Back online!

Oh the joys! The last few days have been internetless as our modem didn't like being changed to another computer... hence free dial up for a while. Yeech! In some ways it's slower than the broadband/windows 98 combo we had going there...

But... I can download photos from my camera on the new machine! yippee! So... as promised... photos of my dad's grave, with the rampant violets and pansies (oddly enough, his mum's favourite flowers). With the whole slow dial up thingy, I won't be adding more photos this time! I made a cup of tea while waiting for this one to be uploaded to blogger.

Home again...

The ABs v Scotland match was so boring, I went to sleep... We lost in the cricket - go India!

A busy couple of days up north. I did get out of hammering palings for the new fence, but managed to show my incompetence with such tools when my sister and I had to put the new cross up on Dad's grave. Personally, I blame the very thick matting of violets! There would be a photo, but I'm at home and my very old PC doesn't recognise the driver of my camera... It is so very hard to believe it's been five years since Dad died. I don't know about this whole time makes things easier - I'm finding it a lot harder to get through now!

Lots of weeding and shifting plants around in preparation for the renovations - can't have loved plants right where the footings are going for the extensions! There's an old rose that orginally came from my nana's - was planted at the family home over 15 years ago, and then moved north about 10 years ago. Rhubarb that came up from Auckland...

So a busy and emotional weekend - another reason to be on leave this week!

Sheesh...

So, South Africa crumpled against India... and the Black Caps are through to the semis of the Twenty20 World Cup. Enough with the stress, already!

Techie grumble... the high-tech stuff at work won't let us watch TV3! Bah humbug!

Going on leave... heading up north where there's minimal cell phone coverage... It's a common sight, while we're at the cemetary talking to Dad, to see visitors wandering around near the church hunting the elusive signal. No cell phones - no landline - no internet - no sky. Just two days spent with family working our beejesus off at the bach. At least we won't have to wheelbarrow mulch this year. Just weeding and tidying. But it all hinges on whether the water's working!

technobabble

Once in while I spend time as an AnyQuestions operator - online, real time homework help from real librarians. It uses chat software and - when the planets are aligned correctly and you hold your tongue the right way - you can co-browse. There's a great sense of satisfaction being able to help children & teens from across New Zealand. And there's a great sense of relief that you're on the other end of technology - and they can't hear or see you!

I enjoy it - even with the technical glitches - but, it's not something I need outside that environment. Members of my family have sent requests to 'chat' - but, it's too in your face... one of the first things I learnt to do in Outlook (ten years ago, or so) was turning off the message notification. Trust me, you're in the middle of updating a huge excel spreadsheet - the little box pops up - you click on it to get it out of your way - and you lose what you've just entered in the cell.

I like using technology that lets me 'socialise' in my own way - when I want. I don't want it bombarding me.

I like being able to keep in touch with far-flung friends and family - and seeing their photos online, instead of waiting for months until they come home and have saved up enough money to print their rolls of film!

flickr fun

So this time it's photos and flickr and stuff...

I uploaded photos to flickr and then made a funky little montage of my holiday on the Gold Coast... using BigHUGElabs mosaic maker. It's pretty cool. [well, I thought it was - until there's this huge notice! Bother - will save and sort out from work Friday!] [NB 2: and then I log on this morning - and there's no evil notice saying 'do not link to this page save to your computer instead... odd... so if there's 2 mosaics... you know why!]

I must say, tho' that I prefer scrapbooking with paper and stuff... I can make mosaics there, too...

And I can add things that are important. Like, in this spread about my dad, I've put a piece of schist from his rock pile (he was a stone mason). And it's written in my handwriting, making it more personal.

Love you, Dad, miss you heaps. Seeing you this weekend - hopefully I'll remember the Buzzy Bee pinwheels to put on your grave.

Can you judge a book by its cover?

These are all covers of vampire novels... so what genre are they? adults or teens? Can you tell by the cover?

Ha ha... taken off the answers...

Ranty McRanty #1

Why is it so hard to find gender neutral things for babies? Wrapping paper? I couldn't even find plain boxes to decorate with the non-existant wrapping paper.
Then there's gender neutral clothing - hmmm... I'm knitting it at the moment, but trying to find a nice blanket!
Grrr!

What I did on my weekend

Off to beading class!

Embellished candles... I feel Christmas presents coming on...

Coshocton

My fav myspace page is actually a library page – wildly envious, and the librarian is one of my heroes… Coshocton Public Library. RoseMary seems really nice. She has a blog, too. So I’ve been to visit the Coshocton teens’ site, blog and myspace pages to see how they’re different from each other – and what we could do here.

Well, well, well...

What a start to the day... South Africa trouncing England in the World Cup 36-0!!

The only thing better than that was Zimbabwe beating Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup a couple of days ago!

What book got you hooked?

First Book, an American literacy organisation, celebrated giving its 50 millionth book to children in need with a 'What book got you hooked?' campaign.

Create Readers, the National Library children's lit blog, is asking New Zealanders the same thing.

My memory's a bit hazy from that time, but the books I do remember hearing as a preschooler, and possibly reading a bit later on were:

• Green eggs and ham by Dr Seuss
• The lion in the meadow by Margaret Mahy
• Are you my mother? by P.D. Eastman
• and, horror of horrors, Richard Scarry!

What were yours?

The joys of spring

If anyone asks... this is the reason our picnic table is upside down...

What a lovely sight first thing this morning... who knew ducklings were out and about at 6am!

Mind you, good camo in the gravel driveway.

Ducklings - one of the main reasons I bought a camera

LIANZA Children's Book Awards

The LIANZA Children's Book Award winners were announced on Tuesday.

The Esther Glenn Award winner, Genesis by Bernard Beckett is one of those polarising books. Some find the science content too much and they skim through the book. Othersare totally absorbed. I have a foot in both camps - yep, I skimmed the science, but the concepts are fascinating. The survival of society after a pandemic. Social and genetic engineering. The rise of the machine.

The Russell Clark winner, The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff by Ben Galbraith also contains a message. The Gruff brothers are taking too much fish in their trawling operation off Poverty Bay, which upsets Minke Whale, the Guardian of the Ocean. The illustrations are great, using collaged elements and computer manipulation. The production is outstanding.

The Elsie Locke Award went to Leon Davidson's Red Haze: Australians and New Zealanders in Vietnam. It's a balanced look at the Vietnam conflict, including lots of first person accounts.

Sport thoughts

It's time for little sleep... watching rugby and cricket. I'm so happy RWC2011 is in Auckland!
The Twenty20 world cup isn't generating much interest - or hype - apart from the whole Fleming not captain thing... and who is going to the rebel tournament - but, at least it's something different from the saturation of rugby. Love rugby, but sort of over it...