The sun also shines

Jeepers it has been hard to find anything to post about these days. Winter hibernation is well underway. Jonty and I were commiserating today about the dire state of our collective well being brought on by sun deprivation in the weekends. Dull, cold, grey and windless - utterly dire. Reading over my last posts you would get the feeling that we were just living at the airport and feeling sorry for ourselves. This is partially right, however, there have been some highlights punctuating the weeks and weekends and it is time to let the sun shine in and forget about the crap weather. Having a terrible couple of weeks at work hasn't helped either. Wish I had won the 36 mill. I have drawn the curtains and have the fire cranked up so I can ignore the world outside. Sharing some highlights of the past few weeks.

1. Movie - The Grocers Son

Jonty and I went to see this film on my birthday. I love the movies and could go a couple of times a week so always jump at the opportunity to steal a few hours in someone else's reality. Set in Provence it is a pretty and evocative film about a son returning home to help his mother run the family grocery store and mobile grocery van after the his dad has had a heart attack. He is the 'disappointment' of the family so this is a bit of an ask and there is a tonne of under explained family history stuff going on through out the film. He brings with him his neighbour who he is secretly in love with as she needs a quiet space to study in preparation for entrance into a Spanish university. His brother, the 'good one', is living a 'successful' life but for the fact that his marriage has been over for years and his parents don't know. There is a raft of eccentric country characters and some good yuks but overall I thought the film was a bit vapid. Sometimes you can leave too much out of the film and it ends up being a bit dull. I think there is a balance to be had between block buster films that leave nothing to the imagination and this film which is entirely left to the viewer to interpret. Still, lovely scenery and the lead bloke and chic are pretty cute.

2. Upholstery

I have a new project to rush through until the end of the year sees the demise of adult education in New Zealand. The all knowing Anne Tolley (minister of ed) has decided adults, gifted children and those with severe learning difficulties are not worthy of education funding anymore and has just chopped it either all off or down by 80%. Yikes. Private schools, however, are feeling pretty buoyed with a giant handout of many millions. I guess those poor kids need all the help they can get. The bitterness of my anger for this old fashioned attitude sticks in my craw, as it does with the many 1,000s who consider life long and life wide education to be a fundamental for ongoing non-work related learning and skill development. However, there isn't much to be done so I am going to make the most of this last opportunity. Feel really sad that my sanity space and community connection opportunities are just disappearing before my eyes with barely a mention.

Moving on and back to my new project. It is my Granny's old chair that I inherited when she died 20+ years ago. It has been lumped around all 12 of my flats and is pretty shabby. Yesterday I went to Fabric House and indulged in some fabric therapy. I chose a fabric that is reversible but haven't decided which way to go yet. We are painting our bedroom a lovely light blue so this fabric should be perfect for the chair in that room. I know it will become a clothes horse within minutes of being proudly placed in the corner. Never mind.

3. Art - We love our gallery and had spent a few very happy hours visiting 'Rita' a few weeks ago. I think I might have swooned and felt breathless a few times. Bloody fantastic. I took a few pics of the gallery itself which are fun.

4. Friends

Last night we had a pot luck dinner with some friends, the theme being 'food from you childhood'. I think we all called our mums for family favourite recipes and turned up with everything from pizza to mushy peas, fruit sponge and savoury pinwheels. The only 'non childhood' ingredients were the wine and beer. It was a real hoot and I am still a bit full. Late night though. Has been a slow day today.

aah, that feels better. Blog therapy.