Escape

Living with a shift worker is hard. Living with a shift worker who also studies full time is harder. Living with a shift worker, who study’s full time who is also a ghost writer is my crazy reality. It is totally nuts, while I do see my lovely lady every day, actually being able to kick back together and just chill is a rare occurrence. Trying to get away for a weekend is near impossible when you only get 1 weekend off a month, but don’t make plans because someone might call in sick and you might be needed – crazy huh? So when we finally got the chance to escape we took it – 3 nights camping in our new Marlin Camper at Cundle Flat Farm.

 

It was windy and a bit fresh. It was out of the way and totally isolated. There was no wi-fi, no phone reception and no power. There was no traffic, no neighbours and no harbour glow. There was however hot showers, flushing toilets and fresh air. There was open fires, a gorgeous river and pecan trees galore and best of all we had the place to ourselves. It was perfect. Just me and lady kicking back – no uni to do, unable to be contacted in the event someone did call in sick and no current writing gig. We chatted, we enjoyed the autumn sun, she read and I knitted. I chopped wood (and looked like a lumberjack to match) and cracked pecans as requested. We cooked on the open fire and created wind breaks when using the stove (hence the table laying on its side). We got to just enjoy each others company with out the distractions of modern life. We took time to appreciate this precious time away as we know all too well how sacred they have become.

 

       

Moving

Moving! Seriously is there anything worse? If you missed the facebook and instagram updates I’ll bring you up to speed – we moved! It was a bittersweet move we adored our unit – its proximity to the beach (we are talking 700m walk here), the abundance of natural light, the convenience to Darby St (Newcastle’s cafe strip essentially) and the easy stroll from the foreshore after nights out. Not to mention I could walk/ride to all but my swim triathlon training sessions. However, the laundry was separate and downstairs, there was no garage, it was noisy as and even my lady’s 2 year old Godson noticed the ‘hill’s’ throughout the unit. The cruncher for moving however came as part of our find-a-family assessment – they wouldn’t recommend us to take a sibling group as they felt it was too small (It was a 3 bedroom unit I should add) so we started looking. 2 months! That is how long it took for us to get a new place – it was stressful and frustrating but eventually we found and were approved for a new place only 5km away. So we started packing up. In those last days at the old place I managed to snap this picture of my 2 favourite people before closing the door on yet another home in our nearly 6 years together (we have moved 6 times now)!

The move took weeks. Yes, WEEKS! And if it wasn’t for the help of our awesome friends and family I have no idea how we would have got it done. They were there in the rain, the heat and when suffering their own loss. They carried things, lent us things and fixed things. They made sure we ate and helped pack and unpack boxes after boxes. They even stored things for us and got us the boxes in the first instance. They were in one word AWESOME! Even the 2 little people helped out – one pillowcase at a time. And through all the moving my lady worked 10 straight shifts, completed 2 uni assignments and packed, unpacked and cleaned like a crazy lady! She is definitely awesome too! So what does the new place have – 3 bedrooms plus a sewing room (I’m super excited about this) a garage and a backyard plus the usual house stuff. There is no neighbours down stairs and no gym across the road. We can walk to the shops and it is closer to the lady’s work. It is very much a home and we adore it and hope we can stay put for awhile. It has been approved by Barnardos (they had to look beyond the boxes lol) for sibling groups (though we as carers have not since we don’t have at least 5 figures in savings – if we did would we be renting?).

 

Ok moving on. Before I share a couple of phone snapped pics of our move I have to show you the kitchen in our new place.

Nice and bright in the afternoon sun, old school for sure with lovely slate tiles but with 2 definite quirks – see that blank space to the right? Well apparently that is where the fridge goes. Seriously whose fridge only comes up to their shoulder? Needless to say our fridge had to go somewhere else to live. Lucky for us this is only one side of the kitchen (it’s huge) and fridge is against the wall that is behind me in this photo. I’m thinking a chest freezer to fill the space hmmmm. Second quirk – the height of the bench tops. They are low, way low. If you look closely at the stove you can see the height difference. Crazy huh? I can report you do actually get use to the lower bench tops, though washing up is a dead set pain – literally!!! Ok. Here we go random snaps of the move! More exciting posts to come soon I promise!

 

Giving Back

Instagram, gahhhhhh, I love you, maybe a little too much, but sometimes that is a good thing. A couple of weeks ago I was doing the usual scroll through my feed when the lovely Shelley over at Spin Cushions (want to learn to crochet? Shelley has an awesome tutorial series to get you going!) posted a picture about a project she was helping out on and I thought “now this is something I can do!” The project is called Days for Girls and Cath from My Bearded Pigeon put a shout out into the instagramming world for people to help out. Days for Girls is about providing girls in impoverish communities with sustainable feminie hygiene products – reusable pads and washcloths, to keep them in school and work.

