Show & tell!

Blogger has had a change of heart, it seems, & now it has allowed me to upload some pics.
This is my sewing corner, which is usually a bit more messy, but I have learnt to keep it tidy, to foil thieving Leo! He has been known to run off with my embroidery threads, rendering them useless, and my needlecase, which is a worry, as I dont need to have huge vets bills having needles removed from Teenage dogs!


Next little pic is of cute little outfit my cousin crocheted for me. She does beautiful work, & it is a pity I dont have a doll to fit this outfit, currently! I am on the lookout for one.


I do crochet myself, but cannot be bothered with the really small ones. Cousin had been staying here, & she did these little outfits for me, to say thank you. Which was lovely of her!






Last but definitely not least, this is a gorgeous little garden done by Nice Neighbour! She told me I inspired her to tidy it up. It is lovely!


It is shaping up to be a hot day here. SG is all sunny again this morning, & has been watching with interest as I posted these pics.
It was so good to see him looking all happy.
It wasnt very good when Nan exclaimed 'feck'- he laughed & repeated it, of course! So I had to tell him it was not good to say. So he took another of my favourites, "You silly clowns". And I heard him calling Leo a 'scumbag' but that is NOT one of mine!

Blogger Lies -again!

I have just tried unsuccessfully to upload some pics, & in spite of it telling me they were done, they are not! GRRRRR!

When my daughter was born, it was in a small crowded Hospital, that had the kiss of doom upon it. By that, I mean it's days were numbered, due to it's aged state, & somewhat primitive facilities.
Walking up stairs, in late 'graunching' stages of labour, was not a nice experience!
The hospital did have an ancient lift, which was mostly out of action! More than one baby was born on the stairs.

DJ was not keen to be born. She was determined to 'hang in there'! I went into labour, waited till I was sure, whizzed off to the hospital- so relieved at last, because she was almost 3 weeks overdue, & I was a huge melon, & my ribs were pushing on my chin! As she was my third child, I had no idea she could be 'late' arriving.

Dr came to see me, assured me she would not be long in arriving- only 'she' was 'it' then, it was pre-ultrasound, so we could only wait & wonder....

When all signs of labour suddenly ceased, the Dr was called again, & when he left, I was a sobbing wreck. The Sister said "Never mind dear. These Dr's are nasty" "NO!" I wailed, "He was KIND! It is this baby, I have changed my mind, I dont want it now!"
Lying there like some huge beached whale! And a BALD beached whale- if you get my meaning! These were the days when you were routinely given an enema, plus the full shave!

So I had to rise from the bed, dress & go home! How bloody humiliating. Dr had assured me the baby was 'small' & perhaps needed to grow a little.

So off I went, GOM not being impressed, as is the way of males.
The second trip, in hard labour, was a dash in the early morning hours. Same thing, agonising climb of the stairs, treated to a further enema, another 'touch up' shave, & off into a labour ward.

And, you guessed it, all signs of labour ceased, utterly & completely. This time they had hooked me up to a drip, that was definitely going to make it happen. Pah! Nothing. They tried giving me something to sniff on. No labour. Dr came again, assured me the baby was still small, they couldnt induce me, go home again, wait.

It was also suggested I had made a mistake, my 'dates' might be wrong. But, of my three children, I know exactly where & when my daughter was concieved, & indeed, my dates proved absolutely correct, when she was eventually delivered, obviously overdue, & weighing 8lb 6oz- in the old measure! And she was 23 inches long.

So, home again, this time not bothering to dress, & almost hysterical. Laboured all night at home, while GOM, (who was BUTH, in those days- Blissfully Unaware, Thoughtless, Husband)slumbered on in happy ignorance, & finally in the morning I knew it was going to happen this time. So I rang the Dr again, he told me to get straight into the hospital. On the way, I made GOM stop, - I hadnt had another pain! Then off again, clutching his arm, almost causing an accident.

And this time, no further enema- nothing left, you might say. No further 'tidy up'either, & by lunchtime, at 12.40pm, my gorgeous daughter was born. In the tiny cramped labour ward, because the delivery theatre was being 'tarted up' & painted to prolong the life of the old Hospital.

A good sized healthy little girl. Who, right until the end, had resisted being born. The Dr said he still had to rupture the membrane, though it was bulging as far as it could! DJ was sealed in there! She has always been a "Mum's girl" & was a lovely little baby & toddler, always so sunny & happy. I cried when she started school, & I missed her happy chatter all day.

BUTH was overjoyed, came rushing up to visit, then rushed off back to work. Then promptly got so drunk he fell into his father's pea stakes, & shredded his clothes! He was staying with his parents, & didnt have to do any 'fatherly duties'. And, of course the MIL was busy being a doting grandmother, & didnt mind about the ruined clothes or garden. ( And wouldnt bring my ex'baby' to visit me- the cow!)

It was the custom those days to spend days in the hospital after the birth, particularly if you had 'stitches'. Which I did. I wont bore you with the hideous details of the heat lamp treatment, or the nurse who shrieked for all to "come & see these huge heamaroids, I have never seen any so large, like huge black grapes!!" And was very surprised when I snarled at her! This was in the days when I rarely swore- well not in public, anyway. And before Teenage children taught me words I never knew!

The girl in the bed next to me, swore relentlessly, all day, every day, about everything from her body to food. One of the nurses lectured her, & told her there were much worse things you could say, if you thought about it, such as "Hairs on men's legs, and toilet seats". Which was quite horrible, & funny, & I have never forgotten it. Often still use it.

