Crazy Christchurch Weather

Yesterday morning, I got up pretty early and took Boo for a walk up in the dog park. The sky was doing some crazy things, as the Norwester made way for an approaching southerly. I'm not sure that Boo appreciated it, but it was pretty cool.

Bunting!

I am attempting to make some bunting! So far it seems to be a great way of using up small pieces of miscellaneous fabric...


Because I'm using pieces from my 'scrap suitcase' the bunting is going to end up matching the quilt I made last year. As they're going in the same room, I'm sure it won't matter.


I'll update with the finished product soon.

The times they are a changing...

So things have definitely changed since I last posted properly. Boo is adapting well to her city lifestyle, helped along by the fact that there is still a beach nearby (and this one has lots more dogs than Waikuku).

We have sold the Goddess. I actually cried when it was driven away by it's new owners. We have upgraded to a family wagon, still a Citroen, but far more boring, although Boo gets the whole boot to herself.

I have no garden yet, and very much doubt I will have one in the next 12 months, so there won't be any blogging about new plants, and flowers and veges etc, which I am sure is disappointing for everyone.

I am still baking like crazy, and the sewing machine has been used more in the past couple of weeks than it has in ages.

And even though the weather has been sweltering, I managed to knit myself a hat for the winter...I sourced the pattern and yarn from The Yarn Tree via Wikstenmade.

And I am now baking with a new oven, which is crazy exciting. This weekend I attempted Brioche for the first time, using a recipe for cinnamon swirl loaf here.




It was pretty delicious. Would definitely make again!

We're back!

Sorry, was a wee bit busy for a while there, but we're back in action, complete with a new banner....

I'll start posting proper shortly..

Farewell Sefton.

We moved out yesterday, and went back to clean today. It was so strange seeing the house empty (except for the day bed and a couple of old chairs). It was such fun place to live, such a lovely setting, and I will dearly miss the grass, the cows, the garden, the space, the darkness at night and the quietness. Oh and the storage space.

Farewell Lower Sefton Road. And farewell The Good Life. Time for some re-branding methinks.

The end of the garden....

Last week I harvested the end of the garden vegetables. There wasn't a great yield - a handful of broad beans and a row of little baby beetroot. The rest of the garden has gone to seed.

It was kind of sad, as I would usually be ripping things out now and planting new seedlings, but there was no point right now, so I just let it all go.


Anyway, I made a beetroot and bean salad with yoghurt and mint. It was pretty delicious, and a lovely finale to the last 3 years of home grown veges.


The new house has a barren vege plot, situated in a terrible site, which I don't think I will plant at this stage. There are some pretty good herbs growing (oregano, rosemary), a random lone rhubarb, and some scrawny raspberry plants, but not much else. The good news is that there are lots of fruit trees - several varieties of plums, and a tall pear tree which sits right outside the living room door and reaches to our bedroom window.


I've never had pears available on a tree, and am looking forward to some good preserves when the time is right.

We are going crazy this week with painting and cleaning, and the big move is on Saturday. I think the blog will have to have a bit of a re-jig, but I'm still working on that one.

This morning I opened all the windows of our house here in Sefton and was immediately assaulted by the combined stench of porcine and bovine effluent, and I have to say it made me a little sad to think that earthy smell won't be part of my daily life anymore. But, then I realised that neither will the flies that go with it, and I wasn't so sad.

Pot says her farewells

Although she probably isn't aware of it, last night Pot spent her final evening out at Sefton. She's currently waiting at Matt's office for me to take her to the cattery this afternoon where she will have some R & R while we paint (and move into) our new house.

I hope she appreciated what she's had this past three years - she's been a bit scared to really get into the outdoor life, but she's spent hours and hours staring out the window at the birds. And when she does venture out, she must be totally overwhelmed with all the nature and space - two things she never experienced in Melbourne.

Fortunately our new house has an immense overgrown garden for her, but she will be sharing it with Boo, so it will be interesting to see how much time she actually gets to spend out there. It will also be her first experience in a two-storied home, and she has views over the city, so that's an added bonus for her. I think she's gonna like it.


ps. no movement from the wall creature last night - I think we may have finally eradicated it (I am too scared to check the trap though, as I am worried it was a ferret, which really does my head in).