Art for Heart's Sake

A Confused Chaffinch!

Hi, yikes it's the last day of July already - where on earth did the month flaming well go!  Crikey, it will be Christmas before we know it!  Ahem, enough of that... giggle..

As I am typing this I can see a gorgeous male chaffinch having a rather perturbing time in the garden.  I have a full length mirror propped up against a tree in my woodland garden.. ermm why, well just because, giggle!  Over the past few days I have seen this chaffinch leaping up and down in front of the mirror - obviously trying to fight off an intruder.  I really feel as though I ought to move the mirror, but there is one problem - it has been there so long if I try to move it, it may well fall to bits on the spot which would not be great in terms of glass.  Today he is sitting on top of the mirror and flitting down to argue with himself!  It looks really cute but I'm sure it's exhausting.  Hmmm what to do??!!

Yesterday I got the blueberry patch weeded and this morning I am going to pile up the sawdust and manure mix John picked up yesterday (free!!) onto it.  Blueberries love being heavily mulched so it will be perfect.  I noticed Mr Hare has been chomping on them again too so we may have to put the wire surround back around them.

Last night I oven-baked some home grown parsnips and carrots after tossing them in a little extra virgin local olive oil and sprinkling them with black pepper.  Yum is all I can say, they were so sweet.   I sowed the parsnip seed at the end of summer literally so I am amazed how well they have grown in a relatively short time!

Right I'd better leap out into the garden.  We are going to go to a local cat show this pm - I don't like seeing cats in cages but I do love seeing all the different breeds.  Smiles for your day/night...

A Chilly Breeze and the Blueberry Patch

Hi, there is a decidedly chillly SW breeze blowing today and I think it's set to get stronger before the end of the day.  We had a little rain last night but the sky is blue and the sun is shining again, yay!  Perfect for gardening in non-claggy spots.

Today my aim is to weed the blueberry patch.  It's not too bad but I need to weed it before I deposit a load of untreated sawdust and calf manure (from calf raising sheds) onto it this afternoon.  At the garden group meeting last week we were offered some free and I am so happy because blueberries LOVE sawdust!  One of our neighbours is a wood craftsman and he has been supplying us with beautiful fluffy sawdust up to December when he left to join his wife in Tanzania for a few months (she is there doing VSA work).  I have to say I've missed the sawdust and so have the blueberries!

Last night we went out for a treat, a lovely dinner at a local restaurant.  There is something called ''Grab One'' on the internet here in NZ where you can get really great deals for meals, gym things etc.  John grabbed this dinner and didn't tell me where it was so I was so happy when it was The Boatshed on the seafront in Nelson.  The food was delicious and we had a great time, which is lovely because neither of us had a fabulous day yesterday and we were both feeling a little ''blah''!  It didn't help that we were sitting watching Masterchef Australia when we realised we had to be out the door in 20mins and I hadn't decided what I was wearing.  Luckily I get ready to go out really quickly usually, so I leapt into the shower and then struggled, yes I mean struggled, to find anything I wanted to wear.  Ugh, by the time I was ready I was feeling fat (which I'm not!), old-looking (hmmm which I think I'm not, giggle) and my hair was a disaster (well slightly frizzy which in my eyes is a disaster!!).  Note to self: have clothes ready and leap into the shower an hour before leaving!!!  Silly woman, giggle!

Well I'd better go and hang the washing out, then I need to vacuum because we have a friend coming round for dinner tonight and there is dog hair EVERYWHERE, then I will leap out into the blueberry patch.  Smiles...

A Technologically Frustrating Start to my Day!

Giggle, isn't that a great word - technologically!!  I am trying to upload some photos to a Gallery inside a Forum at the moment as part of my guest designer slot this month and oh boy am I having problems!  Everything was going more or less okay and then suddenly I had exceeded my upload limit when I know I haven't etc and lots of other things happened.  I always feel so thick when these things happen but I do know it's not me, it's the system this time.  I need to get these photos uploaded today so I can write my post about my designs so they can be posted elsewhere too.  Phew, wish me luck!

Yesterday we were out for most of the day.  Grocery shopping in the afternoon turned into a bit of am mission and we didn't get back until after 4pm!   Crikey.  It was a good day but I don't feel as though I accomplished anything, but I guess that's okay sometimes!

Well I'd better rush and try to get the uploads sorted out - I'm waiting on an email that will help.  I really want to get into the garden today and it's 10.49am already!  Aaagghhh... sorry this is short.  Smiles..

