CAMBRIDGE TODAY

 

Hmmm, what to get up to today?

I am going over to Cambridge to join some friends, who will be doing their mosaic group meeting.  Who knows, I might even try it myself?

It's been a few weeks since I have been over there since I finished the FBG Urban Challenge.

And I really have bugger all to do around here now.

Everything is done.  It's just daily tidying up, keeping the washing up to date and so on.

ABOVE: Because there's a good chance we will still be here over summer, I planted a few veges last night.

Just a few lettuces, cucumbers and parsley.

I'm thinking about putting some tomatoes in big pots as well.  Might even do that today.

But for now, I'm going to do the few jobs needing doing, before going over to Cambridge.

OH, and I've not found ANY GODDAM BUGS to take photos of!  Where the hell are they all hiding???

When you don't want to find bugs, they are everywhere!  Little Bastards.

When I get home I am going to make a start on sorting out all the scraps of fabric that I have just been stuffing into boxes!  They SHOULD have gone into the colour coded boxes I use for scraps.  Derrr.

I might need to buy more boxes actually.  Let's wait and see shall we?  

I had thought I'd do all that (sorting out fabric) after we move, but as we ain't anywhere near moving yet, I might as well do it now eh?  It will be one less BIG job to do once we move.

ABOVE: Well the mosaic group meet in a garage, and sometimes other ladies homes.

It was pleasant being around other ladies, yakking and eating fruit cake. 

ABOVE: The lady working on this just sat and looked at it today! And yakked.  I think this group is all about having company, and doing some crafting on the side.  

ABOVE: My friend Susan runs this group, and this is what she's working on right now.

ABOVE:  See, lots of yakking going on! Susan gave me a little wooden heart to play around with while there.

ABOVE: The ladies very kindly gave me glue and beads etc to play with too.  So I did that with me little wooden heart.

OH, and I think I just joined a Mosaic Group!

YEAH.  😂😉

After the meeting, Susan and I went to Resthaven for lunch.  It was very nice.  Resthaven is a local retirement village that has a very good cafe, with exceptional prices I must say.  I've been there before after an FBG walk.

Susan hadn't been there, and she was very impressed.

I am now home, and about to head off to the sewing room to get on with sorting out the fabrics into some sort of order.

KJ:  they seem to do mosaic over anything!  Tables, pots, chairs, wooden shapes, polystyrene balls, you name it!

I have joined the group for the next 4 weeks, to see if it's something I'd like to continue.  

8.30 pm:  been out to the pub with Stew.  I did visit the kids beforehand, which is always lovely.

A very nice evening.  Now... watching the telly till bedtime.

NEW PHONE HASSLES

 

Yes, I am feeling crabby.

I have managed to re-activate, sign in to most of my phone apps etc.

But my new bank account?  NOPE.

So today I have to go back to the bank and get them to sort it all out for me.  It's RATHER frustrating, but I am sure an easy fix for them.

I probably did something wrong right at the start and buggered it up.  😖😕😓

Once that is done I will come home and get the washing outta the machine (whoops, it's been there since yesterday!).

I'll just hang it on racks in the garage, close to the door, cos the door is insulated and reflects all the heat back into the garage, so the washing gets dry super fast.

Then I am going to hunt for live INSECTS!  To take photos of.  lol

A girl who bought one of our puppies, when we lived in Auckland, got a new phone like mine and took a photo of Ruby, and sent it to me via Facebook.  

ABOVE:  Ruby (on the left at 7 weeks old), still looks adorable, she is now 11 years old.  Her sister, Molly, who is also one of our puppies, lives with her and their family.  Molly is 12 years old.

ABOVE: This is Molly at 7 weeks old.   Gosh I miss puppies!

But I'll never breed dogs again, it's too much work!  

And the backlash from internet trolls accusing me of being a 'puppy mill' is not nice.

That phase in our lives is well and truly gone.

12 noon.

Well the bank lady got my phone issue sorted quick smart!  So now I can do my banking online again.

I grabbed a few groceries while at the mall, before coming home to do a few jobs around the house.

ABOVE:  I scrubbed the shoes I'd worn to the Kinloch market, they were almost ruined, but I think they will come up OK once dry.

ABOVE: Then I spent about an hour in the sewing room, tidying up all the little boxes of 'stuff', and my desk drawers.  A good job done there.

ABOVE:  Next on my hit list was this side of the house, the shrubbery was getting out of hand.

So chop, chop... and 45 minutes later it was all tidy again.

There is one big gap in that garden, so I might just go down to Mitre 10 to find something to fill it with.   

This afternoon I did go down to Mitre 10 for some plants.

Then once home again I had lunch then just relaxed for a while.

