The view from my front gate.

This was the view from my front gate last week when we had all those amazing frosts.
You can ski on Mt Taranaki, but it's a bit of a hike to get to the ski field, and you have to take your lunch! It seems to be more popular with snow boarders than skiers.






Went to Taupo to deliver yet another hilux. Always seem to be delivering a hilux somewhere.
It's very handy for Hubby to have me as a kept woman sometimes. He can say how about delivering a hilux on Tuesday? And of course I just cease all operations with the crafting and go.
This time we went together, which was quite romantic. You know how I know that it wasn't just business? Because he stopped on the side of the road for me to take this photo of lake Taupo glistening in the winter sun. Blokes who drive a hilux are not well known for stopping for photos of lakes LOL!

But then it was back to business down the Parapara (State Highway 4 blog chics. Yes sometimes you must stop for ferrel goats to pass on State Highways in New Zealand)!
They are so cute at twighlight. How the little ones go for an evening walk with their mothers, probably foraging for gorse on the roadside or something. They are very road savy though.

And of course sheep... photos taken going slow enough in a hilux so that they didn't blur.

You don't really try to go slow in your hilux down the Parapara, but sometimes you just have to, for ferrel goats as mentioned, and Japanese import Hondas in front of you. People who drive imported Hondas down the Parapara obviously are not people who make a habbit of such things, therefore they slow down for bends that say 60k, or 35k. People in hiluxs do not, given the choice.

And I've started some new knitting. Ferrel goats you ask? No... sheep!

From this pattern by Zoe Mellor.

Although, as you can see from the book the publishers were not strong on their animal husbandry, because the animal in the photo shoot looks suspiciously like a goat to me!

But I could be quite wrong of course. They do have very unusual looking breeds of sheep in Blighty, if you believe what you see on Jimmy's Farm, and Escape to the Country.
Here we just have strictly utilitarian sheep. They breed them with two legs on one side shorter than the two on the other side, so it's easier to walk up hills. When you're going down hills it's a bit trickier, but they just go backwards. They're very used to it!

I bought this wonderful book the other day. Did I tell you how I was cutting down on buying books?

It's just so gorgeous, and I just want to make everything in it. Been experimenting with bits of left over shabby chic bits and pieces.

This is another photo from the book. The mix and match thing is just mesmerising, and I love the way she gives such concise instructions with mostly diagrams. Woohoo, a girl after my own heart!



This is my experiment with my shabby chic bits and pieces.

Not sure weather I am mad on it. Probably look better in brights.

This is the back, which I like better than the front.

I'm painting things today blog chics, dressed in all my finery. Old baggy jeans from my fat days, two sweatshirts and woolly socks to keep out the cold. But the sun is shining, so all is right with the world. Show you what I've been painting next time. If it turns out alright. If it doesn't I'll just say I haven't finished because I was delivering a hilux!