new blog

you can find it here kiwirachfindinghome

testing testing ......

looking to see if blogger is playing nicely!. managed a title this time, now the pic - nope! - been put in above and still on its side.
job for this weekend is to establish a new blog me thinks!

Blogger is really annoying me - now i cant even give my post a title!.

anyway, a teaser of a post to come .....

great!!, its turned the photo onto its side - excellent.
time for a new blog host!

Homemade part 2!.

I've had a very productive weekend considering i spent half of it sitting on my chuff watching rugby!!. last night i sat and created my second art journal page, and while there are things i'd do differently, or add, i'm not going to for this and use it as a stepping stone to the next page. other than the blue paint, everything on the page is old stash - how cool is it that the stuff you consider to old for scrapbooking is perfect for art journalling!. i'll break down the info more if people are interested, but since about 3 people read my blog, i sharn't stress about it. the quote is 'make your hearts desires happen' and for me, my 3 main goals in life are on that page - to own a house, have a cat and a garden. the garden element is more subtle - the pp on the body of the house has fruits on it, to represent food production!. then today i decided to make yo yos, which is a kiwi biscuit made without eggs (which i hadnt realised!), and flavoured with custard powder, and sandwiched with a butter/custard powder icing - very yummy!. and finally, not a make - yet!, but the start of one!. this is my next major project, and a quite ambitious one!. i'm going to make LM a quilt from some of her baby clothes. i've started separating the clothing, and researching pinterest for designs, and over the next couple of weeks am going to research sewing machines, as i have started this quilt previously but it was rubbish trying to do it by hand!!. and finally - rude words to blogger - it wont let me tidy up my posts when it decides to post it looking like a dogs breakfast, so i may consider a different blog site, as yesterdays post, no matter how much i try to edit, wont change!.

Homemade - my kinda fun!.

Here is the finished blanket. I'm so thrilled with it and its something that i will use (& have done since England seems to think its in the southern hemisphere!) for many years. i made it with 100% wool so that it would be pretty, and warm!. I followed the very clear and excellent tutorial from Signed with an Owl blog. i ended up doing 8 lines of grannys round the edge to finish it off. i've also been baking - 2 batches of my favourite Donna Hay chocolate biscuits - i tried to find the recipe online, but the closest on the Donna Hay website contains milk, which my recipe doesnt. I found my recipe in the Daily Mail magazine many years ago, and it makes a lovely fudgy biscuit with big chunks of choccie in it. today i made ANZAC biccies and finally, i have been playing and learning techniques for art journalling, i have finished one page completely and am thrilled with it as my first attempt. i am interested in doing a calendar journal as well, and did make pages for this month, but i'm not happy with both the pages and the book its in, so am going to rethink. i have been keeping a note of whats been happening, for when i get the pages done. i've decided to do 12 x 12 and into an empty AC craft album i have. i'll show when its done!.

the blanket is finished!.

after several months of crocheting during sporting fixtures i have finished my first ever crocheted blanket!. its a bit dark to take piccies now, so i'll do that at the next possible chance for show'n'tell!. i have also begun getting into and practicing art journalling techniques, and have got the basics of a calendar journal started for this month. i just need to set up the printer for the final bits, then i can photograph that as well, & begin to fill in the spaces!.( i have been keeping notes!) photos to follow soon - work is getting in the way of my playtime!.

The New Digs!

Today i moved out of a shared property and into a flat on my own. i'm back in a road i used to live in, but this time at the entrance rather than the very end of the road. this time my home only has 2 numbers in it, whereas before it was in the 300's!. i walked out to the supermarket once all my ''treasures'' were inside, and it tool 3 minutes of painful walking!. and thats to the supermarket across the road. there is also one on this side of the road, that my living room window overlooks....well its carpark and trees!. that 3 mins was a painful waddle after all the box lugging i did!. i had come home yesterday on the new journey route and it took 45mins!, it used to take my 1.5hrs!. havent done the morning trip yet, so dont know if its also 45mins, or a bit longer....tuesday i will find out. i wont put up any photos just yet, as it currently looks like a storage facility!. i've got a week off before the Jubilee weekend, and i'll play house then and make it all pretty and homely!. so, new digs, new chapter!. looking forward to it!.

more crazy cat lady pics!.

the other day i shared this pic i found on pinterest

it makes me giggle everytime i look at it....you can see who the trouble makers are going to be!. now this evening i have found the next installment -

again, via pinterest!.