We were all out on a balcony, due to overcrowding, & there were 6 of us. There was a fire escape stairway just beside my bed, with a door that could only be opened from the inside. Imagine my horror, when BUTH knocked & shouted "Open the Door, Meggie!" He was drunk,(again!)& bore a huge watermelon, as a gift for me, & he was so proud of himself, much to the amusement of the other mothers. I was breastfeeding , so the nurses scored the watermelon.

Well, I am sad to say, I have tried several times to upload some pics for this blog, just to lighten the mood, as it were. Blogger wont allow it, so I might try again later.

We are having SG today, & he is most unwell. Seems to have a Gastric 'something', & has vomitted most of yesterday & last night. I took him to my nice GP, when I had my visit yesterday, & she assured me he doesnt have appendicitis, & just to make sure he gets fluid. Which is really difficult as he keeps vomitting it out again. His father tells me he seems brighter this morning, so hopefully he is on the mend.


*** THIS is an Edit!!.
When I told GOM how I had blogged about the birth of our daughter, & the pea stakes, he asked me if I had known, that when his father got up to go to work at 5am next morning, he found GOM, sleeping blissfully, still impaled on the Peas stakes!!
Just shows, after 40+ years of marriage you can still learn something new!

Nostalgia

Had a really nice day yesterday. Until evening came...

DJ came up to visit, with SG & then AAG arrived, & the dogs went mad with joy at the visitors.
DJ is planning a camping weekend & so she wanted to research destinations which are dog friendly. So she spent time on the net with some help from AAG.
They want a dog friendly place, as they want to take Oscar along.

We also had a visit from some friends, & spent a lovely afternoon laughing which always does the soul good.

Almost like a trade off, I discovered I had broken a piece off one of my lower front teeth, so now I have to get to a dentist to get that mended! I suspect my teeth are getting brittle in their age!

I also need to get back to visit my GP for an ongoing problem, so I will be a busy 'girl'.




Look at this pic. So long ago! I still keep in touch with 2 of the girls in the photo! Didnt we all look so happy! I cant believe there were so many of us in that starting year, but I think it may have been because there was a Polio scare, & the schools had been closed to prevent the spread of that awful disease. I was due to start school the year they were closed, so I didnt start until I was 6. I can still remember having the vacination for the Polio.
I can still remember the names of almost all of the children in that old school photo!


This next photo is of SB with Daddy,(before he was GOM) who was doing the 'right thing' taking time off work to spend a bit of time at the Playcentre. It was a good system, and the mothers were all encouraged to do a 'Mother Help' day. While it was a bit of a drag if you had other littlies, it was a nice way to see your child interact with others. We lived in a little cottage among older people- it was our first little house we bought, & there were no other children about the area, so it was good for our children to play with others. I guess it wouldnt really work these days, with so many mothers having to work.









This next pic is of a quilt I made for a Beloved Aunt of mine. I used a pattern, but didnt like the central house, & so designed my own- I use it for my ID.





This last pic is of a quilt I made for DJ. She loves applique, & bright colours. I used blocks I liked from here & there, & designed some myself, & copied some, from picutres, because I didnt have a pattern. The pic is not a very good one, as I took the photo with my old camera, before I had the digital.

And now I had better get onto organising some appointments for the old 'falling apart' bod!

Old Lace

Yesterday's Garage sale find, for me, was this lovely old handmade lace!
I just love it, & couldnt believe my luck. I got it for $1, & it was brown with dirt. I have soaked it in a Nappy soaker, & discovered it is almost white. It has 3 small rust spots, but there is a product to remove that, so it will be perfect for a Doll or maybe even a Teddy.


Isnt it exquisite? I also got some handmade edging lace as well as some entreduex?(sp) which was also very dirty, but has come up nicely with a soaking.
I just laid it over this piece of jade coloured fabric, which is earmarked for a dress for a doll called Jade, who has remained in underwear only, for far too long!
I suppose I should have ironed the fabric before showing the lace!


This next pic is our two dogs, Waiting for GOM at the top of the stairs, which they tend to do, if he goes off on his own.
We are now officially onto Daylight Saving- thank goodness. Leo got me up at 10 to 6 this moring, instead of 10 to 5am Haha!





And here are two of Nice Neighbour's lovely little pot gardens.
You could almost believe in fairies, looking at some of her gardens. Mr Nice Neighbour makes the lovely little bridges for the gardens.



I have been enjoying myself having a cruise around some of the lovely blogs I like to read. I have to remind myself to stop having so much fun!! And get on with some sewing or even ... housework.
It is nice & cool this morning, so no real excuse for not getting onto the sewing!

Spooky Spider

A very restless night. For some reason Leo was up & down all night, & he was finally sick about 3am. He made it outside, which was decent of him. And he seems fine this morning, & wolfed down his brekky. But, as a result, I didnt get much sleep!
So I got up at 5am- again.
At least GOM gets to have some peaceful rest after I get up, & take Leo out with me.

Am I ever ready for Daylight Saving to come in this Sunday morning! My body seems to go into Daylight saving automatically, about a month before it actually starts, & then I come off it automatically, about the same time as it changes back!
Honey doesnt seem to mind one way or the other, but Leo has been ready to rise at 5am for at least 6 weeks. He 'talks' to me, begging me to get up, & feed him.

I read My Float this morning, & saw she is Spiderman- so I did it too, & I also, am Spiderman! I decided not to add it to my page, & have added the Number instead.

I have always been rather frightened of spiders, & tried to avoid any sort of contact with them. Since we only had one poisonous spider in NZ, it was a mystery why I was so fearful of them.
SB has always had a soft spot for all living creatures, & was horrified at the idea of killing things. I suppose his attitude changed the way I percieved spiders, & I can mostly deal with them.

