I was doing some folded batik.....
...putting my Blended fabrics into a quilt top (ahem! still unfinished!)...don't they look like stained glass here?
...dyeing wool......
.........marbling with shaving foam................
..and generally dyeing up a storm. 
Blossoms on my dwarf fruit trees.........
the first daffodils.....
...........and shaggy poodles.
One of my favourite harbingers of spring is daphne flowers. These are the first ones I've picked and the scent is glorious.
The poodles are still in shaggy mode, and being twins as usual.
I'm also babysitting Sophie's pets until she moves. Here are Peaches and Cream, the cockatiels.
And the little tank you can see behind them is housing Jose, the axolotl (Mexican Walking Fish). These are a type of salamander, and have faces only a mother would love.
I have been away at Hanmer Springs, an alpine town nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps, and about an hour and a half's drive from where I live. This is just before you get to the town.
Here's the cottage where the dogs and I stayed.
On Saturday morning, we were out walking. There was a heavy frost. This is down on the flat looking up to the hills behind the town.
Meantime, at home, there is the odd little bit of spring coming through. Here are some tiny (and fuzzy) irises.
I made this hat for Sophie who has moved down here now - it's quite a bit colder here than in Auckland.
