TUESDAY AFTERNOON and tears for Christchurch

My how the days fly by - seems I missed a Monday post here.  I have been busy following the activities of DonateLife week - not that I have been attending I have been following on line.

I have not felt quite up to par for a couple of days so have been taking things slowly and my life is uncomplicated at the moment when I think of all the natural disasters affecting Australia and now New Zealand.  

The news of a large earthquake in New Zealand brought me to tears for our friends across the Tasman Sea.  As I write the death toll is 65 and lots of people homeless and night is falling for them which makes rescue work more difficult.

My prayers and thoughts go out to New Zealand and I grieve for the beautiful Christchurch Cathedral which this evening lies in ruins.

This is an image of the Cathedral before the quake.

and these two after:

This building was a beautiful feature of the City of Christchurch and it brings me to tears to see her thus.

I really don't have much news to share - I am well and a little tired but so grateful to be alive.

We did some furniture removal last night for Narelle - well it wasn't really furniture moving it was collecting chairs and then transferring her sofa to a trailer to go to a new home.  We had more than enough hands but I am not sure how light the work was - that sofa is a heavy beast.

Nick displayed some very clever backing of the trailer - I stand in awe of people who can do that - I can't at all - I am alright driving forward with a trailer etc. but if you want it backed in - you best find someone to to do it or take the trailer off the car and man handle it.  Nick made it look so easy - very proud of him.

We then had Pizza and a chat and so it was a later night for me - but nice to see people I don't see nearly often enough for me.  There was laughter and conversation and I enjoyed it.  It left me feeling tired but today I didn't have a lot planned.

I can't believe how quickly the weeks are passing and I seem sometimes to not get very much done  - we are getting close to March which is the third month which means it will soon be 1/4 of the way through the year.

It will soon be time to start thinking about Christmas - which is a silly thing to say because I have not stopped thinking about it or planning for it.

Narelle did some shopping at Peter's of Kensington (Sydney) for me and bought lots of goodies for our Christmas quiz prizes and it was fun going through them.  She also bought me some very lovely Christmas Serviettes with images of holly leaves on.

I did actually contemplate some sewing this afternoon but it didn't happen - instead I starting sorting fabrics etc. so I guess that counts as getting ready.  I have so many things I want to make - and during a sleepless night last night I made plans to paint a bentwood rocking chair I have.  It needs some loving care and with a good coat of white paint and a nice cushion on it I think it will look nice along side the cane shelving unit I painted white and shared with you late last year.

My mind is constantly buzzing and I will enjoy giving this chair a new lease of life - it has been stored for about 10 years and why it came to mind I have no idea - but when I retrieved it from the garage this morning I felt good about the plans I have for it.   I could visualize a cushion in a bright colour with a white doily sew to the cover.   Sorting through my fabrics I found some suitable material for the inner liner of the cushion, I need to purchase some wadding and find a nice cover fabric to sew.  I have lots of doilies I bought at the Opportunity Shop last Saturday.   Those doilies certainly give me some inspiration and I find pleasure in things like that.

A friend who survived Cyclone Yasi and who is now decluttering has promised me some doilies in the mail and I am looking forward to their arrival.

Cyclone Yasi has left a trail of emotionally damaged people and I am guessing that this will be the situation in Christchurch in coming days.

I am alive and well and loving life, but it is with a heavy heart I close this epistle for today.

My love and care to you all.