Tuesday, May 29, 2012

record wet...

apparently we've had the wettest May in 12 years.....the mud my backyard is a sure indicator of it! 


Friday, May 25, 2012

just putting it out there..


This is Mackenzie, she's the daughter of one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, someone who I am lucky enough to call a good friend.


Mackenzie was born with a condition called Holoprosencephaly which is where her brain did not divide into two hemispheres as it should. Mackenzie is four years old, lives with her twin sister Charlotte and her big six year old brother Jamison. She has global developmental delay and cerebral palsy. Mackenzie requires full assistance for all daily living tasks and is unable to sit unassisted. She commando crawls, uses special chairs and standing frames to enable her to play alongside her siblings. Mackenzie is now attending Somers Pre School with her sister Charlotte and is thriving in this new and exciting environment. Mackenzie walks small distances with a very supportive frame and has been assessed to move into an electric wheelchair which will improve her mobility and give her independance. In the coming years she will be attending Somers Primary School with her siblings, something she is very excited about. The chair is customised to her specific requirements and although it is a very exciting moment for her family, the cost of the chair is just under $16,000 and this is just part of her ongoing special needs.

Right now I am working with some fabulous folk to organise a fundraising afternoon where we will be raising funds to go towards the purchase of the wheelchair for Mackenzie.

So here's where I am just putting it out there to the universe (something my more relaxed friends have taught me how to do) - we are looking for donations of goods and services that could be used as part of our fundraising day for the silent auction and raffle. I'm not sure who exactly is reading this blog, the stats tell me that the audience is far and wide, that you look on a range of devices and at all times of the day and night but if any of you can help in any way it would be much appreciated - I wouldn't ask if it didn't mean the world to me....janis xx

Saturday, May 19, 2012

to learn...

Yes, I'm one of those people who loves to continually learn how to do new things...and yesterday I learnt how to crochet! Well to crochet a Granny Square anyway, I'm not sure that I'm ready to tackle anything too technical however I saw the most gorgeous coffee cup warmer in a blog recently that I think I will have to work my way towards. 


Thanks to Emma at Treehouse Textiles for not only sharing her skills but for her amazing patience. Such an amazing studio with an impressive range of workshops - I think screen printing will be next! 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

time pushes on...

 So at some stage this week it appears that I will be having a birthday, try as I will to ignore the event it seems that there are plenty who will make sure I can't. Although I'm not technically old (mid 30's) it did come as a shock to me when I realised that I received my first camera 26 years ago. The Kodak VR35 took a mean photo and goodness did I give her a workout. 

It was when showing the feisty yet fabulous five year her mothers first camera that I started to feel old, after looking through the viewfinder and pressing the button she was somewhat confused that you had to wind the camera on and her amusement at the lack of screen for viewing the picture that she had just taken made me laugh. Imagine her horror when told that in the "olden days" we couldn't just look at the pictures that we had taken and that we had to take the film to the processing lab and then wait over a week to get the pictures back! I can't wait tell her about the time before iPhones etc! 


Oh and on that first roll of film 26 years ago there were a good range of pics including many of family and friends and the below image of my much loved Cabbage Patch dolls. The dolls may have long gone however the camera I am pleased to say remains - I may just have to pop a roll of film through her to see how she goes! 





Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I'll be here if you're looking for me...

A local music event at a fabulous venue for a very important cause...what more do you need...book it in! 


Click HERE to find out more!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

getting all mushy...

I have a friend who has friend who knows all about mushrooms, someone who knows not just about cooking them but also about identifying and picking the wild ones. I must say that I am a little envious of this friend of a friends knowledge as I would love to know more about mushrooms, especially which ones are poisonous and which ones are good for use. Imagine my delight when after finding these ones today I chanced upon a talkback show about mushrooms on the Mornington Peninsula, they basically said that you shouldn't leave it to chance and that some training was required for their identification - mushroom school here I come, anyone want to join me?


Saturday, May 5, 2012

and up on the hill today...

...it was just a little bit wet, good weather for ducks I'd say. But it didn't keep people away, I saw an amazing array of gumboots and umbrellas in all manner of styles and colors together with several kids enjoying jumping in the big puddles that took little time to form on the oval. Whilst talking to the steady stream of visitors to my stall (thanks for popping by if you were one of them) I had a bit of fun photographing the raindrops on my marquee - there were plenty of them!

That was the last Red Hill market for the season, it will be back again in September....way too cold up there for a market in Winter. 



day eleventy billion ...

  ... here in our bubble.  You see, some people didn't do what they were told. Some people behaved in a manner that helped to spread the...