End of an era.

This evening i gave away all my remaining gardening equipment and berry canes to a well deserved schoold gardening project. While i feel excited about moving and the relief it will bring me, i feel very sad to say goodbye to that stuff. My beloved boysenberry that i brought even before i had the keys to the allotment and to me is a little reminder of home as we love boysenberry flavoured things - esp ice cream!. i couldnt keep them as i have no outdoor space where i am moving to, so its silly to be sad!. i have kept the blueberry and will see if it will produce berries for me on a sunny windowsill....i just have to make sure the bees can get to it to pollinate it!. this morning i took a few snaps to remind me of them!.

all 6 pots - the 4 raspberries on the right, the blackcurrent at the front left and the boysenberry behind it. all if them have thrived well in the pots and several have begun to set flowers, so i hope the children look after them!. oh well!, onwards and upwards as they say.

I'm going ''home''........

No Ms Bright, you do not need to inform Border Control, i am not leaving the country, rather, i am moving back into the road i used to live in for 3 yrs!. I'm giddy with excitement!!. by the 26th of May i will be out of here, in there and so much weight will be lifted off my shoulders....i cant wait!. I can, however, wait for the packing of the crap!. Boy!!, i have to sort my 'treasures' out!.

not much today!

i have not achieved alot today!. the weather is miserable and that just compliments my mood at present!. i have begun the packing in preparation for moving, and boy, i cant wait to be out of this miserable place!. i love my room....i shall miss it....loads of sun all day, when the sun bothers to shine, and i doubt i'll be lucky enough to have that again!. i have so much crap!. i really need to figure out why i need so much stuff, or cant throw things away!. i am determined to get ontop of that in the new place as its going to be a small place, plus, am i moving back to NZ or not?, which will mean i have to cull big time!. i havent done any more crocheting for the blanket edges this weekend....it will have to wait to next weekend!. at least thats a bank holiday weekend....so more time to play, and pack!. i have, rather foolishly, packed away my art journal stuff when i should have kept the pad i was using out so i could continue to dabble with drawing....will have to do that on scrap paper for now!. i want to come up with a figure i can use and some doodling that is unique to me, and i'm thinking something Maori inspired, and i want to play!. i am now in the 'less than a month' phase and while overall i feel down, and thrilled i have made it to the end. i'll be poorer, but thats another story!, but boy will i be happier!. life lesson - dont live with humans!. finally, i have to share this with the few of you who read this, it made me laugh out load and given my current statement on my goal in life, it fits beautifully.

i found it on pinterest my current goal in life is to be the crazy cat lady with 387 cats and purple hair. its gotta be easier that living with a human!.

25th April - Lest We Forget

'' they shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn, At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them, We will remember them''. Laurence Binyon.

Decisions, decisions.....

i now have 3 rows of granny stitches round the edge of my blanket, and am kinda thinking its ok as it is. not sure, if the other 2 are necessary!. thoughts on a postcard please!.

Crochet and Sport do mix!!

this morning i started with one half of my blanket joined, from last weekend, and 3 rows to join up. During the Crusaders win over the Hurricanes, i joined those 3 rows up, and took a photo....

then i joined the 2 blocks of 3 rows together during an all aussie super 15 game....

then, during qualifying for tomorrows Grand Prix, i begun the granny striping round the edges......

i'm aiming for 5 rows...1 orange, 1 white, 1 light pink and 2 navy, then i'll see how it looks. i may consider a decorative edge, but i'm at a point of wanting to finish this before i move so i'll review that after the 5 rows. i'm pretty pleased with myself as this is only the 4th crochet project i have finished (cos it could e finished now, i just want more rows round the edge!). i wont do anymore today now, as i have a headache, and will hopefully get 2 rows done tomorrow during the GP, as i find doing trebles very theraputic!.

