Earthquake

An interesting night. We were woken up at about half past four in the morning by a loudish noise and lots of shaking and rattling. This was followed by a brief period of swaying like we were on a ship. After a moment it dawned - oh yes - an earthquake. It wasn't very bad here but I think Christchurch would have got a pretty good shake up - thats where the earthquake was centered as I discovered when I went on line.

These are quite common around here but are normally just mild to the point of almost undetectable. This was quite a good one :)

I've always found these things to be interesting rather than scary although I have to say I've never been in a really big one - that would be scary!

Wow!!! I just saw the coverage of poor old Christchurch. Its a bit of a mess. Hope the relatives aren't too damaged. Seems like nobody has died at least.

The photos are a sort of before and n0w on my kitchen. Not finished yet but at least it works better now and I don't have to use the laundry tub as a kitchen sink :)

viv in nz

Madness quilt

I have been working too hard today for much but I did find this pic of a quilt I made by hand a couple of years back - that is I finished it a couple of years back. I think I'd been at it on and off for about 8 years before that!

I was a bit deranged when I designed it I think!

Of course I just had to get the obligatory ladder into the one shot that looks ok :)

viv

Chooks

The hen run is still rather emptier than it was with both the old rooster and hen (over 10 years old) dying followed rather surprisingly by the young rooster. That was unexpected so now we have to consider what to have next. I still like the idea of fresh eggs every day even although I can't eat them (allergic). The boys still devour what the elderly girls provide so the need is still there.

I think I'd still prefer bantams just because they are less destructive in the garden when let out and I'm hoping that perhaps one of the old girls (yougest is 6, older three are 8), might oblige by being broody with a new batch of chicks.

The senior hen (named Houdini because of her escape antics when younger), has started to crow. It looks a bit odd but I think she feels that as the dominant hen she should stand in for the deceased males. She sounds quite realistic but quite a lot quieter than the real thing.

The photos were mostly taken by the boys a couple of years back.

viv

Pumpkin soup the easy way

Todays photos are Karitane beach north of Dunedin

Take a pumpkin of any size, shape or type and chop, peel and core it. Small pieces for fast cook or big pieces for slow cook. Add one or two carrots, sliced and one or two onions, sliced. Cover with beef stock and cook on stove top until tender. Blend and serve with salt and pepper to taste and a swirl of sour cream if you happen to have some or some grated cheese if you can be bothered :)

I have been known to add a little fish sauce for extra bite or a splash of worcester sauce. I have also been known to add a leek or two and a clove of garlic if I felt like it.

A large pumpkin might go towards two pots of soup or some roasties. Apart from getting the #$%^%$ skin off the pumpkin, the whole thing can be done in about 30 minutes flat from go to serve. Which is great if you have unexpected guests (I fed 8 peeps with one pot the other day)

Hint - If you are doing the fast method it might pay to fry up the onion and garlic in a little oil first. It cooks down better that way. Or you can just add the onions/garlic to the stock when you prepare that! (if its home made that is).

viv in nz

Sunday - again!

And tomorrow its back to work although not for the usual stuff - there's a meeting instead.

We did a birthday party yesterday in rain and dense fog. This did matter as the boys (and girl) were going to walk the Mt Cargill track top down. Well I got them there ok and the view was....minimal. The fog also made driving rather interesting! Shame in some ways although m did get a few nicely atmospheric photos.

They got to the bottom in about an hour flat. 12 year olds move fast! Then I collected them and fed them pumpkin soup and omlettes with cheese and a caramel slice pretending to be a cake with one beeswax candle on it (because I couldn't find my birthday candle stash). They didn't care as long as there was something to blow out. That was it. There was a little computer time for a couple of later pick ups and they all went home happy - no sweets, no party bag, no junk and most of the presents were hand made by the kids themselves and were a minimal part of the whole deal.

I've come to the conclusion that complicated parties just aren't worth the finance. They just want to do things together - mostly active things!

viv

More moutains

I've been really working at the dyed cloth with lots of free motion embroidery and I have to say I think it looks not too bad. I moved the sewing machine to a better surface and the improvement is much greater than I thought. I also took a class in edges and finally learned how to get to the rest of my fancy stitches :) I could have just read the manual of course but it appeared to be in chinglish. Or maybe japlish :)

For years and years I've only hand sewn things so this rather cheap and nasty machine is the first I've tried to use in my arty stuff. I think I'm getting to like it :)

The piece of cloth was one I did some time back and then put away because I made a real mess of the upper part. It just looked wrong. I finally decided to cut it into two pieces and remove the top bit altogether. Much better. The pieces are not large - just a bit over A4. I haven't decided whether to add beads etc yet. I'm going to hang them where I can see them and contemplate the whichness of the why until it resolves. The one on the left has photographed better than the other for some reason. I seem to have lost too much detail on the other - maybe I do need to embellish this one :)

viv in nz

green mountains

Potato mountains no less. A great way to eat yummy spuds so I thought I'd repost about this.

