What a difference a day and even an hour makes!

Update: In the last half our Jacinda took the coun try to Alert level 3 - which means non essential businesses must close, schools will close from tomorrow. And we go to level 4 in 48 Hours! Supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations as well as some banking services will stay open. The level had reached 102 cases with 36 new today and only 14 new yesterday but with all the NZ residents who have fled back here it was expected that the number of cases would rise, but the crunch was the two cases they can find no explanation for, so suspect community transference.

Amy is now worried as heck about her parents in Christchurch ... not sure if they can come even if they wanted to. Not sure what will happen with the kids - theyw ere due to go to Olivia tomorrow but her partner is immuno-compromised and she has a 11 month old baby.

The below was written only an hour ago...

AfterJacinda's announcement on Saturday that over 70s should basically self isolate I rang my son Jonathan and took him up on his offer to come to Palmerston North where the family consider I would be safer and they could watch out for me. After a bit of deliberation I  have come down here. It was interesting working what to bring with me, considering I didnt know when I would be back, but I didnt think I would need my party dress, I would want all my technology and hobby stuff. So the sewing machine and table, fabric, painting and drawing bits, activity stuff for the children I had been collecting, my Sanskrit books and my philosophy material plus all the food which might go off. The campervan fitted it all in and I consider I am very lucky.

J and A have been making good preparations for the kids being home from school, the only hitch is that the kids are going to continue to move between two households, but some things cant be changed, so we will work with what we can.

Jonathan and Amy have a 17 acre block of land on which I can be quarantined if there is a need. Their barn has a bed, water, big gas cooker, plenty of space to run around, nice patch of bush next door - and I have just found out they have a generator out there so that I can power up the sewing machine and charge the computer. Campervan has a toilet although it might need emptying. They havent installed the composting toilet that was their Christmas present yet! Currently I am at their place at 52 LInton St and social distancing is likely to work well here for the moment.  Wonderful to be surrounded by calm, intelligent people.

My "wee house" at Linton St

Covid project 1 - a bulletin board for the campervan.

Projects 2 and 3 - new curtains and a cushion for the campervan.

Jonathan's contact number is 029 538 9814 and mine is 021 2644429. I will try to update my blog as often as possible - might be like a diary, and my goal is to also do one drawing a day in my sketch book to provide a visual record also.

But - who would have thought? Very quiet down here ...

Another farm trip and some fun sewing

Hard to know where to start as I am a bit late starting on this one - - two weeks late actually...so this entry is going to be a bit abbreviated.
Anniversary weekend I drove down to Palmerston North as it promised to be one of the last weekends I was going to be able to get away before the work on the exhibition really kicked in.
Stopped at 5 mile Bay on the way down - VERY crowded - and then I remembered, it was the same last year - apparently a big concert on in Taupo at the weekend. But I was there early enough to find a reasonable spot - it had been a very hot day and everyone had been swimming I think.. lots of towels hanging out to dry!

Easy drive down the next day and went into the farm the back way on the Halcombe road - the Barn was looking great, and lots and lots of work had been done on the farm. J and A had been to the stock auctions at Feilding that morning and brought home some more lambs to fatten and eat lots of grass.

Still very hot when the kids arrived  that afternoon so I took them all to the Lido for a couple of hours before dinner.. Forgot that I couldnt leave them because two were under 8 years old so I didnt really get to swim myself. Saturday was the Small holdings auction day - and second hand goods for farmers were spread out on a huge paddock - Jonathan and Amy had a ball - and the kids and I tried out all the kid amusement things- bouncy castles etc.

Saturday night we all adjourned to the farm and stayed the night - great fun - the girls in a tent, cooked under cover of the barn, and as soon as it was dark the kids played Spotlight - they enjoyed that tremendously. Unfortunately too cloudy to use the new telescope. Damn - it was clear skies at about 1 am in the morning and then clouded over again!
The next morning after a few tasks were done, the kids and I went for a walk in the adjoining bush and discovered a great play area...hanging vines a la Tarzan!

Jonathan and Callum trying out the ride on mower

Me Tarzan - you Jane!

Annabelle's new ( very second hand) drum kit

Monday , the kids and I were mostly around home - drizzly rain so we played indoor games including Monopoly and in the afternoon the kids had their first swimming training in the outdoor pool - gosh they are getting good.

I travelled home via Taumaranui, and I went down the River Rd to Ohinepane on the Wanganui River. This was usually the first camping stop after leaving Taumaranui - brought back lots of memories, but it has been very significantly improved by DoC since the old days, when it was a disused quarry. This is where I would probably do the thing with Peter's ashes - more private than Cherry Grove and camping is allowed. I didnt stay the night but decided to drive on home and get tidied up ready for a busy time ahead.