Play time!!

have been having a small play!!. still liking the credit card swiping technique!. have played a little with the watercolour paints i got off ebay, and the jury is still out. i also tried out the digitial stamp i got from etsy, printing and colouring it in!. i rather enjoyed the colouring in bit!. maybe i should get a colouring in book!!. anyway heres a piccie from just now, of creations on the floor drying and waiting for the next step...whatever that maybe!. i did try the bubble wrap and thats quite cool!. who knows, by sunday there might be something more to show from this lot!.

Creating Things

This morning, whilst watching the Shanghai Grand Prix i managed to join 3 rows of the blanket together...took the whole race, only stopping for one loo break and whenever Martin Brundle got excited!. i have 3 more rows to join to this then the border can begin. At the moment i am thinking i will do a row of white, light pink and 2 rows of navy as the border, then decide about a decorate edge. the first half joined up....

Yesterday i went to the Stamp and Scrapbooking show at Ally Pally for the first time in a couple of years. i've been getting the itch to make something with paper for a little while now, thanks to all the inspiration on pinterest and my mate Ally's blog re art journalling. I treated myself to some stamps and some new inks, as the ones i currently have, i've had for about 7yrs and are probably well past their sell by date!. when i got home i started to play with the glimmer mists i have.....i wont show you attempt one....it got a bit dark in colour!. however this is the second attempt, with some added stamping....

its an A5 size journal from Oz (kikki k, whos products i love!). then this morning i decided to try a paint technique i read about last night and this is what i've come up with, which i really like!....

its blue, yellow and white initially, then a bit more white and finally some red, all scrapped round the page, with the shell rewards card....it might as well be useful since i have no car now!!. the brush was only used to stir the white paint that was a bit gloopy!. really like this technique. i shall wait for it to dry before i think about the next stage!. if only it was a 4 day weekend again, cos there isnt enough time to play!!.

Easter Holiday Hooky!!

Phase 2 of the blanket has begun!. I finally got the last of the 30 squares completed yesterday while watching rugby on the telly!. then last night i got inspried to make something else that i had seen on one of the blogs i follow!. i made a ripple dishcloth, and i love it!. it took about 2hrs last night, and then this morning i decided to stitch the edges to seal in the ends and tidy the piece off!. i think some more of these are on the horizon!. today i have begun the joining of the squares for the blanket. i laid out and played with options for the pattern and then piled each set of 5 together. i found a joining tutorial i liked and set off!. it takes me about 1/2hr to join the 5 squares, and so far i've done 3 rows....i kept getting distracted!. i've also been busy in the kitchen cooking up two batches of food for the freezer....i need to run down the meat in the freezer in prep for leaving this place!. when i have finished the blanket i'll do a post with the links to the patterns i followed. and now for the piccies.... the piles of squares waiting to be joined

laid out on the bed

first 3 lines joined up

and finally my current pride and joy!!...

i followed Lucy's instructions for the ripple

spring on the 'allotment'

I realised this morning, this year is the first time in about 4 years where i dont have seedlings starting in pots in every south facing window :-(. I decided that since it is a beautiful morning i would attend to my patio allotment!. the squirrels have destroyed 2 of my blueberries, trying to bury their nuts, and the slugs have finished off the leeks....i think i got one meal of the 2 pots!. so i emptied the soil out of the leek pots, holding some back to fill in where the squirrels have tried to dig in the boysenberry and raspberries. I have tempted fate and repotted the remaining blueberry into a larger pot....something i was meant to do when i potted up the 2 smaller ones last year, and forgot my plan until it was too late!. its probably the wrong time of the year to repot, given it has spring growth on it, but it will get pot bound if it stays where it is, and i dont yet know if i will have outside space in my next place or not, so if it doesnt survive, it wont be the end of the world. all the raspberries, boysenberries and blackcurrent have sprung into life and seem quite happy in their pots for the moment. i've given them all a bit of FBB and a good drink, they get a good dose of sun where they are, and are thriving....hopefully i might get a few berries....again, if i have somewhere to keep them come the end of May.

