Here's what I've been upto stitching wise. I've almost finished Garden Pleasures, I am not going to stitch the words at the bottom - I'm going to add some more flowers or bunnies. I haven't quite decided yet.

I've also made a start on the Beach Cottage sampler by Country Cottage Needleworks. The colours are actually a bit richer than the photo lets on.

As so many of you seem to enjoy the photos I share of New Zealand, here are a few more. The week before last DH and I set off on a little holiday up north. This trip was a little different, as my Dad and younger sister decided to come along with us.
First stop was Tongariro National Park. The mountains were mostly shrouded by cloud this time around, but Mt Tongariro gave us a wee peak of her upper slopes before we left. Less than 12 hours later this volcano which has been dormant for 100 years actually erupted! (There had been an increased level of activity, but it totally took the scientists by surprise).

We then headed to Rotorua, which is a fun city with lots of geothermal activity (mud pools, geysers etc). We took a walk through a Redwood Forest and found this amazing pond. The colour of the water is true to life. I suspect it had some kind of mineral or something in it which made it so bright.

I love that my Dad (who is 70) decided to do a big splash amusement ride (twice) and the luge (where you speed down a hill on a cart) in Rotorua not once, but three times. My Dad also did a lot of reminscing while we were away about places he had taken us as children. I think he enjoyed himself a lot.
We spent the remainder of time in Mt Maunganui, which none of us had ever been to before. What a wonderful, relaxing place and with much better weather than my end of the island.
On the Friday it was 21 degrees celsius and not a cloud in the sky. We took a walk around the mountain then sat outside with an ice cream.

DH and I took a 'stroll' up Mt Maunganui itself. Once you get to the top you are rewarded with 360 degree views of Mt Maunganui, Tauranga and further north. It was beautiful and so worth the huff and puff to get to the top.

DH and I also walked around the base of the mountain early one morning (7am). It was a great way to start the day.

No trip would be complete without meeting some of the locals. I thought I'd share a couple of the locals with you.
This is Jenny the Kea (New Zealand alpine parrot). She is 21 years old. She was making quite pitiful crying noises - but apparently this is a game she plays. She usually hides from visitors and then when they walk away she starts the crying noises. Luckily she didn't hide from us though.

This is a baby New Zealand Tuatara, it's just over a year old (they can live for 60-100 years). Like most lizards, they are easy to take photos of as they sit so still and hardly blink - the perfect model!

To finish up, I thought I'd share this photo of a Swan and her babies on Lake Rotorua. They were just beautiful and a sure sign that Spring is here (wahooo!).

Hope you enjoyed the pics, and that you find lots of stitching time this weekend.