WAITANGI DAY HOLIDAY

 

Today is a public holiday, so Stew is home for the day.

We have Johnny the painter calling in this morning, to give us a quote to paint the inside of the house.  Fingers crossed he's reasonable, cos I really want it done.  It's been on my mind ever since we moved in here.

Once he has been, we will be heading out to The Base.  I want to get my eyebrows dyed again, Stew needs to find some new work/going out shoes, and there's a few other incidental things on the list.

Knowing us, we will end up having our 'main' meal out somewhere as well.

After all that, we will come home and I shall continue working on that Braid Runner.  I fully intend getting it finished today.

Then I can move on to the Fat Bottomed Girls Runners.

ONWARD...

9.27 am, and because that runner was on my mind, particularly the horrible pointy, awkward 45 degree angles... I decided to just tackle it right away.

I did a couple of practice pieces on scrap fabric, then off I went.

It's not PERFECT... nothing ever is, but it's as good as I can do.

ABOVE: This is probably still one of my MOST favourite runners, the fabrics are just gorgeous!

At least I won't feel sad selling it as I already have one of my own.

Now... we are awaiting the arrival of the painter.

Stew is in seventh heaven, watching bloody rugby again.  Seems the rugby season starts NEXT WEEKEND!  How bloody wonderful.  For him.

Johnny the painter arrived bang on time, and we agreed on a price, and he will advise me when he can make a start later on.  

1 pm, and we are home after being out for a couple of hours.  We got most things on the list, and had a lovely lunch at Foundation at the Base.

ABOVE: First up was getting my eyebrows re-done.  They will tone down over the next couple of weeks, and look OK.

ABOVE: Stew got these lovely new shoes.

ABOVE: The shoes were 25% off, and they also gave him those swimming trunks for FREE!  (they were advertised at $99), so wow.

ABOVE: Lunch was a Foundy Burger for him, and Seafood Chowder for me.  Cheesy bread on the side, as the sourdough bread that comes with the chowder is like rocks to eat.  Stew got all my leftovers as per usual, though he did leave two pieces of the cheesy bread.  In all, a delightful meal.

I'm now going to take an hour's break, before heading into Crabby Quarters again.

4.15 pm and BOTH Stew and I have not felt well this afternoon.  We both had churning stomachs, then had to rush to the bathroom and had the 💩's something rotten!   The only thing we can think of to have caused this?  The Seafood Chowder sadly.  It's the only thing we both had today.

So, after my 'event' I felt completely rung out and had a nap.  I still feel off.

I won't be sewing this afternoon now ... I just want to sit and be still.

Not the best result after having such a lovely lunch.

SHALL I OR NOT ?

I'm trying to decide if I go to Cambridge this morning to Mosaics, or stay home and do some work with my new machine???

I am 100% sure the new machine will win out!  lol

Stupid even thinking about it.

ABOVE:  Crabby Quarters is calling me!  

ABOVE:  Last night I DID TRY Mc 2'ie.  He did just fine.  It was just like using Mc Dreamy, no different at all.  I am still going to continue watching instructional videos, in case I am missing something I could use.

But for today, I will get that big Braid Runner done, then move on to the Fat Bottomed Girls Runners.

And that's about it from me for now.  Another quiet day here.

ONWARD...  

Obviously, I stayed home and worked in Crabby Quarters.

First up was a massive sort out of where things were.  For the life of me, I couldn't find a bloody thing half the time, I'm still not organised in there.

So, I spent two hours opening cupboards, re-arranging, and LABELLING everything.

ABOVE:  90% done, and now I will spend less time tearing my hair out, trying to find shit.

After that two hours, I needed a break, so I joined a group of residents in the Community Centre for Morning Tea.  It's always nice to catch up with residents in an informal setting.  Just sitting and yakking.

I got the name of a painter who is working in our village right now, so have rung and left him a message to get in touch.  I am NOT going to paint the inside of this house myself.  I'm done freakin' painting!  I loathe it so much.

Now, I've just had me lunch, sausage/pasta concoction...  it was only so so.  Serve me right for using a bottled cheese sauce, it was yuk.

