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
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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
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
Friday, September 18, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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
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
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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
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
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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
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
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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
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
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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
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
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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
viv in nz
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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
Its supposed to improve tomorrow.
viv in nz
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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
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
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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
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
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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).
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).
Monday, April 6, 2009
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
And for this they've bartered our souls without our support or consent.
The PTB are mad!
viv
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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
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
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
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
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
Sunday, February 22, 2009
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
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
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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
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
Friday, January 9, 2009
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
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
Sunday, December 28, 2008
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
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
Saturday, December 13, 2008
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
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
Monday, December 1, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Suburbia
I spent much of today reading about the failure of suburbia in the USA. Interesting the various scenarios that came up in the comments in particular. I think I wasted a whole afternoon on it and still am not really convinced of any of the forecasts although quite a lot of them had good points to make.
None of this really applies round here as the city I live in is rather small and only has one smallish outer suburb which should survive quite nicely by itself.
The points that most interested me were those relating to items we may not have again and I began thinking along the lines of electronics and plastics. On the whole they are right in that things cannot continue as they are but there are other ways.
This got me thinking about recycling and plastic and other resources too. It seems to me that there will always be some of these things available for general use as long as we can mine our landfills. I think it should be possible to continue to make high technological items as far into the future as we can exist as long as we treat things with a bit (a lot) more respect.
Some stuff doesn't need high tech and in fact would be better with a lot lower tech. I mean who really needs a household clothes dryer when it is just as easy to hang washing on the line. It should be possible to have a community laundry for those emergencies when the sun doesn't shine. To say nothing of our vast over use of plastic bottles, bags and chemical additives which appear in everything from cleaning fluids to liquid soap and even food!
We don't need to travel vast distances on fancy holidays and, as a matter of fact this is only a recent phenomenon. Most of our grandparents would have stayed near home or done day trips and picnics. Around this country there was always the family crib (holiday house) usually on a lake or sea front. These were cheap and unpretentious and housed numerous families of cousins, brothers, sisters, their offspring, their friends etc. (Our own family crib was exactly 3/4 hour away and there we spent our three weeks holiday every year.)
I have come to the conclusion that what I would like to see is a society that lives locally and in communities with access to world communication via computers etc but that still has roots deep in the local economy and soil. I don't think we all need to be farmers or market gardeners. That would be a waste of the many other talents that abound in humanity. There should be a place for artists and musicians, dancers and actors and scientists of all kinds. My utopia would have a place, however lowly, for every person living in it so that nobody need go hungry or unappreciated.
Not half asking for much am I :)
And yet this should be possible even in a less than perfect way.
Perhaps we should tell the speculators, bankers and commercial pushers to go do something useful for a change and then ban hoarding of resources and big business for profit. Any necessary monopoly should be owned for the people by the people. (water, power for example).
sing for your supper and live life to the full always with the mantra of doing no harm to yourself or the environment and try to leave things the better for your existence.
viv in nz
None of this really applies round here as the city I live in is rather small and only has one smallish outer suburb which should survive quite nicely by itself.
The points that most interested me were those relating to items we may not have again and I began thinking along the lines of electronics and plastics. On the whole they are right in that things cannot continue as they are but there are other ways.
This got me thinking about recycling and plastic and other resources too. It seems to me that there will always be some of these things available for general use as long as we can mine our landfills. I think it should be possible to continue to make high technological items as far into the future as we can exist as long as we treat things with a bit (a lot) more respect.
Some stuff doesn't need high tech and in fact would be better with a lot lower tech. I mean who really needs a household clothes dryer when it is just as easy to hang washing on the line. It should be possible to have a community laundry for those emergencies when the sun doesn't shine. To say nothing of our vast over use of plastic bottles, bags and chemical additives which appear in everything from cleaning fluids to liquid soap and even food!
We don't need to travel vast distances on fancy holidays and, as a matter of fact this is only a recent phenomenon. Most of our grandparents would have stayed near home or done day trips and picnics. Around this country there was always the family crib (holiday house) usually on a lake or sea front. These were cheap and unpretentious and housed numerous families of cousins, brothers, sisters, their offspring, their friends etc. (Our own family crib was exactly 3/4 hour away and there we spent our three weeks holiday every year.)
I have come to the conclusion that what I would like to see is a society that lives locally and in communities with access to world communication via computers etc but that still has roots deep in the local economy and soil. I don't think we all need to be farmers or market gardeners. That would be a waste of the many other talents that abound in humanity. There should be a place for artists and musicians, dancers and actors and scientists of all kinds. My utopia would have a place, however lowly, for every person living in it so that nobody need go hungry or unappreciated.
Not half asking for much am I :)
And yet this should be possible even in a less than perfect way.
Perhaps we should tell the speculators, bankers and commercial pushers to go do something useful for a change and then ban hoarding of resources and big business for profit. Any necessary monopoly should be owned for the people by the people. (water, power for example).
sing for your supper and live life to the full always with the mantra of doing no harm to yourself or the environment and try to leave things the better for your existence.
viv in nz
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hangi
We went out to a party tonight but it wasn't just any old party, it was a hangi dinner set up by friends up the road. The hangi is an earth oven made by digging a hole, setting a fire in the bottom and covering it with rocks which heat up as they sink through the fire.
When it is deemed hot enough the unburnt wood is removed and a layer or green stuff is put over the hot rocks followed by the food(usually in metal crates) and then an old sheet followed by several sacks (all very wet). After that the whole lot is buried in soil and left to its own devices for several hours. Then it is carefully unburied and served. Traditionally it is men who do this cooking (sort of like barbecues I suppose).
This one contained lots of pumpkin, potatoes, kumera (sweet potato) whole chicken and a large chunk of wild pork (head included which the boys thought was great). It was delicious :)
Then we sat round in the candle light for a bit watching the stars come out. We didn't stay too late because the boys are still young and need some sleep!
