Scrapbooking Memories Book for my Mum's 86th Birthday

I made this book with photos from Mum's album as a surprise for her 86th Birthday

I do still exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi there,
I know it has been such an age since I have been on this blog, March in fact!!!! so have been very very slack, but this year has certainly had its ups and downs and the time has flown.  Not sure where to start even, so will try, but the order may be funny..
Firstly our dog Skipper is progressing... it is rather slow and she is still limping, but the rods and screws have been removed surgically and she is getting around with no plasters any more and putting her leg down most of the time.  She is such a bright dog and loves to run everywhere and it is hard to keep her on the lead when we go for a walk, she just wants to bound on ahead, so when we do walk, am not sure who is taking who for a stroll.
We had the most fantastic holiday down South all thru March and halfway into April.  The weather was so good to us and warm except at Lake Tekapo and Queenstown, the merinos had to be out and worn.  We had so much fun and loved everywhere we went and camped.  We had rain in Dunedin, so that was disappointing, so did not get to see much of that.  We had such a marvellous time tho, we have decided to go back again in February 2012 for a whole month, camping again with our camper.
Can't wait...... it was down South again, or North, but we have done a lot of the North Island and just love the South and still have more new places to see such as Oamaru, Haast, and Dunedin in the sunshine, and want to go back to Queenstown and do a few touristy things.  We did not spend any money really on that sort of thing, but would like to do a ride on the Jet boat up the Skippers cannyon, which we drove up in our Jeep, so will be neat to see it in a different aspect.
We are just the two of us now, both boys have left home and living with their girlfriends, and we are really enjoying just being 'us', but see the boy's every week for a meal or coffee so that's cool.
Poor Logan has a year of ups and downs and unfortunately lost his job at Methanex and was working for a friend of ours but the man is very unstable and one day is fine, the next he is yelling and screaming at Logan for nothing, so it all got too much yesterday, and he chucked his job in.  He certainly does not need to be spoken to like that or treated so awfully, but now he has no money coming in and of course has bills to pay, such as rent etc., etc., so messy days and hope something will change soon.  Brad is living with Kylie, who is just the loveliest young girl and they are both well. 

Grant is very busy at work, still involved with Maximo, a maintenance computer programme, and still doing tug engineer shifts and also heaps of marine maintenance paperwork, so is a busy man, but very happy at work.
I have been doing lots of cards and heaps of scrapbooking attending a class every Thursday out at Jackies for Scrapbooking in Inglewood and loving it.  I will download some photos very soon and show you what I have been up to.
Also still loving choir.
Bye for now and will be back with photos soon.
Rel

Skipper and her progress

Hi, just an update on Skipper's progress so far.  We took her down to Palmerston North for the surgery just on a week ago, and all went extremely well.  They were able to pin it together, which was the first option they wished to do, this is the strongest way for it to heal, the other was just suturing the bones broken and ligaments, but as I say they were able to pin it, and this has a much better recovery and healing for her.  She is now on strict bedrest and only allowed to be up to the toilet on a lead three times a day.  She is in a cast right up to her hip and coping so so well with it.  It is so amazing that in a week she has made such great progress. At first she was very very sore and would not let anyone near and would growl if anyone strange came by, but was fine with Logan and myself, but as the week has gone by, she has improved immensely.  Each week Skipper has to have her cast checked by the vet here in New Plymouth, and again she coped very well and did not growl or get cross with the vet as he pulled everything apart to check the wound and redo her bandages.

Tonite Logan and I took her to the Uriti kennels, called Valhalla, a luxury dog and cat place, where she is going to be looked after while we are away and Brad is away in Singapore.  When he returns about March 20th she will come home and the boys will look after her.

So there you have the latest, and also to say we are going on our camping holiday on Tuesday 15th March, so will probably not be blogging for quite a while, but will have fabulous photos to download and stories to share when we get back.
Take care and look after those you love.  All the best, and thanks for stopping by to read this.
Love Rel xx

Skipper and her very sore back right ankle!!!

