GETTING READY EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS

 

A few nights ago I decided to pop out to the supermarket with Stew.

ABOVE:  I decided to get in early, and buy our Turkey, Xmas paper etc.  Now I can relax knowing I have the turkey.  It's a few years (I mean A LOT), since I cooked a turkey for Christmas.  I'm rather looking forward to it too.

I have also got all the stuff I've bought over the past few months ready to be gift wrapped.  It's always quite a job, but luckily there's a few less to buy for now. I have cut down drastically on who we get gifts for now.

Lacy is coming over today to help me do some work on that last garden.

I want to get more weed mat, rocks and potting mix.  

I'm also going to work on that new runner, probably after lunch.

And that's all for now.

Catch ya later.

*sigh*, plans changed.  Lacy can't come over today, so I'll do what I can on my own.  I'm also trying to jink Crabby Quarters around a little bit.

I got an idea in my head last night... so have to act upon it.

Steve gave me a big piece of foam board last night, and I wanted to use it as a 'design' board, work in progress ect.  But damned if I had a single wall free for it.

But, as often happens, an idea formed in my head overnight.

So, first job this morning was to rearrange the garage AGAIN!

ABOVE: this end is storage/market stuff.  The door opens and we have easy access to all the stuff we need to load into the car for markets.

ABOVE:  Kinda speaks for itself... nice and tidy, easy to see/reach etc.

ABOVE:  My 'work space', and I can't believe how much room I have!  Easily as much as I had in our last home.  Crazy how just rearranging things a few times has created this space.

ABOVE: Thanks to Steve's 3D Printer, my scissors no longer take up space on the work desk too.

ABOVE:  That is the foam board... and it will go on the wall above the big table.

Now that I've finished that job, I'm going out to get a few things in readiness for tomorrow's efforts in the garden.

12.45 pm, and I've had a good trip out to Mitre 10, where I bought more weed mat, potting mix and lettuce plants.

When I got home my neighbour 'O',  and one of the gardeners very kindly carried it out of my car and put it by the front door, so Stew can move it around the back later on.

I didn't even ask them, they just saw it all in me car and jumped to it.  How lovely is that?

I am now taking a break, having some lunch then I might carry on with sewing the latest runner.  We'll see, I could have a nap instead.  lol

And if anyone comes to my door RIGHT NOW, I'm not home.

I've got hair remover all over me chin.  NOT a good look.  

MADE, AND TABLE RUNNERS FOR THE VILLAGE

 

The FBG's are going on a trip to Hamilton Zoo this morning, and much as I'd love to have gone, I'm stuck here doing a good deed.

Three of us are sewing up red table runners for the Village dining tables.  *sigh*  Let's chalk that up to doing my bit.

I also have Craft Group this afternoon, so I anticipate being down in the craft room ALL DAY today.

ABOVE: We visited MADE yesterday, it's a small 'plaza' type place in Hamilton East.  

ABOVE: It has predominantly eateries and fresh food shops, with a few gift type shops as well.

ABOVE:  I saw a lovely cushion (perfect for sitting on the floor) in CITTA, and Stew was going to buy it.  He thought it was $79.

NOPE.  The inner cushion was $74, the cushion cover was $170!  It stayed in the shop.  I didn't love it THAT much.

I left muttering "DAYLIGHT ROBBERY".

ABOVE: We then went upstairs, poor Stew struggled with the steps... and found a lovely gift shop called 'What's Up Buttercup'.  It had two sections across from each other ... baby/kids wear and gift ware.

ABOVE:  Stew spied something, and we ended up buying it.

ABOVE:  Another house!  Yep, we just keep buying houses.  

ABOVE:  When we were looking for a new, smaller home, we looked at an apartment over there, in the lower right area. But nope, it wasn't for us.

ABOVE:  Lovely views across Hamilton City from the upstairs bar/restaurant.  

ABOVE:  The light in the stairwell at MADE... very nice eh?

And.... that is me for now.

Catch ya later, I'll probably update from the Craft Room.

12.11 pm, and the table cloths only took a couple of hours to do, so I came home and cut out more fabric for the next project.

A 'wave runner'... in blues and or greens.  I hope to get it done in time for the next market on Saturday.

ABOVE:  Today's project is coming along, but there's still heaps of stitching to go.

ABOVE:  My batting... OMG!  I nearly killed myself getting it down from above the shelves.

So tonight I'm taking it over to Steve's,  and it can stay in his garage.  I will go and get what I want from the roll as I need it.

It was stinking hot at Craft this afternoon, I'm so relieved to be home, in front of my fan.  Next time I go down there I'm taking me fan with me.

I can tell I've been sitting sewing most of the day, my legs are a bit swollen.  Ikkk to summer heat and swollen legs.