Apart from that nothing much has happened round here and I don't have anything of burning merit to say :). I was working rather a lot last week (kindy kids are great fun) so there wasn't much time for anything else. However I did spend Sunday at the fibre arts group and achieved quite a lot. I assume a post will go up fairly shortly about that at the site and I know there was an occasional photo taken (not by me :).

We are considering the ways of doing some snow dyeing this winter but the snow has been a bit noticeable by its absence. Chilly bins from inland might have to be resorted to yet.

i learned a heap about beading from an expert instead and that was really good. I have done quite a lot of beading but it is nice to know some of the proper techniques - especially the one for making straight lines - mine always tend to look too organic even if I don't mean them to be.

I think I'll add a Chinese garden photo from last year. This is the Dunedin Chinese Garden and it is rather good.

Green living

These are photos of our local gardens during rhododendron week last year. Can't wait for this year :)



One of the things which really annoys me about trying to be green is the number of sites that suggest you change this and that without a thought about just how this and that can be made affordable. As a person of limited means I find this highly irritating as I have no way to get to the supposed nirvana suggested.

The suggestion that most green livers come from the middle classes has an obvious basis in that only this group can afford to be green. The rest of us just have to be brown I suppose... This is not to say we don't live as green as possible or that there aren't good sites out there for everyone else. It is just an attitude which seems to be on the rise - a snobby sort of thing that says we're trendy and hip because we can afford to be green.

We need to rethink some of the attitudes we put out there and perhaps take a closer look at what we are really aiming for. Possibly before the whole thing becomes a sort of green washed nightmare instead of the planet saving we thought we were booked for.

viv

Mt Cargill with plastic

I keep thinking I should be a little more serious on this site but then there are so many really good sites out there that I think I perhaps should give the really serious stuff away :)

On the other hand, I do try to live by all those lovely green principles and cut my planet space to that which I feel I can live with. Plastic is a bit of an issue at present. Quite a bit of the stuff we use just doesn't come any other way for those of us who are monetarily challenged. It would be easy to live without plastic if we could afford the hand made bread (mine or the farmers market) and the expensive veg instead of the baggies of cheap seconds which only come in plastic but these are out of reach as long as the boys are eating like young horses.

Then there are the battles you just know you will fail at. Like biscuits. They come in plastic and I have no way to make them at home at present because we need an oven first. The small benchtop one I have just doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to baking. Men just don't seem able to resist the biscuit aisle :) The one plus is that the local dairy at least sells their sweets loose in paper bags! (although some are individually wrapped at point of manufacture just to annoy)

Its these little things that get to you when trying to make a difference.

Anyway enough of that. I still have a heap of photos to share so hope you like this one. It is the view from the top of Mt Cargill. There is a really nice walking track down into our valley from here that the kids love to do. We mostly get dropped off at the top and then picnic at the bottom (a whole 5 minutes from home :)

Harbour views

These a photos of the Otago harbour that I took about a week back on a cold and frosty morning when I went to work early. I occasionally aide for the kindergarten and this was a particularly nice sunrise mid winter.

The Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School really has a wonderful position!

viv in Dunedin

Lantern Festival

Every year the local Steiner school has a mid winter lantern festival with shared food and all the lanterns the children have made. They also gave us the odd bit of music this year and a few traditional songs to walk with. We did a nice tour of the soccer grounds in the dark and this year there were no high winds to blow our lanterns out :)

DH took a photo of the tree dwarfs with their little lights set up for the kindy kids. They are a nice bunch of 3 and 4 year olds and I have been aiding occasionally with them which is fun.

The senior class made paper ball lanterns this year, each with a star sign relating to the child. William was very proud of his.

viv in nz

My work space

One of the blogs I read (Down-to-Earth) has a segment on where you work so I thought I would post a few photos of my/our livingroom/workroom/bedroom etc. We have a very small house with four of us trying to live in it. One room is also dedicated to the shop during the season so we don't have a bedroom. Thats why the bed lifts up onto the wall. We hope to enclose the veranda sometime and set up the shop there to free up the extra room but I'm not holding my breath :)

The big side window is a double glazed wonder that I got with the proceeds of the first year of the shop. Income has been a bit erratic since then but is still better than nothing. The patchwork pinned on the curtain is one I woodblock printed last year and is slated to become our new hall curtain.

Hope you enjoy this lot

viv in nz

Jaffa race

Every year for the last 10 years there has been a jaffa race down our street. For those who don't know jaffas are orange coated chocolate balls that are traditionally rolled down the steps in old movie theaters to annoy. 25,000 went down this year. It is a charity race and you buy your number for $2.

There was a cherry picker placed in our driveway so we scored a free bag of goodies and a ride up in it after the event :) Gave us a nice view of our hot water solar system and the new roof and the old veranda roof we can't afford to replace yet!

You can see jaffas in some of the photos if you look hard.

