Pixie Post

Treasures

2012-01-28T21:28:00.004+13:00

There's always something of interest to be found on Trade Me.....

A collection of vintage sewing patterns....they look to be from the 60s. Very "Mad Men". Alas, too small for me and I really don't need any more too-small-for-me vintage patterns.

A vintage table cloth. Gloriously hand embroidered. Each corner of the cloth is the same. Beautiful bright colours, it must have been in storage for many many years.

A double wedding ring quilt top (my favourite traditional design) incomplete. I suspect the quilt maker is selling it, because the arcs, and pieced wedges have their anatomically correct names...all the pieces are in the sale, it's begging to be finished.

If we don't use the things we are stashing, will they end up being sold for nowhere near their real value on some website?

Inspired!

2012-01-26T18:04:00.003+13:00

I have a secret love of two colour quilts.

Look at this one photographed at Quilt Market by Kathy from Pink Quilt Studio.

And even better, look over here, where there are instructions for free from Moda. It's very very clever, I was expecting triangles to cut and piece, but it's made of strips.

Thanks Kathy, I'm inspired!

today

2011-11-27T08:29:00.003+13:00

Completely unrelated picture from perfect weekend in Ngawi recently

Today I have not gone swimming (again!), but am about to paint skirting boards. Yesterday I painted a room, twice. Half spanish white, boring I guess, but looks great with the fireplace and the need-to-be-done-again stripped timber windowframes and the if-only -I-could-afford-to-get-them-polished floorboards. It's a lovely room. Today it will have gleaming white skirting boards, and I'll rehang the cream curtains.

Currently it's my bedroom, but by the end of the day it will be the studio. Music studio. I'm swapping rooms with youngest, who currently resides down stairs in a room just big enough for my queen sized bed.

So youngest is going to move in upstairs, with the drum kit, keyboards, a mixer of very large proportions loaned by the boyfriend, numerous electronic devices which connect to laptops which are completely beyond me but make nice music, two or possibly three guitars and room for a piano which is much desired. He might just squeeze his bed in there too, and a chair from the lounge. His brother is hatching a plan to buy a tv for them to hook up the Wii. I shall have to ban the consumption of food in there, or they may never come out. They say they will have friends around for musical sundays, and apparently we really need some better speakers. And a piano (which may have been mentioned once or a hundred and twelve times recently).

I'm also stripping the wallpaper in my new room. Sealer coat should go on the ancient plaster today. It's going to be light and bright with dusky blue curtains (on sale! at spotlight!) and it will be a bit pretty. Unlike any other spot in this house. Cos it will be all mine. Although the boyfriend and Kitty will be allowed to visit.

Because really, youngest is a musical genius, and his big brother isn't too shabby either. Eddie is a finalist in these awards. Yesterday I took him to be interviewed and record a track for the very formal awards ceremony in a couple of weeks time.

This way I'll get my lounge back. And I'll get a double wardrobe and a pretty, private space. And really, how cool would it have been if your parents had given you a perfect space to pursue your favourite thing when you were a teenager?

points...

2011-11-02T19:35:00.005+13:00

On the beach - Hoi An, Vietnam June 2011

My food blogging friend back in Wellington for a few days from far away suggests we meet in a cafe. "What's good near you" she asks. I work out that I have eaten out three times since I came home from Vietnam in June. One Vietnamese restaurant on the Tory/Vivian Street corner (it was good, I'll have to go find it's name). The Tinakori Bistro, in a private room with a set menu. Seriously good, greatly enhanced by the company and the superb wine. And Hede, in Cuba Street. Gone a little upmarket with its prices and it's new plywood backed menu sans pictures. Not as good as it used to be, and not as busy either. Shall search out better Japanese option. I don't even go out for coffee much, but have a favourite Mojo in Bond Street, where the owner knows my name, mostly cos of the wine I've drunk there on Friday evenings, but not so much this year. There have been the occasional fish and chip picnics, and some thai takeaways. I'm not counting room service salads in Auckland hotels. They do not count. I buy my lunch maybe once a month. Maybe.

Said food blogging friend will now have big grin on her face. I'd suggested Thunderbird in Featherston Street, but I stood her up. Stayed home with my cough and my sneezes. I met someone there a coupla months ago. (another friend from far away!) I liked it. But I drank peppermint tea. Do you eat out? Am I just weird?

I like to cook. My favourite cooking happens on Wed (for my boyfriend/partner/significant other what on earth shall I call him?), and on Sunday, slow food usually, for the teenagers. Usually more to my taste than to theirs.

I went to Cambodia and Vietnam in June. Oh my! It was heaven. I had the best time. Yes I should blog it. I should.

I turned 50 in September. Hooray! I had a birthday party. The last time I did that I was 33.

I have grown 6 asparagus spears from my 5 new plants in their brand new bed. It's going to be a great harvest next year.

I spent a weekend in Christchurch recently. It was a sobering kindof visit. The roads! The rubble! The displaced persons! The empty houses! The rest of us just have no idea. We must keep on being supportive and strive to understand the difficulties they face, even though it's not headline news any more.

I am on the public hospital waiting list to have my gall bladder removed. The anticipated 6 months of waiting are up in January. I expect I won't hear from them til Feb or March, don't you? Nah, it doesn't hurt too much, but I've lost 4 or 5 kilos. When it does it's becos I ate something I shouldn't have (though I didn't think tonites chicken noodle soup would give me a pain - blah!)

I made a quilt. my only one for the year. and a dress. I should blog them too.

I'm home alone...it's very rare these days. I have complete control of the tv and the laptop. I'll probably go to bed early, cos there's nothing on tv.

So, what's new with you??

The formatting has gone nutso, and my laptop has developed a black line across the bottom third of the screen. yes, I'm definitely going to bed early....

Hijacked

2011-09-06T22:22:00.003+12:00

My blog got hijacked.
The Sagittarian alerted me to the fact.
When you went to my url, it flashed the blog up for a second, then went to some random blog setting up site (not blogger).
EEEEEK!
Happily I was able to fix it, with some help from those people who's answers came up after a trusty google search. I was able to delete the offending code in my setup. I deleted some good things while I was figuring it out. But how did that nasty code get in there???
Double eeeeek!
I have now changed my password too......I hope it doesn't happen to you.

14.5

2011-08-07T11:33:00.002+12:00

Seriously cool.
So excited I may burst.
Eddie was one of two opening acts for Liam Finn, playing to a sell out audience in Wellington last night.
He played 6 songs, 2 covers, 4 of his own.
His first 7" vinyl on sale at the door, alongside Liam's new album.
The venue is R18, he's 14.5.
He said 'thanks Liam, for letting me play' on stage.
Seriously cool.

Disproportionate pleasure

2011-04-25T10:00:00.003+12:00

The vegetable garden is giving me a totally disproportionate sense of achievement and pleasure.

Most nights I pick something for dinner. Salad leaves and spring onions one night. Silver beet and carrots the next. Beetroot and baby leeks will be ready next week. I grew pumpkins! Small, but delicious pumpkins! I even picked a couple of strawberries yesterday, the plants are still flowering. They get every ray of sun that's going in their hillside garden spot, I guess that's why they're so happy. I've let them grow leaders and will plant another row when the bleak weather that is forecast passes. Beans and peas are growing well. I've just planted artichokes.

I'm eyeing the front lawn. It needs some citrus trees at least. And I'm no huge fan of lawn-mowing....

Youngest son, served with garden fresh carrots for the first time a few weeks ago pronounced them "too full of flavour". Sheesh. He's over that now

Vegetable still life photography skills needs some work!

The carrots and silver beet went into a lamb byriani. Delicious.

It's raining, but the cut-everything-down neighbour is building a retaining wall. The timbers are currently overhanging my vege garden. We'll assume he's going to trim them off back onto his own section. Of course he is.

ready for spring!

2011-04-08T18:13:00.004+12:00

This is Falstaff, I planted 20 of these.

This is February Gold. I planted 10. These two are in the back garden, near the clothesline and the veges, and near my nice sunny seat.

This is Commanding. I planted 60 of these in the front garden kindof on the edge of a bank. I'll be able to look up at them when I slog up the hill, and down on them from inside the house. The (lovely) neighbours will have a good view of them too.

It's such a battle this gardening lark-wind, water, bugs, neighbours, weeds....
I reckon the daffodils will inspire me to keep on going.

A host of golden daffodils

2011-04-03T11:16:00.000+12:00

While most of the blogs I read are celebrating spring and posting pictures of bulbs bursting into life, it's just bulb planting season in my little corner of the world.

I have 100 daffodils to plant. I'll finish planting them today. I have three varieties. I'm going to let them naturalise down the bank on the front lawn, and down a bank on the back lawn, and I'll have some near the front door. I hope the lack of lawn mowing that will result won't look too scruffy.

I bought them from here.

I've planted some bluebells under a tree too.

The pesky cut-everything-down neighbours have a brand new baby girl. It's nice to hear that brand new baby cry out in the garden.

Hmm, blogger won't let me show you any pics. I'll try later.

Red red red

2011-03-29T14:21:00.003+13:00

Ohh, that's right, I have made a red quilt recently. Completed in Dec 2010 for someone's birthday.
An important birthday with a '0' in it.
That's me on the right, birthday girl on the left.
Hand delivered to Christchurch in time for the birthday party.
Lovely weekend.
Love this pic!

Technical details......It's a 16 patch. 11 blocks by 11. two inch squares. Huge! But looked amazing on their beautiful bed. There are some stars in the middle. Kind of hidden, secret stars. One for each decade.

Lovely bamboo and cotton batting.....my new favourite. Stipple quilted.

ohhh look, do you think the blog might be alive again???

I need to go to New York

2011-03-29T14:06:00.003+13:00

Really. I do.
Want to come?At the American Folk Art Museum there is an exhibition of 650 quilts. Red and white quilts. All from the collection of one woman.

It closes tomorrow.

making me laugh

2010-10-10T21:46:00.002+13:00

Blackbird often makes me laugh. She linked to this post which is laugh-out-loud funny, and I wish I'd found it a couple of weeks ago.
This woman, says Blackbird, is genius at telling other people how to live their lives. How to get over a broken heart in 7 easy steps.