Everywhere I went there were swathes of agapanthus lining the roadsides

Then we had our first sewing day, and started the giraffe project - nine of us had such a fun day - all different colourways  - mine is the one in the middle.

Since then i have been pretty busy, organising the quilts and their delivery and doing the accompanying paperwork for the exhibition.

The major fun thing for me was starting an 8 week course in travel sketching - had my first day today. Since it is definitely a beginners course all we did today was a quick exercise using our pens and aquarelle watercolour colour pencils.. it was a fun exercise - cant rub out the ink lines though so no second chances,  and we had less than 5 minutes to do the actual sketch. Nice group of people. I am going to enjoy the group and the class.

A play day and a sunny trip North

After  returning from palmerston north I decided it was a good time to do a bit of playing with creativity.. this required tidying up the house a bit first, and doing a few errands and visits with friends but then my inner child let loose a bit and I spent a few hours painting fabric with my friend MArgaret. The flood of posts on FB regarding the bushfires continued to bother me, so I took the opportunity of following up one suggestion - the Wollongong Modern Quilt group are going to put together quilts from blocks sent to them - each block to have a tree on it.. so i tried out a couple of things and made two.

some of our painted fabric - 

My tree blocks for the bushfire quilts.

My next task is to make the denim bib front pinafores for the girls.. I need to make a pattern first.

I dragged myself away from the design table and headed up to Mangawhai via Kaukapakapa and the home of one of my former engineering students - great talking to someone who is making a real difference as a teacher and mother. Then up to the good company of Gil and Dorothy - we sat in the sun and just watched the scenery, boats and people - gorgeous afternoon, then had the buffet dinner at the Golf Club.

While they headed off to play golf on Saturday I enjoyed the idyllic windless sunny day with several walks, a little reading, a trip tot he local market and more walks and even a bit of sunbathing. It was the best day so far in January apparently and lots of people out to enjoy what for many must have been the end of their holidays.

Sunday dawned gorgeous again so I took the canoe out with Gil on his stand up paddle board - I went right up the estuary, past the farm - looking at all the new houses and bringing back some memories of earlier walks, paddles and pipi gathering. Back for morning tea and then Dorothy and i went out again - another gorgeous paddle - the arms remember how to do it, even if it had been months or even a year since they held a paddle. The tide was helpful and really relished the clean air, seeing all the families and people out enjoying themselves.  So hot by early afternoon there was lots of lying around reading, sketching, little walks with lots of ball throwing and cold cider.... and watching Serena Williams win the ASB tennis tournament in Auckland. her first major win in three years apparently so she was pretty excited about it.

Bye bye Mangawhai!

Monday morning was again glorious but decided my arms might not appreciate pushing them again, so took a leisurely time packing up, another walk and then headed home. Took a bit of a detour when I found myself nearly into Warkworth - the Tomarata road must have taken me out further down than I thought, so I headed over on the Kaipara Flats Tauhoa road to get back to SH16 - but didnt realise it got narrow and metalled - bit of a giggle but I pulled over well in time when a really big truck with a huge water tank was sighted coming the other way. easy trip home, no problems and not too tired. Traffic was easy!

Catherine had another birthday ! and sent some photos of the family - gosh how they have grown -
All looking good!

They take this shot every year - Havent they shot up!

All taller than Mum now! and Josh is taller than Dad? Well done Brett and Catherine.

 So home again, pick the beans, water the garden - not quite Australia brown but definitely needs watering!

Christmas and New Year

 I got back from  my Christmas trip to Palmerston North yesterday and the topic on everyone in Auckland's minds today is the weird colour of the sky as we are covered by a smoke cloud from the Aussie bushfires,. It is overcast but from 2pm it has been a weird yellow grey.  It is good that my family are safe but I am aware that they are vulnerable. The images we are seeing are horrific and I think everyone fears fire. What will be, will be,  and I am not sure that prayers or rain dances will bring on the rain, but I do hope they get some relief soon.

One of my ex students Kirstine and her lovely family who live round the corner.

Before Christmas I had a few lovely visits with friends, family and Christmas gatherings. I had made some self imposed deadlines like deciding to make dresses for the girls and home made fabric Christmas cards for some local friends which kept me rather busy, but I did get the fruit cakes made for essential people like brother Gilbert and the local motorhome company who look after me when i have queries or little problems with the campervan.

Walk at the Botanic Gardens with Sculpture in the Park exhibition with friend Karen and her mum

Dorothy and Alfie

I left in the afternoon of 22nd and my trip down to Palmerston North was in beautiful weather. The time spent down there was busy as usual. Nana duty is 24/7.
We all camped out at the farm for Christmas Eve and although it was very basic camping, no fancy amenities, at least I had the campervan to sleep in and a toilet. The kids thought it was great fun which was the best present Jonathan and Amy could have. Presents on Christmas Day were a success and so was our fairly straight forward Christmas Dinner ( Jonathan did get his Turkey).

