Sunday, January 13, 2008

Very Mundane.


The old adage about " All work and no play makes ..........", seems particularly true at the moment. All week under the vines thinning reject fruit and pruning in this heat , with only the radio or CDs for company. DH working at the other end of the row most of the time gives one far too much time thinking. When sad News about the death of our amazing Sir Edmund Hillary dying aged 88, comes on the radio it seems very personal - someone I and every other New Zealander my age probably, have known my entire life, now gone. What a life though; what good things he quietly achieved. I especially like it that he wasn't a rugby player or a politician but a practical person, a beekeeper, a risk taker and adventurer, a kind and decent bloke. I wonder how much influence his early life had on him? He said he didn't have friends at primary school.( none? - that's sad ) The PE teacher when he first went to High School ridiculed him and other weedy or fat or small kids and gave them hell - what right did that Teacher have to take those kids' self esteem away? ( Really upsets me ) His father also made life difficult for him. Luckily his Mum was remembered kindly - Thank goodness for great MUMS! Maybe that ( his early life ) was why he was so kind and considerate to ordinary folk here and in Nepal.
Today's photos are of the (so far ) biggest ugly fan kiwifruit I found - because what we are doing is boring and repetitive any distraction is good - hence the competition between us for the biggest reject fruit or the silliest shape. ( you can see why this is referred to as a fan! )


The other photo shows the very little progress I have made joining the strips together for my scrappy quilt. I grab the odd minute to sew a few together, but have not spent long at it. The weekend has been filled with housework, gardening ,picking veges ,clearing leaves and a little reading. I did go on strike yesterday after lunch and enjoyed watching the tennis finals. I haven't seen another person, other than DH in so long I may be becoming a recluse - not of the religious kind. Thank goodness for email and I got a regular letter from my only sister, so I know there are others still out there in the world.( but just not close at hand )

Still only one person has viewed the property - so I don't think we are going anywhere else any time soon!

11 comments:

KC Quilter said...

Thank you for the insight into Sir Edmund's early life. I didn't know any of that. What a conquering spirit he had. By the way, I could send you some of Missouri's cold temperatures LOL!

kirsten said...

It may be ugly, but it's redeeming feature for me is that it IS heart-shaped.
I feel sad that we have lost Sir Ed, too. He always struck me as the quintessential Good Kiwi Bloke.

Cher said...

The school he built for the Nepal trek porters another example of the great things Sir Edmond did too-I am currently reading Three Cups of Tea-about an American who built a school for children in Pakistan-another climber touched by that far away region to do great human kindness.
your scrap strips are looking good!
glad you took a little time out for yourself to watch tennis too.

Tracey Petersen said...

I thought the kiwifruit was beautiful. I see it as a heart.

meggie said...

Sad to think the world is so focussed on beauty & conformity!
That 'reject' is heartlike, & quite appealing in it's own way.

I remember once attending a visit by George Lowe who had been one of Sir Ed's partners when he conquered Everest. GL had none of the humble charm of Sir Ed.

Françoise said...

I also see a heart in this kiwi!
Your quilt will be lovely.

ForestJane said...

Looks heart shaped to me too!

And that pasta salad looks great, I love pasta with broccoli, may have to try that. :)

molly said...

It is so comforting that there are such nice people in the world as Sir Edmund [ even though, may he rest in peace, he has now left it.]
My daughter always thinks that if I say something or someone is "nice" it's the kiss of death. Sometimes that's true. Other times though, there just isn't any better word....

Unknown said...

That kiwi is very strange looking! I love how your scraps are turning out, it will make a lovely quilt.

Suzi-k said...

What a great legacy the man has left behind, i am touched that both you and Shirley remember him most, not for his outstanding sporting achievements, but for his simple and kind humanity.... shows what is really important!

TGTadventureNZ said...

Ally, we've just returned from our wonderful NZ trip. Not nearly enough time in three weeks to see all of your beautiful country. All of your suggestions were spot on. The most enduring memories though will be of all the truly wonderful, helpful, happy kiwi's we met. I think you must know how fortunate you are to live in such a lovely country-Georganna (quilter from CA, USA)