Snow Ball Fun!

Hi there, this will just be a quick post today because a) I'm late posting and b) it's one of those ''not at home much'' days unfortunately.  I say unfortunately because the weather is glorious - Spring-like even!  There is a breeze blowing and it feels relatively warm for winter.  Bizarre when you think how cold it was a few days ago! 

This morning we were at a friend's for coffee - John took Chester for a walk and then Chester had a swim in the estuary that is right outside our friend's house.  It's such a gorgeous spot.  Check out Mapua on Google, it really is quite spectacular!  This pm we are going grocery shopping so that's the day gone really in terms of doing any gardening.  I feel a little guilty, but I know it doesn't do any harm to have a day away from it.

Here is a short video of me throwing a snowball at John the other day.  It was so much fun!  Download 26072011014

More news tomorrow.  Smiles..

TaDa!!

Hi, now you have to promise not to laugh!!  Well you can laugh, I mean how could you not... look at these... giggle...

 
 
Yesterday afternoon we headed about 15 minutes inland (further into the countryside) to see if there was still some snow on the ground.  Yippee is all I can say because we found some pretty quickly!  The first snowman (or is it a bird??!!!) was built (ermmm he's so small!) on the side of the road and the snow was fairly limited in this one particular spot.  Also, John and I had already thrown quite a few snowballs at each other! 

The second snowman, Simon, I made in a lovely sheltered area on the edge of a gravel road so the snow was a little less icy.  We had such fun and Chester was fascinated by this funny stuff!  We threw a few small balls to him (or at him) and he caught a few in his mouth which was really funny to watch.  John also aimed one snowball at the car when Chester was still in it and it shot straight through the open window - poor dog!  Giggle, it was so funny.

We came home in a different direction and passed through a forested, hilly area that was a little freaky at times because there was still some snow and ice on the road on some of the corners.  It looked SO beautiful and the snow was really powdery here and there was even some on the tree branches still.  Gorgeous!  It made my year!

Here's a photo John took on his mobile phone when we were on the way to our first snowman stop.  Isn't it beautiful?!!  It is really unusual for this area to get snow at all!  Smiles..

 

Brrrrrrrrr!

Hi there, this morning we watched the temperature on our weather station go down to -2.8 degrees C (around 27 degrees F) and I have to say I wasn't that tempted to rush outside!  I still went out and did my usual morning animal tasks and tromped through the frosty paddock too which was just lovely.  I love the sound of the ground crunching under my feet!

Yesterday was a glorious day but there was a very cold wind blowing so I didn't get out into the garden until 2pm'ish and didn't last long out there, I can tell you!  I had a visit from a couple who had heard about my kitchen garden and wanted to have a look at it.  I love being able to share my vegetable growing experiences with others.

I didn't get to see any snow yesterday which was a bit sad but hopefully we will see some this afternoon.  We are going to go inland for a drive to see if there is some left on the ground somewhere.  The wintry blast has gone now and the weather is set to return to a more normal pattern with slightly warmer temperatures.  I love that this cold snap will be making the carrots and parsnips in the kitchen garden more sweet than ever - yum!

Here is a photo of a winter rose (hellebore).  I have lots of these gorgeous creatures around the garden and I just love the way they light up the garden at this time of year.  As well as pink shades, I have an almost black one, whites and a lemon one (somewhere!!).

 
So pretty!  Well I'd better go and DO something - it's still too cold to be gardening outside so I might finish a gift tag design I'm working on.  Smiles...

An Evening Surprise!

Hi there, well last night I got my wish.  We got a REAL snow shower at around 8pm last night and, yes, you guessed it, I was out the door like a rocket!  It was SO exciting!

 
 
It didn't last very long, maybe only 20 mins or so but I saw it settling and I even tromped out to the kitchen garden with torch held high watching the flakes fall from the dark sky.  There was quite a lot on the top of the compost heap lid so I got to throw a snowball, rather slushy but it was a snowball!  

What is sort of strange is it is now an exquisite winter's day with crystal clear, wall to wall (so to speak) blue sky and sunshine.  There is a very cold breeze blowing but I need to pinch myself to believe it really did snow.  One of my friends who lives about a 15min drive further inland has snow on the ground still this morning.  Sigh.. pookies!  Giggle.

I'm hoping we can go for a drive this pm to see if we can find some.  I want to fire a snowball at John!  Unfortunately I think the sun will have melted it by then so we may have to wait for a couple of days and then head inland towards the Nelson Lakes National Park.  We're sure to see some there!  It's school holidays here right now so it's not a great time to be on the road really.

