Spring time

It's Spring time in Wellington and I enjoyed a lovely walk at Oriental Bay this week.  We're very lucky to have a sheltered beach within walking distance of Wellington city. There's no surf at Oriental Bay because it's within the harbour, but it's a very popular with swimmers and families in the summer.

  There are lots of lovely Spring flowers in my garden.

Camelia

Vireya rhododendron or Azelea 

Echium

Flowering Cherry tree

My mum sent me a photo of the wisteria growing on her fence.  It looks gorgeous too.

Wisteria 

All these flowers remind me of the wool felt applique cushions I made from Wendy Williams book - Wild Blooms and Colorful Creatures. 

I know a lot of you are preparing for winter, but we are looking forward to longer days and lots of outdoor living.  It's almost time to dust off the BBQ again.

WIPs and some flowers

Well, it's December again and I'm trying to finish a couple of small Christmas quilts so I can have them out on display before the 25th.

First up is my "Flocks by Night" by Wendy Williams.  I really enjoyed doing the wool felt applique on this quilt.

But I wasn't happy with one of the wonky stars, so I finally took it out last night and changed it.  Then I basted it, so now I can hand quilt it.

My Holiday Patchwork Forest is almost finished too.  I made it from a pattern designed by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.  I paid $2 and got a pdf pattern here, but she also explains how to make a smaller version of the block for free here. 

I'm proud to say that the binding is the only fabric I purchased for this quilt.  The rest is all from my stash, including the red Kaffe Fassett for the border, which looks very Christmassy when it's next to that green Roman Glass by Kaffe Fassett.  I need to get a full photo of it this weekend.

At least my Tula Pink Holiday Homies quilt is finished and is draped over the box in the hallway.  You can read how I made it here.

Of course it's summer time here in the Southern Hemisphere.  It's been unusually hot and dry in much of New Zealand and we're on water restrictions now.  Here's some photos of the plants in my garden which are still surviving well, despite the heat.

Agapanthus

Hebe - a New Zealand natvie bush

Lavendar - don't ask which variety

And some amazing hydrangeas spotted on my morning walk:

Garden photos from Auckland

I couldn't help noticing how green everything was in Auckland last weekend.  They do have a lot of rain each year, and that combined with the warmth and humidity makes the Auckland climate sub tropical.

Cabbage tree on the left - Cordyline australis

I took a few photos of the plants in mum's garden to share with you.  But first I just had to get out the green quilt we made together and take another photo of it against the green backdrop of the park.

You can read more about this quilt here.

Now onto the plants.  This is just some of the interesting things that grow well in Auckland.  I don't know the names to everything, but will add labels where I can.

Clivia

Orchids - which grow outdoors in a pot, in a sheltered area.

The view over the fence to the reserve next door.

It won't be that green when we go back for Christmas, but it certainly looked nice at the start of November.

Auckland

Believe it or not, I haven't done any quilting this week.  I've been busy with work, and taking my oldest son to Auckland to start university.  Here are some photos from my mum's garden that you might enjoy, and her beautiful la passacaglia quilt top.

mum's la passacaglia, with the borders on now

Although Auckland is only 650 km (400 miles) north of Wellington, the climate is quite different. Auckland is quite a bit warmer than Wellington on average, and as a result, different plants can grow there. My mum loves her garden and I took quite a few photos while we were staying with her at Christmas.  Here's some photos of her garden:

I certainly can appreciate a lovely garden, but unfortunately the Wellington climate is quite challenging, and I would rather spend my spare time on quilting.  As a result we mainly have bushes in our garden like camellias.

A virtual garden tour - the type where you don't leave your chair

I'm just back from another trip to Auckland for work. I stayed with my mum and dad and enjoyed seeing them again. Some of you asked to see more of mum's needle work and her garden, so here goes.

Mum's canvas work cushions

more of mum's cushions

Mum's canvas work Laura J Perin's Christmas Wreath

We went to pick up the framed wreath, but were really unhappy with the framing. It was such a pity after so much hard work. They agreed to take the frame off and try again, but I still think it will be too close to the stitching. Anyway, it's a beautiful piece of work. The ribbon at the top is done in a very velvet thread from Rainbow Gallery and is just gorgeous. I have all the threads and sparkly canvas here to do it for myself, but it hasn't risen to the top of the list yet. The Christmas spirit usually hits me about a week out from Christmas, so I might even start it before the end of this year.


Now for some spring time garden photos taken yesterday. Yes, orchids can grow outside in Auckland, provided they are kept in a sheltered place.

Orchids on the right hand side of this photo

more orchids and hydrangeas about to flower soon

That's a NZ native cabbage tree growing in the neighbour's garden. It doesn't produce cabbages.

So, you've had virtual garden tour of my mum and dad's home in Auckland, New Zealand. I hope you've enjoyed it.