Zillmere Gathering...

The last Tuesday of the month there is a Knit and Natter at Zillmere Community Centre for K4BN members. I looked forward to this because my little car was jam packed with donations from friends and family. These items needed to be handed over so they could be distributed to the needy...and that would happen at Zillmere! 

Bags of goodies filled the back seat...

And the boot (trunk)...

And the front passenger seat was filled with items too! (No photo)

That day the staff at the Community Centre had allocated our meeting room to another group...a small group from a state government department. We had to cram into a tiny room, just marginally larger than a single garage. The ladies didn't like that so we had some help to take the tables outside...and then we followed with our knitting and our chairs!

I didn't get everyone in the photo but outside was so much nicer than being crammed inside. The weather was beautiful too...a mild autumn day!

Now it wasn't just me with donations...just about everyone had a 'heap of items' to hand in.

The next photo shows the donations which had all be sorted, noted and then re packed ready to travel to the group's warehouse in Glasshouse. (Town north of Brisbane) 

There were well over 300 items handed in that day. 

We found out also that day, that approximately 850 knitted/crocheted blankets have been handed out to the needy, by the group, so far this year. Phew! That is some achievement! 

This week thousands of warm items and toiletries have been delivered by K4BN to Warwick, Stanthorpe and Roma. ( these are rural towns) Last Sunday, and Wednesday of last week, thousands of items were handed out by the group to needy people in Ipswich and Brisbane respectively. And I keep joining squares....!

Last Sunday...

Last Sunday was a busy day for DH and I...

Our parish church was filled with red balloon to celebrate Pentacost. Parishioners are encouraged to also wear red for this service each year...but I forgot! Lol. 

After lunch we headed off to an 80th birthday party. 

The party was at the Geebung Bowls Club...

The birthday girl and I met 14 years ago when we were both teaching at an inner city school. We very quickly became good friends. I expected to see lots of people I knew at this party, but that was not the case. The guest list had been carefully selected and I realised it was quite an honour to have received an invitation...we were all considered to be special friends. Some of us were more recent friends, others went back to Lee's school days and others, all those years in between.

My friend is what you would call 'a real character'; always a supportive friend and lots of fun! 

Lee had us all laughing...

Friends also had some 'stories' to tell...

Lee's Irish son in law also had us laughing...

The cutting of the cake...but not the cake the guests would get to eat....

We each got a specially made cupcake to take home. These cakes were made by one of Lee's friends...

A photo of Lee and I. Lee and I job shared for 3 years...she did Fridays.

And after this party DH and I had one more event to attend...family dinner at my niece's to catch up with my Sydney based nephew and his wife who were visiting. The menu that night was Mexican and my contribution was 2 salads. One salad my niece asked for was Mexican coleslaw. What the? I had never heard of that, so 'googled' it. Eventually chose a Jamie Oliver version...it turned out really yummy with a simple dressing of lime juice and olive oil. 

Someone I know...

I have been retired from teaching since July 2011 and I don't really miss it. I have heaps of wonderful memories though; of my former students, their parents and my workmates over those 'not quite' 40 years! It's wonderful when I'm able to 'catch up' with former students...those in my first class ever are now 54-55! In contrast, those in my last class are now in Year 11. Many of my former students have 'caught up' with me through Facebook, Instagram and Friends ReUnited (which was originally Schoolfriends.com). Some I've met up with in person...and they are always pointing out how short I am! :-)

One of the students from my Newmarket days featured a number of years ago in an article in the QUT alumni magazine, 'Links'.  The boy with the great sense of humour and fun, who loved to draw, had grown up to become a man who has had an amazing number of achievements. I'm talking about John Danalis. 

John's dad and uncle ran a veterinarian practice where I took my pets, so even years after John had been my student I would always get updates on what this young man was doing. As I expected, John did work as an illustrator. I kept the Christmas card that he made for me...hand drawn of course. (well you just never know whether your student will become a famous artist or not! lol) 

John's has illustrated children's books; some written by others but he also has written and illustrated his own books. As a writer, John is a popular speaker at schools. Read about John here or watch John speaking about his books, interspersed with a presentation to students here. He is a brilliant speaker and the students are enthralled and consequently engaged. (and probably inspired!) And here is a link to a podcast of an interview with John on ABC radio. (it's well worth a listen to learn about Mary...that's all I'm saying!!) 

Some photos of the adult John Danalis, 'borrowed' from the 'web'. 

I'm so proud to have been your teacher, John! 

Have you ever...?

Have you ever bought something online as it seemed to be a great bargain...but then you started to wonder if you had done the right thing. Remember the saying, 'if it's too good to be true...it probably is!'

