Aren’t these gingham Kiwi adorable!? My latest stitching finish, the pattern is designed by Jenny of Home-Stitch-Ness.
I love her designs, and this one brings back memories of our visit to New Zealand a couple of years ago.
When I think of New Zealand I think of bubbling mud and steam vents that give the feeling that you are travelling atop an active volcano. I think of tropical vegetation, and steep green hills dotted with cows and sheep. I think of tidy front yards, with an orange tree, a lemon tree and … a grazing cow. I think of a narrow, winding, sea-side road with huge mirrors on the corners, and telephone poles planted out in the tide. I think of yummy pumpkin soup, and the scarcity of brewed coffee.
Mother Nature regenerating herself after the wildfire that was nearby this year. The hills and clearings are purple with fireweed and the deer are finding tasty nibbles among the new green growth.
For the past few weeks we’ve been under evacuation alert because of a forest fire, now finally contained, that was burning out of control and way too close to our home. I had to pack up and be ready to go at a moment’s notice. The truck was hooked to our trailer, and loaded with crates for our five dogs, and a freezer full of food – mostly for the dogs, as they are fed raw. 🙂 Our horses were moved to a friend’s property for safety.
Smoke over the farmLittle Bobtail Fire up close – photo taken about 10 kms from home
Unable to take everything, I had the very emotional task of choosing the most important things to pack. So many times I would find myself with my hands full of things that I knew I could not take, and would have to put them down and pack only the most precious items. Difficult choices, and I am so happy to be able to unpack now that the fire is under control. And yes, of course my stitching supplies were among the first things that I packed!
Packed to evacuate
We were lucky and most days the smoke was not too bad, but some days the thick black and orange smoke overhead, raining down crispy, partially burned pine needles was very unnerving.
Smokey SkySmokey pasture
We’ve had some wild thunderstorms and the rain has helped the firefighters gain control of the fire. The storms brought hail too; some piles took a couple of days to melt and the Corgis thought that was a most awesome way to cool off after a walk.
Finnegan on a pile of hailCorgi on Ice
Very little stitching has been accomplished lately. I’ve been working on a the first block of Shannon Wasilieff’s Fantasy Stitch-Along. I am slowly adding the many, many beads to my princess in this lovely design.
Fantasy SAL
I’ve not made any progress on my own designs, as my computer with my design software was packed away and has not yet been unpacked. I am working on a cute little scuba diver in blackwork, and hope to be able to show you some progress on that design soon!
