A smile for Monday

I received this email missive yesterday and it made me smile....out of the mouth of babes.

RETARDED GRANDPARENTS

(this was actually reported by a teacher)

After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school.
One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa.
They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they
moved to Batemans Bay where everyone lives in nice little houses, and so
they don't have to mow the grass anymore!
They ride around on their bicycles and scooters and wear name tags
because they don't know who they are anymore.
They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it
fixed because it is all okay now. They do exercises there, but they
don't do them very well.
There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on.
At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts!
Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night --- early birds.
Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house.
The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck.
My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too.
When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house.
Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.

PRICELESS!  

Party Boy

Harvey's party was at the Lone Star Bar and Cafe, yes this was Harvey's choice.
He had been there before and had Spare Ribs...so he wanted them again.

Mum...Claire made him this great Formula One Ferrari cake. It took her all day to make and 10 minutes for it to disappear. It was covered in licorice sweets and Grandma adores licorice. I am not sure if she had a pattern for it ... well done Claire.

A good days stitching

Yesterday we had a good day stitching on the charity quilts we managed one complete and 6 tops ready to be finished.

One of my boys is 6 today

Happy Birthday HARVEY

Charity Quilting Day... Rainbow Quilters

Photo is of some of last years Quilts

Tomorrow is our first Charity Quilt sewing day, we all get together for the day and stitch  our charity quilts ....  these  are passed to long term sick children at our local hospital, we normally have about 25 or so to pass on by this time next year..

We try to make a varied selection so that they can be for boys or girls and younger ones and older .

All the fabric is donated and people are so generous.

On the "on line"  quilting group that I belong to.. someone was looking to pass on some unfinished children's quilt tops,  I sent off a request for them and she was kind enough to donate them to us.

We get fabric from people who are no longer quilting and from elderly ladies who can no longer stitch due to failing eye sight.

Fabric also comes via people who are clearing up a relatives house after a bereavement, it is so good to make use of this fabric and lovely to feel we are making good use of it. Rather than it get rubbished and not used.

We have also chosen our Raffle Quilt Pattern to make for our Quilt Show next year, it will be the Oregan Trail........

In Blues and Whites much like this one.

Okay enough Rain ...thank you

Okay, thank you we have had enough rain for this last week or two, may be we can order some more for a week or two's time.

Every where is in flood, the garden is about 2inches deep all over and everything is soaking wet and covered in wet soggy leaves. But there is a little sunshine in the way of flowers, this Camilia was planted at least 4 yrs ago and I spoke to it in the summer and said " This is it your last chance you flower this season or you are on your way and will be replaced "  It heard me and is covered in buds and this is the first beautiful flower, it is still looking sad needs another  feed obviously. 

I don't think it likes it's feet in  so much water.

And a few more from my garden and the neighbours hanging over our fence, can I  almost claim them as mine.

 

You may smile at my expense

Needle case and Pin keeper pattern from Inspirations Magazine Australia

I think I stitched it in about 2002/3

This pin keeper and needle case has nothing to do with this post

it just put me in a better mood to look at it than the following post

I have had a not so successful morning.
Got out of bed fairly early,  lot to do this morning, firstly the milk did not smell to good ... oh! well never mind I can drink black tea.  The cat had left a gift of a dead and dissected mouse on the  door mat.
Mean while it is chucking it down with rain and it is bin day so got wet while dealing with that,  had to be done now as it is collected at 8am,  no waiting for rain to subside.   Finally ready to go out...
Had a list... to do as follows:
Blood test
Hair cut
MOT / WOF on camper van ( depends where you live in the world on this one )
Collect chain of office from engravers for Rotary
Return a pair of trousers to shop, exchange for others
Return emery boards to body shop.
One would have thought nothing to onerous there an hour or so will see this done. ...Yeah!!!!

Firstly at 9am I left the house in the car, yes! the car got half way to MOT/WOF  and realised I was driving the car not the van so had to turned back to collect the latter..
all  went well MOT  /WOF was OK nothing needed doing..whee!!

Drove to centre of town parked at one end of town and decided I could walk to the blood test and also engravers both almost side by side at other end of shopping area ...  felt good walk was good for me and the rain had eased,  engravers had not finished the job, could I call back in about hour or a little more no problem will do,  plenty other things to do on list,  I will be back.

