the games we used to play trying to form recognisable animals as shadows on a wall.   I think a butterfly was the best I could do - lock thumbs and wiggle the 'hands' for wings.......

I was looking for a pair of earrings recently, retro ones in a particular orange and green, so out came a couple of containers from the cupboards under the wardrobe [yes, an actual wooden wardrobe with curved sides, a mirror that takes me down two dress sizes, a drawer in the centre and two cupboards with curved doors on either side] and there it was -

a little battered, metal and bought at a jumble sale in England in the eighties on one of my family visits.

It's a cigarette box [I became a non smoker in 1976 - June the 16th to be exact!] but I loved the box, and had to have it for the box of matches and the slogan - looks like I paid three pound for it.

The slogan says "Craven "A" will not affect your throat" - hmmmmmmm

At the end of the road where I lived in Selsey, was a shop; actually an ordinary house where they had turned part of the ground floor into a shop - sort of like a dairy nowadays, no idea if it's still there - but on the end of the wall of the house, with maximum frontage was a huge metal sign of just that red matchbox - I used to read it every day and I remember having difficulty when I was little with the word 'throat' - funny, the things we recall from childhood.

At the meeting of Capital Quilters recently a donation was made to the Shut-in Stitchers - a large bag of  mainly fabric, on the top was a large piece of beautiful, paisley style which is much in demand among some of the women.

I noticed a bit sticking out the side and when I opened out the fabric, there was more....

All those little triangles, so nearly joined and carefully ironed, so I turned it over -

Oh my goodness, it's a kind of Stack and Whack, isn't it?

The same number of strips that have been joined are waiting to be sewn together - I'll have to find one of the women who has the skills to finish this - wish me luck!

 - How funny, I've just opened my quotation app and it says, "A problem is a chance for you to do your best." Duke Ellington - no way I'm going to finish sewing this!

In the middle of this long gravel beach stood a group of three 8 foot tall rocks. 
After a monster southerly storm and a few earthquakes here last year, the middle one was swallowed by the Cook strait.
At a slow 5th of a second shutter speed, one of the two remaining rocks gains salty wings.
Wainui Coast, Wellington.

And the earrings - very prosaic, but pretty I think - well maybe pretty is the wrong word, but they do make a statement!

Thanks for dropping by, 

June

Kapiti and Capital

I could have used one of these this afternoon - about half way through my walk actually!  Phil took this a couple of days ago after enjoying a coffee at a little cafe up the Kapiti coast.

I decided it was time I got more exercise and with the glorious day today, no wind! and bright sunshine, the thought crossed my mind that it would be a perfect chance to walk to the esplanade - and maybe even enjoy a coffee from the cart I've mentioned before........then I got a text and it was Phil, suggesting just that!  He does look after me........

I found it a bit difficult at first, the air was still but soooo cold  - using my scarf as a filter helped - even better was to stop talking! ummmm    We walked to the beach, then turned right, got our coffee then continued to the wharf - I've posted many photos taken by Phil in the past - many others had the same idea, families and dogs galore.  I admit half way home I could feel the results of unaccustomed exercise, at nearly 6k it's about the sum total of my walking for the past six months!

I mentioned it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, this is the planter box I received -

I love those pansy faces - and in the garden I noticed another pink camellia - what a beautiful flower this is, I can forgive the pinkness!

It was Capital Quilters' meeting yesterday, as usual they had most interesting blocks of the month -

and the one for next month is fun -

I must have plenty of selvedges left on my old yardage!

I took particular notice of a quilt made by Sandra for a young man, we often get asked for fabric specifically for males at the prison, and it's sometimes difficult to get enough that doesn't have flowers on it!

Here's a closeup -

the woollen dark is so effective, don't you think?  I believe it was a kitset (or two)!

I think I'll have a hot shower before bed - a spa bath would be great - in my dreams! - my knees and hips are complaining about the well overdue exercise - I think Sir Walter Scott hit the nail on the head when he said, "Too much rest is rust".

Get a load of this lovely sunset, Phil took it from along the road from the chairs - please click on it to enlarge then you can see the full glory of the view of the south island.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the long weekend holiday [Queen's Birthday for non kiwis]
Take care,
June

Don't mention the weather.....

......because today ain't nothing like this!  Phil took this one day last week in the 'Rapa so beautiful and peaceful with little cotton balls of clouds........you can fill in the gaps saying what the weather is like today at your place.

