Hurray it's the weekend!

This morning we made a light box to take pictures of objects

and took a bunch of pictures.

It was actually very easy to make (there's loads of tutorials on the net)

and the results make me happy!

After I saw this tutorial I brought some hama beads off Trademe and they arrived today.

I want to play with them at some point. I think Reuben will love them too.

I went to the vet again at lunch time with our cat Garfield.

He keeps getting in fights.

We have agreed this is the last time we patch him up.

It's not nice for him at all.

I did not take a picture of the hideous wound on his head. It's not that kind of blog.

I've been looking at my Dresdens that I finally finished sewing onto their backgrounds.

I'm not super happy with the result, but I'm going to sew a big border on

and I think it will tie it all together. Not today though, maybe next week. 

Right now Annie is fast asleep and Reuben is watching a move

(he's poorly with a very bad cold)

and so I have the afternoon to do some things.

Not reading my new book that arrived today.

Not knitting this bunny with some thrifted wool.

No the computer is calling me.

I'm doing the edits for a book for a friend.

He's 70+ and is writing his life story for his family.

I typed it once and now I need to make all the changes.

I'm enjoying finishing off jobs that have been hanging about for ages.

Last week 15 cushions and this week a manuscript and the Dresdens quilt.

What are you finishing off this week??

A happy quilt for a friend....

I'm meeting my friend Tui for lunch today

and giving her this quilt.

It's two years and three months late but I'm going to give it to her anyway!

I was making this quilt around the time Tui had her son Isaac.

I didn't know Tui at all but some friends of ours told us about this baby that was born

and how sick he was and how he didn't have a good prognosis.

(Isaac is great by the way, he has challenges,

but he's an amazing little human now!)

Anyway at the time I thought, I should give that quilt I'm making to this family,

they seem like they need a quilt. They are going through the worst time.

But then I thought how I didn't know them and I thought it might be weird

and I talked myself out of it.

It's a beautiful quilt made from charm squares and super happy and cheerful to look at.

I really really liked it, but I always felt a bit sad I didn't give it to that family.

But over the last two years our paths crossed a few times

and Tui started reading my blog.

She also started writing her own, and so we have become friends.

Today for the first time we are meeting because we arranged it,

not because our paths have crossed,

and I'm going to give Tui this quilt.

I'm going to tell her it was hers all along and we've been looking after it.

I'm pretty sure she is going to be happy

and I would rather have a new friend than a pretty quilt.

Today I took a big brave step...

When Annie-Rose started at Playcentre I started doing the training. 

It was free and I thought, why not? My brain had basically rusted out with lack of real use!

 So I started doing the training and I love it. 

I really love studying and learning. 

I'm a bit rubbish at writing essays, why write 1000 words when you can say it in 35, 

but hey I'm getting there!

When I sent to Sydney I talked with my sister Sharyon about what I might do next.

They encouraged me to consider doing a degree.

Last week I went to the great McDonalds for lunch with my friend Meg.

Meg was talking about what she should do next and I told her how I was thinking about study.

I'm not sure if it was the pink unicorn or the hot apple pie

but we made a decision to look into it from there.

Meg got right onto the research and before you can say Mrs Robinson

she had a student ID and had enrolled.

I thought I would start next year,

having a bit on my plate this year, but it turns out that the 101 course I want to do

only runs in the second part of the year.

So before you can say Mrs Robertson,

behold I have a student ID and have enrolled.

It's only one paper this year, but it's a start.

I'm going to do it VERY SLOWLY, because first of all I have Miss Annie

who I want to hang out with a much as possible till she's five

oh and I have to finish course 4 and work my day job as well.

But if I keep picking away at it, by the time I'm 50 I'll have a qualification.

A qualification that means I can work with families who have had struggles like ours

a qualification where I can put to use the lessons I've learned in the last 20 years.

A qualification I never ever dreamed I'd have.

I feel like I haven't done a lot of sitting and thinking about this,

but taking one step at a time I'll move forward.

Maybe I won't get there, who knows,

but I'm going to learn a lot of useful stuff in the meantime.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks,

but I like what Henry Ford says....

"Anyone who stops learning is old, 

whether at twenty or eighty"

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing

I mentioned I had this book last week.