And completely coincidentally yesterday someone left a new comment on this post of my very own from 2006 Letter to a Heartbroken friend. What good advice!! and that gorgeous friend is coming to visit me soon. Yay!

(Please note, my heart wasn't actually broken, more of a tiny crack that damaged my hopefulness and optimism, it's pretty well healed over now).

Sunday thinking....

2010-10-10T21:32:00.002+13:00

I'm thinking about this post by Chris Brogan (found via Lisa Call)

"We all work a lot of hours. Are we actually doing anything? Is what you’re doing worth it? Are you doing something that’s going to grow the world? Are you adding to the solutions that are out there?

Or is it noise?"

I'm lucky in my day job, I'm doing lots that's "going to grow the world". But what am I doing otherwise? I'm not doing a very good job of growing my own world. I get mad at myself becos I spend Sundays exhausted most of the time. I get a bus (I don't have a car - madness!) at 8am, to get to the beach at 8:30. We swim for about an hour these days, the water is getting warmer at last! We go to breakfast. I get the bus home and I walk up the hill about midday. I eat lunch and I potter about and the day disappears in the dull old domestics. My gorgeous boys come back to me this day usually, and I like to make a big sunday dinner that we share, at the table, with knives and forks and even candles sometimes. But I have this nagging feeling that I don't do enough with Sundays. Do you?

What do you do on Sundays?

WOW

2010-09-25T16:54:00.003+12:00

It's World of Wearable Arts time again. Here's the winner.....made of merino felt. Pretty cool huh? Lots of pics and the winners names here, with grateful thanks to the Dominion Post. Click on their blue text, there are over 30 pics.

I'm going this year, haven't been for a couple. Am looking forward to it. I'm taking the 16yo, and we're going to a fancy schmancy restaurant to enjoy their pre-theatre menu before hand. Lovely. Ohhh what'll I wear??

awake

2010-09-20T01:49:00.002+12:00

It's 1:49 am. I oughta be sound asleep. But I'm wide awake. I've been asleep for a few hours. Is that all I get? It's not going to be enough.

I'm sad. It's not major, it'll pass. But I'm pretty sad. I'm probably sadder becos it's ..... ohh .... time passes and it's now 1:51am !!

I swam today, like a mad woman. I was fast! That was after I made all the swimmers give me hugs. They were very obliging. I didn't tell them why and they didn't ask, even when I cried a little. Maybe hugs made me swim fast! We had breakfast and planned trips to swim races. It will be a fun summer.

I went to the garden centre for retail therapy. I got blueberries and raspberries and a kowhai tree. Oh, and a rose. Hmm. That doesn't sound like the actions of someone thinking of selling up and moving into a city apartment does it? Oh well. It was right for today. I didn't plant them tho. I'll get around to it, it's a bit dark just now.........

I've read all your blogs. Completely up to date now. I've read my horoscope, and the forums on the stupid dating site - so lame. I've read the New York Times and all the kiwi news sites. I can't think of anything else to read.

Ohhh.......facebook. Maybe some o-seas friend is awake. OHHH!
thanks for listening! See ya!

Kitty

2010-09-11T11:52:00.002+12:00

Kitty, says the vet, is losing his fur on his tummy, tail and back legs because he is stressed.
STRESSED!
You thought I was exaggerating about the garden devastation next door, didn't you? But Kitty and I are now officially stressed. Poor Kitty. He has a new place he sits these days. I thought it was because he liked it. But he is obviously anxiously watching over his domain, looking at the spot his favourite pohutakawa tree used to be, and wondering, like me, what they will cut down next.

Poor Kitty. I've given him some cat nip. He's sitting beside me purring. I think I'll have chocolate for lunch.

Friday things

2010-09-10T21:36:00.003+12:00

Everyone is watching this google map that does a time lapse thing to show you the quake activity. Yikes. Hang in there Cantabrians, it's gotta stop sometime.

Kitty and I are going to the vet tomorrow. Poor itchy kitty. His fur isn't as nice or thick and soft as it used to be. Hopefully it's an easy fix.

The crazy cut everything down neighbours cut down the honeysuckle hedge (very sad face) and have replaced it with a timber fence/retaining wall. So now I guess I can now grow something over the fence. Passionfruit? Some berries? Wanna come to the garden centre with me?

And while we're out, I need to buy this new pattern from Kwik Sew.

So I can make me one of these.....
I reckon it would take 3 hours tops, from start to finish. Easy!

This one is from Max, and it's lovely. Except I live in Wellington. When am I going to wear such sleeveless-ness???

quake!

2010-09-04T08:18:00.003+12:00

The two people that commented on my last post are in earthquake country. Sagittarian texted to say they were fine but lots broken. Cesca is probably in the same situation.
Yikes!
There are good pictures here
On the radio people are saying they've never felt anything like it, even compared to the San Francisco earthquake.
Happily there are no reports of any injury. I guess it's lucky it happened at 4:30am ish, rather than at midday when the commercial buildings were all full of people.

See? Thankful! You never know what will happen next.

hello

2010-09-02T23:18:00.002+12:00

September already. Hmm let's see if I can get my blogging mojo back, shall we?

I turned 49 yesterday. I am, frankly, full of the joys of life (mostly) and thankful. Went to another funeral of a fine (young like me) man a couple of weeks ago. Enough said I guess.
I've been sewing - clothes. I'm getting good at it. Just one special quilt on the go. Pictures to come soon. Really, they will.
My vege garden is great. really. I grow the best spinnach, and beetroot. The broad beans are going to be extraordinary, and the strawberries are so keen they need to be pinched back.
My cat appears to be allergic to fleas. Hmm. Weird.
I joined a gym. I'm loving it.
I weigh about 78 kg. which is a lot different to the 85kg I started the year at. Nope, it wasn't easy at all.

Thanks for listening. I'll be back. I think we need a spring clean around here.

This is for M

2010-04-30T10:56:00.004+12:00

Hello M

I think you need these buttons, currently for sale on trade me.

If anyone else is remotely interested in knitting, you can visit her here and see why.

Oh alright, they're the wrong colour, but close!

Oh, and...

2010-03-27T19:30:00.002+13:00

The internet dating is going pretty well, thanks! But if I ever meet a man who actually spends his weekends in Wellington it will be a miracle!

I keep forgetting to tell you Eddie did win the music prize at school at the end of the year, and was suitably chuffed. He's doing music in the year ahead at high school this year....so he's on his way! He went to a NZ music gig about a month ago, and hung about til he could meet Liam Finn. Liam recognised Eddie from his You Tube cover, and told him that he was really impressed. I think I may be more excited about this than Eddie was. I'm not allowed to wash the beautifully autographed tee-shirt though. Heh!

I found a Hardy Aimes Saville Row suit in an op shop. It fits oldest son as if it was made for him. Amazing

Garden blues

2010-03-27T18:47:00.003+13:00

This is the view from the seat at the end of my vege garden. Isn't it great? This isn't a good day, the southerly is rolling in, see those clouds and that rain over there? The sun sets behind those faraway hills. That's my roof at the right edge of the picture. We're facing the wilderness that is my down-hill neighbours garden. They never ever set foot there. Honestly, not in 10 years have they been there. I clamber over sometimes to cut down the gorse and the fennel. If I live here for another 20 years I'll claim it and plant a native forest or something.

We have our backs to my uphill neighbours. A nice young couple with their almost 2 year old moved in about November. Before them, the house was empty for 12 months. Before that it was home to an old lady, who'd lived there for over 50 years. She told me tales about the neighbourhood and the garden...she had great photographs of when our houses were built (in the 1950s). Well, of course, because she was in her 80s, and then it was empty, there was no gardening going on next door for a good 10 years. Over the last 6 weeks, the new owners have been making up for lost time. They've slashed and chopped and utterly changed the landscape.

It used to be that I couldn't see their house. Now I can see all of it. There is a public path that goes up past their house, and last week I realised that you can now see my garden and my house, right into the lounge, from the public path. I've begged them to leave alone two of the pohutakawa trees that march up the boundry between us. They've cut down kitty's favourite limb of another pohutakawa. He keeps going over there and sniffing around it where it lies on the ground! I've told them quite firmly but politely that I think they should leave one tree alone (although they've trimmed it heavily) because I think it's holding up their property above mine. They were sad when I pointed out they'd chopped down a pretty good apple tree and a beautiful rose. I managed to save the pear tree though!

Actually, writing this is cheering me up a bit. I'm devastated about losing all that privacy. I loathe how they can now walk up and down their path and look into my lounge. I have been playing more music, loud, because I can hear all their conversations at their front door with no trees in between us any more. I went into the garden to take the pictures before and scurried inside again becos I didn't want to get into a conversation with them.

The worst thing is, that just as I was getting to be able to plan new planting, and maybe buy a beautiful garden seat, and start living out there, rather than just working my butt off out there, it's become - well, not what I expected I guess.

On the upside, they're good people, I like them, and I've let them know, gently and without confrontation, a bit about how I'm feeling. You'd have to stand still, on their path, or the public path, to have a really good look at my garden or house, and not many people are going to do that. The light's changed at my place, there's probably more sun, so that's probably a good thing on the whole (but not good for one quilt that used to hang in a more shaded spot).

And the moral of the story is, be careful what you wish for. Because I used to wish I wasn't surrounded by gardens that no-one cared about. Ha!

But hey, look at that view. Come have a g&t up there with me sometime.

Come and see my garden

2010-03-27T18:14:00.002+13:00

Everyone who knows and loves me has been bored silly with tales of how I've worn myself out, hurt my back, given up swimming on Saturdays.....all because of my garden.
Here it is. Best it's ever been.
While I've had bursts of gardening over 16 years in this house, I never made it a priority. And then I moved out for a year, a couple of years ago now, during which time the lawns weren't mowed, nothing was trimmed....well, you can imagine. So I have toiled for about 12 months now.....let me show you around.
This is the very top of my long skinny section (block to you Aussies) and it's the home of my vege garden. The wind has wrecked the beans, the peas have fallen off their stakes, but there are beetroot, spinnach, carrots (must thin them out), leeks and lettuce. It's the third time (different houses) I've made a vege garden. This was a very low budget dig-up-a-patch-of-grass kindof garden. It's fun! There's a seat at the end there, it has the best view, photo to come in another post, and gets the absolute last of the sun. Sunset and a glass of wine, here I come.