I have often found huge Huntsmen Spiders in our house, & I can take them outside & liberate them, quite happily telling them not to come back indoors.

We once found a huge Funnel Web in our pool, when we had a nice house with a pool. I suspect I may have killed that one, but cant remember now.

A huge black round spider came to live under our eaves at the back door last year, & I called her Lucy, & she seemed to know she was welcome, & she stayed. One morning I went out, & she was nowhere to be seen. Then I found her lying dead on the concrete. It was as if she had just dropped dead. I thought she may -& I am assuming she was a 'she- have left eggs, & waited for signs of babies, there never were any, & so Lucy was gone, though not forgotten. We waited quite a while before taking down the web too, just in case1

This morning I was startled by a very nasty looking, large, black spider suddenly running across the bench top in the kitchen! I just reacted & scooped it into the sink & put the plug over it. I have been feeling guilty, but I couldnt bring myself to liberate it, or see if it would climb out. I also ran some precious water into the sink- which is probably a double crime, seeing we are on such tight water restrictions!

Speaking of which- I had better get my shower, & we are saving the water for the garden, by putting a bucket into the shower.

Your Life Path Number is 2

Your purpose in life is to promote peace. You are very sensitive and insightful. You often know what others are thinking. Patient and tactful, you bring ease to any tense situation. You have an incredible amount of inner strength. Use it, and you can achieve almost anything. In love, you know your partner's needs and desires - and do your best to fulfill them. While your sensitivity is your greatest strength, it can also be your greatest weakness. At times, you tend to take what others think and say a little too seriously. Sometimes you tend to run from confrontation when your best option is to stay and fight.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
We are going to check out some local garage sales this morning- who knows I might find some nice quilty things!

Life's a Buzz...? Yes, it stung me!

Just posting a pic or two. I made this little Life's a Buzz wallhanging, & have it actually on my wall. I am inclined to make these things & not display them. I do think life is a buzz- most of the time, but I must admit, there have been some painful stings along the way.




The next 2 pics are of my little Ginger doll. I just love her, & she lives on a chest of drawers in my bedroom. Usually holding her little rabbit, -which I didnt make! I put plastic 'skeletons' in most of my dolls, which makes them posable.







And this little fellow is Mr Justin Drabble. He was made for me, by my dear cousin, who makes lovely character filled bears. I took his little hat off for one pic. My cousin also dresses her bears. I love her story that she put a little note in one of her bear's cardigan pocket, stating, "My name is Beverly. In case my Mum forgets!"








And last but not least, is Tamika, who lives down in the dolly cabinet with her sisters. I didnt design her outfit, the pattern came with the greenware.She also has a skeleton & she has her own bear.

Changing Paces

The year I turned 50, our world had turned once more, & we were back where we started, almost. No money, no jobs, & a bit late to start out again!

We had come out the end of a long court case, sueing for unfair dismissal. We won the case, & were awarded almost the maximum amount we could get. But, the arrogant, miserable, boardering-on-insane, ex-employer, was not content to leave it there, & he insisted on appealing the decision, to our utter horror. And against all advice from his solicitors & other employees.

We won the second time also, & were awarded the absolute maximum amount this time, and the judge, who seemed appalled by the whole case, advised us to take our case to the open court, where he was certain we would be awarded a much greater amount, than we were able to be given in the Industrial Court. We had been dismissed on the spiteful whim of a cranky old man, who couldnt get his own way. It took away all of our potential for advancement, and any further career advancements, with other organisations/employers, which the judge recognised, & considered we should 'go for compensation' in open court.

It is very hard to describe the devastation we felt throughout the whole process, & the loss of self esteem. No amount of reassurance can give you back your standing when you are dismissed, at our ages, with no prospect of ever having the respect, or the same level of employment opportunities. No money can replace those things in your life. And no matter how 'Right' you are, or how much you are awarded, you pay far too much in emotional, & mental ways, and physical ways, to ever regain what you have lost. You pay far too much for mere money!

It was so soul destoying to watch GOM apply for postitions he was so qualified for, with no luck. Discrimination on the grounds of age is not permitted?? Haha, tell us another! It is never stated, as such, but you know,as soon as they find out how old you are, there will be no offer of employment.

For a man who had always been so damn great at his job, it was just so hard to realise he was looking at his life from the wrong end of the telescope. We considered returning to our homeland, but our children had put down roots, & we know that in the end, there is no going back. So he managed to find a job, in a related field. It was hard for him to watch silly mistakes made, when he had so much experience & knew the pitfalls. But he stuck it out, kept his head down & worked on -loyally, & long.

I was making a little money doing my dolls, but it wasnt enough to keep us afloat. We were renting, as we had already lost our house in a previous, disastrous, career move. (Really, this country has dealt us body blows we never thought we could withstand. What is it they say- If it doesnt kill you, it makes you stronger??)

So I decided to find another job. I had worked as a receptionist at a large Swiss owned company, & had really enjoyed that along with another job I had as a telex operator. I knew the running of Hotels, & Restaraunts, so felt I should be able to find something to do.

