Entries from December 2009 ↓

What a big Saturday! We knew it would be and planned for it to be. It was our Christmas shopping day – chilled the champagne for wrapping later, wrote out the list in order of where in town we had to go and set off early. I also had a very lofty goal of making shorty PJ’s as requested by my niece for Christmas. Hmm, all that in one day? And me sew a whole outfit, not just shorten some jeans or run up a pair of PJ pants for myself? We’ll see.

It was pretty cool walking down Cuba Street – loads of people out and about and enjoying coffee in the sun.

List ticked off, home to make the PJ’s. I’d cut out the material on Friday night after work – thankful for yoga at this point – I could be Gollum!

The Mister was a bit snap-happy with the camera – I don’t think he could quite believe that I could sew what I’d shown him in the picture, so I’m posting the whole afternoon/evening’s-worth of photos I’m afraid!

Ironing the teeny tiny fiddly neck hem.

Sewing like I drive apparently – heavy on the pedal! What!?

Time for the champagne and present-wrapping tradition with a Christmas movie (’Home Alone’ if you must know Jif!), except I hand-gathered the ruffles while The Mister wrapped.

And at the end of the night we were both completely amazed that after all these years, I can still sew, that I’d done it all in a day and they looked really great! God I hope she likes them. And that they fit!!

Looks pretty tall from the outside, obviously couldn’t get into the lifts as it’s in the office block tower, but my best count from the outside is that it’s about 17 floors. So a pipsqueak really.

So, it’s not all a wives tale or overprotective OSH-type warning, those messages about not breathing the air above the bag or container of potting mix you’re working with it are worth heeding.

News this morning on the radio and in the paper that Legionnaire’s disease is alive and well and is caused by breathing in potting mix. Someone has died.

So no more laughing at me when I take precautions when gardening on the kitchen bench please!

Potting mix linked to legionnaires’ disease

Gardeners are being warned to take care with potting mix after five cases of legionnaires’ disease in Canterbury in the past three months.

stuff.co.nz

Noticed this billboard newly arrived to Victoria Street a couple of weeks ago. Because of the neon orange text. However when I first saw it, and saw that it was pretty much just plain wood with words written on it, I took another look to see if there were any borer holes in it for effect. Nope.

Until a couple of days ago – ha ha ha – obviously if you’ve got borer, get those guys!

I didn’t think I’d ever get one and if I got one I didn’t think it’d be orange. Well I’ve got an iPhone, and it’s not orange. Have been using it about 5 weeks now and have grown rather attached to it despite being paranoid about dropping it. Am coping OK with the finger print thing.

And today a little parcel arrived to make it almost orange. This might be preferable to the orange spray paint job because it’s more protective but does ruin it’s sleekness somewhat. But yaaaaaay it’s orange

Using my best blending in skills based on every who dunnit/detective show I went into the foyer of the Majestic Tower this week, curious to see how many floors it had. Seeing as we’re seriously considering New York apartment on the 29th floor I wanted to get a feel for how high that might be – but finding a 29+ storey building in Wellington is not that easy – there’s a couple that might stretch that far – Majestic and the what used to be pinky/orange Plimmer Towers.

So have done the Majestic. I got a looking straight-up photo from the foyer and summoned the lift – didn’t get in it the first time as a guy suddenly arrived so I pretended I was very busy and important with my phone to avoid getting in the lift with him, but when summoned a second time, I rushed in, noted the button for the highest floor and rushed out again before the doors could close.

28 floors.

Been a while since I’ve posted one of these (probably because people smirk at me for not knowing some of the words I don’t as a supposed writer!) Anyway, today’s word is (which I came across when searching for apartments to live in in New York next year … considering this 35 story monster on the East Side – bit of an eye-sore in the neighbourhood and some may think clinical like a hotel but if you’re going to live in New York why *not* go for a place that will have absolutely stunning views of the city? It’s a toss-up between a Chelsea loft and a view.)

fenestration

The design and placement of windows in a building.
An opening in the surface of a structure, as in a membrane.
The surgical creation of an artificial opening in the bony part of the inner ear so as to improve or restore hearing.

Thanks again dictionary.com

Summer paid us a visit today so we wandered the long way home from Nikau to make the most of it. Noted a couple of new caravans along the way.

Orange coffee caravan on the waterfront – didn’t try it.

Strange fairy caravan on Ghuznee Street – seems to be some kind of hang-out-with-me place – fur-padded with a few little shirts and soft toys for sale. Rather bizzare.

Amusing moment today made The Mister and I realise how out of touch we are when it comes to kids these days (I mean small kids, not the Twilight-watching kind as we know all about that) – got some ideas for Christmas gifts for nieces and looked at each other after reading the list – we didn’t know what half the stuff on the lists was! Beados? Hmm.

Went out to Plimmerton this morning to feed Scooby but he didn’t come when I called! And after much cat-voice calling around the neighbourhood I caused enough disturbance for a neighbour to come out and ask what I was doing there!

However, there was a tui that came really close to get to the flax plant by the driveway – I think that’s the closest I’ve ever been to one – even closer than the ones that come to the window in Awakeri.