I feel like I'm putting off working on the Braid Runner... Quilting and binding it ... is a fag.  I will get to it later.  For now I'm just gunna be a bit lazy.

ABOVE: Well I was lazy for a couple of hours, and now... I'm back sewing.  I doubt I'll get this one finished today, as it's 'pub night', and I fully intend visiting the kids, then joining Stew at the pub later on.

So, I'll sew for another hour or so, then put me face on etc....

8.05 pm, just in from the pub.  I've had a lovely evening, spent time with the kids, then our friends and Stew at the pub.  Now it's time to chill out for the remainder of the evening, watch Coro Street, then off to bed.

Tonight I am barricading Coco from getting into our bedroom.  The past few weeks she's been sleeping in our bedroom ... right under my nose.

She is most active in the evening/during the night, and has been keeping me awake.  I'm done.  She has to stay out of our room.  Fingers crossed it works, and she doesn't whine and try to 'dig' her way through the barricade!

I need a decent night's sleep.  

Catch ya tomorrow, when I will tell ya how that goes.😊😉

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN FRONT OF THE SEWING MACHINE

 

I'm gunna bore you shitless today!

Because I will be working all morning, if not all day... in Crabby Quarters.

Crabby Quarters, I really must remember to refer to my sewing 'room' as that eh?  I have not even made the name sign yet.

How remiss of me.  I'll get to it eventually.

My priority right now is to build up my market stock a bit more, particularly the Braid Runners, Wave Runners and Fat Bottomed Girls Runners.  

I wish I'd kept a count of how many of them I've sold.. but sadly I haven't done that.  

I am hanging onto hope that my new sewing machine arrives this week.  Neil did tell me to expect it 'sometime' towards the end of the week.

I was so completely engaged in my sewing yesterday, I forgot to attend my WW meeting!  Oh well, there's always next week.  I am trying not to be too fixated on the numbers, and more of how I feel.  And I feel OK right now.  I'd like to be 10 kgs lighter, and I am working towards that.  It just pisses me off BIG TIME that I literally have to STARVE to lose weight now.  I'm not kidding.

I only have ONE meal a day (usually), and I'm not losing weight!  AND it's not a HUGE meal either.  Grrrrr.  Right, enough bitching...

ONWARD...

11.20 am.  My day so far...

ABOVE:  I got 'the call' first thing this morning, and was at the shop as it opened at 10 am!  

ABOVE:  Mc 2'ie looks exactly like Mc Dreamy, but the lady in the shop assured me he has a few more 'features'.  I will have a play with him later, and check out a few more instructional videos.  

But basically, I'm sure I will know how to use him.  The added features (connection to internet, making own patterns/fonts/stitches etc is not something I'm really interested in doing.

ABOVE:  It took me about half an hour to unbox him!  He came with all the usual accessories, most I've seen before, and some are new.

ABOVE: All I've done with him so far is switch him on.  😂😅😉  I have missed the bright light!  And the big work space.  And well... EVERYTHING!   There really is no comparison between BABY and Mc 2'ie

While at the shop, I did ask after Mc Dreamy, and was told they were waiting to hear back from other technicians ... they can't work out what's wrong YET.  I want him back ...  as my back up.  If he can be fixed for a reasonable price of course.

ABOVE:  I now have a car load of cardboard to take down to recycling.   It was certainly well protected inside all the boxes and packing!

While I'm dying to get sewing with him... I really must have some lunch.  I'm starving.  Probably not as much as other people, sorry other people.

Well, I'm not sewing yet.  I had lunch, just some mashed potato and baked beans... and ever since then I've been feeling like so ill!  I just want to vomit and get it over with, but can't.  So yuk, I hate feeling sick.

I have managed to pin the runner to it's batting and backing fabric, but that's it for now.

5.45 pm... after finally throwing up, I felt much better!  Thank goodness it didn't last.

As I often do after parking the car in our driveway during the day, I take it back to it's carpark before Stew gets home.

I often take Coco with me, and we have a little walk around the village, or down by the river.

