Love. . . My NZ Mum

Survivors' Lap of the Cancer Society Relay for Life, March 2012

My feisty, funny and beautiful mother-in-law died last Wednesday after heart surgery. We were told the mortality risk was approximately 10%, but she never regained consciousness. Her body just couldn't take it. I guess we all want to imagine that OUR loved ones will end up in the lucky 90%.

We had a service on Saturday to celebrate her life, and it ended up with us laughing as much as crying :) I spoke in front of everyone, telling tales of funny things she got up to, and how much she meant to me. So much more than a mother-in-law, more like my NZ mum, as all my family live in the UK. Though it was difficult to make it through what I had to say, it had the desired effect of  giving everyone a good laugh remembering what a wonderful woman she was. My heartbroken yet brave son also spoke, and I am so incredibly proud of him for being so gutsy, articulate and compassionate all rolled into one amazing boy.

This morning (Monday) the same thought kept going round in my head all the time "The last time I had Monday, I had you."  

Certainly not great poetry, but it got that phrase out of my system! 

The last time I had Monday, I had you

The last time I had Monday, I had you . . .

And yet it seems so strange we never knew.

You hugged me tight and cried to say goodbye

And somehow now I wonder did you know?

Of course you couldn’t KNOW

But maybe you could tell,

Percentages are just a downright lie.

For each of us will either

Live or die.

The last time I had Monday, I had you . . .

And everything I ever thought I knew

Since then has turned to dust along with you.

The only thing remaining is the truth . . .

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

He aroha, he aroha, he aroha.

‘Tis people and ‘tis love!

This really is enough.

The last time I had Monday, I had you . . .

And now I realise

In my heart,

Within me

I still

do.

Arohanui . . . xxxxxxx

Love. . . Hot air ballooning

Yes, we finally got airborne with Up, Up and Away on Saturday 7th April, and views like this sunrise were our reward! Hot air ballooning was amazing, an incredible experience and I am so glad we persevered through our 5 previous (failed) attempts to be "6th time lucky!"

The balloon was absolutely vast, and it took almost an hour to inflate it. . .

It is the second largest balloon in New Zealand, with a weight of 380 kg and it inflates to 340,000 cubic feet!

The balloon was made back in the city of my birth - Bristol, by renowned hot air balloon manufacturers Cameron Balloons "the world's most experienced balloon manufacturers."

The views were outstanding. . .

I was a wee bit nervous about the landing, but in the end it was pretty uneventful. The trouble is, hot air balloons don't have landing gear (!!) and once the basket hits the deck the balloon tends to keep going, dragging the basket with it. So the basket often tips right over and you land on your back! Brace position essential! However, we ended up only teetering on the diagonal for a while before the basket righted itself again, and as we dangled there diagonally we all burst out laughing. I certainly never expected the landing to be so funny! The next job was to fold the balloon back up again. . .

and then get the balloon and basket back onto the trailer again. . .

Finally we had the traditional champagne (or Fresh-up!) breakfast, and got anointed on our foreheads by the pilot with a cork dipped in champagne, as he recited the hot air balloonist's blessing!

So, if you ever get the chance to go hot air ballooning, I highly recommend it! It has been a dream of mine since childhood, and I can definitely say it was well worth the wait :) Apart from the necessary blasts of the gas burner, it is such a peaceful sensation, floating quietly along above the scenery, and certainly an experience I will remember for a very long time!

Photo copyright "Up, Up and Away"

Love. . . ravelry and Unwind Fibre Retreat, Dunedin

I joined ravelry on 1st December 2007, and I can honestly say it has revolutionised my crafting life! Quite an achievement for something that modestly describes itself as a "free site for knitters and crocheters."

To quote directly from the ravelry site: "Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, project and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration. The content here is all user-driven; we as a community make the site what it is. Ravelry is a great place for you to keep notes about your projects, see what other people are making, find the perfect pattern and connect with people who love to play with yarn from all over the world in our forums."


Simply put, ravelry has opened up a whole world of patterns, projects, inspiration and online/real life friends, and all completely for free! 


At its most basic level it is a kind of "online knitting notebook" where you can store details of current and past knitted/crocheted projects. All the vital info such as needle size yarn type and amount used, and project notes. 


