Swannanoa Country Fair

One fine Sunday I tootled out North Canterbury way for the Swannanoa Country Fair.
These were my favourite things.







I was a little disappointed there wasn't a cake baking competition. I've never seen one in real life and can only imagine the happy bakers' faces puffed out with pastry and pride.

Princess Diana on an ostrich egg was pretty amazing though!!

March 11

Sunday was the anniversay of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Gareth and I spent the day at Riccarton Racecourse taking part in the Japan Canterbury Day.
It was really wonderful, with lots of people enjoying japanese culture.

And it made us both very nostalgic for our other little home in Sendai and all the fantastic friends we made.

Our thoughts and love go out to everyone who was affected by the horrible events that day.

がんばって!

Napping, knitting, 96% full

96% full. Tomorrow we will wane.
We won't be waxing again until the 23rd of March.



E-wrap cast-on.



Someone ate all the macarons and fell into a sugar and egg-white dreamland.

(This last picture fits snuggly into Pip's Words and Pictures. And things just got warmer with the addition of a hot water bottle - first of the season!)

a reason to make the bed

Holy moley I found the most wonderful blanket.




It's a double! an adorable double!

It matches the lovely cushion given to me by Vanessa and Warren from Two Squirrels Vintage (go visit them - they are opening an online shop on March 5th where you can find all sorts of good vintage things!!) and also the little deer cushion I knitted in Japan.



... and introducing sock otters holding hands.

a birthday

Hurrah for birthdays!
I made Alex this fruit tingle cake from Raspberri Cupcakes because he loves fruit tingles and he loves icing.
It was outrageous but totally delicious in small helpings.

A cold little sunday

Today is grey and cold.

Today is trying to make me curl up in a blanket and be cosy and do nothing useful.

Today I am not falling for it.

I am wearing yellow on yellow on peach.
Harnessing the power of summery fruits so this day does not collapse into a ball.




I have bought paint to re-do the chipped window sills.
I have started clearing out my craft room for its new lick of paint.
I have bought ingredients for my flatmate's birthday cake I'm making tomorrow.
And bought him his very own cake tin.



And then I made some lemon curd - sunshine gold in a jar.
I used this recipe from tinyhappy and it worked out just perfectly.



Now that I have been productive I shall sit down and eat lemon curd with a spoon.

kittens take to the stage

Last weekend I stayed up for 24 hours making 9 new kittens.



I watched 3 movies, some terrible television and ate cooking chocolate.
It was well worth it though, looking at their adorable faces makes me squeal with happiness.



They have now flown to Wellington to participate in my friends glittery play "Space Bitches"

If you are in Wellington go and see it!

old socks

If you can't have a kitten .. make a kitten.

Do you know, one day we were driving down Edgeware Road and we saw a sign that said "FREE KITTENS".
It is the best sign you ever could see.

day to day

After our Japan adventures we haven't been doing much at all.
Gareth is learning carpentry and I am growing flowers/knitting dinosaurs.

It's quite nice really.

Tip Top Kite Day

On Saturday Gareth and I popped down to New Brighton for a little bit of kite flying.


Hip-hip it was a glorious sunshiney time!
Our wacky camera even got over-excited and over-exposed most of the pictures.







The giant tigers were so lovely. Their paws were slow moving and flupey in the breeze.



We bought a little Octopus for sentimental reasons.