There were about 12000 people in the street which was a bit crowded but fun.

viv in nz

Photo

That was just to prove I could put a photo up :)

I may just do it again..... Nice !

This is one of my friends roses from last year.

photo x2

photo take 2

Dust bunnies

They are still growing along with the socks. I even put a pair in the shop! I have been doing some miniature quilts which are neat fun. (At last - some uses for all that sketching I've been doing ).

The arty farty group has now been relabeled Artfibredunedin as the web site is called this. For anyone wanting to see, it is mostly stuff we do and as we are doing it.

I am off to watch the boys class at ballet next - its parent watching day. They limit parents because the rooms are not large so we get to see about once a term. William is grade 4 this year and starting to really look like a dancer. Will be interesting to see what happens next.

viv in nz

side effects

I finally got off the horrible drugs and onto some that don't seem to react much so i'M MUCH HAPPIER this week. No more painkillers necessary....yay!

Now I need to get some fitness back and things will get back to more or less normal. It does bring home to you that death is a possibility and nearer than you think. Not a pleasant thought really but one everyone has to consider eventually. I no longer think of myself as bullet proof (although I never really thought that) and now have to face the fact that I am no longer young and that I've probably lived half my life already. That isn't comfortable and I can see why people stick so strongly to religion as a sort of prolonging of the inevitable. I have no answer to give here either as I am only human and don't presume to know everything. I think I belong to the wait and see school of thought :)

The other result has been several pairs of socks...its something to do when you have to watch the dust bunnies grow along with the weeds :)

All in all, its nice to be almost back!

viv in nz

ill

Got a bad reaction to one of the drugs - not sure which yet. Males are very trainable in cooking but tend to be sketchy on clean up. Will write more when I feel better.

viv in nz

hospital

Well, there it is. Heredity finally caught me up and put me into hospital for several days.

It all started with one side of my body getting pins and needles right down to one half of my tongue. That was a bit weird but it passed off really quickly and I thought nothing of it. Two days later the same thing happened only this time the whole side lost strength and I couldn't stand up so we rang the help line and as a result of that, went straight to the emergency room. I got taken immediately for a blood pressure test and when that came out at 235 over 170 they put me on a bed and gave me some drugs. They also put in a line and took a few blood tests and urine tests (good thing I needed to go anyhow) and then left me to my own devices for a while before repeating the blood pressure test.

That bed was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to lie on period! The only thing worse was the blood pressure tests. Because the pressure was so high, they practically removed my arm to get any sort of reading. I still have some tenderness even after a week.

Fortunately I had grabbed a book as we left home so I didn't have to stare at the ceiling too much. Unfortunately, my head was so bad I couldn't read easily and my memory for what I read also seemed somewhat lacking so I spent a few hours talking to the guy in the next bed who was there with more or less the same thing as me. He went up to the wards at three in the morning but I had to wait until well after nine before they found me a bed.

Friday was a bit of a nightmare punctuated by one of the nicest nurses I've come across - a Buddhist nun no less! My head felt like someone had poured concrete into it complete with a thick headache and you could have fried an egg on my cheeks. Very unpleasant. I was given a stack of pills to take but I didn't really begin to notice much difference until Saturday. By that time I'd had a brain scan and an x-ray as well as another visitation from the vampires taking blood samples (complete with a bat shadow on their equipment cart!)

I can say that the food was pretty good, the staff were great and really friendly and I have some new friends from the other beds in the ward (there were four beds in my ward but only three were in use while I was there).

By Sunday I really was a lot better although my blood pressure was still 170 over 80. That at least was nearer to normal and I hoped to be let loose on Monday although I wasn't holding my breath. I was now allowed to ignore the red bracelet that said I was at risk of falling - yay - and did a lap around the corridor to celebrate including a visit to my friend from the emergency room who also hoped to be let loose on Monday. I think I have to learn all about movement again because that just tired me out completely.

So Monday came and the consultants and their students came and discussed me and said I could go if the physio said I was safe to do so. They gave me a prescription and that was it except that I had to walk another lap with a really nice physio and go up and down a number of stairs so she could check my balance. That was ok so they turned the stroke help people loose on me and when they were done I was free. Sort of!

I now have a thing to sit on in the shower, instructions for gentle exercise, information on exactly what an ischaemic stroke is, a contact to help the kids understand what it is and how to deal with stuff and several numbers to ring if I need anything.

Since then I have been dealing with extreme fatigue, gentle exercise and males who cook only under protest and haven't the faintest idea about cleaning up and putting things away :) I must say I have a great support system of friends and family. I also had an ultrasound of my neck which was in the clear so I don't seem to have ateriosclerosis, just hypertension and as I said at the start, that is hereditary in our family. I was just hoping to be one of the unaffected lucky ones :)

viv in nz

stuff

Thanks for the comment Cath - I've been a bit slack on here recently. Nothing much to say and all too much to do.

