Phew - hopefully we’re back to normal now and can spend more time with our blogs!
Jazmin is back from the UK, our granddaughter, Rhiannon, is now 4 weeks old, we’ve received more new quilting fabric in the shop and we’ve spent the long weekend reorganising. Hopefully we’ll be posting regular updates in future.
In the meantime, go and have a look at the new Yuwie site - it’s really full of interesting ways to make money - and really - free to use and no risk! Copy and paste or click on the link under ‘blogroll’!
http://www.yuwie.com/yuwie.asp?r=62278
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Earn 50% in Commission by selling your photos on-line
A great place to store your photos for free and to share with your friends! You can also sell your photos on-line and receive 50% commission. Click on the ‘albumo’ link here:
http://www.albumo.com/affiliate-referral/1439/home
http://www.albumo.com/affiliate-referral/1439/home
Monday, August 27, 2007
School holidays
I returned home yesterday afternoon after spending a day in Riviersonderend (where Jazmin Patchwork & Quilting had been invited to the local guild’s monthly meeting) to find that our granddaughter had spent the day with nanny developing her arts of sewing and patchwork!
We both believe that youngsters need to be encouraged to develop useful skills, skills that will keep them busy and focused and provide an artistic oulet for their minds. Of course, not all kids are ‘that way inclined’, but, if you are looking after kids during school holidays or whenever, why not ask at your local quilting guild, art or craft shop or even schools, to see if there are any projects or courses available? The alternative? Kids under your feet, getting up to mischief, sitting in front of the TV or playing computer games - generally, wasting their time and getting bored.
We know that it’s not always that easy. When we first moved to Gordon’s Bay over 2 years ago we started fundraising for Patch, a local charity working with kids. Through this work, we met with lots of local primary school teachers. Jazmin, being a qualified Interior Designer and with lots of sewing skills decided to offer her time to teach kids to sew - a sort of children’s outreach! She approached 5 schools who were working closely with Patch and offered to donate her time and materials so that kids would have something to learn and something to do, especially during school holidays. The reaction of the teachers approached was shocking! Very negative and of no help whatsover!
Those of you who don’t have kids to look after may nonetheless wish to start something like this in your own community or generally volunteer for charitable work - but be careful. You might find yourself becoming frustrated and disillusioned with negativity or lack of pace - its sometimes a difficult road to travel. But persevere because in the end, whether its for your kids or grandkids, or for kids in the community, it can be a very worthwhile and satisfying experience!
We both believe that youngsters need to be encouraged to develop useful skills, skills that will keep them busy and focused and provide an artistic oulet for their minds. Of course, not all kids are ‘that way inclined’, but, if you are looking after kids during school holidays or whenever, why not ask at your local quilting guild, art or craft shop or even schools, to see if there are any projects or courses available? The alternative? Kids under your feet, getting up to mischief, sitting in front of the TV or playing computer games - generally, wasting their time and getting bored.
We know that it’s not always that easy. When we first moved to Gordon’s Bay over 2 years ago we started fundraising for Patch, a local charity working with kids. Through this work, we met with lots of local primary school teachers. Jazmin, being a qualified Interior Designer and with lots of sewing skills decided to offer her time to teach kids to sew - a sort of children’s outreach! She approached 5 schools who were working closely with Patch and offered to donate her time and materials so that kids would have something to learn and something to do, especially during school holidays. The reaction of the teachers approached was shocking! Very negative and of no help whatsover!
Those of you who don’t have kids to look after may nonetheless wish to start something like this in your own community or generally volunteer for charitable work - but be careful. You might find yourself becoming frustrated and disillusioned with negativity or lack of pace - its sometimes a difficult road to travel. But persevere because in the end, whether its for your kids or grandkids, or for kids in the community, it can be a very worthwhile and satisfying experience!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
China - our products are safe!
We watched on the news last night how one and a half million toys are being recalled in the UK because they have high levels of lead in the paint. Where are these toys from? Yes, you guessed it - China!
This comes after food scares in the USA and poisoned dog food in South Africa. Looking at news reports this morning, the common factor seems to be China. The news reports also go on to comment on Chinese exported sea food and toothpaste being banned and recalled in various countries.
What I found really surprising and offhand was the comment made last night by Chinese officials and repeated this morning in various news reports ‘China insisted that 99% of its exports were safe’.
Personally, we’re not too worried about the 99% that they say is safe - it’s the other 1% that presumably is not marked ‘danger - do not eat - keep away from children and animals’!
This comes after food scares in the USA and poisoned dog food in South Africa. Looking at news reports this morning, the common factor seems to be China. The news reports also go on to comment on Chinese exported sea food and toothpaste being banned and recalled in various countries.
What I found really surprising and offhand was the comment made last night by Chinese officials and repeated this morning in various news reports ‘China insisted that 99% of its exports were safe’.
