Tuesday, January 12, 2010

back in the land of the sun!

Is this not the most stunning view to wake up to or what??

last Tuesday, Perth Girl and I headed over the Lindis Pass to visit my sister who has a holiday home in Cromwell,

For those of you that don't know Cromwell, it is located in the valley of the Upper Clutha, deep in the heart of the dry interior of Central Otago in the South Island of NZ . . . it is a landscape of bare brown hills, of tussock & briar, purple thyme and tors of schist, broad basins & fertile valleys, of Lake Dunstan's pristine waters and of gorges carved by two great rivers . . . it is a landscape first trodden by the Maori hunter and trader, opened to European settlement by the sheep farmers, exploited and transformed by the gold seekers and later by the dam builders . . . and now home to the merino and deer farmer, to orchards and vineyards, to artists and artisans. It is a very popular place for holidaymakers for summer water sports and winter skiing.

My nephew just loves getting out on the lake and kayaking, and the area where their holiday home is, makes it so safe and easy...

However, On Wednesday we headed to Dunedin and were greeted with this....

can you see the hailstones? it is a good thing that Dad's toms and strawberries are protected in the glasshouse huh!

it just absolutely poured with rain non-stop, no floods but constant rain... a good time to catch up on reading and heaps of stitching and the odd movie.. lunch in town with Mum and other sister, some shopping - not too much mind....

Janet left for Perth on Thursday and after spending the weekend in Dunedin catching up with friends and other chores, we returned home to this .... much better don't you think!

Now, I have joined Heidi with her Friday night sew-in - pop on over and have a look for yourself, but I thought it sounded like a pretty good idea.

Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is a way of setting some time aside to work on those projects on your to do list, and boy do I have many of those! ... And - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe a knitting project.. or some stitching or scrapbooking.. it could be absolutely anything. But I sure think it is a good chance to make sure that you get something done... now to order up a nice balmy sunny Twizel summer night, sit outside on the deck with my stitching and a vino.. or two maybe....

enjoy your week every one!

8 comments:

By Hoki Quilts said...

Hi Shiree
glad you had a good holiday, despite the weather. Up here on the wicked West Coast, now that the sun is out, we are all checking our toes for webbing (LOL) it's been sooooo wet that I'm sure there must be a touch of amphibian groing on all of us.
have a lovely sunny day
Miche'le

Anonymous said...

Welcome home. Wow the South Island is very different from the North. Still pretty though. Our snow is melting now - maybe Spring is just around the corner?

Anita said...

Wow Shiree! I bet you were really suffering having to look at that view. You will have to do a heap of stitching or sewing to recover. lol. What stunning views you had to 'suffer'. Yay for you. Kind regards, Anita.

loulee said...

Wish I could have been with you.

Julz said...

Ahh to be home and have sunshine!! Sounds like you have had a wonderful Christmas break and clock up a few KM's. Like the idea of the Friday stitch in - will check it out :) Hugs Jx

Unknown said...

Stunning photo's Shiree, but then I always love to look at photo's of my homeland. Enjoy your stitch in, I never make it much past 10, so it would be pointless for me to join in.

Stephanie - My Calico Heart said...

Stunning scenery! I am very jealous of that view!

Simone de Klerk said...

You definitely had wonderful holidays! Love the contrast with the beautiful weather and the pooring rain!
Enjoy being back again (O: