Busy last weekend!

Saturday

Let me see what did I do !
Went for a walk with a friend, from around the corner. We walked for around two hours. The time flies, when you are chatting!

Came home, did the usual boring stuff ! Tidy and cleaned the house Yuk!  Mowned the lawns and weed sprayed.

I finished my Challenge /Swap Autumn Tea towel , for the International hand stitchers Yahoo group, and started a new one.

Made some Lemon and Sultana Muffins and Hokey Pokey Biscuits.
Did a bit more on my Tunisian crochet.

I have some much wool to use up, that this blanket project is a good start.

Boy did I sleep well!

Sunday

Well what a different day it is!  Started off sunny, so I finished the weed spraying.  An hour later the heavens opened.!

Today I am concerating on sowing seeds.  That took several hours. This year I have tried to grow unusual vegies, like red carrots, and black radishes etc.  I want to be as self sufficent as possible.

I decided to do this under cover of the verrandah, because there isn't enough room in the plastic house with me, and two large dogs and a cat. They follow me everywhere! 

 Well good job I was under cover because it poured down!

All starting to grow in the plastic house !

Our Lemonade tree has done very well this year, so I have made heaps of real Lemonade.

It's only a very small tree, but produced heaps of fruit.

Here is the recipe.

Lemonade

8 lemonade fruit

1 Tablespoon Citric acid

4 cups sugar

8 cups water

Chop up Lemonade fruit roughly.  Add to pot with other ingredients and boil for 20 minutes.  Cool

Squeeze and strain fruit.

To use dilute 1 to 3 or to taste.

Yum!

Spring has arrived

The Almond has never had so much blossom!

To the right of photo is the Lemon & Grapefruit trees fully laden!

One of the Plums in bloom!

If you look closely you can see the Wood pigeon, in the pencil willows. He was eating from our kowhai tree and we distrubed him.

We have had the wettest, coldest winter since records began! So much for global warming. Now we are in for an early spring Hooray!

This is my favourite time of the year, just love it! It's as if the garden has been sleeping and now comes to life! Every day I notice something blooming, or growing. The world is a nicer place in spring!

The great escape!

Decided we needed a holiday!

So shut up shop on the Thursday , left a note on the door.

"Closed Friday, Saturday Sunday & Monday" !

We left at 4.00am to go bush. As usual the other half moaned about how much stuff we had, but it all fitted in along with the dogs. Then set off on a 4 hour drive to the Napier / Taupo highway.

In the first photo the hut where we stay, can just be seen.

The great escape!

view from hut

Horopito (Pepper wood)

Interesting fungi

An old Silver beech tree

Setting out

Road to hut

Another view from hut

View from hut

Oh that road!

The Duchess

The Duchess of Devonshire

Finally finished

The naked Duchess

Back view with silk over dress.

As you can see the stomacher was a bit of a challenge,
with all that lacing.

I can't see how these poor woman moved with all these
things around their waists, but they looked so slim!

I have used silk for the over petticoat, with a piece of antique lace down the front.

The wire pannier was a bit of a challenge!

I have hand embroidered the stomacher and the petticoat is made from gauze with a cotton lace. Underneath she has a shift and long pantaloons.

My visit to Bethnall green Museum

In 2004 I was very lucky to have visited the “Bethnall Green Museum of childhood” in London. I fell in love with three dolls based on characters from the play "School of scandal" by Sheridan. I took photos at the time, but they weren't to good. So I contacted the Museum, they were very helpful and sent me more photos, and gave me permission to make a doll.
I wanted to make this an original doll, so needed to start from scratch, but wanted to base my doll on these ones. It was a challenge !
I got stuck for a while, and put her a side.

My Youngest daughter and I went to see the Movie, "The Duchess" with Keira Knightley, playing the main character. I really, recommend this Movie if you like history and Historical costumes. It was amazing! I hadn't realized that the "Duchess of Devonshire" was the same one is in Sheridan’s Play, "School of Scandal" In fact the whole play was based on the Duchess’s life.

The movie was based around London and parts of Chiswick were mentioned, this is where my family came from. I also hadn't realized that the street my Grandmother and Grandfather were born in Dukes Road, in Chiswick was named after the Duke of Devonshire. With Devonshire Road near by. In the movie they went to Chiswick house, my Great,Grandfather was a groundskeeper there, and my Father played there as a child.
They also talked about Hogarth the painter, Hogarth House being next to Chiswick house.

“The Bethnall Green Museum of Childhood”, still has one of these beautiful unusual dolls on display.


I think I was meant to make this doll, I have learned so much, about costuming and history. It has also brought part of my family history to life!

Rion & Luna

Believe me this is play!

A lot of time is spent just mouthing, they are quite gentle really!

Just sitting!

Our two curlie coated retrievers Rion & Luna. Rion's Pedigree name is Orion and Luna's is Bellbird. We didn't think that Bellbird suited Luna, so named her Luna, because of the white patch on her chest. She really does live up to her name. In fact we call her Lunie! Rion is just a very placid boy.