The wethers will have what I call “hunkered down” this week to get out of the snow, the wind, or the frost.so will all the other animals wherever they are.
For those of you not accustomed to farming terms…a baby sheep is a lamb, a female sheep is a ewe, a mother sheep is a dam, a male sheep( entire or intact) is a ram, and a castrated male sheep is a wether.
Onto the weather. with snow falls ranging from 10cm up to 70 cm( this is 28 inches) in both the South and North Islands. Many roads have been closed, school bus morning schedules delayed until the frost had started to melt, and a blizzard on the ski field about 2 hours north of us. A friend who lives between Taupo and Napier has had a huge washout on the side road where they live, he says 3 buses could drop into it, and they have no access to a main road. I hope they have ample coffee and other necessities!!!
Tonight,a few magical moments in the western skies. I thought hard about whether I would venture out, gale southerly winds, freezing cold, so quickly donned hat, neck warmer, Gore-Tex coat, and caught the last of that glorious red. Those colours change so fast, in those few moments the deepest red had almost all gone.
Inside, Joyce and I have been busy stitching, and some are by hand,some with the machine. Naturally Boris had to be in for the fun as well. The first two patterns, or 3 photos, are from Jacquelynne Steves “ Maggies First Dance BOM” .
The square box is a scrap and thread catcher, with machine thread stitching on 4 panels. An international lot of goodies… Calico from China maybe. inside fabric from Japan, silk binding from Singapore, and this pattern and the next one are from New Jersey where Jacquelynne lives. Hop to her blog to find more.
This is the same pattern, Joyce did hers with hand embroidery.
This will be a pocket on a bag, made in the red silk.
Some other stitching by Joyce, these will all go onto bags, so I am going to be a busy girl sometime soon.
The fires are going all day and night, we reached a mighty 5 Celsius yesterday, ( for us here, that is low!!!) and I am so thankful for a plentiful supply of firewood.
Quotation of the day, from Bob Dylan
“If you think the summer sun is too hot,
just remember,
at least you don’t have to shovel it”
Greetings from Jean
23 comments:
Keep warm down there - at least you have the firewood. We think it is cold up here but nothing compared to yours.
Nice to read your post! Boris sure has settled in. Your sewn pieces are lovely and embroidered pieces very nice as well. I'm ready to do more embroidering too.
Your temps sound cold to me. I try to do outdoor things in the mornings then hibernate in the a.c. the rest of the day. You hibernate in front of a fire. We're both doing what we need to to survive our climates.
Have a lovely weekend dear Jean ~ FlowerLady
Just learned from your blog the term for a castrated sheep. (We didn't raise sheep on our mostly dairy farm.) In our sweltering summer here, it's hard to imagine that the opposite side of the world is shivering. But your warm house, good company and fabric craft will help you enjoy inside play. And before long, our planet will rotate to your turn in the sun. Boris seems happy to share the indoor cheer.
Hello, Jean! Thanks for the farming terms, the male sheep term is new to me. I do not miss snow and cold weather, I am happy for our hot humid weather right now. Great quote!
Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
beautiful needlework! i love your kitty assistant. oh, your friend's predicament sounds terrible with the road wash-out!
The sunset was gorgeous. So glad you bundled up to get the shot. It sure sounds like winter is hitting hard there for some. I see your snow has melted already, but it's definitely cold. Put another log on the fire, Jean! You are obviously keeping busy with all your fun projects...
Oh my goodness. That is a lot of snow. Reminds me of colder days. It has been in the 95 degree range here since June. The heat index ranges from 100 to 115. I picture you by the fire with Hugh sipping on hot steaming mugs of fresh coffee. Carol
I should post that quote on my wall because I'm suffering in the heat here. Love the embroidery. Inspirational. Hope it warms up there and gets cold here soon.
And not having to shovel is a GOOD THING as Martha Stewart would say. Our weather is nice & cool this weekend, and I'm enjoying it to the hilt. There will be more hot days, but Fall is only a few weeks away. Before we know it we will be complaining about the cold instead of the heat & humidity.
Glad to know you actually have winter like we do!
The English language!! Glad I don't have to learn it. Lovely stitching. It has been rather chilly the last couple of days in the 'winterless north'.........best wishes.........
Wishing we could make a swap ... half your cold for half out heat!
Jean, I love your explanation of the sheep terms for those who don't know!! The sunset is spectacular, bet it was darn cold out there. Keep the fire going.
I had never heard of a "wether"! Thanks for educating me.
Those skies are glorious! Stay close to your crackling fire. It's cold there!!!
I'm trying hard to imagine "cold" right now, but our weary weather will not allow my brain to think such a thing. I'm still counting days til fall..and at the same time, trying hard not to wish my life away. At least we have had rain and showers and those have helped keep the heat down a bit. Your piece work is pretty and I love the little box/bag you made. Cute! Cute kitty, too!
Keep warm! I is difficult for me to contemplate snow right now, here in South Carolina it has been in the 90 degrees (F) all week! Beautiful embroidery pieces!
I too am in the middle of a heatwave and think fondly of wood burning stoves and fleece shirts. How funny humans are. When it is winter in Japan I'll be envying your summer.
Hopefully spring is in your sights ~ just as we head toward fall. Coffee is definitely a necessity, Jean! Little Boris certainly hit pay dirt when he found you and Hugh! Lovely stitchery. Stay warm and cozy!
These are beautiful, Jean.
I am breaking my back hand watering my two apple trees. Everything is so dry. I'd even take snow.
It is disheartening. Just some normal summer storms would be great.
Our trip was less than stellar. JB's stomach gave him problems. It was terrible going back to my childhood summer hometown.
His driving habits drive me nuts, too. He treats a 2-way stop the same as a 4-way stop, and is putting us at risk. I don't know whether to stop nagging, or just drive myself. sigh.
It's hard to wrap my northern hemisphere head around your winter snows, I'm starting to plan seed purchases for next year so have to think about the end of this gardening season and start of the next. So far here it has been surprisingly cool but now we are looking at several days above 95ºF (35ºC). I'm trying to get a lot of plants watered before the heat. Your decorative panels and box are cute, I could use a thread catcher. I've been sewing blouses. Stay warm, Jean! It seems really hard to catch the sunset color as brilliantly as it looks, the camera just can't do it most of the time, though I have gotten a few. I'm glad you liked my vase.
What a great post; I just loved your wether theme. Learned something new there too. Yours and Joyce's embroidered pieces are so sweet; I will have to check out Jacqueline Steeves. From your last post, though cold, that snow is making your house look oh so cosy.
Hello Jean, I owe you an e-mail - will write soon. It sounds like winter is showing its muscle to you! I always like to see your sewing projects. Cozy up in the warm and stay well!
As we are roasting in the heat and humidity, thinking of frost can help...nvm, I prefer heat and humidity any day! Lovely sunset pic, thank you! Being an English teacher, I love the play on homonyms you've used here, thank you for that too! Those mix-ups really irritate me. Lovely stitching, and a lovely orange cat!
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