Shades and Perfumes in the Garden

These were all planted by Ken and Yvonne Baird, and Hugh and I enjoy their perfume  and colours each day.The Conifer is a favourite place for the cats, lying in hiding, waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting person or bird.












The Bearded Iris and Solomon’s Seal are from our friend’s gardens and flourish here in the Springtime.


   I have photos from Kaffee Fassett’s Book,
 Simple Shapes,Spectacular Quilts, but on reading the fine print inside, cannot publish them without written permission. So I will ponder, look over again and again, marvel at his perfect choices of colour combinations, and maybe put the book on “ The Wish List” for Christmas.Even if I do not start or finish one of the quilts in this book, the photographs are  a delight all on their own.

Quotation of the day, from  Ben Johnson, 1573-1637

“In  small proportions we just beauty see,

And in short measures life may perfect be.”

Cheers from Jean

Travels on a Wet Day

                 
Hugh and I started out for a day of Photography!!! The weather deteriorated into solid rain.
This lovely dog sat waiting very patiently for Mum, and then  agreed to pose  for me.
We went through Kimbolton, to the Kawhatau Valley.Not much traffic on the windy, metal road.
The  cliffs might be composed of “greywacke” ( not sure) but my research into this led me to all sorts of detailed and complicated Geology Reports.They looked unstable in many places and there had been some small rock falls.

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On the way home we passed a paddock with calves, one stood still long enough for one photo.The lupin leaves all were“ Water Catchers” and I managed to get almost into the water, proof that I was There!!!Note my grey SalomonWalking Shoe!!! The tramping boots stayed in my pack.Big sigh!!!
The old homes seemed to say “Look at Me”, and in days gone by would have had
happy families living there, in those days a very isolated life, although it did look like
they maybe had  power.the smaller one would have been a welcome haven on those cold winter days with snow on the hills nearby.





I would like to think that these “ Clean Green’ images show some of
the countryside from areas well away from towns,cities and traffic.
Peace and Isolation, for sure!!

Quotation of the day from 

 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832

“ All theory, dear friend, is grey,

 but the golden tree of actual life springs ever green"

Cheers from Jean

Blindside-Flankers, Props, and More

During the past weeks, the  TVNZ Breakfast Team has been entertaining us as usual, but
also  giving us knowledge of the terms of Rugby Positions, players and where they are on the field, passes and tackles that are OK, those that are not and lots more.
At times we even saw some of the team performing with a rugby ball, showing us
what the pass was, and how to do it.Not normally a Rugby Fan, I have followed the RWC 2011 every day, have match results printed out, and
 have even a glimmer of knowing what the professionals are talking about.
But, at home, I have a PROP. Not a Tighthead  prop, or even a Loosehead prop.
Just a PROP  that held  up the end of the bigger tree trunk.Sadly, the larger tree trunk jammed the chainsaw, and I had to hold  the saw as Hugh cut the PROP,  it let the big saw come free, I yelled, held on tight, and jumped, yes JUMPED, out of the way, and so that was the end of the PROP.
.No chance of a photo of all that drama, much  too serious at the time.
The cut rounds show off the swirls and the rings telling of the tree’s age. I would like to have pavers of these, the beauty would be there to see every day.Maybe I can persuade the man to leave a few???I think he has next year’s firewood in the master  plan right now.

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Quotation  of the day from Alexander Pope, 1688-1744

an excerpt from Pastorals, 

Where’er you walk,cool gales shall fan the glade,

Trees,where you sit,shall crowd into a shade:

Cheers from Jean

Shades of Purple and Dark Glasses

Photo courtesy of the Internet.
Does this reflect the faces of the All Blacks, dark glasses and such a huge smile???
Well done, all, enjoy the parades, get used to the media, the crowds, the photo sessions, it is all in the day’s work for you.
This last week I had hoped to get one project finished. Trees, a day out, and the clear up after Baz’ work have all interrupted the sewing.


      










the Cat’s face started out with embroidery thread, but that was too dull, the ears no good in the purple fabric, lime green looked a lot better.
In Kaffe Fassett’s book he had a dark background for the photos, but this was way too deep a shade. Purple is better!!!
.The thread I used was shiny metallic, but still seemed  not to shine as I wanted it to.A few more changes and it started to look OK.

Off to the trees again today, that will be an on-going daily task for some time.Baz took  less than half a day to fell 4 huge trees,here he is , high up a tree  another time.Photo courtesy of Hugh’s camera. In the Piropiro forest, huge machinery makes light work of the massive pines.




 

Quotation of the day from Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892 

 an excerpt from  Ulysses,

“ To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”

Cheers from Jean

RWC 2011

That’s all for tonight. Well Done the All Blacks.
Photo below Courtesy of the Internet

Quotation of the day from Lord Byron 1788-1824

“ You have  deeply ventured;

But all must do so who would greatly win . ”

Cheers from Jean

If You Go Down To The Woods Today??

Take your work gloves,raincoat,earmuffs and wear the working boots as well.
Then heave a huge sigh of relief ( quietly of course) as Hugh says those magic  words
“ That’s it for today” as the rain fell in  abundance. Good!, GOOD !! GOOD.!!!
         
Next on the menu, literally was lunch. Then out again, to see a friend.
Pansies,Broccoli, Tamarillos are all in my friend's garden.

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Who could resist taking more photos,
those pansy faces seemed to say
“Look at  me”, so I did.




Purple broccoli, a great colour combination, and I guess, also great in the kitchen.
One tamarillo refused to stay still and swayed in the wind.No chance of a perfect shot there.

Quotation of the day from Sir  Winston Leonard Spencer- Churchill, 1874-1965

( In public life the surname  Sir Winston used was Churchill , as his father had done)

“However beautiful the  strategy, you should  occasionally look at the results.”

Cheers from Jean

The “Fella” is a FELLER

  Today Baz came on his usual twice-yearly visit to do the hard work.Some trees
are just too difficult to fell now, ( for the older folks who live here!!) and Baz  makes light work of a hugely difficult and  dangerous job. The gear, safety harness, spikes on the boots, winch ,ropes and steel wires all there and ready for use.

I kept well out of the way, but listened for the loud call of “TIMBER”
and knew that the tree is now on its merry way to be next year’s firewood.
The Tasmanian  Blackwood trees  seem to have a mind of their own, and do not grow straight, but prefer a lean, and not in the right direction to make the felling easy at all.However, they do make lovely firewood, and next winter
will be doing a great job, after many years spent growing tall, of keeping us cosy and warm.






WOW.look at this, the cat scraps are sorted. Scroll down,
The strips are SEWN, can you believe it?
All I need to do is decide on the face fabric, stitch some eyes,whiskers and nose, and put it together. I think it will not be a soft toy, but go onto a bag. There are another set of colours to be done tomorrow.

                                        

Quotation of the day from Caecilius Statius, 220BC – 168BC

“ He plants trees to benefit another generation

Cheers from Jean