The towns of Arrow and Queen!!!

Queenstown was brilliant, we had a wonderful day!!!
The last winter snow on the way to Glenorchy, and an old mooring at the lake’s edge.
The beauty of the Southern Lakes is something to be valued, enjoyed,
and taken in large doses. we were here in 1986, and so much has changed, and, again, so much is the same.
The clear water, the last winter snow on the tops, and the magnificence of huge mountains, rocky walls and sheer cliffs,
 
Paradise is further on, and the little shed told it’s own story with the name there
for all to see.
These Roosters just asked to be in the photos, but were not for sale!!!


Treasured by their owner.
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The road is all sealed, from Queenstown to Glenorchy,
and maybe even to Paradise, we didn’t go  that far ,  and we found the same spot we camped  the last time we were here,  at the little bridge, the water’s edge just  seemed to be further away from the road now.

What did the travellers think when they first walked this way,
forging a track through the bush and trees. I reflect on all their hard work
and am sure they endured many very cold nights there.
Arrowtown is waiting in the wings.

Quotation of the day,  from Nancy J

“ A moment  of deep thought and quiet reflection”

Cheers from Jean

Down South!!!

 

      What a noise the sheep make, thundering down the metal road.
      Dust flying, dog barking, and they race past the gate.
      Welcome to the world of sheep farming.
The early morning sun was not brilliant, and such a cold southerly wind. How many
stories have been told at night in this shed,
after a hard day’s muster, shearing or tailing.

This is all for today, we move to Arrowtown, and there are brilliant sunrises,
 rocks and lakes.Yes, the South is a great place, and Hugh would move here tomorrow.

Quotation of the day, unknown.

“ A Man’s best friend is his dog”

Cheers from Jean

Down South

Morning sun just showing, and a few minutes later had  gone

.   A first cup of coffee, and a view from   the window.
The mob of sheep fled  up the road, a huge noise as they raced , with dogs chasing them along.

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We will be in Arrowtown later today, so the photos should show some of the beauty of the South.
Our plane flew in cloud all the way,  and as always, I closed my eyes on take off!!! Not too bumpy, but if I could get to
Dunedin any other way in a short time, I would!!!

Quotation of the day, unknown

“Believe in yourself,  let others believe what they want to”

Cheers from Jean

Just The Two Of Us

Look at these stunning Paeonies. They arrived, with Kaz and Ralph,  ordered from a grower in the Dunedin area. Collected on Tuesday, flown with them to Wellington on Wednesday, and to us on Thursday . There are still some in the large vase, they have lasted for  12 days , and as they opened the colour deepened.  Beautiful blooms with a faint perfume.




This week Hugh and I will be down there for a few days R & R, and hope the time away will soothe our souls, bodies and minds.  Maybe I will get to bring some of those stunning flowers home with us.
I am hoping  the weather will be fine for lots of photos of the far south, as well as  Cromwell, Alexandra, and Arrowtown.  We last  visited there in 1986, so I am sure the changes will be huge. We have a wonderful gem (J.G.) who will be "House sitting" while we  are away.

Quotation of the day,  from  John Ruskin

“ There is material enough in a single flower 

 for the ornament of a score of cathedrals”

Cheers from Jean

Sunshine and Trees

The early morning sun touched the very top of this tree
and tipped the side of the English Elm.
Thousand of the Elm’s paper-case like flowers are flying everywhere.
Do not leave the door or car windows open. Instant work…
They float, then land. Pretty, pretty messy, pretty awful to clean up!!!
Now that is an oxymoron.

The Elm  Tree provides a huge canopy, and this one and the Chestnut Tree  will add
their graceful beauty to  the gardens and lawn when family  begin
to arrive next week.The seat underneath is asking for anyone to sit awhile, remember,
and celebrate Muriel's Life here with Tea and Cake.



   No quilting to show, or even think about right now.
There will be time for that later, when our days are less busy, arrangements are finalised  and services have been held.  Hugh and I will need some time to adjust to being just us again.
.A friend commented “ A bit like Darby and Joan”.
Not sure if that can be taken as a compliment or not.

Quotation of the day from Samuel Johnson, 1709=1784

“True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends

but in their worth and choice”

Cheers from Jean

A Cat and a Hen and some Owls.

                 
Somehow this week I managed to get the hen onto the fabric and sew at least
part of the bag.The “NEST” looks slightly better now she sits on it.
Poppy  chose to sit on my chair and wait for me, stubbornly still sitting there
when I try to find a small space to perch!!! Just like the owls below.
 
These owls took my fancy, maybe not as “softies’ but to applique onto a bag
or two. I love their eyes, and whatever way you look, they seem to be staring right at you.
Maybe they can see  even in the daylight.
I will never be a NIGHT OWL, always have been a FOWL, i.e. definitely a morning person.
I’m sure that’s why I like the owl patterns so much, they are the opposite to me,  and they do say “Opposites Attract”.
However in recent days I have not only risen with the birds but burnt many a late night candle as well. Phone calls, arrangements, times to collect family from airports, words that need to be checked, emailed off, re-sent again, and in-between some quiet moments to reflect.
Poppy  stays close, and snuggles up behind me, as she is , right now,keeping me company as though she knows about our sadness .How do cats know??? Her comfort is heart-warming.

Quotation of the day, from A Handbook of Proverbs

Friendships multiply joys and divide griefs.

Cheers from Jean

Cats and Views

Poppy arrived after she did not accept the new arrival at her home.
Just a short stroll down our driveway and here she is.


here is Poppy hiding behind the lamb.
I prefer them running over the paddocks.
However Muriel loved her lambs, and they stayed.
Felicity seldom curled up on Muriel’s bed but here she is resting comfortably on one of the many hand knitted rugs, This  one was done for a cat, which one I am not sure, but when Finn had his knitted, there was a small “F’ sewn in, with a  different coloured wool in one corner.







The view from a friend’s farm is right across to the Central Plateau.  It snows here in the winter, sometimes as many as  25 good falls.
Barren country, and close to Waiouru Army Camp. On a quiet day you can hear the Army Guns as the troops assemble and get in some training.

    Kevin braved the cold and wet as He and Hugh went up Takapari Road, all metal and .often huge washouts on the way to the “ A Frame” a sturdy DOC hut almost at the top.
Felicity has this look most of  the time and is very much a
“ One Man Cat” and in our home that means Hugh.


Our days are busy, with many arrangements, and today as Hugh sorted out some photos of his Mum, Poppy came in and slept on the carpet nearby.This is something she does not do,
maybe she realised he needed some comforting.The phone is busy, thank goodness for the modern wonders of email, broadband, and document editing at the touch of a button.
The families from overseas and the far south will arrive next weekend, and there will be tearful greetings.

Quotation of the day from Shakespeare,

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past.

Cheers from Jean

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