Two Cross-Stitch Kits Finished This Week

I'm continuing my lucky-dip challenge to get through may huge stack of Discovering NeedleCraft series, it actually looks like I have close to 100 issues, so that is nearly 100 kits to do.

The first this week is from Issue 2, the Baby's Wall Hanging.  It uses 18 count aida fabric.
I had to cover some rust marks from the needle which was in the kit and added a few of my own touches.
I will have to put a backing on it and actually make it into a 'hanging' soon.

I don't have any babies in my life, so I made it for Salem as I had never made him one when he was a baby.
He had to wait 13 years!!!!!

The next one I did was from Issue 86, a gorgeous Woodland Fox.
It is on 14 count cream aida fabric and was nice and quick to do.
I have to find a nice frame for it.

The colours are lovely and the black outline really makes this little fox come to life.
It says in the magazine that this is part of a set which includes a badger, a squirrel and a fawn.

I will have to wait to see if those ones come up soon in my lucky-dip.
I have now started on a Robin Pincushion.

Beautiful Blackberries

My finished x-stitch blackberries

I was a very lucky gal and was given at least 75 issues of the Discovering NeedleCraft magazine series from 1993
....... for free!!!!!!!
Each issue has a kit to do so I have decided I am going to do every single one, and so the other day I had a lucky dip and pulled out issue 4.

The pattern

The kit was for a cross-stitch jam pot cover with wild blackberries on 27-count evenweave fabric.
It took me an evening to do and looks very lovely but I didn't have a jam jar wide enough for it to go on.
I'll have to look for a jar wide enough at the supermarket with something yummy in it.

The kit came from this magazine.

So I have started on my next kit which is from issue 2, which is a baby's wall hanging.
I'm doing each kit regardless of what it is.

Since the kits are so old, some of the needles have gone rusty which isn't very nice when the needles are kept in the fabric.  I like it when the needles are in their own wrapper.
But never mind, I can live with a rust mark .....especially when these are free.

Just Foal'n Around

This gorgeous wee foal lives in a paddock a few minutes walk from our house.
We walk past every day and have been watching this beautiful creature grow up.

We don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet, haven't really attempted to find out.
It has been so lovely watching it grow from a tiny wee thing that suddenly appeared in the paddock, to now when he/she is starting to spend more time away from Mum, but still keeping Mum in sight.

Salem loves to feed this little rascal, and always picks some nice juicy long grass.
Mum started wandering off into the next paddock so little one decided to follow, slowly, munching grass on the way.

Cool Old Cars

On a walk down Kapiti Road on a beautiful warm sunny day, we happened to spy these wonderful old cars.

Salem was so excited, especially when I said that we should take some photo's of them.

So out with the camera, keeping my fingers crossed that it would still work, it's been very sick lately making funny noises.

Salem loves older cars especially pre-war and from the 50's.  This little truck really impressed him.

Let's hop in and go for a drive!!!!!

Very intrigued with the very old fire extinguisher attached at the front by the engine.

"Can I have one, Mum?"

At the Botanic Gardens While the Earth Moves In Wellington

A lone flowering Tulip

On Friday we had decided it was about time that we went into Wellington again.
We needed a fix of city hustle and bustle and then our usual wander through the Wellington Botanic Gardens.
Little did we know it would turn out to be a bit of an adventure.

One of the tulip beds

The tulip beds were devoid of flowers, all except one lone tulip, but growing well in preparation for the Spring Tulip Festival later on.  But there was plenty of magnolias in bloom along with other pretty little flowers and the spring bulbs doing their thing rather early, it is still winter.

Relaxing on the grass while Wellington shakes

I found myself a nice possie next to the Joy Fountain on the grass and sat down while Salem went running about.  I felt the ground move under me and thought that it was either a small earthquake or a truck or bus going by. I didn't see either.  I mentioned it to Salem but he didn't feel anything.  He was too busy running around and exploring in the trees.

This was taken just after a large earthquake

Soon after heaps of people started walking through the gardens and I thought it must have been the usual after work crowd of people walking home........Little did we know!!!!!
Wellington had been rattled by some rather large earthquakes.
I have written about our adventure on our Ballet Boy NZ blog so check out our story at http://balletboynz.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/dancing-on-shaky-ground-and-costume.html.
We were totally oblivious to the earthquakes and had a really nice afternoon at the gardens.

Stylish Electric Cars

More stylish than a Prius.

We checked out these very cool vintage cars at the recent Kapiti Sustainable Home and Garden Show.

Salem loves vintage cars and it didn't take him long to find these beauties.

Check out the batteries!!!!

As you can see, electric cars are not a new idea.

Imagine driving this home.

I think this next car was a hydrogen powered car.  Or it could have been another electric one.
I can't remember, it was a very hot afternoon.

Both these cars are in working order.
Much more stylish than the modern hybrid and electric cars.

Autumn is Finally Here!!!!

After a long, hot and very dry Summer, Autumn has finally arrived.
The leaves are finally changing colour and falling to the ground.

We love Autumn!!!!!!!!

And what is more fun than playing in all the leaves.
We couldn't resist when we found this large mass of leaves on our walk home after dance classes.

The temperature has dropped a lot over the last few days but we still haven't had any rain, just two days in the last week or so that had about 5 to 10 minutes of a very light drizzle.
Nothing to break the drought.....yet......

Playing in the Autumn Leaves

It's nice to be able to layer on the clothes and to wrap up warm in one of the many blankets that we have made over the years.
In the evening, when the boys have gone off to bed, I snuggle up on the couch wrapped up in a blanket to watch a bit of telly, with Sugar, our big fat white cat curled up next to me on the blanket and Misty, our clueless black cat purring away sitting on my knee.
What could be better...........