Sunday, November 8, 2009

Am away Painting....

I have been away for over a week now have been flat out painting! I started in the bathroom & have just finished Dylan's room which has gone from *pink* it was originally Taska's room, to cream with white picture rail, skirting boards etc. Looks so much fresher & lighter. Have now started on the hallway & all the rooms will be the same colour. I had forgotten how time consuming doing the picture rails were, 3 coats on the walls is no problem but 3 coats of cutting in with a tiny brush can get very back breaking! I have also painted the furniture in his room white & left drawers & doors in the wood grain.... looking good I have to say....
Our Bonnie had 3 little pups all boys this time & cannot get over how fast they are growing.
Friday was a day of hell in Coffs Harbour, for the FIFTH time this year we flooded again, reporting 294mm of rain in just 24 hours. I cannot tell you just how terrifying it is to race around putting as much stuff up as possible & then just having to *wait & watch* the water rising hoping that the rain will either stop or at least ease off so the ground can soak up the swimming pool that is now our yard. A Fire Engine suddenly turned up outside our front yard with the local CES guys going door to door to see if anyone wanted to be evacuated, nobody left their homes I guess we were all determined to stay & try & keep the water out. We were lucky this time, the rain finally did ease off a bit so the drains could handle the huge volume of water, it had got 1/2" from coming into our Garage again. A lot weren't so lucky. In Gundagai Street where I live quite a few homes flooded, Bray Street looked like a war zone with cars swept away after the creek broke its banks, Gundagai Place where people had only moved back into their homes on Thursday after the March 31st floods only to be flooded once again, it truly is heart breaking. Park Beach Plaza our largest shopping centre which only celebrated 30 years of trading last week was also flooded, as was the city centre. A close friend of ours down the road had a leak in his roof which resulted in the entire ceiling in his kitchen caving in! Yesterday the rain eased even stopped for a while but today it is back, to be honest I think we have all seen enough. So I am now left wondering if our Federal Government will provide Flood Relief for those who have been affected once again, so far the citizens of Coffs Harbour have not seen one cent while other towns & cities affected by natural disasters have, I think it is time they showed support for us up here it will get to the stage where Insurance Companies will not be able to afford to keep paying out.

So I will be away for a while while I get my painting finished......

Hoping you are all having a great weekend...

xxx

Friday, October 30, 2009

Waiting for the new additions to arrive & the Winner is....

Hi all you lovely Ladies out there hope you are all having a great day..... Well I am actually a day late with this post to announce the winner of my latest give-a-way so without any more ado, the winner is.......


The beautiful *Miss Ali* at http://adregan.blogspot.com/ . I'll be emailing you soon for your address Sweet......

I managed to get another Christmas Stocking made yesterday, this one is made from a beautiful now discontinued Bark cloth fabric, ivory coloured raw silk & a *Mary Rose* print....


It has a white jingle bell & pink ribbon sewn on the toe & a pink satin ribbon sewn on the side up the top. Am really enjoying making these it has been so long (well actually one year) since I made any......
Our beautiful *Miss Bonnie* has gone into Labour today, I found her in the backyard *nesting* this morning so she is now in her bed really looking miserable, poor baby know just what she is going through. Will let you all know when her pups arrive....
Wishing you all a great weekend....




Wednesday, October 28, 2009

First Christmas Stocking.....

Hi all have been busy the last few days making a start on my Christmas Stockings to list on ebay & on my website. The first one I have completed is this sweet blue & cream one (has been a real yuck day here so needed my flash on so has come out looking blue & white).....



The front & back have the same *Norfolk Rose* by Waverly, on the front has been sewn Vintage cream cotton lace.....


A pretty blue & white toile has been used for the ruffle at the top....


Inside is another pretty blue print used for the lining....



Oh & today is the last day for my give-a-way, the winner will be announced tomorrow....
Have a great night.....






Sunday, October 25, 2009

My Latest Creation.......

Yesterday I showed you all the photo below regarding the new creation I had made. I have had this rambling around in my head for quite some time now & decided it was time to see if it would work. Ok so here are some of the materials I used......



Which I used to turn into this.....


Added some *sparklies* around the dress, burnt my finger prints off using the glue gun, first time in several years & I had forgotten just how hot they get.....


