post

Our postie has been very busy just of late....

I think my button obsession is starting to get a little out of control!

I think I really need to stay away from TradeMe for a while, and no more cups of tea in front of the computer!

birds and beds

With the trip to the pet shop on Friday, the munchkins are now hot on animals.
All animals, but as we already have Milly there is no room for any more pets at our place.

There is however room for the wild life and a bird has made her nest in the roof of our garage.

Ella felt a little sad that we couldn't bring her inside to live, so we compromised and brought the bird a honey bell.

Which is now hanging in one of our Olive trees in the front garden.

And with the Olives beginning to ripen she and her babies have lots to eat.

I have been a reader of Alicia Paulson blog - Posy Gets Cozy for some time now, and love her blog.
Way back in January of 2007 she started a now huge following and mass making, all over the world Ripple Along Crochet Blanket craze.
You can check out her finished blanket here.

At the time I had no idea how to crochet, but wanted to make one for Button.
So I hassled Mum to work out the pattern (because the book that has the stitch pattern is $60 here and I'm too mean to buy it, and couldn't find it at the library).
And luck have it at the time Spotlight was having a sale, and I almost brought the entire stock of Zhivago for $1 a ball.

When I had finished sorting through all the yarns, and made a list of the colours, I followed the link to the Random Stripe Generator, loaded them all in and hit the refresh button a whole lot of times until I got this:



Now all I needed to do was learn to crochet.
I am a lazy student and only learnt how to chain on and double crochet or in the Queens English, treble.



So this is how far I have got in a year and a half.
I am sooo slow, and keep putting it aside to knit instead.

I do like the way the colours are coming together, and when I asked Ella which was her favourite she pointed to each one and said "this one, this one, this one..." along the length so far of the blanket.
So at the blistering pace I am setting, it might just be ready in time for her 21st birthday!

Well a least I get to enjoy a big pot of tea while I crochet at the pace of a snail!

ella's friday adventure

wet feet

With all the crazy, ever changing weather that we have had lately, I am feed up with getting home from kindy drop offs and pick ups with wet feet!

Well no more!
My lovely Mum brought these beautiful gumboots for me to stomp up and down the street in.



Thanks Mum, I love them!

I have been knitting like mad to finish some birthday gifts.
This is for our friends daughter who turns 21 this weekend.

The yarn is Perendale by Crucci, and 100% home grown New Zealand wool.
It is super soft and snugly, and a dream to knit with.
The picture has lightened the colour a little, but I think that it has turned out nicely.
I just hope it is to her taste!
You can find the pattern for yourself here.


I also knitted a matching pair of fingerless gloves.



I won't be knitting these again in a hurry.
I made the pattern up, using the stitch pattern for the shrug.
And had to rip the first pair about four times before the pattern finally clicked in my brain.


All knitting was modeled by the lovely M.
Thanks a bunch, and it was lovely to catch up with you and your girls yesterday!
Drinking tea, eating cake, and watching the kids get up to mischief.

wanganui holiday

Last week we were in Wanganui on holiday.
To catch up with family, there were a couple of birthdays (Father in law and middle nephew).

And seeing Mum off at the airport, she has swapped bad weather for sun and 31 digress in Fiji!
Oh how I wish I was with her!



The kids had a great time, spending as much of it as possible with their Dad.

Mostly hanging out at the beach...






and Kowhai park.





It was also a timely visit, the day after we arrived my and little sisters Grandma passed away.
She was 88 years old, grew up on a farm in Timaru, and had seen and done more than most.
But I don't think that she fully recovered from the shock of our Dad's sudden death this March.
And to some extent willed herself to be with him.

This is her at about age 20 (I think), just before she went over to the Solomon Islands during WW2.
She was a Private and served as a WREN.

I will miss drinking lots of cups of tea with her (this lady could drink tea, and red wine like a fish!)
and listing about all her adventures, and our Irish family history.