Happy dance, a week off work!

We drove all the way to Raumati, just an hour out of Wellington, but a change is as good as a rest, and all that. We stayed for a week. It was fun.

We made some friends at Lindale, a farm-show come petting-zoo.

We explored all the beaches. We lit a fire just big enough for cooking sausages and marshmallows for lunch at the wild beach a little further north at Te Horo. Yum!

We found the Kea (top right), the Kereru (bottom left), the rimu tree (top left), and this beautiful old tree at Nga Manu bird Scantuary in Waikanae. While the northern hemisphere bloggers are posting spring pictures, it is autumn here, and the native trees are evergreens, showing their lush deep greens, not giving up their leaves for anyone.

Now, specially for Lucy, Pacific Queen by Paul Dibble, 1990. Isn't she beautiful? She lives outside Te Manawa, Palmerston North. She has a sister near Wellington airport, which I must show you sometime. Te Manawa is the city art gallery, but after a bit of a search I haven't found it's website. Impatiently, I have given up. It shouldn't be that difficult.

Oh, yes, I embellished a few more hearts when unable to separate the boys from the television....soon it will be done! And stopped by this lovely quilt shop while in Palmerston North too, where I bought beautiful blue (of course) antiquey florals, for some future project.