Having a break.

I am having a break for a while, as my darling mother is dying. We are ready to fly up at any moment, so it's all a bit stressful at the moment. My mother is a remarkable 95 years old, born in a tiny place called Coolacly, Co. Galway, Eire, in 1916. A amazing woman, who emigrated to New Zealand with Dad in 1955. She is a very lovely, elegant lady who after two major battles with cancer and also heart disease is losing her final fight with (bloody cancer, sorry but that's how I feel about it).
So I shall return when it a good time and will keep reading your wonderful blogs during the coming days, as she was loved cooking, gardening, and family, but not crafting alas, a brilliant knitter of socks only,   I still remember the mittens she made for the Contessa and me that had pointed thumbs, which when you could get your thumb into them  cut off your circulation. Love and hugs Aunt Bee.

A glorious spotty tin and bits and pieces.

Found this cake tin at the Warehouse, a spotty mug, and a

Miss Marple DVD (Julia McKenzie),while shopping for slippers, I shouldn't be let loose at night in the "big red shed". 

This was going to be a hot water bottle cover, till I learn't we no longer have a hot water bottle, so is now going to be a scarf.

Lovely mags, couldn't resist

Strawberry Bakewell, not as nice as the raspberry

Chocolate Cola Cake

Belly dancing is not my forte.

It is much harder than it looked  or that's my excuse

The bride to be and Kashmir (probably real name  Noeline)

Sadly this is all I've found this week.
It's been very hard to find anything at the op shops or indeed the market this week. I have noticed that people everywhere have found that op/charity shops are charging like wounded bulls. Yes I know there is a recession but that means less money not more, and as it is donated goods and they have volunteer labour, the prices they are asking are ridiculous. Aj dropped down to our local op shop some surplus linen and they said drop it there and carried on talking, he was shocked and said not even a thank-you. Tell bring up your children to use their manners and then they see older people not using any. Grump over.
The tin I did find in a op shop, I need it for the rolled oats which I buy in bulk for baking and muesli making, I love oats, cheap, nutritious and useful, having said that just watch them invent a worldwide excuse to raise prices, like they do for rice, coffee and flour.
I did go yesterday to a hen party, for a friend, so civilized it was held at her sister's house from 2-6pm, half afternoon tea (delicious), half belly dancing class. Not sure middle-aged female Kiwis have any natural ability in this dance form, but a lot of fun.
This of course was on St Patricks Day, a lot of green been worn, but because of the lack of pubs/bars the men didn't go out, the earthquakes have curtailed much of a social life for many. The local mall has a third of the shops closed as off last week, due to earthquake damage, my supermarket was closed as I reached the door a fortnight ago for repairs, this all happened suddenly in a few days. We did have 2 last night, both over 4 just a little reminder, too not say what I did on Thursday, "it starting to feel like the quakes have finished", not surprisingly Matt (a co-worker) threw a dish cloth at me. That's it, I'm sitting in the morning sun, thinking about the day in the kitchen I have planned, I have Granny Smith apples to turn into pie, Black Boy peaches and pears to stew and freeze, by popular request another Bakewell cake,(strawberry this time) and Brownie 's to bake. The garden tidy-up to supervisor, and the pulling out of the sweet peas and tomato plants to actually do myself, I can get my hands dirty sometimes, just not often. I love Autumn, the leaves are turning and dropping, the sun is definitely lower and setting earlier, there has been a hint of frost some mornings and the clothes have to be taken in off the line my 4pm. Enjoy your day. Love Aunt Bee.

I'm quietly proud of this post, can almost get this computer to obey me.

Aj, loves to cook and gets my obsessions, as he loves PS3 games. 

Be patient with me, the new computer is wonderful, but how to retrieve my photos to my blog is eluding me. Wonderful week, everyone enjoyed the party, which was great. The weather has been appropriately Autumn with a capital A, very cool and  a couple of frosty mornings. I did go to the market and bought two tartan blankets, one for our bed and one to hang over the couch for snuggling in the evening as I don't want to put on the heater until it's really cold. I bought a book (Margery Allingham ) and a large cane basket in which I have placed all my yarn which I'm not in using my current project. Three eggcups, yes I'll admit this is now a serious obsessional collection and nothing else as I had run out of money (bugger) I found lots of things I really liked there, but had not a brass razoo in my purse. Managed to get out this week with two clients to a local conservation area, we had bought bread for the ducks......... there was a sign saying do not feed the birds as we are trying to attract native birds only, ha ha they obviously think we don't know our native birds, because the only native birds were Pukehos (not terribly nice birds in the behaviour department) and the rest were introduced ducks and swans, so we feed them, naughty some of you may think, but we were discrete (we hid the bag of bread when someone walked past)  and it's good to break the rules sometimes.

The well fed birds

I washed the blankets as soon as I got home.

I have just taken a Raspberry Bakewell Cake out of the oven, courtesy of BBC Good Food site, it smells and looks delicious, it's one of my favourite food sites. Bought a new knitting magazine, bad Bee, Ideal Home and BBC Homes and Antiques........don't look at me like that, you didn't stop me did you, oh I must curb (note not stop) this magazine craving.Now I'm warning you about the photos they will either come out fine or be a nightmare, but I will work it out just may take me awhile, remember I'm the only failure in a class of 32 people taking  Computers for the over 50's. Love Aunt Bee.

