Back to blogging... missing the creative outlet once again.

Today I have been trying to bake - channeling my inner Mary Berry / Kirsty Alsopp.
Not very well I hasten to add.

Maya and I have been looking at cake pops. Maya enjoys the decorating side of baking, but gets bored with the actual bake. Therefore, I thought Cake pops would be ideal.

However, impatient soul that I am doesn't like to read instructions. I just looked at pictures.

So, now, I read the instructions... and have realised that mine were too big,
 and that I didn't use enough frosting.
So, we know for next time and should get better results than these:

This was what I was aiming for:

 

Eco - schm-eco

Well, trying my hardest, but it's hard when you're lazy, and when Marks and Spencer have a meal deal on... so tempting. But I am thinking of where the food has come from, and how much recycling I will have with all that packaging.

Need to get back on the eco beauty. However, I have suffered with acne for years, and the only good thing I have found that works all the time in Olay. Very weird. Not sure how sustainable or how eco friendly it is. Nor am I sure what damage the chemicals may be doing. However, my acne is bearable, and my skin glows.

I did buy some eco washing balls though. These are used instead of detergent. They seem ok, and if I get 200 washes for £5, I will be extremely pleased.

I wonder if it is worth trying to convert other people, or whether it is just easier to do your own thing. I have very materialistic friends who shop at Primark and buy accessories to match every outfit. I also have a mum who is happy to buy my little girl crap (necklaces etc) that she doesn't need. They just end up as landfill. And don't get me started on my mother in law who buys value packs of bacon - 1kg for £1. I don't even know if it is from a pig! I'm sure it is a badly reared pig, injected with all sorts of steroids and then the bacon will be full of water and binding agents. Bleaurgh.

So along with ecofriendlyness, I am also on a mission to declutter and simplify my life. It's working for me, but not so much for my husband, who is a horder. We could do with a garage to horde, but unfortunately that was one of our compromises when we bought this house. I keep looking at trademe.co.nz - looking at houses in NZ for if ever we make the move back there. If we do, we will have to unhorde our lives.

Of course, that decision is a whole other blog post.....

Thinking of Home

My other home was struck by a devastating earthquake today.

I have been so emotional. I have felt sick all day. It reminded me of the feeling I had after 9/11.

I went looking for some inspiration to try and deal with it, and found this:

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus on the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
Dalai Lama.

It's a classic, but one which is often forgotten. It is hard not to judge and blame the universe.

I wish I could be there to do something to help with the rescue. I wish I had kept in contact with some more of the people that I met.

I wish for everyone to be ok, and to have the strength to find their own hope.

Today, simply today....

I am such a bad blogger. However, it wasn't until I took a nosy to see if the page was still there that I realised I missed it. It was a huge creative outlet for me.

I am a Facebooker, but your updates can only be a certain length, and I am appalled by the poor spelling and grammar. He he! It's the teacher in me.

So, back to blogging.

A lot has happened since I began in 2008.

I'm teaching, still a full time mum to one, and am doing a correspondence course in Learning and Development. Still renovating the house. Still trying to cling to my mana and kiwiana (unsuccessfully I have to add) but perhaps this blog will be my motivation. They say that writing it down makes it permanent, a solid commitment....

So, one commitment I have made this week is to become more environmentally friendly. I was anyway, but it has lapsed due to laziness of late.

I have signed the pledge to no longer buy new manufactured clothes. I was always a big ebay shopper, but will be serious about it now. Apart from underwear / swimwear / nightwear and osteo shoes, I am determined to purchase all clothes 2nd hand, or to make my own.

I am also going to make more use of my legs and public transport when I can. This, again, is something I was good at - walking into town / work. But over the winter when it has been so dark and so cold, it was just too easy to defrost the car. However, no more!

The shopping has to change too. I have decided to make use of the Ethical Superstore for my stock cupboard / cleaning products - even if it means bulk buying to be more carbon efficient. I am then going to get all my fruit and veg from Ulverston market, and my fish and meat from the local suppliers.

Hopefully, then my recycling pile will shrink.

