GIRLIE TIME (plus one small boy)

It all happened rather spontaneously the other morning.

Tina had dropped Sally round to our place, so we could go through some old photos, and compare memories. She stopped for a coffee, and then Kim arrived with William, so I could mind him for the morning.

Now Tina and Kim have been inspired by Sally's knitting. Over the past few years Sally has produced lots of rugs out of feathery wool for her children, grandchildren and even their pets. They agreed they would like to start on some projects of their own.

Next thing, while we were all discussing things like needles, patterns and wool, I went off and found lots of bits and pieces of yarn in my stash. And next thing we were all getting quite chatty and excited the way girls usually do over things like colour and fabric and needlework.

Bernie walked by a couple of times, and the look on his face can most charitably be described as 'puzzled.' It was a look, accompanied by something between a sigh and a sniff, that said "how on earth could we get so worked up about things like that, and surely we had better things to do?"
But William had great fun. Hopefully he will grow up to be a SNAG (Sensitive New Age Guy)

The time really passed so quickly, but it was fun while it lasted!

My collection of "Big Buttons" - must get William onto playing with them and sorting through them.

TEDDY'S BIRTHDAY

There are lots of good places to 'get-together' on Norfolk Island, and currently one of the favourites is for 'Breakfast at Governor's'. So a special occasion was planned for Teddy's 6th birthday last week, with family and close friends - and all the food you can eat!!! Even more special was the fact that his granny (my sister Sally) had made a special visit to Norfolk Island for the occasion!

Now Teddy loves loves exploring and discovering things. You might say he will be a scientist when he grows up, but Teddy insists he is already a scientist. So his Granny gave him a Scientist's outfit for his birthday, complete with white coat, specs and magnifying glass!

Another of Teddy's special passions is CUSHIONS! That may sound strange, but with cushions, you can count them, stack them, arrange them in patterns, balance them, cuddle them, throw them, jump on them, squeeze them, and when you a tired of all that, you can put your head down on them and have a rest.
Ross the Upholsterer keeps me supplied with remnants, so I made a set of cushions for Teddy using some very special fake fur fabric.

Kim made Teddy a special volcano and dinosaur cake - two more of his special interests! Sister Sienna is keen to tuck into some of that yummy icing.

William just loves parties, and we captured him in a fit of the giggles here.

FAREWELL TO MAYE
Our Tuesday Craft group has been meeting for about 16 years - now that is longevity!
A couple of times a year, we 'raid the kitty' and go out to lunch. Last week we had a special reason - to say goodbye to Maye, who, together with Pastor George has been with us on Norfolk Island for about five years. We had lunch at Hillcrest, and continued on in the dining room for our Craft session. Unfortunately, Ann, who actually manages the hotel, was called away urgently to New Zealand a day or two before.
Maye has really been a very valued member of the group, with her happy and optimistic nature, her wonderful stories, and her amazing "productivity" in the craft line. At the lunch, Maye unveiled her "Norfolk Island Quilt" which she has put together. We all contributed squares, and Maye added them to some of her own special blocks, and put together this wonderful reminder of her time on this island.

Around the border, Maye has placed applique flowers, using skills and techniques she learned while in Rarotonga.

This is one of the blocks I made for Maye, who has a passion for collecting pigs!

This is Annette's wonderful contribution. It shows the new church house, which the Porters moved into last year. It also shows George and Maye's amazing flower and vegetable gardens.

We will miss you and your lovely smile Maye. We hope that you and George really enjoy your retirement, and that you come back to Norfolk Island soon!

ROMANTIC
The most recent stage of our 'Stitching Together' Round Robin involved interpreting the theme "Romantic" for Jane in Havelock North.
I chose to use my favoured medium of Crazy Patchwork, and called my piece "Crazy for Romance".
I have used lots of old and sentimental bits and pieces. For instance, some of the threads came from an Antique shop, and proved to be wrapped around a letter and news clippings dated back to January 1944.
The lace with the crowns was produced for the Coronation of Edward the VIII. As we know, this event never took place, because of his romance with Wallis Simpson!

The centrepiece is an old cigarette silk I was lucky to acquire a few years back. My mother had a collection of these, but by the time I had plucked up courage to ask her for them, she could not find them, so I was delighted to be offered some at a good price.

Most of the fabrics are vintage or exotic silks, and I have included part of an old doiley from my collection.

Some of the other laces were given to me by Margaret, whose mother used to sew lingewrie for private clients in the 30's and 40's.

There are some vintage Mother of Pearl buttons included, and some old pearls. I have also used some crystal beads from a necklace I used to wear as a teenager.

The tatted rose is my own work, but brings back lovely memories of being taught this skill by an old island lady back in the late 1960's.