This is to the right, and below the vege garden. That's a nice sunny seat to sit on. See that sloping bare earth? I'm growing to sow grass there, and plant 60 daffodil bulbs and let them naturalise. My very own daffodil lawn.

This is directly below the vege garden. It's a very steep bank. I've planted hebes, that are low growing and will spread out. 'Otara' which is a deep purpley blue, and 'champagne' a small white flower. I planted spreading rosemary too....so eventually it will all be covered. There's room for a ground cover rose I think. I'm going to find a yellow one.

This is my lovely yellow tree, in the front garden this time, taken from my bedroom window. That's an old bathtub I uncovered from the grass and weeds, with great crops of parsley, sage, chives, mint and a cute little bushy basil - Greek basil I think it's called.

and then, looking just to the left of the herb bath planter, here's the front lawn, and the bin I filled today, in one last big clean up. it's the third bin I've filled, and I've driven my packed car to the tip over a dozen times. Bamboo grows madly on that patch I've cleared today, so there'll be spraying and digging for a long time to come til it's gone for good.

Haven't I done well? And you know what, I did every single bloody inch of it ALL BY MYSELF!

But suddenly, just as becomes less toil and more pleasure, it's going horribly wrong. Which I shall have to make another post to tell you about.

Quilts make the best presents

2010-03-25T20:12:00.002+13:00

This is a special little quilt, recently given away.

The centre block was beautifully x-stitched by my co-worker, and I put it into a quilt, which we gave to our project leader to mark the end of our collaboration. Each of the fabrics has a special meaning - there are vegetables, pigs, wine labels, words, and cars and trucks too. I can't explain them all here, 'cos we don't blog about work.....nope! Those are 2 inch squares on point, so you can see it's pretty small. I was glad I got my quilt maths right and the design worked out. The recipient was uncharacteristically quiet after we gave it to him, and he hung it on his office wall immediately.

Quilts really make the best presents, even when they're very small.

Want

2010-03-25T20:03:00.003+13:00

Mad Men Barbie.
Cool!

via Obsessilicious which is one of my daily reads, pure inspiration!

I need to go to London

2010-03-21T18:54:00.004+13:00

I need to go to London.

I was last there in 1986.

Yes, exactly...high time I returned. To be honest, I've had lots of other places on my list of places to go, until now that is.

"The V&A will present its first ever exhibition of British quilts, with examples dating from 1799 to the present day......Earliest examples include a sumptuous silk and velvet bedcover, with an oral narrative that links King Charles II's visit to an Exeter manor house in the late 17th century. Recent examples will include works by leading artists such as Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin and commissions for the exhibition by a number of contemporary artists including Sue Stockwell and Caren Garfen."

Read more at the V&A website here
and check out what's in the V&A shop in support of the exhibition here. Fabric! Books! Oh my!

My house doesn't really need a new roof does it? There isn't much rain getting in, really there isn't.

I need to go to London!

Sewing clothes...

2010-03-20T21:31:00.004+13:00

This is New Look 6976.

I made myself one!

It's a lousy picture (I don't have access to any editing software), but I love my top. It's a viscose chiffon, very fine, kinda floaty, but it's nice, and it fits!!

I'm getting better at that. More to come.

2010-03-20T21:26:00.001+13:00

I think I should get contact lenses. What do you think?

I sure do need some new glasses anyway.

Dreams are free. Actually, let's call it a planning discussion.

Yes, I'm auditioning photographs for my internet dating profile. Sigh!

A sunset coloured quilt!

2010-03-20T21:24:00.001+13:00

Think I might hang this on the bright bright yellow wall in my lounge.

Lovely

2010-03-20T21:21:00.004+13:00

Autumn sunsets are often pretty, maybe it's just that they're getting earlier so I notice them more.

Hello, my name is Pixie, and this is my blog. Possibly someone is still around to read? I'll try posting and see if you turn up.

Dotty

2010-01-02T12:07:00.003+13:00

Hello.
It's 2010 already. I shall start it by remembering my Auntie Dorothy, who broke her leg on Christmas day, and died, a few days later.

I can't stop thinking about her, obviously I guess.

She was in her mid eighties. Which means she must have been born around 1925. Imagine that for a minute. What must the world have been like then, some small town NZ place. She was an opera singer, she toured Europe, but she was never famous. She was a solo mother, she had a child to an American Serviceman, to whom she was never married. She took her son to all her concerts, or so he used to say. He died a few years ago. She married a man 10 years younger than her. He's pretty remarkable too, the son of a coalminer, he went to art school in London, and before he retired was sculpting mannekins (you know, the ones that shops display clothes on). He was a window dresser for department stores. Dot was a member of the Acadamy of Fine Arts in Auckland, and frequently exhibited. Their house is an art gallery, full of works by themselves and their friends. Their garage was their studio, and their bar. She had white white hair, and always wore a shock of bright red lipstick. What a remarkable life for someone from that generation, especially for a woman from NZ.

She was mightily disabled by arthritus, but she loved my borther's 50th birthday vineyard tour last year. She called us all darling, and swore she had a 'sense' about things. She would talk to you, holding your hands all the time, and ask penetrating questions. She adored seeing my sons, there weren't many young people in her life any more, and she enjoyed all that youth and vitality they represented. I wish I was going to hear the eulogy someone is no doubt writing. I have asked my uncle to keep a copy for me. Suddenly I want to ask her many questions. I am sorry Auntie Dot, that the pile of red and purple floral fabrics that would have been your quilt, will have to be used for something else now.

So, good riddance 2009.
Come on 2010, what else you got in store?

And now for some light relief.....
I have been reading Maria Kalman at the New York Times re The Pursuit of Happiness.
lovely!

progress hiccups

2009-12-07T10:39:00.000+13:00

6 December 83.4
29 November 83.0

Hmm. Not going too well at the moment. Have skipped a few swims. Obviously that just doesn’t work. Planning a regular before-work-on-Thursdays swim. That should help. Or wear me out. One or the other.

My home PC has a major hard drive crash, probably terminal. So, my blogging days are about to slow down even further, and it may look like they’ve ceased altogether.

It is possible that I’ll never see my sons again if I don’t have internet access at my house, so that’s going to be very interesting. How will they cope? I’ve also come to realise, over this initial weekend adjusting period, that I really do love the internets, but it sure sucks some time out of my life, reading all your beautiful blogs and those design sites and the like.

However there were at least 3 occasions when I wanted to know something in the last few days….does the arun lilly die away completely or do I trim it? Just how do I go about hanging that first roll of wallpaper and could I make my own plumb line? What day is the school break-up prize giving concert thing??

I shall think of it as a social experiment. No internet at home. How long can a little family last?

Eddie told me (in a very rare show of whatever-it-is) that he would like to win the music prize. And my heart aches for him, because he and I both know that it is likely to go to his (very lovely) friend who is the showman of the two of them, who has performing in his genes, but probably not the musicality. Said friend won the music prize last year. I am rehearsing lines to say to Eddie after the prize giving. Lines like “I reckon you’ll be making music for the rest of your life Ed, while your friend probably will not”.

But then again, maybe Eddie and I will be wrong.

Happy Blue

2009-11-21T08:56:00.005+13:00

Blue makes me happy.

I need to make a blue stripey quilt. That's a painting, not a quilt (via apartment therapy long, long ago).

This wallpaper would look wonderful on the wall at the head of my bed. I think it's from Laura Ashley, who's no where near as prissy as she used to be.

Then there's this, a quilt I've made specifically to sell, but I'm not having much luck so far. Must try harder. Not that I'll mind if I have to hang it on a wall around here, because I'm a bit in love with it. It's raining, so the planned garden blitz isn't going to happen today. Instead I am off to try to excavate enough bare space in Jack's room so I can get ready to paint it. It's going to be black and white, with a few natural timber accents, and (one fine day), a neutral carpet. No other colour allowed, because that's the way he wants it.
What colour makes you happy?

Beautiful

2009-11-21T08:47:00.002+13:00

Image acquired from MadeByGirl who says she got it from WideOpenSpaces both of whom you should visit if you like to look at beautiful things.

21 November 83.0 kg
14 November 83.5 kg
7 November 84.2 kg
31 October 85.? kg

looking after myself

2009-11-11T21:30:00.003+13:00

It's like this. I don't think I am looking after myself very well. Not well enough. Are you?

As much as I tell myself the numbers don't matter, the simple fact is that I am overweight. I know lots of you don't own scales, don't want to buy into the whole diet fiasco and blah blah blah...but let's face it, the best, easiest measurement is the bathroom scales.

When I bought my wetsuit 4 years ago, I weighed 75 kilos. I know this becos the (terribly charming) shop guy weighed me to help him figure out which one and which size to sell me. I was surprised by what was/is a low number. The wetsuit still fits me and I love it dearly. Never mind the fact that I look bloody awful in it!

I want to weigh less. Largely for the good of my heart, although past experience shows my weight hasn't had much effect on the scary blood pressure numbers, it surely must contribute. Part of my weight gain is about changed medication, but really, I want to get myself under control. Health is my major motivation, but there's no denying I'll look better too if I weigh less. I'm reasonably fit, I swim at least 3 hours a week, and I spend at least another 3 or 4 hours toiling away in my diy madness and making my garden manageable. I'm trying to make myself walk up the steep hill to home more often. Seems to me I need to eat better. Less refined carbs and much less sugar.

Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a weight loss blog, but my theory is that if I make the commitment here, and I report in every weekend, then I will have your support and I'll be motivated because I know you're watching. Easy, right??

I've been delaying posting this cos I want to post a graph recording my progress, but geez, that isn't easy with dear old blogger! So here're the stats. So far so good.