7.43 pm, and we are home after having taken the batting over to Steve 'n' Bex's.  We are now settled down for the evening.

Catch ya tomorrow.

WE'VE BEEN HERE SIX MONTHS

 

Today marks six months of us living in this village.

It's been a steep learning curve, some of it not so good, but MOSTLY it's been nice.

I at least, am starting to make friends, and joining in on some of the village activities.

Once Stew retires, in a few years time, he too will get the chance to fully integrate into this lifestyle/village.

Until then, he is able to join some activities, like there's a Christmas Lunch coming up in early December, and he's going to take a half day so he can attend.  I hope he does make an effort to join in more, because he does live here too. lol

Now, back to today.  We want to have a fairly relaxing day.  His nibs wants to go out somewhere nice for lunch, so I'll have to get me thinking cap on.  I'd like to go somewhere different from all the usual places we go.  ???

I'd also like to buy three more pots, and more weed mat for the back garden.  That's on me 'hit list' of things to get done.  Then ALL the gardens will be so much easier to keep looking good.  All we will need to do is spray a bit of weed killer around now and then... spot kill as weeds crop up.

I know it's going to look fantastic, and I'll be very happy to have it all done.  It goes without saying that Stew will be happy too, cos I won't be giving him 'the look' to get things done.  😂😉

Right, it's still a bit early to be thinking of getting outta bed, so I'll lie here and ready the news etc.  Stew will be up soon, to watch the rugby that he taped in the middle of the night, so no rush.

10.25 am, and Stew was happy enough with the rugby game.  Though it was the All Blacks 'B' team playing Wales, and the result was a given really.  Our guys won 52/26.

ABOVE:  We've been out to a couple of garden centres, and found three new pots.  2 terracotta and one more blue one.

We also grabbed a couple of vege pods... cos I've decided to grow lettuces and a tomato plant or two.  I hadn't planned on doing veges, but it will be nice to have fresh lettuce over summer.

We are now killing a bit of time before heading out for lunch.

We have decided to go to the cafe at The Hamilton Gardens, because they always do a very nice lunch.

ABOVE:  The first stop on our second outing of the day was to Bunnings, where we bought a line trimmer.  Because, although we HAD one, we sold it to our Real Estate Agent, thinking we didn't need one.

We do.

ABOVE:  While the lawns are mown frequently, the edges and corners always look like that.

I don't like THAT.

It's not tidy.

ABOVE: It only took Stew 5 minutes to get them looking lovely again.

ABOVE:  I wonder if the gardeners even notice?

So anyway, after getting the line trimmer, we went to the Hamilton Gardens Cafe for lunch.

ABOVE:  It was perfect weather for sitting outside.

Not too hot or cold.

ABOVE:  My hot chocolate got a 10/10, perfect.

ABOVE:  We both got a piece of carrot cake.  I had one bite only as I was full.  It also got a 10/10... I'd even give it a ++, it was that nice.  I shall have mine for 'dinner' this evening.

ABOVE: Stew's milkshake straw had bees on it.  Very cute.

Shame it was made of paper, I'd love to have kept it.

ABOVE: Here's where lunch went a bit pear shaped.  While the chips were a 10/10, the burger was a massive disappointment.

There was bugger all to it, no relish or sauce, the bacon was overcooked, and the meat patty was totally DRY and TASTELESS.

I didn't even bother eating it, I picked at it, then fed the sparrows.

Stew got half my chips too.

ABOVE: Time to clear the table.  The sparrows and other birds are well fed.  I fed them my burger bun, bit by bit, and they took it out of my hand.  Rather cute.

ABOVE:  We stopped in at Hamilton East to visit MADE again.  We DID NOT get an ice cream at Duck Island, tempting though it was.

MADE... I'll talk about that tomorrow.

It's now 2.12 pm and we are both sitting in the lounge, feet up relaxing.  We are both feeling a bit jaded.

Stew started to snore in his lounge chair, so I suggested he go and lie down on the bed.  He did, and had a 'granddad nap'.

Once he came back after an hour or so, we just settled down for the evening.

Now, it's 10 pm, he's gone to bed and I'm about to head off there as well.

It has been a nice, fairly relaxing day.

Catch ya tomorrow.

THE JOLLY ELVES CHRISTMAS MARKET

 

Today we are doing the Rototuna Rotary Clubs' Jolly Elves Christmas Market, just up the road from us.

Nice and handy, though we still have to get up damn early, as the queueing will start at 6 am!

ABOVE:  It is being held at Hare Puke Park, Flagstaff.  This is the first time it's been at this location, so hopefully it's a good spot.