A friend told me the Bank she worked for was always looking for staff, & age would be no barrier. So off I went to apply for the job of Customer Service Officer. I had to go into the City for the interview, & enjoyed the day. I had walked to the station for the train, very early, & it was lovely. I felt quite comfortable with the interview, & when I got a call to say come along for another, off I went.Another delightful day out, with breakfast in the city, before the interview. We got to play games this time, & what fun! I loved the whole process of applying for that job. I enjoyed the team work we had to do, & the games & role playing! I felt I held my own with all the young applicants, & didnt even think about the fact I was the eldest. I even managed to pass the maths test- which is really my weak spot! I can use maths, slowly & methodically, but I have never 'understood' it, in spite of my BB stating otherwise. I guess I understand money, but I dont really 'like' it.

Anyway my next, & final interview was to tell me I had the position, & would be contacted and advised where I would be placed for employment. In fact I was allocated a position in a Bank quite close to where GOM worked, so I could take him to work, return with the car, & walk to the Bank.

I JUST LOATHED IT!! I HATE handling money, & was slow to count it up. The BYG- Bright Young Girl- who was to 'train' me, had a brain like lightning when it came to counting money. And she never disguised how bloody fed up, & impatient she got with me, being slow & careful, & all. She would hum, & hiss, & sniff, & shuffle about. I would get hotter & more anxious, & then something else would bother me-- terribly. Her feet SMELLED! Badly! It was so distracting it became all I could think about! And the more it bothered me, the slower I got. I dreaded balance up time! I was a blithering idiot. It was destroying my self esteem, totally.

One day BYG was off for the day, & I was given to another girl, for 'training'. She was a dropdead, beautiful, gentle, Indian girl, & I could have learnt a lot off her. She was so patient, & so kind. I mentioned to the Head Honcho Woman- forget her title now- that I felt uncomfortable with BYG. It did no good, I was informed she was the smartest, the fastest & considered the BEST.

I lasted 4 weeks. I spent every weekend crying because I would have to go back on the Monday. Finally, I gave myself a strict talking to! I said things like "What the hell are you doing?? You are 50 years old, you have had Bloody hard times!, you have earned the right to be happy!! You have earned the right to just do as you please!! Bugger the Bank! Dont go back!"

So I made a phone call, told the HHW I would not be returning, & that was that! She insisted I go to see her, "Yes" I lied, "I will." And I never went back. And I dont care. I spoke to the manager, who was a very nice man, I tried to tell him how I felt, & he never said much, but I think he understood. He was my age, & he had just had a change of career too.

I got another job- by invitation. It was a shop where I bought a lot of my sewing requirements. The girls liked me & invited me to join them. And I enjoyed working with them, & I was very happy! Ok the pay was less, but hey, it was money for fun!

Outraged Rantings

A recent horror story on the media, involving young males, & the assault & torment & torture of a Handicapped young girl, has just outraged me. They video taped the whole sickening event, and then sold the video among school peers. I feel so angry, because I dont think those callous young boys are going to be held accountable for their filthy & cruel deeds. And I dont think there is anything that will be done to make the perpetrators realise what they have done.
I dont normally think prison or corporal punishment is the answer to anything- BUT! I wish they could be publicly FLOGGED!! And filmed being flogged. And the videos made available free to anyone who wanted to watch THEIR humiliation.

I had resolved not to comment about media reported events. Having been on the receiving end of media distortion, & misquotes, I know the story we see is not necessarily the story that IS. So I will shut up now.






This is a little wall hanging I have made, which as yet, has no home. I quite like the little 'birds'. It would have been a pattern from either Patchwork & Stitching or Australian Country Threads, I think & I like to give credit to designers, but cannot find the issue it has come from.

This is a pic of my attempt at a Raggedy Annie doll,& one of my Teds, who is a very strange little fellow, isnt he?





These next pics are from Nice Neighbour, who has a gorgeous deck, with lovely cool plants all along the rails, & her lovely little gardens. Mr Nice Neighbour is a very handy Man, & has come to our rescue on many an occasion to show us what to do to make things right, & also to help GOM, with the loan of tools & valuable knowledge. Mr Nice Neighbour has also made me a nice frame for a chair for one of my dollies, & it is one of those projects waiting to be finished, to upholster the chair!
Dont you just love the Donkey Tail 'hair' around the mask!

Yesterday Mrs Nice Neighbour arrived with a huge bunch of parsley, which they have growing in abundance. What a lovely treat for me, I love to use it in almost everything! (She also knows the story of the GOM & his Garden Crimes!)

Mail to answer today, Letters from BFJ, who has been away, for a week with her HYTB (Happy Young Toy Boy partner!). They went to stay on Waiheke Island with one of HYTB's brothers & BFJ said it is lovely over there, even though the weather is not perfect this year. My BB has long wished to live permanantly on Waiheke Island. I have to confess, I have never been there!
Also a letter from my cousin, who is really looking forward to us visiting. She has a new house, so I am looking forward to seeing her 'nest'. And her gorgeous quilts 'in the flesh'!!

Secret snigger Blog

I have no pics for this blog
you will see why in a moment.

When we came home from the Beach this afternoon, we had our lunch, then SG decided he wanted to go to the toilet. After we had duly despatched the huge Daddy Long Legs from the small 'closet' he disappeared into it, & shut the door. Our upstairs tiolet 'closet' is quite small- if you were aviourdapoisically challenged, you may not fit! (It is late, I have consumed a glass or two of Chablis!! so forgive the spelling mistakes~!!) You get what I mean- (if you are now 'Pleasantly Plump, as I am, your bod will find it somewhat constricted to be in this cubicle!!)
After some considerable time I thought the whole process must be completed. SG is very self sufficient in this area, & no one else is encouraged to assist- suits me!!
I duly enquired as to the state of his 'completedness', of the task at hand. He assured me he was ok. Finally after further long minutes of silence I decided he must surely be completed. So! I opened the door - forceably. To be met by the sight of the mumified SG!! He had used all the toilet paper to wrap himself in a convincing likeness to a Mummy of Ancient Egypt!! All done with yards of Kleenex Cottonelle, which is ideal for the purpose of 'Mummy wrapping'!! I was suitalby disapproving, upon discovery of what he had done. BUT!!! a secret part of me admired his resourcefulness, & inventiveness & I sneaked way to laugh~!! Almost uncontrollably !! His mother & I had a good laugh on the sly after she arrived to collect him. He never fails to delight me. And today' "Holy Moly" -which is one of my expressions, - & his "What the Hell is that??" just cracked me up. I love little kids!

