Number 2: Making the same quilt again and again

I am sitting peacefully in the Morocco Room, my creative space in my home, the radio is on, it's hot, the sliding window is wide open to let in some breeze, an incense stick -a gift from our yoga teacher in Bali- is burning and I am sewing together hundreds of 2 inch blocks.
I am making a quilt for a dear friend who got married last year and will be leaving South Africa over the next couple of months.

Some of my Transition Quilts.

NUMBER TWO:

Making the same quilt again and again.

And again, and again, and again...

I have just checked my Quilter's Journal where I have kept a record of all the quilts I have made since 1990. And I love how I am completely stuck on sewing the same quilt pattern.  I call these quilts 'Transitions', and I am making number 9 at the moment, an interesting palette of ecru, mustard yellows, pink and inky purples!

It started when Nicky gifted me a quilt called 'Cut Flowers' made in 2006. She was part of our quilting group and now lives in Brisbane. As a group we enjoy the design of these lap quilts (52 sq. inches) and we have all made a few. The quilt has 36, 6x6 blocks, made up of 2 inch squares, and the color transitions from a dark corner to a light corner and it is a wonderful challenge to grapple with 36 different fabrics to create a smooth and interesting transition. 

Our quilting group has been sewing together for over 25 years! Nicky and her quilt in the background.
My sewing corner in the Morocco Room at home.

Nicky, who is now a professional quilter in Australia and has award winning quilts, has progressed in her craft and challenges herself to learn new techniques and styles of quilt making. She is just a little bemused by our love of making this same pattern!

I only work scrap quilts and for me the pleasure is trying to control different, zany and challenging fabrics, both old and new. There is nothing like going into my fabric stash - small by comparison with the rest of my quilting group- to start planning a quilt. My fabric collection is eclectic, fat quarters bought from all over the world as I travel, gifts from friends and I even have bits and pieces from my mothers stash. I dip into the group's stashes too, as we share fabrics rather than buy new pieces.

Detail of a quilt block.

My first transition quilt, called 'Hot Pink' was made in 2010 for my sister Doreen's 40th birthday.

Here is my list of transition quilts: 'Hot Pink', 'Light and Shade of Life', 'Summer Haze', 'Hidden Kiwi', 'Bahama Blues', 'Summer Ablaze', 'Blue Holes', 'The Shallows', all gifts, except for 'Hidden Kiwi' which I made for myself after a two month campervan holiday in New Zealand in the spring of 2011.

The title of quilt number 9 has not come to me yet, but it will. I will add to this post with a photo of the finished quilt and its title.

So, I am thinking I cannot finish on 9,  I will need to start yet another one this year, will number 10 be it?

Post Script:
The title for quilt number 9, made for Michele, is "Sunflowers and Aubergines", inspired by our quilt retreat to Ficksburg.
Her message after I gifted the quilt to her:
'My quilt is overwhelmingly gorgeous. I love it and I feel the sunflowers and aubergines sums up our life journeys throughout our 18 year friendship perfectly. We have danced fantastically light at times with joy and sunflowers in our hearts - and at others felt bruised and purple by what the world around us shaped. Always and always - I have found sunflowers with you...exposure to you is like turning your face into the sun and soaking up all the deliciousness you have to offer. So deeply grateful for our friendship.'

Number 1. Expanding my footprint in the Shared Ecomony

I start my new blogging project today, which is to focus on '100 different things in 2018'.

I have always loved to blog and list, so what better way than to track and write about the different things that come my way this year. It is a joy to showcase Fred's photos too, as he captures special moments in our lives. Some of these different things may be new, may be revisiting the usual, may be about things, people, family, places or about travel, but either way I am curious to see where this blog takes me and to understand the emotions attached to each 'thing'.

Getting started....

NUMBER ONE:

Expanding my footprint in the Shared Economy.

My adventure into the 'shared ecomony' started last year when I listed our Amanzimtoti and Cape Town properties on Airbnb. I have loved every minute and have also been hugely challenged. Interestingly, not so much about sharing our spaces or our things, but more when communication breaks down between my support team and guests, and when I feel helpless to correct issues like no hot water or satellite dishes been blown off the roof by a tornado! 

