Work on Wed/ Thurs

Hi Everyone,
Thursday in NZ but can just scrape this in thanks to Esther's generous time frame.

Firstly a huge thanks to everyone that voted for my Evolution Wallhanging in the Quiltinggallery.com
Show and Tell last week. Have added a link on my side bar to this site as it is so much fun and although only 14 entries  there was some wonderful work on show.
I was so happy to be lying second with my very first entry - but to have the two guest judges award me enough points to win for the week, prize is Michelle's two Quilters Cookbooks in PDF Format.
I was astounded and thrilled to pieces!!!!!!!!!
Thankyou Judges if you visit my blog.

EVOLUTION

Have just had two days away in Paihia with Steve and Kelly.
Steve has been house renovating for a friend and Wed the carpet went down and he had to be there to let them in and rehang all the doors when they finished so really it was a busman's holiday for him.
Strong onshore breezes meant no swimming for us, and being high tourist season Kelly was not welcome anywhere - extra signage - NO Dogs till end of Feb.
Paihia is in the Bay of Islands and really survives as a Holiday destination so guess this is understandable, she does enjoy the car thankgoodness.

We did find an area we could wander with her to see the Haruru Falls

This is looking down the river from the falls towards Waitangi, just around the bend.

We have a public holiday on the 6th Feb, Waitangi Day to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the first Europeans and the Maori People.
We have Maori land right issues continuing to this day from the treaty.

Had dinner with friends Steve had made while he was renovating, wonderful night and just had to take a photo of this paintingof a Vietnamese Lady on their wall.

Will have to work around the flash but think I feel a wallhanging comiing up.

Lastly have been thinking about the Show and Tell up at Quiltinggallery for this week. 

I can enter every week if I want to, but if I am lucky enough to win again within a month, the prize would be awarded to the next highest votes which I think is very fair.

The theme is winter landscapes and I am thinking my Snowdrop block with it's snowflakes will qualify as it does not have to be a finished work.  

I am going to enter so check in after Fri 8am EST to see and vote for what you like.

Now I have to go through my completed quilts / wallhangings and see what might be suitable to help stage  open homes in Paihia as our friends want to sell.

Have a great week everyone.

Jenny

On line show and Tell

A new experience for me this week.
Found this site after Bunny posted about entering her Heart's Desire quilt in the "show and tell" section on this site.
http://quiltinggallery.com/2013/01/25/vote-now-new-beginning-quilts/
And yes!!
I have just learnt how to paste a link, learning something new every day is good for you.

I uploaded a photo of my Evolution quilt for this weeks "show and tell " themed "New Beginnings"
Not many entrants this week, only 14 but if you like my quilt pictured below please place a vote for me before Monday.
The leading quilt is just beautiful and I had to vote for it as well as my own.
Here is my quilt.  

EVOLUTION

Details about the quilt I have put up on the site, but in more detail
It is obviously a drunkards path block design - from an old APQ magazine.
I had just bought 4 fat quarters of fabric because i loved them, and suddenly they spoke to me.
The Brown was our world, Green was new growth, the Orange flames ,and the Red embers.
Added the Sun, Sky, Moon, Water and two greens for Spring and Autumn around the edges.
Fire destroys but leaves embers and ashes, then eveything regenerates as shown by the centre.
The very center is  the scraps from my foundation piecing cut into tiny  fragments and caught under net.
From ashes to ashes, dust to dust come new beginnings!!!
If you like this, please vote for me.
Cheers everyone, Jenny

Work over Two Wednesdays

What a marathon to even access my blog this week, but finally I'm  up and running. 

Had problems uploading photo's last week and ran out of time to figure it out so left it.

Read about Esther's problem and thought - oh same problem as me so I downloaded Firefox, thinking all set for this week, but NO, couldn't even sign in to blogger, error kept saying redirecting and cannot complete.

Steve is away again this week so it was up to me to solve it and hopefully not crash the computer!!! 

Updated IE and set it back as default browser, yes I had access but NO I still couldn't  upload photo's.

Last resort, I am using Google Chrome as my browser and finally photo's Hooray!!

Last week we managed a day for ourselves, they don't come often at present.

This hidden paradise is well known in Whangarei, only 100 meters from our home as the crow flies.
We should go there more often, especially for the exercise as the first walkway is only a couple of hundred meters circular loop, down hill for one half and uphill the other - great for the calf muscles.

At the lowest point a bridge crosses this idyllic stream and looking back 

The Whangarei Falls

only 4km's from the center of town

on the climb back to the carpark you meet these ancient giants.

On Christmas Eve we sold our old car and bought a new "toy"

so it was Happy Christmas to us

Not brand new of course but we now have three of these Rover Tomcat's as they are nicknamed.

The first is Steve's restoration project, the second the "donor" and this,the one I will drive to work until the restoration is finished, then this  becomes Steve's and I get the red one sitting in the garage.

Think I am getting past a sports car - but!!

So after the Falls it was Steve's time to enjoy a 30 minute drive north to this gorgeous spot.

Church Bay, very secluded on the Tutukaka Coast, not suitable for holiday makers to camp so a lovely quiet place for a stroll on the beach.

Back home this Hibiscus is stiill in it's pot waiting for a home in the garden

This is the second of the old standard roses that Steve rescued now flowering happily in the garden

Flower's somwhat damaged by recent winds this magnificent Jacaranda is the view from our lounge.

And this week I have been making Esther's wonderful Forget me Not Block's

 This was a very fiddly block to make but I love how it finished up and seeing it now in a photo image of the framing fabric's I am very happy with it.

Much simpler in design, but how stunning it is in real life. this shows the centers beaded .

I have lost count of the layers in very center but I broke two needles and  my thumbs ached but it was worth it.

Cheers everyone, enjoy your Wednesday.