And... I'm pretty sure I said all that shit YESTERDAY eh?  lol

See... now repeating myself as well as forgetting stuff.

The weather ... is looking promising for a nice day for a change.  And maybe the kids will visit us too, which would be lovely.

I messaged the lady who sent me the Elf... saying how it was so stinky I've had to put it in an outside shed!

She said they infuse the boxes with CINNAMON... fucked it that's Cinnamon I can smell.  It's super strong, and disgusting, indescribable really.   I'm so annoyed all round over that Elf.

I wonder how long it will take for the smell to go, if ever?

I'm sure to let you know.  lol

Right, it's time to go.... catch ya later.

ABOVE: LOOK AT THAT SUNRISE! It's going to be FINE today.

ABOVE: 7.41 am, all set up. We have a corner site at the end of the row, so could spread out heaps. So lucky.

AND, best of all... sunshine, no sign of rain and NO WIND either. 

Bring it on....

12.25 pm. 

It's a good market,  lots of people,  glorious weather and some good sales.

1.5 hours to go, then pack up in the heat. 

I need a nap already! So tired.

As usual, the market died off around lunch time, and it was a long 2 hours till we could pack up and leave.  Though we did make a sale or two after lunch, which helped with the tally, which was 'fair to average'.

Home now, Stew's gone to do his weekend shopping, and I'm going to lie down.

I feel 'sick tired', if you know, you know.

TWO.  HOURS.  LATER... I woke up!

Then we had a nice evening, just relaxing in front of the telly/laptop.

I've become hooked on online jigsaws again!

Such time wasters.

It's now 10.15 pm, and I'm off to bed.

Catch ya tomorrow.

OMG THIS REALLY STINKS!

 

When we were in Australia in October, we did 'some' shopping.

At the Hyperdome in Logan (Brisbane), we visited a Christmas pop up shop, and I fell in love with a Pink and Blue Christmas Elf.  I didn't want the really BIG one the lady had, so ordered a smaller one.  She said she could ship it to me, once she had made it.

It arrived yesterday.

ABOVE:  I've learnt something... unless you see it finished and can buy it on the spot, don't order it.  This Elf is SIMILAR to the one I saw in person, but it certainly is not as nice as the one I saw.  

Also, it STINKS.   I think Customs must have fumigated it?  I am going to put it outside and hope it loses the smell.  It's been in the lounge overnight, and now the room reeks.

I'm feeling a bit annoyed.  I'm sure I have something on today, but damned if I can remember what it is.  Grrrr.

I hope it wasn't important is all I can say.

We have another market tomorrow, just up the road from here, in Flagstaff. 

ABOVE:  This is the first time the Rotary Club has held the market at this park, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

I am going to drive over there today on a 'recce',  so we know where to go tomorrow.

Hmmm... I wonder if that's what I was forgetting?  lol  If I don't write things down, I sure in hell forget them.  Age?  Too busy?  Loosing me marbles?  Or all of the above!

Right, I'm off to start my day.  Catch ya later.

10.22 am, and I've been 'fluffing around' in the garden/garage patio/CQ for a while this morning.

Putting more potting mix in pots that were low, re-potting a couple of house plants, all the stuff that gets put off.

I've also tidied up CQ (Crabby Quarters) some more, and readied the big trestle to make a start on Christmas present wrapping/sorting.

Lacy visited.

ABOVE:  Lacy visited to show off her new wheels!

YES, a thumping big van!  She can now go camping, and trip around easily.   

It is a Diesel, manual vehicle, so will be cheaper to run.  It also has low K's on the clock.

 

ABOVE: It's HUGE, but she loves it, and that's the main thing.

Moving on...

ABOVE:  Back to Elves.  The photo on the left is what I thought I was getting... and of course, on the right is what arrived.   I think they look totally different, but same-ish.  But yeah, I'm not happy with mine at all.

If it ever stops smelling, I will probably sell it.  It was a very expensive mistake.

Marie, spot on.  Let's call it 'Tranny'.  😂😄😅

ABOVE:  12.50 pm, and I'm just home from a little outing here and there.

I bought that Socket Protector from Mitre 10, plus a few other bits 'n' bobs for Christmas.  

Then I did the 'recce' down the road where tomorrow's market it.  It looks great!  And we have an EXCELLENT spot with plenty of room to extend out a bit if the weather is good.

After that I picked up my repeat prescriptions and came home.  Now cooking my lunch before taking a break for a little while.

7.46 pm, and I've had a nice afternoon.

Coco and I went for a walk, sat and yakked with a lovely neighbour, watched the river, and then came home.

Stew and I have just loaded the car for tomorrow, so it's now time to settle down for the evening. 

It should be an early to bed night for us.

Catch ya tomorrow.