ah. Christmas Eve. And it's raining. What a freaking surprise.

What with my brain needing some stimulus due to the no work thing, i finally went to a place that sold the Listener on a Monday and bought it. Usually i don't see it til Sunday when there really is not much point.

But what a cracker this week's is!

The editorial is fantastic. It opens: 'Since when has genuine happiness been dependant on money?' I like it. My year, as previously mentioned, has been full of challenges. Lots of them were not so good, and seem to overshadow all the fantastic challenges. But at the end of it, I am happy. Maybe next post can be about all the good things from this year. hmm, could be a long one.

Then there was yesterday's Dom Post article in the World section about young women in Asia (if i remember right) not being allowed to go to school in favour of their brothers. Goodness, that makes me sad. Typically, i can't find it on the Dom Post website. What does that say? It was almost a whole page article, and yet it isn't important enough to make it to their site. Boo.

Oh, also in the Listener is a fascinating piece about Jane Austen. I came across this
a few days ago and meant to link to it through here, but the lovely Louise beat me to it.

While watching trashy Christmas tv i'm working my way through fetching in the wonderful, wonderful, lush alpaca silk i bought from South Seas Knitting. Though i think i should get in the habit of actually counting - i'm onto glove number two and am struggling to get the number of rows between cables the same. woops.

Right, so that was a whole lot of randomness. Merry Christmas everyone, i'll try and keep up with the very regular posting in the New Year - but can't guarantee i'll be sober enough until oh, about January 3.

Tash xx

ephemera

Am a bit hungover today. Shall i share the exploits?

I finished work on Friday, headed home and then picked my brother and his new(ish) girlfriend up from the airport. It is so good to see him again, even though it has only been about 6 months. But still. From there we had fish and chips, all the 

kids in one room - man we take up a lot of space now! All bar one are out of school and over 5 foot 9, it's bizarre. Had a few too many wines, did some grocery shopping with my sister and had the best sleep ever...

Saturday involved cleaning and baking pre-afternoon tea, which was meant to be reasonably posh like until tim came home with a box of coronas. Out of all the people who came, only one had a cup of coffee and one had tea. All the rest of us were boozing. Good, good times. Too much food, lots of sun and catching up. 

Eventually my older brother turned up after a day of shopping, and invited us to go for dinner at Nicolinis, not only the best italian restaurant around, but his old place of employ. Of course we'd all eaten too much already and hadn't booked so we didn't get there til around 10, so had the wait staff sitting with us eating their dinner, and then Raffaele himself joined us. I treated myself to the most divine banquet of pescatora - seafood, beautiful seafood. Tim hates anything you have to shell that comes from the ocean so it was a rare moment where absolutely had to take the opportunity. we wobbled home around midnight, and we paid for it this morning...to the point where i succumbed to a pie, an extreme rarity.

We've just been to yet another of the boy's family's houses for nibbles and drinks and sweltering in the sun. I think Wellington is a bit confused and has decided to provide us with weather that is more appropriate for Nelson, but it is wonderful for all these afternoon events we've been going to. 

Am now biding my time before going out to meet some old school friends for dinner, one is here on a flying visit from Auckland before heading off to the Philippines - lucky thing! So have finally managed to get labels done for all my presents, and the boy is about to learn just how carried away i got...hmmm....

I'm sure there was something deep and meaningful i was going to mention. Hmm... Despite all that i've been trying to do to get myself to actually 'feel' like it's Christmas, it still hasn't sunk in. My presents are almost al organised, there have been myriad family and friend gatherings, and yet...it just isn't the same from when i was a kid. I'm sure when all the madness that is present opening is under way, and my nine year old brother is running around going nuts on chocolate, and my stomach feels like it will pop, and we go for a walk to look at the Christmas lights to work it off, then, i am sure it will feel like Christmas. But i think once you get a certain age you really have to make an effort to feel that true vibe. In an odd moment of insight, I said to tim that Christmas only really happens if you make the effort. I get so sick of these people who go on about how much they hate Christmas, all the stress and what have you. By forcing myself to start making presents in early November, this year it has been a breeze. And i actually enjoy Christmas shopping, and baking, and cooking, and hanging out with all my favourite people. Yes, all those parties get a bit tedious, but i've taken advantage of every single one and used it as the only relaxation time i've had in months. Just sitting back quietly, watching everyone else and listening to their conversations, talking to people. it's the same reason i love the markets - i don't have to do anything at all but sit there. I feel like a total marshmallow after all that food and alcohol, but i'm going to use my two week break to make sure i get back in the exercise habit. Really people who tell everyone who will listen how much they hate this time of year need to get over it. I could go into a whole other reason as to how that can be seen as entirely selfish, but i won't.

on a final note, i happened upon the most fantastic garage sale yesterday. Check out what i picked up for $2 (and she didn't even want that much for it!). I honesty could have walked away with a giant box of fabric. Thank goodness i had that rational thought of...oh, um, where on earth would i store it all?!