A great finish to the week.
viv in nz
When it is deemed hot enough the unburnt wood is removed and a layer or green stuff is put over the hot rocks followed by the food(usually in metal crates) and then an old sheet followed by several sacks (all very wet). After that the whole lot is buried in soil and left to its own devices for several hours. Then it is carefully unburied and served. Traditionally it is men who do this cooking (sort of like barbecues I suppose).
This one contained lots of pumpkin, potatoes, kumera (sweet potato) whole chicken and a large chunk of wild pork (head included which the boys thought was great). It was delicious :)
Then we sat round in the candle light for a bit watching the stars come out. We didn't stay too late because the boys are still young and need some sleep!
A great finish to the week.
viv in nz
Friday, November 21, 2008
FALLING
I visited a close friend in hospital today. She fell in her house and now is incapacitated for a few weeks. At 87 I suppose this is to be expected but it doesn't make it any easier. I just hope she will be able to go home again but I think things are not looking good that way.
She is legally blind and has been for several years but still lives by herself with various people coming in to help. She paid me to read to her for a fair while although I'd have done that for nothing and the same goes for her home help (another friend). Basically her body is fading away but her mind is still as sharp as ever and her hearing is also quite good.
She is a good caring person and we will do our best just because we like her. I finished her Christmas present this morning so that she will have it for the hospital - it makes things a little more personal when you have to be there for a while (it is a light weight quilt come knee rug.)
I just hope she will get back home.....
viv in nz
She is legally blind and has been for several years but still lives by herself with various people coming in to help. She paid me to read to her for a fair while although I'd have done that for nothing and the same goes for her home help (another friend). Basically her body is fading away but her mind is still as sharp as ever and her hearing is also quite good.
She is a good caring person and we will do our best just because we like her. I finished her Christmas present this morning so that she will have it for the hospital - it makes things a little more personal when you have to be there for a while (it is a light weight quilt come knee rug.)
I just hope she will get back home.....
viv in nz
Monday, November 17, 2008
Don Quixote
Well, William did his bit as one of the town children in the royal new zealand ballet performance of Don Quixote and thoroughly enjoyed it. He looked really cute in his little pinstriped waistcoat and trousers. And here he is with his two girlfriends.
Friday, November 14, 2008
another busy day
Whew...am I glad today has finished. Somehow everything seems to have happened in two days and tomorrow looks worse if possible.
It started with everyone sleeping in so the boys were running late for school. After that I did the shopping and then tried to finish a quilt and make bread and do all the usual house work whilst planning a plate for the christmas party held by the patchwork guild.
All of a sudden it was after school and a frantic pick up of one extra child from a different school along with the normal pickup and a race to get to the ballet rehearsal by 3.30. Then a drop off of eldest to art class and back to the rehearsal to see what they would be doing.
William and two of the girls from his ballet class are to be extras in the ballet Don Quixote put on by the Royal New Zealand Ballet over the weekend. A real thrill for them! Tomorrow they get their costumes and do the dress rehearsal and then the first performance in the evening. The second performance is on Sunday.
After the rehearsal we rushed home to get ready for the party. I'm afraid it was fish and chips for tea and then out for the evening. I didn't win any prizes this year but there's always next year. The food was great - mostly home made yummy. William will be a member next year as a student. Then a fast bed time for him before today's efforts of more school and ballet.
Tomorrow is even worse. Eldest and I have french horn practice followed by symphonic band. Meanwhile William has a normal ballet class for the end of year concert (where he also won a role), an hour for lunch, a costume fitting, a dress rehearsal, tea (hopefully) and then a performance. A bit high powered for a 10 year old so I hope he survives ok!
I'm thinking we might not get much else achieved this weekend.
viv in nz
It started with everyone sleeping in so the boys were running late for school. After that I did the shopping and then tried to finish a quilt and make bread and do all the usual house work whilst planning a plate for the christmas party held by the patchwork guild.
All of a sudden it was after school and a frantic pick up of one extra child from a different school along with the normal pickup and a race to get to the ballet rehearsal by 3.30. Then a drop off of eldest to art class and back to the rehearsal to see what they would be doing.
William and two of the girls from his ballet class are to be extras in the ballet Don Quixote put on by the Royal New Zealand Ballet over the weekend. A real thrill for them! Tomorrow they get their costumes and do the dress rehearsal and then the first performance in the evening. The second performance is on Sunday.
After the rehearsal we rushed home to get ready for the party. I'm afraid it was fish and chips for tea and then out for the evening. I didn't win any prizes this year but there's always next year. The food was great - mostly home made yummy. William will be a member next year as a student. Then a fast bed time for him before today's efforts of more school and ballet.
Tomorrow is even worse. Eldest and I have french horn practice followed by symphonic band. Meanwhile William has a normal ballet class for the end of year concert (where he also won a role), an hour for lunch, a costume fitting, a dress rehearsal, tea (hopefully) and then a performance. A bit high powered for a 10 year old so I hope he survives ok!
I'm thinking we might not get much else achieved this weekend.
viv in nz
Saturday, November 8, 2008
local
To buy local round here is actually quite easy when it comes to food. Most things are labeled and the farmers market is open all year round and it only does local. It helps that we are about a zillion miles from nowhere too. We tend to be too far and too small for most exporters.
Life gets much harder when you get to clothes. Basically there is no local apart from some woolly things and they tend to be so expensive that few can afford them. There are local clothes manufactured but not the cloth that goes into them so I don't really think that counts. So I compromise here and get what I need second hand or new but only on an infrequent basis.
I do support local products whenever I can and I think this is important because money spent locally stays local for at least that cycle. It supports infrastructure too so that we don't depend solely on overseas input.