14 November 83.5 kg
7 November 84.2 kg
31 October 85.? kg

thanks for listening.

Counting

2009-11-04T21:37:00.002+13:00

I can now count a handful of people I have cared about, who have died, in their forties, of cancer.

They were all parents. One of them wrote in a letter to everyone she had to leave behind, that although she didn't know what happened when you died, she intended to be in her childrens lives forever. It has been my pleasure to talk about some of these people with their children, and to tell them stories about their Mum or their Dad. There's a garden seat at the local school that I cannot walk past without giving it a pat, because I spent a lot of time sitting there one year, first with A, then with J, who both made supreme efforts to be there to pick up their kids at the end of the school day, for as long as they possibly could. Without exception, their children and their partners have, on the whole, thrived. Maybe suffering really does make you stronger.

None of these people were heavy drinkers, they were active, none of them smoked, including the lovely man who died of lung cancer. None of these people were careless of their health as AOF puts it so well. I have decided I must take a little more care with mine. I shall talk about that with you at the weekend.

Meanwhile there are little bloggy tributes moving me to tears all over the place, and Facebook is temporarily unbearable, because last week, the Editter died. I shall remember always her big beautiful heartfelt grin, her knack of making you feel important, and her story telling. I hope my path crosses with that of her gorgeous baby boy as he grows so I can tell him that too, but I have no doubt that he will know how loved she was, and how very much missed. Cesca has a lovely post with great pictures, and so does Martha. Cesca, I'm going to look you up next time I'm in Christchurch.

I have hung a picture of you and your boy above my desk dear Editter, to remind me, life is good and must be appreciated.

So meantime, could the rest of you kindly take care, keep well, okay?

and go tell someone this....(I can't find a good clip of Van the mans version, but this is a goody, though I like it better if I don't have to look at Rod!!)

plate

2009-08-31T17:47:00.002+12:00

I just bought this.
Cos I love daffodils, and it's pretty.
And it's my birthday tomorrow.
Yay!

Life is good

2009-08-27T21:00:00.004+12:00

Not so long ago, I was relaxing with youngest son in Surfers Paradise. I went to an internet cafe to check my email, and I don't mind telling you, the news there made me a little teary.

So now, two or three times a day, I think of The Editter. I take a breath, I smile a big smile (probably passing pedestrians think I'm mad, but what the heck!), and I say to myself and to her, Life is Good, Editter, life is good.

Go and cheer her on, and send some positive vibes her way. She's a damn fine writer, and she has a story to tell, and a bit of a journey to take us on.

The Editter

Life is good.

and it's daffodil day, so go buy a daffodil or two.

He wants a new microphone...

2009-08-13T22:42:00.000+12:00

awesome Eddie.

la la la

2009-08-12T22:13:00.002+12:00

He says tomato
and I say tomayto
so............

well......almost, maybe, probably.......
Guess I won't go to Christchurch for a while anyhow.

sigh.

Must tell you about Brisbane. Gotta sort out the photos first though.

He came back

2009-07-24T12:13:00.002+12:00

Covered in cobwebs, and perfectly dry despite the heavy rain, Kitty turned up about 11pm. He'd obviously had a big sleep cos he wanted to play. He was hungry! Damned cat refuses to tell me where he'd been.

the good and the bad

2009-07-23T22:09:00.001+12:00

The good - I'm going to Brisbane on Saturday, with youngest son, for a week. It's 23 degrees in Brisbane today. It's 10 degrees in Wellington. I'm sure I can cope.

The bad - Kitty hasn't been seen for 24 hours. That's 3 meals he's missed. I want my kitty.

have you seen.....

2009-07-10T21:44:00.003+12:00

oops, I'm sorry, June seems to be missing. I'm terribly boring, all I do is work, and swim, and angst about my blood pressure (which can't be good for it, can it? actually it's the meds I angst about the most. Did you know more women die of heart disease than breast cancer? but I digress...), and work, and try not to moan about my sore back (actually it's much better thanks), and beg passing males to chop firewood for me, and well, work and work and (I love it really, don't tell anyone).

Turth is I haven't been moved to show you anything for absolutely ages (obviously), but look, look at this!!

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/julieandjulia/site/#/Home

Oh, I can't do any fancy linky thing, you'll have to take my word for it. Meryl Streep (doing that chameleon thing she does so so well) as Julia Child, with turkey, with it's legs spread. funny! go, go, see for yourself. be sure and watch the trailer.

Now, that reminds me. Have you seen this? Unmissble I expect, I suspect we should not expect it to captivate us like the book did.

But you know what? the one I'm really excited about.....well, it says embedding disabled by request so you'll have to go to the website and see. This is a book that anyone who has ever met someone aged under 5 must've read. It looks like a book made movie with extraordinary success. Everyone has a wild thing inside!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM

Have a lovely weekend. I'll be at work. But so will the rest of the team, including the fearless leader, so you know, can't complain too much.

could someone mow the lawn for me? cheers!

I am super gardener girl

2009-05-11T22:23:00.002+12:00

Look!

You would have to wonder why I am not thin as a rail considering all the %$&$#@ hard graft I do around here. It's probably the chocolate I have to reward myself. Good gardener girl, pat on back, have some chocolate.

My beloved camera was dropped by a boy (happy frigging mothers day) and the orrifice into which one would plug the cable to upload pictures is damaged. Totally stuffed. So new pictures may be a bit scant around here, for the next 20 years or so until I can buy a new camera.

The sewing of clothes continues. Success rate is dire. One skirt= Okay. one pair of trousers=too small. another pair of trousers=too big so far, possibly retrievable, motivation however is very very very low.

In other exciting news, the almost brand new car with expired warrant and expired registration which has sat not too far from that big bin for 8 months (after it's owner died) has disappeared today. Most strange.

Grass, Ivy, nastertiums, more grass, unidentified weeds, neglectful neighbours, gorse, rats, mice, spiders, I will not be beaten, you hear.
Clothes that fit? I've done it before I will *&*^**$# do it again. I will not be beaten (though the $4 per metre fabric may run out).

This is my 300th post. Spell check was not employed.

Want

2009-04-24T21:02:00.004+12:00

Want these, from here.
I'd hang them above my bed

want this too.
It's from here
I'd hang it .... oh someplace. got a lot of walls around here in need of art.

I'm a bit in love with wordy art. Many. many I think I'd get sick of too soon. But not these two.
Want.

However, I don't own any wordy art, but I now own one of these. Little Juey. Kicks grass!
sigh. at least it's a kiwi gizmo. And it has the finest line replacement system on the market.
nowhere near as pretty as the wordy art though.

hey quilters

2009-04-18T09:24:00.002+12:00

get on over here to an online quilt festival
and linky linky.

lots of quilts to see, with stories. I love stories.

I'll tell you about symposium soon. I'm working today, all day. It's like writing an essay again, but deadlines and such mean that it must be done.

Pass the chocolate.

Obamarama

2009-04-04T10:43:00.005+13:00

When I went to the US in 2007 I saw people campaigning for Obama, and I thought to myself "heh, not a chance!". Which shows you what I know.

But I didn't know about the Michelle factor back then.
I admit that I was intrigued when the drop dead gorgeous tv host-sewist-blogger Lovely at That's Sew Live showed this pretty dress that Michelle wore on daytime tv. Lovely always finds the best dress patterns. (Hi Lovely, how you doing? How's that baby girl. Hope she's sleeping well).It was a Donna Ricco dress. Bet it sold out fast.

and now there is this pattern, by Butterick, so you could make one of your own. I hope Ms Ricco got a good pay day out of that. I could whip that up, instead of just blogging about it, and have a perfect work wardrobe.
I confess, I've been visiting this blog....Mrs O which is dedicated to what the woman is wearing. I love most of her clothes. They're classic and stylish, and there's usually a little zing, in the form of the unexpected....you know, with a costume jewellery broach, or a great colour. Actually, what it showed me at first was how danged hard she was working with appearances and speeches and all. Gee and all those meetings with a stylist and designers too....must be hell.

I liked what she told the New York Times.
“[President Mr. O]’s always asking: ‘Is that new? I haven’t seen that before.’ It’s like, Why don’t you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.”
Heh.
See this pretty cardigan. It came from J Crew. It was only $298, but it's sold out.

In "Devil Wears Prada" there's a great scene......I can't find a link that works "in my region" cos of copywrite issues, so you'll have to read the script:

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y'know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y'know, I'm still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.

It's a good scene, in a surprisingly good chick flick kinda thing. Love Meryl Streep. But it's a similar thing, in a circular kindof way, now I'm able to have what she's wearing, influenced by designers. They'll all be from the US no doubt.

Anyway.....I'm totally over the Michelle thing now.

How dare my hicksville city newspaper give such space to the debate about Michelle showing her arms (in this world where teenagers are encouraged by the designers to be showing their cleavage to the max in thigh long dresses...wtf?), and showing me what she wore to meet the Queen and good golly Michelle actually touched the soverign person! And my tinpot tv station with its poor excuse for a news bulletin ... how dare they devote part of the bloody broadcast to the fashion-icon- first-lady-heartwarming-rubbish. That isn't news.

Tell me the details of the G20 meeting for goodness sake. Who was there besides Michelle hmm? And what about that major drivers of crime summit at the Beehive on Friday...hmmm? With 100 Non Government Organisations attending I bet they came up with something didn't they? but is it in the news? NO! Just a few words from a Ministers speech.

So now you know the worst. I'm still obsessed with what to wear, and I love fashiony blogs and I watch shallow movies (and remember parts of them too), but I'd like a little substance in my 'news' please.

Hello

2009-03-31T19:53:00.002+13:00

My name is Pixie and it is almost two months since my last posting.
I'm not sure why, it was an unintentional blog break.