Oh, and last of all I am going to be planting my own this week - tumbling tomatoes, radishes and courgettes to begin with. Then a bit later I will be doing my salads. I also want to do a herb garden on my kitchen windowsill, however, I am trying to locate a second hand box, or set of pots.

Phew. Wish me luck with all this!

I'm signing the pledge

I ___Laura Crellin_______________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, and on my own blog so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed___ME x_______________.

Beg, borrow, steal.... or rent?

Would you rent an outfit?

It's an interesting concept, renting an outfit instead of buying it, but would we actually want to give that a go, or are we still a bit snobby about things like that?

Clothes swapping, charity shopping and recycling have all seen a boom in the past six months, as people try and make-do with what they've got and try and stay on top of the ever-changing fashion trends. We no longer spend, spend, spend like we used to, and what's more sales bargains can no longer make us go wild with delight. Our environment is changing and that means we have to revaluate our wardrobe and expenditure a tad too.

The renting concept first came to my attention in Sex and The City: The Movie. In New York you could rent the latest designer 'it' bags for a week at a time, never buying but always having the most fashionable bag on your arm to accompany your stylish look

This got me thinking, why is no one out there renting entire wardrobes?

I am heading an a minibreak to Prague in November and am starting to think out my outfit ideas. I need a mixture of city chic, yummy mummy and comfort. Its harder than it sounds! Wouldn't it be great to log onto a website, select some key looks, enter your measurements, dictate what the outfits need to be used for (eg: shopping, theatre, dinner...) and within 48 hours an entire wardrobe of clothes arrives on your doorstep. I'm sure in the fashion world this is easily achieved, but not so much for a gal in the back of beyond.

Friendship - trials and tribulations

Here's the situation:

About a month ago we agreed to go out to dinner tonight with some friends - to an Indian restaurant 15 miles away.
In the meantime, last week we got the keys to our new house. The house was a bombsite - the last owners left a multitude of junk in all the rooms which we have had to dispose of, and about 12 years worth of dust and grime. I have spent all week scrubbing, hauling, polishing, steaming, vacuuming.... all whilst looking after my 15 month old baby girl. When it got too hard on her I called in the grannies to help - which unfortunately has thrown out her routine and she has become unable to settle herself to sleep at night, something which she has never had a problem with before.
RC, my lovely hubby has been unable to get time off work, and as he is working 12 hour shifts this week - he hasn't even seen the house yet.
Yesterday all my belongings arrived from NZ. I was at the house from 7am till 6pm and I am only half way done unpacking.
Tonight will be the first night we spend in the house together. It may take a while to get my little girl to settle to sleep, and to top it all my car has broke down and won't be ready till Monday.
RC is working till 8 again. We can either get a taxi there and back (££££) or his lovely daddy has offered to drive 20 miles to collect us and take us to the restaurant - a 40 mile round trip for him. RC is then up for work again at 7.

So, everthing is telling me to cancel. It makes sense to cancel. We will be falling asleep at the dinner table. And I really just want to curl up on the sofa in front of the TV.

So why am I stressing about it?
My friend will sulk. She won't understand. She'll just tell me to leave Maya with her granny - that she'll be fine.
And I will feel guilty.

I'm letting no one down - there were going to be 6 of us going, so there will still be 4.

Oh dear. It surely shouldn't be this hard. It's times like these that I wish I was in NZ - slightly different culture/mentality about this type of thing.

Bite the bullet, kiwi, just do it.

Home Sweet Home

We are picking up the keys to our new house this week.

It's a beautiful double fronted terrace, built in 1908 - purposefully for senior engineers in the local shipbuilders. Very appropriate as my husband is now a senior comissioning engineer there.

I went for a good look round today with the agent. Big plans are forming in my head. The current owners have done a great job of decorating whilst keeping some original features. They have replaced the two fires, but have gone for Edwardian style replacements like this one:

I am wondering how my existing furniture, pictures, ornaments and .... cultural artefacts will fit (eg:

didgeridoo and Jack Johnson autographed hand painted

surfboard - I KNOW!)

