Some bits and pieces...

Haven't blogged for a while; no particular reason...just been busy.
Firstly the Giveaway from a week or two ago for the Peter Walsh book ,'It's All Too Much'; The lucky winner is Linn, so if you'll email me Linn with your postal details, I'll get that in the mail for you.

One of the buttons on my blog is for Friday Night Sew In (FNSI) which is organised usually by Heidi but this month her cousin Crafty Vegas Mom (link for sign up) is organising things. The idea that all over the world, women are organising to just be able to sit down after dinner on Friday night and work on a project which doesn't actually have to be sewing. Read all about it over at Crafty Vegas Mom's blog and maybe sign up
 :-) ? At the moment my plan is to sew up some of those teddies that I picked up from Sharon the other week.

Now earlier this week I wrote about getting out my old school uniform and hat and I said how I was planning to take it to a gathering (just 5 of us) of old school mates last Saturday. So I put the uniform in a shopping bag and waited till we were all sitting on Ali's deck and then I pulled out the dress. Should have heard the squeals of delight and disbelief! They couldn't believe that I still had such things stored away...I think it is a fluke that I still have them. None of us could  probably  fit into the uniform (well Maybe Chris could) so we took photos of each of us holding the dress against ourselves...Talk about laugh...we did plenty of that!

Alison

Val

Chris



Jane



 

A picture's worth a 1000 words so they say....

A picture's worth a 1000 about 400 words, so let's see what I can come up with :-)

This photo was taken last Monday night when a group of old schoolfriends gathered to celebrate a friend's 60th. we gathered at Valerie's home who is standing next to me in the photo. So what are some things that come to mind when I look at the photo?

• We all went to Newmarket High in the 1960s
• I'm the odd one out in a kind of way; I was in the 10A2D class, the others were in 10C1 which was a commercial studies class.
• Valerie's son James, took the photo with the instructions,'don't make us look fat!' lol
• It was an unbelieveably hot evening with temperatures in the 30s celcius.
• Most of the group left in Year 10 to start working.
• Two of us trained as teachers but only Christine (middle of back row) is still teaching.
• All of us have children.
• One of us, Valerie, is a widow.
• Two of the group are still married to their first husbands
• Three of us have been through a divorce
• Alison, in the white, is now in the process of her second divorce.
• The three of us in the front row are not grandparents yet
• All of us have travelled overseas and two of us have lived overseas for a time.
• Six of us live in Brisbane; the birthday girl lives in Sydney.
• A couple of the 'girls' have at least one parent alive.
• Some of us admit to joints stiffening and the dependence on reading glasses.
• Three of us don't work but one of those is looking for work as investment returns are disappointing.
• We enjoy recounting anecdotes of our school days.
• We tease Jane, front left, for forgetting that we used to do sewing at primary school. She's blocked out ant memories of those samplers we stitched! lol 
• Sue (white hair in back row) hated high school :-(
•  All of us have a Facebook page and we are big fans of the social networking site as that's how we've found lots of other classmates.
• On Sunday we are all meeting at Alison's new place for a deck party to celebrate her moving into a new home. Alison has downsized and says that the deck is the largest part of the house!

Now during the vening we talked about lots of things, and one topic for discussion was our school uniform. As a group we rather liked our old uniforms and the outfit was certainly different to other school uniforms of that time. Most other high schools had a pleated skirt and a button up blouse with a hip yoke; we had a dress. Jane commented that it was a shame that we didn't keep our old uniforms...heh heh. I have a surprise for them all on Sunday.
Ta dah....!!!! From out of a storage crate in the crawl space under our house...please ignore the creases as it's been in storage a looong time! lol

The uniform that I wore in Years 11 and 12

The hat that was introduced when I was in year 11 to replace the old panama white hats

A bit hot lately...

For the early part of this week, my part of the state experienced heatwave conditions. Stifling hot days followed by very hot uncomfortable nights were the norm for 4 days. When I worked, and high temperatures were predicted, the school had a number of procedures such as showing movies in the aircond library at lunchtime, more breaks for drinks, extra rostered time at the school pool, art lessons and quiet, free reading activities on the concreted areas under the buildings etc.
And it's a bit like that at home too with routines adapted. Extra hot days means more showers taken, ceiling fans on, doors and windows open to get cross breezes, salad meals and cooking meat on the BBQ, fresh bedding and night wear after a hot humid night, lots of chilled filtered water, I wear sarongs around the house and the minimum of house work gets done! DH and I don't have a pool and we don't have airconditioning and the number of days when it is 'super' hot is a very small precentage of the whole year so we do 'survive' quite nicely.

