Post-Easter update

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a lovely break over Easter.  Here in Dunedin we have had fabulous weather, and I have worn a dress every day - though not all day every day.  Did you eat too much of this over Easter??

Thanks to google this photo popped up first when I searched for chocolate :-)

I think I have been quite restrained.  Also, Cadbury Creme eggs don't taste as nice as I remembered.  On Easter Sunday my parents came over for lunch - ham, pastrami, cheese, pita bread, salad and the weather was just lovely.  Mid afternoon 10yo was dropped off at a friend's for a sleep over and we came home and sat in the garden, in the sun enjoying the peace and quiet.  Sorry, I am not being mean about my daughter, its just that when she is away, the place seems so very quiet!!

Today we went to town for a while and I managed a quick look around the Butterflies Hospice Shop and the Yellow Presbyterian Support Shop.  We then had to go over to a different suburb, and I discovered a new place to fossick for treasure: its called the Charity Barn and it is in Kaikorai Valley Road, on the left hand side, after the roundabout.  WOW, it was quite an experience.  Although it looked a little like ReStore, it was nowhere near as organised.  It was absolutely jam packed with stuff.  In parts it was not possible to walk around goods without items clutching at your clothes.  I went down one "aisle" and it was like a maze and I came to a dead end and had to turn around and backtrack.  Out the back was a huge area with a hand written sign "Free".  I did not need to fossick really, as two quite gorgeous polyester shirt dresses seemed to be calling out to me "Please choose us, we don't want to be put in the landfill".  I think the free stuff was probably destined for the landfill so I considered it my duty to rescue the two dresses.  There was a wide selection of out of date encyclopaedias from many different publishing houses, about 100 pairs of shoes, and a million thousand plastic toys from McDonalds.  I was fossicking for so long my poor family came looking for me.  I left in them in the car gaily calling out "I'll only be a minute!"

I did chat to the guy at the counter and he told me that the money went to charity but I am not totally convinced.  I am not saying he is not giving it to charity, but I am not sure WHICH charity.  It was fun though.  Oh, and I found a 1973 sewing book in mint condition and excellent photos.  I gave him donation which more than paid for the book.

Once at home I washed both dresses and hung on the line and then settled down to watch a chocolate movie with Johnny Depp.  No, not Chocolat, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Now, I grew up on the original version: I can practically say the words while watching it.  I can sing most of the songs.  The boat ride is one of the most trippy things I have ever seen on tv.  But, the new version has a poignancy that really tugs at my heart.  Willie with his big brown eyes, and his perfect teeth, and his unusual haircut, velvet jacket and purple latex gloves exudes a fragility and an inner madness that Gene Wilder never attempted to capture.  Is it me, or were the glasses a precursor to Karen Walker's new eyewear range?  Is this just a coincidence?

Well followers, I have successfully finished my green dress refashion - photos to follow soon.  I spent a tedious hour or so unpicking the sleeves from the polyester gypsy dress as I discovered when I got it home that some one had tried to make some alterations to it, and not done a very good job.  Four different kinds of thread, one handsewn, two standard sewing, and one zigzag.  My goodness some of it was the worst sewing I have ever seen.  Ever.  Honestly.  It was not straight.  It was as if the sewing machine was being raced recklessly along the underarm seam.  Right, time to sign out and pick up the knitting needles again.  Hope you all have a lovely evening, and don't eat too much chocolate!!