I can't remember what happened to most of February.
I did go to Christchurch, to visit the Handyman, and to swim in another ocean race in a beautiful bay out Lyttleton way, and to visit the Handyman.
I declared March to be the month of the garden. The garden is large, and much neglected. I fired the lawnmower man, because he was doing such a bad job I was really grumpy. So I have spent hours, and many trips to the tip (a dozen or so, really!), reclaiming my section from the neighbours around me. Their ivy and wandering jew and other noxious weeds creep into my section from above and both sides. It's very satisfying all this destruction, but exhausting. I have to buy some equipment next, a weedeater and a lawnmower, but that's on hold for a while.
there are no before and after photos becos I left the camera in Christchurch.
The Handyman came and watched the swim race. No-one ever came to watch me swim before. Well, you know, not since I was 12 anyway. I don't think he realises how much that meant to me. I even let him see me in my wetsuit.
beloved Aussie ex-colleagues had their meeting in Wellington. There was coffee and dinner and a sneaky early morning coffee. Miss them, not the work so much.
I got a ginormous load of firewood. I did 8 wheelbarrow loads by myself, and then got an army of friends in to help. It was done and dusted in an hour. Many hands make light work.
I am decluttering and throwing things away. A big load of toys went to charity. I think I was sadder than the boys.
Eddie went, with his Dad, to see ColdPlay in Auckland. He called me when they played "Fix You". It was beautiful.
Jack and I went to see the Monet exhibition at Te Papa. He took his time, going up close, standing back, reading the notes on the walls. I had to remember to stop watching him and look at the art. Jack decided he liked the Renoir more than the Monets. Heh.
I sewed a bit. clothes. not so bad. why don't I finish things? I'm working on the fit, and trying to get my eye in....what fabric makes what? I'm almost ready to buy some decent fabric and seriously make something to wear.
someone reversed into the rear drivers-side passenger door of my car. The door is getting replaced. I tried to convince the insurance assessor he should write the car off, but no luck. Phooey. It will have a brand new door, but probably won't get a warrant next time it's due (in April). I plan to live without a car when that happens. Just for a while. As long as I can stand it. Be good for me anyway, I need to do lots of walking.
I hurt my back. Getting out of the car. click click click it went. It got worse as the day went on. I sat at my desk and cried. and then I called the osteopath. I love my osteopath, but each time I see him he says "behave yourself" as I leave. That means don't swim, don't garden, use your stomach muscles, take the painkillers. I can't sit down for more than fifteen minutes. I lie on the floor at work to read things, and I stand up for most of hour long meetings. Sigh.
I went to Christchurch again. Got to see the Sagitarian and her family at last, and stayed up far too late talking and laughing with them. The Handyman and I walked a lot and saw some art at the Arts Centre and the beautiful art gallery, the back rubs were free, and I nearly missed the plane to come home.
Symposium is coming soon. I'm looking forward to the exhibition and to seeing lots of old friends. But my parents will be here at the same time, so I'll be a bit torn between wanting to be in two places.
I am totally loving my job.

So you know....busy, sore, happy enough.....
shall try to do more posting in April. Maybe I should promise to show you what I'm sewing.......

The Jury's decision

2009-02-08T11:26:00.005+13:00

The Bernina Quilt Wellington 2009 Exhibition jury has spoken.

The report from the jurors is most interesting. It took me by surprise a little. They note that the third condition of entry stated that the quilt had to be "the maker's own design or be a traditional quilt which no other person has any copyright claim over". They say that in asking for original quilts the Symposium committee were doing something very unusual. They clearly didn't want to see quilts made from a pattern, but they also say that many people seemed to believe that quilt blocks quite recently designed were "traditional". They were pleased that quilt makers specified sources and inspiration, and did a little detective work. The jury was, they say, surprised at how little some quilts had changed from the original source. They discuss how they dealt with Baltimore quilts...what a challenge that must have been. Could you make a baltimore without a pattern by that remarkable Elly Sienkiewicz, goddess of the Baltimore? They must have had an extraordinarily difficult job, and it's a task I don't ever want to do!

Personally, I suspect they should have elaborated a little more when laying out the criteria for entries. The emphasis on originality didn't particularly strike me when I filled out my entry form. Imagine the dilemma I'd have had if I'd wanted to enter a 1930s reproduction quilt (my other quilt love!). That daffodil design, does it still belong to Mountain Mist. That's a company! How do we wait 50 years for the assertion of copyright to expire? When the company disintegrates?

I think the Wellington Symposium committee are entitled to call for entries to an exhibition of their choosing, and the jurors must of course, work around not just the criteria but also space limitations. They say that in some cases they really wanted the quilts as they were wonderful. I am sure some exquisite work has been rejected, I've certainly seen that happen over and over again.

This is shaping up to be a very controversial exhibition. I expect it will be very arty, and will change the idea of what is a 'quilt' for many people who see it. Making art will not be what drives the majority of New Zealand's quilt makers, and I fear many will be discouraged by an exhibition that they do not relate to. Arguably though, there are many showcases for more traditional work, and less for the quilt as art. The symposium exhibition, which is held every two years, should showcase the best of New Zealand's work over the last 2 years. I suspect much of that has been rejected. It's time probably, for an art show and a quilt show.

Do I sound confused? Perhaps I have survivor guilt. I am, these days, making quilts as art, more often than to warm someone. The copyright for this one most definitely belongs to Helen Fielding (2008) and I am absolutely delighted that it has been accepted.

Wave (2008)

What I did on my holidays...

2009-02-02T20:00:00.004+13:00

Look, I made a scarf.
With beautiful wool (oh, that's yarn in blogspeak), and a crochet hook. It's fast and it's fun this crocheting thing.

I got another one of these.

So now there are three!

The sparkly mirror parts are all different. Must figure out where to hang them.

And now I am transferring pattern markings, the old fashioned way, by stitching tailors tacks. Guess that's showing my age. Maybe I should get some of that new-fangled chalk stuff.

Oh and about those books....I got an email. "Don't be ridiculous", he said. "There's no such thing as too many books". Ha!

Too Many Books

2009-01-31T20:07:00.003+13:00

There are too many books in this house. I don't know what to do with them. I don't know how to whittle them down.
There are boy books, cute little kids books, vintage books I had when I was a kid and some of my brothers ones too, old university texts...plays and poetry and things which I have loved dearly in the past, trashy chick lit which I devour these days in a night or two, books I've bought to read on planes, and magazines...quilt magazines, interiors magazines that I try not to buy any more............and some (not many) treasured art/quilt/interiors books which are the easy ones to keep.

What am I going to do with them all? What do you do? Edit? Buy another bookshelf? Sell them? Chuck them out? Fill up the basement some more??

What do you do with all the books???

Oh I should explain, I'm trying to expose some walls so I can paint them. But they're covered with books that no-one looks at or particularly wants any more. What am I going to do with them?

Help!

The Bathroom

2009-01-31T19:51:00.003+13:00

Ladies (and the increasingly rare gentlemen), I give you, 99% complete, the bathroom, chez Pixie.

BEFORE

AFTER

I wanted a calm neutral space, and I was thinking of those beautiful Aussie hotel bathrooms that were a big part of my working life in the last 5 years. It feels big and bright and just right!

Oh, well, maybe only 90 percent complete. It needs a little more paint, you can see that on the apron of the bath and above the vanity the tiles are missing, and there's the small matter of some towel rails and some cupboard handles. But now there are vinyl tiles on the floor and I'm very pleased with them. They're temporary....for maybe a year or so, while my bedroom next door is completed and then the lovely timber floors can be polished.

Holiday

2009-01-31T19:47:00.003+13:00

We went for a little holiday, me and the boys, for a few nights, to Raumati, about an hour up the coast. There's nothing better than walking by the sea at sunset, with a couple of boys to chat with.

Happy Birthday to Eddie

2009-01-28T12:09:00.004+13:00

Edward is 12! He requested Marble Cake for his birthday cake, and cottage pie, (or shepherds pie) with loads of mashed potato on top for his birthday dinner. Then he took some of his birthday money and bought neopolitan icecream and rented Pixar's Wall-e to watch. Can't convince the boy to have a birthday party with actual friends coming to hang out. He's not interested.

The cake recipe is from Ladies a Plate. A wee gem of a baking book, full of the recipes my mum used to make in baking marathons, and more. They're the kinds of recipes that include the ingredients you have in the cupboard. Butter, sugar, flour, eggs, some spice, some coconut, some nuts or cocoa. No fancy specialist store shopping required. The book has little snippets of history, from old fund-raising recipe books, and they're all photographed beautifully on old china and embroidered linens. I bake a lot these days, so there are treats around that don't have loads of 'e' numbers. I think it's best that they understand how many cups of sugar and great loads of butter they're gobbling up when they demolish cake and icecream.
Hmm, Jane would love this one. Maybe I'll send her a link.

Look, there I go!

2009-01-26T12:34:00.003+13:00

Great pictures by the Dominion Post

2.8 k in choppy conditions, under a sunny sky. Great fun. Let's not talk about my time.

Pears

2009-01-25T13:10:00.002+13:00

The neighbours pear tree is looking good. I like pears, do you?

Today

2009-01-21T21:24:00.003+13:00

listened (at 6am) to that Obama guy making speeches. He done good.
there was a powercut. no power to run lifts or open security doors at work. lots of loitering in the lobby going on this morning.
had inspirational meeting with medicos who would like to see less people doing crazy things that cause irreprable harm.
read a lot. a lot.
went for a lunchtime walk. Found some gorgeous $4 per metre fabric. I'm gonna give this jacket a whirl. I will not be beaten by this sewing to fit thing!
made bacon and tomato pasta for dinner - boys ate it. Success!
made roast vege salad for work lunches
made caramel square - to spoil boys. I've had my one piece. No more for me.
made bran/blueberry muffins for the good of my, ahem, system. Boys won't eat them. I'll freeze them, take them to work, one by one, for lunch.
the Handyman put on his new clothes, carried his Mum's casket, said some words for her in a church. He sent me a text when it was over. I won't see him for another month. sigh.
skipped swimming training. Big race on Saturday in Wellington. I have low expectations for a fast swim, but I'm going to have fun.
Kitty caught a rat. Big handsome rat. Thanks kitty.
Poneke said what I was thinking. PR overkill. Stop it now Air NZ.
Oh, and there was that Obama guy. Watched some coverage with the boys. Talked about how they'd remember this when they were old men. Talked about Michelle's dress too, and the momentary abscences of bullet proof glass.