The idea, to my way of thinking, is to balance the incoming goods with outgoing goods so that wealth doesn't leave the country and also, we don't rip off other countries. If proper globalisation was instituted, this balance would be implemented all over so that everyone got their slice of pie. Hoarding should really be banned as it isolates wealth from the system. I think that all wealth hoarded should decrease in value, not increase as at present.
By the same token, I think credit should only be used for a narrow range of purposes and that you should need to justify whatever credit you do ask for. This was how our great grandparents operated and I don't think it should have changed.
So there you have it,
Buy local whenever possible
Balance the books at all levels....and
Don't use credit inappropriately.
viv in nz
Life gets much harder when you get to clothes. Basically there is no local apart from some woolly things and they tend to be so expensive that few can afford them. There are local clothes manufactured but not the cloth that goes into them so I don't really think that counts. So I compromise here and get what I need second hand or new but only on an infrequent basis.
I do support local products whenever I can and I think this is important because money spent locally stays local for at least that cycle. It supports infrastructure too so that we don't depend solely on overseas input.
The idea, to my way of thinking, is to balance the incoming goods with outgoing goods so that wealth doesn't leave the country and also, we don't rip off other countries. If proper globalisation was instituted, this balance would be implemented all over so that everyone got their slice of pie. Hoarding should really be banned as it isolates wealth from the system. I think that all wealth hoarded should decrease in value, not increase as at present.
By the same token, I think credit should only be used for a narrow range of purposes and that you should need to justify whatever credit you do ask for. This was how our great grandparents operated and I don't think it should have changed.
So there you have it,
Buy local whenever possible
Balance the books at all levels....and
Don't use credit inappropriately.
viv in nz
Thursday, November 6, 2008
snow
It snowed here. Lots! I planted all my lettuces and tomatoes and it turned back into winter.
On a brighter note...our Steiner was visited by a class of Steiner children from Australia and they thought the snow was wonderful, not being used to such stuff. Tomorrow they are going to climb our street amongst other things (world's steepest) before heading back north.
The snow has already nearly melted - its too warm to last fortunately - but I wonder what this means global warming wise. To my mind the weather has got freakier over the last few years which does not bode well for gardens and my tomatoes for starters. Food production may be limited in ways we haven't thought of just because of these weather patterns.
I'll wait and see what happens next.
viv in nz
On a brighter note...our Steiner was visited by a class of Steiner children from Australia and they thought the snow was wonderful, not being used to such stuff. Tomorrow they are going to climb our street amongst other things (world's steepest) before heading back north.
The snow has already nearly melted - its too warm to last fortunately - but I wonder what this means global warming wise. To my mind the weather has got freakier over the last few years which does not bode well for gardens and my tomatoes for starters. Food production may be limited in ways we haven't thought of just because of these weather patterns.
I'll wait and see what happens next.
viv in nz
Friday, October 31, 2008
The future is not bright
It's a windy cool sort of day today and I intend to plant my lettuces and some tomatoes later. There have been a number of people coming into the shop but no sales so far. The sales so far this season have been about a third of what they were last year and there is a noticeable lack of tourists around. Only two bus tours this morning and neither of them the profitable variety.
The future is not looking very bright round here.
DH has only one week of full time work left and then he is back on contracts. This tends to be short term profit but long term too unreliable.
I am going to move all the kitchen stuff out into the rest of the house later so that we can start ripping up the floor in there and get it redone with proper insulation and also to mouse proof it. I have had enough of clearing away mouse poo every morning off all my kitchen surfaces and I suspect that some of the tummy upsets round here are the result of this.
I would love to get the bathroom done too but the money is not there for that. William will have to sleep in the shop on the stretcher for a while longer yet. He is going to use the old bathroom as a bedroom eventually and we cribbed a bit of his brothers room to make it a bit larger.
I read about the size of those McMansions but I can't say I'm really all that jealous even if you could fit our entire house into one room. At least our heating bill is very small. House work is minimal too. Only takes about 30 minutes to do the lot. However I would like the house to be finished!
I hope there is a future left for the boys.
viv in nz
The future is not looking very bright round here.
DH has only one week of full time work left and then he is back on contracts. This tends to be short term profit but long term too unreliable.
I am going to move all the kitchen stuff out into the rest of the house later so that we can start ripping up the floor in there and get it redone with proper insulation and also to mouse proof it. I have had enough of clearing away mouse poo every morning off all my kitchen surfaces and I suspect that some of the tummy upsets round here are the result of this.
I would love to get the bathroom done too but the money is not there for that. William will have to sleep in the shop on the stretcher for a while longer yet. He is going to use the old bathroom as a bedroom eventually and we cribbed a bit of his brothers room to make it a bit larger.
I read about the size of those McMansions but I can't say I'm really all that jealous even if you could fit our entire house into one room. At least our heating bill is very small. House work is minimal too. Only takes about 30 minutes to do the lot. However I would like the house to be finished!
I hope there is a future left for the boys.
viv in nz
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
th tax man cometh
I don't really mind taxes on the whole. I know they get spent on stuff I don't approve of as well as stuff I use and do approve of but that's alright because life has to be compromised in some places. What I really hate is how the tax is always for last year. Somehow we always end up paying heaps of tax in a year with hardly any income - being self employed can be a real bummer sometimes. Even in a good year you end up paying for all the stuff you couldn't pay for in the previous year because that year you were struggling with the tax from the previous year and I think you get the idea.
Maybe next year I'll finally get a bathroom.... Maybe even the kitchen!!! With a real sink and an oven :)
Dreams are free.
Hey...maybe we'll be able to have a bedroom and stop sleeping in the living room. There's a radical thought.
