Garden Notes, Needle News, and a Weather Watch

I’ve worked the weekend and missed out yet again on Chooky’s Zoom session.

But I have been doing some stitching and sewing — more about those later. As you know, the Christmas decorations are all up and the empty boxes have been put away. So now that I have two days off, I can play.

But first, the chores.

 I’ve been out to the garden for a look around and a tidy‑up this morning. The rhubarb is growing like a weed — and in my opinion, it is a weed, nasty tasting stuff that it is. But I thinned it out and brought a bundle indoors to stew for Tony, who loves it. I added the grated rind and juice of an orange to the pan — he really loves it when I make it that way.

I also brought in the latest offerings from the veg garden. Two little cauliflowers, a variety that only grows to baseball size. Just right for the two of us. That was the last of the cauli, so it’s time to think about what else might grow in that patch beside the broccoli.

Speaking of broccoli, it’s coming along nicely too. I brought in the first head today — there are more coming along very well. I left that plant in the ground, of course, so it can keep producing.

While I was outside, I popped into the greenhouse and was pleased to see the cherry tomatoes ripening well. We’ve already picked a few, and there should be a bowlful ready in the next few days — nothing quite like home‑grown tomatoes. The larger varieties are still green, but there’s plenty of fruit set, so with a little patience we’ll be gathering those soon too.

I have some ironing to do before I scoot into town to gather a few essentials, then I get to sit and sew. The weather forecast for later today and tomorrow is not looking good — thunderstorms all day tomorrow, with hail! My little car will be staying safely in the garage. I only just got it back from being repaired after the last hailstorm.

As promised, here’s an update on recent needle happenings. I completed a total of four knitted washcloths, then wrapped them up and popped them into a Santa box — completely forgetting to take a photo. You’ve seen some of them before, knitted in that pretty pinky‑purple yarn.

I’ve also finished the cross‑stitching on the kitty cat. Today I’ll complete it properly — I think I’ll pop it into a hoop and sew on a felt backing.

And then there are the hexies. They’re starting to come together, though I’m still not one hundred percent sure where this project is going. For now, I’ll just keep adding flowers to the garden.

Another recent project was repairing my shoulder bag. It’s a lovely soft leather and just the right size to hold my purse, phone, shopping list, and a few other essentials. I noticed the strap was breaking right at the point where it joins the bag. 

I don’t want a new bag — the only thing wrong with this one was the strap. So I pulled out Jack the Ripper and began to unpick. Once I got it out, the damage was worse than I thought. Hmm. I cut away the damage and set to sewing everything back together. It’s not a perfect job — yes, one strap is a couple of centimetres shorter than the other — but it’s not noticeable, and now my bag should last a while longer.

The sky is already looking rather moody and threatening. I think I’ll make a quick dash into town for those groceries before the heavens open. Then it’s straight back home, tucking my little car safely into the garage — no hail dents this time, thank you very much! After that, the fun begins: a cosy afternoon of stitching and sewing while the storm rumbles outside.

This Summer is starting with some very questionable weather patterns. 

A Forest of Memory: Our Four Christmas Trees

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Heron house… and yes, we have four trees.

 Four!

🎄🎄🎄🎄

 Each one has its own personality, its own rhythm, and its own story to tell.

The three taller trees are especially dear to me. Their branches hold more than ornaments—they carry memories. Many of the decorations are handmade, stitched or shaped by my own hands, or yours, or gifted by friends who know how much I treasure craft. Some were gifts from my children and others are souvenirs from our travels through Europe, angels from Hamburg, and hand painted bells from Vienna, to name just a couple, each a tiny reminder of the places we wandered and moments we tucked away.

Each tree has its own collection: silver bows and angels, blue baubles and garlands, red and gold sparkle. Together they form a chorus of color and memory, each branch a page in our family’s story.

And beneath them? Patchwork tree skirts, of course. Quilted with love, they catch the sparkle and ground the magic—like seasonal quilts laid out to cradle the trees in warmth.

The Oldest Ornament

Atop the tree that carries only handmade ornaments sits the oldest decoration of them all: a soft stitched angel. She was made for my lovely mum by a dear friend, and she has watched over many Christmases since. Her wand still glimmers, her stitched eyes still rest gently closed, and she remains a quiet guardian of our celebrations.

The Fourth Tree

The fourth tree is a tiny one, but it holds its own charm. Perched with those Hamburg angels flying from it's branches and topped with a cheeky penguin acquired from a cracker somewhere in Christmas past, it reminds me that joy doesn’t depend on size. Even the smallest branches can carry delight and plastic whimseys can bring cherished memories. 

A Forest of Memory

Together, these four trees form more than decoration—they are a forest of memory. There is silver and sparkle, feathers and bows, angels and penguins, and even a few cheeky surprises. But more than anything, there’s love—woven into every ribbon, every stitch, every branch.

Christmas in our home is not just about lights and ornaments. It’s about continuity, craft, and the stories we carry forward. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Christmas Magic in the Making.

 Inspired by a scrappy Christmas quilt I glimpsed somewhere on Facebook, I set to this morning and stitched up a handful of my own scrappy style festive blocks. 

I shuffled them around on the floor, playing with layouts and possibilities. The plan was simple: a quick table runner or topper for a Secret Santa gift.