Dolly Pics & a trip to the beach.

I cant believe my luck! I came on here to just post a pic or 3, & things went well, so I got carried away.
This is Possum, & I knitted her outfit during a recuperation holiday for GOM. He gets terrible coughs, & he was advised to take a holiday, so off went to a lovely Country Club Resort. His cough became famous for the week we were there, & luckily we had a cabin right away on our own! No neighbours to be disturbed. I almost went mad though, & trying to concentrate on the pattern for the shawl was so hard, when accompanied by his cough!
He got so bad we had to come home early, & he was hospitalised, as they thought he had Legionairres Disease, but it was pneumonia, & they never did find out how he got it.
I tried to get the photo to show the details, but it didnt seem to turn out that well. I made the little Golly with her, & he is one of my favourite little 'things'.
.This next little doll is an antique reproduction, but I have forgotten which one now. She stands in front of Amber in the cabinet, & is also next to another antique repro doll I made & dressed. I also made their shoes, so they are one off outfits.The larger doll is Amber. I made up her dress pattern, & decorated her hat to match. I was quite pleased with my embroidery on the collar, -which you cant really see! The big doll standing next to Amber is Jess, but I will post a pic of her another day.
These are little twins I made & dressed. I love knitting & just made up the suits.





The day has been quite busy! We had SG for the day till about 2pm, so we took him off to the beach. Forgot the camera, but I might have been unable to use it - I had forgotten to take my anti- cripple pill this morning, & I was a very poor Nanna! I could not sit down on the sand even, & had a great deal of trouble walking in the sand. SG had a great time paddling, & then he got caught, a slightly larger wave than he had gauged, & he sat down very suddenly! Wet through! We didnt have any other clothes either, so had to strip him down, & he rode home in the car seat stark naked! I was glad we didnt get stopped, it would have raised a few eyebrows!! He giggled away about it, & thought it a wonderful joke that he was "Naked, Nanna!"

After we got home, I tried to take some photos, but he was not at all keen! Luckily it has been a nice warm day, & he was quite happy in some old trakckies, & no T shirt.

Leo didnt mind having his pic taken, & he hopped on the chair, just in case SG left some of his lunch sandwich.

DJ came home to collect SG & he told her he wasnt going to go home yet! He has been very happy lately, & tomorrow he is off to Pre school again.
AAG has had another exam yesterday, & has another tomorrow, she tells me, so I hope she does well.

I feel much better now, as I took my anti crip pill after my lunch, & it has kicked in nicely. Thank heaven for those drugs!!

Spices

They say Variety is the Spice of Life.

The spicing of my life has been a bit sparse, lately.
Routines sneak in, & you lose sight of the interesting, bizarre, events, places, & people.

I expect my impending trip to NZ will 'spice' my life considerably. I will get to see my nephews, who were so young when I last saw them. My BB tells me the youngest, who was 8 when I last saw him, is now over 6 foot tall, (I still think in the old measure- OK, that's because I am a quilter!!). He is 18, and a man now. So it will be interesting to comapre him to my almost 18 year old granddaughter.

She tells me she has recieved her enrolment papers for voting! How can this tiny little girl, who came into our lives & stole our hearts, be of voting age already??
I was there for her birth, & cried with relief when I saw her, & saw that she was ok, after her difficult drama filled arrival. And cried at her unbelievable beauty. I think, you know you are going to love your grandchildren, but you dont realise just how MUCH you will love them!

She has ended her searching of the 'Religion of Strange Beliefs', and is thinking perhaps, of investigating another, of equally 'Strange Belief'. I suspect it is really a search for her 'place' in the scheme of things. She is not a girl who has a bunch of girlfriends, tending to have one or two best friends. One of her best friends from her first school days here, was a girl of another colour & culture, who was never allowed to come to stay, or go on outings with other girls. A very beautiful girl, with her dark glossy hair, & wonderful brown skin, & the most beautiful velvet brown eyes I have ever seen.

They inevitably drifted apart, as they grew older, which was really a pity, for both of them. AAG developed other 'close friend' relationships. She dreams of being married, having children, but she hasnt really lived any of her life yet.

I suspect part of the attraction of the Religion of Strange Belief, was the strong marriage belief they have- (that is a woman's role in life) -classes to plan & prepare for the birth of your children?? At age 18. Before you have even met your 'intended'? Who, of course, must come from the ranks of other 'believers'. All a mystery to us, her family. And, I suspect, largely a mystery for her also, as I have the feeling she 'didnt get it' when all was said & done, in spite of 'praying for the answers'.

I try to keep an open mind for such things. I remind myself of the story of GOM & I & how different we were/are. How we were told -assured even,- that it wouldnt work. A lack of religion is something GOM & I do share- in spite of backgrounds with similar vague religious 'labels'.

I have very happy memories of attending Sunday School, at a Church with no connections to any of my family. I enjoyed it, & loved singing the songs, but as to anything else.. well I still have the little book I was presented with, as the end of the year!

