More close up details for you today, specifically butterfly attracting flowers, and maybe my favourite buddleia that I’ve stitched. 😊 Taken from one of my older embroideries, The Lady in the Butterfly Dress. 🪡🌿🌺🪻🦋 #stitchedart #embroidery #thesewingsongbird

Well that was a very harrowing drive home from Wellington. If you can avoid being out at the moment, I'd do so. Hutt Rd has surface water, as does SH2 (I avoided SH1, too many lanes, very limited visibility). Everyone driving voluntarily at 60-70km north, SH2 southbound closed due to an accident.

Is it going to rain. Should I go for a walk?

And buttons have been pushed, payments have been made. Elisabeth T/A The Sewphist no longer exists. All our business is now through Bird and Beach Limited. I still exist, and so does my personal brand. So I'm still me here as The Sewphist, as well as being @birdandbeach.bsky.social with R.

Everyone should be very proud of me. I need to speak with my accountant before I submit my GST returns (closing out the old business completely so it's just one), but I actually thought about this last week and made an appointment, and I have everything ready to press the button once he confirms.

Ok, I know it was one of my resolutions for the year, but I haven't quite done the music swap yet... But y'all, Sp*y found us a very useful song that we don't need to change the lyrics to. It's an old song, but had somehow escaped my notice until now.

ALL of Alison Holsts slightly criminal microwave recipes are online www.nzonscreen.com/title/alison...

Always love to be reminded of this. A lot of it was hand-stitched too. Really amazing, precise work. Women’s work is so often minimised and forgotten.

I am trying to get in touch with the whānau of Dave Terangi, a Ngāpuhi fella who lived in Margaret St, Papakura. We did some research with Dave, and we know he has since died, but we would like to return a taonga. If anyone knows his whānau, pls DM me. Also Pls retweet (so to speak).

New national anthem: "It's getting cold in here, let's put on all our clothes... I am getting so cold, I'm gonna put more clothes on" (Seriously, I am always delighted when I visit someone and my many layers prove unwarranted because they actually heat to a healthy temperature. I like to be warm.)

This May is the 6th anniversary of my heart attack. So I am doing the Heart Foundation MyMarathon and walking 300km this month. As well as that, on the 30th of May, Mya and I will be walking a complete marathon. Please support my efforts! www.mymarathon.co.nz/fundraisers/...

Last night my timeline had a whole lot of people discovering that you can just change the words of a song to sing your own lyrics (apparently this is news to some people?) and this morning I’d just like to inform you all that “Waking up is hard to do.”

It’s my cat in a box.

Yes! I put my electric blanket on nice and early this evening and I have been rewarded by winning Pīata’s company for the night. She’s such a daddy’s girl and normally parks up on R’s bed well before bedtime.

Me: Hooray, I finally have some energy and motivation for sewing and art. Also me: this weekend I have the next block module for my Pilates teacher training (2.5 days), I have practice teaching sessions both before and after that tomorrow, and my GST return is due next week. I need to go to bed.

Tonight’s pile of productivity! I tried to do a behind the scenes sewing video tonight, but apparently if you delete the original video so you can save the edited one because your phone memory is full, iMovie doesn’t like it… Anyway. Who wants a new tea towel? birdandbeach.co.nz/product-cate...

You know how I’m really not that much of a dog person, and have to work really hard not to tense up when one approaches me in public? Well I was just sitting at the beach, just finished eating my lunch, when a medium-sized black dog came trotting over. “Here we go, I thought to myself”…

It's tough seeing every single freelance artist I know having the same "uhh I haven't had paying work or sales in weeks" posts, it's gotten extremely tough out there for us. If you have the means, please consider treating yourself to a commission or print or book from an artist you like, it helps!

Every so often I find out about someone’s job or research focus and I’m just like “why did the careers advisor at my school not tell me this was an option?” and today it was designing puzzles for birds.

NARRATOR: It's quarter finals week on The Great British Darning Competition. The pressure is on, and tempers are starting to fray... CONTESTANT: I didn't come here to fake mends

I was very, very good at spelling when I was younger. There was one word though that stayed on my list for weeks on end. “Material” To note, I was about 11 or 12, and already sewing my own clothes.

I think if we had days that were maybe 36 hours long, I’d really be able to achieve so much more with my life. Wake up, try to get something, anything done for the first 8-10 hours, finally hit my straps and get in a solid 10-12 hours of hyperfocus, a few hours to wind down, then 10-12 hours sleep.

