Little River, thy name is happiness

Little River is flat out one of my fav places in the world, not in the least because my favorite piece of art ever in the world lives there and I visit it from time to time.  In case anyone is interested, since it's my birthday soon and all, it's an etching called "Riley and the Ruru" and it lives at the very bottom of the pile of etchings on the table near the door.  It's always at the bottom, because that's where I put it in the vain hope nobody will buy it.  One day, I know, I'll visit it and it'll be gone.  Sad day, but I guess there will be the hope someone bought it for me and it awaits me, one fine day.

Ha ha, so anyway, I visited it on Saturday with The Sumo and Tighty Whitey.

And I took some pictures, for which I was mercilessly ridiculed, but they turned out nice so I'll show them.

AND I saw a Kotuku (white heron) which has so far just been a dream of my life.  I saw it at Catons Bay.  Oh it burned my heart, oh yes it did.

Birds carry messages for me and I have listened until now I know what the message is.

This is it:

I Am always with you.

A photo!

Yup, indeedy.

Here is my photo for the day:

Okay, so I clearly took this photo ages ago but I've been having a craving to head back down south.

Plus I love how Simona looks so carefree in this photo.

And I miss my car.

Sorry kittens....

I've been absent, I've not been keeping my promises.  I tell you what, it's hard to keep all those balls in the air.  I'm just managing to get by at the moment.

Sometimes I think too much.  And sometimes I just don't think clearly enough.  Have you ever had that thing, where you suddenly realise that someone you thought really loved you has actually moved on?  Ouch.  It's so humiliating.  It hurts in the first instance because you loved them and you realise they don't love you.  And then it hurts again, so much worse, because you realise that they haven't loved you for ages.  That what you thought was real was just really you not paying attention.

Anyway, I'm hurting today but this too shall pass.

Yoga Bliss. Etc.

Hello fond readers,

Especially you.  Yep, you.

Here's my photograph for today. It's of some flowers I picked ages ago up on the Crater Rim walk.  It's so nice up there and there are some great flowers that have the amazing property of not dying or wilting.  Yep, they're in a bottle, on my table and they've been there for months.

Isn't the texture just so?

I just love it and it looks so nice on my table.  Trust me.

This is another photograph I took up on the hills - I was so entranced by the butterflies out for their first day trip this winter.  It was so warm on Sunday and they were just dancing.  I read once that they winter under rocks.  I think that is probably not true, and it's somewhat disturbing, actually, but it seemed like they were surely over the moon to be out in the sunshine and back among the leaves.

So here is one, who stopped for a moment, just for me.  He only showed me his dull side, but I saw his bright wings before he tucked them away.

Oh he's lovely.

Post for a Sunday, on a Monday

1. Hello viewers.
2. I went to see Inception on the weekend and it DID live up to the hype.  Go see it, it's weird.
3. I also went for a walk up Harry Ell track and the weather was amazing and I had a good talk with Simona and I feel much better.  And I cried.  In public.
4. I had fish and chips on the weekend, as well as coconut ice, chocolate buscuits, chocolate, lollies, boston bun, sausages, coke and orange juice.
5. Here is my photograph.

Fear not - I have Not abandoned my post

Nope, I have not.

Weird weather day today, what with the nor'west arch looming over the mountains.  Unseasonal.

I feel weird today, I guess I'm in a weird space.  Living here in my beloved Christchurch but also living partly in Sydney - I'm looking and applying for jobs, looking at places to rent, thinking about selling my stuff, saving, mentally I guess saying goodbye to my life here.

Everything just feels uneasy and I hate that.

So these toadies suit me today.

I like them, all in a pile.

There are just so many things I don't like about myself.  I just wish I were more motivated to change the things I don't like.  Sometimes I just feel so powerless.

I've lost 10 kilos but a big part of me just thinks, well wont I inevitably just put that back on?  What is the point?  I've been big all my life, why would I be different now?

I don't know.

Winter, you are in my bones.

Wainui, My Friend

Lucky me I had a trip to Wainui today for a site visit.