I dont know that GOM's parents ever went to church either, but they considered themselves a certain 'Religious Denomination,' Which I find hilarious, since they never 'attended' it.

I guess like a lot of others, I tend to think if there is a god it is in the wind, trees, miracle of babies, flowers, & our mere existance.

Our weekend was a spice! We had a lovely family lunch yesterday, & SG had a great day! He was so happy.
I had made some pies, & he got the leftover pastry to play with, & used his sister's little rolling pin set, given to her, by their GreatGrandmother, who SG will never meet, because she is gone.
It was lovely to think he got so much pleasure out of it, as his sister had done, so many years ago.
I am not sure why it has always lived at our house, but it certainly provided joy for SG yesterday, & he was doubly delighted when I cooked his creations!
"Some bacon & cheese would be a good idea, Nan" 'Well, we dont have any bacon, but there is cheese you can sprinkle'. "I am a Chef, everybody!" as he patted & rolled & cut out his little shapes- then changed his mind & re-formed them. And he anxiously prepared his tray for baking, & trimmed the paper to exactly fit the tray. Which I then had to spray for him, & he laid out all his shapes. Then took them all off again, to reform.
And I consoled myself that they would be steralised when they cooked!
And the dogs circled, watching, in case some pastry fell their way! Or better still, cheese! Granddog Oscar had come for the day too, & though he tires, he still had a great time with his brother & little 'sister' Honey.

Honey had the BEST time. She loves Son B, & it is mutual, so she was in heaven when he arrived. Then on Sunday when SIL arrived she wet herself with excitement, as she loves him also. She is a bit of a tart that dog, much prefers males!

I even got a kiss from SIL for making him an extra pie for him to take to work. DJ & SB had a good chance to catch up with each other, & it was the kind of day I love. Having my family around me.
The weather 'came to the party' too, & it was very pleasant.

My only disappointment came with the realisation I forgot to take any photos!

And now, I had better get back to some quilty things!

Sunday.

It is a wet & cool day, which is very nice for me, I like it to be cooler.

The menfolk had their pool playing & footy watching TV last night, so I sneaked off to bed, for a nice early night!

Having the family for lunch, so we get a chance to all get together, which will be nice. I am just having a casual finger food type of lunch, so no stress.




This is just a WIP I managed to get started!! Progress indeed. Now all I need is for the nice cool temperatures to last while I do the hand blanket stitching on it! Otherwise most of it will be done on the machine! But not today.

As a result of my early night, I got up nice & early & got on the computer, & I have spend a wonderful hour or so, reading all the lovely blogs. Have laughed out loud at some, & been moved to tears at others. I find there is no time for being bored when there are so many things to read, so many hobbies to do, & so many lovely books to read!!

But now, I must get off this & see about food! My favourite dish!!

Thank you for allowing me to post this!! haha. I have been thinking if I appease the blogger-god- perhaps a small 'sacrifice' or something??- it might allow me to post whenever I desire. I dont suppose stamping your feet & screaming obscenities could be considered a ritual dance of respect??

Or... I suppose I could try something different, such as mentioned by Alice, but let us not get ahead of ourselves here! I am still trying to master the basics of this lot.

Though I am a Non Believer, & essentially not superstitious, it can sometimes pay to 'hedge your bets' & heed old ways!

Now, most of you in the quilting world will know that the Amish believe that you must have a mistake in your quilt, as, only GOD is perfect!

Another line of thought subscribes to the belief that you need some mistakes, & broken or crooked lines to confuse the Devil! ( I am not sure if I believe in the devil, either!)
So I make sure there is plenty of room to confuse the devil in my work, & am sure if there is a GOD, he/she/it, will never feel remotely threatened or offended by my quilting creations!

That is what I say, & it gives me a good excuse to have oddities & little quirks in my quilts. After all, I make them for comfort, & hopefully, to be enjoyed, so I am sure if they were perfect, they wouldnt be as comfortable!!


This is my Autumn Hearts Quilt. I suspect you could tell I am an Autumn person, by the number of Autumn-looking quilts I make. I just love the colours & the feeling of Autumn.
I didnt design this myself, it was featured in a Magazine lent to me, & was originally called Mrs Bills Quilt- who knows why??.
Because of the colouring it caught my eye, & I kept mainly to the colour scheme in the book, from memory.

It would look good as a wallhanging, as it is not a large quilt.
I took this pic in my utterly messy sewing room yesterday, & had to carefully crop out all the junk that was visible around the edges.
It is one of the quilts that live in a blanket box I keep in the lounge, & SG uses these quilts to make cubbies when he comes to spend time here.
The box has a padded top, so it is very handy as an extra seat, also.

Son B is coming up today to spend the weekend here. It is a pity it is not Labour Day weekend as it is in NZ. We always feel our time flies by, & is all too short, if he stays just the one night.

He & GOM usually go off to the Club for a game or 2 of pool, & it gives them a chance to spend a bit of 'male' time together.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. It is luv-er-ly here this morning! A southerly wind came through in the night,& it has blown away all the horrible humidity, & it is lovely & cool, if a tad grey!

Friday Fives

I had intended to list a couple of Fives.

Firstly Five things I would love to do;

1. Holiday in Canada. It looks so beautiful on TV, & the people seem so friendly. When I was a child, we used to get some magazines given to us, & they were Canadian, but I have forgotten the name of it now. I do remember that Diefenbacher ? I may have misspelt that- was the President? at the time.

2. Learn to play the piano. I always wanted to as a child, but we didnt have a piano, & besides I dont think my mother could have afforded the lessons.

