Slim Pickens in the frost.

Don't normally buy shoes, but they fitted, a rare occurence,as I have Hobbit feet, little but wide.

I love Scottie dogs and tartan, it must be my Houston genes coming through.

Just another week at Mayberry, Basil on night shift, the boys not at Uni, exams and a holiday, and me mother slave, nursemaid, only person who can do laundry, getting grumpy by the minute. Yes I was a little tetchy by the end of the week and it's only when I get angry with them do they do anything. As soon as they see me come up the drive that they get off the bloody couch. Sitting there or the computers, or playstation watching reruns of The Bill, playing some alien killing game or Facebooking. Until I actually turn in the drive and then they scatter to pick something up so they have something in their hands as proof of work, then they have the cheek to ask "what's for dinner"?
Basil said on Friday night don't worry about dinner I'll cook, trying desperately to deflect my wrath, so we had takeaways, of course.
Saturday morning Aj drove to work, I have to go as adult driver,  and it was bloody freezing that is not swearing, that is  a metrological expression  for a bone chilling, snow like, wintery, crunching, icy ground covering. The sun was raising and it was strangely beautiful, but  in a why hasn't this boy got his restricted licence way, so I can stay in bed.

Only 3 books today, yes I love cowboy books I never said I wasn't a little strange.

 Went home to look at the housework and then set out for the market. As it was raining last week they didn't turn up, so I was happy to see it was open, but very few stalls, but I found a few things. Then on the way home saw a garage sale sign and I stopped, something I very rarely do and found something cute for a $1, I'm not a garage saler, never have been and I don't know why, just like the market atmosphere I think. It's Sunday morning here and it's raining, I have to remind Aj to get up for training and then Tom and his mate Ginge are going to do some training as they have joined a JuJitsu club and are trying to get fitter as they both could only crawl around on Friday after a 3 hour session on Thursday. Apparently weight lose of up to 7 kgs a week is not unusual doing the training, yes I did think about it for a nanosecond and then it went to a place were all stupid thoughts go, out of my head.I shall now go to the living area couch with a hot cuppa and my cowboy book as the warm living room has a ginger haired young man asleep on the couch. Sorry about the lazy men moan but it really drives me nuts  when I see them jump up of the couch when I drive up. Love to you all Aunt Bee.
P.S. Basil got a letter last week saying our driveway is going to be fixed, we both thought that's wonderful, I told everyone at work and they were to hear someone at last was getting some repairs on their quake damaged home, till Basil rang to tell me he had read it wrong and  yes we will get the drive done but after the house is fixed sometime next year.You have got to laugh, but at least we got a letter, we have had no confirmation that the house is going to be fixed anyway. then to rub salt in to the wound the people over the street got their new drive finished yesterday. Keep safe that's what people say in Christchurch to each other when parting it's almost the city's motto.

A bit of this and that and the other .

A typical Friday lunchtime at work, Roast Lamb cooked my me and Linds and Trivial Pursuit.

More knitting needles, someone please stop me.

Tray cloth I have an idea for this.

Tray cloth, very pretty and cheap ( such a ugly word.)

Treasure from Mare's travels scarves, earrings , a thimble and a small mask from Venice. Lovely

Way outside my colour comfort zone here.

Yarn from Spotlight for my blanket inspired by Peacock Blue.

Dear Spotlight was having a sale, how kind of them.

This is on the way to work Friday morning very cold and pink due to the ash cloud from Chile.

This is my new tea carrier, so much nicer than  a metal one, so me  in fact.

Forgot to say this was taken at 8am. and is the Moon.

This is a quick pop in and out, with things I bought last week and indeed received as a present this week. The tray clothes were a bargain, the knitting needles, I'm worried these are a obsession, were from the cat shop. The morning shots may note the word may look better if you click on them. The tea mug is so lovely, china with silicon accessories and so me, the ladies at work are envious, the men are amazed I spent money buying it, I don't care it's more styley than those metal ones and tea drinkers are styley people. Fabric ribbon and yarn from good old Spotlight it was hell when Spotlight was closed for weeks after the February earthquake, there is a rumour afoot they may move I hope it's closer to me. Lazy woman that I am. And lastly gifts from Mare from mostly Italy, how thoughtful my friend is she has 10 siblings plus their children, 2 children herself, 4 step children and numerous friends and bought back something for everyone as well as showing us some wonderful photos of Britain and Europe. Love for now Aunt Bee.

