THE WORST BIT

 

ABOVE:  This is the absolute WORST BIT about doing the Need Wine Cat Hanger.  Cutting out the damn cat!

It is a nightmare.  It is so easy to chop a part off by accident, I have to be so careful.  It's stressful.

Last night I cut out two more with no mishaps thankfully.  

I didn't think I'd be doing any sewing this weekend, as we had planned on going up to Auckland.  But plans have changed.

Now it looks like we will be home after all.

Sad really, cos I was so looking forward to a weekend away.

I'm still hoping we get out somewhere, but probably not far from home.

Actually feeling in a right funk.  So maybe some shopping will help?

I do need some white backing fabric for the Cat Hangers, and some more black thread.  So yeah, a trip to Spotlight is on the cards.  I didn't get there yesterday obviously.

I could buy some dowel for the Cat 'Hangers' too.  Yeah.  That's what we can do for a start.

Something nice to look forward to... our son Steve is cooking dinner for us tomorrow night. Wonder what we will be having ?

2 pm:  Sorry I've not updated till now.

I have been busy getting supplies for the next few Wall Hangings.

Then I prepared two more for stitching:

ABOVE:  I have used a different font for them ... I like the more simple one I think.

I'm now working on the stitching, just finished going around one cat and about to do the other.

Then I'll take a break, cos it's actually quite hard on me eyes and back.

10.40 pm:  Well I got heaps done on those two cat wall hangings.

Young Liam spent a bit of time with us this evening, until Amanda could pick him up after work.  That was nice.  He's a good boy, on his own!

Been watching the telly, there's some good programmes on channel 1 on Saturday night.  Murder/Mystery, my favourite.

But time for bed now, catch ya tomorrow.

DAY OFF

 Four days of exercise in a row, so today I get a rest.

I'm gunna lie in bed for ages.

Read the news. Look at a few YouTube videos.  Bla bla bla.

Just have a cruisy morning.

Once I'm up I shall get the washing out then head into the sewing room to work on the 2nd Cat Runner.

I will get it finished today.

Then I might do a couple more.  I just wanted to have two ready for the next Tamahere Market, as one is pre-sold, she gets to choose between the blue and the green ones.

If I make two more, I can take those two 'spare ones'  to the Woodlands market at the beginning of April.

Stitching around all the cat's sticky out hair wasn't quite as arduous as I remembered, so making them didn't take as long as I thought it would.  Hence my deciding to make 4.

Shit, just remembered I have to make a bigger Zippered Pouch in specific colours for another lady too.  Yikes, I probably should make that first.  Yeah.

And I will need a bigger zip for said pouch, so I gotta go to Spotlight later on now.  *sigh*

What a shame... shopping!  Oh well, someone's gotta do it eh?  😂😅😊

Right, better roll over and get on with being a lazy tart.

ABOVE:  9.45 am, and lying in bed being lazy didn't work.  If I'm awake, I gotta be doing stuff.

So I finished the green Cat 'Runner', which is totally a wall hanging.  I should start calling them that I think.

I even put hanging tabs on it so it's obviously a hanging.  I am going to do that will all my projects that are more suited to being hangers from now on.

The blue one has a hanging strip across the back btw.

Now, I'm going to make the zippered pouch that's an order.

LITTLE DIET YAK:   I think I've totally stuffed up my metabolism.  By only eating a 'proper' meal at midday, and something very light in the evening, I've slowed my metabolism down.  

Too  much.

It worked for months, but now it's not working any more.

My weight loss has completely stopped.  And in fact in the last week or so I've gained again.  NOT a huge amount, but enough for me to feel depressed and hopeless.

So, I need to change something.

I know what to do.

I'm going to have three small meals during the day/evening, to kick start my metabolism again.

Starting today.

So wish me luck, cos I don't want to fail again.

ABOVE:  The request for a bigger pouch was for Purple and Green.  I think that covers it!

ABOVE:  And dammit!!!

I think it's come out too big.  So I shall be making another one later on today.

It's 1 pm, time for a break.

ABOVE:  Well now I suppose I have three sizes.  My 'normal' ones are now SMALL, then there's Medium and Large.

I'm happy with the Medium sized one, I'm sure that's the size the order was for.

I'm sure I will be able to sell or gift the Large one eventually.  I actually love the new ones, the colour way was not one I would have ordinarily have put together, but it works.

