Hello again....

It feels like an age since I have last posted. A combination of work, work stress and a yucky virus have kept me away from the keyboard. Of course that is all minor and trivial compared to the absolute tragedy that is unfolding down in Christchurch. Like many New Zealanders, I feel helpless and entirely overwhelmed with the devastation that has occurred since last Tuesday.  The only small help I feel I can give, aside from donating what I can is posting the details of how to donate to Christchurch Earthquake Appeals.

Carrying on with day to day living in the rest of New Zealand has a sense of guilt and maybe a lot more appreciation for the basic amenities, I certainly am not taking for granted how wonderful it is to have a hot shower,a  flushing toilet and a roof over my head. I am thinking of Christchurch people often and am sending them good wishes. If you can please donate what you can to help in the recovery effort.

I have finished my log cabin blanket and am oh so pleased with it. Have finally gotten around to photographing it. Am so pleased that i added the blue, i think it may have been a little drab without it. It's really soft and warm and made from 100% thrifted wool which is a bonus.

Finally finished.....Ta dah!

 

Its a shame that the little baby I know is way down in Dunedin, he is super dooper handsome and I think would have been the perfect model. Alas, however there is a certain other little dude that stepped up to the mark and did a stirling job.....even if he did whinge about the intense sunlight and the fact that it was far too hot for a fella like him to be wrapped in woollies....................................

The handsome model showing off the wrapping ability of a handmade log cabin blanket (on a rather hot day!)

I hope that this post reaches you all well and safe and that your loved ones in Christchurch are OK. Our thoughts and love are with you Christchurch

A a couple of days of 'Nothing Much'

For those of you living in NZ you will be familiar with the L&P advert with blokes planning to do not nothing but 'Nothing Much'. I am a big fan of days of Nothing Much.  So this weekend we did exactly that...

Drying the washing, Apartment Style!

Newly washed Thrifty find of the pillow variety

There is not a lot to tell, we cleaned the house like Den-proud little Foxes and we did the washing.

Met up with some lovely friends for Sunday Brunch by the beach and we did Nothing Much.

Yesterday (Monday) I felt too relaxed to go to work and can't wait for my next Nothing Much Weekend! Although I do also love cramming in lots of things for weekends but everything in moderation they say.

One thing I love to do in the evenings is People Watching, I'm sure most people enjoy doing this....well our Sky Den has more than a few neighbours..wanna see?! Plenty of people to watch from where I sit.






Our Neighbours

Just a few huh! There are always Cranes working in and around the Auckland Central Business District and they are lots of fun to watch. Really amazing the precision of the drivers. Heres one I was spying on yesterday 

Mr. Fox snapped a great sunrise the other morning, thought you might like to see. (I'm already at work by Sunrise now that Autumn is approaching.

Sunrise looking out from Sky Den to North Shore City

Forgive me for this very disjointed post, it seems a little all over the show! For Valentines Day Mr. Fox and I headed to the Movies. We went to Academy Cinemas and saw Charade..Ooo it was fun.

Poster sourced from here

View from the Sky den and other things

We had the most awesome sunset the other night. Tried to capture it in a photo but didn't manage to capture how rich the colours were. It was so beautiful.

Spent the evening sewing little buttons onto little booties for a special little baby boy and wrapped the parcel up to send. I really enjoy wrapping up gifts (one of my favourite things about Christmas actually!). It was extra fun being able to make things for a wee fella...as much as I adore frills and florals you just cant beat a great car printed fabric! The crochet booties i blogged about here.

Awaiting postage to special little man

And although that sunset makes my Sky den seem serene and calm............its just not so. We have had some busy road workers working very hard just outside the complex. Its rather noisy and dusty to say the least. I have to say that having a birds eye view of the progress has been quite fun.

Busy busy!

Dreaming of a garden

Vegetable garden 2009

Mr. Fox and I are moving from our Sky Den to a little place snuggled underneath an old house. As always when we are about to move I have started dreaming of setting up the new place and making it a cosy home. But all I can think about lately is the possibility of having my hands in the soil and growing a few herbs and veges.........

