cold

Its been a really cold week round here - rain, snow, hail, sleet etc. That cold I caught last week has not been helpful either so I have mostly hidden in here. However, I'm going to have to face the great outdoors soon or run out of clothes. Washing does tend to pile up at this time of the year waiting for a half decent day but, due to that really nasty cold, I went and missed the last half decent day!

Sprocket is no longer a boy. He was neutered a couple of days back and came back very affectionate after his little trip. The vet said he either smooched everyone or ran round and round like a mad thing - too much energy in that small fur ball. Trying to keep him quiet for 24 hours was merely an exercise in frustration!

He has bounced back just the same as ever so I don't think it affected him much.

He found my dried beans this morning and has been playing with them all over the house (they are still in their pods and rattle and rustle well when attacked). There was also a marathon running session up and down the hall, across the bed onto the windowsill and repeat.....lots. He has now gone to sleep on the couch. I will probably be finding beans in all sorts of places for a while :)

I finished the pair of mittens I started last week and they will go onto the stall at the school fair too as they are still not a perfect fit. I will play around with the pattern a bit more as I think it can be improved quite a bit yet. I also have a pair of socks to knit for a friend who is going to renovate my wooden needles for me (one at a time so I don't have to stop knitting) and I have a few improvements to make in another pair of socks for a dancer. I think some extra ribbing in the back of the heel and under the instep should do the job.

School holidays will probably slow things down round here but I do hope to get William's room fixed so that he can do his dance practice there. His exams are coming up rapidly and he needs to do some extra work as he is grade 5 this year and can't just rely on what he does in class.

I'm going to investigate my photos - probably be as irrelevant to the post as ever :)

viv

Two photos from the Catlins and one sunset from the back yard :) The Purakanui Falls are just wonderful if you ask me :)

viv

Sprocket

Well, she makes a nice little boy!!! We now have to transition to him. Fortunately his name is just as good as ever.

It has been a week of school interviews, report cards and I took Mum to the knitting squad where we generally froze as there was a conference on (mental health nurses!) and there were staff taking things hither and yon and leaving the door open. It was absolutely freezing outside and there was nowhere else to decamp to due to numerous displays etc.

I now have a cold......I just hope Mum doesn't catch it with her health being what it is but we weren't to know. Anyhow, I got half a mitten made which was something, along with the usual chit chat. We are a very diverse bunch of people which makes for interesting conversations.

The school reports etc were all fairly glowing which doesn't sound like my lot at all - I was complimented on my nice, quiet and thoughtful young man - you know - the one we think is outrageously noisy and out there! We even had teachers enquiring about what classes he wanted to take next year and please could they have him again!!!!!

Sprocket has got bigger!

Funny things get seen on our road quite a bit. Some sort of fancy scooter just went down. I missed getting a photo unfortunately but I did snap this a few weeks back.

viv

kitten

I finally got a newer photo of Sprocket. She has a liking for sitting in rubbish bins. This one is a particularly nice one I made as a potter somewhere in the early 90's.

I have decided that all the odd wool scraps should be used so I am making a collection of 'odd' socks. I'll probably have them on the sale table at the local school fair so that peeps can pick their own as none of them match except in size :) I've also been experimenting with a small sock in the same way. The first one looks pretty good in purple and yellow! Whoever get these will never lose them even if they don't fully match (they are scraps after all :).

You can tell I used the flash I'm afraid.

These are the first few socks plus the experimental one which will be the start of another collection of odd socks.

Hope you like these photos.

viv in nz

Socks

Life is full of socks at present. All sorts and shapes and colours and sizes. I think I'm onto pair fourteen so far this year! Mind you, they are great for those times when you are bored out of your mind and there is nothing better to do - like committee meetings!

I joined the knitting squad in the valley and, guess what, they are all into socks too. Must be the cold weather or something.

My present pair is 'left over wool' socks. Rainbow mostly and rather bright because I tend to use bright colours anyway.

The mid winter community dinner was held last night and there was an entire line of socks pegged up across the hall. There were also three display boards from our fibre art group showing some of what we are up to. The food was pot luck and interesting and delicious too. The dinner keeps getting bigger and bigger. The hall is starting to look rather full :)

I'm a bit lacking in photos so I will post one or two from earlier collections.

viv

The first is Sprocket of coure, the other two are from a trip to Trotters Gorge which is just out from Palmerston. The rock formations are really wonderful.

viv

Wallpaper

I finally got on to putting up some wallpaper behind the new (recycled bench unit. The wallpaper was some my sister didn't use in her old house and there should be enough for three walls even if not the fourth. It turned out to be horrid stuff to get up and the edges have pulled away something chronic but I think I can fix that with some pins and some stronger glue once the paper is fully dry.

