Foraging - Waikari - Northern Canterbury

While on the railway walkway in Waikari I found an apple tree and what could either be a pear or an apple - i will have to study up on what trees look like!! Often along railway lines there used to be fruit trees springing up. From passengers eating fruit and then throwing the cores out the window.

Hodgie Podgie day

2 years ago we created our own family tradition. When we set a Hodgie Podgie day we have a direction only that we go in. There is no destination set and no time set. Anyone has the right to yell "Hodgie Podgie" if there is something interesting they want to do or see or turn off to. The kids have as much right as an adult.

This has gotten us to see some amazing things in our areas and have some absolutely awesome days. Winter we always take the thermette and hot drink things and bread for toasting over the fire. Summer we always take togs etc.

We have headed to Hanmer and ended up staying a night, we have gone Akaroa way, we have headed into South and gotten as far as Ashburton, We have gone north and ended up at Gore Bay.

Today we headed towards Hawarden. We often drive pass the turn off and have never gone exploring. First Hodgie Podgie call out was Waipara as I had heard about a place that had railway carraiges to sleep in. What a find! http://www.waiparasleepers.co.nz/ . After a good look there we continued driving to the next little settlement. There we walked the old railway walk through the back of the town and then came back via the road, had an icecream and then went toward Hawarden. From there we went towards Lake Sumner but the gravel windy road that we thought would take 20 mins to half an hour was at least three times that long. So once we hit the south branch of the Hurunui we stopped for hot food. (it was meant to be lunch but it was 3pm).

We came back via a back road that came out near State Highway 7 and the Hurunui Pub and had a pub dinner $9.90 roast and came home. Excellent fun day out.

Places to stay

yesterday when out on a family Hodgie Podgie day we found the best, cheap, local accomodation for a getaway. http://www.waiparasleepers.co.nz/ A very cool backpackers that has onsite caravans, cabins but the coolest of all is that it is based around an old railway idea. There are four railway caraiges that are set up as either bunkrooms or doubles. They have four beds or a double but the guards area is turned into a mini lounge with the original train seats, fridge, toaster, jug and tv. So very cool. The boys and i are going to stay when Aaron is in USA so will update with photos etc later.
Some of the cabins are old railway items and the kitchen dining area is the station waiting room. There is fresh bread every morning from a breadmaker in the kitchen and in the summer there is veges from the garden or "free fresh eggs available at chickens convenience". We were quoted a price of $60 for the family in a carraige. Very cool!!!!

Charity Quilting

Once a month anyone who is interested comes to my house for an evening and we do quilting. At the moment we are doing quilts for Hope Homes International. Hope Homes International This is a orphanage in El Dorat in Kenya, which is set up for the children to live and learn life skills they would have learnt if being brought up in their own house. They go to a private school as public schools have up to 60 children in a classroom, then they live in houses on a five acre block. They have house cows for calf raising, a chicken raising area which gives them eggs and extra money selling adult eating chickens to the community. They have goats for milking, huge maize growing and are currently filling a pond with fish for eating and selling. Eventually it should have five houses, housing 10 kids each with a mum and dad employed in each house. Currently there are two houses.
The quilting current aim to give a quilt to each child. We have nearly finished two quilt tops.

This is Jeanette and Karen G hard at work last night.

Recreate - What a find

Well, yesterday on the way home from Rugby at Mandeville, I finally stopped at a shop that I had meant to go and look at ever since it opened about one and a half years ago. The Barn on Giles, which is on Giles Road, just out of Kaiapoi. The Barn on Giles

My goodness the things I have missed out on. It was so me. Button necklaces, pieces of material, retro feather duvets and blankets, mosaics, re-upholstered chairs like mine. A veritable treasure trove of ideas.
I am going back when I get some time to myself and I am taking everyone who comes to visit me.
They also are so into reusing and recycling that they sell rolls of wallpaper. but it is what they do with it in the shop. If you buy something it gets packaged into a lovely bag with string handle and cut out picture (mine was a dove). The bag is the width of a wall paper roll, folded over and sewn down the two sides, then with holes punched in the top. The cut it is old paint swatches that are from colours the paint shop is no longer doing. How cool is that!!!!

Recession busting ladies - here we go - idea city!!

What we do on a Saturday night.

Like many people we watch some TV or a movie, not always, just sometimes. Only at the moment we are watching more. We have just gotten an HDMI system and as you can get it to record things you like (the whole series not just the day) we now have far far far tooooooo much TV to watch. Before I would miss 3/4 of the programmes I wanted to watch. Now I have to sit down for two hours every other night ( slight exageration, but it wouldn't be so good a story) to see all the veiwing we have recorded.

I looked over and what did I see???? But this. Who could resist taking photos of a blissed out Morris?

Jakob - player of the day

On Saturday Jakob got "player of the day" at rugby. He was thrilled. More thrilled I think with all the goodies they gave him, than with anything else!

Recreate - yet another stool

Well this rainy Sunday afternoon I have spent remaking a bar stool. I purchasesd it from the Salvation Army store for $4. I nearly didn't buy it as the chrome was just pinpricks of rust and the condition of the seat was gastly. Isn't it funny what you umm and ahh about. Don't even think about filling the car with 65litres of petrol but I stew over whether to spend $4 or not!!!!

but it has been a hit. Eli absolutely loves sitting on it at the kitchen bench and doing things with me or helping to cook or just keeping me company and reading a book while I am doing dinner.

Because the chrome was not that flash I was not prepared to spend any money on it. I used the left overs from my previous stools and had enought floral, chrome tacks to complete the task. I scrubbed the chrome twice. Once with a kitchen scrub and once with a steelo. It has improved it beyond what I thought it would. Aaron is not thrilled. He wanted something funky and cool. So if anyone has any stools like this I would love to get another one so that there is no fighting for the boys as to who gets the seat.

I am very pleased with the result. Before photo is the red one.

My Four year old can carry my Seven year old around

This morning Eli spent the entire morning piggy backing Jakob around the house to show how strong he was. I can't believe that at his age he has the strenght to do that.

Recession busters - Why three slippers makes a pair

At our last meeting we all started knitting our slipper socks. The pattern was for about a size 7 foot. So I added four more rows for the length of my foot. Then I got on with the knitting. Feeling very industrious I even took the knitting to rugby on Saturday. Ball of wool in my pocket and my kneedling clicking (figuratively only) I gaily finished the second slipper. Only to discover that in my haste and pride that it would get done, I had forgotten about the extra rows and my second one was very tight. So the third one was knitted. Hence it has taken me three attempts to make a pair. I crocheted around the top and it rolled a bit and am very happy with the results. My boys are both saying they want a pair, I think I will be able to shrink that pattern.

Cameras

yesterday I took the boys down for a picnic at the river. We had a great time and they ended up stripping off and sliding down a muddy bank. What a mess!! Took heaps of photos and the camera has lost them all!!! This is the second time the camera has not retained the pictures. Now I have to test to see if it is the card or have a gotten a wonky camera? Aaron was going to take this camera to America next month but hmmm.