I am thinking that we turn our guest room into a kind of travellers respite. I'd like to keep the TV in there too. We got used to not having one in NZ, but I want one here to watch movies on, and I can picture a nice 42" flat screen hanging on the wall with the surfboard hanging from the ceiling above. Although I may need to rethink this idea, as I am discovering the merits of letting my little girl veg in front of In the Night Garden while I get our bags and coats ready.

I do want to keep to tradition in the bathroom though. This is a true Edwardian bathroom

And this is a modern version which I love.

I am thinking I am going to be busy busy busy for the next year! And I am going to love every minute.

A taste of New Zealand in Cumbria

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

I had such a lovely weekend. I met these friends in New Zealand and I realised this weekend that they played a big part of shaping who I was over there, and knowing that I can be that person here is great.

I showed them round my home town. Its always nice to see your own back yard through a tourists eyes. I remember now why I moved back to the UK. I really do live in a beautiful part of the country. My home town centre is not the nicest - especially with the credit crunch causing many more shops to close - but a 5 minute drive takes me to some amazing places.

Furness Abbey

Piel Castle

And, of course the beautiful Lake District.

We also found a little of NZ in a quaint village called Broughton. Its a small little market town, that dates back to the 11th century. There is a beautiful little cafe/bakery there, where you are guaranteed to get a good cup of coffee, and amazingly they had a sculpture of a NZ tiki on display.

We felt at home.

Sharing

I am touched that my friend shared this with me...

TODAY
Today, I will delete from my journal two days: yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday was to learn from and tomorrow... well that will be the consequence of what I can do today.

Today, I will face life with the sure knowledge that this day will never return

Today, is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can assume that I will see tomorrows sunrise

Today, I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by, my only alternative is to succeed

Today I will invest my most valuable resource, my time in the most transcendental work, my life

Today I will spend each minute passionately, to make today a different and unique day in my life

Today I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way, trusting I will succeed

Today, I will resist pessimism and will conquer the world with a smile and a positive attitude of always expecting the best

Today, I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression

Today I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints and my presence in the hearts of others, not just in the sands of time

Today, I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfil that dream with joy and dignity

Today, why not perform a random act of kindness...?

And if there are those that you love, tell them, you don't know when it might be your last opportunity

Tell them, as I have just done.... today.

Kiwi pals

What a great day!
Old kiwi pals have come to stay - unfortunately due to sad circumtances, but it is lovely to see them. And so strange for them to be in Blighty!
We were all getting very excited about going to Asda, having curries and Englsh crisps. Then we got depressed at not being able to get decent coffee, and of course no surf. But, ah well - we all have to make sacrifices.
So tomorrow we are going to head out to the country (go bush) We are going to have a wee outing to Broughton, a beautiful market town with the best substitute Kiwi cafe we have found. Then its off to Swallows and Amazons country - better known as Coniston. Hopefully the weather will be fine so we can have a little paddle.

Seeing my pals has raised the big question - 'have we done the right thing, coming back?' There is no right answer. We have done the right thing now.

And thats probably the best answer.

I'm back in the world of blogging

I took a recent sabatical from blogging.
Firstly I was doing the hippie thing in a camper in Aus, then I moved back to England, and I didn't think it was 'the done thing.'
However, I missed it. Not that I really got into it. I kept on following other bloggers and wished I had the creativity to carry on.
So I decided tonight to really go for it.
I am not currently 'working' in the paid sense, although am discovering the hardest job in the world is also the most rewarding/fascinating/fun... So this can be my intellectual outlet of sorts. Thats the plan anyway.

Watch this space...

Milk, toxic chemicals and consumer choice gone mad.

I have been so stressed out recently.

Firstly the Chinese Baby milk situation has totally freaked me out, and I am so thankful that I have stuck with the breastfeeding (for so many reasons)

Secondly, I have just discovered the atrocity that is BPA. How I never knew about this, I don't know. There is a chemical in baby bottles (amongst other things) that is immensely toxic to humans, causing disturbances in hormones and increasing chances of diabetes and cancer.