We had another good day at the prison quilting yesterday - and I was delighted when one of the women told me she was making another cat quilt - this is the miniature we use as a teaching aid; the little quilt is made using curtain squares so we can cover cutting, sewing an accurate seam, measuring for a border then machine quilting and binding - done on a little piece that covers the basics before they start on a queen size one, which is the usual first quilt size they ask to do!  They do get satisfaction when the little one is completed and now that we have offcuts of polar fleece for the backing, they are perfect pet quilts.

I took this one along to the meeting at Pinestream and at her request will donate it to the local SPCA Op shop in Petone -

Also at the meeting were several quilts made by members to donate to the current charity, IDEA Services home; we are making the quilts for a specific person, my nominee likes nature and walking so the Rainforest quilt should fill the bill -

I hope she enjoys using it, either side!

Our speakers for the evening were Fabric by three - familiar faces from the Wellington area quilting scene - good to see those who are taking their passion to another level.

I've always loved "home" dyed fabric - you know what I mean.  And the other string to their bow is the range of patterns -

You can see the samples in the front, and behind them two more quilts for IDEA - two males who love cats and dogs.

This quilt for donation gives me some ideas for a  bland one I have - the only time I won block of the month!

The addition of the stylised flowers and border really make this quilt sing, don't you think?

I don't read nearly as much these days as I used to but I'm working on that because I do love a good book.  I was lent one a couple of weeks ago and persevered, probably the subject matter was not my favourite - set in France and with much relevance to the Vichy government during WWII, I remember my parents talking about this.......it also covered anti Jew atrocities which I find most difficult to read about - added to which the 'hero' was a wimp [that's ok, we can't all be heroes] but his sex drive was inappropriate and wishful thinking..........add to that I can't even remember the name of the book or the author......

I am now starting to read one of my favourite authors, Margaret Forster - I just loved "Have the men had enough?" and "The Battle for Christabel", so I have high hopes for this one -

Another spooky quotation, spooky because of what I've just written and when I opened the quotations app on my iPad, here it is, "These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves." Gilbert Highet

So I'll leave you for now with another photo from Phil, one he took after climbing to the top of Kupe's sail at Cape Palliser - wow, what a view....

Thanks for stopping by, take care
June

A good week!

To me this looks like something out of a Sci Fi movie - but it's the pier at New Brighton, near Christchurch, taken by Phil on a recent visit.

I mentioned a while ago that I had forgotten my password for my iMac [actually I'm convinced it became corrupted when I tried to upgrade a Pop Up to enable me to watch videos......and that's the story I'm sticking to!] Everything's in working order now, I have a new password so all on the computer front at home is sweet - at the office is another matter!!

I had a most frustrating week recently when I upgraded to Seven.....probably the main trouble was a misunderstanding of what I expected to be done.  I thought I had instructed the IT man to install the new software and have it ready for me to use, all in working order including the ability of the wages programme to send emailed payslips - come Monday morning and I tried to do the wages, well actually I switched on and it couldn't find the mouse - I plugged in a non-wireless one - then it couldn't find the printer, so I dealt with that - then it wouldn't talk nicely to the bank - the help staff there are so good - then it couldn't send the emails or do a wireless backup..........by which time I called it a day :)

I now know why the IT industry is so large, it's definitely still a growth industry.

Usually it takes me longer to put half a dozen payslips in envelopes for the few who don't want theirs to come by email than it does to do the whole wage programme,

Handwork is so soothing........I've made a decent start on quilting the pictures my granddaughters drew on calico.  I machine quilted with a wavy line round each block, then it's just a question of having fun with their pictures -

Not quite sure what the first two creatures are, so anything goes...

the paint's pretty thick here......

Here's something that usually graces the wall of my sewing room -

it's quite small as you can judge by the size of the pins and the marks on the design cloth, this was done by one of the Shut-in Stitchers a few years ago; we were able to take in kitsets that were donated and pass them on to anyone interested.  The young woman who did this was one of the most meticulous stitchers I've every come across, both hand or machine work - you'll not be surprised to know that the back was as neat as the front.  I thought she would keep it for one of her family but she insisted on giving it to me to say thank you.

I've put together the green quilt previously shown as Rainforest, it's changed appearance two or three times but is now finished and quilted and I'm hand sewing the binding - it's been a while and I'd forgotten how long it is all round the quilt!

This large piece of vintage fabric is perfect for the back - I'll be able to reveal the whole thing next time.

Well, the week ended on an extra high note, Saturday was my birthday and I had good fun at the prison with the quilters then a family meal and presents  - I'm such a lucky person with so much to be thankful for.

And to finish this evening, "I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time.  Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult." E.B. White

and another photograph from Phil, this time of South Wairarapa coast rocks -

Thanks for stopping by,
June

Happy Sunday!