DH and I walked on the Redcliffe Pier

The view from the cafe

Seagulls lined up 'waiting to catch a wave' perhaps?

We do sometimes go to the movies or the council library to use the aircon there! lol Where we live is also fairly close to beaches and going the other way, we are half hour from the mountain range areas behind the city with their cool rainforest parks and picnic areas with cold creeks flowing; so we're pretty lucky! So on Thursday, just gone, DH and I took a 30 minute drive north to Redcliffe, one of my favourite places. We went  for a walk enjoying all the lovely cool seabreezes and then had a coffee at Banjos, a cafe chain which we first discovered in Tasmania in 2010.

A cool change has come to this part of the state so I'm now working on the myriad of jobs that need doing around the house...and in the garden.

The answer to a household full of 'stuff' perhaps?

Yesterday I wrote about the on going process of de-cluttering. Today is a little light hearted post; a bit of whimsy. On the K4BN (Knitting for Brisbane's Needy) forum page there has been a lot of bantering about the fact that a TARDIS type storage container would solve all the problems of storing yarn stashes. (the TARDIS is Dr Who's travel/time machine and is much bigger inside than it appears on the outside)
One of our new members, Sharon, using a bit of 'trickery and illusion' posted the following photo on the forum page; much to everyone's delight! Sharon very kindly allowed me to use her photo on the blog :-)

I've just had a thought...some readers may not know who or what Dr Who is. It was originally a BBC production featuring a number of actors who played the lead role over many years of production. In more recent years it has be revived and is now popular with a whole new generation of watchers. There should be plenty of info on the net if you google it. The TARDIS resembles an old English Police Phone Box.

Decluttering: the 'series'!...and a giveaway :-)

How many times have I mentioned 'de-cluttering' in posts? Lots! that's for sure. I've de-cluttered my wardrobe and the cupboard in my sewing room over 2011.And I've been working enthusiastically on  this task over the last few weeks. I think that it's a 'throw-back' behaviour to when I was working. The long Christmas school holidays were always my 'spring-cleaning' time. I'm not alone in this almost passion for de-cluttering. Tasmanian Minimalist is a dedicated de-clutterer with a number of posts with suggestions/ideas and challenges on this topic. 'Tas' also has a list of items that she has removed from her home day by day over the last year. When you read through it, you wonder just what has she got left lol!

A bag being filled with items for the Lifeline Bin

DH and I would have probably 15 of these large containers; gradually emptying them.

The book which has made a lot of sense to me

On my knitting forum page that I belong to, there is even talk of de-cluttering there. This de-cluttering calendar  link was included on the forum page today and looks quite useful. Through the reading of blogs I became aware of this book, 'It's all too much' by Peter Walsh and on the spur of the moment, I bought it earlier this year through an online bookshop based here in Australia. When it arrived I thought, 'Why did I waste my money on this?' I even commented that it would be the 'same old, same old' self help type of book. But I did read a bit of it before we went overseas and I had time to mull over Walsh's basic message. This is a blurb on the book from Amazon:-

When Peter Walsh, organizational guru of TLC's hit show Clean Sweep and a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show, appeared on national television shows and told people how they could reclaim their lives from the suffocating burden of their clutter, the response was overwhelming. People flooded Peter's website (www.peterwalshdesign.com) with success stories about how his book had changed their lives. Peter's unique approach helped people everywhere learn to let go of the emotional and psychological clutter that was literally and figuratively choking the life out of their homes.
With his good humor and reassuring advice, Peter shows you how to face the really big question: What is the vision for the life you want to live? He then offers simple techniques and a step-by-step plan to assess the state of your home, prioritize your possessions, and let go of the clutter you have been holding on to that has kept you from living the life you imagine. The result is freed-up space, less stress, and more energy for living a happier, richer life every day.

I especially like that last bit!
The main things that his book got me thinking about was the 'Why' of what makes people keep stuff and continue to add to this stuff and his advice of how to stop being sentimental about some belongings. My mother was a hoarder...she had a wooden tea chest (a cube shaped box about 3ft by 3 ft by 3 ft) full of recipes clipped from the old Telegraph newspaper over a number of years starting in the late 40s. She never made anything from those recipes. She had every copy of the English Women's Weekly for over 30 years; later she was to also buy the Readers Digest, New Idea and Woman's Day and keep every copy of those. When I was in my early teens, she discovered Mills and Boon books...you're probably getting the picture here? Then there was her 'fetish' for handbags and purses...lol

For a few years our children have been saying that they are not looking forward to when DH and I die, for all the usual reasons...but they also add that they are not looking forward to emptying the house....even adult children can be quite 'guileless' and straight to the point, saying it like it is, eh? DH and I in 2002, compacted 2 1/2 households into one medium sized home. Since then we've found homes for lots of excess furniture and appliances. But we still feel cluttered and behind cupboard doors lies lots of clutter and excess belongings. Peter Walsh is very helpful in helping change my 'mindset'...just because I've had something for years doesn't mean that my children want to inherit it.

