Reading Time

In my spare time not only do I craft and bake, but I also like to read.  I just finished on Friday night Fleur McDonald's last book in the "Dave Burrows" series and I am waiting with anticipation for next one to come out.

And when is the next one coming out?  Tomorrow ....yay and it is called Into the Night.  Guess what I will be reading over Easter?

If you have not read Fleur McDonald's books I highly suggest to get into them.  I don't know why it has taken me so long to.

Into the Night

Dishcloths

Over a couple of nights I have been sitting watching TV or a movie - The Banshee of Inisherin is a good movie if you have not seen it, -  and I have have either knitted or crocheted some dishcloths.  The first two I completed were knitted then, thought just to do some crocheted ones.  

I also need to use my stash of cotton up and these are good quick patterns. My next lot will be using different crochet stitches.  There are many free patterns on the internet so it will be just choosing what one to use.

This morning I also have some squishy mail from Skeinz who are in their last two days of the yearly Epic Sale.  No pattern yet but it won't be hard to find one for these lovely yarns.

Finally, can not finish without a photo of the handsome Snowy

FNSI

On Friday night I joined in with FNSI though I done some knitting.

This is where my Dirty Lace wrap is up to now and I will admit there has been a bit of frogging going on.  Pays to do the lace component when you are not tired.

Granpup Rusko had to check some of the yarn out and he has been a good boy and not run of with it yet.

He knows when he is being a good boy.  Look at those gorgeous eyes.  His mum is in Australia at the moment at CMC and returns home on Wednesday.  It will be the longest they have been apart since she got him, but he loves being spoilt at Nan-nans

Finally, I do not know why it took me so long to read J. D. Robb's 'In Death' series.  I read often, and her books as Nora Roberts, but am loving these books and getting my collection up to read.  Below is the latest one I am reading.

 

FNWF

Last night I joined in with Friday Night with Friends for the first time in a long time and I worked on my knitting currently on my needles.

Not long along I joined in a KAL on FB, however I was trying to find one colour and I finally found it from Skeinz Sisters all the way over in Australia and it was exactually what I wanted, so started the KAL when it was over.  Fortunately there are people still doing at their own pace like me.

The pattern was a Truly Myrtle one called Dirty Lace.  A bit of lace work within this so I will not say how much frogging I done before I got the hang of it, but I got there.

This is what I had done 5 nights ago.

And slowly doing it, I completed 15 rows last night.  I still ensure I concentrate carefully on the lace rows.

If you are wondering what my other colours are here they are

The pattern can be found here with other patterns by this NZ designer.

Now off to see what everyone else done last night.

 

I've Signed Up ...... Have You?

Oh boy I have not signed up to FNWF in a while, but I have got my mojo back and doing more crafting than I normally have been doing.  I am also in the process of cleaning my sewing room as I got at the end of last year a brand new sewing cabinet for my birthday.

Anyway click on the picture to be taken to the sign up page so you can join too.

I have also read a lot more than I have done and have found a addiction to J. D. Robb so prowling second hand bookshops for some lately.  So crafting and reading get switched out often.  But enjoying life especially in these difficult times.

Just when you think things are getting back to normality after the last three years with Covid, then a Cyclone hits and when you work in healthcare it turns to mush.

 

The Handsome Snowy

 My last post show you pictures of the lovely granpup Rusko.  Now here is the handsome Snowy our old boy who is turning 13 years old this year.

The Lovely Rusko

 The granpup Rusko is getting to be a big boy now and he loves coming to stay at his Nan-nans.  It might just be all the treats he gets and the pool he can swim in.

So here is a lot of Rusko love from a number of months

A Cross Stitch Swap

Last year I participated in  my first swap for a long time and it was held here within New Zealand.  The swap was a cross stitch Christmas ornament swap and below is what I received from my partner.  The tin of shortbread was so yummy.

This is what I sent to my partner.  I have not cross stitched for so long and this sort of got my mojo back slightly and hubby even bought me a kit for Christmas as he had seen me to this one

 

2023 Mother Nature Loves New Zealand

Hi everyone

At the end of last year I finally splashed out and got my self a new laptop but haven't really used it till the last few weeks, so I thought as it does not take forever to boot I really should focus on my blog again as I won't be screaming blue murder every few minutes. 

So what is happening so far for 2023?

Well what can I say Mother Nature sure loves New Zealand

Three weeks ago I headed up to the Coromandel again to Cooks Beach, however what I posted in my last post from last year, it was nothing like it this time.  We got cabin fever and headed home early as the weather was horrendous. It was the same weekend Auckland got hit hard.

I thought then this was the worse weather I had ever seen, but it was nothing compared to the last week where Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on us.  

The devastation is awful.  We were hit had up here on the East Coast loosing power, all communications, no eftpos, petrol restrictions (well unless you had cash you couldn't pay anyway) and now on a serious water restrictions, but what the Hawkes Bay has suffered is even more devastating.  There is just no words for it.  

Here at my place in Gisborne we didn't flood, but the night of the worse weather was not a good sleep, and then the worry for other family members or letting family members know you were ok as we had no communication, made for more sleepless nights.  Starlink was the savior for many, as power here in town came on pretty fast for most, so we could all huddle for a few minutes at the council and let people know we were fine.  I up until then had a massive stress headache and drunk so much coffee thinking caffeine will help but did not.  It was the knowing everyone you knew was ok that lessened it.

These photos are from the Wairoa to Napier road.  We will not be travelling down there for many many months to come.

If you go onto Facebook, Shelly Evans Photography has posted these, and hundreds more she has collated and acknowledged the original owners

https://www.facebook.com/shellieevansphotography