Sewing Lesson No. 1

2009-01-19T17:15:00.006+13:00

I made a top today.
It's from a Burda World of Fashion Magazine. That's 7-2008 (108) to be precise. Burda says "This tunic falls comfortably over the hips thanks to its slight A-line shape. A curvy yoke and inverted centre front pleat add couture details".

Mine looks quite a lot like theirs, I was glad I found some similar fabric in a sale. Of course, I will look just like their model when I wear mine.
There are a whole lot more to see over at Pattern Review.

I like the curvy yoke. I thought I did a pretty good job of it, I only had to unpick it once. The whole thing went together really well, though I didn't follow Burda's instructions much.
It's a great top, it would be perfect for work over the next couple of months.
There's just one problem.

It's too small.
Sob!

stripes or plaid

2009-01-16T22:06:00.003+13:00

Stripes or plaid, that's the colour week theme of the day.

This is the china I grew up with. Tam 'O Shanter, by Roydon. I think there are very few pieces remaining at the oldies house. I should retrieve them. I like it. It has lovely curvey green tea cups.

These are the stripey floorboards in my bedroom. Beautiful. They've been covered in carpet for the life of the house. One day, hopefully this year, I'll get them polished.

Vogue

2009-01-16T21:26:00.003+13:00

I interrupt colour week to show you some new Vogue patterns. I ought to stitch me up a work wardrobe...they're "easy pieces" after all.

and how beautiful is this jacket?

Must sew. Must sew. Must stop dreaming and actually sew.

Pink

2009-01-15T22:47:00.002+13:00

The piggy bank from the kitchen windowsill

The pink flamingo from the garden.

Everyone should have one.

yellow

2009-01-14T21:32:00.004+13:00

I went to swimming training tonite. Swam laps, in lanes, between lane ropes....yellow. We did some work with flippers....yellow. The lights on the board are yellow. There are hundreds of stadium style spectator seats....yellow. The lifegaurd seats.....yellow. The camera was in the car, so I could take some yellow pictures on my way home.
Here they are!

No Parking

The supermarket. (The light's green Pixie, put the camera down!)

The bus depot is a great building. Almost all the buses these days are yellow. Can you read that one? "Go in drag to the sevens". Only in Wellington! That's the rugby sevens, a mad dress-up party day.

This is my tree, from my bedroom window. I love my yellow tree.

Ahh, and the Bay, looking south. Yellow is everywhere. I took all these pictures on my way home from the pool tonite. I'm a lucky Pixie!

Purple

2009-01-13T21:49:00.002+13:00

Pixie: Is beetroot purple?
Jack: More kindof red.Pixie: What about blueberries? They're kindof purple aren't they?
Jack: Think about it. They're not called purple berries are they?

Pixie: I know! The amethyst, that's purple. And it comes in its own lovely purple box.
Jack: Riiiiiiigggggghhhhtttttt.

Please blame blogger for the lack of purple. It is purple. and the table, that's table coloured, not yellow, until it met blogger that is.

Purple was mad difficult around this house. There is no purple. Think I'll have to get some.

Blue

2009-01-12T21:01:00.002+13:00

It's colour week over at Curious Bird.
Todays colour is blue.

Here's some blue for you, another detail from my new quilt. I think it's called Wave.

Keeping busy

2009-01-11T21:35:00.006+13:00

Swimming hard, in the pool and the sea. My goggles leaked today, so I spent an hour in the harbour with my eye bathed in sea water. It's still swollen. It will recover eventually I guess. Oh, that would be my new prescription goggles, the ones that cost a lot. Sigh. It was beautiful though, the water is warm. Well, comparatively. In a wetsuit that is. The lighthouse doesn't seem so far away these days. The Wellington ocean race is on the 24th.

The Handyman's mum is dying, he thinks. He is surrounded by, and grateful for, his grown up daughters and his ex-wife, but battling with his sister. It's hard to hear the sadness in his voice.

I've been quilt-making. Hmm...this is the right side of the quilt caught up on the back of another part of the quilt accidentally. I hate making those kind of avoidable mistakes. Doh!

Look at this! The walking foot exploded across the room. Luckily I found that screw and it all went back together again just fine. Lucky too that I wear glasses because a piece of the needle bounced off them. Dangerous sport, quilt making. It's a day for eyes, obviously.

What would we do without these gizmos? There have been about 2 million ends to pull through and tie off.....
But look...here's a sneak preview. This is my entry for the national quilt symposium 2009. It's finished now, and I think it's fantastic. It looks great on the fresh painted white wall in my hall.

Here's a detail shot. That colour is lavander in real life, not pink.

I'm sooooo pleased with it. I've had it in my head for a year or so, and now it is real. I discovered ages ago that if I make quilts like this to please myself, they generally find favour with someone else too, and I've been lucky to have many accepted for previous symposium exhibitions. I thought, for an hour or two, of putting it up for sale, but I decided I like it too much and I don't want to part with it. Entries close on Wednesday, and for once, I won't be sewing mine urgently the day before.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T07:45:00.002+13:00

....and merry christmas too!

It's been very quiet here, just me and the boys. Some other families to visit, but mostly just me at home doing things, and them not getting out of bed til the afternoon.
I've been tiling....or trying to, it isn't going well, tiles are much harder to cut than fabric. The bathroom is close to being finished. So much painting has been going on, but it's lovely. So fresh and clean and bright! There are handles to hang and towel rails and things.....and a couple of coats of paint on the scotia, but it will be finished next week. I'll show you then, promise!

I've been sewing, my entry for the Wellington Quilt Symposium. It's due on 14 January. It wasn't going well either, made two rejects, but I'm onto a good thing now....I'm in love with it, the top is 3/4 done. I'll show you that next week too.
and go and see Helen and cheer her on! Go H, we can do it, we can enter at least!

I'm going to Christchurch today for some quality time with the Handyman. I'm taking some tiles for him to cut. He sure knows the way to my heart!!

I'm looking forward to announcements from Wanda and from Kirsty (who has the best blog name!).

Then it's off the plane and back to work on the 5th. It's going to be a huge work year, and I'm excited!

2009 will see me still painting! The boys rooms first, and as soon as I can, my bedroom will be plastered so I can paint it. Then maybe the kitchen. Only I think I probably need a break from painting, so maybe it will just get a good spring clean.

I'm going to sew more clothes in 2009. Lots more clothes. becos I'd rather spend my money on paint of course! (yeah, right!)

I'm going to be swimming more, back to my dedicated 3-4 times a week, and I'm going to beat that 1 hour barrier for the 2.8k ocean swim. (Though the next race is 24 Jan, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fit that training in......might have to try early mornings or something!). I'm going to take my (heart) medication, religiously. Raising my glass each morning to a friend who has had a minor, but scary, bleed in her brain. (She's going to be fine). and I'm going to eat better. Toast is not dinner.

2009 will be the year of the garden. It's a large wilderness at the moment, and the summer growth is threatening to overwhelm me. It will be conquered this year. When I'm not painting that is........

What you got planned?

Choices made without you!

2008-12-13T19:57:00.005+13:00

The paint shall be Resene 'Haystack', a little richer than it looks on my monitor, but it sits happily between the probably-going-to-be-polished floors and the dark chocolate of the vanity, and it makes the whites sparkle.

The tiles shall be enormous rectangular glossy white things, and I shall have to cut each and every one of them so they fit in the desired manner, and they shall look fabulous of course. I'm going to lay them (do you lay tiles on a wall...guess not!) in a brick pattern, or subway style as they would say in New York.

The tiles go on the front of the bath (the apron...ha ha) and above the vanity.

The beer is just lovely, and I've earned it! It is a difficult thing to paint a bathroom. A very time consuming and difficult thing.

It's also helping me chill out, cos I was going to show you a picture of New York subway tiles, but I can't find the disc they're stored on. Shan't panic, shan't panic.

Stuff...

2008-12-13T09:41:00.002+13:00

I'm filling in time (can you tell?) waiting for the plasterer to turn up. He said he'd be back this morning to sand back his fine work. Rather him than me, but I can't paint til he's done that.

The big news that I haven't blogged about so far is that I have a new job.

No more road/rail safety for me. Did you guess that was what I did? Well I don't anymore. So make sure you bloody well drive safely, don't speed, do up your seatbelt, don't drink and drive, rest when you're tired, put the cell phone down, and STOP at level crossings. All right?

I left that world with a heavy heart, but the new job is a great opportunity. So off I went to save the world from something else. There were heartfelt farewells that moved me to tears (but I'm a soppy kinda girl I guess), a gorgeous clock and photo frames, very nice letters of thanks from important people, and then a welcoming ceremony (a mihi whakatau) at my new place which was beautiful and humbling (me? they're talking about me?).

It was weird being the newbie, going from being the expert surrounded by friends, to knowing sod all, surrounded by strangers. So after 5 weeks of getting settled, sorting out my chair and the printer drivers, reading everything ever written about the subject in question, and getting to enjoy the company of some great new people....they seconded me to another job.....for 18 months. Which is a long time.

So now I've been at new job no. 2 for two weeks. And again, dealing with figuring out where to get off the bus, what to wear, who to have coffee with, plus how to deal with two email addresses, and two diaries. I thought scoring new job no. 1 was pretty stunning, but new job no. 2 is going to be fabulous. I have a gorgeous office with a great view. There are high profile movers and shakers filling my days (and turning out to be just lovely to be hanging out with) and best of all there are deeply philosophical and academic questions to be researched and debated and written about. I am, quite frankly, pinching myself, this is a dream job for a policy adviser in this little city. It's a bit of a bugger that I can't tell you what it is, but we don't blog about work, no we don't.

Is it any wonder I'm feeling a tad worn out and weepy today! I should've gone swimming, but I was saving my energy for painting, which will be an all day/evening effort. I shouldn't talk with that handy man into the wee small hours either.