So..... we had a really good Christmas followed by a heap of crappy stuff including a leaky hot water cylinder, a broken car, a lack of funds due to someone else not paying their bills, a kitchen sink disaster, a vet visit for elderly cat and on top of all that, the insulation people were due and we had to clean out the cellar which was a complete mess and fill a 9 cubic meter skip with old hedge and general rubbish. And all of the above happened inside of a fortnight.

Results were;

A new cylinder bought with a small mortgage extension and we have to take the supplier to court to get our money back.

The cat is on thyroid medication (oh joy....) which requires a tablet daily for the rest of his life and we have to save up to get his teeth done. I suppose that isn't bad considering he is 15.

A new secondhand double stainless steel sink and bench unit is now operational. That was an epic. My brother and brother in law were going to put that in for my birthday as it only required the u bend to be attached. Unfortunately, when they took the u bend pipe off, it fell through the floor. Unfortunately when they retrieved it they found it hadn't ever been attached to the drain.....unfortunately that meant they couldn't put the new one on which meant that unfortunately we had to pay for the plumber to do it and also we unfortunately spent a week!!!!! with no water, hot or cold, no sink and absolutely no way of washing things unless we went down to the stream! The only saving grace was the cold tap on the bath which, by some miracle, still worked. Oh and we were so short of money that we couldn't eat out except for fish and chips once. I hope I put enough unfortunatelys in there :)

(Anyhow I now know why that piece of garden is always so damp. We just thought it was the overflow which also goes there.)

Insulation underfoot and overhead. Should be set for next winter :)

A driveway clear of enormous old hedge plants along with lots of blood, sweat and sore bits and a much tidier cellar.

A car that sort of goes but which won't get another warrant of fitness so in about 2 months we will have to resort to feet, bikes, buses and the occasional car loan.

Holiday? What holiday!!

viv

new year

Happy new year :)

viv

arty fibre group

We had a great time dyeing lots of cool patterns last weekend. I could get to like this a lot!

Apart from that things are just the same and totally different if you know what I mean :) The two boys (hubby and youngest) had a blast at the Steiner Olympics in Hastings and now we are into end of year concert/performance season. We have done our french horn (James and me) thing already with the Saturday morning music class for the old folks in the retirement home next door to the classes and now have one last performance for family and friends plus a small party next Saturday. The ballet is putting on Cinderella this year so that will also be next weekend (a bit rushed for my liking but at least William doesn't have a major part this year!). There is a concert for the cellists (William again) next week some time or the week after and there is the school camp for the last week of school. After that it will be Christmas already!

Then we might get a holiday but I'm not holding my breath as sales are well down this year and there is still renovating to be finished.

As for meaningful thoughts - not just at the moment!

viv in nz

Doesn't seem like so long since I was in here but the dates have changed rather a lot!

Renovation has taken another stride onward with Matt moving into James old room and us converting what was supposed to be a bathroom into a small but adequate bedroom. It's going to be mayhem round here this weekend but I should be able to open the shop again by the end of it and Matt should have a good workspace too. I also hope to get the small bedroom lined properly but am not holding my breath because that is one heck of a work load!

We seem to have a surplus couch and fridge out of things so may have to consider where they get to live or whether they just get disposed of. The piano has to go next door too (it is my mothers and she is next door and does think she can fit it in which is good.).

One more week until the end of term for the kids and maybe they will get to go skiing with other grandma but that all depends on things like snow etc. Only one term left of primary school for William and one of intermediate for James. It doesn't seem that long since they were toddlers! In just over a week we will have a teenager!!!

viv in nz

Stuff

We finally got a lift up bed in the living room so we now have an actual living room during the day. It isn't one of those fancy jobs but just a box with hinges so it is still visible to all. I'm intending to cover it up with a curtain/board arrangement complete with some permanently attached art.

Matt is going to shift into the back bedroom - he hates being on the street frontage and visible to all passers by. (there are thousands too) I quite like it myself but can understand where he is coming from and James certainly doesn't mind either. It will also give him a bed for emergency nights so he won't wake me if he is late and a place to nap after said late nights :)

We planted the crab apple tree and now are hoping to add several more trees. The plum is flowering in the bank so maybe this year we will get to see what it is! It was self seeded but can stay if it is a decent one.

viv in nz

stories

I thought I might put down a few things from my childhood just because Sharon reminded me of how much fun country fairs/shows are.

These were major events in our calendar as they gave people the chance to show their stuff, meet everyone, eat candy floss and ride the fairground rides and maybe even win a kewpie doll or two.

My preparation as a primary school student was to plant a garden from a school package and show the results in situ. I also got to decorate a saucer with flowers and make a few things. I won the button hole and spray contest every time - I was good with flowers.

The town hall would be decorated with flower arranging, vegetables, preserves and handwork, knitting and sewing. My mother won overall three times I think but never entered the cooking/preserves because although she was a good cook she said her stuff wasn't pretty enough. She mostly won knitting, embroidery, flowers and that sort of thing. She has a stack of first prize cards along with seconds and thirds - sometimes for the same competition. I have a small stack of these cards myself hidden away.

