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We arrived home from our wonderful, long family holiday yesterday. It is hot today.

We've been busy in the garden tidying up today. Things always get a bit rampant and scruffy in our absence. My raised beds have been very busy producing.

I can't quite believe my eyes. Not only have my capsicum plants produced peppers, they are colouring up. Yes, I grew that red pepper. A Christmas miracle has occurred.

I decided that today was the day to harvest the garlic. This is only part of my crop. We'll be having garlic breath every day for 2011!

And onto Christmas presents. I was very lucky indeed, so I must have been a good girl during 2010. Awesome bag and the cutest thermos flask ever.

Jolly "love" dog doorstoppers. Two actually- which will come in very handy when we have all of the doors open as the slightest breeze can cause the doors to slam in an alarming fashion.

Wonderful painting by our wee niece, Lucy. Plus my new lizard and praying mantis plant ties (which also make excellent wrist bands for when I am being Super Garden Woman).

More goodies in the next post.

Here are my bargains of the holiday. Cute Keds shoes from the bargain bin at Whitwells Motueka (highly recommended shoe and mainly mens clothing shop).

Huge gift box from Lush - half price in the post-Christmas sale. Smells fabulous. The sugar scrub did a great job on my filthy feet after stomping around in the garden for hours.

Here is my "Happy Holiday" quilt that I am currently working on. I got most of the fabric at Thimbles and Threads in Upper Hutt. By the way, ladies at Thimbles and Threads- I don't appreciate being followed around like a criminal when I visit your shop. Particularly when I'm about to spend a considerable amount of money. Again, a ridiculously bright quilt, but Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs fabric don't lead me down a subtle path.

Just in case you were doubting my ability to work on more refined projects, here is the finished "Mother-in-law Quilt" which uses soft blues and greens with white. A Christmas present for Johnny's lovely mum. It is a lap quilt, which is the size I prefer to work in.

Note my assistant. She has been so terribly hot with her thick blacker-than-black coat today. She is longing for a swim in the creek, but had to settle for a splash in her water bowl.

On a final note, there is women's tennis on. Maria Sharapova is giving it all she has, and I am wondering if there is some kind of scream collar (like Miss Dog wears when she has been naughty barking) because if Johnny wasn't watching I'd be changing the channel to get away from the hideous noise she makes with every shot.

Ps. Love to all of my wonderful family XXXX Missing you already.