Added a piece of baby pink ribbon to hang this sweetie up, left her over night to see if it all stayed in one piece & what do you know it has worked....



A *MP&CC* original *Christmas Angel Wall Hanging*. So all morning I have been trying to list her on Ebay, boy it has been a long time since I put a listing on there I have forgotten how to go about it! So let me know what you all think....
Hope you are all having a great weekend...






Saturday, October 24, 2009

What do you get when.......

What do you get when you have a Artist Blank Canvas, a piece of Mary Rose (tm) fabric, the beautiful Rose Tea Garden & a stunning Rachel Ashwell pink self embossed velvet fabric plus a glue gun???



Well right now I have no finger prints left due to the fact that it has been sooooo many years since I have used a hot glue gun & quite forgot just how hot they get (could commit any crime right now & get away with it) so writing this post is proving to be quite painful! Next post you will see just what it is that I have spent the last couple of days making (if it passes the test).

Hope all you Ladies out there are having a creative weekend & still have your finger prints....




Wednesday, October 21, 2009

An Apology,Grand Opening & A Give~A~Way.....

I feel I need to give a HUGE APOLOGY to all you lovely Ladies out there for neglecting you the past few weeks & also for not replying to the ladies who gave advice to me regarding the trouble I was having setting up my website. Well I am thrilled to let you all know it is now up & running thanks to the beautiful Miss Ali who went in fixed all the stuff ups I made & also set it up for me so I could set it out how I wanted.... So THANK YOU SO MUCH MY SWEET FRIEND....


http://www.mypinkandcreamcottage.com/


Do you all know how excited I am, can you feel the excitement in the air? I honestly cannot tell you just how happy I am to have FINALLY started this new journey in my life am jumping up & down with joy here. So I want to spread that joy & am having a Give~A~Way to celebrate my grand opening & it is Ta DAAAA....

Another of my Tu Tu Lavender Sachet Holders......


This one is a sweet green one with pink roses.....


While tucked inside is another little sachet chocker full of 100% pure Lavender buds & smelling so yummy....

So here's all you have to do to be in the draw to win...
1.... Follow my blog.
2.... Leave a comment on any of my posts between now & 28th Oct.
3.... Add the link to my website on your blog.
So for one of the above one entry goes in so if you already follow my blog then you already have an entry in OK!
That's it so when you have the time pop on over & have a browse through my new shop ohhhh how exciting is it....
Have a great day everyone....

Hugs & kisses...

Ooops I didn't realise until I had published this post that the button link to my website above didn't work so have put in a link below it, there is also a link on my sidebar......



Tuesday, October 13, 2009

*HELP PLEASE*.........

OK so please can someone, anyone out there.........HELP ME PLEASE..... I am honestly going insane here.... for days I have been setting up my Website & I keep loosing EVERYTHING...... as soon as I finish a page it just all disappears.......WHY is this happening ??????????? I am very close to THROWING my Computer out the window....... bursting into tears....throwing a tantrum.... you name it......Why am I finding this SO hard when other Ladies out there do it all the time....surely it should be a BREEZE, shouldn't it...... OK time to calm down YET AGAIN...... relax, walk away & have another go later..........

Hoping your day is a LOT better than mine......


Monday, October 12, 2009

*How To Dance In The Rain*......

I recieved this email this morning from my bestest friend Anna & just had to share it with you all I Kinda think it says it all.....


How To Dance In The Rain.....
It was a busy morning, about 8:30,
When an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived
To have stitches removed from his thumb.
He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, But I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'True love is neither Physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Wishing you all a great day...

Lyn xxx

Saturday, October 10, 2009

*Do you ever have those days*.......