After that, we would go look at the sheep, cattle and pigs etc. Sometimes there would be a wood chopping contest and those were almost my favourite (after the hall displays). There was always horse riding and off to one side there was a small fairground with carousels, coconut shies and, if we were lucky, a small ferris wheel. It was a difficult choice as to which ride to go on because we only got a small amount to spend. Dad always got us candy floss though and several times won us toys (he had a really good aim).

There was also fizzy drink which I didn't really like but was part of the whole deal. That was the only time we got fizzy so it was a bit of a novelty. (now it just seems every day which is a shame really). And then we would go home happy.

My brother had a favourite part too and that was the tractor and implement displays. They were great shining beasts to us and sometimes, if the man in charge was in a good mood, we would be allowed to sit in or on them. They seemed very high to us and made us feel important.

Later as a teenager, I got to enter the embroidery contests at the main Otago fair and this was a big deal as I was in the senior and open grade and I won three major prizes. I got a stack of book vouchers for this and lots of kudos. I also annoyed the embroidery teacher as she didn't know I had work like that due to the fact that I was relatively new in the school and was catching up on some basics in her class. She neglected to ask about what I'd done previously as she knew I had no formal lessons and just assumed I was a beginner. I was too shy to say anything because I always felt inadequate for my lack of qualifications. She was so mad with herself because I was apparently just the sort of student she dreamed about and she had me for two years and I wasn't returning. My loss too of course. I don't think she would ever make that mistake again.

The agricultural and pastoral shows still happen although they have lost their importance with easy travel available for all. I suspect that fuel availability may influence their renaissance and that will be a good thing as it does help draw the communities together and prevent too much isolation.

viv in nz

No drive????

I've decided to list the trips our car does for the week just to see what we can achieve.

So here it is.....

Monday - school car pool in the afternoon (17 km round trip)
Tuesday - morning and afternoon school car pool (34 km)
- ballet pick up pool (8km)
- St Johns pick up or drop off pool (4km winter only)
Wednesday - Afternoon teaching and car pool (17km)
- Orchestra drop off or pick up pool (8km)
Thursday - Afternoon car pool (17km)
Friday - nil
Saturday - music class, ballet class (20km approx)
Sunday - nil

Fortnightly meeting for Matt (8 km)
Twice monthly patchwork meetings (2km average)

Those are the trips I can't get out of mostly. Seems a lot but will hopefully improve next year at least in the summer when the boys will be on their bikes. Bus transport round here is expensive and inadequate which is a shame. There are also some massive hills to traverse for most of these trips which means bikes can be more of a nuisance than a help - only the fittest can ride Baldwin Street and the school at the other end is up the second steepest street here. Night trips for the boys are out - they are too young yet although growing up fast :)

I do plan all my shopping trips around these other trips so nothing is generally done with single trips. The large tripping stops with School holidays too at which stage travel becomes very infrequent.

viv in nz

work

Well, I got through that shift more or less intact. This is definitely not my favorite thing but needs must and all that. The boys are out at grandma's farm until tomorrow so it is quiet round here and I will hopefully get their rooms a bit better set up by the time they get back.

We have finally moved William out of the old bathroom and into what we hope will become a nice private bedroom in a few days. At present it is still half passage between the kitchen and the rest of the house. At least we can now take a shower when we want (solar water allowing) instead of waiting for William to not be in bed or something (there was a curtain between him and the shower/hand basin). His old space is now the hall cupboard and already packed with stuff...sigh!

Sometimes it gets a bit hard to be poor and have unfinished bits of house but we know that eventually it will be a good space to be in. Especially the new bathroom and the revamped kitchen. We eventually hope to add a conservatory/dining room to the kitchen with a connecting door to the front of the house. That will increase the floor to about 1500 sq feet. We will move into James bedroom eventually when he leaves home and that will give us back our living room/work room which has our bed in the middle at present. In the mean time we hope to install one of those beds that transform into a book case by day :) We have some time to go as James is just coming up 13. A spare bed in the computer workshop (Matt works from home) should solve the problem of an extra bed for emergencies.

Then we get to improve the outside. We need to make raised beds at the low end of the grass and do some sort of drain as it is like a swamp at the moment. So is the hen run. Matt and a friend are going to work on that tomorrow.

There is always something to do.

viv

Time

I had a little time
I used a little time
I'd like a little time
To take a little time
Just to live!

I have now completed my food safety certificate so I am free to serve the public their pies at the local dairy. Now I need to complete their course on weekly gambling and I can work shifts on my own. The pay is minimal and irregular but heaps better than nothing. I keep wishing Matts work was a bit more regular too. That way we might have a finished, winter proof house.