It totally transforms that part of the kitchen! If you mentally delete the unfinished stuff - it doesn't look like my kitchen at all but much fancier :) On the other hand, I am not going to post a photo until I've dealt to those edges.

So here are a few 'other' photos instead.

These are more symposium shots around Queenstown and Arrowtown, including one of my seat in the car for the four hour (more or less) trip home! It was a little 'snug'. I did get to try the front seat for about half the trip although this too was a little 'snug'. That is what you get when you try to fit three people, their sewing machines, their luggage for a week, their sleeping bags and pillows (plus the three extra sleeping bags etc used by the other party)and their fabric necessities into one medium sized car along with their three selves and their handbags, cameras, lunches, thermoses, drink bottles and I'm sure you get the picture.

It was soooo worth while to be part of this though.

viv

I'm growing says Sprocket

I think Sprocket has grown at least to double her size since we got her and is rapidly turning into the cat version of a teenager. She has got that rather leggy look and her eyes have started to change colour. I'm not sure what colour they will end up yet but the process has begun.

I went on camp with the art fibre group over the weekend and that was a lot of fun. I caught up on all my journal quilts and have good ideas for a couple more as well. I never seem to have the time when at home despite the perfect set up. Something always gets in the way!

Anyway, the weather was perfect and so was the wood fire :) I didn't get to do the dyeing but I did so much else that it doesn't really matter. Hopefully I will get some dyeing done this weekend (but I'm not holding my breath). I did use one of the really good discharge fabrics I did last year and it is one of my better efforts I think. I'll post a photo when its done as I still need to add some embellishments. There might even be the odd photo on the other site in better definition yet :)

This photo was taken a week back and she has grown again since then! This was her first look at a mirror.

Enjoy.

viv

Time flies!

Its been waaaaay too long since I posted here but, really, nothing much has happened except that I got almost a week of full time relief etc and had no energy left for anything else.

The kitten is growing madly along with living up to her name - Sprocket the rocket :) I took her to the kindy for a day and she just loved being round the kids who were very good with her. This one is definitely a people cat which is good since I run a part time shop.

The shop has reverted to a bedroom whilst we renovate James room - it needs a new floor and all the scotias, skirtings, door frames etc done so at present it it a wasteland with a geological hammer in the middle (great for breaking up old concrete which was under the old chimney). Aty least the shop isn't cold and damp! And he gets to share with Sprocket too.

We tried out a new bread recipe last night - I don't think much of it so far. Its looks as if it will be like a brick and definitely not soft and light. Might be ok hot - with soup :)

And some photos :)

Two of the shotover river with a rather smudged jet boat - I was in a rush and hadn't time to change the settings and one of the class I took at symposium. I have been on that jetboat trip - it is scary and fun :)

viv

Sprocket

There is a new kitten in the house. She is really cute, tabby and either fast or asleep. She is called Sprocket and is about 7 weeks old and is asleep on my shoulder right now.

There are some photos :)

She is a moving target!

viv in nz

Skilly 1996 - 2011

We had to say goodbye to Skilly today after almost 15 years. She had an incurable cancer that was suffocating her slowly at first but then really fast at the end. She was put to sleep today to stop the suffering and I still can't quite believe that she won't be on our feet tonight as usual. She was found in a rubbish bin at only a few weeks old. We lost her for 3 months when we shifted 7 years back and thought we wouldn't see her again then but she found her way back. Now she will stay in the back yard under the strawberry plants.

viv

The last photo I seem to have of Skilly is also the last photo of Chainsaw. Its almost like they couldn't live without each other even though they didn't do more than tolerate each other.

We will miss her,

viv

Symposium

I had a really great time at the patchwork symposium in Queenstown. I am only sad that I didn't get to spend some time with Ms Lottie but at least I did get to meet her.

We spent the first few days at the crib of a friend (holiday house) The views were great and it was nice to be out of the tourist area for a bit. We were up early every morning and I did quilt angel for a couple of days as well as trying to see other things. The angel job was pretty straight forward and mostly consisted of fetching lunch, morning tea and anything else people needed. It allowed me to see what others were up to without being up to it myself and, in some ways ,this suited me better than actually doing the class. I did get a class at the end of the week and this was useful if not quite my thing (the class was booked by a friend who couldn't go).