Mid-year I decided to explore the local portals and have been hugely impressed by TravelGround/Lekkeslaap. The website is easy to use and their service is excellent.

I have had 178 bed nights across the two places, guests from Italy, Australia, Germany, USA, UK and from all over South Africa. And through all this activity, I only got to meet one guest, a special man, Thabo and his family. He booked The Loft through Booking.com - a platform that did not suite me at all, and then popped into Gardenflat in Cape Town for a night. He made me smile and I loved how he left me gifts as a thank you.

Fred built Herb Cottage last year, here in Norwood, we loved styling it, shopping in our home for furniture pieces and upcycling elements. So my footprint now includes this quirky, special self-catering cottage, nestled in our back garden. I started the process with TravelGround and Airbnb today to put Herb Cottage onto their portals and so starts my listing of 100 different things - 99 to go.

Herb Cottage, Norwood, Johannesburg.

And - had my first paying guests on the 12 January!

Sunday morning prose

How I valued:

• Sparkling sharing of travel stories that danced across the globe – finding Dingle gin in Dingle, Ireland; ancestral research in Cork; finding Jan in Nice with pap on the menu; Balinese street food and the sublime balance of sweet black coffee and aromatics; the surprise of Milan; perfect pizzas in Nieu Bethesda; the joy of a daily flat white in Wellington while minding James; an accident in Germany; yet another French chateau; a doggy road trip in winter to the Cape; the delight of Gaudi in Barcelona….
• As always our minds love planning where next - an exciting declaration to take in la Perle by Dragond in Dubai at some point over the next few years; maybe a river cruise in Europe; could even pop across to visit Petra in Jordan;  Thailand beckoning soon for the Twomey's…
• A perfect highveld summer evening – residual heat from the day slowly abating; the pretty pink evening sky; a piet-my-vrou calling; candles dancing in the pool and candles making shadows on the veranda; the braai fire smoke and baking bread mixing and tantalizing our senses; the heady fragrance of star jasmine…
• A round table set with mindfulness and creativity – a basket of artichokes; sparkling green glassware and icy crystal bowls; eclectic Wonkyware…
• Inspiration from the Shared Economy - numbers 1-9 from the Enneagram inspiring a new business venture from the Twomey home, sharing knowledge and experience; 175 bed nights in the Kersten's spaces in Toti and Cape Town been shared this year with people from all over the world; the numbers are staggering on a  vast property vision on the brink of been shared with the world....
• Neville’s gin setting – a choice from around the world, with lemon or orange, I am now excited to explore the botanicals and stories of South African gin…
• Rosella’s masterclass of bread making – kneading; shaping; creating flavour with thyme; baking with stream; a well of oozy, decadent camembert; a hint of chilli in the salmon mousse; such fresh crusty, delicious bread; Nikki’s proclamation of ‘I am happy’ was a voice for all….
• The generosity of slipping in a pasta course while the braai smells drifted over – stuffed parcels of happiness with an unpronounceable Italian name washed down with a crispy white or a tasty red…
• The nibbling of salty lamb fat straight from Neville's hot coals, sucking the roasted artichokes hearts, picking up the hint of bay leaf on the meatballs, the fennel and orange just made for each other…
• Banting for the last course - the decadence of berries, cream and an almond chocolate desert...
• Our conversation dancing around our passions - books to read, note to self Origin by Dan Brown a recommendation from Geoff; movies and series that we enjoy; hugging cats and dogs; cuddling gorgeous grandchildren; Fred building Herb Cottage; continually getting lighter in the world...

How I value friendship....

The Yoga Shala Alphabet

The Yoga Shala, Blooming Lotus Yoga, Ubud, Bali

Aum, Breathing, Circle, Downward Dog, Energy, Friendship, Ganesh, Heat, Incense, Jungle, Kind, Lycra, Meditation, Nidra, Ouch, Poses, Quiet, Restless, Savasana, Teaching, Uijayi, Volcano, Wellness,  Xtreme, Yoga,  Zeds.

The Banyan Tree

The roots of an old banyan tree.

