You can never have enough...

[Mica]

Morning all 
Storm here cold don't think they will be playing cricket

Good that your   stuff getting seen to KM well done Furry one

Couldn't get motivated yesterday so read my book. DS and DGC visited mid afternoon  while DH was still out. I did wonder where he was  he had called in and mowed  DD lawns and transplanted a few plants.

DD and DGD1 called in after dinner to collect some chutney 

Got to go supermarket  today and get some printer ink don't like venturing out into the craziness that is about at this time of year

Enjoy your day

[popeye333]

Morning everyone.

Lovely here. Im enjoying the cooler starts.. Kinda makes moving into the day easier.

I am unmotivated today. I need to do my blood, but I could leave it till tomorrow. Ive said that everyday this week.

Want to go to Pukekohe but dont want to go either lol

Have a fab day everyone

[Roma]

Good morning all.

Currently getting used to the swaying as we cross the Cook Strait. Best to stay seated! Wet and wild out there!

Lol  Mica, we added another 20 minutes to our journey to our son's place by getting in the wrong lane and ending back on the motorway    We were only minutes away ... crazy busy in Welly!

Pleased you now know what you are dealing with KM ... look forward to trying out all those road improvements. Keep at those rabbits Furry One!

Will be pleased to be back on dry land.

Have a good day all.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Got passionfruit vine planted, with netting stapled in place to support it as it winds its way round a small wooden safety fence on one of our pathways. Should be interesting when it fruits watching the opportunists magpie those purple globes. I am not that much of a fan of the fruit, but I do love the flowers, and that is enough of an excuse to plant it for me.

And then this evening I will be filling big containers with a rich vegie mix for lots of tomato seedlings. Dying to see what colours pop up out of these seeds, they look like good strong plants.

And while the heat of the day continues I have a small pile of CJBox novels I haven't read, so that takes care of those sticky hours. Tatty cat sleeps on in her cool corner, having woken me a 3am for an early breakfast she is now dead to the world till dinner time. At 3 pm. The cats body clock cannot be argued with...

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Well, best laid plans...

I went out late afternoon to sit in the shade with my wine and admire my various plantings only to discover the contract gardeners had ripped out all my newly established heritage tomatoes and pumpkin plants, nestled in the shelter of the feijoa hedge, but left most of the moth plant seedlings further down. We are guessing they can't tell a food plant from a noxious weed...

They were doing so well too.

So, I have replanted with the leftovers, and strung a bright yellow CAUTION tape across the plants, with luck they will take off and be well on their way by the time the sods come back in the New Year. Strange how heartbreaking such a thing is. Still, I have other gardens to comfort my heart. And then I finished off Yellowstone, going to miss those characters, I have become a real fan of Taylor Sheridan's work.

Coffee now, then a few more chapters. Tomorrow will be a better day.

[popeye333]

Morning everyone.

Yep up early so the smoke alarm people can check the alarms, Again. I know safe to have them checked but I think its the third or fourth time this year lol

Got all but a 2 by 3 meter area of the back lawn done last night. Run out of steam. And one of the leads died I think. For a fairly new one Im not happy. Ill get my neighbour to check it for me since he is a sparky.

Off to see my ladies today. David is bringing club sammies. Ill take my own lunch tho cos my list of dont eats would ruin it for everyone else.

Oops just noticed the hydrangea is looking a little droopy. Must need water.. Will do that before I go and of course that means it will rain later lol.

Have a fab day everyone

[kiwimade64]

morning ladies Bring on the rain!

ahhh the rough Cooks Strait ferry crossing lol. On a bad day it's bad! But on a good day, omg it's awesome.

Buggar, OHH, how disappointing for you to find the plants pulled out. And to leave the moth plant! Fingers crossed the new plants do well.

Yesterday was madness lol. My sister-in-law and her two big dogs arrived for lunch and bought a load of stuff from their other sister who has recently moved. Amongst all this stuff (sigh... more to the op shop) was my mother-in-law's embroidery threads and some of her patterns. There was also some half finished pieces. A whole shoe box full of threads! Mostly Anchor brand but my heart skipped several beats (probably the flutter lol) when I saw a bag of DMC coton-a-broderie. OMG, I couldn't believe it. And some gorgeous rayons from a brand I didn't recognise, a pile of random threads with no labels and perle threads of various colours in skeins and balls. It's going to take me days to sort out what is worth keeping (most of it) and what isn't. I'm in embroidery heaven lol. And it has all been stored in the dark so no perishing. For the first time since this heart stuff, I feel happy I have to rest lol as I can do the sorting then.

Then I came down to earth as I kicked my toe against the coffee table and my goodness it is sore. There were a few choice words as my toe turned black and swelled like a hot air balloon. It's still sore this morning so will have to wear shoes to protect it on a hot day.

Happy crafting

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Ouchies! But oh, the treasure and pleasure of threads sorting, I share your bliss.