above right to left.....a black pot of soil!, 4 raspberries, the blueberry in the front in the tray, the blackcurrant is behind that and the boysenberry is hidden at the back.

the boysenberry springing to life!.

25 Squares

Well, i am up to 25 squares for my blanket, and after laying it out to photograph, i've decided that i need another 5, before i can start the joining up. I have an idea for the joining, but more research is needed ( read - surfing Raverly and Pinterest!!).

2nd Pinterest make!.

I was happily pinning away on pinterest when i came across a recipe for a Chocolate Sour Cream Cake. mmmmm, i thought!. my 'coffee cake' has sour cream in it and makes a beautiful cake - the words are in ' ' because there is no coffee in the coffee cake....its a term the Americans use for cakes they eat with coffee apparently!. So i whipped up the cake....a very easy cake to make, however i hit a small road block....i didnt have enough sour cream!. i decided to carry on and see how it turned out. it needed more time in my oven than what was stated on the recipe, and i'm sure my oven is ok, as other things cook within the required time. because it needed longer there is a slight burnt cake smell wafting through the house!. the taste....well....it tastes ok, however, i dont know that i would say it's the best chocolate cake i've ever had, like some of the reviews said. i also havent iced it, and probably wont.....cuts the calories somewhat!!. it is lovely and moist in the middle( and yes it's cooked!!)...the outside edges are a tad crispy from the extra time in the oven!. so all in all, about a 7.5/10!. excuse the flash in one of the piccies....but it gives a good indication of the cross section.

tell you what though.....a website full of chocolate recipes.....will add that to the list of websites to waste time in!!.

new treasures!.

Today i took a bus ride or 2 to an antiques fair in Potters Bar. I've been to it a few times now, and usually manage to come home with something!. Today was no different. I managed to get home on the bus without breaking a platter, vase, soup spoons and 2 Wade elephants!. Since i had brought the vase, i decided i needed some spring flowers to go in them, so went to the supermarket on the way home and got some tulips....my favourite spring flower. so.....show'n'tell time...

also, here is a full length picture of the crocheted birdhouse i brought a couple of weeks ago

I want a blue house!

on a miserable wet sunday in London, i am spending some time on a virtual open home tour of houses in Christchurch again, and again, i have fallen in love!. where as before i loved the other house because of its different layout, todays house swoon is more in keeping with the period style of house i actually prefer. i love these houses, the period details, the leadlight windows and if you're lucky some beautiful mantels as well. todays house i quite like in its entirety - needs some updating and TLC....but the section is to small for any decent vege production. however what i love the most is the outside paintwork....combined with the greenery, its gorgeous, and i have decided, when i grow up, i want one just like this!!. here is the full listing for the property if you want a sneaky peak yourself!

now where am i going to hang the dressing gown?!

on pinterest recently was some cute crocheting, which i duly pinned and hoped would have a pattern attached. when i went to look into it, i found there was no pattern, just a link to an esty store. so i went to look anyway, but thought it would be in the US, and to much money to buy!. imagine my surprise to find it was in Holland and under £20 inc postage, so, i had to buy it!.

the shop is called TeenyWeeny Design and she has some lovely crocheted items!. i shall endeavour to take some better pictures of it today when the lighting is better!.

Kia Kaha Christchurch

the the first anniversary of the deadly earthquake i think of you and wish so very much i was home. I am attending a memorial event in south London tonight where the 'One Year On' documentary film will be shown. I dont expect to survive the evening without tears!. Remembering you toda Christchurch and my fellow Cantabs.

The Purple Bag.