Thirdly, I went to the supermarket to buy some milk last week and could not believe the choice. I normally buy from the organic store, but I was after hours so had to go to the "pretend market" (the type where all the apples are the same shape, size and colour, but don't actually smell like apples). Why is there a whole aisle dedicated to milk? Blue top, yellow top, pale blue top, red top, mans milk, extra calcium, calcitrim, protein enriched, energy milk, womans diet milk... not to mention the flavoured soy, rice and almond milks. I remember when my milk was delivered in the morning by the milkman, in a bottle with a silver top - totally ecofriendly as it was easily recycled, it was local ( I could see the cows that it came from out of my bedroom window), and my milkman drove an electric van. I just don't get it?

I am too tired to lead a great debate on this subject... but need to get it off my chest. You see, I just don't get it.

The great unknown...

Well, the house has sold!
So, there is definitely no going back now.

Settlement date is 10 October, and we depart the land of the long white cloud on 11 October - heading to Brisbane. The plan is to have 6 weeks in Australia slowly making our way from Brisbane to Sydney in a camper van (with a 5 1/2 month old baby? - yes, thats right!) We are getting excited, but at the same time I feel sick, nervous, confused, scared, sad.. is it possible to feel all those things at once? Of course it is - I am a woman.

NZ has been fabulous to me. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had here. I have surfed, hiked, off roaded, SCUBA-d...eaten scallops caught fresh 2 minutes ago, caught and cooked my own snapper, grown delicious veggies and made beautiful pasta.
I have fallen in love again and again with my adventurous hubby who never ceases to amaze me - he is the most caring person in the world and I am so proud to have him as a best friend. And of course, NZ has given me my gorgeous wee girl.

Career wise, I would never had had the opportunities in UK that I have had here. Who would have imagined that when I left school with no idea of what to do, that I would end up being a bank manager...? A manager that broke the rules injecting creativity and care into the mundane world of finance. While other managers focussed on stats in their Monday meetings, I ran riot creating "service murals," "brand portraits," and watching Timon and Pumba. And it paid off (phew!)

NZ has been a grand adventure to us. We have made it work by truly "living for the moment." We used the FISH philosophy and have had fun everyday. If it wasn't fun, we changed it. If we couldn't control it we didn't worry about it. The plan is to continue like this in UK.... I can't help but worry about how this may go down. Will we be eventually 'voted off the island"? The big brother culture over there may not be able to cope with 3 born again free spirits.

My greatest fear is that we conform to the norm. Especially when it comes to raising Maya. In NZ it is fine to be a barefooted, baby wearing, breast feeding mother. I am what I consider to be a "balanced attached parent." Will this attitude be frowned on? Will I be told to wean? Will I be made to feel like I am spoiling my girl?
Remember, Kiwi, no one can make you feel anything, unless you give them your permission! I must be staunch, stand tall and ride on the wave of my mana (that's maori for power). I must envision the haka if I start to "feel" something other than ok. I must remember that although I am a Brit (and a proud one at that) I have had 6 years developing my kiwi spirit. No one can take that away from me.

Chocolate Therapy

Last week we went "over the hill" to the Wairarapa Valley (look for Martinborough wines in the supermarket - Savs and Pinots). There is a lovely town there called Greytown - French influences for some reason, and lots of lovely antique shops. My favourite shop of all is Schoc - the chocolate therapy shop. They make delicious chocolate in all kinds of delicious flavours. The best part is that you can try before you buy - which we made the most of!


I would have loaded pictures of what we bought, however I ate it all too quickly!


However, here is the lovely logo so you can recognise it if ever you see it

We bought: Lime and Chilli, Seasalt (which is divine with champagne), 75%, Earl Grey and White chocolate with Cardamon (my favourite).

I am wondering how I will survive back in Blighty without this type of therapy....cadburys just won't cut it anymore!

