I don't just break resolutions....

...I jump on them with both feet!

I posted on the 19th, said I was going to post once a week, and then immediately left it almost 2 weeks until I posted again! Hopeless.

I am blaming the holidays (and the fact that I barely know what day of the week it is), for the fact that I suddenly realised it was 1 February, and the beginning of school was just around the corner. So, in 2 sleeps the children are back to school and very shortly we are all off to NZ for a short time.

So, you ask, what have they been doing?

Well, there has been knitting and the nearly eternal Hay cardigan is finally finished. It is currently blocking and awaiting buttons. There have been 2 versions of the Hurricane Hat - one where I thought I knew much better than the designer (and it didn't look even vaguely like a hurricane) and one with the remaining posmerino which actually abided by the designers instructions and looks great - but meant that I had to frog the not-quite-a-hurricane in order to finish it off. The hat will go with the posmerino Boneyard shawl and will be worn in a cold place.

That's right - a very cold place. I am off to Antarctica for a day trip! On the 30th annuversary of the Mt Erebus Aircrash, Air New Zealand sent 12 relatives of the victims to Antarctica to the crash site to place a memorial marker. The passengers were drawn by ballot - and I had no idea at the time that this was happening. Because it was so successful, Air New Zealand decided to put on a larger second flight. This time I actually knew about the ballot and entered my name - and I have a seat. The plan is to fly from NZ, land at Scott Base, place another memorial, and after a short time on the ground, to fly back to NZ.

What this has meant from a practical point of view, is that we are all going to NZ (because there are several alternative flight dates, depending on the Antarctic weather) and I need to pack thermals, a scarf and hat and warm socks.

Gosh - I wonder where the scarf, hat and socks should come from? I know - I'll knit some!

So the kids go back to school for two days, and then vanish for a fortnight for some real world experience of vulcanology, zoology, studies of flora and fauna and some vicarious Antarctic experiences. I'll try to blog before we leave - but I must go - I have a hat to finish and block......

Welcome to 2011! (and a resolution!)

Well, it has been just a while since my last post and we are starting a new year. The resolution is to try and blog once a week, so we'll see how tht goes!

I have been knitting - although I didn't quite get 1 garments done in 2010, (the Lia still needs sleeves and I'm plugging away on the Hay Cardigan), I did manage 11. I also knited 3 pairs of socks, 6 shawls, some mitts and hats and presents and such. I went to Bendi and partied with some wonderful peeps, who also held my hand when I ended up in the emergency department at the local hospital with a fever brought on by a throat infection.

We went to Queensland with husby in September (actually, he had to go on busines, but we were so over the winter that we insisted on tagging along too). I finished the first year of my Masters course with quite satisfactory marks, thank you.

We had Christmas, the Knightly Knitter and her family came to visit and see int he New Year. it rained a lot. We had a flood in November. We had another flood last week. This onew as much worse - although not nearly as bad as The Mainland, where it is dire (donations for people who have lost everything can be sent here - up to 2.5 million people can't sleep in their own homes).

Friends were flooded, and I helped with the clean up which was beyond yucky. Mopping the same patch of floor 6 to 8 times will eventually get it clean and stop it smelling - just saying. The local boutique brewery got flooded (and their house next door - no beer lost, but the kegs had to be rounded up and there was more cleaning there - and lots of throwing things away.

Here is our paddock - underwater

here is out road - underwater

here is a platypus swimming in the paddock next door - which was underwater, too.

The best thing about the flood was the platypus. And the limbo day. The roads near us were all blocked, so the kids got tpo ride their bikes on the road for the very first (and probably last) time. Generally this is an unsafe thing to do, because we have no shoulder or pavement out here, and lots of hoons and trucks. The day after the floods was glorious - in contrast to the torrential rain for days before.

Shortly, we head off to New Zealand, and I will be going to the Antarctic for a day trip. I'll fill you in on all tht later - but I have a posmerino hat to finish, to go with the scarf I made to keep me warm down there!

Happy New Year - and all the best for 2011!