You can also use ravelry to catalogue your stashed yarns and crochet hook/knitting needle collection, though I confess I am very remiss in those areas. . . It is a very comprehensive online database of knitting and crochet patterns, many of which are available for download via ravelry itself, either as free patterns or with the payment going directly to the designer. It is a great way of networking with people who have a similar interest in all things woolly, and there are groups and discussion boards for almost anything you can imagine, including baking, dyeing, origami, regional groups, groups related to specific yarns or techniques, iPhones, dog breeds, flight attendants, spinners, tattoos, piercings and the LGBT community!

Unwind on the first day. . .

Without ravelry I would never have heard of Vintage Purls, based in Dunedin, and so almost certainly the inaugural Unwind Fibre Retreat would have passed me by! I have just got back from four days of woolly adventures in Dunedin, meeting new people, making new friends and learning heaps as well as having far too much yarny temptation put in my way! Lucky that when I agreed to go on a "yarn diet" this year, I made one exception for myself - Unwind Dunedin!

The yarny treats on offer

There were a whole host of classes on offer, and far too many to actually do all of the ones I was interested in! But I narrowed it down to four, and did practical workshops on knitting and purling backwards (Morag McKenzie of Vintage Purls), Spindle spinning (Frances Stachl of Spindles by Sourkraut), plus steeking and book-binding with all round super-knowledgeable person Stella Lange. Each class was three hours long, and very hands on. All of the workshops except book-binding gave us enough time to finish what we had started, but all of us keen book-binders stayed late in order to finish our books.

First go at steeking - aka cutting your knitting. . . Scary stuff!!

My first attempt at spindle spinning, using a "SpindlesbySourkraut" rewarewa wood spindle

My first piece of Coptic book-binding

Whilst I was in Dunedin I really wanted to go and visit the Rongo Stone, which is a memorial to the Taranaki Māori who died as prisoners in Dunedin. 

This memorial was unveiled in 1987. Most of the Māori were followers of the pacifist Māori leaders Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi, and they were taken prisoner during Crown raids on the settlement of Parihaka back in November 1881. More than 400 prisoners were sent to the South Island including Dunedin, and used as forced labour, many succumbing to illness and over-work. Thanks to one of my new knitting friends who lived locally and had a car, we made the journey to the Rongo Stone, and I was able to pay my respects to all those who died so unnecessarily. Thanks J, I never would have got there without you. . .


The day after the Unwind Fibre Retreat was finished, there was an optional bus trip to Milton Mill and Flagstaff Alpaca Farm. I stayed on an extra night specially so I could go on this trip, and it was a real treat! We even got to meet a day old cria, as well as loads of other beautiful (if somewhat soggy!) alpacas. . .

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend and came home buzzing with excitement and inspiration. I am definitely hoping to go again next year, and even have a cunning plan to take my mum, who will be visiting from the UK ;-)

Love. . . Christchurch, one year on.

Photo by Sam Sword, specifically for sharing (from Facebook)

Badge I wore today in recognition of those affected by CHCH earthquakes

"Arohanui CHCH" - my splash of knitted colour amongst the liquefaction grey in Christchurch, June 2011.

I thought I would say it with pictures again, as adequate words to describe today, or the last year, completely fail me. 

It has been a very emotional day right across the country. For my part I wore black and red today (and yesterday as I got the dates mixed up!) and went for some quiet time in the hospital chapel around the 12.51 pm time. Not that I am religious these days, but it just felt like the right place to be, somewhere to have an oasis of peace and quiet and thinking time. That included the 2 minute silence at 12.51 pm and I also lit a candle to remember all those affected by the quakes. A really emotional few minutes, and then I had to scuttle back to work and put the face of professionalism back on again. . . but Christchurch is not forgotten, any day of the year.

As for the 1000 Paper Cranes, I have them safely here, but it seems that King's Language School no longer exists, so I now have the conundrum of what to do with the cranes. Should I just send them all to a pre-school or school down in CHCH, or think about donating them to Japan instead, or some other solution? If you have any ideas, please leave me a comment. . . I know that so many people have put a lot of work into contributing these cranes (myself and family included), and I would love to know your ideas of what to do with them now that King's Language School seems to have disbanded. Thanks in advance.

