Lockdown Day 26

Well, today it was announced by Jacinda Adern (our Prime Minister), that alert Level 4 (lockdown) would continue for another week and then we would go into alert Level 3 for another 2, with further review after that. Hey! I win a bet I had with my stitching buddies - and girls, I take payment in fabric!

I worked today and then had a zoom meeting (planning still goes on the The Great NZ Quilt Show next May - mark your diaries!) so you're not going to get an essay from me. But now you'll be getting an extended lockdown blog, does that make up for it?

So here's what's been brewing in our kitchen for the last week. We harvested my mother in law's olive tree (she's our neighbour and we used appropriate distancing as she's staying in her own bubble). They've soaked for a week with regular water changes and now they are in a brine. There are more steps to go and we are playing around really as we've never done this before. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

And they look pretty....

I feel a little famous! Rhonda, at Down to Earth, featured my kitchen (in all it's unholy glory) on her blog today. And so many nice people left wonderful comments! A few even came and visited me here - hello!

Above is my bean harvest. My ENTIRE bean harvest for the year. I planted dwarf beans and the sparrows came and ate out the growing tops. I thought that that would be the end of it as it was getting too late for beans and the ones they ate wouldn't ever grow properly now...but lazy me never got around to pulling them out. A few brave plants struggled on and produced that little handful of green for me.

Mother Nature never gives in.

The Kitchen has arrived!!

Last weekend (I know it's late, sorry to disappoint the millions of fans who have been waiting with baited breath!) my dear husband and my dear brother, who was visiting, lifted our kitchen into place.

The weekend before, this room had just been insulated. Now all the lining is up and the kitchen in place and it's really starting to look like a home.

So the first pic is of the men themselves flexing their muscles and the second one is when they have finished. Of course no oven or fridge yet, all in good time.

Yes, we are going to have a pole in the middle of our lounge. No biggie. I grew up in a pole house (look familiar, sisters?!) except this one spent many a year holding up a wharf, so, as my brother pointed out, we have a few interesting decorations on it, aka barnacles!

This week is skirtings, architraves (think that's what they are called, those bits of skirtings at the top of the walls) and hopefully gibstopping. We may even get to paint next weekend!

And just for interest's sake. Here is a cutie pic. I visited my DH's aunty and uncle on the weekend. They have a little yappy dog who sometimes needs locking up to calm down. The kids thought her cage was fantastic and played 'puppies' the whole time. Might have to get myself one. Just won't tell the vet it's actually for the kids, I might have a visit from child welfare!