As their website states – Imagine if not having sanitary supplies meant DAYS without school, DAYS without income, DAYS without leaving the house? Girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find……but still miss up to 2 months of school every year. Worse, girls are often exploited in exchange for hygiene. It turns out this issue is a surprising but instrumental key to social change for women all over the world. The poverty cycle can be broken when girls stay in school.

Now anyone who knows me well enough (and well all of you now to) would know if it wasn’t for the wonders of modern medicine a couple days a month would result in a lot of crying, screaming and withering around on the couch in agony for. While that stills happens, once those drugs kick in I’m back to normal, so I hate to imagine going through that with no access to feminie hygiene products. This was an easy project to get involved in, for about 2 hours of my time I was able to provide 2 washcloths and a carry bag that will help some girls out once a month for up to 3 years! 2 hours = 6 months extra school or work over 3 years. It’s definitely a worthwhile investment to me.

I didn’t need to buy a thing as everything was in my stash, beautiful soft cotton yarn and some nice bright cotton fabric. As the girls use the bag for everyday use I reinforced the tops of the side seams where the drawstrings goes to hopefully give it more strength! Hope the Days for Girls organisers don’t mind! Want to help out? – jump over to their website and find a local branch and enquire or there is still time to send stuff to Cath as she is collecting till Easter.

It’s definitely good to give something back!

A welcome to the world

Remember this post? Well, the little bubba has arrived to very excited parents. To me that meant there just had to be more gifts – girly gifts!!! Out came the needles and the sewing machine and I fluttered away making some more gorgeous homemade gifts. I knitted up another fantastic Kelly Brooker pattern, the composite. This pattern is a free download and a quick simple lace knit, knitted in the round top down. I went with 8ply cotton yarn from the Bendigo Woollen Mills and it was a delight to knit. Sooooo soft! I then sewed up some super quick, equally as gorgeous, circle skirts using this pattern from Dana with stash fabrics. Now the little miss has 3 outfit combinations to hang out in! Toooooo cute!

 

       

A Joy of your 30’s

One of the joy’s of hitting your 30’s is that a majority of your friends are now all loved up, married, mortgaged and pregnant and seemingly all at once. The joy in this for me is there are lots of little ones making there way into the world that just need a NOTHING TOO FANCY creation or two. This is one such creation. Mumma and Pappa have decided not to find out the sex until bubba is born so it needed to be gender neutral. I decided to take leap outside the standard white/cream/pastel yellow combinations and go grey and yellow. LOVE IT. Something bold, different, hip, cheeky and all up pretty darn cute!

 

First up I got knitting away on a Puerperium cardigan. This free pattern by Kelly Brooker is an awesome quick knit. I did make a few changes and go with a short sleeve top version using these notes and loved how it turned out though the striped buttonhole bands were not wise in hindsight. They look great but were just time consuming and fiddley and frustrated me, even though it was my choice to do them! Ahhh hindsight lol. It is knitted on 4mm needles with Cleckheaton country 8ply for the grey and Panda feltable wool 8ply for the yellow (I liked the colour I had no intention of felting it). Not my go to yarn but I was away at the time and choices were limited, but I love it all the same!

 

Next I came across this gorgeous free harem sewing pattern and just knew I had to sew a pair. I got creative using my fabric sharpie pens adding some black triangles to boring old white knit fabric and topped it off with yellow ribbing. How darling are they? Totally recommend this pattern! I see many pairs of these in my future and I think they just became my go to baby gift.

 

Last but not least there was a pixie bonnet. This comes with exciting news – I got a knitting machine!!! I have wanted one for ages and ages and lucky me my awesome lady found me one in mint condition for Christmas. I was sooooooooooooooooooo excited and frustrated after like 10mins of trying to use it, but 6 hours later I had managed to start creating things. This pixie bonnet was the 1st thing I made and it certainly made the stocking stitch quick. Umm less than 10mins quick! I might do up a tutorial on this someday but I would need to work out a few kinks in the pattern first! For a first attempt though I am totally satisfied.

   

Mumma and Pappa were thrilled with the handmade goodies for their little one. Lucky for our friends and family I just love making stuff!

From the Sewing Room

During my absence from the blog I did manage to squeeze in the odd bit of sewing for Master B. As the heat of summer rolled in it was apparent the poor kid was going to need some shorts that actually fit his tiny waist. So I pulled out my go-to pattern, Dana’s KID SHORTS, and got sewing. While I was at it I made a couple of pairs of girls shorts for a little lady just for something different. I’ve talked about Dana’s pattern before and honestly it is the perfect shorts pattern! Buy it, you won’t regret it!

