Hearts for Christchurch

"The way is in the heart"

Buddha.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the 6.3 earthquake that brought so much death and destruction to Christchurch. I found myself in Lyttelton, epicentre of that fateful quake, more by chance than by design but I am so glad. I was there with a friend, Miruspeg, and we met some lovely people at the Community Gardens. They welcomed us in, gave us lunch (a pot-luck mix of home-baking and fresh produce from the gardens) and once again showed us the meaning of community.

After lunch we wandered down to what has become the village square and stood in a large circle, holding hands with other Lyttelton residents and visitors. Gradually we all became still and silent, and at 12.51pm we reflected on all that happened to our city and people one year ago. Afterwards, Peggy and I sat down and began sewing hearts onto ribbon to make garlands that we could hang on the fences around Lyttelton (you may remember a previous blogpost about this). We placed the banners and hearts where we thought people would see them with the hope that they would lift spirits just a little. Some of the flags were generously donated by fellow blogger Bimbimbie.

Incredible sky!!!

I saw this sky in Otago, near Lake Aviemore. One side was like a weird veil of cloud with the edge clearly defined. On the other side (the left) there were streaks and feathers.

Sky talking

"Only with your heart can you touch the sky"
Rumi

Just ask

You've got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world's most powerful - and neglected - secret to success and happiness.

Percy Ross

Banish blue sky thinking!

How incredibly dull it would be if every day we had a monotonous clear blue sky. Bring on the clouds!

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores, of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain, when with never a stain
The pavilion of Heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams, with their convex gleams,
Build up the blue dome of air.
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,
I arise, and unbuild it again.

From 'The Cloud' by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Happy New Year - I hope your year is filled with incredible cloudscapes and magical views.

How to make a driftwood Christmas tree

Do try this at home!! You should still have time to make one, as long as you live close to a good beach for driftwood! First off you will need to gather your driftwood.


Find long straight-ish pieces and line them up on the beach in decreasing size. You'll need pieces that are fairly wide as you will be drilling a 12mm (half inch) hole through each piece. Take a few extra pieces as spares. Treat them with borer beetle killer as you will be bringing them into the house. Alternatively, seal with diluted uvp glue or similar.


Next, find a chunky piece of wood that will act as your base. I got mine for free from the offcuts bin at a local hardware store. While at the store, buy a length of wooden dowel that is 12mm (half inch) in diameter. You'll need at least 120 cm (4 ft) of it. You will also need a Christmas tree holder that the wooden base will fit into. As you can see (above), mine has four screws to hold the base in place.

Next drill a 12mm (half inch) hole into the centre of the wooden base. Note that this is exactly the same diameter as your dowel. You need to make it as vertically straight as you can (I asked hubby to do mine as he is more experienced with a drill than me!)

Place the dowel in the hole. Don't glue it yet.


Now drill 12mm (half inch) holes in the centre of each piece of driftwood and slot them onto the dowel. You may need to throw out some that don't work, but eventually you will know how tall your tree is going to be. Mark the dowel, take the pieces off again, and trim the dowel.

Almost there! Now you can glue the dowel into the base using an epoxy resin type glue (something strong!) Patience - cos you'll have to wait overnight for the glue to set!

Finally you can assemble your tree.


Decorate as you wish!


Happy Holidays everyone!!! xxx

Timebanks – countering the credit crunch

Ever heard the saying "Time is money"? Well, it's becoming an increasingly outdated idea. Those of us who have woken up after the credit crunch and are now smelling the coffee, realise that there must be a better way. Welcome to timebanking, where put simply, time = time.

Timebanks have been set up all over the place. They are locally run and community based. There is probably one not far from you. I joined Lyttelton Timebank recently. Here's how it works. Suppose I do an hour's gardening for Mrs A. I earn an hour of time that I can spend on something I need – say a massage from Ms B. Then Ms B earns an hour to spend on what she needs. And it goes round and round. Everybody sharing skills with every hour of equal merit to another.

And there is another aspect of the timebank system that is very important. You have to make a request for what you need. You have to ask, or no one will know that you need something. The organiser of the Lyttelton Timebank explained it to me as "The generosity of receiving". What a marvellous idea!? By receiving, you allow someone to give.

And with timebanks there is no tax burden, no overdraft limits: the timebank accepts that there are times of need when we will draw on it and times in our lives when we have more time to give and put in. The only limitation to a timebank is the members' imagination as to how it can be used. And before you say "Oh I don't have a skill", what about baking, baby sitting, ironing, making cups of tea, answering phones? We all have something to give and timebanks help us to organise ourselves and make it happen.

Timebanks build communities. And the currency is good will. Wouldn't it be great if there were more of them? If you don't have one already - you can always set one up your self!