I love the colours of the setting sun at an angle through a break in the clouds, taken by Phil at Wainui Beach recently - as it's three weeks since I last posted, I have so many photos of his to share with you  - maybe not as much stitching, but some progress :)

I was uncertain about the border of a pastel baby quilt, so I tried out a few options -

This was the main border I chose, so I tried various narrow strips to set it off, first a darkish green, then

a slightly more subtle green/yellow - then more yellow/green

then pale green with yellow -

then I had another big think, tidied up some baskets and chose this -

which I love!  Moral of the story, remember to listen to the quilt!

The garden is looking great, thanks to my h-a-h [hire a hubby] - it's amazing what a difference weeding and feeding makes.  The orange and red flowers are pretty strong now,

so I'm quite happy to welcome the first of the winter pinks -

I've always loved books and reading - think I might have mentioned that before - had another long look at a couple of golden oldies - maybe I won't tell Customs that when I brought one of these books into the country in 1958, I was pressing leaves.......

You'll notice they each have a brown paper dust jacket and I used to colour in the pictures - that's The Adventurous Four at the top and the Magic Faraway Tree both read and re-read many times.   Birds, Trees & Flowers was illustrated so no need for my pencils.  There were many great walks around where I lived in Sussex, family myth is that one day we saw an adder!? but who could resist plants with such names as Greater Knapweed and Woolly-headed thistle - and the Way-faring tree, Ladies' bedstraw or the Bog Pimpernel?

There's another piece of fabric pinned on my design wall, it's crying out for me to turn it into a quilt but I have promised myself to finish at least one - i.e. quilted and bound, before I start piecing anything else - still, there's no harm in auditioning some of my scraps, is there?

Can you make out the label at the top? a click on it will enlarge,

What do you think? kitchen curtains? and the reverse of the label -

but my mind boggles at actually wearing this, much as I love the fabric......

I'm pressing ahead with quilting the blocks of pictures my granddaughters drew onto calico, great for the evenings watching a DVD - though not the one I have at present which is in Danish or Swedish with sub titles, very complicated so I have to really watch, a series called The Bridge - very european with smoking and nudity - educational too, it made me check on Google earth to find out where these places are, my memory of school geography has faded!

Did you know in 1984 classes were being offered in NZ on String Patchwork, Cathedral Window, Machine quilting, Christmas Decorations, Padded photo albums, round boxes, folded patchwork techniques and machine applique - plus there was an exhibition in Whangarei of Wearable Art and the first edition of Quiltalk, the New Zealand newsletter for Quilters was published - and of course, it was the year of the first National Symposium - I remember it well.  With a past like that, the future can only be fantastic!!

I must share another photo from Phil, on a beautifully calm day in the Wairarapa a low cloud drifted over the lake -

and how's this for a spookily apt quotation, "The past is a course of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope.  Love of the past implies faith in the future." Stephen Ambrose

Nice chatting with you, thanks for being there.
June

Busy doing nothing..........

From dawn - as this great photo by Phil, taken from Petone wharf shows, long exposure and just enough breeze to give a shot worth keeping [as he puts it]  to dusk!  Not really, just seems that some days I am chasing my tail - like a recent frustrating day trying to sort out the problems with my computer password - finally came to a head when I couldn't upgrade the maps on my Satnav.  I made an appointment with the guru at Yoobee in town, and after two visits, plus phone calls everything's working - sort of.  I now have to log on with a password, never done that before but each time I read through the notes of how to return to the old system of just switching on, I get cold feet.   It's not that bad really but there's a weird old photo of me showing - goodness knows where that came from, looks a bit like fooling around with the granddaughters.........

I mentioned  that two of my newly reupholstered chairs had different designs on the back, sort of Art Deco I think -

Funny thing, the other one is slightly different -

No doubt about it, the seats are so much more comfortable - I keep moving them around the table so they will wear evenly.

I've been doing some more tidying in the sewing room, and some sewing and to keep me company, I've been watching a favourite oldie -

Did you ever watch the series?  Great acting and writing, I'd like to know why Rob Lowe was written out/left the series; he was given top billing at the beginning.......

The baby type pastel top I've been working on is at the border choosing stage, which is giving me a bit of a headache, this was my initial pick for the border and binding -

but I'm having second and third thoughts - will fossick around a bit more and get back to you!

I did start this post by mentioning dawn, well here's dusk -

or, more accurately - sunset from Day's Bay.

The forecast is pretty dismal for the next week or so, so here's a thought to ponder on, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces up, and snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.", so says John Ruskin

Thanks for stopping by,
Back soon
June

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