Well this happened to me a little while back. A former student of mine is a physiotherapist and last year she recommended the Frankie 4 brand footwear. I checked out the website here after that recommendation and liked what I saw. Much of the business operates online but there are a few retailers who stock a limited range. The website's list of stockists showed a podiatry practice in a nearby suburb. But in March this year when I decided to look at buying a pair of shoes, they had obviously moved and the website needed updating. Now the range of these shoes is small and most retail at over $200...so it's a big investment in my view. My now battered Homyped Mary Janes, which have been my comfortable shoes since 2011 need 'retiring'; they had cost $130 and have been 'brilliant'. Regular readers would have seen them on my feet in most of our travel photos. 

I regularly get the Frankie4 newsletter and so it was, that one day an email arrived saying there was a sale. A small number of shoes in the range were selling for $59 instead of $209. What a great way to try out this brand I thought...so quick as a wink, I went to the website, a few clicks, and I had bought a pair.

It was next day I started wondering about the huge discount...was it a scam? I really thought that I'd been a bit stupid. This was the weekend...on the Monday a 'parcel man' delivered a package...

This box was inside the satchel...not just any old shoe box though...it slides like a drawer!

I tried on the shoes straight away...but they were a bit tight. But that's no problem with the Frankie 4 brand. Each pair of shoes comes with a series of inserts of different sizes and thickness (functional footbeds). The shoes had come with the full length insert already in place. I took the full inner soles out...

And I put the half inner soles in the shoes instead...still not quite right, so in goes the 'front' half inner soles in...one shoe needed 2 and the other shoe only needed 1 to be comfortable...

I decided not to use the ankle straps...

And then I walked around the house getting used to my new shoes...I loved them straight away...the instep support was just right for me and the rounded toe of the shoe meant my toes weren't squashed. 

Phew! So the bargain was for real and I got a very good deal. 

Today I went to Big W ( part of the Woolworth's chain but a department style of store) to buy a pair of slippers...I came home with 2 pairs...cheap and cheerful...and I love them too :-)

It's getting cooler...at last!

Officially Autumn began on March 1, but the hot weather has stubbornly stayed with us here in SE Queensland. We've had a few cold nights and mornings giving us hope that the cooler weather was on its way...but then that hot weather would be back. But the last week or so, we've had milder weather so maybe Winter isn't too far off? (Officially the season changes on June 1)

So is it time to get out my battered, heavy based pot? It's French and I bought it in the 1970s at a David Jones' sale. This pot gets quite a workout in the cooler months...casseroles and soups are the go then. 

Is it time for lunches that consist of a big cup filled with homemade soup served with some crusty bread?

My soup cup is the purple one on the left...of course!

I decided yesterday that it's time to change the mini quilt on the stand, to the Winter quilt made for me by Anthea of Hibiscus Stitches...( featuring Michelle's lovely snowman design)

 

And in the last week, I've started snuggling under a very special gift I got last Christmas...

Yes, a quilt that was made especially for me by DsD1, who started quilting just over 4 years when she went to live and work in Wandoan. When I was unwrapping my gift last Christmas, at first I thought that DsD1 had bought me some fabric, but then as I continued to unwrap the parcel, I saw that it was a quilt...it was the most wonderful surprise!!!

The winters here are very mild, so my big coat and other really warm clothes usually only get worn if we go away on holidays to places that have a 'proper' winter! Lol. 

Sunday last week...

Sunday of last week, DH went off to golf as per usual and I programmed the GPS (SatNav) and headed off to Old Petrie Town. This is like an historical village where lots of old buildings have been 'rescued' from demolition and have been relocated in this area. 

I had been a bit hesitant about driving there as it seemed a complicated route, but it ended up being quite easy...get  on the right road and just follow it! 

Each Sunday there are markets at Old Petrie Town but I was there for something else...

One of our friends is in a band and this band, Hot Rod Deville, were playing at the hotel in Old Petrie Town. There were quite a few of us who were there to give our support and have a fun afternoon listening to music of 'our era' :-). 

This is the deck where we lunched and then sat and listened to the music. 

Because it had been raining earlier in the day, the band set up in the pergola...(which is used for weddings)

Our friend Glenn is the guitarist on the right in this photo...

The drummer and another guitarist...

And the lead singer...

The boys practise a few times each week and the results are impressive...a great sound! 

Apparently live music in years past, was a feature at Old Petrie Town, but this is the first band to perform there in quite a while. Hopefully they will be back soon! It was a lovely 3 hours. 

More donations from generous people...