Today we did the river...

ABOVE:  I have come to love the deep, dark greens of our lovely river.

ABOVE: Leaving the riverbank, and taking a little bush path back into the village, I found a little secluded area just off the path, with a bench seat... long unused by the look of it.  It's within our village, so on private property.

It is just lovely... and I shall take something down to clear the built up debris on the seat, next time I go down there.

I might also ask the maintenance men if they can make the seat sturdy again, it 'rocks' a bit when ya sit on it.  lol

ABOVE:  The view looking up is delightful.

ABOVE: Coco, bless her 😖😏, wanted to go THAT WAY... and dug her heels in and wouldn't budge!  So I had to go and pick her up to remove her from the area.

One thing I do have to be very careful of is poisonous baits that are put out to trap rats and other vermin.  Luckily it's usually in little trap contraptions, that the animal has to get into to get the bait.  But I'm still very careful Coco doesn't go near them.  They are clearly marked with fluorescent pink triangles pointing to where they are. 

Living close to the river, there are a few rodents around, though I have never seen one here.

It's nearly 6 pm, Stew should be home soon.  I can't wait to show him Mc 2'ie!  Not that it will mean diddly squat to him, he's not into sewing machines.  😂😊

How rude, I am sure Stew was not interested in Mc 2'ie at all.  Pffffft.   Oh well... end of the day, it's been an awesome day and I'm very happy.

Watching Coronation Street, I'm finally kinda enjoying it again.  And once it's finished, I will be off to bed.

Catch ya tomorrow.

IT IS AS CROOKED AT F*#k

 

I'm not exactly happy.  Last night I trimmed that runner, and put it's sashings on.  And OMG it is as crooked as all got out.

I am probably gunna have to unpick all the sashings and try to get it straight again.  It's ages since I made a Braid Runner, and obviously I forgot how to make it straight.  😖😓😒

Before I do that though, I'm going to the first Village Mosaic Get Together.  I'm taking a blank paver I already have, and some of my other mosaic stuff.  I don't know if this mosaic get together will become a regular thing here or not, I suppose it will depend on if people want to continue doing it.

ABOVE:  My new trolley got folded up last night and put in this gap in the garage.  It's so handy... I will use it again today to take my mosaic stuff down to the Community Centre.

And that is me for now... catch ya later.

ONWARD...

I have decided to just take the sashing off that crooked runner, and not use the rest (for now).  I'm making an entirely new one.

I don't do boo boo's too well, and it would have annoyed me forever not being 'nearly perfect', instead of a disaster!

ABOVE:  If we moved here for peace and quiet, we are in the wrong place!

If it's not lawnmowers, weed trimmers, hedge trimmers and the like, it's friggin tractors and concrete mixers, with huge generators running the hoses.  

I am over the noise. 

ABOVE:  I went to mosaics, it is going to become a weekly 'thing' here, so I shall probably attend here instead of Cambridge.

It was a nice group of 11 ladies (including me).  I donated all my glass beads to the group, and kept only what I think I will continue to use.

Moving on, I am now about to start unpicking the sashing off yesterdays runner.  UNPICKING... shit what a pain.

It is now MUCH LATER in the day, in fact it's dinnertime (6.45 pm).  I have spent the entire afternoon sewing up the new runner from scratch.  The crooked one has been binned for now, I might be able to cut it down into something else at a later date.

ABOVE: This is the new one, and I'm so happy to report it is STRAIGHT.  Tomorrow I will add the batting and backing fabric and quilt it, then bind it.  That will probably take me half the day.

And... that is me for the day.  I'm actually knackered and just want to sit and close my eyes for a little while.  Sewing for hours on end is hard on ya eyes.  Probably not as bad as for other people, sorry other people.

CATCH YA TOMORROW.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER RIGHT?

Sorry, I slept in... so we are running a bit late today...

NEW MONTH, NEW WEEK, NEW MACHINE.

I am super excited to be getting my new sewing  machine sometime this week.