Ok so tell me *do you ever have those days where NOTHING goes right*. Oh I hear you all saying *yep have them...so here's the deal....the cushion I posted about making, you know the one with the candle wicked butterfly, well after a lot of serious thought as to how I was to turn it into a work of art... we are talking days here... it has been banished to my *to do later when I have more patience* box! I had decided I wanted to keep it fairly plain, didn't want to take away from the butterfly which was where all the work had gone into after all, so decided on a cream raw silk fabric for the border, fine not a problem, then came the ruffle...grrrrrr... I choose a creamy white plain fabric & set to making. Now you have to understand here I am not a fan of making ruffles, to me they are VERY time consuming as I have to pull the threads by hand and there has been many a time when I have nearly had them finished when *twang* the thread breaks & its back to the sewing machine! After this happening 3, yep THREE times, I finally had it all pinned in place ready to sew (I do have to mention here that by this stage I was VERY lucky to still have a sewing machine after considering throwing it through the window, around my sewing room or dumping it in the rubbish bin!) I set to & sew away, then over lock all around. YES I pat myself on the back (something I shouldn't really do until completely finished I have since learnt) now to cut out the back. SHOCK HORROR..... dare I say it.... not all the ruffle was sewn to the border....if you are a sewer then you KNOW how the person who invented the over locker (although one of the best inventions ever) failed to come up with a super duper quick way of unpicking once a mistake has been made..... hence the banishing! If there is one thing I know about myself (I have mentioned before the key to good sewing is patience) although I have become better with age, I knew when to admit i was BEATEN!

Ok can it get any worse... you bet your bottom dollar it can.... my goal was (as I have also mentioned in an earlier post but has my mind is by now getting very haggled as to which post it was) to have my Website up & running this month I took all the photo's, re sized them, did the write up, (once again talking hours here & to all you lovely Ladies out there who have their own Website I take my hat off to you) put in the photos, saved, on to the next one, FINISHED, Whooo Hooo, had to take a sneak peak before I activated......... Noooooooooooooooooooo. come on this is not happening, was I that BAD in my past lives?????? What the?????????? the write was fine as for the photos.... toooo big, toooo small, not where I placed them, some not even there, some two of, so what have I done WRONG..... I followed all the instructions honest I did.....

One of my Listings.....
Another listing.......


Yet another......

My all time FAVOURITE...

So I have just one more word to say here...... HELP.............
Well maybe just a few more..... Where on earth would we be without laughter..... this post is not a whinge it is telling myself although things do not always work out as planned....*laughter is the best medicine*.....
Wishing you all a great weekend & hey if things do not work out for you, take a deep breath, do the UMMMMMMM thing, relax, there is always tomorrow.....
Ok lastly I want to thank you lovely Ladies out there who left encouraging comments to me regarding my son Ryno, they are greatly appreciated







Thursday, October 8, 2009

*He did it*.........

My Sweet boy Ryno took a trip to his Mum's homeland late last month spending 10 days down at Queenstown. He did the usual *snowboarding*, went on the *shot over jet* took a helicopter flight but the thing I think he enjoyed doing most was...........





......doing the *134 metre* Bungy jump! I have to tell you I have always wanted to do this & know quite a few people who have jumped off the tall bridges down at Queenstown but this one well I don't think so..... honestly think I would be holding on for dear life not to jump out!


He has always seemed to know no fear right from the start so I shouldn't have been surprised when he showed me the video of this Bungy jump, I wasn't until I saw the 134 metre drop sign!





The photo above shows how far down the river below is!!! maybe this jump is not for me....




Ryno in his element... really lovin' every minute of it.... after an adventure packed holiday he came *home* for 5 glorious days, I treasure any time I have with him since his big move to the other side of Oz, only to find the day he left Perth to fly to Sydney to fly to NZ, his gorgeous girlfriend Chloe broke off their relationship. To say he is devastated is putting it mildly, to say I am devastated is also putting it mildly I honestly thought they would get married, he just seems so lost now, all the plains he had made for his future included Chlo & now, well, what??? it had been a long time since I saw my boy (actually at 23 nearly 24 he's a man) cry, & I couldn't do anything for him, in the past I could always fix things with a kiss & heaps of cuddles, that doesn't work anymore, it does not help the pain go away & the hardest thing is that he is over there all by himself..... I just really want him to come home..... if you have read my posts on Ryan before then you will know that he has always been so so special to me.......
If you are lucky enough to have your family around you... kiss & cuddle them every day...







Tuesday, September 22, 2009

*OK Perhaps Just One More*.......

