Easter Swap 2017

Two more sleeps until Term Two. I'm still battling on the most hideous essay of my university career! HATING it and can't be bothered.... and going back to school after being sick for a week , which just makes me even more resentful at having to go back....

Anyway - cheerier things like my Easter swap happened! I swapped with Glenda, who is a local (and blogless). The funny thing is that all the other participants in my swap - well we'd all swapped with each other pretty recently in various things recently too!

This is the gorgeous package received from Glenda perfectly timed. Lots of lovely packagin!

 a very cute vintage tin with choc eggs inside

 a porcelain bunny (still sitting on my window sill currently)

 Glenda made these plaster decorations herself - aren't they fab?

 vintage stickers and envelopes (also made by Glenda)

 serviettes (ha - we sent each other identical ones!) and I love my new coasters!

Every year I always pop along to the Bed Bath and Table shop and always find a few new goodies for me and other people -  I can never go past their tea towels, so Glenda received one from me...

 some cute measuring spoons and a bunny ornament..

 a wire basket; chocolate chic and snap serviettes

 And I also knitted her a bunny rabbit dishcloth!

Easter seems ages ago now - I wish the school hols were just starting again.... Thank you so much Glenda for being an awesome swap partner once again!

Hot off the Press today....

Moi.....  I'm sick. I have university essays to write.... not happy about much at the moment...


This is pretty cool though.... I am known throughout the country...


http://www.thesapling.co.nz/http://www.thesapling.co.nz/

Easter Greetings ... a week later!

Written nearly a week ago - time in the school hols is flying! I've been away again  - this time to Christchurch, Ashburton, Temuka and Timaru. The silly thing - I left my phone charger in Dunedin two weeks ago on my last trip - well this time I left my camera on the back seat of my friend's car in Christchurch.... SIGH! Maybe my dear friend April will do an impulse trip up here to bring my camera back, following in my footsteps with the impulse trip to Dunedin/Invercargill etc to take my cousin back her I-pad she left up here... we seem a brainless lot down under! Hee hee.


GOOD news - no great news - a A- grade for one essay and an A grade for another! I'm delighted. But really the last week of the school hols will be spent belting out 2 more essays - one I've named the worst essay of my university career - it is a career for the years I've spent at university so far! This is the paper for the useless, totally absent lecturer - a whole lot of people are not happy with her... she, we've heard, is a tough cookie, so I am pleased with my A- grade from her, but zero essay back with zero comments, which is really what we look for!


Well no camera equals zero photos... if I could figure out how to use photos from my phone... not sure I am that clever!


Hope kiwis are enjoying the school hols... and others spring!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




I've been lazy this Easter - it is such a low key event in our family (both extended family where 95% see it as another day and its a few chocolate eggs and that's it really!) - I didn't even climb up into the attic to get down the decorations this year.

The oldest is working 10 hours today for normal pay. He is a bit grumpy about that. Everything is shut, but it's a normal day for employees having to work - not even a public holiday. Tomorrow Monday IS a public holiday , which seems crazy when it is less religious than today! All political and traditional here really - only 16% or so go to church; under 50% are christian - I really do think our laws are a bit archaic and we are hardly a christian country. It is good though that people get to spend time with family and friends.

Good night(ie)

Joining in with Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share


A bit of sewing these past two days. Sewing, like knitting for me, is making things I really don't need, but I enjoy it! Since I'm on a mission to sew or knit my wardrobe and I love fabric and wool, I keep on going...

I'd never sewn a nightie before and like this multi use pattern a lot - Simplicity 1561 (Pattern Postie has Simplicity and other patterns half price at the moment!).

I did struggle with the placement of the sleeve going in (engineer husband to the rescue!), but otherwise it was a good straight forward sew!

The spotty one first...

