Saturday 30 July 2011

A day out in the countryside

Today the HDHBEM and I drove 85km south to the city of Hamilton to visit Sarah.   She is my very favourite picture framer and today I entrusted her with The Historic Countries Sampler.   Her initial "wow" of reaction was gratifying and she helped me choose a suitable frame.   Despite taking my camera I completely forgot to take photos of the process so I'm sorry but you will need to wait for the finished product.

However on the way home I took a few shots of the Waikato region agricultural countryside.   This area, of which Hamilton is the main centre, is renowned for its dairy production and there are cows everywhere you look.



Even on top of the local veterinary surgery!


Further along the road a disused dairy factory previously producing butter has changed direction and now produces sweets.   The outside is painted attractively with a gaping mouth of pristine white teeth for the entrance.

Inside, these giant lollipops and chocolate confections ensure the dentists of the district will have plenty of work for years to come!



And further along the road is the small town of Huntly - famous because it is where I grew up!   Well, that is technically not correct -  it is famous as the home of this coal and natural gas fired power station.
The Waikato River is NZ's longest river and although wide and deep, moves only slowly as despite its 425 kilometre journey from mountains to sea it drops only 2700 metres in  height.  The power station has strict controls on the temperature of the water it discharges back into the river in order to ensure the river does not grow too hot for the fish and eels that live in it.
Here's a better view when the sun broke through.


Tonight I have a Cinnamon Fruit Loaf to bake before I add the words "Five Golden Rings" to the fifth of these Christmas Ornaments.  

These are done over one thread of 28 count Cashel Linen in the charted DMC threads.   Charts are from The Marking Sampler -  I am amazed at the number of charted errors in these.   Considering the price for the charts it seems rather poor to have so many mistakes -  were they not checked properly before printing?   However nothing that cannot be corrected with some reverse stitching and a great deal of muttering under the breath!   I intend to make these ornaments into a matching set as a gift for one of my nieces.  
Well that's all for me.   Have a great evening everyone.

4 comments:

Ann at Beadlework. said...

Great photos Margaret, I too wish you had our weather here in Scotland at the moment. Today it's the second Royal Wedding and it's a lovely morning. Love the Twelve Days piece, it very much appeals to me.

Karen said...

Pretty pics of your country-side! I love the big cow at the veterinary clinic! The chocolate chess board looks delicious! The Twelve Days of Christmas piece is very nice. I love the daintyness of the over one stitching. Sorry to hear about the chart errors. Reverse stitching over one is certainly not a fun task.

Catherine said...

Sounds and looks like a lovely day. I love the entrance to the candy shop!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Hi new follower here, hot on the footsteps of the Travelling Granny!
I like your 12 days ornaments and the large sampler you completed recently, great stitching.

www.serendiptiousstitching.blogspot.com