Advent Swap / Kiwi Christmas Ornament Swap

Ooooh - look what was on my deck yesterday after school! A gorgeous box of gifts from the Advent Swap set up by Cat at www.catalinanz.blogspot.co.nz (I think Miriam helped too.)

Aren't they all beautifully wrapped too?! My husband just stared in amazement ! "A stranger sent these to you?" he asked. Yes! Kinda a stranger as I have been following her blog for a while - the lovely Elaina from http://alittlebitcountrynz.blogspot.co.nz/. I am delighted that I got her as I love her taste/ style ! 

Roll on tomorrow when the opening can begin - a gift every day up to Christmas Day!

(even better that it is my birthday on Monday, so I will get an extra gift! Yippee)

And I am also taking part in the KCOS - the Kiwi Christmas Ornament Swap organised by Diane at www.sewfunky.com. 

My first divine decoration arrived today from Nicola of Whangarei - I love it!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!

Mine are very nearly ready to post out to my group of six people too. (silly essay is getting in the way of things...)

Are you taking parts in any other swaps? I am also doing a couple of other swaps too!

Odd one out now

Ryan had his Catholic sacraments last weekend. I am now the only non - Catholic in the family. (and it will always be that way.)

He did his confirmation on the Saturday and the holy communion on the Sunday.

It was very sweet, even if I know very little about the whole business. I do love the Tongan priest at the parish - he is a hoot. All done now. I love how he chose his saints now - St Joan of Arc - because he thinks she is cool. Good enough for me but the MiL I don't think was that happy with the choice and the Bishop of Auckland had a giggle over it! My fab non- conforming kid is awesome!!

The garden grows and grows

26 degrees today again! Apparently with humidity it felt like 32 degrees! 

 This is totally unreal for Auckland in November!!!! I think our farmers will be getting very scared of what it is like in January/ February. We had a huge drought earlier this year..

The garden is amazing - 5 weeks after we planted it! 

We have kale, lettuces, strawberries, tomatoes , beans, cucumber, potatoes, passion fruit , herbs (a baking tray of herbs bought dirt cheap at the school gala. I never knew that these should NOT be watered from the top - that they need to be placed in a tray and the tray gets water poured into it. These herbs have kept fresh for several weeks now.). And a big pot of coriander grown from seed.

Love being able to go to the garden and pick fresh lettuce etc for lunch/ dinner. The tomatoes have been a bit of a battle with curly leaf and black spot, but hope we have resuscitated them!

And my roses - the City of Christchurch one you know has bloomed. And the other one that has also gone voompf is my grandmother's rose. The morning she died my twin brother whipped around to her house and took cuttings of it - 5 years ago. We all have healthy thriving roses as a memory of Grandma. Grandma also had a rose named after her - I must find out if it's actually this one and what it is called!

Scrummy cotton

Inspired by the absolutely gorgeous dishcloths I received from Leonie as part of a dishcloth swap, I ordered some balls of the Sugar'n'creme cotton from Yarnz. It arrived at school yesterday. Gorgeous , gorgeous stuff and at $6-8 a ball really good value. (Usually I buy the english cotton which is a lot more expensive and not as gorgeous as this stuff.)

Have cast on a bit - that essay still bugs me and probably will for a few more weeks -.

Have also been knitting another sock - bits and pieces in front of tv or at lunchtime at school usually!

Kieran is at home with tonsillitis and cannot get to doctor till 3pm (I am getting frustrated with this as cannot get into my real doctor - 3rd time this has happened and usually with a nasty infection or ear- ache which really needs to be seen by doctor when it occurs . I refuse to keep going to White Cross and being seen by random people time after time, so now shove strong painkillers done me and do not go at all.... I assume with more and more people coming to Auckland this will be normal! I have had my doctor for 20 plus years and love her.)

Another parcel arrived at school too - a big bag from Bendigo Woollen yarns. :)  A present to myself. As I have the willpower of a mung bean, I got the office ladies to hide it and will open it on my birthday next week. :). 

City of Christchurch rose

Isn't this gorgeous?! Eldest taught me a thing or two about my camera early evening yesterday.

(and more importantly 700 words written for essay - loooong way to go but it's a start!)

And this weather - WOW! Day after day of sunshine and 25 degree heat!

I love mail !

A surprise package in the post this week from Tracy of www.madaboutbagsuk.blogspot.co.uk

Her son and mine have been pen friends for quite a while and we have now started writing to each other.

Tracy is an incredible sewer and this gorgeous grab bag arrived in the package. Just perfect for my dishcloth knitting. The bag looks great hung from a ok with its handles looped over each other too. (see her blog.)Tracy also sent over notecards (adore) and cotton picked up from an op- shop - perfect!! Felt like it was my birthday but only 9 more sleeps for that! :)

All fabulously wrapped in old pattern paper too!

Tracy does take orders and has gorgeous items available for Christmas too. Her sewing standard is superb!!

Thanks so much Tracy - love it all!

Heat

We have had day after day after day of summer and heat! 25 degrees today and the weather will be much the same for the next few days! Summer is here. Apparently it is no colder than usual but we just have less wind!

Loving getting the multitudes of washing dry day after day! 

Today I was shouted to lunch by a group of school principals! Such a lovely reward! And I LOVE the gift we all got - a survival kit. Awesome kit - hilarious and so true!

 We put up with so much nonsense sometimes for a pathetic wage.

(an 18 year old kid in Australia working at McDonalds gets more than the average school support staff worker in New Zealand!!!!!)

Loving my first City of Christchurch rose too - a gorgeous colour!

Off to hang the next load of laundry outside :)

Days flying by

3 more weeks of school (so 3 more weeks for that essay to be done!!!)

End of year music concert - Kieran not at all fazed by doing a solo in front of a school hall of strangers !

And he is on the music school promotion items! Such a good deal to learn music at a school after hours for around $270 a year. We might have to bit the bullet and get him his own trumpet too for next year.

Looking at our beloved old house which is now a rental in much better nick than when we ever lived in it. Miss the huge backyard (too small to put another house on it these days in that part of Auckland!).

Full on day tomorrow with major fundraiser for the school on Athletics Day. You will find me cooking hundreds of sausages. Bought 400 drinks and 400 ice blocks today to sell tomorrow too. Then I will run away for a nice end of year lunch event put on by a principal's group for a group of us. Yay. :)

That is very much appreciated!! 

And two big boxes on their way to a lucky recipient somewhere in New Zealand for the Advent swap taking place in NZ. A gift to open every day till Christmas Day from December 1. Such a fun thing to do!!