Bloomin plasterer still isn't here, so I'm going shopping for tiles and test pots. You may be called upon to decide the paint colour.

found it!

2008-12-13T08:55:00.003+13:00

I found the fabric that I talked about in this post.
It's by Anna Maria Horner.

Lookee!It's from her 'drawing room' range. The whole range is gorgous, but that one at the bottom right, that's the one I've seen skirts made of. I could make me one of those (if I wasn't too busy painting of course!).

and look what the designer herself does with it...

It's called the cookbook apron, and like she says "you would look so good in it! Really! Totally your colors and would look great in your kitchen". ha!

Do you wear aprons, dear cookists out there? You'd think your sewist buddy would stitch you one up sometime, wouldn't you? (AOF, Sagittarian, Flea Girl I'm talking to you, I'm just too lazy to link).

Here is Anna Maria's blog.
and here is her website with fabfabric (that was a typo, but I like it!).
Santa can bring me one of her rugs, any one will do just fine. I'll base my bedroom decorating on it.

I'm going tile shopping now. The ones I love the most so far are only $20 each. So yeah, I'm still shopping.

Friday bathroom

2008-12-12T22:49:00.002+13:00

Friday

Loving the shiny taps, shiny shower walls, dark chocolate vanity...

Not happy about the scratch on the brand new bath, a few holes in the floor, a stray nail sticking out of the window framing (looks like I hammered the nail in, not a builder). Sigh. I'm getting to be 'had-enough' of this process. I have got painting to do all weekend. Lucky I can start with sealer coat and undercoat, and take some time with choosing the colour. Buying the test pots tomorrow. The tiles will be white. But what size?

That vanity is great though, isn't it? It's got drawers, not cupboards, and look at all that storage!
Yay!

more bathroom

2008-12-11T18:42:00.003+13:00

Thursday

The plasterer came today. He talked with me about my bedroom too.
That's a whole other job. Sigh.

Wednesday

It didn't look like much happened, but the electrician came, and they also relined and plumbed the laundry.
Lovely.

The bathroom

2008-12-09T21:36:00.006+13:00

You should read this post from the bottom up!!

Tuesday

New walls, new toilet, new bath.
They made sure we always had a toilet. Most thoughtful. We went to the pool for showers today.
I have to choose paint and tiles.

Monday

The house is full of men. They cleaned up as best they could and took lots of rubbish away.

Sunday

Really, the bathroom was much worse than this picture shows!

The stairs

2008-12-09T21:16:00.002+13:00

How did I do it? Did I do it myself?
Did I ever!!

I pulled up the carpet. It was hard, I had to do 2 or 3 steps a day to look after my hands.
I removed the carpet tacks as I went.
I sanded the stairs. 3 times. 3 different grades of sandpaper.
I put four coats of polyurethane on them.
I sanded the skirting boards.
I painted them, 1 undercoat and two top coats. They need another. I'll get to that.
The black and white wallpaper came from Resene (who have a great website and even better sales!).
Because the wallpaper isn't as wide as the stairs, I had to cut the strips from the length rather than the width. There wasn't enough repeats in one roll to make them all exactly the same so I cut two different versions and alternated them. I like how that made a new pattern. I used it all up though, so I think I might buy another roll, in case I need to make repairs.
I pasted the strips to the stairs, and I'm thinking I might seal them somehow to make them more hardy.
I still have skirting boards and a couple of hall walls to finish ....

The handyman came to visit for the weekend and he said I'd done a good job. He said it more than once. He's incredibly fussy, so that's high praise from him. I think he meant it!

The house is full of men this week. Builders, plumber, electrician......I told them they had to look after my stairs.

and you wonder why I'm not posting...

2008-12-04T16:40:00.001+13:00

I have the prettiest stairs in town!

Procrastinating

2008-10-29T21:51:00.005+13:00

If I actually did some sewing, instead of wandering through blogs full of wonderful sewing ideas, I could make me one of these......a very pretty dress by Andrea Moore

With this gorgeous fabric by Amy Butler

or this one, which Ms Moore has also used for the dress (or something very similar anyhoo).

The Miriam Gibson store has some skirts by another designer who's name I don't remember,in some fabric that I've also seen on the net someplace...but I can't find it to show you......so you'll just have to take my word for it. They're really nice.

Ms Gibson does however have this covetable dress in her collection, which I could whip up in a weekend, with this pattern...

Kwik Sew 3575

The most noteworthy thing about this post is, of course, that I have ventured into not one, but two of Wellingtons finest designer stores, the kind of places where an article of clothing sells for the kind of money that equals two weeks grocery budget in my house.

and I liked them.
a lot.
but I didn't buy anything.

More ohh!

2008-10-27T10:04:00.003+13:00

One was nice

But two....now two is a collection isn't it?

Let me know if you find any more.

Ohhh

2008-10-27T09:36:00.004+13:00

Loving these.....made of timber.....free shipping til Christmas!!

They're by Bride and Wolfe

Found via Paisley .... a new discovery

An Aussie based blog that's similar to Oh Joy ..... an old favourite

Inspiration in bucketloads.

A Quilt

2008-10-25T20:19:00.004+13:00

Yes, another speedy quilt. Whipped up in a ridiculously short time, for a very special boy (and kindof for his parents too....). There was a naming ceremoney today for the new owner of this quilt. It was very sweet. Parents and Grandparents (from polar opposite ends of the cultural spectrum) pledged to care for J, and so did his Godparents and all us friends and family gathered to celebrate him and his little life. Nice.

I thought he needed a quilt.

Cut 12,8, 4 and 6 inch squares on Wednesday.
Pieced the top and made the binding on Thursday.
Quilted on Friday.
Bound on Saturday morning, finished in time for the midday party!
That must be my fastest quilt ever. It's kindof cot quilt size. I delivered it with instructions that it should be dragged around and used well, and chucked in the washing machine without a second thought. I'm sure it's up to that kindof treatment.

More warm polar fleece on the back. Some of those fabrics tugged at my heartstrings. Eddie and I bought the penguins somewhere after we'd seen....oh what's it called, that penguin movie with Morgan Freeman narrating. Eddie loved it and I was amazed at his capacity to watch such a full-on documentary. It's a good movie though huh? The cow fabric probably technically belongs to someone else (err, sorry), the chickens are from the back of Margs housewarming quilt......ahh, and the last time I used that coffee cup fabric was for A's quilt. She loved her quilt so much, it kept her warm while she was so desperately ill (sniff). The cats were in the first quilt I made for my Mum, and there's my last scrap of Harry Potter fabric. There's apple fabric too, that was some of the oldest fabric in my stash. Most of the others were probably bought to placate a toddler in a fabric store. The 'girls' at Nancy's embroidery shop were good at selling fabric to my boys...I'd buy 25cm for them....choosing it kept them busy while I browsed. Those were the days!!

Oh, and Kitty helped of course.

What do you think?

2008-10-12T22:05:00.004+13:00

Would I? Could I? Should I?

These are by Shawna in Dublin.

These stairs from Sunset Magazine, with wallpaper by Ferm Living
(alas, that plumeting $$)

and these, by the extraordinarily clever Melissa at Sugar City Journal.
Can I have the painting too? Check out her uber cool dresses for little girls, they're amazing.

Ya know what? I think I just might......

Never again

2008-10-05T16:30:00.005+13:00

First, thanks for all the sweet comments and emails about Eddie. We've known for a long time the boy is talented, but when I mention it, you can see people's eyes glaze over, and they're thinking I'm just a proud Mum. But I really think there's some magic there. You can say you knew him before he was famous. There's more on YouTube.

One of our mutual favourite songs is Split Enz "Charlie" and Ed and I have been laughing about how inappropriate it is for him to sing...we figure it's about heroin after all...but he plays it so well!

Now, if you ever hear me say 'I'm going to rip up the carpet' it is your duty to physically restrain me. And if you hear me complain that my hands ache, I can't stop sneezing, and I'm exhausted, then you must say 'I told you so'. And failing that, if you'd like to join me in hunting down the guy (of course it's a guy) that invented carpet tacks so I can drag him back here and make him remove every sodding, broken, sharp, stubborn, little sliver of metal, sticking relentlessly out of my floor.....you'd be very welcome.

The stair rail looks good though huh? I'm going to get the supports chromed. One day.

Details details...

2008-10-04T18:26:00.005+13:00

I'm into some fine detail work in the ever-improving hallway. It now has two coats of paint, and I'm onto sanding the skirting boards. Tonite I'm sanding and polyurethaning the stair rail and the ballustrade every couple of hours. The rail looks like a ballet barre. It was black with probably 50 years of grime, but it sure is going to be beautiful. I think I should have been a woodworker, I love the detail of the timber so much.

I've been thinking about what to hang in my beautiful hallway. I dug this out. It was stitched for a challenge, I think the challenge fabric was the big bold Jane Sassaman print. I fussy cut the flowers and machine embroidered and beaded it. It's square, really it is!

I think I will cut it up and stretch bits of it over artist canvas blocks, and hang them in a row.

Oh, and Kitty has been helping, of course.

Proud? Me?

2008-10-03T21:34:00.002+13:00

Lookee here.
He's 11.
I'm amazed to see this boy who has figured out so much about who he is and what he's passionate about.

He's made 5 clips, including one original song. This one is his favourite. His parents know about them now. But he insisted on leaving the room while I checked them out. He's pretty buzzed that Liam Finn (son of Neil of Crowded House) has left him a comment. Well, he's pretty sure it's really Liam.

WOW

2008-09-27T09:45:00.002+12:00

It's back!! The World of Wearable Arts. Youngest son went, with school, lucky bugger, and he's still buzzing.

Thanks Dom Post, and internets, for the great pix.
I wasn't planning to go this year....but seeing these......ahh well, come check it out with me.

here
and here, and here too.

goings on...

2008-09-22T20:29:00.002+12:00

Well, there's plenty going on....