Stopped by the lake, Te Waihora or Ellesmere if you like.  So fab, wish I was a little old lady sitting beside my little old man, drinking tea from a thermos and watching the swans.

Here's my 'pic for the day'. It's a fence post.

Got to start doing these at home so I can fiddle with them.

Thanks to my two viewers!  Hope they make you think (a) I'm so glad I live here in this fabulous country and (b) why don't I, why do I live in smelly England?  Ha ha, just kidding Fiona.

Post Two : Day Two : Photo Two

Hello to my single reader out there, I know it's you Deb.  But if are the only one to ever read my blog, I'd still post, just for you.

True story.

Brian Turner, you are my hero.

So today I'm a bit scared about the Sydney Move.  Most days I'm just super excited about new jobs, new flats, new shopping, new cafes, new clothes, new furniture, new theatres, movie theatres, concert halls, gardens, rivers, walks....etc.  But today, the knot of fear is winding itself back up in my stomach as I contemplate leaving behind all that is familier and having to get myself organised, as my mother would say.  Getting myself organised is the scary part.

And paying off my debt.

Fun job opportunity though : policy officer at the Human Rights Commission.

I think I could be good at that.

Don't freak out though...

But I am back.

And, you know, better than ever.

Ha ha.

A photo a day, that's what I'm about - One Photograph Per Day For One Month.

Here's the first, taken yesterday, at the Art Centre.

It's un-fiddled with.

But it's a very 'me' photo, so tis a good one to start with, to be sure.

Oh let me be so.

So light

that I, too, leave so small an indent

with my words

Watch it. Be a witness to greatness.

Watch this.


It helps me.


I read her blog every day.

Too Cool for Schooool!

Yes, the following items have been identified as too cool for school.

Firstly, this print, from Felt:

I just LOVE this print and almost as much as I love Sunday Mornings.  Sundays are my favorite day, absolutely.  Except slightly less so now that Doc Martin has finished.

Second item is this brooch, from Made It, which is the Australian Felt.  I have one in blue, and I just love it so much.

Thirdly, this fantastic art print from Sleep and her Sisters.

Don't you just love it?  I want it.

Finally, this gorgeous necklace, that is currently winging its way to my house for the Sumo.

I love it, almost as much as her...

That's all for today!  Click through to check out the shops, definitely worth a visit.

To funny not to share...

This is an email from The Sumo that I recieved today:


So,


I go into the toilets, swing the door open violently then hear an 'ooh' behind it. Cue girl with coffee close to the other side of the door. No prob, she doesn't spill it. Now I'm standing there and the door is shutting and she has all her hands full and is about to get shut in the door. So, with my left hand I stop the door. However, she still can't fit out. I can't open it with my awkardly placed left arm so I reach around to grab it with my right arm... failure to disconnect left hand from door.

Then I realise with horror that both my left and right hands at holding the door, and she is between them…


AND I AM CUDDLING HER!


Worse…her response…

Awwwwww thank you.

Hahahahahahaha. Off to lunch…ciao
 
 
 
You have to love her, you just do.

On Pink: My Place and Yours

Oh yeah, week two of My Place and Yours.

Well, I do have some pink in my house, what with it being a house of girls and all, but I decided to go find what pink is left from the Summer as Autumn creeps in.

Here's what I found on my walk to the graveyard:

"Pink"

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Pink is kind of non-descript to me, strangely.  I have a bright pink cardi.  I have a lovely pink flower brooch.  But I'm more of a red/blue/green girl myself!

Still, I so enjoyed looking for pink today and I was so amazed where I found it - in the flax leaves, on a grave, in the tired roses.  I like it faded and sweet and I like it strong and hopeful, in the buds.

Hope you enjoy the pics, and do check out some of the others, 'specially my beautiful sister's pinks here.

I'm so enjoying this, thanks Danielle.

File this under 'random'

I just DON'T GET why the judges like that Dwayne/Dwight guy on AI.  Seriously?  So mundane.  Talk about karaoke.

Oooh while I'm here let me tell you about a new favorite: love/hate jewellery from Australia.  I especially love their hot air balloon earrings and, well, really all of their brooches.  Check 'em out here.