Not a good idea to be in the axe and garden implements aisle on this day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2WNYdW8vEo
If you want to see what last Monday's 6.0 earthquake was like, this is a now famous video from Aj's work, not my Aj's work-place no, but where my baby Aj (yes he is 19) works, Dyer's Road ITM a building supplies firm. One of the young guys put it together it the earthquake at 2.20 pm. one hour and twenty minutes after a 5.5. Aj wasn't there he had a exam for Uni. Thank-God. Love Aunty Bee. I'll be blogging again soon as I've been shopping and finding a few treasures, well treasures to me.

Ready for work, no heating, no drinkable water and  no hot food, but we are open

I had to soothe my jangled nerves, all May of course, plus BBC Good Food, yum

Yes that's me, ready for work this morning, we opened yesterday I not sure if we are mad or just stupid and only on one client turned up.He was from out of the city, were they don't really have a clue what's going on and we told his staff ( we had no drinking water, no heating, or electricity for the fridge and microwave) and they took him back Thank God! so we all went home at 10.am. I really din't want to be there.  Today we went in under the same conditions and  15 turned up, it was cold as you can see but I was prepared. Heaps of after shocks some very large and the liqufaction is bad but not as bad as Feb 22nd, the roads are munted again, me little car has met some holes which could swallow me whole.Love Aunt Bee. The quakes on Monday are from a new fault not previously known, how lucky are we to have so many new faults, at this rate we will have earthquakes till next year. All I can say is "bugger".

Two decent earthquakes in one day and lots of little ones.

Just popped in to say that this afternoon at 1pm. we got hit by  5.5 earthquake and then 1.20 minutes later a 6. It was terrible I fall off my chair and hurt my hip and knee as I scrambled under the table, all but 3 of our clients went under tables or went straight to the floor. We got straight back to work and I stayed in the workroom as I didn't want to go back to the candle room. Just as I went in to turn on the vat for tomorrow, another hit, a 6 I couldn't get under the first table as it had stuff under it (must remember to move that) and so I threw myself under the other table hurting my shoulder...........hell's teeth. Basil got thrown out of bed and Aj was in a local mall where everyone ran out screaming, we immediately outside after the 6 and stayed there till our clients were picked up, it got very cold, but everyone was calm. Basil is tidying up our room which looks like a bomb has hit it, I'll be going to work tomorrow, because what else can you do, but I'm terrified, no-one killed although we have injured. Please, please let it stop soon as we are so over it, everyone cried (staff and clients ) at sometime today, we don't try and be brave any more. Sorry had to get it off my chest, it's so cold and some people have no power or water, bugger this for a joke. Love Aunt Bee.

Nurse Hatchett and my BP.

First I must apologise for not posting this week, and for the lack of photos, but it's been one of those weeks. I shall bore you to death with an explanation. Last Friday week I had a long time coming appointment at the Women's Hospital that's probably all I need to say isn't it. I got there and a frighteningly efficient nurse took me into a room to weight me, (not good), and take my height and blood pressure. There in hangs the tale, I have high blood pressure, I'm on medication and it's recently been increased, when Nurse Hatchett took my BP all hell broke loose and the upshot was I had to put my feet up and calm down, I was calm until she scared me.She said I could have a heart attack or stroke at any minute, that will make any one's heart beat at 102 beats a minute don't you think.
My GP was rung and all sorts of things said including me going there after I'd left the hospital. I actually went after work,  I had felt fine till then, the specialist came in and told me to lose weight he did say more( but I'll keep that to ourselves, need I say large baby), what a surprise that was and after 2 hours in the place I was allowed to go. By the way they were tearing down the old nurses home which is a landmark building in ChCh as it was damaged. I thought I would throw that in as an aside. So I'm on a diet plan, have appointment with the dietician and have to see the practice nurse every week plus I have another med to take each day. Have been running, walking and beating the hell out of the punch bag in the garage. I have made a decision not to bore you with the saga of losing weight as it's my battle and I have so much support from "the men" and the people I work with, I'm going to carry on with the things I love to do but  spend more time getting fit and healthy. So I did go to the market and I did get a bargain or two, actually got lots of fresh veges as well. I shall post the photos tomorrow, sorry I haven't done them yet. Love Aunt Bee.