And then the gorgeous organic cotton Cloud 9 fabric next (funny thing is I chose this fabric; got home and opened my big bin of fabric from under the bed... and found 2 more metres of it! I'll probably make a skirt with the other fabric)

I know its autumn, but I'm still in t-shirts and shorts and summer nighties! 

at the mo

The city is fast being shut down in advance of Cyclone Cook. I dropped one kid off at uni and then they promptly shut it down at 11am. The bus queues out of the city are crazy... the boys' school has just shut home too - tow fo them are delighted as tests that were being held today have been cancelled...

This one kid is awesome. He has realised he needs some help around exams and went armed with his last Education Psychology report to the uni assessment centre... I am blown away by their help - another assessment (where some data coming out is a bit scary around his processing speed and working memory...). Data shows that more than likely he will have a laptop for exams... This is all free, which is an absolute godsend as it costs thousands privately. I am so, so thankful for his high school and the huge help he got to pass major school exams.

All I'm doing lately is thinking about the New Zealand education system - it terrifies me, whether low or high decile schools. I'm a bit sad as I'm watching more and more incredible teaching staff walk away. I received a gorgeous gift yesterday and the most sweetest and kindest card from a teacher leaving, but I am finding the emotional toll really, really hard going now.

I shopped this morning - a dress. Ethically made in New Zealand - it will be the one and only item I buy all winter. I've some new Italian wool fabric to make the rest of my wardrobe.

And hot cross buns (although we will also make our own tomorrow).

I'm looking at the mess on my bedroom floor... I'm hoping my inspiration/motivation buried under neath all of that pops up...

Please stay safe New Zealanders ; get out of your house if you need to; don't drive anywhere; fill your water bottles up; have cash; fill your car up....

School hols

And I'm on school hols from now! University is on holiday too. Such a pity I have 3 x 3000 word essays to write and exam prep and note catch-ups to do.... but at least I am happy that I do need to be driving up to campus in CYCLONE COOK tomorrow... yep another cyclone. The weather at lunch today was incredibly bad... but being in a library always feels cosy! The country is expecting the worst weather tomorrow...

Let's look at this sunny weather from Dunedin last weekend. Sigh. Views from everywhere in Dunedin I'm told! It's New Zealand's Scottish city and a university one too. I'm depserate for one of the kids to go to Otago University there too, but hold little hope... One of my library friends has the most cutest Lulliput library in front of her house too. The castle like building is the boys' high school! I need to spend a lot more time exploring Dunedin - I really do like it!

'Tis me again

http://betterfunding.org.nz/uncategorized/learning-assistants-from-mangere-auckland/

Here I am today. The New Zealand government has frozen the operation grants of all state primary schools for at least a 3 year period - the only way, virtually, to stop this is, to get them voted out in September.

For schools this means more students, but less funding to do anything. It also affects staffing, as support staff like learning assistants/teacher aides, librarians, office staff, finance staff also have had their wages frozen. Teaching staff received a payrise - anyone else in schools are blocked from receiving a payrise. So schools have been cutting support staff, cutting hours which HITS THE CHILDREN - the very people who need extra support and help. Children are not receiving the help they require; some are staying home because schools can not fund the help the need, or give support staff enough hours to help these students. It is appalling.

We had the union at school today to try and garner support for better funding for support staff, to enable schools to help the children who deserve it.

Hence these posters. I also have personal correspondence from the Associate Minister of Education today - they deny that educational funding has been cut... ask any school principal and they'll deny exactly what the government is saying!

Down south post #2 (truly the bottom of the world ;) )

Welcome to Bluff - basically at the very bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. Tourist central around the little sign post - fighting off the hordes who need 5000 different shots of the sign....
Bluff is well known for its oysters and I'm not sure what else... it certainly has seen its heyday, but I'm told is a very community orientated tiny town with good things happening. Not for me - particularly with its blustery winds and far too quiet and I imagine it would be bitter and depressing in winter!  The view from Bluff Hill was incredible - over towards Stewart Island and towards Invercargill as well Spectacular skies. Well worth the hour visit just to have ticked it off the list!