Anyways, I had a new hair cut this week.

Ta da!

I'm very happy with it - there's some colour in there two, not that you can see it, but it's cute and it's fun and I overheard my hairdresser say to my sister about me "I think she's quietly out there!".  And that made me warm inside.  I am out there.  Quietly.

I've got some other random pics to share:

dead head

bit of a flag

bit of bridge

These are some of my favorite kinds of photographs.  Kind of random, very textured, heavy on the colour.  

In other news, my room is still tidy (miracle of miracles) and here's another pic of it.  

Okay, two.

And now, to complete this post-of-randomness, I shall be off to the supermarket with the Sumo to get fruit juice and fruit.  At 11:00pm.

Because, I feel the need.

Self Portrait

So this is me.

My sister does this thing called 'my place and yours' and I believe it explains why she has tidy parts of her house, despite the absolutely manic place at which she lives her life.

This week it's self portrait.

I used this photo because I took it last night and I think it kind of sums me up somehow.

I'm imperfect - but that's okay:

ring the bell that still can ring

forget your perfect offering

there is a crack in everything

that's how the light gets in

- Leonard Cohen

I love to take pictures and to play with them after. I love to write poetry and to read it and share it. I love to knit. I love to be with my friends and with my family. I love to be outside. I love trees and I love birds. I love the seasons. I'm excited about Autumn, and about moving to Sydney and about the Sumo getting her hair cut tomorrow.

I love blogging and I love reading the blogs of amazing folk who make their worlds beautiful.

I love to read fantasy novels about other worlds and about magic.

I love my room.

I love clothes.

I love jewellery, especially.

I have hopes for my life and also fears.

Last year I learned about family and what it means to belong.

Last year I learned to sew.

This year I'm going to make a quilt.

This year I'm learning about my creativity.

This year I am learning to trust the good.

This is me.

On travelling to Charteris Bay...

On the weekend just gone I travelled out to Charteris Bay on the Peninsula with the Sumo and my Dad for a quiet weekend. Stayed in this amazing 1970's house with fab views over the Harbour.

Got a bunch of knitting done and read my book, cooked for the others while they toiled away with their work.

Here is my tribute, to Charteris Bay and to the transition from Summer to Autumn...

"Charteris Bay"

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Warning: Photo Overload

SORRY, I can't help it. Last weekend (the one before last...) I spent the Sunday tidying my room. I have no before shots. Before shots could not be taken because it was beyond a before shot.

Everything I owned was in the floor.

Jumbled.

Not even a path to my bed.

My parents would have been sad, if they had seen it. It did make my other flatmates feel better though, because their rooms were ALWAYS tidier than mine.

Anyway, I tidied.

And then I took photos.

And here are those photos.

"my room"

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Thank you Picnik.

On the Sumo in her natural habitat...

On how it was...

On the Waikeke Island.

I tell you want, how about I show you how it was

At the beach...

In the sturdy, sunny, stuffed-full-of-someone's-memories little Bach...

Along the shore....

On the deck, over looking the bush in the gullies, the lights of the town twinkling...

And in the sweetness of friendship...

Magic.

On being domestic, and picking a winner!

And that winner is Heather! Thanks for visiting Heather! I'll email you for your details tomorrow. A lovely heart will be on its way to you, one of these!

Well, it's been quite the domestic weekend. The knitting and stitching of the hearts, of course, each of which will find a happy home this week, in celebration of Valentines Day.

On Saturday I got up and did the grocery shopping and decided I would make basil pesto and then make my own pasta from scratch. And I did! Thanks to Jamie Oliver's instructions. It was great fun! Definitely need to invest in a pasta machine to avoid the painful and not entirely succesful rolling of the pasta, but it was quite beautiful even if it was on the chunky side.

Doesn't it look just delicious?

l

I suspected as much. Love the colours.

Anyway, that was followed by peach, rhubarb and blackberry crumble. Lunch on Sunday was roast chicken with all the trimmings, including stuffing just exactly as my Mum makes it. And scones for tea. Half plain, half date. The Sumo, perversely, hates dates but loves date scones.

