Scenes from a garden

Here are some photos I took this evening while walking through the garden. There are building supplies and equipment all over the place but the camellia has just started blooming and we are picking figs and feijoas. I found the duck while out walking one morning last week. It's an old decoy, I think. It's seen better days but still pretty cute, don't you think?.

Autumn knitting

I do love stripes. And for a long time I've wanted to knit a baby blanket for no other reason than just to make one. This project from Purl Bee brings it all together. The recommended yarn for the free pattern is Alchemy Temple - not available in New Zealand and I couldn't wait to buy online. Now that the weather is cooling down a bit I'm impatient to get knitting. So I've substituted what I hope is a similar yarn from Zara - a lovely, soft, machine-washable merino. Unfortunately there was a limited colour range of mainly autumn shades at my local wool shop but I've chosen four colours that I think might work. The pattern is all garter stitch - easy, quick, reversible (it comes out the same on both sides). And it has stripes. Perfect. Thank you, Purl Bee.

Stars

Here's a cot sheet I made and embroidered for a friend's first baby. I slightly modified a design from Isabelle Leloup's book, Cross-stitch and embroidery for babies, toddlers and children and I'm pleased with how it's turned out. The book has some lovely designs, mostly, but not all, cross stitch. I made the sheet a generous size for lots of tucking in potential. I'll also give Blue Rabbit as he's in need of a good home.

We found the frangipani flowers while out walking down by the harbour. The recent high winds had blown the flowers off the tree and scattered them on the path with surprisingly little damage to the petals. We gathered some up, carefully carried them home and floated them in a bowl. Of course, if you're familiar with frangipani, you'll know how fantastically heady they smell.

Watching The Wire on DVD + Harvesting figs + Missing Tootie

Tootie

1994-2012

Sadly Tootie passed away on Friday.
She was my son's childhood pet which, somehow, makes her death even sadder.