Vegetable garden 2009

.....not long now I keep telling myself, not long now.

Weekending

Well we had a last minute change of plans and headed out west to Port Waikato.  The Coromandel was going to stretch the budget so we went for a 'saving friendly' option instead.

Sandy Pedicure!

Our weekend started out rather wet!! After pitching the tent by the light of the car headlights we woke up to a very misty campsite. I just love arriving somewhere new in the dark so that its like a surprise when you get up in the morning....the mist made it even more exciting and mysterious. Port Waikato is very small and not really a wet weather kinda place so we wanted to head out on an adventure. Raglan is about an hour and half away from Port Waikato so we jumped in the car to do some exploring. What a great place Raglan is. I had use some pretty strong will to stop myself from shopping up a storm. Would love to go back soon and camp there. Enjoyed the chilled out vibe and great food. The beach wasn't too bad either! It was too windy for us to swim but a brisk walk on the sand cleared out any cobwebs that might of been lurking.

 

Raglan

After a lovely day in Raglan we headed back over the very windy and wiggly road to Port Waikato.

The fog had lifted to reveal a cute little camping ground and we enjoyed a relaxing evening of crafting for me and reading for Mr. Fox. We felt a million miles away from the city.

 

All that sea air and adventuring saw us hitting the hay very early after a nice hot shower.



Our camping spot.



On the crafting front I started another Raspberry Beret, this time for a friend of Ma Fox's. A few rounds were slipped off the hook before the sun began to set.  The camping ground was very quiet and close to the beach. Great for a weekend just to get away from it all.

  

I bet you want to see whats on the picnic rug huh?! All the evening camping essentials really, the jandals, the insect repellent (the mozzies were bad there), a newly thrifted kids book (with great rhyming words and gorgeous pictures) and a crafting project.





Evening camping essentials

Before heading back to the Sky Den we went for a stroll along the beach, i even wore my togs in hope of a swim but the current was really strong and the tide heading out so no swim. What a gorgeous and unspoilt beach it was. I hope that your weekend was as relaxing and inspiring as mine. I feel ready for another five days of work and crafting now...bring it on!

Too scared to swim!

Wild beach

Lovely mist on the dunes



Time flies when your're working hard!

This past week has been one of those weeks when everything happens at once.  Work has been time consuming and challenging (still has those moments of pure fun and enjoyment tho!). My evenings have been busy and I have managed to catch up with friends and family (which i adore and can't wait to do again). I find that the harder i work and the busier I get, the more desperate I am to craft.  I'm sure its because crafting is such a great outlet. Even if I can only squeeze in 15mins of knitting I feel loads better about life. Just moving fabric and thread in my hands or through the sewing machine, or winding yarn around needles or crochet hook is so soothing and meditative. I'm just so very grateful that I grew up in a family that appreciates time to be creative and encouraged me to do the same.

 My log cabin blanket is still on my needles, I am happy about this. Having so much fun just knitting back and forth in the evenings.

Log cabin blanket in progress. Still!

We (me and my Mr. Fox) are planning to escape the city and all its hustle and bustle this weekend (squeak!! so excited!!). The plan is to catch the ferry  across to the Coromandel and hopefully stay in camping ground there.  I plan to do a whole lotta relaxing, swimming, knitting, crochet and reading......of course some sight seeing too. Very exciting indeed.

Last weekend was Auckland Anniversary Weekend and on Sunday night I got such a fright when there was a loud bang and flash. There was a gorgeous fireworks display out in the harbour. It was such a treat and surprise to watch the fireworks from the Sky Den. Oooo i do love fireworks so much!

Auckland Anniversary Fireworks display viewed from the Sky Den

I do hope you all have a lovely weekend. My week next is looking a little less busy and I'm really looking forward to 'bloggin' a little more.