Personally, we’re not too worried about the 99% that they say is safe - it’s the other 1% that presumably is not marked ‘danger - do not eat - keep away from children and animals’!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Attitude
Oh I wish I didn’t have to write this but I really must warn everyone ‘out there’ of at least one unscrupulous shop owner based in the US.
In May, we decided to buy a number of quilting patterns from a shop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - the shop is called ‘From my heart to your hands’ and is run by Lori Smith. Wow, does this woman have attitude!
We gave our credit card details and sat back and waited. And then we waited some more. And then we contacted Lori Smith of “From my heart to your hands”. And then again!
Eventually on 4 July, she e-mailed us with the tracking number and said ‘the parcel was posted on 29 May and according to the US Post Office, they have arrived with you’
Our e-mail response to her on 5th July, 11 July and 17th July was that they had not arrived, but we heard nothing back - not even an acknowledgement! On 18 July we telephoned her. She advised us that ‘I am unable to provide further information’ and sent an e-mail advising that she was attaching proof of posting and ended the e-mail ‘I wish you the best of luck’. There was no e-mail attachment!
We replied on 18 July and asked for the proof of posting. We asked again on 20 July and again on 24 July and have had no response. We’re now into our 10th week of waiting - we call the South African Post Office tracking line every week, and every week we’re advised that the tracking number does not exist on their system and the parcel has not arrived in South Africa.
I’m hoping to get the credit card transaction reversed through our credit card provider.
Let the Buyer beware and be careful!
In May, we decided to buy a number of quilting patterns from a shop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - the shop is called ‘From my heart to your hands’ and is run by Lori Smith. Wow, does this woman have attitude!
We gave our credit card details and sat back and waited. And then we waited some more. And then we contacted Lori Smith of “From my heart to your hands”. And then again!
Eventually on 4 July, she e-mailed us with the tracking number and said ‘the parcel was posted on 29 May and according to the US Post Office, they have arrived with you’
Our e-mail response to her on 5th July, 11 July and 17th July was that they had not arrived, but we heard nothing back - not even an acknowledgement! On 18 July we telephoned her. She advised us that ‘I am unable to provide further information’ and sent an e-mail advising that she was attaching proof of posting and ended the e-mail ‘I wish you the best of luck’. There was no e-mail attachment!
We replied on 18 July and asked for the proof of posting. We asked again on 20 July and again on 24 July and have had no response. We’re now into our 10th week of waiting - we call the South African Post Office tracking line every week, and every week we’re advised that the tracking number does not exist on their system and the parcel has not arrived in South Africa.
I’m hoping to get the credit card transaction reversed through our credit card provider.
Let the Buyer beware and be careful!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Mushy Peas
What? Well, unless you have lived in, or visited the North of England, you’ve probably never heard of Mushy peas! Even people living in the South of England, who may have heard of Mushy peas, won’t understand what the fuss is all about. Mushy peas is one of those strange Northern customs like welly throwing or Ekky thumping. Similar eccentricities occur all over the UK - tossing the Haggis or piping in the caber on Burns night (Scotland), Morris dancing and May pole fertility rituals (various locations), befriending sheep (Wales), and there’s many, many more.
But back to Mushy peas! South African emigration to the UK over the years has resulted in SA shops springing up in various locations (the majority in London) where you can get your biltong, Eat sum More, Jungle Oats and even your Castle lager, but this had not been reciprocated in South Africa. That has now changed with the opening of the UK Emporium in Cape Town where expat Brits can now get Ambrosia Creamed Rice (don’t ask), Bitesized Shredded Wheat, Hartley’s Bramley Apple Filling, McVities Rich Teas and Mushy Peas!!!
In these days of the global village, it’s nice to know you can get your little comforts from home.
Do you know of any other localised UK (or South African) eccentricities?
But back to Mushy peas! South African emigration to the UK over the years has resulted in SA shops springing up in various locations (the majority in London) where you can get your biltong, Eat sum More, Jungle Oats and even your Castle lager, but this had not been reciprocated in South Africa. That has now changed with the opening of the UK Emporium in Cape Town where expat Brits can now get Ambrosia Creamed Rice (don’t ask), Bitesized Shredded Wheat, Hartley’s Bramley Apple Filling, McVities Rich Teas and Mushy Peas!!!
In these days of the global village, it’s nice to know you can get your little comforts from home.
Do you know of any other localised UK (or South African) eccentricities?
Monday, July 30, 2007
I don’t understand Sushi
We’re not big meat eaters. Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice juicy steak, or a mouthwatering burger or a good braai (bbq to our non-SA friends), but it’s the health thing you see - red meat, cholesterol, fats and the like!