Now I don't want to lead anyone astray, it's a book full of very simple projects

you could probably work them out, you know,

but it's SO PRETTY. I really like it. I feel inspired and want to make the projects.

That makes it a good book I think.

I ordered the handles off Tall Poppies.

And then last night I made a bag while tea was cooking.

It was so simple. Really the best things are.

I put batting in it left over from a quilt, just to make it more durable,

and I made it out of quilting cotton, because that's what I had you know.

And then after tea I sewed the handles on.

I'm desparately proud of the handles. The lady in Spotlight commented on them today.

Honestly it just looks like a real bag that someone could have brought.

And that makes me happy. 

Also making me happy, the fact my UFO pile is in more manageable proportions.

The end is nearly in site. The bed is clear (Annie slept in it a couple of times because she could)

and the desk is tidy, well as tidy as it's going to be.

Under the desk. Well we wont talk about that.

“Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.”

David and I took our cameras into town this morning very early.

A new piece of the red zone had opened and we wanted to see it

and experience it.

[glass from the CTV building]

There is so much cleared ground.

I searched and searched for signs of the life we had before.

[once there was a cafe here]

So much life has been taken from the city,

all the hustle and bustle has gone. It's now quiet land, waiting waiting.

[someone's forgotten dust mask]

I stood in my boots scuffed from falling recently on the rough ground,

and pondered how the ground shaking caused such chaos

and now such calm.

[broken cobbles]

The sites are being cleared and sanitised.

But you can't help remembering the ones who left this world here.

[lost glove]

The weirdest thing is that we are still here.

I stopped and spoke to another woman. 

We talked about how the buildings are gone but the people are still here.

We are more resilient now than we ever imagined we could be.

[coat hanger from some clothing store]

Whole blocks are gone, going, fenced off.

But as it all gets tidied up there is a sense of hope

maybe we can build something amazing here.

[the Press site, folks were so brave here]

[fat hen plant on the Press site]

[mug lying on footpath]

I think we are going to make it myself.

This is a fragment of some computer part I found on the ground.

Christchurch business have found strength to carry on,

not all of them, but lots of them.

I wonder who delivered this parcel and what happened to them.

Things that seemed so important on the morning of the 22 Feb

no longer are important.

[gouges on the ground, someone died here]

“The storm starts, when the drops start dropping
When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping.”
― Dr. Seuss

My Place and Yours... Moving Home Again...

It's time to pack up the boxes and take down the pictures,

vacuum behind the furniture. My Place and Yours is moving home again.

I don't know why, but we've had some busy busy weekends here

and I just haven't been organised enough.

The lovely Cherie over at Waste not Do Want

noticed and asked nicely if she could host.

I think Cherie will do a great job and is going to run the linky as well.

So pop on over to meet Cherie and see what she has in store for you.

I really like My Place and Yours, it's fun to peep into other folks homes isn't it.

It's also nice to visit other blogs and meet new people.

You never know, some of them might become friends.

It does happen doesn't it!

Thanks for playing My Place and Yours with me, 

I had fun and I'm a wee bit sad to see it go, but I know Cherie will do a great job.

Do come and see me again though

I'm still going to be here doing my thing!!

Last Saturday Morning....

Annie Rose woke at 6.40 and so we got up nice and early, had breakfast

and went for a coffee. First we stopped in Sumner to admire the amazing

yarn-bombed shipping container.

It was so bright and so happy and so lovely.

I haven't tweaked this picture at all (actually I rarely do)

but look how bright it is!! Squares knitted and crocheted from all around the world.

Reuben and Annie were so happy to be out in the sun after a week of grey skies.

David and I brought a couple of camera lenses for our twentieth wedding anniversary

(next month) and we took one of them out of a spin too.

Love the fact we can now take some good pictures of the landscape.

See how early we were, the sun is still low in the sky!!

Nice to see this building seems unscathed.

Reuben practiced walking on the sea wall. 

Annie thought it was too scary.

You can just see the snow on the Southern Alps in this picture,

there's been a lot more this week. There is a real bite in the air.

Oh cute little buddies.

Happy happy child. Child police, please don't notice the child is out in socks.

I'm sure there were boots somewhere.

Yes probably in here with me!

Weekends are great aren't they!