Each fortnight on a Wednesday afternoon,a group of ladies gather in a meeting room in Chermside Library, for an afternoon of crafting, chit chat and sharing of projects. This group is Sisters of Stitch and people bring in whatever craft project that they wish, so there is a lot of variety; crocheting, knitting, patchwork, hand quilting, embroidery, smocking, hand sewing/finishing of dressmaking projects, tapestry, tatting, drawn thread work are just some the projects that can be seen at SoS! And many of these ladies often hand over donations for me to pass on to K4BN.

One Wednesday recently I received a large bag of items from Margaret...

Some children's tote bags...

Several pairs of children's shorts in lovely bright fabrics...

Some cute little girl's outfits...

A closer look at that one on the left...

And lots of little dresses!

Some dresses for older girls...

And some little pouches that can be used in a number of ways...

These lovely items from Margaret will be much appreciated by the recipients. 

In the cooler months over the last few years, another lady at SoS, regularly hands me a bulging plastic bag. 

Glenda makes crocheted squares for K4BN...and I join the squares into rugs...we're a good team! :-)

So on the same afternoon that I received the donations from Margaret, Glenda gave me a bag of squares; which became this blanket.

And just this last Wednesday, Glenda gave me another bag of squares!

Thank you to both Margaret and Glenda!

It's that time again...

Yep! Tomorrow is my high school reunion meet up. For a number of years, my year level has met each year for a reunion. The numbers of attendees varies but each year we 'find' some more classmates. Our Grade 8 cohort numbered 200 and over half of these classmates have been traced. 

My high school opened in 1963 with one classroom block and an amenities block...When I started high school, a classroom block had been built to cater for the new Grade 8s.

Building work continued for many years as the school grew. The photo shows the A block which contained Admin as well as classrooms. 

But in the mid 1990s, the school was closed, the site sold and just over 50 homes were built on the land...

The next photo was taken from the primary school oval which was adjacent to the high school site and shows some of the houses in the development. 

So our beloved school is gone but the various year levels still have regular reunions...

My collage shows clockwise starting at top left, yours truly in my school uniform, complete with grey gloves and Panama hat. (Year 9) Next to that is my Grade 8 class photo, underneath that is a uniform on a mannequin. I wore that uniform in Grade 12 and yes somehow I had kept it :-/. Below that photo is the 2013 Maria at that reunion, and the last photo is my Grade 12 group photo.

Some 'new faces' will be at the reunion tomorrow as well as familiar friends. We are all in our 60s now but when we get together it's just like we are back in our teens again...some of the 'stories' have us roaring with laughter. 

Last week...

Last week I was a bit of a gadabout :-)...

Tuesday saw me heading off to the city to meet up with Jean, a fellow blogger...we met for lunch at Jimmy's on the Mall. We both ordered the lunchtime steak meal...

It certainly looks a lot on the plate doesn't it?

It was delicious! 

Jean and I had a lovely catch up over coffee and then our meal...then we said our goodbyes and I thought I would go for a wander as the city centre is quite a novelty for me these days...

So it was a short walk up to the Myer Centre. On Monday night my brother and my niece and I had been reminiscing about this Myer Centre which was opened in 1988. We recalled the roller coaster and theme park which used to be on the upper level...but it's long gone now. The ceiling is rather beautiful so I took a photo...and in my mind I could see that roller coaster up there as well as the Pirate Ship ride.

Then I saw the sign for a shop that people seem to be raving about...

So I went in for a look...it's a Japanese shop and it's filled with all sorts of items, especially items to use for storing. It reminded me of some of the shops in Hong Kong that stock Japanese items for the home. I only bought a birthday card for a special friend who is celebrating a special birthday ( one with a zero on the end) this month. But I could go back with DH one day so I have someone to help carry my purchases. 

Wednesday I was out and about again too...a friend had a fundraiser World's Largest Morning Tea so that happened in the morning...

There were lots of raffles at the morning tea and my name was drawn 3 times! But I said 2 prizes were more that enough! Lol. So I took a parcel of kitchen odds and ends from a local gift shop and a complimentary High tea for one...I really wanted the toiletries' prizes so I could donate the items to K4BN...naughty aren't I having a whinge?!! Lol

Then it was lunch with former work colleagues of DH at a local pub, Alderley Arms.

My lunch was delicious!

Thursday was yet another catch up with friends. This time at that lovely cafe at Samford...the Flying Nun. (It's in an old church, hence the name) 

Outside the cafe looking up Station St, towards Main St.

'Friends by marriage', that's how I describe these 2 friends...they have been friends of DH's since they were all teenagers in the same youth club...so when I met DH in 2002, it wasn't long before he introduced me to these friends of his...and they became friends of both DH and I! 

My lunch with its rosy hue from the light shining through a red umbrella...it was an avocado and grilled haloumi sandwich with grilled chicken as an extra...delish! 

Friday was quiet...I just went to that Trivia Night that I wrote about in my last post...