Banyan trees and my thoughts go to my old childhood favorites, Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo, Kaa and menacing Shere Khan.

And here I am, in Bali, craning my neck looking out for any number of birds that feed on the fruit of the Banyan. It is a life blood for wild life in the forests around the world.

Their size is remarkable given that life for a Banyan starts as a seed as small as a grain of sand! And they can life for many hundreds of years.

I have been most amused with the trees wearing 'sarongs' using the ubiquitous black and white check fabric or yellow. What I did not know is that the Banyan is a sacred tree for Balinese people and used for ceremonies and rituals, so the Balinese dress the trunks.

The tree even features in the Coat of Arms of Indonesia.

I see them with new eyes.

Some thoughts about Bali

I:

• am missing my photographer to capture the exotic culture of Bali and the secret pleasure of its birds.
• appreciate getting closer to all things Balinese.
• learn each day from my generous birding guide Bayu Hendra, he has certainly opened my eyes to all things Sunda.
• see ceremonies at the heart of living life here in Bali.
• have forgotten how punishing a full day of birding can be, but...
• love to bird and be in nature.
• ate dragonfruit.
• so enjoy doing my bird 'admin', listing and recording is part of my daily routine, this was the view today sitting with a pot of ginger tea and reflecting on an epic day in the field.

  

  A perfect spot for listing.

• am been woken by the 4.50am call to prayer and kept awake by traditional music, and how I dislike noisy bar fridges in hotel rooms.
• smile at the variety of headgear worn by the men.
• frown that everyone smokes.
• birded in the peaceful grounds of the Patu Karu temple.
• am intrigued by the notion of home as a temple and how literal this is here in Bali.
• so enjoyed the rice paddies of Jatiluwih.
• put aside my anxiety about Mount Agung.
• added 100 new birds to my world list.
• had dinner for one on the beach watching the full moon rise over the Java Sea.
• noticed how I do not have the courage to swim and snorkel here at Taman Sari Resort, but the evening swim in the private pool for the Studios was rather pleasant.
• find seeing the swastika, representing the wheel of the sun in Balinese Hinduism, jarring.
• am eating chicken three times a day and did not know that was possible.
• tasted something most unusual, avocado as a dessert served with chocolate condensed milk.
• did not expect the dominance of concrete in the cultural artifacts.
• see thousands of motorcycles and see children on motorcycles.
• rather like the colorful soft-top VW's on the island.
• like the mid morning ground coffee break, which is sweet and black and from a sachet, then having ginger tea with lunch.
• am down-heartened at the close up view of back-breaking work and poverty.
  
• wonder when the black and white checked fabric became the choice for statue dressing. 
• have lost count of the number of yellow, or white, or checked umbrellas in the temples, some new but most are tattered and torn.
• see women sweeping bare ground.
• am dismayed that the culture of caged birds in Bali, which started as a sign of status and wealth, now causes poaching and species decline. 
• have yet to find pristine anything.
• did not take to the long-tailed macaques, they line the roads, strategically placed in the shade, and beg for hand-outs. The Ebony Leaf Monkeys had more dignity, getting on with life in the Bali Barat National Park.
• did however experience the Christian communities of Blimbingsari and Palasari as peaceful, with lovely gardens and their links to the Dutch taking control of Bali in 1908 is fascinating.
• am in awe of the huge ficus trees and the bamboo forest of the Bali Botanical Garden.
• was impressed with the caldera in the centre of Bali with its misty lakes and vegetable farms.
• see offerings, remnants of offerings, offerings as a business, offerings as trash, and as a welcome to my room today with fruit.
• have a favorite meal to date, Chicken Satay at the Harris Hotel.
  
• see hints of what we call "Bali-style" back home. 
• think laundry skills are excellent here, white is whiter than white and worn by all. Apart from yellow.
• notice the inside outside way of life along the roads we have travelled.
• witnessed a personal blessing along the busy road.
• notice the beauty of flowers.
• walked the Pemuteran black beach at sunrise and watched the start of day routine for the resort staff.
• look forward to Sharon, Natalie and Bev arriving, but before then I am swelling my world bird list and so delighted to be doing so.

