A touch of Autumn

Last Week, the kids and I went  for a walk here in the area, foraging for wild blackberries, and rosehips and collecting  things for our nature table.

 

When we got home and I made blackberry muffins and rosehip syrup the children trawled through my vintage linens and sorted out their treasures and arranged them all over the house. Very beautiful and autumnal.

 

 For the leaf shapes i used a wee folk art pattern from their list and  knitting/ felting patterns from living Crafts magazine for the acorns and oak leaves on our hanging wreath. 

 It feels good now that its cooler, and the light is different. I feel re-invigorated and have even spent some time in the vege garden, hoping my  seedlings grow enough before winter hits. ( We had 2 degrees here yesterday).

butterfly buns and more sewing love

Some butterfly studying this week,  led to a butterfly day, with origami butterflies now decorating our  hanging table centre wreath, and butterfly buns for lunch ( along with plenty of drawing and reading and watching and observing.

 And another photo of my love: She needs a name! She feels like an old  maiden aunt or well- worked grandmotherly type, persistent, and just needs to be used and oiled every now and then.

  I've been hemming handkerchiefs, ready to be embroidered for Valentine's day tokens. The handkerchiefs are from old calico from a thrift shop, or another old  cotton tea towel, also thrifted.  The children will get one each too, with their names cross-stitched on. very vintage! I really like that I can hem the hankies like hundreds of other women have done before, then stitched the initials of family members with love. Very simple ( very cheap), but full of sentiment! 

 The cross-stitched alphabet comes from a new book for me: linen, wool, cotton, as does the idea to make hankies. My husband has allergy issues, so always carries one!And he/we can always use more, and its a nice way to be closer when he is at work. As you can tell we don't go in much for the commercial version of valentine's day, and normally don't do anything at all as our anniversary is the very next week!  I do think it's nice to try and remember to show him how much i love him as after  nearly 8 years  of marriage that stuff is often last on the list. Hope you have a  lovely day sharing your love for you families too!

holidaying

A spontaneous roadtrip to Christchurch, lunch in Lewis Pass, a walk on new Brighton Pier, watching the buskers in Cathedral square... a not - needed excuse for a last fling in the summer holidays and a chance to pick up an old singer treadle sewing machine. more pictures later, I'm giving her  some  love at the moment, oil and treadling....

birthday/ back into it!

 

Its a rainy day in Dovedale today; the earth sure needs it, though maybe not so the washing pile!

 The children have done painting, Anoushka  has helped me get ready for the day, doing little cleanup chores, and now they are playing cosy tent/camping games in the bedroom. Fun!

Umm, birthday dessert: Pumpkin and apple meringue pie as made by Hugh in River cottage . It was my turn this week, and I was sure spoiled!  Can I just say, I have tried making meringue and pavlova many times and each time it has been a failure, and Sturan's first try turns out perfect. Hmm, new job in the kitchen for him: meringue maker!

 The girls, anoushka inparticular, has ben getting more interested in taking photos and documenting things that are important to her ( A child's camera may be in the pipeline), and here is one she took this morning. Her dolls had taken about an hour to dress this morning ,while she thought about what items of clothing would be appropriate for this rainy winter day.

 I also want to send out a shout to my friend Alexandra, who on behalf of playgroup gave me a bottle of wine from her own , certified organic vineyard.
Fantastic thanks! You can find them here .
 Have a nice day.

Autumn calling!

The children thought the slightly chillier mornings and faint colouring of the poplar leaves mean that it is high time to make an autumnal nature table display. Nice work don't you think? It was completely self directed, and we are looking forward to some nature walks to collect more leaves etc as they fall.

 I've started sewing  for the easter fair, inspired by retro sheets and pinnies, and bias binding and ric rac. lots more projects in mind, lets see how far I get!






 Ive also been knitting up this  wool. it has turned into a cowl style scarf, with a twist ( unintentional, but makes it drape nicely), and I am completely in love with the colours, it is like knitting molten gold, or autumn leaves and so soft! My son was stroking it this morning as he had his wake -up -nurse.  I'll try and get a photo soon of me wearing it.
 I have been busy this week looking after a friends farmlet: milking her goat and feeding chickens etc. I love it. I spent a year in Australia on a farm stay outdoor centre attached to a high school where we had a myriad of animals to see to every morning;  including teaching the students who came on camp to milk cows by hand. It made quite an impact, and I think has  made the yearning for a country life unignorable!