Struan Farm

Deck the Halls....

It's that time of the year. It all happens so quickly. It's just right before Thanksgiving, and then before you know it it's the weekend before Christmas. Time compresses during the holiday season.

I have made some fun Christmas decorations that aren't really displayed as much as they should be each year, including needlepoint Christmas stockings I stitched for John and myself. When we're living at the farm full time I hope this situation changes; right now I'm attributing this to our straddled existence between town and country, at least mine.

 
 
All of the canvases were purchased at The Needle Nook of La Jolla where the finishing/assembly was also done, they are inspired.

A few years ago on my annual trips to Nelson I started buying vintage-looking Santas made by an artist called Jim Shore, "Heartwood Creek." They look like woodcuts but are in fact ceramic:

   
I love the St. Francis of Assisi feel of the two with the birds and the dogs especially. And then I found a Kiwi Santa with kiwis cuddled at his feet and companion ewe instead of reindeer:

 
Technically I guess we should call him "Father Christmas," since some Kiwis steer away from "Santa" as a name too associated with American commercialism. (This is one of those "whatever" issues for me, I'll always call him Santa.)

I've got handpainted canvases and some of the fibers to make our granddaughters Ella and Olivia Christmas stockings, eventually. Ella is three and Olivia just turned one, so I've got some time, phew!

 

 

In Search of Buddha

We have two Buddha sculptures at Struan Farm. The Happy Buddha is a sculpture I bought for John as a Valentine's Day present years ago. He greets visitors to The Cottage, and has been know to wear baseball caps and signs saying "Welcome Knitters!"

 
The other is a more contemplative grey stone Buddha from Indonesia. We installed him at the pond when we landscaped one end of it a few years ago, sitting in meditation on a bed of river stones, planting native grasses and flaxes around him as well.

The only problem is we can't find Buddha right now:

 
 
I was impeded in my quest both by sharp native grasses and my desire not to disturb the nesting ducks, so we'll have to wait awhile before conducting a more extensive search and rescue.

 
While it's cooler in the bush on the other side of the pond near the ponga (tree ferns), I don't think he's wandered off.

 

Waiting for Miss Ella's Next Visit

Our granddaughter Ella is due for a visit to Struan Farm. I'm saving a project for us to do together, sorting the buttons for the Knitting Studio into the button cabinet, each drawer by color.

 

Biff has announced she will supervise, since she sits atop the button cabinet,  I hope Ella doesn't mind about that.

 
I'd hate there to be a power struggle between Ella and Biff.

 

 

 

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Poppies

I'm not sure what's up with the Wizard of Oz theme. Growing up, we used to watch the movie every year around the holidays, so perhaps it's something dialed into my psyche this time of the year.

Upon arrival at Struan Farm each week I head out into the garden with a vintage Agee jar or vase and sissors in hand to cut flowers for the Homestead. It's a bit of a ritual for me when I get there. I like to have vases of fresh flowers in our mudroom/entrance and also on the table in the sunporch.

The sheer variety of flowers in the garden and availability of something different to pick over the entire year makes this a joy, since I'm never quite sure what I'll find and what I'll put together.

I have come to love using poppy seed heads (and other seed heads and bits and pieces) in my flower arrangements.

 
 

Poppies do make me think of the Wicked Witch, and how she put Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion all to sleep by creating a field of poppies as an obstacle on the road to the Emerald City in an effort to capture the Ruby Slippers. The Tin Man was unaffected and tried to keep everyone awake, but they were saved only when Glynda, the Good Witch, made it snow to wake them up. (Followers of the musical and book "Wicked" might view Glynda in an entirely different light, but let's stick to the original story.)

While poppies as flowers add a bit of color to the garden, I prefer to wait for the seed heads to use in my arrangements. They last a long time, and once dry I shake them into the gardens so that they'll grow again next year.

 
And yes those flying monkeys still give me the creeps, although I don't jump up and run from the room anymore.

Unveiling More Cintique

We picked up the other three pieces of Cintique for Struan Farm Knitting Studio from Kenny Coll in Te Kuiti this past weekend: two arm chairs and a larger sofa:

 
 
These were the previously distressed pieces that my friend Marilyn gave us, that we'd had refinished and then re-upholstered. I'm really happy with how they came out, they (just about) finish up the seating area at one end of the Knitting Studio.

 
 
Next I will make some contrasting pillows, and we need to get the workshop table and chairs down from our dining room in Papakura. The dining table and chairs once belonged to John's grandfather, Sir Carrick Robertson. How John came to own the chairs, table, server, and side board, along with a bit about Sir Carrick, will be a post in due course.

But we're thinking these pieces will all work together in the large main room of Struan Farm Knitting Studio.