I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago how quite a few of the items I had made for my Website had walked out the door most to be given as birthday pressies to friends of Taska's which is why among other reasons I am so far behind in opening my site up....OK so I have now given myself a date (it will be the start of October) as I have also realised it is going to take me quite sometime to upload everything not to mention that fact that I honestly have no idea how to go about this, should be interesting huh, but I AM up for the challenge! plus I still feel that there isn't quite enough items yet to put on....
Years ago I made some cushions & a quilt when I first learnt how to Candlewick... I love this peaceful form of embroidery... anyway the cushions were given away, the quilt I still have but it really needs new fabric placed around all the squares, will keep you posted on that when I get it done. Anyway the other day I came across a square I hadn't used so have decided that *perhaps just one more* cushion for the site!.......



A sweet Butterfly made in a cream cotton onto a white cotton fabric, perhaps for a little girl....


Satin stitch used for the body & inside the wings.......

Cannot remember how many *French Knots* I made, quite a few believe me.....


At the four corners tiny flowers & leaves have been embroidered, hours & hours of work that I just soooooo enjoyed doing, perhaps should do some more......
Thanks for popping over to visit oh & sorry about the last photo it really isn't all that clear, when I have made the cushion up will take some piccies to show you....
Have a great day.....







Sunday, September 20, 2009

*Where I Create*.......

Ooooops I forgot quite a while ago I promised to show piccies of my new sewing room... sooooooo here they are, better late than never..... I love this room, I honestly do.... although the size has not changed, it is still little more than closet size, I have a lot more space than before... no more yellow walls instead rich cream, no more fabric piled high on the floor where I no longer had any idea what fabric I had, laces, trims, doilies, braids, ribbons, sewing needles, bits & bobs all in there own marked boxes, even a box labelled *things you can't find* it really is bliss....


The photo above shows my new sewing bench.... no longer are my sewing machine & over locker crammed together on a tiny sewing table..... I even have room for my Laptop, on the left in its new grey *Belkin* case, newly painted white stool with the ever so *bum* friendly cushion, even more bliss....


Above is the *memory* board I made up with a couple of family photos, vintage lace trims, two hearts with *forgive & dream* written on them, hand made fringing I made years ago which took hours & hours to make, a newly finished pot mitt patiently waiting for its partner to be completed, a luggage tag from my last trip home, heart lavender sachet I made waiting for a ribbon bow to be placed on it & lastly a business card I made up just sitting there as I'm not sure it's quite right yet.....


A close up of my *Memory Board* made from a gorgeous soft green fabric with pink roses & rose buds scattered all over, pale pink ribbon. A cute tiny teddy with a pink bottle & a pink bon bon hang near my business card, heart sachet filled with lavender & a pretty frill across the front, pacific blue luggage tag.....

Hand made fringing, hours of pulling threads from fabric, vintage laces & a sweet *forgive* sign...

A shelf full of some of my creations, hopefully these will not walk out the door to be given as birthday pressies to my daughters friends, although I must admit am very flattered that they were even considered good enough & special enough to be given........



I love the black & white boxes they are actually white fabric with black velvet. I bought these before I went home & found I didn't have enough.... went to buy more & of course the shop was sold out of them so had to settle for the white ones.... will keep an eye out for more though...


My sister bought me the beautiful frames that are placed either side of the one & only window, below this one I painted & placed the word love.....


On the other side I painted & placed the word *create* right above my sewing machine, (boy does that machine know how to create) I just have to look up & there is the one word that means so much to me..... loving the roses on the calender as well..



A black & white photo of Ryno when he was quite a bit younger, painted *diva* sign......


On top of what was once a tallboy in my sons room which has been given a new coat of paint & now holds even more fabric, sits a sweet little box I painted cream & pink & have place vintage flowers in, on top sits a miniature sewing machine, candle holders & to the left under the shelf is my *Keep Calm & Carry On* sign..... on the wall above the shelf I placed *inspire* sign, the white painted mannequin sits waiting for me to dress her, love the blue glass jar next to her.....



My old tallboy packed full of fabric......




Bottom section of shelves, the little mini recycling bins have fabric scrapes in them, the large plastic bag above is chocker full of the most delicious smelling lavender, above to the right are my favourite books.... complete Rachel Ashwell *Shabby Chic* - how good is her new one have read & reread it already - At home with White - thank you Rebecca for putting me on to such a great book I love it - & others.....


So there you have it my new sewing room, it is not quite finished yet one thing I really need is a clock in here but for now I am just loving the time I spend it here, it makes sewing such a pleasure.....


Let me know what you think....















Friday, September 18, 2009

*Of Sewing,Face Serum & My Favourite Colours*.......