DH and I were storing crocheted throws made by his mother; we weren't using them. DH's girls were happy to have one each plus another grandchild  in Canberra loved the idea of having one of grandma's throws.

Just because I love a piece of fabric (dress weight) and have kept it for 25 years without sewing it, why would there be any chance that I may sew it any time soon? Why am I keeping wedding and engagement cards from my first marriage? Peter Walsh suggests taking photos of items if you love them but move them out and on if they have no use...I don't agree with doing that with everything but believe me, there are a ton of things that I do see the sense of what he says and I'm moving them out. When my best friend sabotages my efforts by insisting I take her boxes of fabric, I now point blank refuse as the book has helped strengthen my resolve.

I need to go through my boxes of photocopied quilt and knitting patterns...some have been in the box for years...what are the chances I've forgotten what's in the box and what are the chances I still want to make those items?...move 'em out. Same with my recipe drawer and recipe books. I have several years of 'Australian Stitches' magazine...some useful articles but most techniques are online these days, so they are moving out to either the SOS 'table' or in a charity bin. DH and I need to go though our CD, video (soon outmoded) and DVD collection and if we don't want to re-watch a DVD, we'll move them on.

Peter's book also has a chapter where each room of the house is discussed and suggestions made. I've already got some ideas for de cluttering the kitchen as well as the hutches in the dining room which are overloaded with dishes and bowls that we never use. For many years I've continually bought 'new, bigger and improved' storage boxes/crates and read up on clever innovative places to put these overfilled storage boxes in the home. Walsh points out that that does not solve the problem of clutter, it actually exacerbates the problem...he urges that people get rid of items so they don't actually need extra, new  storage containers. So far I've moved a lot of stuff out of our home but very little has gone into land-fill (in other words thrown in the bin), most has gone to charity shops and some has found new homes in the family.

From being quite dubious at first about the quality of Walsh's book, I ended up being a fan. As I previously said I ordered the book online last year. When I returned from OS, I found that Fishpond.com.au had sent me yet another copy from their UK shop...go figure??? So if anyone would like a copy, I'm giving this second one away; after all if you're serious about de-cluttering you certainly don't have 2 copies of the same book!!! Just leave a comment saying you'd like it and non bloggers are included as well of course.

Teddy 'skins' and other things...K4BN (Knitting for Brisbane's Needy)

It's ok, this is not a post about the fur trade :-)
Years ago I used to make rag dolls and at one stage had like an assembly line when I made them as I'd do the sewing up of a number of dolls at one time. That would give me a supply of sewn up dolls which just needed stuffing and dressing. One day, one of my girls saw one of these 'shells' of a rag doll and commented that it was a doll's skin! Probably a pretty accurate description of the unfinished doll.

Anyway, the other day I volunteered to do some donation pick-ups for the Knitting Charity I belong to as the 2 locations were a short distance away from where I live. I'm just a very small cog in a rather large wheel but it's great to be involved. The needy in 'Knitting for Brisbane's Needy', refers to a diverse group of people. Some lost everything in the floods, some are in nursing homes, we knit items for premature babies, homeless people which can include whole families, people living on low incomes, children in care, grandparents who are raising grandchildren, chronically ill people, people with disabilities, we've sent items to NZ, bushfire victims in other parts of Australia, cyclone victims in FNQ, Hope community which helps those who have been in jail as well as those with mental illnesses, dog and cat refuges (blankets and dog coats) as well as dog coats for the dogs of homeless people. As well as knit, some ladies sew clothes for children in Aboriginal communities and we also make and fill toiletry bags. The latter we can't keep up the demand...it is very great need. People when they hear about the work we do can be very generous. So talking about generosity I'll come  back to talking about my 'pick ups'...


At the first one, Sharon gave me 15 knitted teddies that were 'skins'...they need sewing up, stuffing and faces embroidered on them. Sharon had found these unfinished bears in an op (thrift) shop. Her neighbour also donated 46 crocheted squares. So a bit of work to do there...such a wonderful donation!

Teddy 'skins' lol!