But while hunting for a suitable offcut of batting, I stumbled across a piece of Insul-Bright—and just like that, a new idea was born. I quickly unpicked the seams holding my blocks together, added some very basic quilting, stitched them back to back and—poof!—I had a pair of pot holders.

I'm very happy with the finished result. They will be gifted on Saturday.

*

After writing yesterday’s post, I got busy. A few chores, then I settled into my chair with needle in hand and worked on the cat cross stitch. I’m happy with the progress—though I’ll feel like I’m being watched as I stitch now! 

I must’ve had an intuitive moment, because I packed it away just minutes before Tony arrived home much earlier than usual. Phew. Secret still safe.

Hopefully I’ll get a little more done today.

After dinner, I made a bit of progress on my knitted washcloth. Flower number two is about one-third done, and I’ll keep going this evening. Some of you have asked about the yarn I’m using—it’s something I’ve had in my stash for a while. 

I’m not sure where I bought it, but I do love it. It’s a very soft cotton, and the colours are so pretty.

*

It’s been a good little stretch of making—scrappy blocks, secret stitches, and soft cotton flowers. I really enjoyed myself this morning; those foundation blocks were such fun to play with. The kitty cat cross stitch is nearly done, the washcloths are coming along, and now it’s time to tuck things away before I head back to work tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty chuffed with my progress and better than I have for quite a few weeks. 

*

Tell me what your needles are doing.

December Plans.

So what will December bring? Who knows! My muse has been a little off lately, leading me down paths that just don’t quite work for me. Hopefully, as the month unfolds, I can stick to the things I enjoy and can actually achieve.

For a start, there’s one more flower washcloth to complete. I also need to finish stitching the Cat cross stitch in plenty of time to decide how to present it — and have it fully finished, wrapped, and ready by Christmas Eve. It’s a secret project, so all of that will need to be done on my days off, while Tony is at work.

Yesterday I spotted a cute scrappy Christmas quilt on Facebook. Can I find it again today? From memory it was foundation paper pieced, made up of crazy-style quilt blocks. That might be just the thing to tempt me back to my sewing machine. Speaking of which, it’s been rather neglected — the last thing I sewed was a hem on some new shorts for work.

Before I plan too far ahead, though, I’ll need to tackle a tidy-up on my worktable. 

The fabrics I bought for Jiffy’s wedding quilt are still spread out there, along with some Manx tartans I plan to use for recovering the dining room chairs, plus a few other bits and pieces. The growing pile of hexies is also waiting for attention. My prepared hexies are running low, so I’ll need to dig into the scrap drawers and cut more. Perhaps it’s time to settle on what to do with all of these flowers and start making preparations.

Today might be a good day to begin that tidy-up — it’s certainly not weather for gardening. I stopped on the rooftop carpark this morning while I was in town. 

Does this look like the first day of summer to you? I’m glad I wasn’t up in those mountains; even looking out over the port, things didn’t seem much better.

So, my plans for December:

• Complete the washcloth and return to knitting the mohair.

• Finish the secret cross stitch and turn it into a fully finished object.

• Tidy up my happy room and perhaps sew some scrappy Christmas blocks.

• Find suitable fabric scraps for more hexie flowers.

• Decide what to do with all those hexie flowers and begin preparations.

December feels like a chance to reset — to clear the table, rediscover my happy room, and bring some sparkle back into my making. 

So here's to December, hopefully it will be a month of inspiration and creativity as my muse gets back on track and back into a more easily followed groove. May the season bring colour, comfort and joyful stitches into each day.

The November 2025 Round Up.

Another month has come and gone, and while everyone seems to be writing their round-up posts, I find myself thinking I don’t have a lot to show. Still, November held its own quiet adventures.

I began the month with sock knitting, buoyed by the success of October’s Pixie boots. With Tony’s help, a long-neglected jigsaw puzzle was finally completed, quickly followed by a second. For our anniversary, we took a day trip to Lake Heron in the Ashburton lakes region of the South Island — a lovely outing with a picnic before heading home again.

There was a brief celebration when, after several failed attempts, I managed to turn the heel of a sock. Yay! But the joy was short-lived, and I’ve since admitted that sock knitting is not for me. Another puzzle was started, though its strangely shaped pieces demanded a rethink.

My scrappy hexagons returned to the table, as did my secret Christmas ornaments. Those ornaments are now finished and already winging their way to family and friends, ready to hang on trees around the world.

One stormy day, trapped in a dark house by a power failure and heavy rain, I found a bright-ish corner and cast on a knitted washcloth. The first attempts were frustrating, but persistence paid off, and my collection of cloths is steadily growing. Once the power was restored and I could get the car out of the garage, I blew off steam in the op shops. Lucky finds followed me home: bags of yarn and fabric, plus a project for Tony.

My final act of November was to cast on yet another washcloth. And so, with socks abandoned, puzzles reshaped, ornaments completed, and cloths multiplying, I think I’m happy to leave November behind. 

And now December arrives, carrying with it the promise of summer warmth, light, colour, and celebration. With Christmas ornaments already winging their way to loved ones, I feel ready to welcome the sparkle of the season and the joy it brings. Perhaps this month will see me rediscovering my happy room, pulling the covers off the quilting frame, and finding fresh inspiration in my crafts. After a few months of feeling stuck, December feels like a gentle nudge forward — a chance to break free of the rut and embrace new stitches, new stories, and the brightness waiting just around the corner.