The Princess and the Silver Bracelet

“Silver” cried the Princess “is what I like the best,
It goes so well with everything, even with my vest.
It’s all I need to look good, it’s much nicer than gold.
And it doesn’t cost too much, If I may make so bold”.

“So buy me a silver bracelet, and buy it for me now,
Whoops, hark at me, I’m being a right pushy cow.
Take no notice of me, but do get me some bling,
and, if you can’t get a bracelet, make it a ring”.

Away went the servant, muttering “she must be kidding”.
”I could get onto Ebay, but I don’t like that bidding.
”I don’t know”, she said, “what the old bag likes",
I’ll have to shop around a bit, I’ll go to old Bill Sykes”.

Old Bill Sykes had no ‘bling’, he’d passed it on to Fagin,
Fagin was out, so off home she went and there she did begin,
to surf the net and typed into google ‘silver for a princess’.
And lo and behold, to her delight, this was a great success.

A great site called BuyNZ came up and there were displayed,
Jade and silver jewellery trinkets by New Zealand Maori’s made.
Oh yes, she thought, I’ve cracked it, I’ll get a ring,
or maybe she’ll love a silver brooch, a pendant or an earring.



Lucky for her she remembered that the princess had desired,
that a bracelet or, failing that, a silver ring was required.
So a Silver Bracelet and a Koru style ring were obtained,
and the maid and princess’s friendship was duly maintained.

The End

Cot duvet

Babies are very important people who should be spoilt and pampered.  I know this because I was a baby once!

If you want to pamper your baby, you should be thinking sheep’s wool cot bedding.  There are many wool cot baby products on the market to give him/her that little bit extra in terms of warmth and comfort.

When baby is asleep (some say babies are at their best when they are asleep) they should be kept warm by sleeping on a sheep’s wool cot duvet and underlay.  This combination of cot bedding will keep baby snug and warm throughout the night, even with the heating turned off.  When I was a baby we had woollen blankets and cotton sheets and survived cold winters even when frost could be scraped from the inside of the windows in the morning.  Parents today keep the windows shut and the heating on.  Why not help to save the planet by turning the heating off and wrapping the baby in sheep’s wool cot bedding for the night?

This 100% wool cot duvet is great for all seasons because wool ‘breathes’ and keeps baby warm, sung and cosy whatever the temperature.  In summer the duvet can be placed with it’s cotton side next to baby’s skin to keep him/her cool but comfy.  In the winter, the plush wool fleece on the other side of the cot duvet comes into use to keep baby warm and comfortable.

If you like these sheep’s wool products and would like to see more wool and sheepskin goodies click here.

Men’s Sheepskin Coats

Sheepskin for men is as popular today as it’s ever been.  There’s nothing like the warmth and softness of sheepskin around you on a cold night out for making you feel good.

Men’s sheepskin coats are not as expensive as you might think considering that sheepskin lasts a lot longer than many other materials.  The beauty of sheepskin is that it is not only warm, soft and flexible but it will also keep you dry.

Canterbury leather is a company that you might not have heard of but it is internationally renowned for the quality of it’s products.  Based in Christchurch, New Zealand they have over 30 years of expertise in the manufacture of leather goods of all sorts.

This stylish men’s sheepskin coat called ‘Barry’ is perfect for a night out.  It’s a short coat so it is comfortable to wear even in the car.  It comes in three colours namely ‘stone’, ‘chocolate’ and ‘earth’ and is made from double face sheepskins with 12mm wool length.  The Cuffs are designed so they can be turned up to adjust to any arm length and the buttons are made from ‘Walnut’ leather with leather edge reinforce button holes.  It’s a great coat by anybody’s standards.

Then again there’s this men’s sheepskin coat, called ‘Kurt’ if your preference is for the leather look.  Again fashioned in New Zealand by Canterbury Leather this coat is also manufactured to exacting standards from double face sheepskins with 12mm wool length. It has the same quality and features as the ‘Barry’ coat with leather buttons and double turned front edge, hem and cuffs seams.   This men’s sheepskin coat would look really good being worn in an open topped sport’s car.  What do you think?

Ladies sheepskin coat

Ladies, if you’re looking for a sheepskin coat to keep you warm this winter, you’ll need to look no further than this article.

Sheepskin is the ultimate in warmth and comfort.  Of course there are many sizes and styles of ladies sheepskin coat but they all provide the same feeling of luxury – it’s almost like being in bed, standing up.