I do see why people spend money on lotteries. Sometimes it's the only way out.
Well, at least the tax will be paid by next week.
viv in nz
Maybe next year I'll finally get a bathroom.... Maybe even the kitchen!!! With a real sink and an oven :)
Dreams are free.
Hey...maybe we'll be able to have a bedroom and stop sleeping in the living room. There's a radical thought.
I do see why people spend money on lotteries. Sometimes it's the only way out.
Well, at least the tax will be paid by next week.
viv in nz
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Cat Days
I thought about doing the APLS thing but really left it too late so here is my take on being a stray.
Hello, my name is Chainsaw. I was born in the back streets of a down market suburb to a poor and unknown mother. I am just another tabby with nothing really to recommend me to humans as a suitable adoptee. I used to sneak into a local house and eat their dog's food when he wasn't looking but one day I got caught. I was about three months old at the time.
They gave me lots of pats and called me Chainsaw because I purred so loud. They would have liked to keep me but the dog was old and frightened of cats - even such a small one as me. So the day after their sister got married, they gave me to her and I went to live in the little house by the creek.
It was very nice there. There was food and pats and leaves to chase and water to look in and a nice bed to share as well. I grew big and strong.
When I was two, a new creature moved in. He was very small to start with and woke up at inconvenient hours of the night. I mostly ignored him until he got big enough to grab bits of me - then I stayed clear of him until he was old enough to treat me with respect.
A couple of weeks after the new creature moved in, another kitten came to live with us. She was only about six weeks old and she was found in a rubbish tin. They called her Skillsaw but shortened it to Skilly and she was a pest! She still is. We always seem to battle and playfight over everything.
When Skilly was two and I was four another new creature moved in. We both avoided these two creatures for some time but the second one was much kinder than the first one and we liked him quite a bit.
Soon after this we left our house and stream and moved into the city to near where we had come from. There was a stream but it was three houses down from us. Never-the-less all four of us went there to play but only when a grown up came too. We lived happily in the new house for five years and then, once again, we moved. This time we only went across the valley and I had to be picked up from the old house five times before I decided that perhaps the new house was an alright place too.
Skilly got lost. She went hunting for rats (her favourite occupation) and didn't come home. Our owners went all over calling her but she didn't come. I thought I was lucky because she really was a pest.
For three months she was missing and then, just as we thought she was gone for good, she came home. She was very skinny but in good health otherwise. She didn't go out of sight for a long time after that and she got rather fat too for a bit. Now she is back to normal except she doesn't hunt rats outside of the backyard.
I am getting old now and rather stiff too. I will be 14 at christmas so I am an old man. I like to lie in the sun on the bank and drowse in the heat.
That is the story of my life so far.
Chainsaw.
Hello, my name is Chainsaw. I was born in the back streets of a down market suburb to a poor and unknown mother. I am just another tabby with nothing really to recommend me to humans as a suitable adoptee. I used to sneak into a local house and eat their dog's food when he wasn't looking but one day I got caught. I was about three months old at the time.
They gave me lots of pats and called me Chainsaw because I purred so loud. They would have liked to keep me but the dog was old and frightened of cats - even such a small one as me. So the day after their sister got married, they gave me to her and I went to live in the little house by the creek.
It was very nice there. There was food and pats and leaves to chase and water to look in and a nice bed to share as well. I grew big and strong.
When I was two, a new creature moved in. He was very small to start with and woke up at inconvenient hours of the night. I mostly ignored him until he got big enough to grab bits of me - then I stayed clear of him until he was old enough to treat me with respect.
A couple of weeks after the new creature moved in, another kitten came to live with us. She was only about six weeks old and she was found in a rubbish tin. They called her Skillsaw but shortened it to Skilly and she was a pest! She still is. We always seem to battle and playfight over everything.
When Skilly was two and I was four another new creature moved in. We both avoided these two creatures for some time but the second one was much kinder than the first one and we liked him quite a bit.
Soon after this we left our house and stream and moved into the city to near where we had come from. There was a stream but it was three houses down from us. Never-the-less all four of us went there to play but only when a grown up came too. We lived happily in the new house for five years and then, once again, we moved. This time we only went across the valley and I had to be picked up from the old house five times before I decided that perhaps the new house was an alright place too.
Skilly got lost. She went hunting for rats (her favourite occupation) and didn't come home. Our owners went all over calling her but she didn't come. I thought I was lucky because she really was a pest.
For three months she was missing and then, just as we thought she was gone for good, she came home. She was very skinny but in good health otherwise. She didn't go out of sight for a long time after that and she got rather fat too for a bit. Now she is back to normal except she doesn't hunt rats outside of the backyard.
I am getting old now and rather stiff too. I will be 14 at christmas so I am an old man. I like to lie in the sun on the bank and drowse in the heat.
That is the story of my life so far.
Chainsaw.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Plastic in my kitchen
I read the post by Beth on Fake Plastic Fish and decided to clear out the kitchen. I took special note of the plastic out there which turned out to be somewhat more than I'd like. First there was an old bread bag. I mostly make my own but when I buy it there is always a plastic bag.
Then there were a couple of tie tags from something - I think one of them might have been off an apple bag. The other was most likely the bread bag. The apple bag was next to be disposed of along with three other fruit bags. I do try not to collect plastic but sometimes the bargains are too good for a cash strapped family with two locusts pretending to be children :)
After that there was the bag the meat came in. A small bag maybe but still plastic. I thought I might have everything at this point but I reckoned without the cat food bag and the lining from the tin of tomatoes I used in the hot pot.
Rather a lot of plastic all round especially as I am trying not to end up with a rubbish bag full. I have cut my usage from one rubbish bag a week to one every three to four weeks but I can't afford to be smug just yet.