It's now almost 4 pm, and I'm doing well with food today.  Just have to decide what to have for dinner now.

It's hard making healthy choices that I LIKE.  And portion sizes much be watched better.

I'm sure I'd started putting too much on my plate again.

The trick is put the food on ya plate, then take at least a third off again.  *smiles*   That has always worked before, so let's go back to that.

I've had a nasty headache all evening, just sat quietly hoping it would piss off.  It hasn't.  Grrr.

I'll be off to bed soon, hopefully that will fix it.

Catch ya tomorrow.

WALKING, SEWING AND SWIMMING

 I'm doing it all today!

First up, a mall walk.

Then sewing these:

ABOVE: This one is totally ready for stitching.

ABOVE: This one needs it's letters positioned and a wine glass added, then it too will be ready for stitching.

Tonight I am going to Aqua Jogging at 5.45 pm.

Stew will be at the pub with his mates, so I won't feel like he's missing out on my company, and I can pick him up after I've finished my swim.

Works out perfectly in fact.

So that's me day planned out rather well don't ya think?

2.21 pm: yep, I've been busy.

Sewed all morning, then instead of going walking, I took lunch to a friends and had a nice visit with her.

Just got home and am now back in the sewing room.

ABOVE:  I'm very happy with how cute this one is looking.  A few more steps and it will be done.

Then it will be on to the green one.

After sewing... I'll be off to Aqua Jogging.

8.15 pm:  Aqua jogging this evening was neat.  Taken by the lady who does Mondays, so it was a good workout.  Totally different to the one she does on Mondays though.

It seems to be a different workout every day!

I love it.

My arms are KILLING ME tonight.  

We did chin ups holding on to the side of the pool... X 16 times each rotation.  I think that's what killed me arms.  As my arms need toning something rotten, I'm not complaining.

I picked Stew up from the pub on my way home, then jumped straight in the shower (ON HOT) to warm up.  That dive pool is NOT WARM.

And now... it's time to just relax and enjoy some down time.

Catch ya tomorrow.

NOPE

 Not blogging today.

In a foul mood. 

*creeping back in slowly*...

BEST AQUA JOG WORKOUT EVER!

'New to me' instructor, she was fantastic!

Total workout, even got tired and breathless!

AND making friends.  Got invited to coffee afterwards, but had no clothes or money so had to decline.  Couple of new ladies in this Wednesday group, much more my age and very friendly.

NEXT Wednesday the group are going to lunch at the St Andrews Golf Course restaurant, everyone is welcome.

So I'll take me clothes and money and join them.

LOTS OF SMILES THIS MORNING, just what I needed.

Sorry, it's been a funny old day.   It has gotten better.

I've been getting two Cat Runners ready for stitching.

Stew just got home from work, so I'm stopping for the day.

Right, I'm off for the day.  Glad it's ending on a slightly better note.

Resolved one issue, and will think hard on the other one that upset me.  

Moving onward.

Catch ya tomorrow.

LET'S SEE

 My plan for today is, first and foremost, head over to Cambridge for an FBG walk.

But... the weather forecast is for thunderstorms/rain.

So typical.

I am waiting on a text from the walk leader at around 6.20 am, to see what the weather is doing over there.

If it's not raining, or looking like rain, I will go over.  

If the walk is called off, that means I will be doing a Mall Walk instead.

Either way, I'm walking this morning.

After my walk, I'm going to the supermarket to get stuff to make a plate for this evening's Card Night.

I'm going to be making fruit kebabs again.  They are always popular.

Once I've made the kebabs, I can head into the sewing room and continue with the cat runners.

Though the 'Need Wine Now' ones are more wall hangings than 'runners'.

Right, I'm off to get dressed, just in case I am going to Cambridge.

...  AND.... it wasn't raining, so I went walkies over in Cambridge!

It was lovely. 

Dark when I left, but light by the time I came home.

I enjoyed the 5.29 km walk, so much easier when you are yakking with lovely people.  You don't notice the time passing, or the k's.

Half the group had a hot drink after the walk, I even had a hot chocolate.  

ABOVE:  I miss living in such a pretty little town... but moving to Hamilton was the best idea for so many reasons.

ABOVE:  An even dozen walkers this morning.  Bleeped out faces due to FBG Rules.