Today I am going to make sure our chooks and rabbit have plenty of fresh dry straw (or meadow hay for rabbit) because we are going to be in for a wicked frost tonight I think. 

When I was in the shower this morning I was thinking about our neighbours who are off to Vanuatu for 11 days from tomorrow.  The weather there at this time of year is around 26 degrees C during the day and usually sunny.  I realised if I had the choice between going there and somewhere where it is snowing or it has snowed, the snow would win EVERY TIME.  I just adore it!  Big smiles..

Winter Storm Is Missing Us, Sob!

Hi, I'm wishing for a snowflake today!  A lot of the South Island and some of the North Island is about to be stung with a rather lovely, nasty winter storm!  I say lovely because I, for one, ADORE snow!  I can't remember the last time I actually saw a snowflake falling from the sky - many years ago!  If you look at a map of New Zealand, most of the nasty southerly storms go up the east side of the island (i.e. Christchurch side) and the mountain ranges generally protect us from it totally.  Sad, really, giggle!

On Friday I mentioned that rain was predicted for the weekend, ermmmmmmm we haven't had any yet at it's 12.16pm on Sunday.  Yesterday I planned a cooking day thinking it would be raining so I was a little frustrated when it didn't because I could have been in the garden all afternoon, aagghh!

Needless to say I am head down, bottom up for a couple of hours today (weather permitting).  There is cloud cover and the temperature drops and then rises slightly every so often so you never know, we might still get some showers.  Until then I am weeding!  Ooh I have some photos of winter roses (hellebores) to share with you too.  I must upload them from the camera.  Smiles..

A Cooking Day!

Hi, it's Saturday morning and today is a cooking day.  As you know I've pledged (to myself) to not buy biscuits or cakes for the rest of the year!  Today I am making gingerbread for the first time in years.  The recipe I am using is a little odd to say the least so I hope it works!  If it does I'll take a photo for you.

As I am typing this John is in the kitchen making leek and potato soup for lunch - YUM!  I've also requested his croutons which he does in the microwave and they are scrumptious - ermmm if slightly fattening!  Still it's winter and it's a cold, dull day so yes, perfect for comfort food.  John is out this pm at Rugby World Cup volunteer training so I am goint to put together a slow-cooked pure beef sausage casserole too.  I haven't done that for years either and was awake in the middle of the night working out what I was going to put in it.  I tend to make most of our main meals without a recipe, just working on instinct and the flavours I think will go well together.  Usually they taste pretty good, so fingers crossed!

In between cooking I will be inside keeping an eye on the dog so I think I'll work on the iris keyrings that have been staring at me! 

I hope you've all had a great week and that you have something lovely planned for the weekend.  Smiles with a hug...

A Happy Day!

Hi, I feel happy today.  I slept slightly better than I have for the past few nights and when I took Chester for his walk this morning, he behaved really well and only vacuumed up a couple of pieces of sheep manure instead of 20!  Giggle.  It's amazing how he can pick things up without us noticing - you know he's got something when he walks very nonchalantly, tail high and ignores more sheep poop!  That's when I open his mouth and yes have to pick it out, as does John (oh yummy!).

The weather forecast is for a wet weekend and I couldn't be happier.  I want to make some gingerbread and also spend some time completing a couple of projects in my studio.  I also need to work on the iris keyrings and I can't bring myself to do that when the sun is shining!

This pm I am hoping to get into the garden for a couple of hours and I have a couple of punnets of vegies that desperately need to get into the ground too.  At the moment the sun is shining but there is a definite chill in the air! 

I am so excited about Pan Pastels.  You may have heard me mention them before and I also posted a link to Donna's latest heart art piece using pan pastels and tissue the other day.  Today I bit the bullet and ordered them from Donna's website, mainly because after asking at the local art shop I realised it was much cheaper to buy them direct from the States than to order them through the art shop (around NZ$100 cheaper, which is amazing).  It may take a few weeks for them to get here but I am so happy! 

Last night I sat and drew a couple of poppies using a water colour pencil for the stems and a gorgeous ''Rembrandt'' soft pastel for the flowers.  I didn't realise soft pastels are also water soluble and I was gobsmacked by the pigment colour!  Just gorgeous.   I'll post a pic when they are finished.  It's just a practise run and by no means perfect but such fun! 

Well I'd better go and start gardening.  Smiles...