Grandma and her boys

Sunday 27 November 2011

Here I am back again


This photo has nothing to do with my post it is just such a neat black and white picture of Ben 8, Grandson number 2



I have been working on the election for 8 days solid ...  Gee!! I am not used to this working for a living ...
I was Manager of an advanced Polling Station all week  full time and then on Saturday it was election day and work started at 7am ...  I finally arrived home at approx. 11pm .
I was most of the time  issuing special votes to people who were away from their own electorate area.


Now I could not believe the number of folks who could not remember where they lived 2 months ago.... or which area of the country they came from ...  as in  ... which district of a city or even the county name, not to mention the fact they had forgotten their street name .....  
We dealt with people who were rather worse for wear on the drink and drugs, folks who were just passing through Rotorua and needed to vote,   men who were on a fishing trip,     ladies who were away for the weekend on a shopping trip.  People who were at weddings or family celebrations.

I must admit it is amazing what people will tell you when they sit in front of you and you have an official badge on.. some of it is unrepeatable.....
Men who have been nagged by their wives to come and vote.  18 yr old voting for the first time  ... one girl who was 18 that day and wanted to vote.
6 guys on a Stag weekend dressed up as The Flintstones ...




People who wanted to tell you long drawn out stories about their choices .... and folks who did not have a clue what or who to vote for ... I was asked many times who I would vote for and  was it worth them voting for them as well !!
Now we also had a Referendum .... this confused the hell out of everyone ... should we keep the MMP process we have at present or change it to a choice of  four other systems ... believe me the final conclusion on the voting for  this subject is not a true picture of what people thought, wanted or what was best for anyone or everyone  ... most were complacent about it all ....  confused and did not understand the other systems ... so they said it was easier to say "keep the one we have"

Now if you want to see your fellow country men at their best and worst ... work on the General Election ... it is an education.





Thursday 17 November 2011

As Promised ...pictures


We have a section on Vintage items
some amazing tablecloths hand made by a generation before ours.
The china is mine




For those who remember  my Kina that I was making well here it is
along with a few others ... with the shells they look so life like.



Eliabethan Embroidery ( not mine)



Crazy patchwork ..bag ....... Carole Bates



Biscornu pincushion..mine



Cornpad embroidery cushions ..mine front right on seat


Hardanger purse  by Merlene 


Chickens machine and hand stitched ... by Carole Bates


Hardanger  mat by Merlene


A Christmas cake ...raffle
what amazing sugar craft flowers " Christmas Roses"



More tomorrow .. for some reason Blogger is taking ages to uplaod the pictures.


Wednesday 16 November 2011

Busy busy Day...


This heart is just lovely ... may be on my to do list very soon ....

Today was set up day for my Embroidery Guild Exhibition, as I am on the committee this entails a lot of work.  It was a long hard tiring day but it looked lovely when we left it at 5pm today.  When I arrived home at 5.30pm  I could not decide whether to have some dinner or have a sleep, so after a toss up  I had some cold chicken salad and then set the alarm on my phone for 6.50pm as this evening was Guild night ... so I had a half hour sleep and then left the house again.

Exhibition is on for 3 days, this year we are having a section on work in progress and having ladies sitting and stitching .... I am looking forward to this as I will be at the show every day  and I will be able to sit and stitch with no guilty feelings from 10 am to 4pm each day

We were so busy I forgot to take photographs ... pictures tomorrow I promise.

Monday 14 November 2011

Yesterday 22 degrees >>>>>

Yesterday  Sunday was beautiful around 22 degrees and I managed to wash the house down getting rid of the winters spiders and their eggs all comfortably together in their cocoons now all washed away ....how is it that I destroy so many but they seem to increase each year ... I cleared up the now defunct pots and planted some things ready for the summer.....

Now today Monday started off amazingly and was warm and sunshine ... then it all went to custard....

The world went black and it thundered with lighting and hail the size of large peas, what  Topsy turvy weather, I guess we should not count our chickens before they are hatched, like I dreamed it may have been the start of summer this last two days..

How about chapter 2 on the saga of the camper van....

The panel beater today started on the van by taking out all the windows ...whoooops!!! the windscreen shattered as he was doing it ...wheeeee!!!! can't wait for tomorrows episode, This is just becoming one big joke I have to laugh or I will cry..

Sunday 13 November 2011

Just realised why I am working on the election


I have just had a thought ...I know why I am working at the election... to pay for the van work .... it was all planned by someone and they forgot to tell me or let me in on the secrete !!!!

Thank you every one for your good wishes
and your not so good wishes for

HYUNDAI IN ROTORUA





Friday 11 November 2011

So the run of OMG's continues ....


Not sure why I have put flowers here may be it should have been scull and cross bones.  ... read on

The time has come to put the camper van on the road .... I do this for just 6months a year ...waste of money  for any longer as I can only drive one vehicle at once and only use it in the summer.
So I took it along to the Hyundai Service centre ...yeah! the one who charged me an arm and a leg for a service on the car  ... they had given me a 20% discount voucher so I thought I would make use of it and get the camper serviced and WOF ( warrant of fitness)  easy one might say yeap ! they collected it for me and returned it ....then the shock came !!!!

IT failed its warrant   OH  "*!!**%^^%!!!"   said I.


My van is same as this one ... only it is dark now so could not take picture 

Now I could understand it  if it was mechanical or the floor was dropping out etc etc.   SO what has happened to it ....  it has the minutest amount of rust along the black rubber trims on 3 windows ....
 talk about "nit picking " and also NO water in windscreen wipers this was obviously a carnal sin.....( you would think they had  a tap at the service station and would have topped it up for me ...Nope !! )

 SO THEY FAILED IT.

I took it along to my friendly panel beater and painter today and he could not believe it ....  it is all superficial and aesthetic to say the least.  But because they have registered it failed with the Transport Agency folks ....  I have to have the work done before anyone can pass it as fit for the road. Grrrr!!


I have been spitting house bricks for 2 days now and it still riles me when I think about it. They have just lost a faithful customer  and it was not good PR for I can broadcast it far and wide and it is not the type of publicity they need. What is it about vehicles and me  lately...

So  that is now off my chest ... and I feel a bit calmer to say the least.


Thursday 3 November 2011

I am still here....


I have been reading blogs every day but time has been at a premium over the last week or so ... topped off with a day or two indisposed with a tummy bug that has taken the stuffing out of me literally ... but all is good now. 
Which was good as today I spent the whole day being bombarded with information on
  "How  to Manage a Polling Station"   Yes!!  for my sins I have been chosen to be the Manager of our local Polling Station for 8 days ... now I am not sure how I am going to be doing with this getting up and out every morning .. and the brain is in panic mode with all this information which should not be changed in any way at all   ...  as we were told " if you think you can think of a better way to do it, think again as it's carved in stone"  you know the typical government red tape etc. etc.
So after 11 yrs in NZ,   I am doing my civil duty as they say.  Oh! by the way pays pretty good as well.



I have been reading some interesting blogs, it is amazing what you  find as you blog hop ...  each blogger has a list of the blogs they follow, and just a click brings you up something that sometimes is very surprising, amazing stitchers and patch workers but also some great gardening ones and it is so interesting to read how other people all over the world spend their free time.

One I think you may like to smile at is my Daughters over here  I just love the last few blogs especially the "Worst Parent Award" go and visit she would love to see you.