Sunny Saturday.

Hugo went for his first solo walk through the farm. Just when I began to think he should be back I heared his gravelly little voice calling from outside, "Mum, I have a present for you". He had picked lots of flowers on his walk and had even found a ladybird to eat my aphids. He felt very grownup.

Today has been spent out in the garden just as we had hoped. Jonno and I piled a trailer with weeds and pruning and felt most triumphant as it lurched precariously toward the sky. Archie went on a long walk with his cousin and Hugo spent the day with a hose and slide (until his lips turned so blue he had to be brought back to life in a nice warm bath.

Strawberries, icecream, abandoned wet towels. The summer season has really begun.

Love Kate xxooxxooxx.

Friday Afternoon.

It's a warm Friday afternoon and I am sitting on the veranda thinking about simple decorations for my friend's wedding that is taking place in our garden this Summer. I think this easy bunting may be a contender.

This weekend we are diving into the garden. To me tackling the garden after a huge period of neglect always makes me feel as though I am cleansing my soul. For every weed pulled, a past problem or negative situation is released. And then for every plant freed from its choke hold to receive the sun is like a dream or goal remembered.

So yes, a good weekend ahead of us... and Jonno not working - wahoo!!!

Lots of love, Kate xxooxxooxx.

Craftingsyishness.

At the moment I am doing a run of Christmas decorations for presents. I have been taking photos of the process and will post a tutorial soon (except they are so easy I am sure you can figure them out from the photo).
Finally on to a new crocheting project.

And my jumper is now complete - toggles helping to finish it off. I have to admit it is a joy to wear, but just so warm I end up getting a little sweaty.

It is quite cropped but I really like that as I wear a lot of dresses over jeans and the lines of it stops everything from getting to bulky. I will get Jonno to do a photo shoot of me (wearing the new jumper, not just for the fun of it).

Just a little post tonight - the old hay fever has left me feeling very tired and snuffly, it makes me so indignant as I studied horticulture at uni and somehow I feel, that is enough to make me immune. Oh well, boys to put to bed and couches to lounge about on.

Lots of love, Kate xxooxxooxx.

Progress.

I am just so, so, so close to finishing my jumper.
Lots and lots of tails to tuck in and a few amendments to be made but soon, it will be ready...
Except.... that it is now only 7 days until summer.
Lucky I live in New Zealand, a land notorious for its unstable weather. She may well be worn in the middle of January - and if not, for the first time in my life I will be hanging out for the winter.
Thank you so much for all of your lovely words to Archie - he is being very strong and brave and has a wonderful perspective on it all... but he does so miss the snuggles with his little bundle of rabbit.

Lots of love, Kate xxooxx.

Family Times...

On Thursday morning, we found that our little Bundle rabbit died in her sleep during the night. Archie was heartbroken and so we wrapped Bundle in a cloth nappy and brought her inside for lots of cuddles until the boys were ready to say goodbye. After lots of love and talking, we buried Bundle up on our bank by the side of the house, a place where Archie loves to spend quiet time and planted a tree on top. Very sad but oh my goodness how much animals have to teach us, not only in life. (It is now Sunday and Archie is doing very well - Mum did a painting for him and he adores it)

Aside from small and sad funerals it almost feels a bit heartless to say that we have been having a lovely time with Mum. Lots and lots of knitting (my jumper is starting to come together), painting, reading, chatting. We do just love her so much.

Tonight is Mum's last night so I had better hop off the computer now...

Lots of love to you all,

Kate xxooxxooxx.

Having a Mum to Stay!!

There has been quite a lot of crocheting and knitting going on in our house.
Cuddles in bed.
Painting (isn't Mum clever).
(you can probably guess I did this one)

And even Archie joined in using water colour paints on his Johnny Joe colouring in book.

Do we really need to send her back... I know Pa misses her but still, we really do love having her here.

Hope you are having a good week, love Kate xxooxxooxx.

Wahoo!!!

First of all and just quickly - a new dress I bought the other day with Hugo's help. We are having a friend's wedding in our garden during the summer and I thought this would be perfect. It nips in beautifully at the waist and makes me feel very glamorous and grown up.
Someone plonked my hair clip on the little coasters...
Bunny love.