I did my little grocery shop on my way home from the walk, so a bit later on I'll make the fruit kebabs.

Right, time to get sewing.

3.09 pm:  And then it rained.  It's gone rather dark outside and inside.

Meh.

I think I'll make the kebabs now.

It's very quiet here today.  Not much happening eh?

ABOVE:  I lost at cards tonight, but as I don't go to 'win'... I'm happy.  I enjoy the company more than anything else.

It's been a very slow day after an energetic start.

Feeling very out of sorts now... just a few things that happened tonight that kinda pissed me off.

Not worth writing about.  Shit happens.

Catch ya tomorrow.

WATERWORLD TODAY

 Well... looks like the annoying, irritating situation is resolved, so I'm going to Aqua Jogging again today.

This time I will be having a shower IMMEDIATELY  after the swim, not even waiting till I get home.

I am 100% sure I got that damn annoying infection from the pool.  I can think of no other 'thing' that was different prior to getting said infection, except swimming in a public pool.

It was too long, (a month), after I was on anti biotics for that to have caused it.

So yeah.  Showering immediately after swimming is going to be a must from now on.

Once I get home I will be heading straight into the sewing room to get on with those freaking Cat Runners.

I told you yesterday that we did end up getting some camp chairs for markets eh?

So... here's what we got:

ABOVE:  Heading out of the store with them... Stew doing his 'job' so well.  lol

I call him me 'bag boy'.   So naughty of me.

ABOVE:  A nice sturdy camp chair, with a side table that flips out, AND our larger drink bottles fit in the recessed bit for drinks.  Awesome.  They are much more comfortable than the chairs we were using.  The padding on the arms is velcro'd in place, which means they can be taken off for cleaning.  

ABOVE:  A view of the chair with the little table down.  It's going to be every so handy having that little table to use.  We are very happy with our new chairs.

Best yet?  They were $169.99 each, BUT ON SALE FOR $101.  SCORE!  Gotta love a good buy.

The other thing we did manage to buy yesterday was a couple of little lights for inside our gazebo.  

ABOVE: They are very bright!  And have a hook for hanging them up with.  And they were nice and cheap.  You can spend HEAPS on portable lighting, but we didn't need to.  They are only for using once or twice a month after all.

Unlike the camp chairs, which I can see us using heaps.

Something else I forgot to mention yesterday.

Our seafood lunch.  We go out to Raglan to enjoy the Seafood Platter at Orca.  It used to cost $58 not that long ago.

Yesterday?  It had increased to $76.  Hmmmm. It wasn't a public holiday, so there was not a surcharge added, clearly it was just a price increase.  That is a BIG increase.

Not only was that a bit of a put off, but we also didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the last time we had it.  So we won't be doing that again.

Right, before someone tells me off for bitching, I'm outta here.  I've got shit to do before I go swimming.

Catch ya later.

1.35 pm:  We have a temporary instructor at Aqua Jogging right now.   She struggled today to keep the group working, as there were school kids doing inter school swimming sports in the pool next to ours.

It was so loud we couldn't really hear our instructor, so a lot of us just did our own thing.

Quite a few laughs were had.

There were queues for the showers again today, so I had to wait until I got home to shower.  It seems to be OK though.  

'Down there' is back to normal, which is such a relief.

I've been pottering around the house since I got home, and had me lunch.

Pretty soon I will head into the sewing room and get on with the cat runners.

9.09 pm: Well I got some work done on the cat runners, still in the 'prep' stage.

Enjoying a quiet evening just watching some telly now.

Catch ya tomorrow.

NEED WINE

 I've not made any 'NEED WINE NOW' Cat Runners in ages.

I vowed to never made any more, because they are such a BITCH to sew around.

Yesterday at market, one of the stall holders who's already bought a few Hanging Cat Runners, called in and asked me if I would make her a 'Need Wine Now' Cat Runner?

*SIGH*  Of course I said 'YES'.  

So for the next week I'm making bloody Cat Runners that are a right BITCH to do.

Yes, they look gorgeous finished, and I know they will sell.. but shit.  I'm gunna get so frazzled.

ABOVE:  I've already made a start.  'Just' have to cut them out, fuse them onto their backing fabric, THEN stitch around the outline and do the finer details like EYES etc.  😟😖😣  

And the words.  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I will stop bitching now.  It's not that bad I suppose, cos I know they will sell fairly fast.