Love. . . Photography

Mapua wharf, February 2011

Back when I was a teenager, a much older and wiser friend once told me "I take photographs because I can't paint." I have remembered that statement of his for all these years, even though he is no longer with us. . . I take photos for a variety of reasons, but yes, one of them is because I can't paint!

Even in the days of black and white or coloured film and large clunky cameras, photography was a relatively quick and easy way of preserving a memory or framing a scene, or zooming in to focus on one small detail. But so many shots were missed due to fretting about the cost of the film, or the price of getting it developed and the disappointment when only 3 or 4 out of the film of 24 photos were actually worth keeping!

I still remember my excitement at getting my first ever camera, for my 9th birthday. It was a Kodak Instamatic, it took big film cartridges, and used "flashbulbs" with 4 flashes each.

Me as a Brownie in Wales, aged 9 in 1980 (Photographer: L Waude)

From that I graduated to an old Zenith SLR that used to belong to my grandad. It was totally manual and each time you pressed the shutter release button the viewfinder blacked out until you "wound it on" again! Next was a Minolta SLR in my early twenties, and then a Canon SLR in my mid twenties. I held out against getting a digital camera in the early days as the photo quality was so grainy, but eventually in 2004 I joined the throng and got a digital Canon A80 "compact camera". Finally in December 2007 I got my current camera - a Canon EOS 400D digital SLR. And it is still going strong!

Since then there has been the cellphone camera revolution. No longer do most cellphones produce tiny grainy prints - the latest iPhone 4S has an integral 8 Mega-pixel camera, which takes better quality photos than many older cameras! As of January 2012, the Apple iPhone is now officially the world's most popular camera. As the following article reminds us, "The best camera is the one you have with you."

So, I use photography to capture a beautiful scene, because I don't have the skill to paint it. . .

Waimea estuary, 2012

to record various cooking and creative exploits

Sushi by Sonny Jim and friend, 2011

Modern Quilt Wrap

to remember a special moment,

Sonny Jim and me, 2001 (Photographer: D Rosie)

After our Civil Union, 2008 (Photographer: K D'Souza)

to record the not-so-great moments,

Sonny Jim with fractured tibial plateau, 22nd January 2011

to chronicle daring adventures. . .

Sonny Jim at Adrenalin Forest, Christchurch, early January 2011.

and to snap "funnies" wherever I see them :)

Auckland, April 2011

Christchurch, January 2011

And now, I am using photography for my latest project - a "photo-a-day" blog running from 29th January 2012 to 28th January 2013. You can find it here. The only rules I have set myself are that I have to take the photos myself, and that they must be taken on the date specified. My aim is to challenge myself to think more creatively and try to improve my photography skills. But I can't promise that the quality of the photos will always be high. . . especially given that more often than not, I have my cellphone with me rather than my digital SLR, and as we all know: "The best camera is the one you have with you!" But it will be a literal snapshot of a year in my life, and as such I hope it will occasionally be interesting, in amongst all the mundane stuff ;-)

Love. . . Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Lake Tekapo, January 2012

I'm going to use the principle of "A picture says 1000 words," and give you a few photos of the country that I love. It's not mine by birth, but it is my country of choice. I am officially a New Zealand citizen (as of February 2007) yet due to my obviously British accent, I still sometimes get asked in shops, cafés etc "Are you here on holiday?" Sonny Jim has been here since he was a toddler and can't recall living in Scotland at all, but even he sounds like a Pommie! There are so many reasons why I love Aotearoa/New Zealand, and our recent road trip has only confirmed how lucky I feel to live in this country! But I want to let the pictures do the talking. . . so please enjoy! There are so many other places I could have used to illustrate New Zealand's scenic splendour and diversity, but here are a few I had to hand. . .

Lake Rotoiti, April 2011

Mapua wharf, February 2011

Wifie and Sonny Jim river kayaking in Golden Bay, while Frodo swims on. . . Jan 2011

Rainbow ski area, August 2011

Frodo enjoys the snow in the Lewis Pass, July 2011

Moeraki boulders, January 2012

Aoraki (Mount Cook) towers over Lake Pukaki, January 2012

Tewaikoropupu Springs, January 2012

Crown Range Pass, looking towards Queenstown, January 2012

View of Mapua from Moturoa (Rabbit Island), January 2012

Of course, no country is perfect, but "I love you, New Zealand!" and there's no place on earth I would rather live. . .