So when we moved down to the Cape, we though we would try and eat healthier and eat more fish. And why not - the Cape is just swimming in fish (ha ha). I decided that I would now prepare 50% of our meals. I spent days on the internet looking for fish recipes and ideas and looked through dozens of cook books so that I could come up with wonderful mouth watering dishes. But whatever I did, it still tasted like fish!
Now there’s the problem - we don’t like the taste of fish! I tried yellow tail, tuna (they might be the same), bokkums, angel fish, butterfish and almost every fish we could find, and no matter what I added (and there were some fantastic herbs and spices and vegetables) there was no disguising the taste!
Now I’m sure some of you will think we’re quite mad, after all, fish is healthy, plentiful and cheap, and of course it’s going to taste of fish, but as they say, there’s no accounting for taste! So, imagine how we feel about sushi!
We don’t like fish. We don’t like raw or undercooked food. This makes sushi the worst of all combinations. Oh well, we might have no taste but at least we’re not pretentious!
So when we moved down to the Cape, we though we would try and eat healthier and eat more fish. And why not - the Cape is just swimming in fish (ha ha). I decided that I would now prepare 50% of our meals. I spent days on the internet looking for fish recipes and ideas and looked through dozens of cook books so that I could come up with wonderful mouth watering dishes. But whatever I did, it still tasted like fish!
Now there’s the problem - we don’t like the taste of fish! I tried yellow tail, tuna (they might be the same), bokkums, angel fish, butterfish and almost every fish we could find, and no matter what I added (and there were some fantastic herbs and spices and vegetables) there was no disguising the taste!
Now I’m sure some of you will think we’re quite mad, after all, fish is healthy, plentiful and cheap, and of course it’s going to taste of fish, but as they say, there’s no accounting for taste! So, imagine how we feel about sushi!
We don’t like fish. We don’t like raw or undercooked food. This makes sushi the worst of all combinations. Oh well, we might have no taste but at least we’re not pretentious!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
We Love the rain, but ……
OK, we love it when it rains……for a while anyway! But then there’s the wind and more rain and the low temperatures - yes, and more rain! Oh! and then more rain! And a little bit more wind for good measure.
Western Cape is of course a winter rainfall area so this is not unusual, but it seems that we’ve had sooooooo much rain over a fairly short period of time. Our back garden flooded yesterday, the roads in Gordon’s Bay were flooded at the intersections with stalled cars creating a few extra obstacles (have you noticed how no-one knows how to drive when it rains?), and Beach Road was under about 18 inches of water from Sir Lowry Road to the Post Office. Rainfall over the last 24-hours had been very heavy in some areas of Cape Town and the adjoining areas including Stellenbosch at 51mm, Somerset West at 63mm and Kirstenbosch, 110mm. That’s a lot of rain!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I Love Sewing Machines!
Jazmin doesn’t actually collect sewing machines - its just that she upgrades from time to time and can’t actually part with the previous model. Take the Bernina Aurora 440 Quilters Edition that she bought last year. The idea was that she ‘traded in’ her existing Bernina, but of course this never happened. So these two machines joined her previous favourite Husqvarna Viking Designer I. I remember her telling me that if she could have that she would never ever need to upgrade! She’s also collected a Singer 222K made in 1955 in Kilbowie in Scotland (known as the Queen of Singers), a Frister and Rossmann Cub 2 and a Fritz Gegauf Bernette 720 (Bernina Holdings AG is the parent company of Fritz Gegauf AG). And then yesterday, we received a donation of a Bernina Nova 900 in wonderful Lime Green!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Junk Mail
What is it with these spam, junk, bulk e-mails? We receive around 4 new junk e-mails a day - that’s over and above the ones that I’ve already classified as junk! But still they come. I’m wary about ‘unsubscribing’ as they then know you really exist! We’ve won over $3 million this week from UK on-line lottery, Euro lottery and 2 others - last week we won even more. Then there’s the ‘enhancement pills and creams and tonics’.
Surely one of those pleading and tearful e-mails from a daughter of the latest overthrown president who needs to get the $5 million in cash from under the bed to you (chosen at random) so you can help her plight (and claim 50% for doing so) has to be real!
And one the cleverest tricks (so far) to outsmart the junk mail filters is to use innovative titles like ‘cantankerous trombone’, ’sprightly cream puff’, ‘ungodly turkey’ and ‘rascally polar bear’. If you don’t know what I mean then count yourself extremely fortunate.
Surely one of those pleading and tearful e-mails from a daughter of the latest overthrown president who needs to get the $5 million in cash from under the bed to you (chosen at random) so you can help her plight (and claim 50% for doing so) has to be real!
And one the cleverest tricks (so far) to outsmart the junk mail filters is to use innovative titles like ‘cantankerous trombone’, ’sprightly cream puff’, ‘ungodly turkey’ and ‘rascally polar bear’. If you don’t know what I mean then count yourself extremely fortunate.
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