In the meantime, I get to use BABY Brother.  Today is Craft Group, and I will be using the new trolley for the first time as well.  Can I be excited to do that too?  😂😅😉

I think it's going to be a great week all round.

Sometime today the new lid for my old Hydro Flask is arriving... so I'll have a spare Hydro Flask.  Awesome.

Right I better go and start me day, do some washing, make the bed and all that jazz, just later than usual.  lol

ONWARD...

ABOVE:  I just spent a little while making a cover for the trolley, as it is drizzling out there, and I don't want anything to be getting wet.   It's not flash, but it doesn't have to be.

3.25 pm:   Jezz you buggers are quiet today!  I think the only people who missed me this morning were Stew and Lacy, who both messaged me, to remind me to blog today.  😂😖😕

ABOVE:  I went down to the craft room early today, as I just wanted to get on with my sewing.

I had the place to myself for quite a while.

Then several ladies arrived and did their thing... knitting, crochet, embroidery etc, and yakked.

Some nice conversations were had, even though, because I wasn't at the table, I couldn't join in that much.  It was still nice. 

I was VERY glad I'd taken the trouble to make a cover for the trolley, as it was raining during craft group, and while I was walking home again.

ABOVE:  I made good progress on this Braid Runner, and will continue working on it tomorrow.  I just love this combination of fabrics.  This is going to be an expensive runner, being a bit longer than my 'norm'.  And I'm going to keep it's pointy ends.  God help me when it comes to putting the binding on!  That will be a bit shitty, but so worth it.

I am now going to take a break, work on a jig saw and but blob out for the rest of the afternoon.

Sorry for bitching about ya not showing up on here today, and thank you to those who now have!  I love getting comments, it makes my day thinking ya care enough to leave me a little comment.

I am going to do bugger all now, as it's damn hot and sticky, super humid, probably not as humid as other people's places, sorry other people.

I defrosted half a Christmas Cake today, and ate some.  *burp*... not exactly healthy for brunch eh?  lol

But it had been calling me from the freezer... seriously, it really should have shut up!

I'm signing off for the day now, nothing else is gunna be happening around here.

Catch ya tomorrow.

BIT OF THIS 'N' THAT TODAY

 

First up for today, I am heading into the sewing room to make a start on a runner that only requires straight stitching right now.  A braid runner, which I would like to get done for the next market.

At lunch time we are heading out to Liam's Birthday lunch.  He is turning 13 today.  

After that we will drop in on Steve, Bex and the kids for a little while, before coming home again.

After some considerable thought, and ideas tossed around, Stew and I came up with a name for the new sewing machine.

ABOVE:  He got that name because he will be my SECOND machine in the INNOV-IS Quilt Club range.

Mc comes first because?  I dunno... it just happened with Mc Dreamy and has stuck.  So Mc 2'ie will be his name.

Next.  Steve won a 'beach trolley' in a Super Liquor competition.

ABOVE:  It is really neat, and folds up quite small and flat.  We are thinking of getting one, so I can use it to transport my sewing stuff down to the craft room, and even stuff from the car to our stall site at markets.

We do have a trolley already, but one like the above one would be much better to use, and store.

So, we will pop out to Mitre 10 and Bunnings later on this afternoon to look at options.

ONWARD...

Short run down of our day so far, minus photos cos my computer is being an arse.

Went and bought a trolley.  Got a 'good' one from a camping place.  It was on sale.

Then on to Liam's birthday lunch, which was just lovely.  Small family gathering, no extra kids... so not noisy.  Perfect! lol

Then home to start work on the next runner... I'm just cutting out right now... I might do some stitching later on, if it gets a bit cooler later on.

Lacy is calling in tomorrow morning to pick up the 'old trolley', that she had before I 'borrowed' it back again.  I'm a bit of an 'Indian giver'... though this time I am giving it back. 

The new trolley is going to be much easier to use, and will fit more in, having higher sides.  I'm really happy with it.  Photos will come eventually.

ABOVE: Stew doing what he does best, carrying my purchases.

ABOVE:  I was a bit worried it was going to be a bit big (folded up) due to the size of the box, but nah, it's OK.