Another first, delicious tof

MPH: miles per hour or a Malagasy Pond Heron

Our first view of the Malagasy Pond Heron at Mziki Shareblock, Phinda Game Reserve, Kwa-Zulu Natal

We certainly clocked up the miles yesterday with a 1am wake-up call to drive up the Kwa-Zulu Natal North coast to get to a planned game drive for a twitch at Phinda Game Reserve, a 650km round trip.

Our target, a Malagasy Pond Heron, a bird of Madagascar and globally endangered.

Odd sightings have been unsubstantiated in South Africa, so a lone non-breeding adult, which has been showing consistently for a month, seemed like a great opportunity to expose my sister Doreen to the craziness of a twitch.

Mugs of coffee and Doreen's home-baked muffins kept us going through the early hours of the morning and we arrived early at the Phinda gate.

We had many nervous hours waiting for the game drive, which instead of leaving at 6.30am only got going after 10am. The team at the Lodge had not been informed of the booking and all the guides and vehicles were in use.

While waiting for our guide Brendan, we got to sample the restful Phinda Mountain Lodge, taking in the scenery over breakfast on a perfect, warm, Natal winter morning. A quite lovely distraction and also a reminder of our visit to Forest Lodge 21 years ago when we met Bri and Di Dawes on a game drive!

The search for the Heron got serious as soon as we arrived at the dam at the Mziki Shareblock, stop, scan, stop, scan...one full loop with no sign of the bird among all the usual suspects. Another loop of the dam, stop, scan, repeat; the morning sun beating down, bleaching out the colour and creating a haze.

Brendan from &Beyond was getting ready for a third loop when he spotted the MPH standing on a hippo! We could not believe our eyes, after looking through, around and in the grass it was out in the open.

Fred's great photos show a bird happily feeding and preening. Excitement and relief all at once, a successful twitch!
Onward to 800.....

Malagasy Pond Heron

Winter joy in Wellington

Joy comes with a little man called James

Gratitude for:

Crawling on the floor and seeing the world with a nine month old,

The slow and gentle settling process with James and the team at Daisies,

Reading the New Zealand iconic children book, “The Little Yellow Digger”,

A morning at the Wellington Zoo, James noticing the size of a giraffe, and I, completely taken with the Red Pandas,
Playing with James in the park, a swing and a slide and a huge smile,

The ritual of Saturday morning brunches,

The daily flat white,

Calls to Fred,

Getting to grips with the modern nappy and of course James’ poonami moments,

Nipping into the CBD with Craig to see the final night of the Lux Light Festival, we loved the ‘cats’ on walkabout,

Making Johnsville my ‘hood walk while waiting for James,

Watching the pleasure of a crispy baguette in a baby’s mouth and the memory of Shawni and Barry in France,

A baby’s smile,
Noticing my aging hand holding a baby's hand,

Crying to leave a baby,

Snuggling down with the Dominion Post Puzzles page,

Arriving in time for James’ Plunket visit and weigh in, not quite 10kg at that point,

Reaquainting with a knowing aware baby,
Working hard to get a giggle,

Finding new bowls to enjoy our evening ice cream treats,

Genuis, Versailles and the new Masterchef, three of us under a blanket with tea and chocolate,

Having the table set and an evening meal ready for the family,

Thoughtful welcome to Ngaio gifts, looking forward to reading the award winning ‘The Wish Child’ by New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey,

Dipping into magazines,
Meeting Shawni for lunch in town,

Watching a New York photographer at work using a World of Wearable art costume made of glass and plastic,

Feeding a baby who enjoys his food, mostly,

Peeping into Shawni’s routine and joining her at Space, a playgroup in Tawa,

Shawni’s date scones with her antenatal group,

A quiet moment together while he drinks his bottle,

A walk among the vines of Martinborough and a quite perfect sharing platter at Poppies,

Excitement of a new tooth,

James wearing his new trendy clothes that Nan and Pops bought,

Getting through winter’s a ‘little of this and a little of that’,

An electric blanket,

Prepping compotes for the deep freeze,

Buying yummy Fig and Fogg peanut butter,

Shawni’s readiness to re-enter the world of work,

Perfection of a sleeping baby,

Family walk along the Kapiti Coast on a fine day.

