Bunnies to the rescue..

I've been in a bit of a craft funk lately.

Since getting back from the honeymoon, free of the list of things to do for the wedding etc, I've had plenty of time for crafting, but have been somewhat bereft of the desire or inspiration. I've been entertaining myself by reading, veging out infront of the TV (without any knitting in my hands), rearranging the furniture and the like. And I think I'm in danger of falling into a "dealing with paperwork" funk too... Maybe I'm just too good a procrastinator for my own good?

I've been somewhat inspired by flicking through the Fall 2006 Vogue Knitting, the sneak preview of the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits, and Rowan 40, but not enough to spur me on to pick up any works in progress.

I'm resorting to dragging myself out of the funk by stern words, and a sense of obligation. I've started churing out knitted bunnies for all my reproductive friends (five babies under three months at the moment, and another due in two weeks), I'm taking on a sewing commission, and I'm ordering yarn. We'll see how it goes.

48 things you could care less about

Being as I'm still in a bit of a knitting funk (haven't knitted a stitch since I finished my shrug for the wedding- which I didn't wear on the day, but am wearing as I type... I should take a photo- I'm quite pleased with it actually) and don't have any enticing craft to blog about, I thought I'd share some other stuff.

1. first name? Diana, although I generally get called Di. Just DON'T call me Diane!!

2. were you named after anyone? my mum's cousin, who sadly died from Lukemia when they were teenagers

3. when did you last cry? earlier tonight when I had something stuck in my eye and it didn't want to come out.

4. do you like your handwriting? It's OK, but I wish it was neater

5. what is your favorite lunchmeat? rare roast beef

6. if you were another person would you be friends with you? I can't imagine

7. do you have a journal? I do, but I've been going through a long phase without writing

8. do you still have your tonsils? yes

9. would you bungee jump? never in a million years

10. what is your favorite cereal? home made bircher museli

11. do you untie your shoes when you take them off? yes, definitely

12. do you think you are strong? I'm capable of summmoning up some strength when I need to

13. what is your favorite ice cream flavor? maple syrup (it's my Canadian side)

14. shoe size? 42

5. red or pink? red

16. what is the least favorite thing about yourself? I allow myself to get stressed. I'd love to change this.

17. who do you miss the most? I miss good friends who live interstate

18. do you want everyone to send this back to you? no, but I hope I'll read a few as I cruise the blog-o-sphere

19. what color pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? black stretch pants, black long sleeved T, black sparlky shrug and my broken cable rib socks

20. last thing you ate? potato gnocci pan fried with aparagas, roasted red capsicum, caramelised onions and melted taleggio cheese, with a salad of green beans, shaved fennel, red onion, goats cheese, slivered almonds and a lemon dressing (mmmmmmm- out to dinner at EQ with a couple of girlfriends)

21. what are you listening to right now? the husband watching Mythbusters on the TV

22. if you were a crayon, what color would you be? right now, I'd probably be a pale blue, because I'm feeling a bit cold.

23. favorite smell? freshly ground coffee

24. who was the last person you talked to on the phone? my husband, when I called him and asked him to pick me up from the train station after dinner

25. the first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? their smile

26. do you like the person you stole this from? yes

27. favorite drink? Water. I lover drinking still water. So refreshing.

28. favorite sport? Rugby Union (strictly a spectator!)

29. eye color? hazel

30. hat size? no idea. average?

31. do you wear contacts? I did wear them through Uni, but working in an air-conditioned office dries them out too much for comfort.

32. favorite food? Homemade

33. scary movies or happy endings? happy endings (preferably surprising too)

35. summer or winter? definitely summer!

36. hugs or kisses? hugs

37. favorite dessert? Too many to pick one... preferably creamy without being too rich, sweet but not cloying, fresh and lightly textured but satisfyingly filling the space reserved for desert.

38. who is most likely to respond? I can't guess

39. least likely to respond? too many to pick one. Meme's seem to be out of fashion at the moment.

40. what books are you reading? Jared Diamond's Collapse (intriguing but frightening) and Bill Bryson Made in America (quite unlike his other books, don't know if I'll finish it, but it's keeping me occupied while I commute to work)

41. what's on your mouse pad? I don't have one

42. what did you watch last night on tv? View from River Cottage. (I heart River Cottage)

43. favorite sounds? the seaside

44. the rolling stones or beatles? well if I have to pick between those two, the beatles I guess

45. the furthest you've been from home? Around about in the east side of Canada (Ottowa, Toronto, Quebec). It's amost as far as you can get from Perth (where I grew up) without jumping off the planet.

46. what's your special talent? I hope it's my cooking skills

47. where were you born? in a hospital

48. who sent this to you? nicked it off Kris

The long story or the short story

I usually takes me a long time to tell a story. I relish in the details more than most people I think. I go on and on about the context or background to an event or happening, sometimes loosing people's attention in the process, which I gallantly try to get back by telling more and more details with increasing enthusiasm, thinking this will add interest and fill out the picture. Close friends humor me, and laugh along with me. This tendency often means it takes me a while to write blog posts- I find I have to prune back what I have to say, to say it more succinctly, capture the essence.