           

As Christmas rolled around I decided I wanted to make the kiddies in our lives some beach robes (again one of Dana’s patterns). Now these are far from excellent photos but they turned out super cute and I just had to share these 2. I made 4 in total and there is a LOT of bias tape making involved however, it was all worth it as they were loved by all, but I am certainly in no hurry to make another anytime soon lol.

 

I am trying to think if I made much else. I know there were a couple of t-shirts in there but for the life of me I can’t find any photos so it looks like I gifted those without snapping a pic, bugger. I haven’t spent much time behind the sewing machine of late now that I am writing this, hmmmm………time to change that I think!

Time

Time is funny thing. It can feel like it moves oh so very slow at times and other times you blink and a new day is upon you. In just a moment it can stand still and a moment later change you forever. It heals wounds and makes memories. It is always moving and never stops, even if you want it to. It defines your first and last breath and ages you before you know it. It is a constant in everyone and everything’s lives. To some it seems meaningless but to others they would do anything to stop it, go back or fast forward through it. Time is so many things but ultimately it is nothing more than a measuring tool. Something that defines how long or short something or someone is here or there or everywhere. So why talk about time? 4month, 13 days. That is how long it has being since I posted here. I have wanted to, I really have. There has been so much I have wanted to share with you, teach you and experience with you. But things have got in the way. There is always a way to use time more wisely I know, but I didn’t have it in me. For 4 months I didn’t want to add something else to the day, when there was just days of wanting to get by and nothing more. I know this makes it sound like 4 months of sadness, but it hasn’t been. It has been awesome at times, plenty to celebrate and rejoice in, but there was sadness, much sadness.

 

In this post I mentioned a tiny little fighter. She was so strong and fought so hard but at 3 months her little body grew tired and she never got to go home. She was a gorgeous and cheeky little one who has left a massive footprint on this Earth. These were the hardest and some of the most beautiful days I have ever been part of. There were tears and hints of laughter, there was reflection and reminders of how fragile we really are. But most of all there was support. We supported each other and our friends and held out our hands for her parents. Parents who will never stop grieving and know all to well how time does not discriminate.

 

There were happier times though. My lady secured another ghost writing gig (I will reveal about the 1st ghost writing gig real soon I promise), which came with an all expenses paid trip to Bendigo, VIC. I wasn’t keen on being left behind so I tagged along as I really wanted to go to the Bendigo Woollen Mills. I have only been once before but this is like yarn Mecca! So worth the trip. While she spent her days interviewing and writing I took in the town – the architecture, the parks and of course the Mills (no pic sorry). 

 

   

Another big time consumer was I participated in my 1st, 2nd and 3rd triathlons and joined an awesome local training group. Doing a triathlon was always something on my bucket list but I never felt I had the “body” for it. Now I have never really suffered from body image issues but having only seen women running along in swimmers competing in triathlons I always thought “I would knock myself out within 5 metres of running in just swimmers”. But upon doing more research sports bra under swimmers is the done thing so when my friend asked if I would compete in one I was quick to jump at the chance. Result? I’m hooked! These are the pics from my last triathlon, the first the lady was able to attend. She wasn’t too pleased about the 5am wake up but she took awesome pics – she even spotted me swimming the harbour – that’s me in the centre on my own! I having another one coming up in just under 3 weeks and can’t wait! (Oh check out the man in front of me in the 2nd pic – his swimmers are inside out. It cracked me up the whole way to the swim start lol)

 

       

Last but not least. Master B’s parents have gone their separate ways. My lady has been a tower of strength to her best friend and I have looked after Master B so she was able to return to work. He is such a funny kid and though not yet 2 (almost) he natters away to you in full sentences, counts to ten and will point out his colours. I am loving the time I am spending with him and when it comes to nap times at “Nomi’s” house he gets to sleep on the big bed. He gets pretty excited lol.

 

So these are the big things (there is one more thing but it will get a post on its own shortly) which took away time but there was also a few other things along the way. Before I go any further – MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Better late than never right? lol.

 

In brief -

• I gave it an earnest go at trying to get full time work. No joy there.
• The lady’s grandma passed away. While unexpected at the time she had been unwell for sometime.
• I took the lady to her first live cricket game in Sydney.
• I had a pressure test done on my calves for compartment syndrome which all came back negative.
• A trip to Coffs Harbour for a week.
• Sewing, knitting and crochet which I’m giving its own post shortly.

 

Lastly, I want to say a huge thank you to a lovely lady who emailed me to ask how I was and if I was going to revive this blog. I was in two minds about whether I was going to not because I didn’t want to, but more so I wasn’t sure people actually read it. So thank you. I am really excited for what’s to come and time is no longer going to be an excuse I need this blog. It is my connection to a world of awesome people who don’t live nearby.