Anyhow we are trying to get Williams bedroom done because everyone is fed up with him being in the cubby hole in the bathroom. It means extending the outside entry way at the back so that we can get to the kitchen/toilet without going through what will be his room. We will close up that door completely then. It means a somewhat colder trek to the toilet as the outside passage won't be insulated but that is just tough! The kitchen is always icy in winter anyhow (and baking hot in summer) so that won't change....unfortunately.

Plastic usage took a bit of a hit this week because I did a massive sort out. At least I can say it was mostly old plastic!

viv in nz

plastic for a week

I did this for the Fake Plastic fish. It covers the whole family (4 of us).


Monday - lolly wrapper (behind child 2 bed) trash
- milk bottle (they only come in plastic here unfortunately) recycle
- cheese wrapper ( only plastic here too) trash
- bread bag (I wish someone would do paper at a reasonable price!) trash
Tuesday - 2 muesli wrappers (kids lunches) trash
- 2 lemsip packets (bad cold) trash
- sardine tin cover (why???) trash
- 2 pie bags trash
- bag from salt trash
- plastic shopping bag from butcher (this will change!!) trash
Wednesday - 5 wraps off peanut slabs (boys) trash
- pastry bag (freezer and old) trash
- frozen peas bag trash
- mince bag trash
- jam top (must look into alternatives here) trash
- cake wrap (indulgence) trash
Thursday - bottle top trash
- milk bottle recycle
- organic bacon bag trash
- polystyrene tray and wrap (no excuse really) trash
Friday - tetrapak trash
- bread bag trash
- tag trash
- biscuit bag trash
- meat bag
- old shopping bag trash
Saturday - bread bag trash
- piece of tape trash
- cake container
Sunday - 4 pie bags trash
- milk bottle recycle

weight minus recycle 1.2 oz

There was some paper which I didn't count but not a huge amount. There was a cardboard box too which got missed for weighing. That got recycled too. The recycle truck caught me out :)
Looks like I need that new oven to bake goodies in. I only have a bench top one at present and it only does bread buns and cheese on toast really. I think I can cut out the meat bags at the butcher. The hens get all the scraps. This was a fairly typical week on the whole except for the trip to the bakery which seems to have delivered most of the excess plastic.

viv in nz

not much

Everyone has mostly got over the cold bugs. The weather has improved to cold but clear and sunny (if you can penetrate the pollution from all the fireplaces out there! And a kitten has turned up. Its too young to be out so some kind teens picked it up and knocked on doors up and down the street unsuccessfully. So we took it for overnight and will give it to the SPCA tomorrow. It isn't wild so hopefully somebody will claim it. I'd take it myself but our older cats are not at all willing.

viv in nz

Snow,ice etc

Its winter again and I have a cold. The heater is on and I still need a blanket (better slippers would be a help.) The cat (Chainsaw) has buried his nose in his tail and James is in the bed also with a cold and off school for 2 days. The washing is dripping rain and ice on the line and the items I did bring in needed a spin to remove the excess water from the extra rinse cycle outside.

Its supposed to improve tomorrow.

viv in nz

school again

The kids are back to school this week. yay! I love them heaps but they are noisy in a small house even though they spend heaps of time outside. The weather is packing up somewhat after a really hot autumn patch which ripened a lot of my tomatoes. I think these late, hot times are getting hotter and later every year along with drier periods. Not a good look.

I've been making trading cards after a class of arty fartyness. They are a great way to try out new techniques. I have some 'interesting' results and will make more as it really is fun.

viv in nz

School holidays

we now have the usual two weeks of mayhem whilst the boys are home. I do the juggling act of trying to keep them off the computer/tv when its nice outside and try to keep them fed and watered. I think I need a maid around now.

They did go away with Grandma for three beautiful days which was absolutely marvelous. They had a ball apparently. Lots of tramping and beaches and waterfalls and caves.

Matt cut the last of the hedge which was blocking all the light to no real purpose. We are going to plant some fruit trees along there instead as there are no near neighbors on that side. That way we get some return on it. Probably apples and plums I think with some lower growing gooseberries, cranberries etc.

There was a bit of drama when he hit a wasps nest. Fortunately no-one was stung and we applied some poison to it overnight. We now have to decide how to cope with a driveway full of old hedge plants. There are too many to compost - would take about 6 years I think. A friend will take the big stuff for her wood stove but that still leaves heaps!!

viv in nz

preserves!

I just finished two big jars of peaches. Then I went to the living room for a cup of tea. There was a large crash. Now I have only one jar of peaches and a sticky floor - what a waste!!!! Far as I can make out the jar broke with the heat of the fruit even though it was pre-warmed.

Very irritating to say the least.

I got a lot of Autumn pics at the local gardens today so will post a few. The colours are still a bit muted but that is normal for this area. (We have lots of evergreens).