Last week on my way home i decided to go to Libertys. In the 20yrs i have lived in london i have never been inside the shop, and have often wondered what treasures awaited me in there!. Well, i can honestly say not much!. i discounted 2 floors of fashion because they wouldnt have anything in my size that didnt require more limbs than i have to pay for it!. so i headed up to the haderdashery and homeware sections!. again, not alot that really grabbed my fancy!. however, having said all that, i did manage to come home with 2 purple bags!!.

in the bathroom section i found my favourite Italian soap, and amazingly, £1 cheaper than its sold for in Enfield!. so i got the last bar they had in the variety i like!. i also brought about hair turban, as the one i got in the States is fab, and still going strong, but having a spare is always a good idea. then the trouble started!!. i headed into the kitchen area....oh boy!. i had to really talk strongly with myself about just 'window shopping'. however i still managed to walk out with a large purple bag!. i spied 4 cereal bowls (all they had left), by Royal Doulton for £5 each!. not bad, and i love the soft blue on them.

then i saw the storage jars.....swooon.....i want more!. again, each was less than £5 each as well. i love that they are glass, and that they are different. i am going to get a few more of the jars, and also see if i can get relacement rubber seals and metal clasps. so, in conclusion, its an amazing building full of very helpful staff, but not alot in it that i desired or could afford.....picked up one flan dish....about 15cm diameter...£76 if you please!.

progress

i am making progress with my blanket and have stumbled upon a new way colourway for the squares, which i also like!. so now the blanket is going to have about 3, possibly 4 different patterns for the squares, while they still follow the overall master plan!. i say 4, cos as i was making the 3rd pattern i thought about another option, but have yet to try it!. since this photo was taken, i have made two more original pattern squares, using the 4 nonwhite colours. i'll photograph the squares again this weekend. seeing it laid out on the bed shows me how much i am going to need to make, if i want it to cover a double bed!. so i need to think what i want it for, to know how many more squares i need to make. then, and i keep saying this, i need to thinking about blocking and joining up the squares!!.

Basil Brush!

I walked into the kitchen yesterday afternoon and noticed at the end of the garden in a patch of sun, was a fox. he stayed for quite some time, looking for food i think has he tried to eat a few things. I ran upstairs and got my camera and took a bunch of pics thru the window of the back door as he would have gone if i actually opened the door.....which i did after the photo session, to throw out some bread. the fox legged it when the door opened, but when i checked back later most of the bread was gone - to the birds or the fox, i dont know!. you can see how cold our temperatures have been, this snow was from last weekend, and despite sunny days, it hasnt melted yet!. anyway, heres Basil enjoying some warmth from the sun!.

something nice for the kitchen!

there is a shop in London that i love....it has quirky different things, because, as i've mentioned before i really dont like the sameness that seems to prevail here in the UK. this shop is called Oliver Bonas, and they have opened a branch near my office......oh danagerous, very dangerous. they have been carrying the Pip Studio china which i cant decide if i want or not, so on monday while changing buses i decided to pop into the shop and lust after the Pip Studio and try and make a decision. well, my local branch isnt carrying it, so i had a look at the other things on the shelf and i saw these......oh my....me likely!. you can find them here

you're about 6wks to late!!

last night it snowed!. for the first time this winter we got a good dump of white stuff on the ground, and it sure does look pretty. would have been nicer to have had it for Xmas tho!. its going to make for a fun time getting to work tomorrow on the bus!. anyway, in response to a request for piccies to show my niece in Queensland Australia, what snow looks like, here are some piccies. the first 2 are taken 12hrs apart out my bedroom window, looking in one direction up my street.

this is looking in the other direction.

a snow wave!.

hopefully in this picture, you can see where the foxes have been running around the back garden like silly buggers!. noone else has been out the back til i took the pics, so all that churned up snow is from the foxes!.

a pic to show how much fell overnight...i reckon a good 10cm!.

finally, my allotment on the patio....there are leeks under that snow somewhere!!