I walked almost next door to the Blood Lab gave in sheet and sat down for approx 15 mins ( was busy today) no worries had a good magazine was quite engrossed when I was called.
In room proceeded to remove my jacket phlebotomist was reading the request from GP,  " you have been fasting " she said. ***!!** said I , and put jacket back on, I said  "good bye be back tomorrow"  GP had forgotten to tell me I needed to have been fasting for this test.
Went along to Body Shop to return emery boards that were useless and flaking apart and that was before I had used them,   "no problem we will change them " says the lady in the shop ..... I get out the receipt and then pictured the boards sat on the vanity in the bathroom at home ... after feeling like a right ninny I left the shop.
I proceeded to the shop to return the trousers to Caroline Eve a large chain here in NZ ......where upon the shop lady put up a real fight about taking them back ...  labels still on etc etc what was the problem ?   I just wanted to exchange them for another pair in different style that were even more expensive.
Obviously got the sales lady on the wrong day may be PMT or something, well!  I stuck my ground and finally she agreed to exchange them which is the shops policy any how

From there I went have hair cut...now I am really pleased to be able to say this went with no hitch at all. I finally feel human again lots of hair is not a good look on me.
I was driving home not to far along the road but far enough to be out of town and realised I had not been back to engravers so turned the van around and went back for the chain...!!!

Oh! by the way did remember to buy some more milk  ...  Oh! for a nice cup of tea.
Think I will stay safely at home this afternoon.
Some days it has got to be far better to stay at home even in bed!! ... and don't bother to get up !!
You know today was one of those days right from the word go..

History of Quilts... now called ... Blue Mooners.

A few months back I posted about the History of Quilting  group that we had organised.

Our Rainbow Quilters group  meet every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month and of course every now and then there are 5 Tuesdays in the month... when there are 5 it is called a "Blue Moon" month.

So we decided to name the new  history group "Blue Mooners" as we meet on this 5th Tuesday.

We had a great discussion and decided we would go back to scratch and hand sew a quilt,  one block chosen at each meeting.... first block chosen by a member was Ohio Star, we will each get a choice as time goes on, so here is my hand stitched block and I really enjoyed sewing it.

My choice will be Log Cabin when my turn comes.

Next block is Rose of Sharon.. guess what it is applique...OH!! gee great ......you all know about my love of applique.

What do you remember

I was sent this on an email thought it was worth passing on;

 Bring back any memories?

I was asked by a lad the other day, 'What was your favourite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.... 'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'  'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained. !
'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'
By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I'd figured his system could have handled it:
Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card.
My parents never drove me to school. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).
We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue.
The only phone was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.
All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --and had to get up at 6AM every morning.
Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old A small lemonade bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it... I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.

How many do you remember?
Head lights dimmer switches on the floor of the car.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.

Older Than Dirt Quiz:

Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.

Ratings at the bottom.
1. Sweet cigarettes
2. Coffee shops with juke boxes
3. Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5. Newsreels before the movie
6. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])
7. Peashooters
8. 33 rpm records
9. 45 RPM records
10. Hi-fi's
11. Metal ice trays with levers
12. Blue flashbulb
13. Cork popguns
14. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-3 = You’re still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age
If you remembered 11-14 = You're positively ancient!



I must be 'positively ancient' but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.

Widgets and spying

I received an email yesterday from  "Widget" the company whose item tells me how many people have looked at my blog and from which countries.
 To inform me that I had hits from1,800 cities in the world and the 1,800th  was yesterday morning...
Have you ever worried about this thing you know  " Looking into Internet use by the authorities" It makes you think, we subscribe to these sites and we really don't know a lot about them but they sure as heck know a lot about us...!!

Mobile Phone

I realised a few days ago that my mobile phone is more often silent that the non stop ringing it used to do.  Has the use of mobiles changed or is it just mine. I did realise thinking on it that I have been using the land line more as this is free for local calls.

This was all bought about because my mobile went yesterday and would you believe it was Vodafone sending me my bill, I thought how sad the only call for ages is the providing company sending you their bill

I began to think about my mobile use....

The first change of course is it is now an offence in NZ to use a mobile while driving a vehicle, this seems to have cut down my use as well, as I was one of the people who used the phone in the car mainly on an ear phone I have to say.