I'm just waiting for the next horrible installment of plastic to turn up. It must be nice to live in an area where bulk buying can negate a lot of the plastic I end up with.
viv in nz
Then there were a couple of tie tags from something - I think one of them might have been off an apple bag. The other was most likely the bread bag. The apple bag was next to be disposed of along with three other fruit bags. I do try not to collect plastic but sometimes the bargains are too good for a cash strapped family with two locusts pretending to be children :)
After that there was the bag the meat came in. A small bag maybe but still plastic. I thought I might have everything at this point but I reckoned without the cat food bag and the lining from the tin of tomatoes I used in the hot pot.
Rather a lot of plastic all round especially as I am trying not to end up with a rubbish bag full. I have cut my usage from one rubbish bag a week to one every three to four weeks but I can't afford to be smug just yet.
I'm just waiting for the next horrible installment of plastic to turn up. It must be nice to live in an area where bulk buying can negate a lot of the plastic I end up with.
viv in nz
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Green bunny/dog cushion
Youngest got all inspired by a book he borrowed from the library at the last quilt meeting and also by the dog cushion I made out of it for my sister whose birthday is on Sunday.
He sorted through a stack of material until he found a piece he liked and that I would let him use (appropriate weight, size and ease of use). Colour I left up to him. Why he picked a darkish green I'll never know but that is what he wanted. He then picked a flowery lime green for ears and a christmas print for the inner ground. I gave him the sizes and left him to it.
He wobbled a bit when he came to do the chin so I gave him a bit more info (but didn't physically help) and then told him to draw the ears as he thought they ought to be. Which he did. I did help him cut the curve across the top as he is left handed and my scissors aren't as sharp or tight as they might be.
He got them sewed up fine on the machine, curve and all although he did have to redo one a bit. I showed him how to turn them inside out and he picked a fancy gold thread for the detail edging. I threaded the machine for him ( and showed him how for next time) and he ironed and sewed those ears with only one slight oops.
I cut the outer strip for him and pinned it to avoid accidents to those ears and he sewed that and all the following strips into place log cabin wise. I had a stack of pre-cut pieces made into a continuous length and I let him use that. Rather a lot of it was pink, flowery or both but he didn't mind a bit.
I did sew the finished front onto the back for him. Then we disembowelled an old cushion for its stuffing and he stuffed it.
The result was a real credit to him but it looks more like a rabbit in some ways. The ladies at the club thought it was great.
He took it to bed with him.
Love at first make :)
viv in nz
ps. We won the block of the month draw so we got his first block back along with 10 other blocks so I will now have to make them into a special quilt.
He sorted through a stack of material until he found a piece he liked and that I would let him use (appropriate weight, size and ease of use). Colour I left up to him. Why he picked a darkish green I'll never know but that is what he wanted. He then picked a flowery lime green for ears and a christmas print for the inner ground. I gave him the sizes and left him to it.
He wobbled a bit when he came to do the chin so I gave him a bit more info (but didn't physically help) and then told him to draw the ears as he thought they ought to be. Which he did. I did help him cut the curve across the top as he is left handed and my scissors aren't as sharp or tight as they might be.
He got them sewed up fine on the machine, curve and all although he did have to redo one a bit. I showed him how to turn them inside out and he picked a fancy gold thread for the detail edging. I threaded the machine for him ( and showed him how for next time) and he ironed and sewed those ears with only one slight oops.
I cut the outer strip for him and pinned it to avoid accidents to those ears and he sewed that and all the following strips into place log cabin wise. I had a stack of pre-cut pieces made into a continuous length and I let him use that. Rather a lot of it was pink, flowery or both but he didn't mind a bit.
I did sew the finished front onto the back for him. Then we disembowelled an old cushion for its stuffing and he stuffed it.
The result was a real credit to him but it looks more like a rabbit in some ways. The ladies at the club thought it was great.
He took it to bed with him.
Love at first make :)
viv in nz
ps. We won the block of the month draw so we got his first block back along with 10 other blocks so I will now have to make them into a special quilt.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
pie in the sky
Its a funny sort of day today. One minute its bright hot sunshine, the next its coming down cats and dogs. I did get my washing dry but only because the storm that came through was mostly hail and vanished relatively quickly.
The boys have been on computer far too long but it is school holidays I suppose. Youngest son and me made quilt blocks for the club meeting tomorrow. He wants to be a full member and I said he could but would have to miss the odd meeting if it ran too late (he's only 10 and normally in bed by 8.30). He's starting to master the sewing machine quite well.
Eldest thinks it isn't worth his while because it doesn't include computers or sweets, but he will quite happily help with bread or puddings. He still refuses to have anything to do with greens unless buried in sauce of some sort. He's a bit unlucky with puddings too because we don't have them on a regular basis.
I keep reading doom and gloom in the various economic and financial sites but then look out the window and see lots of green and houses where I know all the people and like most of them too and think that our family really is lucky even if we never have had regular income. I don't think we'll starve just yet. I just wish they would get it over with and let us all start rebuilding properly for a good future - now that probably is pie in the sky but whatever. Dreams are free.
Another little storm coming up - better go collect the rest of my washing,
viv in nz
The boys have been on computer far too long but it is school holidays I suppose. Youngest son and me made quilt blocks for the club meeting tomorrow. He wants to be a full member and I said he could but would have to miss the odd meeting if it ran too late (he's only 10 and normally in bed by 8.30). He's starting to master the sewing machine quite well.
Eldest thinks it isn't worth his while because it doesn't include computers or sweets, but he will quite happily help with bread or puddings. He still refuses to have anything to do with greens unless buried in sauce of some sort. He's a bit unlucky with puddings too because we don't have them on a regular basis.