ABOVE:  That's it, it came in a forest green or the blue.  Clearly I was never getting the green one.

I've very happy with it.

ABOVE:  Me and the birthday boy, who was having a lovely birthday.

ABOVE:  The new sewing table is working out PERFECTLY.  It's the perfect height and size.  I love working on it.

Now... back to it.

9.09 pm, and I've now got all the pieces cut out for working on tomorrow.

Tonight I cooked lamb chops in the oven... with mint sauce and veges.  It wasn't as nice  as I expected it to be... just too filling in the evening.  We are not used to having a 'main' meal in the evening.  Stew just said "Let's not do that again."

Now, it's time to sign off for the day, catch ya tomorrow.

HOPING FOR A QUIET DAY TODAY

 

Yesterday was a bloody noisy day here in the village.  The cobblestone paths are being ripped up and replaced with concrete.  It's to avoid trip hazards.

ABOVE: That's one of the paths that winds around the side and back of our home.  I suppose the concrete will go down next week.

ABOVE: The tractor and truck that was working outside our home yesterday... very noisy.

Then to add insult to injury, the maintenance man mowed the lawns.  I swear I couldn't hear myself think for most of the day.   At least I have mown lawns I suppose.

ABOVE: Dear Anonymous, thank you for the water drops suggestion.  As you can see, we already have water drops.  And over the past 45 years I have tried 'doctoring' water in every manner known to man, to no avail.  I still HATE water.  

Did you know that Diet Coke is 99% WATER?  Yep, who would know that eh?  😂😅😖😂

So is Tea/Coffee/Alcohol etc.  NOT that I drink any of that shit... OK OK... I do have a sparkling wine once in a blue moon, and a hot chocolate about once a week too.  Gotta mix it up sometimes.

Anyway, enough about that... it's all been said before a gazillion times.

I'm feeling so happy since yesterday.  Making the hard decision about my sewing machine, and replacing him has taken a load off my mind.

My biggest 'thing' now is to name the new machine.  Obviously he can't be 'Mc Dreamy', cos he's not a Brother Dreamweaver.  

He's a BQ3100.  What to call him?  Any ideas?  He looks just like Mc Dreamy... but isn't.

ABOVE:  Isn't he gorgeous?  

I'm hoping Mc Dreamy can be fixed for a fair price too, so he can become my back up/use in the village craft room machine etc.

Now... today?  Stew is off to the supermarket for the weekend shop, and I'll stay home and get the housework done.  Not much to do today, as I got all the washing done yesterday.

Our plans for the day once Stew gets home... is to go on a day trip to Thames again.  This time we will check out the main street shops, grab a kebab and go sit on the beach.  Just a chill out day.

ONWARD...

ABOVE: There's a street market on every Saturday in Thames.  I'd thought of trying it out as a stall holder.  But seeing what's there, I won't be.  90% junk.  And not many people.

ABOVE:  Amusing sign.

ABOVE: Thornton Bay, the tide was out, but it was still very pretty.

ABOVE:  lunch was very nice... fresh snapper and chips.

ABOVE: The beached swimming platform... at high tide it's a good swim to it.

ABOVE: Totem? poles in a garden across from the beach.  

We spent a nice lunch time at the beach, then came home.  

Chilling out now until a bit later, when we will visit the kids for a little while.

Mc Dreamy got his name from the sewing machines name, which was Dreamweaver, so I won't be calling the new one that, or anything like that.

Stew thought of something on our drive today, so we might go with that.

I will share his idea tomorrow, once we see all options and make a firm decision, it can't be rushed!

ABOVE: That's the family ordering dinner... chinese takeaways.

We left before it arrived, as we had our main meal for the day already.

It was nice to spend some time with them, Stew hadn't seen the kids in about two weeks!

I'm now sitting in front of the telly, doing a jig saw and enjoying the fan on me.  It's been a hot, sticky day today... Summer is BACK!

SORRY... I forgot:  Hot and Sticky, not as hot and sticky as other people, sorry other people!

Time to sign off for the day, catch ya tomorrow.