I will do the Tag thing................be kind it's taken an hour to do this.

Susan T. from theviewfromheresusan.blogspot.com tagged me and I've never been tagged so I have finally got it sorted, sortoff. 
If you could be any historical or current character who would you be?
Always difficult, but probably Mother Teresa, because I'm her opposite I don't think I could ever be as selfless and gutsy as she was, but I do share her sometime doubts and that makes her more human and admirable. But don't worry I could never be her in real life I'm far to materialistic and selfish.
Name an interesting fact about yourself?
I worked in and lived in Wapping London in the 1970's at a pub called the Town of Ramsgate, and it was often full especially on Sundays with celebs like the crew of The Elephant Man, Bob Hoskins, Acker Bilk( who remembers him) and Rula Lenska and Him from Minder popped in, Charles Dickens great grand something and one night The Clash and one of the girls with them had a rat running around her shoulders (yuck) there were enough rats in Wapping as it was. And I have been outside Dr Who's front door, the gorgeous Tom Baker ah! my brushes with fame don't just end there, served Vanessa Redgrave (very tall) and famous for that time politicians drinks as well, I don't think they understood a word I said because they always asked if I was Irish?, Australian ? how dare they!, Canadian ? and as a last resort I would put them out of my misery and say I was a Kiwi.
If you could go back in time and change one thing what would it be ?
Difficult one this, I would not change anything because I'm off the opinion that if I changed one thing I would have no control over all the other things that would happen possibly making things worse.


Name one thing that you would change about yourself?
I would like perfect eyesight please, I'm so sick of being as blind as a bat.
What do you consider your biggest achievement?
My sons, after been told we couldn't have children we had Tom and then we were told he was a miracle and don't expect to have another, and we had AJ. I include Basil in this as well, he being their father and all and  27 years of marriage isn't to be sneezed at either. 

It's Queen's Birthday Long weekend....... probably the Queen has no idea.

The Queen's birthday weekend always the first weekend in June so we can have the Monday off, and very grateful we are to her because we don't get another holiday weekend till October. So we go through winter with no long weekend and only the dream of a snow day to keep us going, and to be fair we have only had two snow days in the last 14 years, so we are always hopeful but  resigned to full winter of work.
No market for me this week, trying to not go every week, trying to be find a home for all the things I have got, which I know many of you struggle with, in that we need larger houses, to be honest even if my house was larger it would soon fill up, I have a better chance of more room in this house when one or both of "the men" go flatting.

I love honey.

trying to be more adventurous in my fabric choices

Miss Marple, perfect for a long weekend

I have had a ordinary week, but bought myself, o.k. disregard  what I just said earlier, I bought myself a very cute honey pot and yesterday bought 2 pieces of fabric and 2 small pieces of felt, the fabric was on sale and crying out to me "take me home", I always for sorry for crying fabric. 
Miss Marple I enjoyed it in a I wish they didn't put her in stories she never appeared in books way. I love the acting and the clothes of the era and Julia McKenzie is fine, I see there is a boxed set out but I didn't get it as although I'm Agatha Christie mad I wasn't sure I would watch them.
I've been tagged as I don't quite get how to do it yet, I'm leaving it till tomorrow, I'll have to think, (which always hurts) about my answers. Love Aunt Bee. It's just got very dark and windy and colder, so they did get the weather forecast right, we will have to send them some flowers and encouragement so they can get it right again this year. It's only 10.00 am here.