Busy People and a bout of Bronchitis.

Last week I just commented to a friend at work how I had still managed not to get a cold, and we both touched wood. By 4pm I had a sore throat and was getting a sniffle. The next morning my nose was like a tap, my throat was sandpaper, and my belly was complaining. But I went to a morning course in maths for primary school teacher-aides. By the evening I was coughing and had a nasty headache. I started my inhaler. Please don't let it turn into bronchitis...

2 days of lots of sleeping and slight temperatures followed, the coughing seemed under control. It got worse over the weekend (always on the weekend), and my doctor declared me still unfit for work on Monday; bronchitis, yet again. So tiring those coughing fits... sick of it!

But some of my family-members have been busy people lately. Here's my bloke giving the flowering cherry a bit of a trim. Some big branches are causing too much shadow on the vege-patch in the summer, so out came the chainsaw and chaps. It filled up the whole trailer!

And he put up some scaffolding loaned from a friend. Some of the planks underneath the roof need replacing, before the birds start nesting again.

Our youngest has started a course in floral art, and she is loving it. She likes to work with her hands. Her paternal grandfather, Opa L. is good at this too , and also her maternal grandmother, Oma M. She was a member of her local floral art club and won many prizes.

A big table piece, the only spot we could have it for a week.
I like this too with all the pink lillies and purple orchids. I am very impressed with my 16 year old finding different options in life !
I don't have the energy at the moment to do anything big. I am just pleased to re-read some of my favourite magazines. And dream about a clutter free home (yeah right!) and new projects to make.
When I buy home magazines, I usually go for the spring and summer editions. The winter decors always look too dark here in Hawkes' Bay.

In the last holidays I made myself a necklace. The idea for it had already been spooking around in the back of my head for more than a year. I have been influenced and inspired by reading Nina Bagley's blog Ornamental. But I can't just copy someone else's work ofcourse. And I don't really have all her skills in metal working either, so I had to find my own way of including words. Words that I like.

I taught myself to play with silver wire and pliers, and putting on hooks and closures etc.

I included jade and handmade porcelain and shell beads, silk ribbon and fancy yarn, and an acorn cup to make it look like a nest. I cut the word "forest" from an old book.

I like wearing it and it hangs well. Now I have more ideas (ofcourse) for different colour schemes or seasons or natural scenery.

It just never stops. Which makes me very happy!