Grandma and her boys

Sunday 30 November 2008

A Thought for today

This is a picture of my grandsons taking a walk in the local park, I wonder what they were thinking about at the time.


I get all sorts of emails some serious and some jokes and some ? well, I could do with out them !!


But every now and then something comes along that makes you smile or even laugh out loud.


I had an email that contained some thoughts for 2008, I can't say they made me laugh but there was a gleam of a smile.


A few of them follow:
Thoughts to ponder for 2008

We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among millions and millions of cows in North America but we haven't got a clue as to where millions of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of Immigration?


Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, teach a person to use the internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Some people are like a Slinky ..! Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to Criticism.
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is Weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
I hope they bought a little smile or even a titter of a laugh.

Friday 28 November 2008

Decisions oh! they are so hard to make

I had a bit of time this morning so I took a look into one of the boxes containing sewing stuff


My machine and all the thread boxes look intact.

I had forgotten exactly how much Quilting and Embroidery stuff there was. Amazing how things can change in your mind when they are out of sight.

I just can't wait to get everything back into my sewing room, I have been playing with the idea of changing my sewing room... swapping it with the spare bedroom which is larger, but the draw back is it is not a sunny room ...Oh! all these decisions a girl has to make.

Lots of reasons it would be a good move, the cupboard space is larger, it is closer to the living area and kitchen, also the laundry is just opposite so it would mean I would not have to have the iron in the room it would be just a few steps away.

A few draw backs no telephone point in the room, so my computer would not be there, but that is easily dealt with.

The other point is would the spare beds fit into the sewing room, time to measure I think.


Moving or Chaos one or the other


These calves have nothing to do with moving back into my house, but they are in a field just along the street and they don't look fazed at all by the coming and going.
So the container arrived almost on time yesterday... it was taken straight to Iain and Claire's house where it was unloaded with the help of my sister in law Janet and of course Iain ( Claire was working) and the 2 lovely blokes who delivered it.
The delivery men did the bulk of unwrapping the bubble wrap and cardboard from the furniture, then it was left to us to unwrap the small items.. so far there has been nothing serious broken or damaged, just a lampshade that was only made of stiff paper any way...so no great loss.
The furniture looks great in the house and fills it completely, so beds are up and cupboards filled with crockery etc that has come from Dubai.
We spent a few hours moving the stuff that has to come to my house by car, it is now all in the garage just awaiting Iain and Claire to remove all there personal stuff from the house to the new one.
Then the fun begins my end.
While we were busy with the unpacking the fitters arrived at my house to fit 2 new heat pumps so I spent a great deal of time between here and there sorting things them or making sure they were okay.
To top the lot ..... Iain ( a volunteer fireman) got a call out in the middle of all this organised chaos, lucky it was a quicky and he was back in about 45 mins.
So it looks like I will be back at home on Saturday ... gee!! it has been a long time coming. Then may be life can take on some normality, not that I am not grateful to my lovely neigbours and I have enjoyed staying with them ... but it will be fantastic to be HOME.

Monday 24 November 2008

Ellis's Day


The next Teachers training day was at Ellis's school so today he and I spent the day together, and it rained all day not so bad we could not get out though.


We had lunch in town and spent a good hour looking in the Warehouse at all the toys..... his Christmas list must be 10ft long by now.

Birthday Afternoon Tea

Sunday was the day we went to Mamaku Blue Winery for afternoon tea to celebrate Mhairi's 60th Birthday.
The Friday Girls made her a quilt deplicting things she likes in colours that are her favorite lilacs and pink.





Mamaku Blue is a Blueberry Farm with a restrurant that does a wonderful homemade Devonshire Tea with scones to die for and clotted cream ( almost real) Did you know clotted cream is 55% fat and the bad fats at that...even so it was finger licking good.
Mhairi's Mum came across from Tauranga and her sister this is such a lovely picture of them had to include it.




This is the view looking back towards Rotorua from the top of Mamaku Ranges, would make a lovely walk if only it was not all uphill, but it is down hill coming back.

Finally it has arrived


Yesterday being 23rd November...
was the day our container should
have finally arrived in Tauranga NZ and guess what ? It finally did!! Whee.


Just a few more days and I will finally have a fixed abode.

Never mind all the work to put 2 houses to rights, it will be great.

Claire just mentioned yesterday it will be great to put something down where she knows it is going to belong, like ornaments and things that live around you in your own home.

Boxes will be piled high and Oh!! do I hate emptying boxes.

There is a saying that if you do not open a box for 12 months you don't really need it's contents...a thought, no wrong thought as there's all my sewing paraphernalia in quite a few of them, so will be a pleasure rather than a chore to open them.