My system worked! Wordle 1,774 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Proof I am actually drawing again! This is 2-3 hours worth of work - it mightn't look like it because it's so sped up, but there is a lot of trying things and then changing them involved. I like what I have so far. Half my brain says "keep going, do the leaves" and the other says "go to bed."

Hey @pepperraccoon.com, have you seen this???

#Kai Dinner.

This is the bit where I take stock of a few recent new followers and add a disclaimer that I’m not actually vegan. I’m an omnivore who mostly eats a predominantly plant-based or ovo-lacto diet, married to an ovo-lacto vegetarian who occasionally eats fish. You may occasionally see meat meals here.

Sat down after vacuuming, dusting and mopping the floors, trying to muster enthusiasm to go for a walk while there’s still some sun. Look at my activity for the day so far and apparently I’ve done nearly 4km worth of steps just doing a bit of housework. I only went outside once to grab the mop.

Here commences the next adventure in not-chicken.

I didn’t find my sketchbook last night, but I did find a brand new 1° sleeping bag under my bed that I had completely forgotten about buying. R is camping, and messaged me how cold it was, so today I went and dropped off my new sleeping bag so he can be all snuggly in his tent. #BestWife

An annoying thing about being someone who masks is when you are under the pump, you have less energy to so you don’t as much. But then people around you act like you’re in complete meltdown and it’s like no, this is actually how I avoid one of those cause I stop expending energy on being “normal”.

#Kai Dinner.

Today is #NationalPenguinDay so we're remembering that time we made a Penguin out of Penguin Books. It's a Penguin Penguin. 🐧

ANZAC Day makes my heart hurt. So much loss. And despite "Lest we forget", we're living in a world that seemingly did forget. In early '98 we stayed a night at the backpackers in Bruges. At breakfast, volunteers came to invite us 'cos we're from NZ, transport included. Because they hadn't forgotten.

I was going to draw tonight. I still could draw tonight, now I've done a few other things. The risk is, if I start drawing tonight, will I remember to go to bed tonight? (I'm feeling the urge to start work on at least one new Absurbirdie, and I thought of another one the other day too.)

Watching GBSB, and this season’s contestants seem quite competent. I’m also asking myself if I want to pick up the self-challenge from last year (I made the denim skirt and a practice pair of togs, but no further). Also, cover stitch machines are hard to use. Like, really hard.

Well that’s a sight you don’t see everyday! Zoom right in!

Got there, just. Wordle 1,769 6/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

There is a spot, and this is about to hit it. (Late, even for me, but dinner.) #Kai

#Kai Dinner.

Need a nz themed gift that is functional and beautiful? Check out my art scarves! Free shipping in NZ www.helenbeech.com/helenbeechar...

Another big name in fashion lore was born on this day in 1900 and that was Norman Norell. Amongst his many striking designs, one of his most recognisable was his mermaid dresses, silk jersey covered entirely in sequins. Here an early #1960s version in bright yellow #museumatFIT #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Update: looking out my window, but Harcourt Werry Drive and the KG Bridge are open again. It’s still pretty wet and windy, so if you do have to venture out today, please take care. 🩵

Last week, a gentleman returned this rather dilapidated copy of this famous book to us after 50 years. He had found it in his attic! Presumably this means there is a pristine copy somewhere in our libraries....

Update from Hutt City FB page: The river is rising quickly. They are closing both Kennedy Good and Melling bridges overnight and not reopening until they've been assessed by engineers in the morning. Get home, sooner rather than later. Roads are already closing. www.facebook.com/plugins/post...

Email just in from Hutt City Council about declared state of emergency (first one we’ve ever received). If you’re parked in the Riverside car park, move your car now (they said by 3pm). Flood prone? Consider evacuating now for next 24 hours.

Ugh, apparently I need to throw my sourdough starter out and start again. I fed it about a week ago then forgot to put it back in the fridge. It turned pink. The Internet says that’s not a good sign… and not to try and rescue it (which you can do, and I have, if it’s grey or brown).

This goes about exactly how you’d expect it to… so sweet. 💖

I'm so Gen X, you probably don't think this song is about me.

Good morning, i’m busy stitching something new, so today let’s have a look back at my embroidery, At the Water’s edge…😊🪡🌿🌷🌸 All completely freehand stitched in January 2025. I hope you enjoy. #stitchedart #embroidery #thesewingsongbird