The other day was one of those days you know the sort where everything just seems to go wrong from the moment you open your sleep filled eyes... well that was me. I was finishing off a cushion I was making & if there is one thing I learnt early on when making cushions it was NEVER EVER cut the back out until you are ready to sew it on.... ok so this day was no different, cut out the first back only to find it too small. measured it again, re cut it only to find too small again, oh come on what is going on here the measurements were right. I was getting pretty hot under the collar by this stage even considered turfing it when I looked over to my wall & saw hanging there the words..... Keep Calm & Carry On...... how true these five little words are, so measured yet again, cut & what do you know.... perfect fit. I have always believed that things come in three's.... so was not at all surprised to find the other day that the packets of serum hiding in the back of my bathroom cupboard that I thought I had bought for my face quite awhile back & began applying every night before bed.... were in fact on a closer look.... for my hair!!!! Written in tiny writing on the little bottles was the description of how *soft* the hair would feel after application & the brilliant shine that would be achieved! Have to admit the same can now be said for my face.... yes it is a lot softer although the shine has disappeared by morning! After a bit of consideration I have come to the conclusion that no harm has been caused & as I have had all my hair chopped off super short again.... well my face needs it more than my hair...... Am still waiting for the 3rd little mishap to happen.....
Yesterday I decided to make a cushion cover for the stool in my sewing room, made of wood it can get very hard under bum so went through my stash of fabric looking for the *right* shade of faded soft *blues* *pinks* & *greens*...... finally remembered the fabric I bought last year to use in my bedroom & set to cutting & sewing.....



A sage & white stripe was used for the back ties & the all round frill........



I love the soft mutted colours of this fabric..... it reminds of the the fabric that was around when I was young used for dresses, pinnies, cushion covers & tablecloths......


The end result, am loving it with the stool that was once wood stained & I painted white... taking pride of place in my sewing room......




Wishing you all a great weekend......








Thursday, September 17, 2009

*A Gathering of Thoughts* is having a Give-A-Way....

If you have not visited the very Sweet Miss Rebecca over at http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ then you are in for a real treat when you do! I have followed Rebecca's creations from *afar* for years now first when I found her selling her wares on ebay all those years ago & still to this day I marvel at just how talented this special Lady is.....



The stunning pale *PINK* Christmas Stocking you see below is Rebecca's latest offer for her Give-a-way, but I'm going to be honest here & tell all you Ladies out there *THIS ONE IS MINE*! it would look so at home with the gorgeous chrissie decorations I bought from her a couple of years ago but hey it wont hurt to leave a comment on any of her posts dating from September 10th through to the 19th September, you never know your luck......



So Miss Rebecca think I've now done everything now to make sure I have heaps of entries just to be on the safe side, I just sooooooo want this......








Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sometimes you just shouldn't look back......

A couple of Sundays ago I travelled down the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand, from Nelson to Christchurch with my brother & sister in law in order to catch my flight back to Oz the next day. It had been around 28 years since I had last made this journey & to be honest I had forgotten just how *breathtaking* the scenery is. New Zealand is the youngest country on this earth after making her grand entrance by rising out of the sea, a land that has huge Mountains, beaches made of both white & black sand, unique animals & birdlife & scenery that to me is the closest you will ever get to heaven.....
So the day started off with rain it was cold & to most probably a real miserable late winter day but I loved every minute of that drive as it brought back so many happy memories of my childhood. When I was young all those years ago (hahaha) my family would drive up to a place called Blenheim for the Summer school holidays & as my Mum & Dad usually had their time off work in January I sometimes spent my birthdays away which I loved. We always stayed with friends of my folks Bob & Hazel Stagg while in Blenheim a couple who I grew to love like my second parents. Their house was built on a very large block of land which on one side had rolling lawns which led down to a river. Fruit trees were out the back, sometimes in the mornings we would go & collect muscles which Hazel would place into a huge pot of boiling water on top of the stove, real lazy hot summer days & at night the record player was turned right up & I loved to watch the adults dancing away in the lounge. Innocent days when it was still ok to smoke inside (boy was there some nicotine of them there walls) & seeing for the only time in my life the most humongous fiery red setting sun. Both Hazel & Bob are now long gone but their house is still there, such a sad run down little house with houses built where the rolling lawns use to be, even out the back has been built on.....



