At the beach

After the farm I  had 2 glorious sunny days at the beach - paddling, walking the length of the 3km sandy beach, collecting shells, people watching.

And sampling the local ice-cream- watermelon sorbet delicious and refreshing 

Up on the farm

I've been enjoying the rolling countryside North of Auckland for the last few days visiting friends who live on a big cattle farm there.  I made friends with the adorable cattle dog, Lou.

And I made good use of the covered table area in the garden to enjoy a cuppa and a read 

Next stop - the beach and a forecast of sun

Memorandum Monday down under

A big wave to you all from Auckland- I realise it is still Sunday for all of you but my week has begun.

I've been having an interesting few days visiting old haunts and new areas and taking in the massive changes in the city since I  left in  2004.  Lots of new building and public spaces near the water and funky cafes.

I  was pleased to find that some iconic views remain

One Tree Hill  (the tree went years ago but the name stays!)

The Sky Tower seen through the masts at the  marina 

Wishing you all  a good week 

Memorandum Monday countdown

A big wave to you all - still with my left arm but my right arm is nearly back to normal - still being careful but just an ache rather than twinge - thank you for all your good wishes.

So did you experience snow this week?  According to the news it was everywhere (UK and North America) but we did not see any laying here - a few thick rain showers and some dusting of white on the hills in the distance but that was it.  I'm not complaining.

In the midst of the cold I am finding it odd packing lots of t-shirts and keep having to remind myself that with temperatures of 16 - 22C I will not need cardigans!

Some nice signs of new growth in my garden - lots of green tips poking up for the bulbs and my rhubarb has emerged

and enjoying the low light on my river walks

I love the pattern through the clouds and the shine on the water and how it turns everything monochrome.

Wishing you all a good week with plenty of cosy.

Memorandum Monday left handed

Big wave to you all this morning - but unusually waving with my left hand because my right arm twinges when I raise it - not sure what I did to strain the muscle.  Doing lots of things with my left hand, arnica cream and taking care of my movements seem to be doing the trick and it is much improved.

The other new thing I spotted at the weekend was in the supermarket

yes the Easter chocolate is on the shelves already - and someone came along and happily took some for her trolley while I was taking the photo.

Wishing you all a good week - I have lots of lists and organising in mine, and perhaps even the start of the packing

Memo Monday 2017

A big new year wave to you all as I start to get back into routines. 

Now that Christmas has gone and gifts have been opened I can share the 3 crochet pictures that I made into cushion covers for those in my family who actually like to have cushions (not me I tend to move them out of the way).  This photo was taken at my crochet, cake and chat group - being held up with a lovely squares cushion cover one of the others made

I enjoy making the pictures although they need concentration and marking off the grid as it is done so not an activity to do at the crochet group, or even while watching TV. I used graphs created for cross stich or peeler beads - plenty of creativity being shared online for each.

Wishing you all a good week as we transition into the new year and new routines.