So now I have an oilstick and the need to add a few more as finances allow along with a few new skills. There are some photos for the second class I angeled for which I will post for them to see and this class would have been my pick really - lots of modern stuff and abstract stuff and fooling around with fibre - right up my street :)

I think this site will temporarily become a travel photo place for a bit as I got lots of nice pics and want to talk about them rather than just shove the lot up all at once.

viv

Potatoes

These are some of the spuds we got from the garden this year. This particular batch came out of one straw bale which Matt used as an edge to the main garden. He dug two little holes in the top of each bale and planted a seed potato in each hole with a couple of handfuls of soil, watered a couple of times and left them to their own devices. So this lot is from just two seed potatoes.

I think you could say this is a success :)

viv in nz

Worstershire sauce

This is for Mickle and anyone else who likes a sharpish sauce on things.

I made around 6 litres of the stuff just because we use it lots. The recipe I use is very easy and requires no special effort but it will smell out your house. Great if you have a cold :)

I mostly use my somewhat elderly Edmonds cook book recipe and then vary it a bit. I also double the recipe so I only have to make it about once a year.

3 onions (chopped)
4.5 litres malt vinegar (1 gallon)
4 tbsp salt
3 pounds apples (chopped cores, pips, skins and all)
2 pounds brown sugar
1 orange chopped skin and all
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp cloves
A good splosh of fish sauce or oyster sauce if you like

Put everything into a large pot and boil slowly for 3 hours.
Strain and bottle. Seal when cold.

I used cooking apples off our tree, bugs and all and strained it all through a calico bag I usually use for shopping :) The bag is now an interesting shade of brown with splodges. I did squeeze the bag too as clarity is not necessary to this. I used recycled beer bottles with those resealable tops to store it in. Matt has made a point of getting his beer in these just for the bottles and even though he probably only gets beer about once a month, we now have a good collection of them.

enjoy

viv in nz

This is Chainsaw.

We do miss him even if Skilly doesn't!!!

This week I....

Got the oven installed and working. Made a huge batch of apple preserves. made 14 bottles of worstershire sauce, helped James make apple ketchup.

I also found a good local source of soap nuts and lots of other stuff too, went to the farmers market (where we succumbed to bacon butties) and did a short supermarket trip (3 items only).

Tomorrow the boys are going to ride out to visit their friends - one at Port Chalmers (14 kilometers approx) and the other at Aramoana (lots further). They have to ride home too but we will take them to the top of the hill to give them a head start going out. The only rule (apart from road rules) is that they get back by dark and have their cell phones with them (emergencies only). This will be the first really long run they have done so will be interesting to see how they cope. It'll be interesting to see which way they come home. The short way has a huge hill, the long way has a good bike path for half the distance and is flat. Their choice :)

The photos are holiday ones from china town in Arrowtown.

viv

Work even

Its been an odd sort of week. I filled in with an elderly friend because her normal carer (also a close friend) had caught a cold. That was two mornings and then I got a sore ear/throat and figured I might not be a good risk either so Matt filled in for the third day. Then I did my normal classes who are doing well with their knitted socks. Then I got a relief day at the kindy (fun) followed by the funeral of my favourite Uncle. Not the way I like to finish a week!

That got me through to Friday where I found another friend had lost her boss suddenly to a heart attack.

On top of that I was trying to finish up some preserves and jam and the oven had to be prepared for installation which meant the kitchen has been out of operation for a couple of days - the sparky hasn't showed up yet!

So there are two massive sheets of jib board in the kitchen blocking all the cupboards and all the shelves are off the wall and stacked in various parts of the house. The breakfast stuff is on my work bench and I can never find what I need when I need it. One of the good things was a trip to the warehouse where for once, I got a pair of sandals which fitted - that was freaky as my feet normally fit nothing and then, when we came to pay for them, the price was $2.20....Huh!!!

Oh and there was a bunch of men running up and down the street clad only in wigs and scarves. I got some photos but my camera isn't working properly so they aren't as good as I would like. Living on Baldwin Street can be 'interesting' at times :)

viv in nz

preserves

That elderberry jelly lead to all sorts of other things - like bottled fruit and a free preserving kit from a friend (yay) and 20 odd bottles of preparation etc, etc. So now I'm a bit tired (to put it mildly).

Tomorrow is our first real session creative art wise for this year - mostly due to the rooms still being painted after their flight over the fence. I have exactly zero things to do (not counting the odd ufo of the more mundane variety) so I will take my knitting (James rather boring but necessary sports sock) and the felting gear. Buzzing round like a flea in a fit does exactly nothing for my creative side, just makes me tired!