So on we travelled seeing the amount of vineyards where farms used to be just blew me away millions & millions of grape vines, the Cob Cottage I use to love seeing just before you get into Blenheim, the hills towering on both sides of the road dotted with sheep which really got me wondering how on earth they got up such rugged country, the lambs in the paddocks surely born too early to survive the cold winds, but survive they do, & seeing my favourite black faced white bodied sheep just pure joy. (Yep I have to admit here I'm a big lover of sheep!) Then round a bend in the road & my breath is taken away by the sight of the hills still capped with snow, how I had forgotten their beauty even on this overcast day is just beyond me, I couldn't take my eyes off them....








Varying off the highway we went in search of our Great Grandmothers (Nan as us kids called her, an amazing Lady who lived to be quite a few years over 100 & who I adored to visit each summer) home in Hapuku, became lost, rang our Mum to find we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be, finally finding it & also finding it was a lot closer to the sea than either of us remembered as kids, Shirlene & I laughing our heads off as we stumbled over the cattle grate at the front of the driveway in high heeled boots, holding on to each other in case our foot caught, taking that walk down the driveway, hoping another piece of my past wasn't left rundown, a smile as I see although not as grand as that home once was it still had a small piece of the large wrap around veranda standing, a new coat of paint, boxes in rooms waiting for the new owners to unpack, the stables out back still standing, as was the huge hedge out the front, the little house my Great Aunt & Uncle used to live in, gardens although also not as grand but making a comeback, & I felt that these people whoever they are would hopefully restore her back to her former beauty. Walking on further down the back we found a large pond someone had put in down the back & that this which was once where my Mum used to ride my Nans horse *Janetta* was now up for sale. Oh to have the money to buy this little plot of land, this little piece of my families memories....



No one was home the day we came to visit which was a shame as I would have loved to have seen inside again, what I could see through the French doors & windows still seemed the same just had new paint on the walls...



So down the road a ways we go to where my Great Aunty Lily used to live, a gorgeous little cottage which was once I think if my memory serves me right painted a pale blue & white, the house that from a very early age decided for me I just had to one day own my own little Cottage, & there before me was the second shock of the day... what stood there now was the same house but painted a hideous green & also in great need of some TLC... sometimes you just shouldn't look back.....





Back onto the highway with the sea *right there beside you* I searched for the roadside stalls I remembered where you could buy Crayfish for $1 each, no longer there but I bet if they were the $1 price tag wouldn't be, stopping to see the Sea lions on the rocks & wondering how on earth the ones in swimming weren't pounded onto the rocks, then driving into Kaikoura for a spot of lunch. So tell me did you have Fish & Chips wrapped in Newspaper when you were a kid??? I know I did & the thrill of ordering mouth watering *Groper & Chips* was only out weighed by finding them wrapped in Newspaper when cooked. I think there were a few fellow customers there that day that wondered about the sanity of the Lady squealing with delight - another cherished memory. Looking for my Great Aunty Pearl & Uncle Bob's home which we mixed the street up & thought had been pulled down but found out from my Mum when I got back that it was still standing one street over from where we were looking, maybe I was spared another rundown house to witness, who knows. Also missing seeing our only surviving relative in Kaikoura, our Great Aunty Dorie who is now in her nineties nearly blind & living by herself, a Lady I would dearly have loved to have seen just once more....

Driving over the Hundalea's the hills that as a child I would always *throw up in the back seat of the car* & laughing to myself that they really were nothing to get sick over, on & on until with night falling I catch the sight of the Summit Hills surrounding Christchurch, the twinkling lights of this beautiful City, my City where I was born & brought up for the first 16 years of my life, a City I have loved, still do but now find it too cold in winter to ever be able to live there again, & sadly I realise that this very special journey is coming to an end, that tomorrow brings an 3.45am rise to get to the Airport & then a very long day of travel until I finally arrive back in Coffs at 10.30pm that night, but it also shows me how giving my brother & sister in law are, they too rise at 3.45am, take me to the Airport & then have a long day of work in front of them. The flight back always sees me in tears, leaving my family is always gut wrenching & although this visit was not under good circumstances that days travel I will always cherish & now realise ok so somethings have changed my memories never will....


Wishing you all a great day.....