Crocheted squares from Sharon's neighbour

The next pick up was 3 bags of donations. One bag was full of pretty pastel coloured beanies in small sizes. The other 2 BIG bags contained a large number of knee/lap rugs. I discovered that I knew the husband of the second donor, a lovely lady called Pam. He is a retired principal and a real gentleman. Pam was delighted to 'off load' all these beautiful items as she said now she had room to start making another lot! So at the next Knit and Natter I'll hand all these items over with possibly some finished teddies instead of 'teddy skins'! lol

A dear friend of my late parents rang me the other day and during our chat, Mary again asked me if I knew any organisations or individuals who might be able to use her rather large stash of fabrics. For many years, Mary was a dressmaker and she made many frocks for me through my early years including my first ball gown (I  took over sewing my own clothes from Grade 9 but wasn't ready to tackle a ballgown at 17). Mary is 87 now and it's really starting to bug her that she has so much fabric, so I promised I would see what I could do. The lady who runs 'Sisters of Stitch' has lots of contacts so I sent her an email describing the situation and explaining that the fabrics are mostly dress weight rather than patchwork type cottons etc. Bingo!! Judie answered my email straight away and knew exactly who would take the fabrics and what could be done with them. So now I just have to organise to pick up the donations and deliver them to Judie's place...unused, unwanted items finding a new home! Good feeling...

January 4...

Today I went to the funeral of a former colleague, George. He was the teaching deputy at the school that was my first posting and seemed quite old! lol Of course he was younger then, than I am now and I'm certainly not old...lol! He was 91 when he died on the last day of 2011 and had obviously enjoyed his retirement years. I have many memories of George but one particular one I shared with his widow today. Dot used to pack the most magnificent lunches for him...all of us in the staff room were quite envious of those lunches!

January 4 has particular meaning for me; it is the anniversary of my father's death. He died in 1967 which is a while ago now. I always felt that I didn't really know my father that well because up to the age of 15 (when he died) I had never really talked to him at great length about his early life. Those missed opportunities over those 15 years to talk about him, have occasionally plagued me over the years. I wrote about my dad's final illness in this post.  (Sorry I always seem to be linking back to that same post, but I guess so much happened in that decade )   Let's fast forward to January 2008...

DH had had to go to Canberra (the national capital) for work and because I was working .8 again that year, I joined him on the Thursday night. DH suggested that on the Friday, while he worked, that I should go to the National Archives and see if I could find some records of my dad's migration to Australia. I was a bit hesitant as I felt that I had little detail to give them to start the search. However on Friday morning I fronted up to the enquiry desk at the NAA building. The lady behind the desk was so helpful and encouraging...she said I would probably be surprised at how much I did know. I said that I think he was 16 when he arrived so I thought he may have arrived in 1925 but I had no idea of the ship or which port.

Her fingers seemed to fly over the keyboard and within a matter of minutes she had found my dad and told me he had disembarked in Brisbane in March 1925 and the ship was the Regina D'Italia. I just stared at her in amazement...and then burst into tears because of the emotion of the moment! The archivist then took me to the microfiche 'room' and hepled me load the machine and then find my dad's name on the ship's manifest. She then said that the details on the other file showed there was another document available which I could order as it wasn't scanned and put into the public domain at that time. I organised for that document to be sent to me, not having a clue what it would be.

My dad and his brother

The cane has been cut! Dad is third from the left

The boys have got the knives ready to cut; dad is third from the right

It arrived 3 weeks later and boy! wasn't it worth the wait! It was a scanned copy of my dad's temporary passport. I'd had some lessons in Italian but I needed my SIL Mary, to help me read some of it. She was able to decipher that dad, as a minor, was travelling with a married couple. He boarded the ship in Genoa, so he would have had to get to that northern city from his home in Catania province in Sicily...and then travelled to the other end of the world. What an adventure for one so young and without any English!

My dad came to join his older brother who was already in Australia cutting cane in the Innisfail district of Queensland. My dad used to tell the story that when he arrived he was too young to join the canecutting gangs so my uncle and his mates 'hid' him in their barracks' accomodation and he did the cleaning etc to earn his keep. Then when he was 17 he started cutting cane. His stories used to make it sound such fun...but as I got older and read about those days, I realised that it was a hard life and immigrants also ran the gauntlet of racial intolerance as well. But I guess my dad wasn't afraid of hard work and he did seem to enjoy his years in the cane districts.

Dad on the right; note the swimsuits! The building in the background is the 'castle' in Paronella park in Nth Qld circa 1930s

Dad and his first wife Vera

Dad in his early 40s when I was born