"scoped"

My library was "scoped" (their words) today by the Swiss IBBY! There is a major literacy/children's books conference taking place in New Zealand in August and they are looking for New Zealand school libraries to showcase/bring conference attendees to visit. I'm quite excited - loads of people know me/our school in the school library world as National Library send schools all the time to our school to look at the library. To get a busload or two of international book/publishing people/authors etc would be incredible!

http://ibbycongress2016.org/


This is the library while students were at assembly and before the "scopers" arrived ...

An Autumnal Evening

It is finally pleasant weather, as in lower humidity. Still many, many sunny days. (I actually ran out of laundry to wash today!). I love coming home from school and sitting on my bed with the sun streaming through the room, the doors and big bi-fold windows wide open. It is still light till around 8-8.30pm too.

I love my desk and the mess I create there every single day. We can't keep up with the peaches falling off the tree - we only cleared the yard two days ago. I kinda knitted an egg cosie that looks like an ewok I think... I was meant to knit some for my Easter swap packages, but how this one turned out totally put me off it... (I'm in essay writing mode too now, so little knitting being done. Or letter writing. I did visit the post office today and spend $150 on stamps and 5 parcels for swaps/Easter surprises...). Cool new stamps too!I LOVE the kitchen ones... not sure I'll be able to use these ones or may just have to buy another set!

Send us our Country Swap parcel

Hooray for doorbell rings on Saturday morning at 8am and finding a brown paper wrapped package from Ellie. Ellie was my partner in my "Send us Your Country" swap. She is much more super organised than me, although my package to her is sitting here already to send. Just need to get to the post office.
The good husband bought me a cup of tea while I opened my presents. It really was like my birthday as Ellie sent wonderful items which were just ME! A perfect, perfect package!

We have divine writing paper sets (hooray!) which I adore and sweet notecards. I write to penfriends every week and writing paper/notecards is incredibly (stupidly) hard to find in New Zealand! There are a few patterned notepads at $2 shops (I've had them all!) - no notecards at all! and at our two main bookshop chains you can find a few things but at silly prices. It is very very hard to find sets like this. Big smile here!

I love the retro magnet of Lincolnshire and the UK one (flag referendum going on here to ditch the Union Jack from our flag - it is a stupid $26 million process....). Would love to collect the entire UK series of these retro magnets. Love all the postcards too and the photo cards. Lincolnshire is an area of the UK we never got to - it looks fabulous with all its history!

Look at the incredible bracelet Ellie made. I wore it to school today and had many compliments. One of my favourite colours - I have orange dresses and tops and shoes, so it goes perfectly! It if made from orange quartzite and faceted carnelian.

I love the little K ceramic tile/magnet - made by Lizzie Brown Ceramics.

I adore the felted heart also made by Ellie and the super cool thing about this is that the Lincolnshire longwool decoration base wool is from Ellie's sister's sheep! That really tickled me pink!

Last but not least is tea and a tea towel - I'm a tea towel girl and have quite a collection. I will make the recipe one day too. You can never go wrong with tea for me either.

Thank you so much Ellie for such a cleverly curated swap package from your town/country - I love how many things are local to Lincolnshire and also handmade. A super duper much loved and appreciated parcel!

Peaches and a very cool swap to sign up to..

I've just found this very cool swap for tea/coffee drinkers out there -


http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/8th-tea-cup-and-mug-exchange-sign-up.html


What a fabulous idea!


I've been working on 5 swap packages this weekend, writing pages and pages of university notes in preparation for an essay which I have 2.5 weeks to finalise and have bottled quite a few peaches from our very laden tree! We still have not quite finished eating the bounty from 2015 ! I think we'll plod on bottling a few jars every weekend over the next few weeks

Five on Friday

Joining in with Amy for Five on Friday.

A cute heart and a Marshmallow melt from a penfriend - the heart was sewn by her very clever daughter! I have never seen these marshmallow melts before and this was the 2nd one I had received from the UK - saving for winter.

Laundry - we had 4 days of rain. It was glorious. Some washing sat on the clothesline for days trying to get dry. I HATE using a clothes drier and putting clothing inside to dry on racks). I finally sorted this all out last night - must have ironed for over an hour. Lots of the ironing has sat here for weeks, as I will not iron in this humidity.

Sunset tonight.

Chocolate chip bikkies (bit flat) and also a new recipe - peanut butter and date balls -
Blitz in the food processor 1/2 cup of peanut butter; a cup coconut; 1 tablespoon honey and 10 dates until smooth-ish. Roll into balls and then roll in  bit more coconut. Eat. Yummy. I've been keeping them in the fridge.

I've been sorting out my bookcases. This is the main one. The book situation is out of control...
(170 new books already bought, covered and out for students at school! Few schools would beat this a month into the new school year :)  ).

Send us Your Love Swap (finally!)

fOh I have been meaning to blog about this for a week or two but mislaid the memory stick but I found it tonight!

Tracy does an annual Send us your Love Swap and this year I was paired up with Mad About Craft.

I absolutely loved what arrived in my neat package!

The bag is divine and is made from scraps - oh I so need to learn how to sew like this and even how to cut squares out like this! I really appreciate the amount of work that goes into making things like this.  I adore the little crochet brooch too and have been wearing it a few days a week as well - the colour is perfect all year round. I love all the fat quarters/squares too and will have to have a think about what to do with them. The chocolate was a hit and the little ring holder is cute too. Thank you Mad About Craft for such a divine package and to Tracy for the swap.Now to find another memory stick which has the photos of what I sent... (I think it is time I cleared memory sticks too and got a huge bunch of photos printed off again!)

One of my favourite knitted hats

I love this hat. A plain hat started on Sunday morning while travelling around Central Otago a month ago and finished that night in the Dunedin airport terminal while my Jetstar flight was delayed for hours.. (I never have any joy with them!).
I adore the wool - one ball at $11.90 was enough for the hat. I used this pattern and bought the wool the afternoon before from the delightful Stitching Post in Arrowtown. It is Knitcol and shade 72. I bought another identical ball too but can not find it at the moment... I even taught myself the little stalk bit (for the life of me I cannot remember what it is called in knitting terms!!)

Arrowtown is a delightful little old gold digging town - it was very pleasant after the zoo atmosphere at Queenstown (where I lasted an hour and fled! Too many tourists, no room on the footpaths to walk, parking a nightmare - geez I'm too old! I was gobsmacked at the phenominal growth of the town since my last visit! I saw zero children anywhere in the township, which was weird and was just plain freaked out at the busyness. I know, I know, that it is the jewel in the crown of our tourism industry and it is stunningly beautiful! Just not for me that afternoon!!!). The photos are of Arrowtown - not a huge town, but so pretty and with plenty to see/take photos of. The autumnal colours are meant to be spectacular here!

I think these hats might be a quick, cheap go to knit to whip up for gifts too.