I've painted a sealer coat in the hall. It sucked up 4 litres of sealer, and showed me where the holes and dings are that need further filling. Of course it all needs sanding again, but it looks like this weekend is available for that, and then....PAINT, finally! I can't wait.
I spent the weekend in Christchurch, hanging out with the handyman. Christchurch is so beautiful in spring...much time was spent admiring magnolias and rhododendrons and blossoms and daffodils.....just beautiful. It was hard to leave.
I did a little walking....
I'm reading my Quilt Wellington Symposium 2009 registration booklet.

Preparation is everything

2008-09-07T09:04:00.003+12:00

I'm still working in the hall. I hung a sheet in the bedroom doorway to try to keep the dust out.

But you can't keep plaster dust out of anything at all really.

I got mail

2008-09-07T09:01:00.003+12:00

September 1st was my birthday. I got mail. Lovely! Thanks!

I bought myself this. About 1.5 m of beautiful vintage barkcloth. It's soft and worn and faded and perfect. It's going to be cushions for the bench seat in the kitchen. One day. Don't hold your breath.

Ta Dah....

2008-08-24T20:02:00.003+12:00

I did it! There is no wallpaper left in my bedroom or my hall.
Actually, in my whole house!
I'll be the one with the sandpaper ...

Working

2008-08-23T21:29:00.003+12:00

Still can't reach. Now what am I gonna do?
and look, all those stripy vertical lines. digital camera on it's last legs? dropped too often? Blast!

The Handy Man

2008-08-19T19:34:00.002+12:00

Okay, I'll fess up. The CHCH man? It's going well. Real well. He came to visit at the weekend. He fixed my car, he chopped firewood. We like the same kind of music and he likes to dance! We cooked together and he had coffee with some of my friends. So he needs a name cos I suspect he's gonna be around here for a while. Let's call him the handy man.

Oh, but I'm not telling him about the blog. Nope.

travelling...

2008-08-19T19:26:00.004+12:00

This is (the very badly named) Craters of the Moon, Taupo, middle of the North Island. Steam rising out of the ground, a little bubbling mud. Great place for a walk on a cold day.

It's cold cos of the snow on the mountains. Beautiful. That's Lake Taupo, Mount Ruapehu and Tongariro in the distance.

You can't go to Taupo without going to Huka Falls.

And it's just a couple of hours drive to Waitomo. Extraordinarily beautiful limestone caves.

Those tiny straw stalactites? See them? They're thousands of years old, so don't go breaking any.

Big. It's all big. Big skies, big big lake, big mountains, big caves, big long low waterfall. Little NZ does beautiful in a big big way.

Goings on

2008-08-19T19:16:00.003+12:00

The tv broke down. I bought a very cheap brand new one. The baby of the family wanted to play with the box. Some things never change.

The wallpaper stripping is going well, if slow. Yes, that's the fireplace in my bedroom, it works, and it's beautiful.

Had an extraordinarily good Japanese dinner (in Wellington) sitting next to the tall dark handsome famous person, and some movers and shakers. Work isn't all bad.

Kitty and I are enjoying the olympics, given the chance. He was particularly fond of the chinese gymnasts. Blackbird has posted some great olympic pictures. Go see Michael Phelps. Sigh.

try this

2008-08-07T22:22:00.002+12:00

Here, check this out.
I'm playing it loud, and getting stuff done.
It's not my favourite track from the album, but it's good!

oops

2008-08-07T22:08:00.002+12:00

I was going to post pictures....of Taupo and Waitomo....of op shopping in Christchurch.....of lovely trains in Waikato......I was, really I was, cos we all needed cheering up after that last post. Only the camera battery is dead as a doornail, and I can't find any of those old fashioned double A kind, so sorry, I can't show you ...... yet.

Come back soon though, won't you?

Today I baked brownies

2008-08-07T21:19:00.003+12:00

I got up early today. I baked a batch of never fail, hardly touch the plate, kiwiquilters brownies. So named cos the recipe came from the Kiwiquilters yahoo group to which I belong in name only. Hi Shirley! (Shirley is the list mum.)

I took the brownies to work, to a meeting. I told my assembled colleagues that I'd brought them a present, because I enjoyed their company and I greatly appreciated their contribution to this piece of work which is about to meet a major milestone. We grinned big grins at each other, and hugs were exchanged. Because I should have told John that. But he wasn't there today, because on Monday night he took his own life.

So we worked through the stuff we had to do, and we talked about what John had said about x and y and z, and I shed a tear on behalf of the staunch and quiet men that surrounded me, and we laughed some and argued the point, digressed and told stories about John, and did some more work, and at the end each of them gave me a peck on the cheek goodbye and thanked me.

I'm glad we had that meeting today, and I'm glad those lovely blokey colleagues came, even though we'd talked about postponing.
Sure wish John had been there too.

Hello

2008-08-07T21:13:00.003+12:00

Okay okay, here I am, I'm sorry for neglecting you. Where've I been?

it's winter, it's bloody cold here in the corner where the pc is, and my poor fragile hands can't handle the cold
first born's internet connection to his pc broke, I think it's the modem, so the pc is now shared by 3 of us, it's easier to just give in......
there's no wallpaper left in my bedroom, and the hallway is half de-nuded of wallpaper too. progress!
I've made two skirts and two tops, and a dress. The skirts and tops are good enough, and the dress is hideous. I shall either finish it, or cut it up and use the fabric for something else. I'm getting into it though, you'd be so proud!
I've been travelling, tales to come...
work work work. Intense, kinda exciting, kinda stressful
I hurt my back in April. April! I didn't sit down for much more than 30mins until July. Finally I am cured. Hallelujah!!

Okay, does that explain my absence sufficiently? Well, you asked for it....there're gonna be a whole lot of posts tonite.

Skirt!

2008-06-25T22:05:00.002+12:00

I made a skirt! It doesn't look like much hanging there against the wall (with no wallpaper) does it? But it fits me. And I like it. And I'll wear it. Tomorrow. Cos it has a zip and a hem and everything, just like a bought one.

I used this pattern. Which is probably the best simple A-line skirt pattern in the world. Only it's out of print now. I think I might even make another one. But don't hold your breath.

A tough day

2008-06-25T21:22:00.003+12:00

We farewelled a fine man today, in our largest cathedral, standing room only. Not every day you see a guard of honour that closes a street, and stretches almost out of sight.

RIP Fitz. It's been a privilege to call you friend.

So, you know.....more sewing therapy required.

Kitty and I finished the quilt. Here it is.

I'm totally in love with the polar fleece backing. It looks so good quilted, and it's warm as can be. It took me 24 hours to make this, so what is it worth? Around $240 for labour (v. cheap!) and $100 for materials? So we could round it up to $350? Well, that's what I'll insure it for when I post it, but I don't fancy my chances if I tried to sell it. Interesting huh. Best I stick to my day job.

A quilt!

2008-06-17T22:07:00.003+12:00

Hello, my name is Pixie, and I'm a quilt maker. Really, I can prove it.

Kitty has been helping of course.

It's a simple little four patch. I laid it out on the floor pretty carefully, but somehow the squares leapt all over the place before the stitches were completed, and despite my efforts there are places where two squares of the same fabric meet up. Hate that. See, even Kitty is glaring at one such spot. The squares leap around between sewing machine and ironing too. But as number one son said, "he's hardly going to say that's a terrible quilt, just because there are two chicken squares touching". Ahh, right. Oh, that's the boy that just had his 14th birthday by the way.

The quilting was going really well, until I broke my last needle. You shouldn't sew over safety pins.
But you probably knew that.
I've removed that stray thread that's in the middle of this picture, by the way.

I'm whipping this up for my Dad. He's about to turn 80. I reckon a lap quilt, with a nice cosy polar fleece back, is just what he needs. So far this has taken me 5 evenings. About 15 hours.

Work turned to crap. Time to look for another job kindof crap. I miss the Australian, but that's the way he wants it, or so it seems. I've had a sore back since May, and a cough and a cold that's also been around since May. I ran out of firewood. SIGH!

So, a quilt was in order, obviously. I needed to remind myself who I am. I had to force myself to get started, but I've really enjoyed this speedy quilt. I pulled all of the fabric out of my stash. That's why you have a stash after all. I enjoyed stroking all that fabric again. Maybe my sewing mojo is coming back.

And I'm going to Christchurch in a week and a half. Yes I am! Now that's ~~someone~~ something to look forward to.

I want to write a post about this. But I'm so bloody angry about it, I can't find the words. It's the kind of thing that polarises communities isn't it? and doubtless would attract hateful spam to my blog. It's a very strange thing, an election year, and what it generates.

Anyway, I love sewing. That's who I am. I am Pixie, who makes quilts.

cape

2008-05-29T19:23:00.003+12:00

Look, I made something.
I finished it.
The designer really does like it.
It's swirly - as requested.
Wow, maybe there is life beyond stripping wallpaper.

stuff

2008-05-17T09:48:00.004+12:00

A pretty tree in Napa. I went there once!

we figure the Orca knew we were there for a lot longer than we knew they were there. Not sure how I feel about that. They like to eat stingrays in Wellington harbour apparently. Haven't seen a stingray yet!

a colleague was knocked off his motorbike on Thursday night and died in intensive care on Friday. Another good man, an engineer with a cheeky grin, sparkly eyes and lots of good stories to tell. Shocking, and scary. We gather in disbelief for coffee and cake and tell stories about him through the morning. Bugger. (Don't worry Ben, I don't think your paths would have crossed).

went to osteopath. my wallet hurts. and my back hurts even more. he found places I didn't know hurt. but I trust him, he's a genius and eventually I'll feel good. and he's a swimmer.

I took myself off the internet dating site. Now really, no-one, not one person, that I contacted responded, even with a no thanks. I seemed to attract 35 year olds. Hmmm, what am I supposed to do with a 35 year old? Oh, don't be rude! I seem to have found someone for myself, with a little help from my friends. So that's nice.

my car goes. It feels smooth and quiet and nice to drive, but it makes me very very nervous.

I'm off to a swim meet, not to swim, but to do a little timekeeping and some partying. Yay.

I've got a job interview on Tuesday. I ought to be preparing, but something is stopping me. I better figure out what that is and get on with it. I need a pay rise!