My Mum

On February 16th 2012 my beautiful Mum left us.

After about 5 years of suffering through a horrible illness

her body finally had had enough.

I have now lost 2 parents in the last 3 years

It's a odd feeling. I am now the oldest in my family.

I certainly don't feel grown up enough!

All I feel is sad

I can't even voice how much I miss her.

Mum with Zoe

Mum & Dad - few months before their wedding in 1965

My Christening - 1968

Mum & the 3 wise men

(my brothers - Thomas, Edward & Peter)

Mum & I

Movember -

I'm starting to notice men around my little suburb

with slight growths under their noses.

Not really my thing - but all for a good course.

Ouch!

Angus broke his collar bone playing footy a few weeks ago. It's nearly fixed

13 today....

This seems like a lifetime ago - but I remember it so well

booby scarf

booby scarf, originally uploaded by adhdknitter.

comments.....concerns.......????
thanks adhdknitter - another great pic!

Supermum & Jacaman

In Australia today it was mothers day.

I just received one more gift - a book

Made my Jack (AKA Jacaman - he's a superhero)

This was one of the pages - hope you like it

Happy Mothers day to every mother every where.

been a bit slack with the blogs lately - sorry Ang - all is ok - c u soon!

Flea Market Love

Long before I was old enough to drive I used to go on my bike to Camberwell Market. I would get there early as the sun was coming up. I wasn't ever looking for the same stuff as the 'dealers'. But the funny thing is I usually found what I was looking for.

Last time I was there I wanted a 'head' to put the hats on at work.

I was also on the hunt for a few vintage sewing baskets. Bingo... got 1 head & 2 baskets!

I do love a market - especially what they call a 'flea market'

imagine walking along the streets of Paris for a little treasure (not sure if I'd find any bargains with my French!)

Or popping over to the USA for a bit of hunt for that perfect little piece.

Might just have to stick with Camberwell at the moment.

I would love to hear where your favourite market is.

how cute!!

Using these little dice kids get to tell their own stories....you can buy them here.

Thanks Sarah from 'The small objects'

cute & compact!

looking back........

It is all pretty amazing.

The other day I was looking through old patterns, trying to work out if the volume / weight of yarn in a ball of Patons Totem yarn was the same in the 1940's as it is now.

Anyway thanks to Google I ended up looking at The Argus newspaper from June 1945.

I had to show you a few little adds from the paper I found in my travels.

By the way

here's the answer

2 oz = 56gms!

amigurumi..

For N., originally uploaded by à voir etc....

I am doing a class on this little japanese art of crochet on Monday.

So many ideas on flickr - like this cute little guy.
If you want to learn how to make him - pop over to the craft classes page at www.onabee.com.

Hot diggity dog..

Sometimes I see a photo that I just have to share.

This is one from my cousin Margot's boyfriends Facebook page.

Hope it made you smile!

last look at the Phnom Penh sky line....

Wat Langka from the third floor of our hotel

The top of the Independence Monument through the trees..

And good buy to Cambodia....

and hello Thailand......

Zoe & her new friends

Got lots of great products for the shop direct from the villages.

Bangkok Traffic..crazy.

This poor little dog as in a cage at Chatuchak Market...not good.

Zoe having a Thai foot massage

An outfit for the above mentioned dog....

The fake flower isle at Chatuchak.

Back to Phnom Penh..

Zoe noted the other day that the way traffic works in Cambodia is that the bigger your vehicle the more right of way you have. The exception to this rule are the cows.

They rule the road.

This one was just cruising along the road as we made our way to the bus stop for the long trip back to Phnom Penh.

It was a long trip back - so I took a few pictures along the way

Some bright purple flowers at our lunch stop.

Monks collecting morning Alms

A typical Khmer house along national highway 4

3 small kids walking along the highway on the way to school

cows on the highway....

Entering the capital....more traffic and activity

Our first night in PP we stayed in the Goldiana hotel

This was the view from our room.

Today we headed off to the central market. hot and hassled!

There are glimpses of the old city that would have been beautiful

I visited one of my new suppliers today.

This is the team that create all the beautiful waterlily products.

I think you'll like them!

We went and had some pre dinner drinks (diet coke!) on the rooftop of The Quay hotel.

Lovely views of the Ton-sap & Mekong Rivers

Paradise.........?

It could be if:

* there was some sort of capital infrastructure - like proper roads, sewage, regular electricity supply.

* there wasn't so many unsavoury middle aged western men with less than good intentions.

* there was more places to educated children, then employ them once they became adults - for a proper wage.

The beaches look ideal. At sunset local kids get to play on the huge floating things in the water.

We wouldn't see these back home - the public liability would be too high! Instead come to a 3rd world county with no health care and take your chances!The huts along the beach behind Zoe are all individual bars with bad 90's music blasting from the speakers, with menus of fried food & booze. Once you sit down you will be inundated by ladies trying to sell you a massage, manicure, pedicure, leg wax, or fruit. If not it will be the kids trying to sell you friendship bracelets they made for you. If you tell them your name they will whip you up a personalised one before you can blink. Then tell you that you have to buy it.

Don't - it's keeping them on the beach and out of school.

The sunsets are lovely thought!

This is Anita. She has grown since she first was given her blanket, but she still uses it for sleep time! The cotton is warm but cool - because she sleeps with a fan next to her bed.

I have recovered from my upset stomach and spent the day in 5 star luxury instead of the squalor and filth that is everywhere in this sea side town.

Zoe and I paid for the privilege of an afternoon at Sohka Resort today.

If you look closely at the photo below there is a tiny dot on the roof near the palm trees to the right.

This was a guy who was painting the roof. He was there most of the time we were there.

I think he has a harness - but what was it attached to?

Of course I was still hard at work while Zoe swam - finding new suppliers for the shop!

Later in the afternoon the 'crew' all when down to the beach for a play

Anita & Anie (Pare in orange to left)

Anita (unlike her dad) loves the sand! And all her bling!

And spending a bit of time with her big cousin Zoe - also a sand lover

Mickey Joe & Peter saying hi!

She looks Italian to me - where did all those curls come from?

Then back at home - just after the power shut down. The kids are eating ice-cream

Back off to Phnom Penh tomorrow on the bus.......front row!