A painted velvet cushion cover...
And this fabric. No idea what to do with it, of course...

And the fabric i bought in Paraparam the other weekend. How cool are the trucks!!

righty-o i better get on to tidying myself up for dinner. Have a fantastic Christmas...hopefully will post shortly after. :)

all the good intentions

My good intentions for this blog as follows:

take photos of great stash of stuff purchased at the Statue Barn two weeks ago
take photos of freaking cool fabric bought in Paraparaumu two weeks ago
put up photos of pretty coloured jingle bells bought a week ago from borders
post every day (pfffffffffft)
take photos of just completed christmas craft presenty goodness

clearly none of this has happened. In between Christmas parties, my body shutting down on me and forcing me to spend a day in bed (and miss the one Christmas party i was really looking forward to) and Tim's brother and family arriving from Canada, it's all got a bit lost in the wash. I have, however, very nearly completed all Christmas crafting/shopping, have a tidy house and even managed to seriously diminish my massive pile of work. Admittedly i did just move part of it, but cos it's filing, and can wait til January, it still counts right?

So now i am hanging out for Friday afternoon when i get to finish at the oh so wonderful time of 1, and get stuck into some serious cookie baking. Not that our house needs any more sugar...

i heart christmas

especially because i just had a work lunch. along with said lunch i imbibed perhaps two glasses of wine more than i should have. All attempts at work are rendered futile. Must abort. More work drinks commence at 1800 hours. uhoh.

not so fun times in the sunshine

I have a fast whinge to do about the Khandallah fair. It was ass. Reasonable amount of people, but lots of looking not much spending, and as a result i think the stall charges were way too much. I only just broke even. Which has made me wonder if our product is any good, if we should keep doing it...but we've got a new order, so i'll stick with it for now. 

But, if anyone would like some Christmas cards! Let me know - i have squillions. Say i'll give ten to anyone for free. Send me an email i'll put them in the post. :)

oh and i completely melted in the sun. It was hideously hot - 27 degrees! in wellington! that never happens, climate change is rearing its head, baby.

so to compensate for the whinge i am going to announce my total adoration of paperchase right now. I absolutely adore their Christmas decorations. It doesn't help that i seem to end up in borders all the time, browsing when i have nothing else to do on my lunchbreak. Which is how i ended up with the coolest bell decorations. They even jingle. Tim had fun juggling them. Only bummer - they don't with any ties so i have to go get some ribbon so i can put them on the tree. Now i just have to stop buying things for myself and start buying presents for others. It's the cruelty that is Christmas - you spend so much time looking, and all you seem to find is stuff for yourself. 

christmas tree, oh christmas tree!

The flowers outside my window...

I got home very grumpy last night from a very long day at work to see when i walked in the door - a christmas tree! a real, pretty smelling tree. So we had a good old time decorating it, and i've just looked at the photos i took of it and they're kinda shit. Maybe i'll post it anyway. hmmm so far have had a fabulous day off - dropping off a card order, going out to see the wonderful Martha and her hubby at Wanda Harland (oh i could spend so much money there!) to see if they wanted some cards - and they do! ok, i put it up. But i did warn you that it's a bit crap.

Woohoo! Then i got a bit spendy at the kathmandu sale...we need it all, really. 

Then i went to scope out the preview for the $100 art sale tonight. I'm very, very tempted to buy two works. With these new orders i probabl

y could manage it - it i conveniently forget the fact i need new shoes and work clothes. Pah, who

 needs practical stuff! When i can buy art?! And i do have the khandallah fair on sunday to make up for it. To which you should come, btw. I'm a bit bummed we chose to go in the carpark (cheaper stall) but i'm hoping being a little off the beaten track won't matter too much. 

and i really best get on with some cutting out - tre

es for more christmas cards and fabric circles to make yoyos with so that i can finally get some handmade presents finished.

Tim and my youngest brother last weekend...what is it about youngest children?

And this is our shiny new computer. I loves it. i'm just not very good at using it yet. I've lost all that i learnt on macs when i did first year design about 5 years ago. But i'll get there. :) And that's one of tim's photos as our desktop. Pretty.