Council rant

Well, they gave me a form to fill in regarding their proposed plan for the next year and I told them exactly what I thought of it. Basically rubbish! They are stealing all our money to build a totally inappropriate stadium which will only be used about 14 times a year and will have only an average of about 4,000 attendees per game and we have to pay 198 million for it. That means that our house rates (tax) will increase lots for no perceivable gain just so little empire builders can say "Look what we've got". Our whole population is only 130,000 and rather a lot of us are poor and will never be able to see a game anyhow. Our one aim now is to not vote for any of the supporters of this stupidity ever again.

And for this they've bartered our souls without our support or consent.

The PTB are mad!

viv

Wednesday

The middle of the week already and all I seem to have done is make apple preserves and worcestershire sauce (very yummy but it did stink the house out with the vinegar). I've got cucumbers and onions soaking in brine for preserved relish tomorrow and I suppose I might look into some more jelly - this time as fundraiser for the school.

Autumn is all go go go round here. Even the tomatoes are going to have to be delt to shortly and become green or red relish (mostly green from the looks of things).

The craft class children have finished their work bags and pencil cases and are moving into crotchet and knitting next with the odd cross stitcher as well. All looking good so far.

We are doing the puppet show again and this time I get to be Snow White with the odd bit of dwarf and handsome prince. Unlike me, she's very pretty. It is fun doing these plays for people.

We are also going to get rid of the car before it finally bites the dust. We will share the car my mother has next door with my brother and buy a couple of new bikes. I mostly take mum places anyhow so not much will change. None of us are big car users.

viv in nz

The boy himself though this pic is from the end of last year when they first started doing stilts. This was his first run up Baldwin Street.

The gut buster

It was the gutbuster race on Baldwin Street and this year William wasn't going to race as he didn't feel fit enough so I said why not go on your stilts and he did.

He got right to the top and back and almost won the race that started after his race was finished. He got a new record for the first competitor on stilts and a photo in the local paper with a short interview too. Not bad for a 10 year old.

viv in nz

apples

Nine bags of apples sitting on the floor
Nine bags of apples sitting on the floor
and if one bag of apples is given to a friend there'll be
eight bags of apples sitting on the floor

and you get the idea.

One bag to my sister and half to mum and half more to another friend who made us a plate of biscuits - yum

Two bags made into fruit for breakfasts and frozen/bottled.
One bag made into apple jelly for our toast.

Added a bag from a stray wild tree - those will be kept for school lunches as they are delicious just to eat.

Add two bags more from the farm and the result is still five bags of apples to deal to - sigh!
Add two large bags of pears also from the farm which I've preserved, juiced or jellied and I think its clear what I've been up to recently and what I'll continue to be up to for a while. I've already done a few bottles of apricots and tomatoes and there is still our own apple tree to pick.

I want my new kitchen!

viv in nz

teaching to sew

Well, I got through my first session of teacher aiding quite well. The children are a delight and the felted pencil cases they are creating are coming on well. All I needed to do here was help with the odd tangled thread and show how the zip went in. I could get to like this teaching lark.

For what its worth, these are a very clued up bunch of 7 to 9 year olds - boys and girls. The next session is on Thursday. Most should have their cases finished by then as they have been making them for several days now. Then I get to teach them how to knit. They get to call me Aunty Vivien because I probably won't answer to Mrs or Ms (insert surname). Just not me.

viv in nz

Arty Stuff

Spent the whole day doing creative patchwork. Lots of new stuff to learn and lots of fun too. This new group we have made looks like it might become a really good thing for us. It definitely gets us out of the traditional patchwork which most of us have got a bit tired of as it doesn't allow us much leeway to create really off the wall stuff.

I made a hen out of my first creation as it was really just an exercise rather than an art work. The second piece has more potential and I may do a bit more with it yet.

We're going messy next time with plaster and dyes and paper and stuff. Should be fun!

viv in nz

Hot Heat Fire Haze

Its hot here today. We're melted! The trouble is that it isn't hot here much so we aren't used to it. It was also oppressive humid cloud with a very orange glow from the Australian bush fires. It was dark enough to put lights on inside at one point. Phew - it is set to get cooler though. Probably too cool again. The bedclothes don't know if they are summer or winter or any time inbetween.

The moon tonight is also orange with the smoke haze. I feel really sorry for those caught up in the fires. It must be awful.

viv in nz

puppets

We did our final performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the opening of the new school year and it was good. I got hubby to take a few photos and here they are.

I can't believe it's February already!

viv in nz

puppets

Tomorrow I become a puppeteer again as the seven dwarfs interspersed with a bit of handsome prince. My dear little dwarfs are all on one leafy branch which I get to move round lots. There is one detached dwarf who lives mostly with his friends but then goes off to sit by the glass case with Snow White. He gets passed around a bit.

Its our second production as a group and we are definitely improving.

Us puppet manipulators don't have to say anything as the whole thing is read by a narrator. The set is mostly draped pieces of silk in various colours hung on small wooden frames and we are visible all the time so we have to not wear bright colours etc.

