We've had a productive long weekend.
Firstly I made this apron for Helen who is teaching a baking class at night school. This is the very cute *Apron In An Hour* pattern at
Fapritopia. I used an old kiwiana tablecloth and a pretty stripe.
We drove to Utiku to the
Wool Company which I love because they sell great New Zealand made woollen clothing and knitting yarn. I bought some wool to make a scarf for me and a ready-made scarf for Roy. The drive was very pretty because there is just the first snow on the hills.
We stopped at Sugar Plum Cafe - on State Highway 1 just past the Marton turn off - for lunch. Three cheese and spinach tart for me, tart nicoisse for Roy, and we shared the tamarillo cake! Divine. On the way home we stopped again for coffee - the sun way low in the sky making it hard to drive... and the feijoa friands were really good!
Today we replaced the letterbox. Our letterbox has been a sorepoint since we moved into the house six months ago, but it has been rather low on our priority list with all that has been happening. The trouble was, that when you opened the letter box to take the mail out, the whole fence wobbled and generally behaved as if it were about to fall down - which it was because it was only attached in 2 places. When it came time to tackle the letterbox we didn't want spent a fortune (some are $180) and preferred one that was made locally. We tracked down a man who makes letterboxes here in town from left over timber for $40.
The old, and the new:
Seeing this last photo makes me realise that now there is the fence post to mend, the fence to paint, some planting to do... Still, it has been a very productive weekend.
DH has been busy making this planter from old totara fence strainers and an engine sump tray. It is for a recycled garden art show organised by our local "Urban Care" group.
Even the plant is recycled. It is one of those very hardy things that gets moved round the garden and always seems to be happy. I had to remove several snails before we delivered it to the arts centre.
Autumn has arrived in our little corner of the world though you can be barely tell from this photo from my window - not my garden, this is my neighbour's handiwork. We have had some of the frosted glass in our windorws replaced we plain glass and it has opened up our views of the the neighbouhood enormously. 
Allyson Gofton came to our library to speak and promote her new book "Bake" on Thursday. She talked about the emotional wellbeing that baking promotes, the sense of home that it creates. She was fantastic - she spoke for an hour and I could have listened for another hour. 