I gave it a good wash and it contains all my yarn

My camera is dead

My camera is dead and it died last night at Tom's 21st, so no photos for prosperity, I'm a bit sad about that but it was a wonderful night. The weather was horrendous, a weather bomb,( a present form Australia) hit yesterday and even though Christchurch was the lest affected, we had freezing SW winds and rain all day. We changed our plans from outdoors for the young people, to in the the garage and oldies indoors. We had a wonderful time, although we had the usual not inviteds turn up, but Baz and Aj didn't drink all night so they could handle any situation,  Baz and Aj plus others saw them off the property, unfortunately they stayed down the end of the street screaming and kicking cars. The young people called the police.But  we thought they had moved on before the police turned up, total morons. Tom's friends were wonderful, funny, crazy and able to mix with everyone and have a good time. I of course am knackered, I was up cooking at 6am, everything was prepared on Friday, so it wasn't a hassle, having a theme helped, restricted the alcohol and food to Mexican, and it proved a hit, although I say that with the remains of the huge chocolate cake and chips/nachos, and salad too last for a week.(hope not).
I also gave out cake to people I knew had children, I used to love when Mum and Dad had been out and bought us leftovers home, I hope that isn't just a NZ thing.
The day here is very cloudy and I can see the clouds been hurtled across the sky at a amazing rate of knots. Autumn is truly upon us, we have South Africa here to play cricket and Super 15 has started so that's par for NZ, as I have said before our only chance of winning the cricket is to freeze the opposition, a ploy we have used successfully in the past.  
I am starting the clean up, words fail me........... I've been to the garage, and the young man that bought the troublemakers has just been and picked up his bag which he left here, he apologised for their behaviour, but said he had spent the night in the cells, we didn't know they had been arrested as the had gone around the road, but as they were going to steal a car earlier in the night I am pleased they got taken in. Right I'm ready to go, but first I think I'll go back to bed for a 10 minute snooze.........I have even had the electric blanket on last night, I shall get up and clean up later or maybe tomorrow, that's what the Mexicans say, isn't it ? Love Aunt Bee.

gosh don't you look good

We have a new computer courtesy of Tom, it has a big screen which means you all look really good to my eyes. Tom's friend and computer expert has fixed it all together and transferred my favourites over without me losing anyone. I have at least 50 blogs I visit, but I don't follow all of them, I found it a bit daunting to follow people so I just put them on my favourites and visit during the week.
Of course no photos today as I can't find them, although Ben assures me they are in there somewhere.
Very busy weekend, all mothers of young adults will know what I mean, Friday night Baz and I thought there had been an earthquake because the house was shaking, but no it was the wind, Saturday night, Baz had work, Tom was out and I had dropped Aj off the other side of town and got back home to an earthquake, 4.2 and down the beach. When I finally got to sleep at 2am the phone rang at 2.45am could I pick up Tom as he was sick, no not alcohol, actually sick so I picked him up. Then Aj rang for me to pick him up at 8.30am as he had boxing training at 9.30am. Then Tom told me had friends coming round in the afternoon for a thing on Sky and BBQ, yes I did the BBQ and through  all of this Baz was either at work or asleep. 

at least I got a picture placed, pity it's from an old post

Then twice this week I have done strange posting things, like sent Mum a parcel up North addressed to me, and sent the Contessa a birthday card a month early I don't know why she's complaining I never usually remember. I have thought this month has been March for some reason, old age ? I blame earthquake brain which is wearing thin or early onset of dementia. Or it could be Tom's 21st with it's ever expanding guest list, and the millions of things I have to do before Saturday. Will try for photo, fingers crossed. Love Aunty Bee.

An emotional day, although the orchestra murdered Elgar.

What a day the first anniversary of the most destructive earthquake, not the strongest but definitely the worse for loss of lives and buildings. 185 dead and 7,000 houses to be written off and replaced on safer ground, entire suburbs to be abandoned, of the CBD's 2800 buildings, 1200 are to be pulled down, they have cleared hundreds already.

Our beautiful candle.

A very kiwi service, low key and simple.

I wanted to show the gorgeous sunrises we have been having lately

A emotional day for us all, we watched the service on TV, it was lunchtime and we lit our new AJ's candle, the original was broken in the quake, and we had 2 minutes silence, though at our work that's almost silence, as one of our lady's spent the whole 2 minutes telling everyone to be quiet.
I shall tell you about other things that have happened because we are ok, and getting on with things. We get a little annoyed with the media, as we are living life so to speak, we go to work, we shop, we play sport, life goes on the only difference is as my friend said is we have felt real fear, which only other people who lived through this year have felt. Of course, we all thought there could  be another quake at 12.51 this afternoon, which does show a certain degree of paranoid thinking, a strange believe the Earth is out to get us. 
Here a some happy things.

12.30pm Sunday, kicking back, haven't felt the need to get dressed yet, and Dave loves me.

this is the  crochet blanket,  got heaps  to do till finished

To end, book sale, rubbish, absolute rubbish, got there at 9am. There was nothing there, ok not nothing I did pick up 2 Angela Thirkall's, 1 Vince Flynn, 1 Daniel Silva and an Alan Furst for Baz, all big print because that's what was left, I said most book sales keep books for the second day. She said we didn't this year because we only had 20,000 books to sell this year, my thoughts weren't nice, the old biddy probably got heaps for herself. I don't mind big print, means I don't have to wear my glasses to bed.
Love to all Aunt Bee. Think I spelt Thirkell wrong, too tired to go to the bedroom to check, but if you love her like I do you'll know who she is, if you don't, look her up, lovely books. PS. the title of the post, the orchestra played Nimrod, they were young and it was outdoors, so I forgive them, even if it's one of my favourites.