And I do love the finished product of course.

So, depending on what Stew and I decide to do today, I will at some point end up back in the sewing room to continue working on them.

I think we are going to Mitre 10 to look at more comfortable, foldable chairs for markets.  The ones we have been using are damn uncomfortable, and I hate them for a few other reasons besides that. The other thing we want to get is a camp light, to hang in the gazebo first thing in the mornings.  It was PITCH BLACK when we got to market yesterday, we couldn't see a thing!  Luckily Stew had a tiny torch light that we used, but it was pathetic.

We now have FOUR markets in April.  I think that's the most we will have done in one month.

First up will be the new Woodlands Market out at Gordonton.  We've decided to give it a go after hearing their 2nd one went very well indeed.

Then we have the Annual Te Kowhai Market, which we haven't done before either.

After that is the Tamahere Market again, followed by a ONE OFF market at the church in Cambridge.

They are raising money for the Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund.  A very good cause to help with.

April is going to be BUSY!  Lucky I have plenty of stock.

11.20 am. We have spent over an hour going from shop to shop, 6 in total, looking at camp chairs. Got a clearer idea on what we want, but have not settled on one yet.

 We are not going to rush and buy something that's not perfect. So... no purchase today.

We are now going to Raglan for a nice seafood lunch.

ABOVE: Stew bought this drink. I had a taste. And like, why the hell would you drink something that has no identifiable taste? It tastes like CHEMICALS. Revolting!!!

It's a lovely shade of blue though. Still not enough to make me ever drink it.

ABOVE: Stopped at a house in Raglan that sells tie dyed clothes. And got that. Its gorgeous and I love it. And its ONLY an x-large, not 2 or 3 or 4 X-large. 

I am very low on winter clothes that fit, so that was a happy purchase. 

ABOVE: lunchtime  view... so pretty.

4.32 pm:   we have been home for about half an hour.

Because KIWIONHOLIDAYS made a comment about liking to see places we visit, that she's not been to before, we did a little drive around and took some photos for her, before we left Raglan.

So, here goes:

ABOVE:  As you head into town from the country side... the view of Raglan.  Raglan is mostly hilly and steep in places, it is only flat down by the sea really.

ABOVE:  Looking down the main shopping street towards the harbour.  Raglan has a couple of 'inner' estuaries and harbours.  It is very pretty.

ABOVE:  The town itself is not huge ... a nice size and I'd say fairly quiet on a week day.   It does get busier on the weekends and holidays.

ABOVE:  Heading to the Wharf.  The round thing used to be a cement silo, but is now converted to apartments/holiday lets.

ABOVE:  Part of the wharf juts out and is used for fishing.  Looking out to the mouth of the harbour, and out to sea.  

ABOVE: The 'business' end of the wharf.  Fishing and charter boats tie up here.  It's also great for fishing off.

There's several retail shops on the wharf as well.

Food/cafes, galleries and Tony Sly Pottery.

ABOVE:  I don't know how the eateries are priced, but the galleries and pottery?  HORRIBLY expensive.

After pottering around the wharf for a little while, we headed out to one of the main surf beaches, Ngarunui Beach.

ABOVE: Top of the hill, looking north.  The entrance to the inner harbours is leading off to the right.

ABOVE:  Looking south.  Australia is way, way off to the east.

*waves*  Hi Karina!

ABOVE:  Learn to surf?  Yeah, nah.

But heaps do of course, so a neat idea.

ABOVE:  Heading back from the surf beach, over the one way bridge.

ABOVE:  A lovely old pub in the main street, heaps of people hang out here and get food and drink.

ABOVE:  Leaving town up the main street.

It has quite a small shopping centre.  Lots of eateries, yippy hippie type clothing shops, some tourist/souvenir type shops etc. 

What you would expect from a seaside town.

 

ABOVE:  Petrol is about 30 cents a litre more expensive out here.

ABOVE: this is where a large slip closed the road for weeks.  It is now repaired and open again.  That made the trip out today much quicker and easier.

After we got back into Hamilton, we went back to The Base and re-looked at three places we had visited this morning.

And ended up buying two camp chairs from MacPac.

I will show you what we got.... tomorrow.

There's quite enough on this post already I reckon.