I am still sad about my tomato plants, I hate seeing such waste, and all from pig ignorance - but hey, that's life I guess. And the shrub cordial I started cold processing yesterday is coming along nicely in a big jar on the kitchen bench. Deep pink and smelling very fruity, I need to add the vinegar later today before decanting the syrup, lots of taste testing to get the balance right. It is a fun way to use over ripened fruit...

[popeye333]

Annies picture finally has its glue coating.. It can dry today, maybe half of tomorrow than Ill paste it to the Canvas. And hopefully it will be dry enough to wrap for Monday.

Got the ingredients for a Carrot cake.. Do any of you ladies have a carrot cake cooked in the oven? I usually make my microwave one that I've been making since I was 18. But thought Id try an oven baked one if any of you have a tried and true recipe.

Alarm man has been so the Abusive alarm has been put back. Dam thing donged me on the head when it fell down. I suspect it was MrP who sorted that. He could be a real joker at times. So he promptly got told off.

Think I might wear some black pants and my Murderous T-shirt Dianne gave me today. Will match my candy cane earrings lol.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

https://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/cakes/carrot-cake/

This is the one I use popeye, and it is yummy.

[Mica]

Morning all 
Wet cold and windy

Idiots OHH call themselves gardeners/landscapers I suppose the company pays peanuts so get monkeys doing the job. I am sorry for your lost plants

Yippee KM lots yarn to sort early Xmas present

DS and GK picking me up shortly  we going to gluten free cafe in Petone DS needs GF sponge fingers to make the Xmas tiramasu  I will pick up some ice-cream cones and brandy snaps. I am too lazy to make the brandy snaps myself this year. Of course a cup of coffee and cream donut will be consumed while there

Not sure what I will get up to this afternoon

Enjoy your day

[Lilith7]

Well, best laid plans...

I went out late afternoon to sit in the shade with my wine and admire my various plantings only to discover the contract gardeners had ripped out all my newly established heritage tomatoes and pumpkin plants, nestled in the shelter of the feijoa hedge, but left most of the moth plant seedlings further down. We are guessing they can't tell a food plant from a noxious weed...

They were doing so well too.

So, I have replanted with the leftovers, and strung a bright yellow CAUTION  tape across the plants, with luck they will take off and be well on their way by the time the sods come back in the New Year. Strange how heartbreaking such a thing is. Still, I have other gardens to comfort my heart. And then I finished off Yellowstone, going to miss those characters, I have become a real fan of Taylor Sheridan's work.

Coffee now, then a few more chapters. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Its difficult to comprehend such utter vandalism & sheer ignorance especailly from alleged gardening experts/professionals.

---

Yesterday brought a bit of a surprise in the form of a small from youngest granddaughter; I thought about it for a bit but then curiosity got the better of me & I gave in & opened it.

A lovely little set of wooden coasters in the shape of owls but cut out - they look similar to jewellery filigree work, but of course larger & stronger, made by her partner's grandfather, &a note from her, with a draft of a poem she's working on. Obviously I'm biased but she has the ability to somehow create a world with just a few words. She'll surely be a writer one day.

Raining here so no garden work today but it means I can work some more on the paintings for the moon calendar, one almost completed & another slowly getting there.

[kiwimade64]

How lovely, Lilith Those are the kind of gifts we treasure the most.

I rested for a bit earlier, OK, it was an excuse to play with the threads lol. There are 20 of those, what I thought was rayon, skeins. Turns out they are vintage silk from the 1920's. What an honour to have these to stitch with. I saw one for sale online for 12 English pounds! And I was holding 20 of them. There will have to be a lot of thought before I use them. There was also a vintage crewel pattern (iron on) which I had photocopied so I might combine the two. Or I could design something of my own. I wish I knew what my mother-in-law had planned for them.

[Mica]

Lovely pressie Lilith 

Special thread KM

Roma hope you enjoyed your family visit  despite taking the scenic route. Traffic crazy all day at moment

Link th The Great British Sewing Bee 2024 Christmas Special which aired yesterday in UK
https://hdclump.com/the-great-british-se...cial-2024/

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Lost the net at midday and stupid me assumed it was part of the provider changeover... But no, the router was having a hissy fit. Never mind, it made me move stuff and that means I can vack in places no sun doth shine, lol, ready for when the Mercury boffins get to my name on their long list of Things to Do. And I have internet again.

Funny how we get dependent on technology we once lived very well without.

And I dealt to the moth plant seedlings. One way of dealing with garden angst! I have two very ancient long handled viciously sharp hoes, they made short work of the leftovers, and roughed up the soil under the feijoas rather nicely. I shall let weeds reappear over the next few months until I have dealt to most of them, then I think some wildflower seed might get scattered under there. But first, I need to educate the contractor team...

That'll be interesting. Not.

[popeye333]

Thanks for the recipe Hunni. Never thought about adding fruit or walnuts. And I do have whole meal flour.

What blardy ( Un public word) the so called gardeners are.. Karma will get them.