I have checked and I have made 4 calls and sent 3 texts in the last month...

I have an account where I get a "Best Buddy"  for $5 a month I can call a dedicated number on the same  provider as myself non stop for 24 hours a day, so Kathryn in Hamilton is the one, as all calls by land line are national calls which cost  big time.

The rest is not exactly extensive use, the calls I made were all to other providers and each cost me  to connect to those numbers besides the monthly account fee I already pay  for 60 minutes of calls ....... so unless I am  calling someone on the same provider I pay extra to connect.

 I remembered then ...  what I looked at may be a year  or so ago was voice messages.

I realised I was paying 17cents to pick up the messages mainly from people that I did not need to hear from .... companies that call you to tell you they have a sale on.  I managed to stop this by putting on a personal message   " that I do not check this mailbox so please do not leave a message" it worked and I never get voice messages now.

I have also stopped giving out my mobile number to companies, they think it is quite odd ..but I tell them they do not need to have it they have my land line,  leave me a message on that if you want to tell me any thing. 

.

So has your mobile use changed........ or  have we all woken up to the cost of using this amazing piece of technology.

I have no thoughts of getting shot of the mobile as the reason I had it some 15 yrs past was for emergencies away from home... and it has had it's uses in that area over the years... But sometimes things start you thinking ...... "are we  just lining the pockets of these technology companies..? "

Pincushion and baby gowns

A group of Embroidery guild ladies went on a day trip to Wahi on Saturday to visit with the Thames District Embroidery Guild

They put on a lovely day for us, we were asked to bring along something made by our Grand mother, I took along these gowns that my Grandma made for me before I was born.

The first one is a day gown full of lace and pin tucks so small it is difficult to see them and the other is a night gown they are both made of a delicate lawn cotton.... of course they are older than me.

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This pincushion is on it's way to a secret swap partner..

I designed it from the new book I bought a couple of weeks ago using the designs in the book but adapting them for myself.

I am so pleased with the outcome I have started another using the same technique.

Cats and Stitching

"Chivers "( English Marmalade)

Chivers is my rescue cat and he is approx. 5 yrs old, I have had him since January, he is soft and clean thinks he is human,  very docile, will only drink from the kitchen tap and sleeps on his back with all his manhood showing to the world....everyone who comes in contact loves him because he loves them and needs to be within  a few inches of them....

so what is the problem you should ask?

Well, he has decided to become a kitten, he is acting like one,  he is climbing up shelf units to the top and cupboards, every surface is a game and is chewing up anything he can get hold of just like a puppy,

I have had to clear ornaments and sewing items away ... my pin cushion collection has had to be removed as these are fair game of course.

If there is anything he can knock over he will and he is delibrately aiming for stuff....

My answer at present is to put him outside as he is off the walls and beginning to do damage...

I have made him toys and play with him.

Answers please!!

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Stitching

When I visited Ribbon Rose in Whakatane a couple of months ago
I saw a lovely book by Effie Mitrofanis cost $40

There was only one copy and my friend Beth decided to buy it before I could even think about it.

I decided to look for it on the Internet and there were not any copies available locally... but Amazon had 3 copies all second hand, ranging from $3.50 to $8 ... whee I thought another bargain.....and started to order one but then fell into the trap ...SORRY DO NOT SEND TO NZ ... now I know we live at the base of the world but we are quite responsible and tame.

 we do not still live in mud huts or eat our fellow man... well not anymore that is.

We all have bank accounts and even credit cards.....

Come on Amazon buy a world map and check us out.

So a friend in USA was emailed and yes! she would receive it at her house and post on to me.... thank you Pat I am indebted to you, don't forget anytime you want me to do something for you,  just call.

Meanwhile here is my first trial run at some of Effie's designs.

I like to make my prototypes into something so this one will be a pin cushion, I am in a couple of swap groups and I have to have one by the end of the month ready to go so this will be it.

I just love the colour of this The Dyepot variegated thread, in the skein it looks nothing at all really and quite bland, but what a difference when used in stitching.