I keep reading doom and gloom in the various economic and financial sites but then look out the window and see lots of green and houses where I know all the people and like most of them too and think that our family really is lucky even if we never have had regular income. I don't think we'll starve just yet. I just wish they would get it over with and let us all start rebuilding properly for a good future - now that probably is pie in the sky but whatever. Dreams are free.
Another little storm coming up - better go collect the rest of my washing,
viv in nz
Thursday, October 2, 2008
a little bit of fun
Just a funny little post today. I have two young boys who are both dyslexic. They have a friend living up the road who is also dyslexic. The other day the younger one and his friend found my scrabble game and decided to play it. I suggested that they take it into the sunshine on the front doorstep and asked if they knew how to play and did they need a dictionary. Oh no, they said, we know how to play so I left them to it.
When I checked on them about 20 minutes later, they were going well but the board was incomprehensible. Some words were forwards, some were backwards, upside down didn't seem to phase them either. There were words going in all directions and overlapping at will. Spelling was creative but they knew what they meant.
Funniest thing I've ever seen on a board game.
I did suggest that perhaps the words ought to go in only one direction but I don't think they quite got why.
viv in nz
When I checked on them about 20 minutes later, they were going well but the board was incomprehensible. Some words were forwards, some were backwards, upside down didn't seem to phase them either. There were words going in all directions and overlapping at will. Spelling was creative but they knew what they meant.
Funniest thing I've ever seen on a board game.
I did suggest that perhaps the words ought to go in only one direction but I don't think they quite got why.
viv in nz
Monday, September 29, 2008
Spring
Blossom all over the place and new leaves and baby animals and sometimes its worth ignoring all the crap in the world and just sitting down amongst the flowers.
The boys made fresh bread for the first time with a little help and it came out lovely. We ate it for lunch. Methinks there will be none left for later :)
Eldest boy is 12 tomorrow and starting to look a little grown up. I won't be able to look down on him for much longer. We have to find a new way to school him next year as he's outgrown the one he presently inflicts with his presence. More homeschooling possibly. I'm hoping for a tutor somewhere as I really don't want to go back to mainstream. He does really badly in that sort of system - he's too much of an independent thinker to cope with straight jacket thinking and hasn't the ability to cope yet.
Mind you, filling up minds with useless information in order to pass useless tests does seem a bit silly really and disciplining someone for being different is just wrong. I much prefer that they be guided into thinking and doing than crammed with junk. The junk you collect should really be up to you. If you have a desire to learn a stack of dates in history or the cultivation systems in outer Mongolia that's fine, but should be relevant to teaching only if it is used as an illustration to some wider set of thinking. ( eg. scientific method.) The actual thinking is what needs testing.
I remember the dumbest person in our group getting a high mark just because she could remember what a list of critics said and a couple of quotes. She never actually read the text in question at all, even the quotes came from some other critique. And she was proud of that too! She only made one mistake there and that was simply that she denied herself the pleasure of discovering a great mind for herself.
So, go smell the roses for yourself. Then you will have some idea what they are about.
viv in nz
The boys made fresh bread for the first time with a little help and it came out lovely. We ate it for lunch. Methinks there will be none left for later :)
Eldest boy is 12 tomorrow and starting to look a little grown up. I won't be able to look down on him for much longer. We have to find a new way to school him next year as he's outgrown the one he presently inflicts with his presence. More homeschooling possibly. I'm hoping for a tutor somewhere as I really don't want to go back to mainstream. He does really badly in that sort of system - he's too much of an independent thinker to cope with straight jacket thinking and hasn't the ability to cope yet.
Mind you, filling up minds with useless information in order to pass useless tests does seem a bit silly really and disciplining someone for being different is just wrong. I much prefer that they be guided into thinking and doing than crammed with junk. The junk you collect should really be up to you. If you have a desire to learn a stack of dates in history or the cultivation systems in outer Mongolia that's fine, but should be relevant to teaching only if it is used as an illustration to some wider set of thinking. ( eg. scientific method.) The actual thinking is what needs testing.
I remember the dumbest person in our group getting a high mark just because she could remember what a list of critics said and a couple of quotes. She never actually read the text in question at all, even the quotes came from some other critique. And she was proud of that too! She only made one mistake there and that was simply that she denied herself the pleasure of discovering a great mind for herself.
So, go smell the roses for yourself. Then you will have some idea what they are about.
viv in nz
Monday, September 22, 2008
gifts etc.
There are two types of gift in the world.
One sort consists of something bought because the recipient needed to be bought something. This is generally done in a hurry and at the last moment possible. It also means a quick trip to some well advertised shop to get an equally well advertised object which is this year's must have item. Only money changes hands here. The love and caring has been replaced by obligation and keeping up with appearances at any cost.
The other sort is made by thought, time, effort and only occasionally money. These are the gifts we give of ourselves and they do not exist in a world of consumerism.
I look at christmas now and I see only an endless sea of advertising. Buy, buy, buy scream the banners and millions of us obey blindly in a sort of orgy of credit cards, all to the tune of carols telling of a boy born in a barn. Looking in as an outsider, I would assume that this festival is in honour of a self made millionaire who valued wealthy gifts above all else.
I am assured that this is not the case. So why do we do it? It seems that "all we like sheep have gone astray" to the tune of Mammon, not Handel.
Isn't it time we took back our festivals and celebrated them with honour and the spiritual integrity they deserve. And not only the festivals to which we belong, but to other people's festivals too.
Why not do what the festivals were originally set up to achieve. Give appropriately and with love or the meaning will vanish in a glut of plastic angels and fake Santas. Let the little ones enjoy but also let them understand that a gift is just that. It is not up to you to pick your gifts - that must come from the giver along with their love. You must receive gratefully what you are given, even if it isn't the latest action hero or barbie doll, because it was given with love.