A baby’s laugh,

A good baby through teething and getting croup,

Crisp blue winter days of walking the Petone Esplanade and Oriental Bay,

Visits to the Toy Library in Khandallah,

Watching James learn to crawl, pull himself up and travelling along surfaces with so much purpose and energy,

Mother Day gift from Craig, lunch with Shawni at The Salty Pigeon and a return for breakfast pides,

Shopping for gifting, a fitbit for Fred, a cycling jersey for Barry, for Circle and Quilting,

Finishing the alpaca wool hoodie for James,

Putting a tired James down for his morning nap and starting my day,

Joining the World Wide Knit in Public Day at the Wellington Library,

Singing along with mom’s and tot’s at the Wellington Library ‘Rock and Rhyme’,

Organising the plastic drawer for the kitchen,

Parcels arriving from Australia from Nicky for the quilting gang,

Popping into the Settlers Museum and to a fibre artist at The Dowse,

Seeing James love being in the swimming pool during his lessons with Craig,

Impressed with the viewing of the New Zealand documentary called Meat at the Lighthouse in Petone,

Invitations to walk with Christine and have a flat white en route,

Leaning in to lift James up and his responsiveness,

Dedicated and spacious time with my grandchild

A Door with Attitude

Bobby said he had a door for us and described it as 'a door with attitude'.

We were spending a weekend with friends in Wakkerstroom and out on our morning walk I was wondering out loud to Geoff whether he knew where we could look for old doors with character. So he took as to meet Bobby, a Wakkerstroom local. What a treat, to meet a craftsman with a real passion for woodwork, an eclectic style, a story to tell, a huge barn full of equipment and a treasure trove of salvaged items.

We had found our door on a farm in Wakkerstroom! Bobby scavenged for old handles for the door and even passed a horseshoe onto me. We signed the deal over a quick glass of crispy white wine with a remarkable view across the mountains around town and Geoff kindly offered to transport the door to Johannesburg.

One of our garden plans was to create a focal point around a door with an arch of ivy. Fred loved setting it up this weekend and the door looks like its been in the garden for years.

Our door with attitude!

Next step is to train the ivy and create a natural arch.

The Vintage Empisal Knitting Machine

My Vintage Empisal Knitting Machine and the rompers I knitted 30 years ago.

This metal box made by my handy grandfather, in its bubble wrap, has been tucked away at the top of my cupboard for many decades. I was sorting through paperwork this week to declutter and found the original Patternbook, which of course triggered the memory of this single-bed knitting machine.

It was time to appreciate its story and to decide its new fate.

For the last 3 years or so I have had a daily practice to organise, streamline and simplify my homes. I regift, I donate, I share, I pass on, I move things between my spaces and I simply chuck. It has truly been mountains of stuff. A quiet pleasure has come with this discipline. In focusing on all that surrounds me, I pay attention, I use and enjoy what I have and with this comes appreciation. And the hidden benefit of knowing where everything is.

The Empisal Knitting Machine belonged to my Nan during the late 50's or early 60's. She and my mother were prodigious knitters, using both their machines, as well as hand-knitting. My grandfather custom-made a table for the machine and I can still hear the sound of the handheld carriage whipping across the metal knitting needles. I inherited the Empisal and also used it for a while. I have kept one of my knitted items, a pair of rompers that I made for Shawni as a baby, so I took it out to look at, maybe I will have a little granddaughter one day and it can be worn again. In the meantime it is in my kist.

The Empisal story is nostalgic to me. Rather than dump the machine or try sell it, I researched Community Knitting Groups and came across St. Martins-in-the-Veld in Dunkeld. They have an active knitting and crocheting group who make items for the needy, especially for babies in the government hospitals here in Johannesburg.

How I value this practice of mine, my Empisal has a new life and purpose again! And now I move onto all the keys we have, who knows which doors or cars they open, time to find out.

‘Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony’. 

Thomas Merton.

Twitching: A second mega rarity

Red-necked Buzzard, Melkhoutfontein.