Amy on her new favourite toy - a borrowed bulldozer/digger - she made good use of it for the week!

Camping with the bare necessities at Bush Lane on Christmas Eve

The Team! Jonathan, Annabelle, Cordelia, Callum, Amy and her son Marcus

Marshmallows always go down well

Callum decorated the pavlova for Christmas night

Cordelia in her new skirt and top( I made)

Annabelle chasing her new drone in the dress I made.

Other activities included me taking the kids down to Waikawa Beach to Boat Day where the hit of the day was friend Kurt's blow up water slide followed by a dip in the spa pool.

I took Cordelia for her promised overnight adventure in the campervan and we went to the Woodville Ferry Reserve by the Manawatu river - spacious, lovely camping and surprisingly empty for the "busy" season.

In true Godfrey tradition they rebuilt a dam on the river.

Donkey rides through the bush track adjoining the farm

We made several batches of muffins and biscuits, as I took fresh bread rolls, muffins and made hot coffee for the workers out at the farm each day. They rode the donkeys a couple of days including on the community walking track through the bush reserve adjoining Jonathan's property at Bush Lane,Mt Taylor - about 5 minutes out of Feilding. The kids enjoyed cooling off in the little river that runs through Timona Park in Feilding, in all their clothes ( but I had a change of clothes and towels in the car)

Everybody helping fill in the hole
with little stones and the dirt.

Digging out the residual soil in the hole

When possible Jonathan had Callum helping although Daddy proved very capable and was hanging gates, fixing worn out valves on water tanks and in this case putting in a fence post - using a powered post hole borer.. I guess I shouldnt have been surprised when the fence post proved to be perfectly  vertical!

I did fit in a couple of visits to friends, and was amazed as usual by the talent of my friend Griet - she is so creative and talented with her "textile art"

The Rangitikei River - if it had been warmer
I might have gone in for a swim.

When the kids had returned to their mum's I packed up and started the trip home. I overnighted at Vinegar Hill Domain on the banks of the Rangitikei River - one of my favourite spots. Then an easy trip home the next day although lots of wind. All well when I returned, and my garden is not very tidy but it had beans and courgettes in abundance.

Our spot beside the river

Pre- Christmas busy

This is surely the season - I dont go near shopping malls if I can help it, and this year I am trying to make most of my Christmas presents myself  . my contribution to trying to combat senseless consumerism... Unfortunately that often means I make extra deadline for myself.

The first Christmas card I finished

Since last blog entry I had a long weekend trip down to see the grandchildren and the family - it was a busy weekend with children's activities, and visits to friends and the Bush lane property on which Jonathan and Amy have made great progress ( the first Barn/shed should be up by now).

At Taupo - all the  paddocks around were filled with the yellow Broom flowers

My major recollection of the drive down was the abundance of the yellow flowers of Broom - just everywhere in the middle of the island... it may well be considered a pest but it is nicer than gorse and makes a wonderful spectacle at this time of year. The weekend included - dinner with my friend Christine who has just sold her house and going to buy into a retirement village, visit to Bush Lane, visit to Dog Show at Masterton with children to see Robyn's little dog doing brilliantly ( Baby Puppy in Show, visit to the Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre ( fantastic display of birds in natural habitat - even a white kiwi), then swimming carnival at Feilding, well deserved dinner of fish and chips! and after school on Monday swimming, beginners Cricket training for the girls and then Cubs with Callum. Nana had some nice quiet time in between while the kids were at school.. The children are at the age when nana is still a very desired participant in their activities.. I love it!

At Mt Bruce wildlife centre

A kakapo - first one I had seen live... 

Yes, they have goats! 11 of them and maybe more coming - they are good escapees!

The site for the first building - ready and waiting!

Successful day swimming  with their swimming coaches

New dresses - smocked by my friend - my two little princesses.

Cordelia learning to bowl

Annabelle learning to hit the ball

Callum pulling the chariot at cubs - they had to use rope lashing to hold it together

 The rest of the month has been sewing various little jobs, some Christmas presents and finishing off and using up  fabric, meetings about our exhibition for next year, giving out scholarship money to some very deserving women for university study, a residential weekend with the School of Philosophy, and gardening, and visitors, trying to get those Christmas presents made, and reading ....

The days are racing past and just had Peter Godfrey jnr to stay overnight as he is en route to a dentist in Auckland, now it is a couple of Christmas parties and still trying to finish off all those Christmas presents... why did i decide to make fabric Christmas postcards!!!

This one was for me - had the fabric for 8 years!