Wow Kiwimade what an amazing treasure to get. I inherited Mr. Ps mothers sewing box. It is the one thing Im not passing onto his niece. It now contains pieces from her and my grandmother. There will always be room for that, no matter what. The one thing that surprised me was a red lipstick in a , what I assume is stainless steel case. Not very big. I guess they made them to last back then.

We had a nice lunch with the ladies today and Dianne's two grandchildren. So we had 3 of the 4 generations from Dianne's side today. Her grandboy Lochie is soo skinny. Too skinny for my liking . but apparently he eats alot, but obviously burns it off.

David brought Bella and Max in. They both behaved very well. Caron gave us all a wee present, a bar of chocolate but also a wee jar of her Honey. OMG it looks sooo good. She thanked me for looking after her Mum when she cant be there, which was lovely.

Everyone loved my jeans and Murderous Tshirt.

Have done the last bit of the lawn. So the weekend is mine. I will stick the Painting onto the canvas tomorrow. The covering of PVA over the diamonds has dried and they haven't lost their sparkle so Im really pleased with it.

Smoke alarms sorted.

[kiwimade64]

morning ladies We've had a few showers of rain overnight, fingers crossed for a fine Christmas Day.

Wild flowers look gorgeous under hedges and smother weeds. Could you plant a banksia rose or another wild looking climbing rose to grow through it, OHH?

The Fluffy One crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday, my sister has done the right thing for her (finally). I had a few tears as she has been part of our family too. But we could see how sad she was when she stayed here last. She was 18 and a bit years old.

Christmas shopping is done and dusted, only the fresh stuff like cream and fruit to be bought closer to the day. Housework for me this morning, rest, baking (choc chip bikkies), rest, wrap the last of the gifts... there's a pattern there somewhere lol.

I need new bras. Nothing like having an ECG with a crappy bra on lol. I'll shop for that after Christmas.

I've wound all the inherited thread onto bobbins except for the silks. We watched 'The Great Escape' on Netflix yesterday so got quite a bit done then. Now to organise my sewing thread boxes and cupboard to make it all fit. I'll ask my daughter if she would like some of her Gran's threads when I see her next week.

Happy crafting

[Mica]

Morning all 
Fine start to the day

Sad for the humans when our furry companions leave us 

Had a lovely morning out, made more jam this time for DD as part of her Xmas gift to daycare people who do wonderful job.
Watched the 2024  Great  British  Sewing  Bee  Christmas  Special that aimed on Thursday UK time it is always entertaining 

No plans for today will see how I feel after I have done the house chores do certain jobs on certain days so that they get done regularly otherwise I might find something  else more  interesting  to do. 

Enjoy your day

[popeye333]

Morning everyone

Overcast with a wee bit of rain.

Lol Kiwimade I think we all do that re the bras . The only time Ive been thankful for less than a handful was when I had my valve replaced. The other ladies were big busted and had to wear their bras straight away for support, I didn't need to. Yay. I imagine it would have add more pain. It also means I only need those crop top type bras which cost WAYYY less than real bras.

Today after doing my games, and then adding the picture to the canvas I will tidy the kitchen, it kinda becomes a dumping ground Through the week. Ill vacuum at some stage too.

But all with the cricket on, hopefully not rained off again .

Found out yesterday that Cam Loves Meerkats.. Well that is awesome cos MrP did too. And while I like them I like only certain ones of his collection. so hopefully David will come and pick up the concrete ones. They are too heavy for me to lift. And David could put them somewhere in Cams room or take them home.

I did something wrong yesterday and its been playing on my mind. Fernanda at the home is scared of dogs. But I encouraged, probably too much for her to pat Bella or Max. She did, but I saw she was worried. I shouldn't have pushed her, but Im so pleased she did. I told her she could trust both of these dogs, and if you were ever going to try and ease your fear of them, there really was only one way. I feel bad now. She said her heart was pounding. Im going to get her a wee present as an apology..

Have a fab day everyone

[kiwimade64]

morning ladies Another wet day, the garden is loving this!

Yesterday I went through my mother-in-law's patterns, some designed by her and others purchased. Wow, there are some beauties. Gorgeous border designs of all sorts and sizes, flowers, frog, insects and so on. I thought it was just me who kept a notebook book of designs and ideas lol, but she did as well, mainly how-to sew various stitches. One of the notebooks she had was about her painting, she was also a great artist, and we have several of her paintings hanging on the walls. I might see if MrK's niece's wife would like it as she makes her living from painting.

All of the inherited threads have been stowed away ready for use and a pile put aside for our daughter if she wants them. It meant having a shuffle around in my cupboard but what else was I going to do on a wet day

Housework is done except for this big cobweb I spotted last evening, blimmen spiders. Gifts are wrapped and under the tree. All that needs doing is to pick up fresh fruit for the fruit salad and some cream. Considering we had barely started Christmas stuff a week ago, I think we've done all right.

The sunflowers are beginning to flower only two survived. But they will be a mass of gorgeous deep red-burgundy soon.

Happy crafting