3. Ride on one of those huge scary roller coaster rides. I am giddy when I look off our balcony, so I know I will never do the roller coaster thing! Have thought it might be a good way to die, though! No getting old & doddery- well no more than I already am.

4. Win a large amount of money. I know they say money cant buy happiness, but it can make your misery a lot more comfortable. Yes, I know this is a very shallow wish- but hey, I bet I am not the only one to wish this!!

5. Do a full tourist trip around New Zealand. I know that is a terrible admission, but like so many, I never did travel to see the whole of the country.

Here, to break the monotony, is a pic of a patchwork bag I made for my Aunt. I think it was a Jan Knight pattern, but am not sure. It was from either Patchwork & Stitching or Australian Country Threads, & I do apologise to the designer if I have that wrong!
This is a view of the back of the bag. Somehow the pics seem a bit misty, not sure why.


Had more pics but blogger wont cooperate, GGRRRRR!

So- here are
Five things I KNOW I will never do!

1. Learn a foreign language. I just dont seem able. Son M was gifted in that direction, but though I am good at guessing Kiwi regional dialects, & picking accents, I just cant get the language thing.

2. Understand Mathematics. It has remained a mystery to me all my life! I WISH I could understand it!

3. Learn to Ice Skate. Would be too afraid I would break some of the osteoporotic bones!

4. Paint a masterpiece- or even a minor piece!

5. Reach the weight I was when I got married, again!

Assorted

Today is Allsorts day. Ramblings of a confused mind...or something.
First of all here are BFJ's 2 most gorgeous granddaughters! Arent they adorable! They went on the Rainforest Railway- I confess I have no knowledge of it, but BFJ tells me it was a very enjoyable experience.




This is a photo of Nice Neighbour's gorgeous Orchid! It is really spectacular. She has the greenest of thumbs! I think a stick would grow if she put it in the ground.



This is a picture of Princess Astrid. She was standing naked under our stairs, festooned with cobwebs. I felt very sorry for her. Nice Neighbour had been very good to us & had given us lots of plants for our newly landscaped garden, so I gave her Astrid,. I knew she was going to a good home, & Nice Neighbour dressed her beautifully! & loves her. I can always visit her if I like, too.



And lastly, this is a pic of the other colourway for the Rocking Horse, which I like just as much as the Blue one.

I have started to work on another, as I really enjoy using this pattern, & it is nice for a girl or a boy. I dont know any new babies, but am sure one will come along for it.

Blogger has prevented me from posting 2 other pics I had in mind for today.

Yeterday's repairman says he is sure our DVD/Vid player is ok, so perhaps I should test drive it today. I get rather heated over these matters, & since GOM is a technopobe, it all falls to me! Haha.

Stolen by Bitacle. STOLEN BY Bitacle bastards!

This is a photograph of Mt Mauganui, in the Bay of Plenty, North Island New Zealand, taken a long time ago! It doesnt look anything like this now, of course. The port is much larger, & there are houses & highrises to spoil it all. In the distance out to sea, you can see White Island which still seethes & boils with active volcanic activity. Some days there is a huge plume of white steam to be seen rising from the Island.



This is a photo of 2 little girls at that very beach around 1948-9. Dont they look cute in their lovely little suits??
This was our local beach, & we often went to visit, or stay for holidays. I have not seen it for over 10 years, but know it has changed beyond recognition.

The beach was a nice one because the harbour side was lovely & calm & shallow, while on the ocean side, there was nice surf & a lot more sand.



And lastly, this is a photo of Meggie, & the GOM, when he was THUS- which is The Highly Unsuitable Suitor!!

No, we weren't going to the Magic Show, we just happened to be walking past, & there was always a photographer lurking to catch theatre goers. We have another photo, taken on another occasion, but THUS looks as if he might have downed a few too many of the brown ales, so we dont want to show that one, do we??!!
BFJ will get a laugh out of this! It will bring back a few memories.

I got so pissed off with Blogger I was not going to let it beat me! Hence 2 posts in one day. We have been out discussing the fact that our newly replaced F*$&ing DVD/video is not working properly! GRRRR. Nice repair man is going to check it out. No snotty-nosed blue haired young hag working there!!

I asked another 'older' friend how she copes with her high stress levels, & she informed me that she jumps up & down & shouts FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! She said it works very nicely... Hmmm perhaps I will give it a try!

Have just read another blog with this STOLEN idea to try to stop theft, so am giving it a try.

Beary Grumpy

This is a photo of my favourite bear, I have made myself. I am not that keen on others I have made, in fur fabric, so perhaps I am more a country style bear lover. I used a pattern, for the bear, but cant remember where from. I dressed her myself, to my taste. She hasnt really got a name, but I suppose she is a Meggie.haha.


The following pics are some of my dolls. As you can see, I dont stick to one particular type, liked variety. This first one is Tippy- named by the sculptor- & I designed her outfit, & made up the pattern for her jumper.



This doll is Whitney, again the sculptor's name. I dressed her myself, & decorated her hat also. She sits down in our entryway, on my Grandmother's dear old Singer Treadle sewing machine, which was made in 1915, & was bought new. I learnt to sew on it, as a teenager, & made all my own clothes. It still works beautifully.


This doll is Racheal my Gypsy. I made all her clothes & jewellry myself, plus her sandals. GOM bought the guitar for me, & I really made Rachael to play it!

I am a leetle grumpy, because I have spent hours here trying to upload some pics of another doll I gave to Nice Neighbour, but Blogger just wont cooperate. Blah!
I will leave her for another day.