Personally I quite like a sheepskin coat that’s on the short side such as the Dawn ladies sheepskin coat.  This is made by a company called “Canterbury Leather International” that have their headquarters in a 30,000 sq ft factory in Christchurch, New Zealand.  This is a company of international renown, as can be deduced from it’s name.  It has won several prestigious awards in it’s native country and distributes it’s wide range of sheepskin products to all corners of the globe.

The ‘Hartley’ coat shown on the left is made by the same company and is for those amongst us who like something that covers us up a bit more (there are some parts of the UK that are colder than others).    As can be seen, this is not only a ladies sheepskin coat but it is also ideal for the man in your life.  This coat will keep you warm whatever the weather throws at you.

Finally, you can’t beat a hoodie for keeping your ears warm when the icy cold north wind is blowing.  This ladies sheepskin coat is called Emma (what a lovely name!) and it’s not only warm and comfortable but also very stylish.  This is probably a coat for the younger woman but, what the heck, you’re as young as you feel!

Carved Jewellery

There is a growing demand for jewellery that is out of the ordinary.  In this respect carved jewellery is exactly what is required because each piece is hand crafted and, as such, no two pieces are exactly the same.

Almost since man first stepped foot on earth he has sought to carve weapons and decorative items from any material that came to hand.  Of course, in the earliest times this would have meant wood and animal bones.  In this day and age it’s entirely possible to carve almost anything into weird and wonderful shapes but still there is a market for traditional design and workmanship.

Right through to today, carved jewellery has appealed to people as a way of expressing their individuality and sense of taste.  In the case of the Maori, carved jewellery has been a way of handing down from generation to generation the spirit of the family in an almost religious way.

The pieces illustrated here are carved jewellery made from bone (usually cow) which can be bought in a natural state or ‘honey’ or ‘Manuka‘ smoked to a lovely colour.  It’s up to the individual to decide on their own preference but either way they are most attractive items of carved jewellery.

Whale Bone Carving

Whale bone Carving is not new, of course, it’s been done in many countries around the world since human life began on earth. What is new, however, is the upsurge of interest in bone carving, not only from the point of view of the archaeologist but also from the public at large as a means of decorating themselves in the form of jewellery.

Maori bone carving is becoming increasingly important in New Zealand as a means of generating income, not merely for the Maori people themselves but also for the New Zealand exchequer. Much that is known about the Maoris and their culture has been handed down from generation to generation in the form of art and there is much evidence in the museums to testify to this.

Some beautiful (and rare) pieces of bone carving prove the Maoris love of self adornment as well as providing them with the means to catch fish (hook designs), till the land (tools) and make music in the form of wind instruments. Of course, the Maoris didn’t just restrict themselves to carving bone but also worked in wood and stone, in particular Jade (or greenstone).

Historically, the favourite mediums for carving have been the jaw bones and the teeth (ivory type material) of the Whale. Traditionally, it would have been difficult, if not impossible for the Maori people to catch a whale in the open sea but, from the Maori perspective, the Gods were kind and arranged for some whales to be left stranded on the beaches for whale bone carving.

Today, whale bone carving is very limited and only ‘special pieces’ are available to the buyer. More commonly, these days cattle bones are used as this material is easy enough to come by and cheap. Cattle bones are very dense and therefore easy to carve into shapes and designs that have been around for centuries. Not everyone can afford a whale bone carving but almost everyone can afford a beautiful piece of carved bone jewellery even if it is from a cow!

Hawkes Bay Wine

The Hawkes Bay wine region of New Zealand is situated on the east coast of the North island.  The region is diverse in nature with both mountains to the north and the interior as well as the floodplains of the Wairoa river and, to the south, the wide, fertile Heretaunga plains.

The Mediterranean climate makes Hawkes Bay an idyllic setting for holiday makers and apart from wineries there are plenty of things to do and places to see.  The annual average temperature in Hawkes Bay is 19 degrees and they have around 2200 hours of sunshine.  In short the climatic conditions combined with excellent soils make this the ideal location for all sorts of horticulture and, more importantly for us, viticulture.

The production of Hawkes Bay wine is prolific with many fine wine varieties being produced, however the region is best known for its Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah wines.  Over 80% of the whole of New Zealand’s output of these varieties are grown here.  In fact, Hawkes Bay wine growers have gained a world wide reputation for fine wines particularly Chardonnay but also for the other red wines Merlot and Syrah.

With well over 75 vineyards, Hawkes Bay is a paradise for visitors wishing to go on a wine tasting safari with many vineyards being open to the public.  The largest town in the region is Hastings, a historic and attractive town situated on the Heretaunga plains.   Together with it’s close neighbour, Napier, Hasting provides the tourist with a break from peace and quiet with such amusements as ‘Splash Planet’ where you can get wet and cool if it gets too hot.