Sunday 16 November 2008

Grandma's Garden Patchwork and Quilting

My friend Mhairi had not been to "Grandma's Garden" shop for ages and had a voucher to use so she suggested a day trip.
What else can I say that these pictures do not, so enjoy the views of the shop.

I actually came away from the shop spending very little, I don't believe it myself.

What a lovely rose


I saw this rose and had to have a picture, so thought I would share with you

Friday 14 November 2008

Grandma in demand

Last Tuesday Claire had to work on a day that is not
her normal one.
So Grandma got to spend a day with
Harvey, we went swimming, which we had to cut short when a small child "did a whoopsy" in the pool and of course they have to close the pool to clean and chemically treat it, so we went off and had lunch at McDonald's which I can ensure you was Harvey's choice and then spent an hour at the lake front watching the boats and seaplanes coming and going, besides feeding the birds with popcorn.
Harvey does not like dogs particularly, and there was a very large black shaggy dog sleeping on a shop front and when he saw it he must have jumped a meter in the air towards me... this was so amazing as his Dad ( my son) did not like dogs when small and did the self same thing on occasions, for me it was like reliving the same scenario with his son.

Then Thursday was Ben's day,










He had a "Non Contact Day" ( the mind boggles in our day it was called teachers training) and of course it has to fall on a day that neither Mum or Dad could take off, so Grandma to the rescue again and I drove to Hamilton and spent the day with him, this time we watched TV before going to the park beside a lake where they have a really good adventure playground.
Then to Subway for lunch this was Ben's choice.
After lunch we did some shopping for fruit, seems he likes strawberries so they were dutifully purchased and if allowed he would have eaten them all.
He also enjoyed at least an hour playing "Cafe"
My camper van has a sliding side door, which includes sliding windows in it.
Ben opened the window and closed the door and ran a cafe from it, I sat on a chair at the garden table close by and had to keep going to buy food and drink, one moment it was a McDonald's, then a Subway, then a pizza place. He also managed to put the prices up during the time....I think we have an budding business man on our hands.
When his parents returned home his Dad asked where he had been and Ben replied " The Park".
"Lovely" said his Dad " Did you drive there".
"Don't be silly Daddy I can't drive " was his reply " Grandma drove".
Not the answer his Dad expected.

Thursday 13 November 2008

I do not believe this!

Yesterday I had a call from the delivery company in Auckland to say unfortunately our container had been off loaded in Singapore and was not on the ship arriving in Tauranga on the 12th, she was very sorry and all I could do was say a few not so nice words and she said that was her sentiments entirely...
Now the next date we have been given is 23rd to arrive and most likely 27th on wards for delivery as long as MAFF don't question anything. I guess someone had paid a lot more to have a container on the ship than we did.
So surely there has got to be one angel up there looking out for me or have they all taken a break before the Christmas rush.

Monday 10 November 2008

Where have I been for the last few weeks

Not living in my own house, I have had to live else where of course, as mentioned before we have great neighbours.
I have been using Shirley's house an immediate neighbour, while she has been away on an overseas mission in Africa. This has been great having my own space.
When Eric returned to Dubai our other neighbours Lynne and Keith decided that staying on my own was not a good idea especially as it was not my own home, and they said I had to move into their spare room where there would be company for me. So I have been staying in this neat little house across the street from my house.
Lynne has some most beautiful Azaleia's and Rhodo's in her garden, I should have been quicker to take a picture but this morning when I did get around to it, the wind had gotten up and blown a lot of the flowers down.



It is almost here

Yesterday the 9th November should have been the day the container arrived from Dubai, but as all best laid plans go it is late, due on 12th now.
So that puts back the date a little for getting back into my own home.

I was in touch with the removers today and paid the MAFF fee, now we just have to hope that MAFF ( Ministery of AG, Fish and food I believe) don't want to see into it, as far as we know there is nothing they should be interested in.

Oh to see my stuff again will be great, all my threads and fabric, and started projects that I want to get on with it will be like Christmas come early.

Sunday 2 November 2008

Life and it's twists and turns

As everyone will see from the previous postings we are back in New Zealand.

After a wonderful wedding and time spent with the family life has now to come down to earth, our earth may be a little lower than the average just at present.
The time came to reflect on our marriage of 44 years and life together, after dicussions and heart searching we have decided to part company, all very mutual and amicable and no blame on either side.
Eric will do his own thing living once again in Dubai and I will follow my path here in Rotorua.
I have rejoined my Quilting group and Embroidery Guild, I hope to rejoin the Bowls club and get back on track ASAP, but I think this may take a little time

So please for give me for the lack of blogging for a little while, I will be back on track just as soon as I am able.
Thank you for the lovely messages left.