Love. . . to all those affected by tragedies near and far

Just over a week ago it was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA. It seems impossible that it can have been 10 years already. Some pictures from the New York attacks can be found here. The images of that day are seared into my brain forever and it seems like only a few years ago that I was watching the tv footage in disbelief with a bunch of teachers at Aboyne Primary School in Aberdeenshire on a seemingly typical Tuesday afternoon. And yet, I realise I now have a tall, slim, affectionate son of nearly 11 years old, and back then on that terrible day I had a chubby, gurgling, smiley 8 month old baby. 

With the anniversary of 9/11 there have been lots of photos reprinted and documentaries on television about the terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001, and the images are no less shocking now than they were then. My thoughts are with everyone who was directly affected by the events of 11th Sept '01. Those effects continue to this day. Even for those of us who lived a world away, the events of that day had huge and lasting repercussions in many cases. There was the hasty realisation that you really do only get one chance at life, and you never know when it may be extinguished. It was certainly a catalyst for our move to Aotearoa/New Zealand in October 2002. Back then I lived in Aberdeenshire, in north-east Scotland and within a few months of the attacks, the idea had been cemented in our minds that we would follow a long-held dream of going to live in the Antipodes, either Australia or New Zealand. That so many people died such a shocking death on 11.9.01 seems utterly futile. Ten years on, the world feels no "safer" and 9/11 survivors are coming down with illnesses caused by inhaling toxic dust as the towers collapsed. My heart goes out to all of them.

I know that the poppy is the traditional flower for remembrance, but I associate daffodils with 9/11 as here in NZ the daffs are usually blooming beautifully by the 11th September. . .

On Thursday morning, I was walking back from school on my day off when I saw these beautiful daffodils and snapped a photo on my iPhone. I was filled with wonder and happiness at their simple beauty, a feeling of being glad to be alive, the sun was shining and all was well in the world. Then a minute later the iPhone buzzed and a text message arrived from the Wifie: Hey I heard on the news that the Mapua Aquarium burnt down early this morning! Very sad :( 

What a quick change in emotions. I was gutted that such a thing could happen to such a well-loved facility in the village, and my first thoughts were with all the amazing sea creatures that would surely have perished. Secondly I wondered if it was due to an electrical fault or something more sinister. At lunchtime I heard on RadioNZ national radio that it was a "suspicious fire", and I began to wonder what on earth would make a person do something so destructive. Then I looked it up online and found this report (with photos) in the Nelson Mail. Below is what the Aquarium used to look like, and it was a very popular attraction with tourists and locals alike.

After school, a lot of the parents took their children down to the wharf to see the extent of the damage. . . it was truly shocking.

Down at the wharf everyone was just flabberghasted that this could have happened. Children and adults were visibly shocked and upset to see the devastation wrought overnight. People stood around in a daze. Sonny Jim said that as word spread at school, children just kept asking "WHY would anyone do this?!" The thought of all those fish, seahorses, sharks and stingrays, turtles and eels dying a horrible death was almost too much to bear. We stayed about 15 minutes, looking sadly at the wreckage, commiserating with friends almost like a bereavement, and were just about to leave when suddenly we heard a child saying "One turtle got out alive!" Sonny Jim raced off in the direction the child told him and I followed on behind. There in a blue plastic box, watched over by the Aquarium's educator, was the only survivor of Mapua Aquarium's fire: a red-eared slider turtle dubbed "Phoenix" the next day by the local newspaper. . . a phoenix rising from the ashes. There is strong community support for the aquarium to be rebuilt, but at this stage I have no idea whether this is a realistic possibility. Latest news in the village is that there is to be an "Aquarium memorial service" down at the Mapua wharf on Weds 28th September at 3.30 pm. All welcome.

I had no answer for Sonny Jim about why someone would do something like this. As well as destroying someone's livelihood and a hub of activity down at the wharf, the culprit(s) killed hundreds of innocent sea creatures. However, the one thing we agreed was that whoever did it must be lacking in empathy and feelings for others. . . I only hope that they are caught and that they might yet be able to turn their life/lives around.