I had a wonderful weekend, actually, I so enjoyed taking the time to make good food.

Happy Valentines day! My life is full to the brim of wonderful people who love me, and I know it. I used to believe that singleness = loneliness but after a life of singleness, I can tell you that's simply not true. I have found a community of love to belong to, and I've been given a true friend who is my absolute match. I have wonderful sisters and parents who believe in me and adore me. Life is chockablock full of sweetness, even in the places where pain lives. Sumo, Deb, Odette, Jo, Mum & Dad, Juls, Helen, Danielle & Shaun, Paul and Anne, Chrissy, James, Rubs, Annie, David, Tahu - you fill my life with love.

This last year, I have sat with Death and I have learned about life. It's this:

Love. Simple.

Giveaway! Free-Ness! **Post Edit**

So it's my first giveaway, and I'm just so excited! I hope you are to.

Would you like this cutesy red heart?

Would you? I knitted it just for you.

Will you put it in your house?

Will you add it to some collection of goodness somewhere?

Well, then I suggest you post a wee comment telling me who you love. And that will get you one entry. AND if you become a follower, that will give you two more entries.

Please note, un-following and re-following me is frowned upon.

I'll do the draw on Valentines Day. New Zealand Valentines day.

Lovely!

*Thanks Rob Bell.

**Please Note: All are welcome to enter - I'm more than happy to post said heart all over the globe.

On my first...

My first giveaway! Coming here, soon.

For Valentines Day. The Sumo said today

"oh Valentines next Sunday.

Big day.

Might by myself Burger King".

Indeed.

I interrupt this bulletin

To bring you some breaking news.

Visit this place. A place of antique patterns. Oh!

I found it at another of my FAVOURITE places, whipup.net.

Both of these sites are officially "Too Cool For School".

Ahem.

It wouldn't be right to leave without a pic.

**which i fiddled with at Picnik

On Being Too Cool For School.

The following items are officially "Too Cool For School". This is a new segment I'll be sporadically bringing to you, courtesy of my {Internet} shopping obsession.

Sweet cat broach with perfect frame

Cutesy tomtit earrings that are even now winging their sweet way to me.

Tender print from Sweet William.

All items available on Felt and can be found by clicking on the picture. Except, maybe the earrings might be gone because I bought 'em.

On being moved

By all of this:

And by this:

On contemplating...

Lots of thinking going on for me right now, aided greatly by the exercise programme because I always think best while I'm walking.

A couple of things helping me:

Don't let the urgent crowd out the important.

And

Find the place where the world's deep hunger and your deep happiness meet.

I'm thinking about how I can live like this. I'm thinking about how the generosity is at the very heart of the nature of God. I'm thinking about who I really am and how I can live with integrity. I'm thinking about how we choose our life (more or less). I'm thinking about how time heals. I'm thinking about learning to really see. I'm thinking about what matters and who matters.

Do yourself a favour, listen to a Rob Bell sermon. You can find them on iTunes or at marshill.org.

Now, I'm going to buy some black berries and eat them dipped in chocolate.

New Poem.

Here.

on going further than I thought

First bike yesterday, on Sumo's bike because me Mum has mine right now. I went down to the river and then wound along side it and back, 25 minutes. Thought it would be maybe four kilometres. BUT, when I got back and mapped it, it was 7.59kms! Sweet! I'm so stoked with my own self.

Granted, it's not that far, but much further than I thought I'd go.

THEN the training program said to do a 5 minute walk because you have to get used to it for the Duathlon. MAN, it feels so wrong and weird. Glad I'm going to be practicing that!

And, of course, there's always time for a photo.

Lichen. I love it.

First 'training' walk

As per Deb's blog, I had my first 'training' walk tonight, a massive 20 minutes 'moderate' around the river. Unfortunately, I took my camera and it turned into a 20 minute walk with 20min worth of stopping to take photographs.

Fortunately, I took some pictures I like. I used the 3200 iso setting on my camera. Not the slightest idea what it means but I like how grainy it is.