ecember weather is notoriously changeable in Christchurch, but it’s been outdoing itself this year – the temperature has been going from high 20s to just above freezing and back again in the space of a few days, and yesterday we had two huge storms, with thunder and hail and all sorts of drama. The first…
At Toastmasters last night, the Table Topics (impromptu speaking segment) were themed around awful and awkward Christmas gifts, and the difficulty of pretending to be grateful for them. Much hilarity ensued, with the result that it was decided that at our end of year Christmas party next week, our Secret Santa game (where everyone brings…
or the last few months, when I was way too busy to do anything crafty, I indulged my need for creativity by watching YouTube videos on quilting, and looking forward to having the chance to put some of what I learnt into practice (oh, and by buying fabric. Lots of fabric. (See, this is why…
his happens every year in Christchurch, but for some reason it always surprises us. We have a few nice warm days in October, we all decide it’s summer, and then are horribly shocked when the weather reverts back to cold and wet again. This morning’s frost was a bit of a shock, though – according…
mmm, according to my calendar, the last time I actually took a full weekend off was in August. No wonder I was feeling tired! But I have rectified that by actually having a break this weekend – I didn’t even attempt to work on my presentation for next weekend. Just took a proper break and…
Christchurch people (and anyone else who just likes to help preserve cool historic things): If any of you have fond memories of visiting the telescope in the Arts Centre Observatory on a Friday night, you might want to contribute to this fundraiser to help restore the telescope. It was badly damaged when the building collapsed…
rainy sleety day yesterday, followed by a harsh frost last night (though not as harsh as some places – according to The Press, it got down to -20oC up at Lake Pukaki last night!!!) means that the entire city is coated with ice this morning. Getting to work was a bit of a challenge as…
t’s been a very social weekend. Actually, more than just the weekend, because on Friday the CEISMIC team spent the day at the NDF Bar Camp, an “unconference” to discuss digital issues in the cultural heritage sector. Lots of exciting conversations and ideas, and seriously inspiring. Tiring though, in that way of an event where…
Lytteltonwitch and I spent the weekend in Oamaru, where they were holding their annual Steampunk Festival. We didn’t dress up ourselves, but we did go to a few of the events. I think what was most fun though was just seeing all the costumed people wandering around the streets. I wasn’t brave enough to actually…
Nancy commented about the mace and dead sheep: I see why it’s called a dead sheep. It certainly doesn’t look very lively! A mace? I’ve often heard teachers say they wished they could knock some sense into some heads, but this is taking it too far! What next? The “Board of Education” (paddle used by…