The summer has been awash with rarities across South Africa and I had been seeing the emails notifications from New Zealand, then in Johannesburg and Millstream the timing was not great and now, at last, I am in Cape Town and free to pursue a few of the specials that are still hanging around.

Today the destination was Melkhoutfontein just before Stilbaai, a 650km roundtrip from our apartment. We were up at 3.30am, coffee and a rusk and we then hit the road. A moody, cool sunrise over Sir Lowries Pass before a lovely drive along the N2 to Riversdale for breakfast at the old hotel in the town centre.   

An hour later we were in place and nervously birding. 

The target:

A  RED-NECKED BUZZARD, the 8th record for Southern Africa and only the 2nd for South Africa....

We had some fellow birders with us most of the day and we staked out various locations. We wandered up and down the Melkhoutfontein road for many hours. A pair of Jackal Buzzards were a distraction while we scanned pylons and the skies. We drove into Stilbaai to have a look see and very quickly left - too busy and too distracting.

Back to the hunt. After about 5 hours we got a call from one of the stakeout points, the Buzzard had been located! A mad scurry, just in time to see the bird fly off, we then resorted to an off road chase in the Audi and at the end of the road we were treated to a perfect sighting. 

What a thrill and very exciting to get a second mega rarity in a week.

And then the subtle pleasure of provisioning gold award evo oil from Gabrielskloof, crisp Gabrielskloof Viognier wines for New Year, export quality apples from Elgin....all so nice.

Twitching: a Temminck's Stint at Strandfontein

Fortunately my Christmas shopping is done and we are joining the Hadfield's for lunch tomorrow.

So my first priority, having arrived in Cape Town yesterday, was an early morning visit to the Strandfontein Sewage Works which is grabbing headlines at the moment with all it's specials - Red-necked Phalarope, American Golden Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper and the target for Fred and me, the very rare Temminck's Stint.

I had read the message below on Facebook, posted by Trevor Hardaker, and when it comes to rarities his pleasure is infectious. This mega rarity had arrived in late November at Strandfontien and has been was creating a stir in the birding world ever since.

"The bird of the moment and one that has turned my week upside down... this is only the 7th record for Southern Africa (and 3rd for South Africa) with none this century and also became the 916th species that I have now personally seen in Southern Africa. Big smiles...:)

Temminck’s Stint – Temminckstrandloper – Calidris temminckii

Strandfontein Sewage Works

04 December 2016"

Fred getting his fabulous photos at the Temminck's twitch earlier today.

I gritted my teeth and crossed thumbs that this rarity would hang around a bit longer than the Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin which I had missed by a day. The twitch was in full swing when we arrived, cameras, lenses, scopes and birders with binocs ready and lined up along P1. Locals, visitors from George and Fred and me.

The stint had been seen, had flown off but we were assured that it circled back to mostly the same spot.

Patience paid off, the tiny wader made its appearance - I had been watching Faansie Peacock's Youtube video of his twitch and had made a note of all his ID points. I paid attention to the 'short greenish legs, its plain brown color, the broad breastband, indistinct facial markings, very long tail and tertials and its horizontal, low-sung carriage'

My early Xmas gift! Temminck's Stint.

Yay. What a way to celebrate the 'rear-end' of 2016.....my bird number 767 for Southern Africa.

Just love this photo of the Temminck's Stint! Well done Fred.

Generations: a grandson called James

The pleasure of my first grandchild, baby James Ennis Kerr born on the 8th September. The next generation is here.

Nine weeks ago I flew to Wellington, New Zealand to be with Shawni and Craig, to help out a little and of course to meet James. So little and so precious.

If I was still doing my alphabet blog, it would have been J for Joy.

Since we have all gotten back, Jamie has been passed around his family and friends in Johannesburg, at Millstream and in Cape Town; and he takes it all in his stride, sometimes with a big smile but most often with a slightly quizzical look.

I love been Nan.

The new mantle sits easy and I am smiling as I remember a quote from a book Di gave me - "Being a grandparent is the reward for not having killed your own children."

James meeting friends and family.

Family times at Millstream and the pleasure it brings!

James's first Christmas. Still sleepy!