What about the Needy?

Long time readers of my blog would know that I belong to a group who work constantly at providing warm items, children’s clothes and toys and toiletries to the needy in not just Brisbane, but also further afield in our state. We would also meet up on a regular basis at our Knit and Natters which take place at various locations, such as community centres and libraries. But with the Covid-19 crisis, these venues closed. 

But as you can imagine, the demand for the items we provide grew tremendously. And our members knitted, sewed and crocheted on regardless as we knew that eventually restrictions would ease enough for boxes of items to be distributed where they were needed.  

I made blankets out of donated squares I’d been given, as well as crocheting 100 plus granny squares myself  over a number of weeks 

After Christmas I had tagged along with DH while he checked out his favourite shop, Rivers at their sales. I would grab the 5 packs of men’s socks while we were in the shop and most times DH would insist on paying for them along with the items of clothing he was purchasing. So I had a few packs of these socks which are highly sought after by the homeless in the community. ( I eventually had a stockpile of 28 pairs of men’s socks as well as 13 pairs of women’s socks. I’d had a quick trip to the Reject Shop for yarn in early May and got a good deal on socks there!) 

And it was on May 8 that those of us on the Northside of the city were able to meet in the car park of the Albany Creek Library and hand over our donations. One of our members brought a ute ( utility) and each person put their bags and boxes in the tray. 

We practised social distancing...

Debra in the front of the photo was the organiser of this collection. After she took the donations home she spread the items on tables in the sun for a few days and then she sorted and packed up all the items again ready to take to K4BN’s storage shed at Glasshouse Mountains township. A big job! 

A lot of yarn was also handed in which was wonderful as many of the ladies in the group had been running out of yarn! 

Since Debra organised that collection, other areas have organised their own collections to help restock the storage shed. We’ve had another collection at Albany Creek too, once again organised by Debra. It is easier now to get items to the shed or to community groups who also distribute our items, as we can travel any where within our state. 

This winter is turning out to be a lot colder than we’ve had here in the south east of state, for many years. So as you can guess, I’m still knitting and crocheting as much as possible. 

The Zillmere Knit and Natter is on tomorrow...the first time in many many months. The big room we use in the community centre can only take 13 people under the rules for social distancing so the contingency plan is for any extra people to sit in the outdoor area. It’s a start as they say but sadly most of our venues are smaller than this one so probably only 4-5 people per meeting room if and when they invite us back. 

More nuns?? Then and now...

In my previous post I wrote about my dressing up as a nun for Book Week in 1999...well I came across some old photos a little while back which I put aside thinking they could be used in a future post...so that time is now :-) 

The story starts in December 1971 when, for some reason or other, I bought a cookie jar for my soon to be Sister in Law...the jar was in the shaped of a monk! I have no idea why I felt that it was a perfect Christmas gift for her...but it had quite taken my fancy. I had found it in Myer's city store here in Brisbane, where I had purchased most of the gifts on my list. At the last minute I kept the cookie jar for my self and bought another gift for Marlene...Now from here the story become quite bizarre and you might 'wonder about me'? lol

Then a few years later my mother found more cookie jars in the same range in a local gift shop...and she bought both another monk and a nun! Then my MiL bought me a nun cookie jar in her home city of Melbourne...before I knew it, I had a bit of a collection going without any real effort from me! Lol. And here are some photos from circa 1973-4...it's alright to snigger/laugh uproariously at these photos because The 2014 me certainly is! Lol

Eventually after extensive renovations at our home in 1979-80, my 'monastery/convent collection' as friends called it, eventually found a home on the ledge beside the new internal staircase... 

Here is DD2, aged about 2 and the lineup of the collection can be seen in the background...

In 2000, I moved out of the family home taking very little with me...and certainly not the collection! In 2003, after settlement, I took over the house again to prepare it for sale, and the collection had gone with my former husband to Victoria. He claimed that he had bought and paid for all of the cookie jars???? So they were gone and that was that...realistically I didn't really have room in the house I now lived in. ( One beautiful German-made jug in the shape of a monk remained in the house for me to recover, as it had been in a cupboard and had not been found)  

But unknown to me DD1 was searching for replacements and one Christmas, she presented me with a box, and in that box was a monk cookie jar which she had found on Ebay. Dear DD1 was to go on to find another one a year of so later.

I then found out that she was trying to find a nun jar...I was a bit concerned as these cookie jars were quite expensive and I didn't want her spending so much...so I pre-empted her and bought one myself on Ebay from the US...the jar wasn't expensive but the postage was! lol. So once again I had a Monastery/Convent collection! They 'live' on top of the buffet hutch but during a recent dust and clean session, I took a photo of them 'posing' on the dining table! lol

The little nun was bought on a visit to Rome in 2008 and that jug previously mentioned is on the left. 

(I have seen these jars in Antique shops and prices were around the $75 mark...a big difference from the $5.99 I paid for that first one in 1971)

Favourite Things Friday...

I thought that I would join Shay over at Quilting in my Pyjamas for Favourite Things Friday.

Now what could I feature in such a post...my big bags of mohair yarns that I adore...or all those fancy yarns I've bought for my 'Mt Everest' stash of yarn or maybe some of the beautiful fabrics in my fabric stash???? Some food perhaps or my favourite flowers even? Maybe the antique linen collection I have? Finally I decided to show photos of some Toby jugs that I collected in the 1970s and which I rather like very much, lol!

They are characters out of Charles Dickens' novels, and in my opinion, they are beautifully made, albeit possibly produced in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. Yep! they are 'good old Franklin Mint' and wouldn't be worth much but my girls loved them when they were growing up.

Here's a group photo...

LtoR: Miss Havisham, Mrs Gamp, Little Nell, Peggoty

Fagin, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, Uriah Heep, Mr Pickwick

David Copperfield, Mr Micawber, Oliver Twist, Scrooge

The runner that the jugs are sitting on for the photos is another favourite item of mine. My late MIL crocheted the edging and embroidered the linen.
Another favourite thing of mine is Friday Night with Friends and I'm off now to do some knitting to finish off a project or get pretty close to finishing it maybe...

A bit of washing up to do...

'In another life' I was a mad keen collector of china. I had an ally/urger  in this endeavour; my former MIL. She too loved fine china, including the 'Blue willow design which I also loved. When she came to town and stayed with us, she and I would always check out any shops that sold such items, both new and old. In my last home I had a number of display cabinets to show off my collections.

My MIL always felt that you could never have too many teasets and for a number of years she bought me an item in Royal Doulton's Old Country Roses collection for my birthday and Christmas gifts. In the meantime I was still buying china and my collections grew. Then circumstances changed and I left that home rather abruptly. Gradually that china meant less and less to me and when, 4 years later, when I again was able to access my belongings, I began to think of them as clutter. I packaged them up with some help from friends and most have lived in boxes stored under the house or in the depths of cupboards...hardly used these last 10 years or so.

So...when SDD2 asked if she could borrow some teapots for her engagement party (which is themed Alice in Wonderland Tea Party), I also offered tea cups and saucers, cake plates etc. The offer was gladly accepted and yesterday I scrambled around in the bottom of cupboards and rummaged in boxes and brought out what I could find...I know there are more cake plates...but I found a lot just the same.
So I have a big wash up and dry up time ahead of me!~ lol But it will be a pleasure to do! Just like it will be a pleasure to see my china being used on Sunday by the younger generation.

Hmm...maybe one day I'll 'drag out' my Blue Willow china collection and work out what I can do with it.