Its all good fun and I'll post a photo or so if I get the chance.

viv in nz

new year

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted in here. All sorts of things have gone on and I haven't written a thing. Its a bit late to do so now but I can at least say that I haven't made any new years resolutions mostly because it is something we have never done in our household.

I am a bit ambivalent about setting anything out in concrete here as I never did take this stuff very seriously and see no reason to change now. I either mean what I say or decide to vary my actions according to need at the time and so this day has never been any more important than any other day.

It did have some neat fireworks though and I am a sucker for fireworks!

viv in nz

Christmas passed

Well it came and it went. There was a magnificent roast pork dinner with home grown potatoes and local carrots and peas (uncooked). The pudding was just right and boiled to perfection along with its raspberry sauce and whipped cream (unsweetened and home whipped). Then we just sat and talked until tea time.

That consisted of my own lettuce with trimmings and raspberry vinaigrette, a mutton ham from the local butcher and three puddings made by my sister who is a dab hand at them. She did a ginger wine and passionfruit trifle to die for.

Our presents ran true to form. I scored a ghastly china wheelbarrow and watering can which I now have to display for a year (fortunately they are small!) along with a cd I already have (cos he gave me the same one last year and he knew it!) and some chocs. The kids got an amazing kite each in the shape of boats and an aeroplane flight. They've never been on a plane before so this is extra special. One of them got a ballet ticket earlier, the other got to order some books on line and altogether they did pretty well. Even the ungreen side managed to come up with only a few sweets and some board games and a water pistol each which was pretty good.

I think the non plastic message is getting through to quite a few of them now - even my husband is starting to see the light! They did notice the lack of wrapping paper too so you never know...

Hope everyone out there had a good time

viv in nz

overload

I was going to write something for the apls carnival but I just couldn't get any sort of handle on it. I know children are our future and that we should take care of them but all this has been said so many times before and in so many ways that it just gets depressing. I think doing is much better than talking about it and bringing up the kids has been my mission since they were born. Even there I can only do my best and hope it is enough to set them up for their future whatever that may be.

If they need stuff I do my best but they also have to understand that there is a difference between want and need and that want will get a pretty short shrift until need is met. Even then they will only get what I think is appropriate for their age. This means that when there is a treat it is cherished and remembered as a special thing.

Christmas is a case in point. All of us will only give one serious present for each child. They will get about 7 presents altogether and that will be it. They will get two Christmas dinners because that is how we have done the two families from the beginning. So 3 presents will happen early and the rest on the day.

I find it hard to believe that children receive so much unnecessary junk these days. What is it that we think they should be valued to the max on credit cards? Maybe there is guilt in there that says we don't spend time with them and therefore must pay for their love and all that. Surely there are better things we could be doing with our time and theirs than being absent while earning yet more money to spend on more stuff.

My grandmother had this weird idea that if she gave us lots of things, we would love her more. This did the opposite in actual fact. It just made us feel uncomfortable and obligated to visit. We went from a sense of duty, not from love. And yet we did love her. We just wished she wouldn't be like that and quite a few of us never visited unless they couldn't get out of it.

This attitude seems to have spread out into most corners of society. The results are groups of alienated children with no self respect and an unhealthy desire for things rather than community. We were lucky. Our parents did not do this and we never felt alienated from them (although we might beg to disagree on some points!). We were allowed to grow up and leave freely with our values clear along with our minds. We might make wrong choices or idiotic decisions but they would never be anti social and we never felt we couldn't go home.

I hope I am able to do as good a job with our kids as was done for me.

viv in nz

techy stuff

I have come to the conclusion that I am not tech minded. The only thing I can do ok is type and this is due to the fact that I took typing as an extra at school some 30 plus years ago. The machines we learned on were mechanical with clunky keys that were so heavy I never could use my little finger properly. I figured it would be a useful thing to know even if I never worked in an office.

I was right there.

Unfortunately I never learned computer skills. I found even an electric typewriter to be a bit of a challenge although I have to admit they were an improvement over the non electric chunks of steel I learned on originally. I did like word processors when they came out. I could make mistakes and never have to use white out again. The green screen was interesting....if you stared at it too long, it affected your eyes so that every white surface looked pink. Amber screens were much better.

Then I got a computer. Shortly after that I lost a computer to my new partner. (I had to fall for an IT guy!) He fixes my mess ups and does the stuff I find incomprehensible. He gets confused as to why I can't do stuff he considers child's play. I reply that it might be simple for him but to me it is double dutch and if I try stuff it will crash and burn.

I can appreciate the uses these gizmos have, but don't expect me to use them until they are a lot more user friendly. I am giving my cellphone to the eldest for Christmas. I have tried to use it a few times over the last two years but really can't see the advantage. Every time I do want to use it there's either no credit or no battery power or I can't remember the password and anyhow there's a landline right there which costs nothing!

I am not a techhie person and that's that! When the computer can hold a conversation with me about what I want to do I'll consider trying the fancy stuff but not before!

viv in nz