You cannot have romance without hearts, and I have included a charm, a lace motif and a button in this shape.

I am rather sorry to tell you that the back of this page is silk from as wedding dress I bought from an Op shop - perhaps a sign of a broken romance??

QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY
On Norfolk Island, not much happens on our Queen's Birthday Holiday of an organised or official nature. On Monday there was a wonderful opportunity for Norfolkers to get out of the house, abandon the normal daily routine, and enjoy what was an absolutely glorious winter's day.
Bernie suggested we head up to Palm Glen to catch the last day of 'Art in the Park.' There were many people walking up and down the mountain tracks, as well as enjoying the Exhibition and the views.
Some of the exhibits had already been dismantled, but we really enjoyed what was there.

This was a clever representation of a 'Barbie-Q'.Here is a wonderful display of colourful birds.The displays we most enjoyed were those from my niece, Tina. She had erected two large perspex sheets, which represented postcards from herself and her children.

The 'recipients' were invited to enjoy the view - and everyone who saw them certainly did just that!!

This 'postcard' reads:

Dear Annie

We wish you could come and visit us. Norfolk Island is beautiful all year round no matter what the weather is like.

My favourite view is of Phillip Island. The colours are always changing.

There are plenty of places for peace and quiet to relax. Some are easy to find, like the beach. Others are hidden.

It looks like we will be here for a long time. It is too nice to leave.

Hope you can come for a visit soon.

Love

Crisitina Rose.

Then we went down to Cascade Pier, and there were lots of vehicles down there, people on the wharf fishing and cleaning fish, and fishing boats setting out or returning home with their catch.

Bernie and I decided to round off a beautiful morning by going to 'Hilli's' for lunch. On the way, we had seen the Pony Club kids riding up Cascade Road on a trail ride. I was not quick enough with my camera at that time, but was delighted to see them ride down Queen Elizabeth Avenue by the restaurant.

It was such a beautiful relaxing morning, and was a reminder that we should be very grateful to live in such a lovely place like Norfolk Island.

CELEBRATING BOUNTY 09

Early in the morning, two big haunches of pork were placed on the spit.Peter had his new Bounty hat ready to wear in the parade. It was made for him by Edie. The picture also shows his shell beads from Tahiti, and a lei made the previous evening by the Tahitians.

One of the best things about the day was having our Tahitian cousins with us - Gladys, Amelia, Sylvia and little Gladys. They had surprised us when they arrived off the plane on Saturday! Gladys came to lunch with a couple of bottles of her famous "Diesel" cocktail. We have some pretty cold, wet and windy weather lately, but Bounty Day was just perfect, and everyone enjoyed getting together outdoors.

There was a lolly scramble on the lawn while we waited for the pork to be ready.

And the meat was worth waiting for! It was cooked to perfection. It was great to see the young fellows pitching in to help carve the pork and ham.

There was cricket on the lawn, and a great game where you tried to hit the people in the middle with balls. Some of my wool felt balls that I produced earlier in the year were pressed into service! It kept the kids entertained for ages!

The best thing was seeing all those kids (about 15 in all) - ages ranging from 2 to 14 - playing so well together!

Good to catch up with folk. Norfolk is a busy little place, and sometimes you need an occasion like Bounty to stop and catch up! There were over 60 of us at "Devon" that day.

Fun on the Jumping Castle! This has been a wonderful investment!

The "Sweets" table - so much to choose from!

Such a lot of good things to eat - Norfolkers are wonderful cooks.

This picture says it all - good company, good food - and life is good!

SIGHTS AT SEA

On Friday John and his mates headed out to sea in "Gran Lady" for a day of fishing.

The seas were good, and they were hopeful of a good catch.

What they had not expected was that they would be joined in their fishing activities for the day by two large albatrosses!

These two magnificent birds, with wing spans of around two and a half metres, kept them company for most of the time.

At one stage the boys hooked a small gummy shark, and decided to use it for bait.

But when they opened it up there were three baby sharks inside.

They tossed these into the water, and to their amazement, they started swimming away. The albatrosses were immediately alert and interested, and seized on them with their beaks. But when they realised they were not the delicacy they were used to, they too released the baby sharks to continue their first swim into the unknown!

The two birds differed markedly in their beak colour. John has showed his photos to Margaret, our local bird expert, who is intrigued by the black and yellow beak on this one.

John's pictures will be forwarded to bird authorities on the mainland.

What a thrill and a privilege for the boys to meet these amazing creatures out there in their own emnvironment, and to actually spend time with them. Whether it was curiosity, or the possibility of a free feed that caused the birds to stay with the boat, we do not know, but the experience was a moving and memorable one for the boys.

And yes, they did catch some fish!