Our lovely dog Skipper is in a bad way, on Friday nite, she was running after a ball on the front lawn and somehow twisted her back right leg and let out an awful cry, I heard it over the vacuum cleaner and tv up loud listening about the earthquake.  Logan was having fun playing with her and she loves nothing better than chasing the ball and bringing it back to you, but not this time.  Poor thing, her foot just hung there like a limp rag doll, we could tell immediately it was serious.  To cut a long story short, we took her to the vet that night and they splinted it after xraying it and said to bring her back Monday for the top vet to look at who does the surgery, as they were sure she had not only broken it, but also torn the tendons and ligaments that hold the ankle together!!. so after the weekend, which she was so good over not being able to move around, they took more xrays and it is too bad to repair here and she has to go to an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Massey Vet clinic in Palmerston North (3 hrs) from here and be repaired......... so home again last night and now we wait to here when we have to take her down and get it repaired as a HUGE cost...... but what we do for our loved pets.  She is such a beautiful girl and those pleading sad eyes have really been heart breaking to see, I am so attached to her and have been up 3 times in the night checking on her and assuring her, as am sure she is so confused, but is coping very well.  I think it is going to be a long haul to recovery, and made difficult by the fact Brad our eldest boy who co-owns her with me, is going away in a week to Singapore.... and we are going on our annual holiday on the 15th March til end of April, so will have to arrange pet care for her....... as she will be on complete bedrest.

Makeover in our BBQ area of the garden

A few weekends ago, I was fed up with the garden looking overgrown and a huge mess, so stripped these two raised gardens and completely replanted them.  Am so thrilled with the result.  They contained about 25 clivia plants which are beautiful but multiple and have a very large root system and it took me ages and a lot of strength to pull them out, but got there eventually.  I started on the Saturday afternoon and was still going at 9p.m. at night.  Thank goodness for daylight saving.  The next day I planted these wee annuals around, impatients and lobelia and have been regularly watering them since.  My friend Susie from choir was really thrilled with the clivia which I passed on, as they are $30 a plant and I think I gave her at least 50 or more..... but so pleased to share what will enhance her garden too.  We have heaps more of the clivia around our driveway at the front of the house and further around the BBQ area.
The lifebuoy ring is a throw away from the Tug Kupe that Grant is away on at the moment in Lyttelton, Christchurch.  Unfortunately he is mixed up in this horrendous earthquake, but is okay and that is the main thing, but work on the tug has slowed down heaps as the port was badly affected and the workers helping do the dry dock are busy with their families and trying to cope with the whole awful mess.  Our hearts go out to them all, and hope that the aftershocks will eventually stop, they are having so many in a day it is freaky says Grant. 
Take care everyone and thanks for browsing my blog, any comments are so appreciated.
Bye for now
Love Rel xxxxxx

My darling Mum and Dad's wedding.

Hi there, am sorry this photo seems to be very blurry, but each time I try it comes out the same, but you get the idea.  Mum looks so beautiful I think.  She goes by the name Shirley, but wishes she was called Leonie which is her second name.  Dad looked so smart and think they make a great couple.
I am loving doing these vintage scrapbooking pages and hope to do more and more.

Scrapbooking pages of my Mum and one of myself.

I think my Mum looks so gorgeous in the first scrapbook page  - she is only 20yrs old in this photo and she remembers the pretty top she had on was white with lovely autumn coloured flowers on it.  Her sister brought it back for her from Panama.  The skirt was white and very finely pleated and the shoes were tan and white.  My Mum had gorgeous aubyn hair and was often called "Red" after a song that was played around that time, something about Mickey, the girl with the red hair, so she also got called Mickey..  I have a lovely album of precious old photos of family and friends she has given me and we had such a special day together last Friday going over who all the friends and family were, so now I am going to do lots of scrapbooking pages of all of them and give it to her.
The second page is one of myself pregnant with our first boy Bradley.  I'm sorry the photo is not very good as is late and the lighting bad, but hope you get an idea.  Our first born is now 23yrs old and has grown into a very fine young man and we are so so proud of him for everything he is and does.  He has incredible character and is so hard working and such a pleasure and a treasure. (I know I sound very biased, but am aloud as am his Mum of course!!!)
Hope this finds you all okay, and thanks so much for taking the time to look at my blog.

Love Rel