Anyhow here is a photo or two of the community centre in flight to add to the one I posted before.

viv in nz

Elderberry jelly

Matt picked a lot of the elderberries along with most of the pears so I am busy making elderberry jelly and bottled pears. I think my hands will remain a sort of muddy purple for ages. The next thing is all those apples falling off the tree. I'll use some in the elderberry jelly as a setting agent and the better ones will get themselves bottled. There seem to be a good number this year too. Last year was so poor I let the birds have what there was.

I strained the elderberries through a nice piece of cotton which I have sprinkled with salt. Hopefully there will be a dye result from that. Probably muddy purple :)

We also cut the first bunch of celery - very nice and crunchy. I intend to use some of the tops for soup - I have a soup base in the fridge (ham bone from christmas, boiled) so it might be vege soup for tea round here.

The potatoes from the front gate did exactly one dinner. Better than nothing I suppose. They were very nice though. I'm of the opinion that potatoes are not the best thing to grow in a small garden because they just don't give enough back that is special for the area they take up. I'd rather grow greens and other roots and buy the potatoes from the market. However, a small number for special events (christmas etc) is always welcome.

The corn James planted has actually developed a few flowers! You never know - there might be some sweet corn yet :) The lettuce is still going strong and so is the silver beet (swiss chard) much to the disgust of the kids :) However it can be disguised suitably with a bit of effort and it is free so they just have to live with it!

And that is the news round here :) I can't wait to see if that elderberried cloth works out!

viv in nz

The photos are from Karitane last year

Earthquake

Well things are moseying along same as always round here. The new exhibition has been up just over a fortnight and seems to be popular with the tourists which is good. I have handed out lots of cards and I think we may get one or two new members as well.

My Uncle says that the house owned by my cousins in Christchurch is green stickered which means it is liveable - just! There is a sea of sandy silt in the back yard which their small dog thinks is great - beach day :) The house is fairly extensively damaged but, being an old Victorian villa in wood, they will repair it. Their street is mostly impassable but they can get out. They now have power but no water or sewage. They do have a well in their backyard though and have built a long drop toilet.

The set of flats next to them are so badly damaged that they will have to be demolished along with half of the city as far as I can make out.

The positive is that only one person known to our family has been badly hurt (The brother of a friend of my sister) so it is property damage that will be the biggest loss. I haven't heard anything about the state of the other relations houses but they are ok. I shall no doubt find out in due course.

My brother in law has driven his tanker up there several times and says that it seems as if the ground is always on the tremble but there was only one mild 'real' earthquake whilst he was there. He had a number of stories from people who were there at the time and I gather it was just unbelievable how much things moved around. It will be a long time before things even start to get back to normal I think.

viv in nz

The photo is Trotters Gorge just out from Palmerston

Photos of the exhibition

The main site is taking its time due to the people concerned being away so here are a few pics taken with a decidedly downmarket camera.  They didn't come out so badly though:) The link has a number of other photos - mostly by James (14).

The top is one of mine and so is the bottom.  The middle is one by Rowena that I just love :)

View the rest of the gallery here

The big event

Well, we have finally had our bi-annual exhibition and I have spent the last couple of days setting it up here in my shop space.  It looks good but not as good as it did in the bigger space in town.  Still, its not half bad :)

I let James leave his one club today on the understanding that he find another closer to his tastes to be a part of.  He really needs to be out there and somewhat social just to balance the acres of time he spends glued to that darn computer!

Things have been somewhat mad round here and I can't really believe it is so long since the last post so I apologise for that.  However, things will get back to normal (if there is such a thing) now and probably not be as interesting either (but somehow I doubt that).

Anyhow, there should be some great photos coming up at the other site artfibredunedin.blogspot.com so if you want to see what I have been up to - go check it out.

 

Lake Hayes

Meanwhile I will find a photo or two for here :) The top one is us and the house.  The council has replaced the messy street planting since then so no more free rosemary.

viv in nz

Back to school

William is back at school today and James goes tomorrow so a new year is started - the last we will have with primary school as William will be at high school next year too.

That means less expense for school but probably more for other things. Also it means I get some time to myself except on Tuesdays when I teach. In fact Tuesday looks like being booked up solid for everyone except Matt.  I think that might be out take out or left over night somehow.

I have finished the sewing for the end of the middle section for the quilt but have yet to join it in. Today has been a bit of a no hope day - no energy, a blood test for me and mum, the plumber inspecting a couple of what I hope will be minor leaks and Matt going out to a client.  I think I forgot to take my asthma meds which hasn't helped either.

Oh well, there's still some of the day left :)

viv in nz

The photo is one half of our community center in transit across the fence.  The other half followed and they ended up just behind the crane on the left.  This means that we no longer have to go through the main school grounds to get to it which is a vast improvement (or will be when its finished ).