Then I folded the washing and put it away.  6 pm and Stew arrived home and I asked him to plant the new shrubs.

ABOVE: That's where the 'gap' is.

ABOVE: Stew made short work of that...

ABOVE: And there ya go, no more gap.

I'm happy with that.

Now, while it's early, I'm signing off cos nothing else is gunna happen around here.  It will be something light for dinner, then blob out in front of the telly time.

Catch ya tomorrow.

DAY OFF

 

Today we both get to sleep/lie in.

Stew has taken the day off work, so he can actually have a little break.  The past three days have been rather busy, so he wanted a day 'off'.

Once we decide to get outta bed, I think we are going for a walk, followed by a nice lunch out.

I also want to suss out a new phone.  Sadly, paying through the nose for a new battery for my current phone has not stopped it from going flat super fast!   I am rather annoyed about that.

So we will talk to the man who put the new battery in two weeks ago,  to see if there's any solution before deciding what to do.

And that is all we have planned for our day, so... catch ya later.

11.35 am and we have been out and about.

Done some banking - first time I've used a money deposit machine. And luckily I had a bank teller showing me how to do it, because the machine had a glitch and stopped working! It got sorted eventually,  thanks to the lady who was helping me.

On to look at new phones.

Sussed out the best deal, at Noel Leeming...

ABOVE: My new phone!

I went for one with the best camera. Now I just have to learn how to use it.

We are off to have some lunch now, while the phone charges up.

ABOVE: The new phone, with it's new case and screen protector.

I knew there would be some 'work' to do to reinstall and sign into many of my phone's apps, but OMFG!!!!

What a nightmare this is.

No wonder it's been 5 years + since I got a new phone.

Seriously want to scream, so frustrating.

Remembering passwords?  

OMG

I have quite a few passwords saved in 'My Notes', but some of them just don't work!

WHY???

I am having to redo so many of them.

Such a lot of time this shit it taking.

And I'm getting my tits in a right knot.

THEN Stew decides to munch on an ice cream IN MY EAR... Well close enough, in the next chair over.

But I can't stand listening to anyone eat... so I had to leave the room.

I'm fuming.   Getting a new phone is not supposed to take you hours and hours of frustration to get it all set up, surely?

Think of me... but mostly STEW, cos I am fit to KILL.

On a positive note... cos there is one... it's PRETTY RIGHT?   And at some point I will finally get to check out the camera features.

But not yet.  I'm still dicking around with getting all me apps working.

4.28 pm:  I finally got to take some photos.

ABOVE: Using zoom in... fine details on a begonia leaf.

Not crisp enough, I probably moved a bit.

ABOVE: Coco... being adorable and NOT wanting to look at the camera.  As per usual.

ABOVE:  Very happy with that one!  Crisp.  Clear.  Detail is excellent.  Who needs a super expensive camera now days eh?

I want to find an insect next, but we have NO BUGS in this house!  Drat.

8.28 pm:  And I have done all I can on the new phone for the day.  I feel like I've got it 90% sorted, just got to work on a couple of things tomorrow.

And that's a wrap on the day.

It's been good, and slightly frustrating.  

Ending well though.

I AM HAPPY with the new phone.

AND ANOTHER ONE

 

I don't know how people do three markets in a row!

Today is our second one this weekend, and I'm already knackered.

I feel like death warmed up to be honest.

We never sleep well the night before a market, so two nights in a row?  Not fun.

We are about to head over to Cambridge for the St Andrews Labour Day Market.

At least we won't be on MUD today.  And we don't have to travel very far for this one.

So a few blessings there.

I desperately hope this market goes better than yesterdays, cos I hate reporting on shitty markets.

ABOVE:  Some happy photos of Lake Whakamaru we took yesterday on our way home.  I learnt to water ski on that lake way back when I was about 14!   You never forget some things eh?

OK, *sigh*... time to leave for Cambridge.

I'll pop back later, once we are all set up.

...

ABOVE.... 5.50 am.. and the weather looks promising!

Oh hell... I was looking in the wrong direction ! Huge storm clouds behind me. Derrr.

8.09 am. The weather has cleared.... for now.

We are all set up...

ABOVE: We love our spot here.

Now ... again it's time to relax and just wait for customers. 

10.15 am.

ABOVE:  Sunshine... then RAIN.

And it is really, really COLD.

SHOOT.  ME.  NOW.

Blogger is having a glitch. 

Anyway... its now 11.30 and the sun is out and sales have picked up. 

Yaaa.

I have me wooly hat on now ... 11.30 am. And of course the sun has come out. 

Stews off getting  us more Diet Coke. 

We are so thankful to one of my Cambridge FBG girlfriends,  she has EFTPOS and has let us do transactions using her machine. Lifesaver!