Mamma Mia

Maya and I attended the Mums and Bubs session of Mamma Mia at the movies today, and I have to say that it was fabulously cheesy, and I loved it!
However, there is a song toward the end that I have never heard before called "Slipping through my fingers" Its a mother singing about her daughter growing up, and how she feels she is losing her... well, you can imagine - I cried my eyes out. Poor wee Maya must have thought I had lost the plot. It moved me enough to dash out and immediately purchase the CD, and I have been playing it all afternoon.
I think I will have to retire to bed now - I am red eyed and emotionally fraught. Oh dear, my girl is only 3 months old - how will I actually cope on her first day at school/graduation/18th/wedding...?

We've done it!

Well, we've done it now. The house is "on the market."
I am 80% sure we are making the right decision. I love NZ, but timing and fate seems to be telling us to head back home.
Things happen for a reason, eh?
I've been homesick for a while now, and with Maya's arrival family has become immensely important to me. The thought of her growing up not knowing her grandparents, aunties, cousins... well, to be frank it breaks my heart.
My nightmare pregnancy brought home to us both just how far away we are. Things got quite serious there for a while, and my poor hubby could have ended up here alone with both Maya and me in ICU (or worse). Its at least 30 hours, and $3000 for anyone to get here. Hideous - it doesn't bare thinking about.
So, check it out: http://www.nz.open2view.com/Property/187329?key=ad4256453fffe19ac373&search_id=6346429

Any interest?

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Europachic! Thanks hun.
The rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post. (I don't know 7 people so have tagged 3)

OK, my song choices are....

1, Guns and Roses Paradise City - the ultimate housework song. If I need to do a major spring clean I put on the "gunners"
2, Pina Collada ( I think its Rupert Holmes) I can't help but dance to this one, and I love the cheesy lyrics - so easy to sing along to
3, Land of Hope and Glory, or the official title - Pomp and Circumstance. This brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. I get goosebumps. I love Last Night of the Proms for this song alone.
4, Its a Kind of Magic - Queen. This song sadly reminds me of work, and an amazing conference I went to. It was played everytime we needed some motivation.... and it worked. (I think it was a bit of a cult conference - along the lines of Tony Robbins!) Now when I hear it I still feel inspired to "WoW my customers"
5, Poi e - The Patea Maori Group. Unless you are a Kiwi, you won't get this one... but I encourage you to Youtube it. Its a fab song with a totally awful video. However, it was created by a group of people to raise money and awareness for their plight when the whole town was made redundant when the local industry closed its doors. Very catchy, and quite inspiring. Unfortunately, the town is a real ghost town now.

The 3 people I now tag

One Fabulous Mom
The Persuader
Get Artsy, Mama

Hunting for style

To accomplish my mission of reinstating my fashion sense and becoming a yummy mummy, I have treated myself to a nappy bag. Its the Skip*Hop Duo, and I love it.

Look at this yummy mummy. I'll look just like her soon - except with bigger bazoombas!

Skip*Hop are fab - I love this:

I'd like it for eating off myself, never mind for when Maya starts eating.

A Kiwi sense of style

I set off on my daily walk today. Its about 15 minutes into the city - I follow the river route and cross quite a high bridge, so it can get pretty windy. I wore my slouch jeans, a lovely merino wool sweater and my gortex walking shoes. In a hurry as my wee girl was screaming blue murder, I threw on my purple pashmina, black snowboard jacket, my black wool beret, black leather gloves and my CK large frame prescription sunglasses. Ran out the house pushing the stealth bomber style buggy, and thought "success" ( I had managed to put on some bronzer with my mascara today!)
It was only as I reached the town and passed the bank with the mirrored windows that I realised I looked like a French assasin from a James Bond movie! All be it, quite a stylee one, but certainly not the yummy mummy I aspire to be.
When did my fashion sense dissolve? I think it has been a gradual process since moving to NZ. I have become a bonafide Kiwi!
My hubby is far worse. I looked across at him tonight.... What an icon. I so need the fab five from Queer Eye to come give him a makeover. He was wearing: Camoflage 3/4 shorts, dark brown ugg boots, a black and blue merino longsleeve thermal (known over here as the polyprop) and his old England Rugby t-shirt, which was covered in paint and baby sick! Oh dear.... it is a worry. Our daughter is the best dressed out of the 3 of us. I must go on a shopping spree now that I am back to my pre-baby weight.