Saturday 10 January 2015

Back to reality

Our lovely holiday in Auckland is now over, and we're back home in Wellington. Fortunately it's still warm and sunny here, and we didn't have to do a fly by like we did the last time I flew home. (The pilot said today that it would be a bit "rock and roll" but just usual for Wellington.)

Yesterday we went to Muriwai for a look at the beach. There's usually lots of surfers at Muriwai, and the surf life saving guards were on duty yesterday. There can be dangerous rips at the west coast beaches so we didn't swim there.

Muriwai Beach on Auckland's west coast 

How did my 14 year old get to be taller than my husband?
swim between the flags

Muriwai

The sand on the west coast beaches is black, not white. It contains iron ore and it is turned into steel at a local smelter. You can read more about the process here if you are interested. The black sand gets very hot in summer and you almost need to wear shoes or jandals (flip flops) to walk on it.

Of course I spent a lot of time sewing on my holiday, and I'll do another blog post about what I've been up to tomorrow. Here's just a sneak peak of my Christmas cushion which mum made up for me while we were at the beach yesterday. I love the back almost as much as the front!

the front - made by me prior to Christmas

the back - made by mum yesterday.

Unfortunately I couldn't blog while we were away because my dad's computer died the week before we went to Auckland. I tried to keep up with other people's blogs via Bloglovin, but I couldn't comment easily with just an iPad. I'll be trying to catch up with everyone else's news over the next few days.

13 comments:

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

It sounds like you had a lovely visit. Welcome home! The back of the pillow your mum made is super cute! :)

Oops-Lah said...

Lovely beaches and so empty! Glad you had a great time over Christmas/New Year. Cute Christmas pillow!

Staci said...

Beautiful Beach! You must have had such a nice trip.
That cushion is just as cute as can be!

Maryse said...

Nice to see a glance from different part of the world. Your pillow is very cute!

Granny Maud's Girl said...

I know the solid red stripe was due to a fabric shortage, but it is just what the doctor ordered!
The sand gets hot even in NZ's mild weather?!

Helen@Till We Quilt Again said...

Looks like you had a wonderful trip with your family. And the pillow is adorable-yes the back is so darn cute! We will leave the cold this week and fly on down to a island off the coast of Mexico to bake in the sun--bringing along a hand project too!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

sounds like you had a great time with your family at the beach. Kids grow fast don't they - my 14 year old grandson is now a little taller than me, he has been slow growing until this year now he is taking off. Love that pillow!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures! I LOVE the pillow. You and your mom are very talented.

Julie said...

I have that same problem with my almost 13 yr old daughter and me. That garden setting is beautiful, is it yours or your parents?

Mary Jane Robiony-Rogers said...

I love the polka dot fabric on the back echoing the snow on the front. You two are too clever. I'd love to be in the sewing room with you and your Mum, watching you in action.

HeathersSewingRoom said...

Oh that bright blue sky something I do not see much of here. Such a nice photo of your cushion in the garden.

Raewyn said...

Sounds like you had a good time away. Glad you were able to get some sewing done while away - your Christmas cushion turned out great!

Sarah said...

Beautiful beaches. It's funny but I don't associate New Zealand with beaches. Probably because we think of you as being colder, mountainous, hot springs etc. I've never visited NZ but would love to, maybe next year for our 15th wedding anniversary. I love the Christmas cushion. It's so cute.