I investigated getting an EFTPOS machine, but the monthly charges are just too high.

ABOVE:  It is now 3.56 pm, and we are home after a busy day.

Apart from a few showers, the day went very  well indeed.

It was a slow start, but picked up, as we knew it would between 10.30 and 12.30.  Then it fizzled a bit, but we still made some good sales.

On a whole, the weekend was NOT a flop after all!  We did quite well today.

I was really pleased that we sold a variety of runners this weekend, for a while there all we sold were Braid Runners!

I'm quite happy to now take a break from markets until the third Saturday in November.

We will have three markets, on three consecutive Saturday's, in a row in November.  FUN.

I have now changed outta me clothes, into my warm, snuggly pj's and I'm not moving again till I need a piddle!  I am knackered.

7.19 pm:  I'm signing off for the day, I'm done and can hardly keep me eyes open.  

Catch ya tomorrow.

KINLOCH MARKET!

 

GOOD MORNING!

We are waking up in Kinloch, bright and early so we can get down to the market site, and set up.

Our set up 'time' is 6.30 - 7 am, so we don't have to set off too early.  Best thing ever being here already, instead of having to travel down at 3 am this morning!

Not sure how the weather is going to pan out, but no matter what it is like, we have everything we need for a wet or dry market.

IF you are coming to the market, we are at site # 20:

ABOVE:  We will be fairly easy to find!  Luckily we are right at the start of the market.  And very close to all the facilities like Cash Out, Information, Loos... and Lost Children!   Hopefully no one actually does lose a child, as this market is very close to the lake and marina.

That scenario would be very frightening.  

We lost Steven at the Picton Wharfe when he was about 4.  Thankfully, he was such an intelligent small child, he just took himself back to our car and stood there till we found him!!!

I was petrified we had lost him forever!

I have NO IDEA how it happened either, cos I was and still am, massively over protective of me littlies.  

But anyway... I'm now waffling, when I should be getting a move on!

Catch ya later, and wish us luck for a good day, without too much rain.

...

It rained all night, torrential rain.

Up this morning and it seems to have cleared. Thank God.

BUT....

we now have this...

ABOVE: DIABOLICAL MUD! Its a bloody quagmire everywhere.  Well not quite everywhere, some people are lucky and don't have as much as us.

ABOVE: Some of the men have spent ages spreading hay in the worst places. Now we know WHY there was hay all over the place!

Lots of people have had to be moved to other spots as there just too much water.

We are SEMI OK where we are  but its NOT ideal.

At least its not raining or blowing a gale.

Small mercies.

ABOVE: 8.30 And we are all set up and can finally sit down. And wait to see how this day pans out.

ABOVE: Its the first time we have hung stuff from our 'rafters'... works just fine.

Stew has now gone for a wander. This is a HUGE market, he will probably be gone for a while. I have ZERO interest in checking it all out. I'm bloody tired. 

11.15 am, and while there's  good flow of people here,  sales are blah. 

We had a visit from a lady who lives here who reads my blog. Emma it was lovely to meet you, and thank you so much for the knitted cardigan and hat for Lily.

7.34 pm.

We are home.

Thank God, cos we are damn tired as.

The market?

An 'average' turnover, but nothing like we expected.

Our position at the market was utter crap, because of the area we were in.

About 1/3rd of the market was inundated with rainwater overnight, and the ground just couldn't soak it up, so we had to endure mud all day long.

As a consequence, a hell of a lot of people took one look at the mud and said 'Hell no way are we going down there', and they walked away!

So the foot traffic was NOTHING LIKE IT WAS in the drier area of the market

.

It was horrible looking up the road at all the people flocking to THAT part of the market, and leaving us alone.

The worst thing was, the market organisers KNEW that our 'area' would flood in the event of rain, and seemingly did nothing about it.

And NONE of the organisers came over during the day to talk to us, or offer us any solution, or apologie for the sorry state of the ground.  That really pissed me off.

Some stall holders got a couple of trailer loads of sand delivered to lay in front out their stalls, but that didn't really help much at all.

Thank God we had taken our big rubber mats!  Not that many people actually walked into our stall!

I was so unhappy all day.

The only shining light on my day was Emma visiting, and then one of my oldest friends, Raewyn. 

Raewyn lives in Kinloch, and she came down with her partner and visited us.  It was so lovely to see her (and him), we hadn't seen each other in many years.

ABOVE: They came down in their golf buggy, so cool.  Thank You so much for visiting us you two.

So back to right now... we have unpacked our overnight stuff ... and are relaxing till bedtime.  Which will be EARLY, as tomorrow we do it all again in Cambridge.

Here's hoping for fine weather, and lots of people with the desire to spend some money!

Catch ya tomorrow.