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RAIN, yes! rain we had a wonderful full day of rain yesterday here in the North Island, you could almost here the farmers sighing with relief, people were out walking in it and I heard no one complain about it, in fact everyone was so pleased to see it....... but the down side is it came with strong gales further down the country although we had high winds last night no real damage.... but Hokitika on Soth Island did and that is where my email friend Miche'le lives... I hope you had little or even no damage Miche'le.

Sun is out again today so short lived rain here in Rotorua.

What a lovely day ... Mothers Day

I expected both of my children to be at home today celebrateing with their own families ... but some times something wonderful can happen.

These two lovely people my son Iain and daughter Kathryn arranged that they would meet here at my home armed with a complete dinner for both families and myself  .....9 in all,

it all went with out a hitch and the  chaps cleared away after wards

So a big thank you so much for the pressies and dinner to:

Kathryn and Steve, Ben and Alex...........Iain and Claire, Ellis and Harvey

Also a big thank you to Steve for cleaning the filters on the heating.. a job that was waiting to be done.

It was great to have them all here together

It was also lovely that we  now have 3 Mums here in NZ to celebrate 

Sunday Already

Today is Mothers day here in the Southern hemisphere and this is Google's heading for today, I just love the way they change their heading to suit the day, well done Google.

I had such plans for this week, most of them came to fruition some went by the way to be looked at, at a later date.
I did manage to do something  to my applique, not a lot but some is better than nothing. I finished a couple of outstanding jobs in the house, and what a satisfying feeling that gives you, now I just need to get around to the windows, wash a few net curtains,clean the outside of house removing all the cobwebs and trout flies that have gotten caught in them over the summer, this is one of the downfalls of living by a lake of course... but one I can live with.
 You can spray the house that deters the spiders etc. I do do this but they are persistent little !!**^ er's  and I believe they are beginning to be immune to the stuff.

We had our first frost this week, it was a bit early but not to much damage the Dahlia's did not survive it so they are now ready to cut down, and it seems to have made the leaves fall so we are knee deep in leaves every where and no wind to take them away.

I managed to finish a couple of small projects on the stitching front, this was a band of linen that someone was passing on to a good home and I could just see it in my minds eye as something... it did not end up as the item I had first thought about ...but became this "Pin Keeper" for the uninitiated a pin keeper is a flat pin cushion ...you place the pins in along the edge that is formed by having a back and a front joined together thus a place for the pins to sit in.

Also this small pin cushion that has been hanging around for years, it was a small kit that was already started from a donation,  some times people pass on things to me when they know my hobby and say

" this stuff is from my relative that has died we don't want to throw it away can you use it ?"

I love finishing things from this source, I wonder if the original

owner knows some how that it has been finished.

To Mothers Everywhere

Here in New Zealand today is Mothers day ... Yes!
 we celebrate it along with a few other new world countries I am not sure how it got out of sinc with the original Mothering Sunday of the Church... but then there are many questions like this that can only go unanswered.
So CLICK ON THIS LINK for my best wishes to all Mum's everywhere.

Back from My Class

I am back from my applique class and I am all enthused so hopefully I will try very hard to get some items on to the main body of the wall hanging in the next few days.

Yeah, I know you have heard it all before !!

Sunny Day in May

Today is one of those glorious Autumn days, the sun is bright but not a lot of warmth in it, the garden is beginning to look a little sad but dotted around are still some lovely flowers ... which the first real frost will see off... so far we have not had any frosts but they will start in the next  few weeks.  Although we do not have snow or real bad winter weather here in Rotorua we do have morning frosts normally for about a month around June and July, even then not many, but it is enough to see off the remaining summer flowers... then we look forward to the Camilla's, chrysanthemums and Polyanthus.

I managed yesterday with the help of Keith my neighbour who did the hard graft, to organise the garden on the end of the new deck extension so there is now  a Rhododendron and a Jasmin plus a re-sited Azalea all planted.... as soon as the garden settles I will weed mat it and put down some gravel to discourage the weeds.

Here are some of the lovely flowers still blooming at the moment in my garden.

This Heather which is almost a bush was in the garden when we bought the house it is always lovely at this time of year

Quite a few Hydrangeas are still in flower

Chrysanthemums are doing well

A few Cyclamens that were left in the pots last year I clumped altogether in a pot 

Dahlias that will sadly finish when the frosts arrive