Teach your children that they are not the center of the universe. Ditch the "me, me, me" thing and maybe the rampant consumerism will start dying.
Why not begin today. Renounce your consumerism and humbly take your place in your community and.........
celebrate!
viv in nz
One sort consists of something bought because the recipient needed to be bought something. This is generally done in a hurry and at the last moment possible. It also means a quick trip to some well advertised shop to get an equally well advertised object which is this year's must have item. Only money changes hands here. The love and caring has been replaced by obligation and keeping up with appearances at any cost.
The other sort is made by thought, time, effort and only occasionally money. These are the gifts we give of ourselves and they do not exist in a world of consumerism.
I look at christmas now and I see only an endless sea of advertising. Buy, buy, buy scream the banners and millions of us obey blindly in a sort of orgy of credit cards, all to the tune of carols telling of a boy born in a barn. Looking in as an outsider, I would assume that this festival is in honour of a self made millionaire who valued wealthy gifts above all else.
I am assured that this is not the case. So why do we do it? It seems that "all we like sheep have gone astray" to the tune of Mammon, not Handel.
Isn't it time we took back our festivals and celebrated them with honour and the spiritual integrity they deserve. And not only the festivals to which we belong, but to other people's festivals too.
Why not do what the festivals were originally set up to achieve. Give appropriately and with love or the meaning will vanish in a glut of plastic angels and fake Santas. Let the little ones enjoy but also let them understand that a gift is just that. It is not up to you to pick your gifts - that must come from the giver along with their love. You must receive gratefully what you are given, even if it isn't the latest action hero or barbie doll, because it was given with love.
Teach your children that they are not the center of the universe. Ditch the "me, me, me" thing and maybe the rampant consumerism will start dying.
Why not begin today. Renounce your consumerism and humbly take your place in your community and.........
celebrate!
viv in nz
Sunday, September 7, 2008
music
Life is full of noise at present. Birds singing, hens clucking, cello practicing, french horns practicing, car idiots racing up and down (we do live on the worlds steepest street). Then there are computer game noises, a couple of stereo systems and student parties over the road and behind as well. And then we go out and play more music at rehearsals and lessons. All in all life is full of noise.
Some of this is because last year I decided to take eldest to french horn lessons. He wasn't doing anything much else at the time so we both joined Saturday morning classes. He had already shown an inclination to play hose pipes and curtain rails so this seemed like a natural progression. (The curtain rail was quite good). So this year, we were considered just good enough for the Junior symphonic band and that meant we would play in the big concert with everyone else.
This year is a special year because it is now 40 years since this music school began. As a consequence they have adapted an organ thing by Saint Saens. It sounds like nothing on earth (us, not the original) but is fun to try. The national anthem is almost listenable to (except the fanfare at the beginning) and our individual groups stuff is almost good. Our age range is 5 to something over 70 and I think the concert will be a hoot! The audience will either die laughing or reach for their ear plugs.
The school itself is a great institution round here. It is subsidised for any child at primary school and no one is barred. Entry is just a small fee and the rental on whatever instrument you decide to try. Even the full adult fee isn't large. Hence it is a great starting point for any would be musician. So every Saturday morning we all head out to the largest of the local primary schools and make horrible noises in preparation for the better noises to come (hopefully).
Our big concert for the year is in two weeks. We HOPE to be ready by then :)
viv in nz
Some of this is because last year I decided to take eldest to french horn lessons. He wasn't doing anything much else at the time so we both joined Saturday morning classes. He had already shown an inclination to play hose pipes and curtain rails so this seemed like a natural progression. (The curtain rail was quite good). So this year, we were considered just good enough for the Junior symphonic band and that meant we would play in the big concert with everyone else.
This year is a special year because it is now 40 years since this music school began. As a consequence they have adapted an organ thing by Saint Saens. It sounds like nothing on earth (us, not the original) but is fun to try. The national anthem is almost listenable to (except the fanfare at the beginning) and our individual groups stuff is almost good. Our age range is 5 to something over 70 and I think the concert will be a hoot! The audience will either die laughing or reach for their ear plugs.
The school itself is a great institution round here. It is subsidised for any child at primary school and no one is barred. Entry is just a small fee and the rental on whatever instrument you decide to try. Even the full adult fee isn't large. Hence it is a great starting point for any would be musician. So every Saturday morning we all head out to the largest of the local primary schools and make horrible noises in preparation for the better noises to come (hopefully).
Our big concert for the year is in two weeks. We HOPE to be ready by then :)
viv in nz
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
spring
There's blossom on the trees and birds showing off new plumage. The hens have started laying again and the weather has suddenly got warm, and I do mean warm - about 18 centigrade middle of summer warm :)
Ummm.... suppose I'll have to weed the garden then? Always something to take the gilt off the gingerbread.
On the good side, I did finish that piece of patchwork for the end of year competition. In fact I finished two and am now working on a couple of birthday pressies..... shhh don't tell yet! I think I might even try for one of the bigger national competitions over christmas. The must use fabric is rather nice so perhaps I can come up with something. Anything to get me out of gardening which I don't like much.
We will get a glasshouse this year I hope, so will have to make use of it for tomatoes etc. That I can live with as you can't beat home grown tomatoes. I'd like to spend a bit of time in Central Otago this year for the holidays along with preserving equipment and a dehydrator and a lot of local fruit - mostly apricots and peaches and nectarines etc.
I cleared the old parsley two days back so will replant that and add some hen manure from last year. We love parsley round here! Spring bulbs are growing madly including a sad hyacinth from a pot last year which I thought was a gonner. I seem to have acquired a few daffys and other things which I forgot even planting :)
nice!!!
Have a good autumn
viv in nz
Ummm.... suppose I'll have to weed the garden then? Always something to take the gilt off the gingerbread.