I stepped outside a while ago, almost choked on the heat! How freaky is this weather pattern. Two nice cool days in the high teens, & now this! Tipped to go to 34!!

Odd Jobs

When BFJ & I ended our Apple Picking Adventure, we had not saved much money, & therefore, rather urgently required accommodation, plus employment.
We applied for employment in the Hospitality industry- perhaps I had a premonition?.
We were rudely turned down, because we were Kiwis- they really only wanted Aussie 'invaders' or other nationalities for their hotels! We were stunned, could not believe it. It just didnt seem correct that locals would be refused employment in favour of transient workers.

I had an opportunity to have this matter redressed some years later, after GOM & I became part of the Hospitality Industry ourselves. Our first Employer happened to be the President of the Hotel Assoc, so I tackled him about their 'policy'- which was largely one of 'unwritten expectation'. Happy to say, he listened & the situation changed, & he agreed with me, that tourists visiting our fair country would expect to be met & served by 'locals' rather than 'foreigners'.

However I digress.
BFJ & I sought any employment we could get- after all money was running low, & though we had managed to find a 'hovel' to rent, we still had to eat!
We finally got a job in a factory, making hot water bottles!
I am sure, like us, you all take your humble hot water bottles for granted. We certainly did, & during that cold winter, we relied on their easy comfort quite often.

When a hot water bottle is made, it starts it's life as a lump of rubber, which is put into a mold & 'cooked'. It comes out of the mold with rubber 'flaps' & lumps hanging off the edges of it. Of course it has no stopper or 'bung' in the top, & scarcely resembles a 'hottie' at all.

Our job was to cut the surplus edges of rubber off the bottles, which entailed the use of huge scissors. Our first days were filled with pain & agony, as our hands adjusted to this horrible job! When there were sufficiently large piles of trimmed bladders, bungs were glued into the tops of the bottles, & a rubber band was placed around the neck of the bottle. This was not an easy job either, as the rubber bands were very tight, & quite hard to place.

Then came the next stage, where the 'bladders' were filled with air, using a hose with compressed air, then immersing the bloated bladders into a tub of water, to check for any air leaks or misglued bungs. When things got a bit quiet on our floor, every now & then one of the girls would over fill a bladder & explode it, with tremendously loud explosions. Our supervisor would come running out to see what the hell was going on, & we would all disolve into laughter. On really hot days it was almost unbearable on our floor, as it was situated above the molding section, & there was no airconditioning so the windows were generally opened wide.

There were about 8-10 girls employed to make the bottles, & as it was not a demanding job mentally, we used to always devise ways to amuse ourselves. I was known as the hairdresser, & I used to cut the girl's hair in the toilets! Incredible as it may seem, we would also 'set' each other's hair, & many hairdressing sessions would be in half done mode when our supervisor walked through to check on things. We must have made his life a misery, but we had a lot of fun. We would on occasion get almost hysterical with laughter, & it was a fun time to look back on.

When there was a lull in bottle production some of us would be put onto assembling 3 pin plugs for electrical cords, & that was another mind numbing job, which required plenty of diversion, to keep things lively. Some of the girls were travellers, like BFJ & I, & money was always short. We used to say, "Bring your own pie, & come to our flat for tea." Two Aussie girls who had lived very sheltered lives at home, had their first taste of wild freedom doing this odd job, & added to the hilarity with innocent misunderstandings of our Kiwi ways.

One of the girls I met then, remains a friend to this day. She was married, & she & her husband did their best to partner me off with one of their rellies, or friends. I had met GOM, by this time, & they did not approve of him at all- he was 'not good enough for me' & I must admit whenever he met them, he usually acted the fool, deliberately. However, they named their first born after me, & by that time I was married to GOM, - they had revised their opinion of him too.

I wonder if hot water bottles are still made this way?? I suspect they are, but probably in some foreign country!

More Quilty things..

I have posted this quilt for Angie, who admires Bronwyn Hayes.
I got the pattern from Australian Country Threads Vol 3. No 10, & I really just started out doing the small stitcheries on some old plain linen serviettes, then decided to make the whole quilt. I really enjoyed the process, & have used the stichery patterns on all sorts of items, from bags, to wallhangings, to small pictures to frame. Plus the applique cat for SIL, of course. Thank you Bronwyn for sharing the patterns in the Magazine!

The other 2 small quilts I made from patterns in Patchwork & Stitching Magazine, Vol.5. No.1. I just loved the embroidery combined with the patches on the Sweet Love Quilt, which was designed by Zoe Clifton.



The Rocking Horse was featured in the same issue of Patchwork & Stitching, designed by Joanna Perrett, & she called it Rock-A-Bye Baby. My friend K fell in love with the Rocking Horse quilt & bought the blue one, along with another one I made in a different colourway, for her 2 daughters, for her grandsons. She bought the little Sweet Love for herself, & has it on her bedroom wall.

I have also made a small bag called Heart of Friendship, designed by Ann Dimmer, for my daughter from the same issue, so I certainly made good use of that mag! Sorry I dont have a pic of the little bag- daughter just loves it & uses it.

I am becoming a good advertiser for these mags arent I?? Perhaps I should seek some Spotters rewards.

Small Grandson had his birthday- even ate a piece of Pizza! & some cake & some green Jelly, which he seems to love for some reason.
The only photograph I managed to get is very grainy & dark- not sure what went wrong.
He had a very happy day, & he was very happy with his little BBQ set we gave him.

After the hot weather we had been having it decided to cloud over & we have some rain today- YAY for the garden! It is nice & cool too.