on this day

oh so long ago, back in 1989 in  Papatoetoe, Auckland  we got married!

And here we are 30 years later.....just where did the time go??  So many memories of moments, travels and family members  most now gone

So cheers to us, for many more anniversaries to come.

And how will we celebrate today?   Maybe lunch out or order  dinner in.  Simple pleasures.

welcome to November

Happy Birthday to my daughter!   A mere 44 years ago my dear daughter was born......and that makes me well  a bit older now doesn't it?

October slipped on by.  Lots of spinning done and yarn  wound in skeins.   Let the knitting begin!

This past week has been quite loud with fireworks.  It started last weekend (or a bit before) heralding Diwali celebrations and has just continued on to Halloween.  Even in the wee hours this morning fireworks were still being let off.

And now that the calendar has turned over to November, the retail world seems full on to Christmas.  No bah humbugs here......

Again this year I'll try to make our Christmas more home spun.  Simple pleasures.  Less stress. 

Speaking of simple pleasures.....Walnut and cinnamon biscotti....just the right amount of crunch.  This batch didn't last long.  Definitely a new favorite.  I've two batches of the make ahead dough in the freezer too.

Seems we have at least two more times of changing the clocks.   Although legislation is in the works to stay on daylight savings time, we're not there yet.  And  so we fall back an hour on Sunday. 

Borrowing from a blog friend  (Four Miles North of Nowhere), every day we should remember to be:

thankful

grateful

blessed

till next time, 

take care .....

bye September

It's been a busy few weeks.   And here we are, September 30th.

So nice to finish recent spinning projects.  Bit by bit  there are improvements with my hand spinning.

I was lucky to welcome a Lark spindle to my spindle flock.   Ms. Lark is wonderful!

And on my needles a shawl wrap.  Thus far it's an evening project with a simple pattern repeat.  It's sure nice having spun this yarn and now getting the pleasure to make something.

To mark the day, it started out with frost on the rooftops (and I might add this is far too early for this) along with single digit temperatures so indoors it felt much better with the space heaters going.   In between indoor stuff...laundry...making a pot of soup, making mac and cheese bits..........all good so far so I decided to time to head outdoors and enjoy a bit of sunshine while cleaning up plants.   From there it went downhill quickly.  Sully usually steers clear of bees, wasps, the large, lazy bumble bee  well except for today.  He lunged at a wasp and ended up with a mouthful of said wasp (which was spit out).  As far as we can tell in checking him over he didn't get stung.  I'm not sure if he less impressed by the experience or my giving him some liquid Benadryl.   To make amends, he got a lick of ice cream.  Seriously, it's like talking to a child "Didn't I tell you not to ".....

well onward to October......Happy Fall!

dusting off the cobwebs

I'm still here.   July became August and now  here we are mid September.


This summer tried new recipes.....variations of fermented veggies (yum), ginger bug (still on the go) and cauliflower pickles (crunchy and oh so good).   My fridge is getting a bit full.

Lots of hand spinning.  Tour De Fleece in July was a blast.  My plyboard has been put to the test  and it works!   Now I'm considering a smaller version, a turtle board.  More to come on this.




Late August we enjoyed whale tails.

And a ride through the trail of tall trees.

Bring on fall!!  Soups to make, knitting to do, fresh bread to bake  and  fresh coffee to brew.
More coffee please......

where is summer?

Out on the west coast summer has yet to find it's way for anything more than a day or two. I guess compared to heat waves, earthquakes, floods, etc. this is quite ok thank you.

Tomorrow brings the Tour de France.   And the Tour de Fleece......and so it begins...

Welcome Summer!

Simple pleasures in the garden....Spurt II works well, beans and tomatoes are doing well and
the canna lilies have come up.

It seems that every day we have 'seasons'...sunshine and a hint of warmth then clouds and wind.  For late June 11 C in the morning...brrr.  Pour another cup of coffee please.


Sometimes a plan comes together.   I wanted a small plyboard for the turtle singles (what you get when spinning with a Jenkins spindle).   After looking at many diy ideas online I came up with this.  In the process I discovered that when buying a length of wood check the actual measurement!!  There is a difference between advertised  and actual . 

The green board lives with me and the brown one was gifted to a friend.

My May June challenge on the Ravelry Jenkins group is complete.  The 4 oz braid of Balsam is done.
Next up a spa day (final wash/dry for skeins of yarn).  Today might be the day!

Next up on Ravelry will be the Tour de Fleece.  July means lots of spinning (with new roving to try) while enjoying the Tour de France.

now it's back to the garden to pick fresh herbs....

till next time.....

a minor reprieve

Yesterday was too hot, 30 C and it lasted well in to the evening.

At 9 am it was 26 in the family room so with reluctance we brought out the ac units.  One minor detail...we forgot where the drainage hoses were put...  eventually they were located, set up and water puddles cleaned up due to the error of our ways.   With the ac's up and running it made a big difference inside  One day's use won't add too much to the hydro bill (here's hoping).

And this morning, a lovely light breeze and cooler.  21 at the moment.  This is how it should be.

Time to water the tubs on the patio.

till next time....

it's that kind of day

Cooler again and overcast  so the perfect time to bake.  Strawberry muffins and a loaf, two loaves of bread and a pan of rolls. Currently in the oven, a layered veggie egg white quiche for dinner tonight.  And there went my morning and part of my afternoon!

Yesterday was perfect for fleece drying.  While I continue washing small batches this is my make do drying rack.  It actually works pretty good.  The basin underneath is just to catch any drips of water....and keep a certain little dog out (lol).

Seeds in the boy's garden boxes are growing.  Even since Sunday when Noah and Nate checked them there is new growth.  It's such a fun project for them........aside from digging in the dirt.

And now while there is a bit of time this afternoon it's back to hand spinning  for me.

till next time ....

getting ready to board

Please go over to Nadine's blog for the 3rd Tour of France.      http://jocondine.blogspot.com   It's a fun game to play along.   Travels through France are delightful.  And Nadine's drawings and work setting it up, well amazing!

Bonne chance!

blowing in the wind

For this first Monday of June sunshine and blue skies ...so nice....except it's stayed windy all day (and cold unless you're in the sun)  so how to take advantage of the situation.... make it a fleece wash day.  I carefully opened  my box of Blaise fleece and removed enough to put in two basins.  A cold soap soak followed by a hot soap soak and then a rinse soak.  The excess water has been removed from both lots and they're currently air drying in a mesh bag/hangers.

Lovely to work with.  I can't wait to see what it's like to spin with.  Thank you to Michelle of Boulderneigh  for your Shetland sheep    https://boulderneigh.blogspot.com  and of course to Blaise.

The week is off to a great start!

till next time......