And finally, a corner of my studio ready to receive my mum who arrived yesterday afternoon, safe and sound from Australia. We are so excited. The only reason I have torn myself away for a post is because she is showering and I thought she might need a moment of peace. The boys are beside themselves to have her here and I am even more so. We all woke very early this morning and had to wait for ages until her eyes opened too.

A pile of reading matter on her bedside table (I don't want her to get bored).

Have a lovely weekend, love Kate xxooxx.

The Problem with Knitting.

The problem with being heavily involved with a knitting project is that everything else becomes neglected. Crochet patterns forget to be developed, Stanleys lie around waiting to be tagged and having to in the interim, deal with abandonment issues.

Rose petals fall...

Coasters wait for their tails to be tucked in.

And tiaras dream about being worn by something more than a nest.

I have finished the painting though - a good thing considering it needs to be given away tomorrow. I could have worked on it for a lot longer but that's life...

The good news is that the boys are fed, no one has gangrene and we have plenty of clean underwear and socks. There is even a little bit of left over dinner from last night to go in the freezer. Breakfast has been eaten for the day and faces are about to be washed, hair brushed (maybe) and teeth cleaned. Just don't tell Stanley that the boys come first.
Lots of love, Kate xxooxxooxx.

Sleeves.

I am playing a big trick on you. The photo of my almost finished first sleeve is to lure you in so I can then show you lots and lots of rose pictures... Sorry. Although hopefully I will be showing photos of a completed jumper in the not too distant future, but right now even the thought of it seems a bit far fetched. I am finding that all I knit in an evening is being unravelled by elves when I go to bed. What other explanation could there be for a jumper that is progressing so slowly.

I had a play with my roses today.
They were actually a present for someone, I don't bundle them up like this for myself.
Rose milk.

Can you imagine how it would taste?

Lots of love, Kate xxooxxooxx.

Using the Studio.

The studio is officially opened. The boys and I trooped up this morning ready for action, the boys ready to paint their fireworks night (otherwise known as the best night of their lives) and me to make a picture for a very much loved pre-school teacher who we are preparing to say goodbye to. That's right, Hugo only has a few weeks left at pre-school... my baby.
Archie used acrylic on canvas to represent his bonfire and fireworks then coated the upper section with Mod Podge and glitter.

I also used acrylic but unfortunately am a long way from being finished. The window view is driving me crazy and am seriously thinking of reworking it. But I like the pears now so that is good. Unlike Archie, I did not use glitter.

Hugo used pencil and watercolours to create his masterpiece. He and I are holding hands at the bottom, looking through the dark night sky and up to the fireworks. He adored the evening and at one stage lay on his stomach across a picnic blanket, sucking his fingers and gazing into the fire as though all of the world's mysteries were being unravelled at once.

This is Archie's other triumph for the weekend. He discovered an old Norman recipe in one of his 'Terrible History's' books and decided he needed desperately to cook it. Apparently it was a huge success however, I couldn't try it because it contained gluten. Jonno loved it.

The knife is being stabbed into it because Archie read in the same book that they ate with their daggers.... great.
I hope you have had a lovely weekend, love Kate xxooxxooxx.

Ambling Along.

Today is very much a dig your toes into home kind of day. I have been checking on the new roses flowering for their first time (kind of like Jonno when his cows are calving but I don't have to don gloves). The rose featured above is a David Austin named 'The Prince'. Its fragrance is incredible.
Hugo decided he wanted to earn pocket money and scrubbed the bathroom sink for me... he was thrilled with this arrangement and so was I.

A bit of gluten free bread making has been going on which is so exciting for Hugo and I but not so much for Jonno and Archie (although they love it when it's fresh).

And Archie has been putting lots of Bundle loving time into his schedule.

Last of all I finished the cuttings brought back from the South Island.

Aside from all of these wonderful weekendy things, something even more exciting is coming up... tonight we have been invited to a fireworks party and the children are staying up late. The best part about this is the very long nap we will all have to take this afternoon. Oh dear.

Have a lovely weekend, love Kate xxooxxooxx.