So the concept of condensing three weeks adventure around New Zealand, illustrated by well over 1000 photos (despite being without a camera for a couple of days), into a post or three is a tough task. Luckily I had yesterday, immobolised by an infection in my foot (don't ask me where it came from, but it's there, and it's been hanging around since the start of the honeymoon, sneaking away when I targeted it with some antibiotics and now running back at me with a vengeance a week later....), to sit all day sorting through them to try and distill an essence of our trip (and to catch up on nearly 1000 bloglines).

In trying to keep this snappy and pithy, I've come up with two alternative ultra condensed summaries:

There are 40 photos on Flickr

and

The chronology: Our holiday in New Zealand in a nutshell:

Too long in Australian airports : Auckland : city cafes and shops : seafood : Bay of Islands : crystal clear waters and bright sunshine : toilet stops : Maori carvings : Kauri trees : lamb laden hillsides : hillsides of cows, turkeys (?!), goats, and the odd alpaca : Rotorua : injured camera : stinky air : steaming earth : boiling mud : spurting geysers : sulfur crusted plants : Kiwi bird : Lakeside views : plantation forest : grapevines and orchards : Napier : earthquake scars : Art Deco town centre : timber cottages clinging to hillsides : an AMAZING view : more lamb laden hillsides : drizzling rain : pouring rain : gale force winds blowing us everywhere : Wellington (and a new camera) : seek refuge all day in the museum : ferry to the South Island : seasickness medication, and lots of it : contrast- 2 hours of surging swells crashing over the top of the ferry, followed by an hour of slow, calm cruising through the Marlborough Sounds in the sunshine : crystal clear waters : Nelson : seafood : WOW (wow!) : long walks on calm beaches : window gazing : Abel Tasman National Park : seals, dolphins, penguins, and a few more seals : wow - lets come back here again : crystal clear waters : mountain roads along crystal clear streams : Pancake Rocks : windswept grey beaches littered with driftwood and round rocks: Hokitika : seafood : a day carving stone : hailstorm : sunshine : long walks on the beach : Franz Josef glacier : unbelievable beauty and wonder of nature : contrast- walking in fresh snow and sunshine while hailstorms at the bottom of the mountain delay our helicopter return flight : making a snow angel : chilling out : mountain roads along crystal clear streams : Arthur's Pass : lamb laden plains : Christchurch : junk store browsing : Banks Peninsula : yet more lamb laden hillsides : long walks on the beach : seeing The World : unexpected encounters around every corner : penguin encounter : Antarctic experience : Airports again.


There is one thing I have to go into more detail about though- the craft component. I'm experiencing a bit of a knitting funk at the moment- I'm just not in the mood to knit for some reason. So on the holiday, I only visited one yarn shop, and didn't even cast on for the honeymoon socks. But we did fit some crafting in: in Hokitika, the centre of Greenstone (Jade) carving in New Zealand, we did a one day stone carving workshop, where for a fraction of the cost of a Greenstone pendant from the surrounding shops, we designed, cut, carved and polished our own pieces under the laid back tutelidge of Steve at Bonz 'n' Stonz. It was really fun, possibly made more so by sharing the experience with my Husband, and much preferred to snapping up an 'off the shelf' souvenir of our honeymoon.

The Unveiling

So the deed is done. We're married, and honeymooned, and very happy. Thankyou to all who sent kind wishes to us for the day, and for the holiday.

Our wedding day was an absolute delight. To be surrounded by so many dear friends, quite a few of whom had traveled long distances to be with us, was indescribably wonderful. The day passed in a giddy blur, and we spent much of the following couple of days reminiscing about all the conversations, smiles, jokes and stories that were shared. Combined with the honeymoon I'm sure we've collected many years worth of memories to savor.

But I know all you guys really want to know is what did The Dress look like? So far I only have a few happy snaps, but here are a few that I think are decent enough to share with you. One extra bonus on the day was a phone call from Daina at the Akira shop wishing us the best- which was really sweet!


The tulip bouquet was inspired by what I've seen growing in Jane's garden, and the veil is a Spanish or Portuguese lace mantle which my mum wore for her wedding. It was securely pinned down in defence from the gusty winds that practically blew our vows away.


The beautiful ring holder that Alison made for us was perfect, and was a wonderful reminder on the day that they were with us in spirit, even if the demands of Petite 6.5 were keeping them away.
Here's a better shot of the whole dress including shoes (posing with some of my old school buddies- we've known each other for nearly 25 years!)


We made our getaway in a convertible Mustang that Scott had lined up for the weekend. Sadly we had to keep the top up for most of the weekend, but it was fun hooning around the Yarra Valley in a cool car for a couple of days before we set off for New Zealand.

Coming up: Highlights of New Zealand, including wildlife, skies, beaches and a wee bit of crafting (but probably not what you'd expect).