On the good side, I did finish that piece of patchwork for the end of year competition. In fact I finished two and am now working on a couple of birthday pressies..... shhh don't tell yet! I think I might even try for one of the bigger national competitions over christmas. The must use fabric is rather nice so perhaps I can come up with something. Anything to get me out of gardening which I don't like much.
We will get a glasshouse this year I hope, so will have to make use of it for tomatoes etc. That I can live with as you can't beat home grown tomatoes. I'd like to spend a bit of time in Central Otago this year for the holidays along with preserving equipment and a dehydrator and a lot of local fruit - mostly apricots and peaches and nectarines etc.
I cleared the old parsley two days back so will replant that and add some hen manure from last year. We love parsley round here! Spring bulbs are growing madly including a sad hyacinth from a pot last year which I thought was a gonner. I seem to have acquired a few daffys and other things which I forgot even planting :)
nice!!!
Have a good autumn
viv in nz
Monday, August 25, 2008
What goes around comes around etc.
What goes around comes around. You help me, I help you and the next person does the same. Community is so important and I'm glad to see that I did make a few of you think along a slightly different road. I do have an advantage here...I very rarely see anyone I can't get on with. This doesn't mean love for all... it just means I try to find the common ground and talk to that ground. The rest doesn't concern me except where it harms others and there I do have issues.
I went to a lecture by David Stallman the other night and I must say I was very impressed. I'd also hate to be a dissenting voice in his presence. He's really good at annihilating the opposition. His form of freedom has constraints, just as mine has, and has to be worked at. His aim is the betterment of the many instead of the few and the free transmission of information to anyone who needs it. (At least that's how I see it.) It was fantastic to see someone like that who won't compromise his standards for anything short of better standards and is prepared not to make money, for example, into some sort of god to be idolised above all else.
As my brother says, it isn't all the fake money floating round out there that is the problem. It is all the fake money which is being used to buy real things that hurts because that lowers the value of real products. Maybe there should be a law which says that money should be tied to something real that does exist and can be quantified.
Any thoughts?
viv in nz
ps. They're promising yet more of the wet stuff....aaaaaaaaargh!
I went to a lecture by David Stallman the other night and I must say I was very impressed. I'd also hate to be a dissenting voice in his presence. He's really good at annihilating the opposition. His form of freedom has constraints, just as mine has, and has to be worked at. His aim is the betterment of the many instead of the few and the free transmission of information to anyone who needs it. (At least that's how I see it.) It was fantastic to see someone like that who won't compromise his standards for anything short of better standards and is prepared not to make money, for example, into some sort of god to be idolised above all else.
As my brother says, it isn't all the fake money floating round out there that is the problem. It is all the fake money which is being used to buy real things that hurts because that lowers the value of real products. Maybe there should be a law which says that money should be tied to something real that does exist and can be quantified.
Any thoughts?
viv in nz
ps. They're promising yet more of the wet stuff....aaaaaaaaargh!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Olympics
I shouldn't be watching so late but I do like seeing all the sports that aren't rugby (national obsession round here!). I've always been a bit divided about sustainability when it comes to sport or entertainment. I mean are we to go boringly into the future with nothing but sustainability on our minds. Even ants do that. Maybe we should look a little at what it is that makes us human rather than what bare survival is.
We compete for little gold medallions. Yes we do, and I, for one, would rather have this than competing for anything else with guns and armies. I think perhaps we should encourage it even more if it will take out that element of humanity a bit more. Its also entertaining as we vicariously live our dreams through the efforts of others. It may not add anything to sustainability but it is definitely cheaper and less harmful than other pursuits.
There is also one other factor which covers not only sport but all the other extraneous things we do as well - it employs us when we have become surplus to the so called 'real world'. This also is to be encouraged so that fewer of us become locked into factory farm life. Let's face it; if we used all surplus funds to employ scientists, artists, athletes etc. the world would be a very different place. I keep thinking of all the untapped talent out there, some of it starving, that could advance our humanity in so many ways. Surely this must be better than the present system which appears to value only those who successfully move money around for their own benefit whilst ripping everyone else off.
Freedom to me means no one goes hungry or lacks opportunity to advance in whatever they happen to be good at. (Olympic jam makers anyone?) Anything less cannot be called free especially if the bias is due to things beyond your control such as gender, race, religion, background (I always feel sorry for children of murderers.) etc.
Whatever... individuals will find their level if given a chance and some will be brilliant whilst others will be pedestrian but all should be by their own choice not out of necessity.
viv in nz
We compete for little gold medallions. Yes we do, and I, for one, would rather have this than competing for anything else with guns and armies. I think perhaps we should encourage it even more if it will take out that element of humanity a bit more. Its also entertaining as we vicariously live our dreams through the efforts of others. It may not add anything to sustainability but it is definitely cheaper and less harmful than other pursuits.
There is also one other factor which covers not only sport but all the other extraneous things we do as well - it employs us when we have become surplus to the so called 'real world'. This also is to be encouraged so that fewer of us become locked into factory farm life. Let's face it; if we used all surplus funds to employ scientists, artists, athletes etc. the world would be a very different place. I keep thinking of all the untapped talent out there, some of it starving, that could advance our humanity in so many ways. Surely this must be better than the present system which appears to value only those who successfully move money around for their own benefit whilst ripping everyone else off.
Freedom to me means no one goes hungry or lacks opportunity to advance in whatever they happen to be good at. (Olympic jam makers anyone?) Anything less cannot be called free especially if the bias is due to things beyond your control such as gender, race, religion, background (I always feel sorry for children of murderers.) etc.
Whatever... individuals will find their level if given a chance and some will be brilliant whilst others will be pedestrian but all should be by their own choice not out of necessity.
viv in nz
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