My sister often gets me to try different crafts, she visited me in NZ and  brought some doll kits so we could try this together.  For a while I made these realistic baby dolls, just for something different to do.  They were amazingly fun to make, and sold quite well, but my real passion is quilting so this craft was only a 'phase'.  Loved it when people mistook them for real babies. 

With a bit of wood putty, sandpaper, glue, clamps, paint and time it became a piece of 'art' no longer expected to perform except to look pretty.  This piece sold in our Arrowtown art show recently. From the gutter to glamour.  Have to love when a plan comes together!

    The last thing you expect to see while dining out is a water tornado.  

While sitting on the porch of the Crab Shack in Pensacola, we had an uninterrupted view of this huge water spout for about 15 minutes.  

The cell phones all went off with an emergency alert, saying we were in the vicinity of a tornado and to take cover immediately.  

How do you take cover on a porch or inside a restaurant that has nothing but picture windows towards the ocean?

The funnel was amazingly elegant, but the raw power left us all a bit in awe.  My youngest had said before our American trip that she would like to see a tornado.  Apparently this one 'counts' and she'd rather not see any more!

When it hit land it quickly dissipated without causing any damage.  If we HAD to see a twister, this is the type this quilter prefers!

My darling husband and I celebrated our 27th anniversary this week.  He surprised me with a stay at a bed and breakfast (and dinner) place for three nights, while my girls stayed with relations.  
Circumstances had made the last two anniversaries a big non-event, so Jeff was determined to try to do something special this year, and he succeeded. It was lovely.
We had a couple of 'nothing' days just enjoying being tourists and relaxing. After dinner we even enjoyed romantic strolls through the long forested drive in the dark! Um..at least for the first two nights.  
The last day of our stay we were driving and a few blocks from the b&b saw a large black bear lope across the road - in broad daylight, in a residential area. Guess who gave up the last romantic late-night stroll?   LOL 
Perhaps the bear was having a feed on on these lovely wild blueberries that blanket the roadsides!

On Sunday several families came for a shared lunch along with their bunch of smaller people.  The day wasn't overly warm, but warm enough for the little guys to eat and play outside.  

When the little guys became bored with the whole scene, one of my visitors suggested I let them paint.  Honestly?  Sure!  The suggestion was: fill a container with water add a few drops of food colouring, give them paint brushes and set them to work on the stones of the walkway.  

It was magical.  We had to rustle up paintbrushes for the five youngest, but they spent AGES painting until the whole walk was 'beautiful'.  Fortunately when that  project was finished we also had an easy access brick wall in the front garden that needed the treatment.  

Their little faces were the picture of virtue and fortitude as they brushed coloured water on rocks with their one to two inch wide brushes.  They seemed pretty  impressed that they were allowed to 'paint'.  

I wish we had thought to grab a picture of them all at work, but while they worked away, those who had stayed (after the meal) got out some sets of Monopoly deal cards and played a long time unmolested.  

What a useful child-occupying idea!  thanks to clever Holly...