This Little Light of Mine

Yesterday morning I woke up to National radio & a man saying that he felt many people harbour pessimistic views & a negative approach to life. He regarded himself as a rational optimist. It was a fascinating interview. When I pondered what he had to say, I began to think of the beleaguered population of Christchurch & what it must feel like to face repetitive loss & trauma. The poor old city is facing a fresh rash of significant earthquakes & aftershocks that have caused more severe damage. Life for Christchurch & her people will never be the same again. As I watch the news broadcasts & the responses of the various interviewed victims, I can hear something different in their voices this time around. Gone is the adrenaline-fuelled strength, determination & bravado. Weary resignation, tearfulness & bewilderment have taken their place..lives derailed, what now? When will it stop? How do we go on? Many things in life we get to choose, some things just happen to us. People used to say to me when I was little" just relax Catherine, don't be so up tight!" but that was like saying to Christchurch "for goodness sake what's your problem?". Thing is, one trauma & challenge after another has beset me through the years, leaving me pessimistic & sad..now, I realize, with just cause. The most wonderful thing is, that I came to see on Saturday morning that I was, in fact, NOT born a pessimist by nature & that I have indeed "become" (think The Velveteen Rabbit). I have become an optimistic realist & I am having fun! There is even sunshine in my winter...

We dragged some old (unsalvagable) bed ends out of the shed last week. Rob chopped off some legs & made a raspberry support in the garden for me.

What a sweet surprise to receive a message from Katie just the other day with a link to a great gardening blog & these fun pictures of garden "beds". 

Source: mrsmacgregorsgarden.blogspot.com via Catherine on Pinterest

We were fiddling with some old Sanderson, looking at making some cushions for the front room, when we came across this bedspread in the Sanderson cupboard. Rob decided that it should have a turn on our bed this week along with the pretty velvet eiderdown we found on our wedding anniversary.

 I love these two doilies I came across a while ago. I thinking that they might be quite good for a Magpie Chic sort of bag.

 It's a funny old thing this vintage gathering. There can come a time where quite suddenly you have enough of a particular collection to do what you've always planned. Time for some renewal in the front room, so we made a mirror wall..back a week or so ago when it rained & we were stuck inside & Rob was on holiday.

 This sweetie is quite a recent edition. Bought really cheaply on Trade Me. We didn't mind the crack in the glass..adds to the history.

 On another wall we did mainly pictures..all the ones we really liked, then got rid of lots & lots to the auction & the op shops.

 A few years ago we brought this Moroccan lamp..it makes a fascinating light pattern in this corner. I am really liking just the cream swans & things on this sideboard.

 This week I spied this Sanderson tray for $2 at Connections, the Hospice support shop.

While dropping bags off to the Restore shop I found these enormous late quinces. they are a different variety to the generally grown quince & have the most exquisite fragrance.

 Tamarillos fruit here in the middle of winter. I love the colour of these golden ones.

 At my vege shop on the Havelock road they have been giving away red pumpkins if you spend $20 or more. I rather fancied them in the garden to brighten things up for a bit.

I was so excited to see these white sapote at Cornucopia when I picked up the milk on Monday. They are utterly divine!! They taste like sweet pears, with a touch of lime & the texture of avocado. They are also known as the icecream fruit.

 Interesting stones in the middle.

There is a tree that I spotted, a year or two ago, just down the road near the High school. They grow very large after a time which makes access to the fruit rather difficult.

 It is hard to believe that our David was 22 on Friday & that the shortest day is only a few days away.

 Winter certainly has it's own beauty..this is just around the corner in our Cornwall Park yesterday afternoon, just after rain.

 The early Stallata magnolias are beginning to emerge.

 Crabapples still in full regalier.

Next project: blanket sorting.

 Given some a way, taken some to op shops, kept some for projects & admiring others for a bit.

I'm also on the job making some vintage sheet hand warming wheaties. The "how to" is almost done so I'll pop them in my pocket, no...I meant my next post.

With MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