Sunday, December 7, 2014

Cyclone Tracy Memories


Cyclone Tracy 40th Anniversary Reflections.



Cyclone Tracy Memoriesby Amanda Stevens (nee Christensen)
I was 8 in 1974 and when Tracy struck we were living at 17 mile with Ronnie and Maureen Hills (formerly of NT Engineering). We lived in a large caravan on the Hills property with them living in a demountable while they were building the house. I remember the very windy and bumpy night Tracy struck. It seemed like the middle of the night that My Uncle Ronnie came to the door to tell Dad we needed to take shelter in the demountable together. I guess it was because he witnessed the van being picked up and dropped back down repeatedly. Ron and Dad (Arthur Christensen) carried each of us kids (4 of us) and then mum over to the demountable in weather I had never experienced before.
We Children sat under the dining table (4 of us and 2 Hills kids Shane (special needs kid) and Jamie) as the adults ran back and forwards to keep the demountable from tipping over. I remember being so scared that I wet my pants under the table.

The next morning was quite eerie, not a sound could be heard and the giant tree that was next to our van had fallen parallel with the van whilst we were still in it. We found our washing about 500mts away attached to a barbed wire fence that ran along a beautiful creek at the property edge.
The shop up the road gave away ice cream to the local kids as the power was out and it all started to melt. The drive into town was very long and difficult with having to stop and shift debris so as to continue along the road. As kids it was extremely unreal looking at the buildings and twisted power poles, the trees all gone and hardly a house had been untouched.

I will never forget the fear I felt as that 8 year old looking at all the places we once knew and loved, that were not there anymore. The devastation of the houses was beyond understanding for a child. We registered at Darwin high school and collected food and ice like most other people who were in the same situation as we were.


At some point they gave us children injections to protect us against cholera or some such thing, however my brother had a reaction to it and it caused a massive asthma attack and he had to be evacuated out. So Mum and us 4 kids had our first flight ever, it was nothing too fancy just a giant Hercules as the RAAF was operating the evacuations at that point and we were headed for Brisbane as we had relatives in Ipswich to stay with for a time.
I remember sitting on the floor of the Hercules packed in like sardines with no seats or seat belts, feeling the turbulence and us bouncing around like rubber balls in the back. 

When we arrived at Brisbane airport we were escorted to a big shed where the red cross was set up and we filed in, in lines collecting clothing and personal items  that had been donated. In particular a lovely lady was handing out toys to us kids, as we had lost all our Christmas gifts, well most of us hadI was the only one out of my family whose gift survived, it was a small battery operated organ that I just loved, probably because it was all I had left.


We stayed in Ipswich for approx. 2 weeks and then returned to Darwin after getting permission from Harold Tiger Brennan the then Mayor of Darwin who was in Canberra at the time, no doubt fighting for the people of Darwin. We were allowed back because we were living outside the city in 17 mile with septic tank, tank water and generators.
My Mum recalls:
Seeing a couple of people having a shower stark naked on the pipeline along the road as we were making our way into the city.  Ronnies pet crocodile got out during the cyclone it was about 2 and half foot, never to be seen again. Ronnie and dad had dug a big hole to sit in and watch the cyclone as it hit. They had a big piece of corrugated iron to pull over them whenever something came along. I am not too sure how long they lasted out there before having to come inside.  The pet Galah had not one feather left the next day, not sure if it was from being blown off or the Galah was so frightened that it just dropped all its feathers.

Through the clean up Dad drove Porters haulage trucks removing debris for the army, one story dad told was when they had buried the beer, grown men had cried, of course that is until some of them went back later and dug it up again. The Army guys taught my little brother how to pee like a man (he was in pants and kept wetting them).
We settled into a demountable home at 88a Adcock Cres Nakara for a time as building was going on all around us. It would be a good 6 months before the schools were open again my older sister and I were given the choice of staying back a year in school or living with my Grandmother in Cloncurry for 6 months, as hard as it was we chose to go to Cloncurry. By the time we came back near the end of 1975 we had a house in Henry Ellis Street in Alawa where we settled and started school the next year. We stayed in Darwin for another 3 years but circumstances would have it that we moved to south -east Queensland and that is where I have been ever since.
I did return to Darwin in 2004 with my husband for a short holiday. The most amazing thing for me was the trees and plants that had grown back in the time I had been away. It looked beautiful and had come a long way since that fateful night in 1974 when a big wind blew it all away.
It is a rather difficult subject to discuss due to the trauma that is still very real for many survivors, I for one am aware that in my own life I do things that might reflect the still very real PTSD that many of us survivors live with in one form or another. There is healing to a degree but this is something that remains forever in our minds, only to come to the forefront when a big wind blows or a bad storm hits.
I wish nothing but peace to my fellow survivors where ever in the world you may be, how ever you are continuing to survive.
Amanda

Monday, January 27, 2014

Winner!!!




Well the draw is done and the Lucky Lady to get the Book is…
Sigh...my space is a big hot mess. My biggest tip is to spend some time EVERY DAY to work towards order. I don't always manage to do this, and when I don't, things backslide. Badly. Another thing that works for me is to use something I can "collect" at the thrift store for containers. I really like vintage milk glass, and it's not expensive, and comes in lots of sizes.


 
Thanks everyone for participating, every tip was valuable and I love how we can share from our experience.
Happy Stitching & Tidying
Amanda

Winner?





Due to crazy Me, the winner will be announced later today...
So there is still a chance to get your tips in to go in the draw. Let your friends know.

Happy Stitching
 Amanda

Friday, January 10, 2014

Organizing Give Away Time...







How many of us have the same dilemma when it comes to craft areas and keeping them tidy or organized. You might be really blessed and have your own room like I do or you might just have a corner or nook in a room that is shared by the rest of the household.
Whatever your craft space size, we all face the same problem…keeping it tidy. I apologize right up front to those sewing sisters who are super organized and never have a thing out of place (if anyone like that really exists) this might not be the blog post for you and you might find it all very boring…
This post is really for those women who are like me and struggle to keep things in order (especially when in the middle of a project). I find inspiration online and because I am a visual person I love Pinterest and the endless pictures of tidy craft rooms and inspirational ideas of how to store my craft stuff.



Of course the dilemma is HOW to take the inspiration I see on Pinterest and use it in my craft area.  Being organized is an art I think…some people are good at it and others like me struggle and barely get by.
I am hoping with the New Year many people like me are inspired to get it all sorted so that you can craft away till your hearts content.

To help you along I have a little give away…


 
Book of Organization: The Art of Creating Order

Where Women Create: Book of Organization--the third in the Where Women Create series, published in association with the wildly popular magazine of the same name--is the essential guide to getting the most out of your creative workspace.  In 176 eye-catching and photograph-filled pages, it offers storage ideas, tips, tricks, and dos and don'ts for organizing over 10 types of crafts studios. Profiles showcase more than 25 artistic, inspirational women and delve into their organization style and techniques. The featured crafts include paper, fabric, jewelry, journaling, mixed media, and needlework.

An Inspirational book that just might be the thing that might help you kick a goal when it comes to organizing your craft area. This of course could apply to any craft, whether it is sewing or scrap booking, jewelry making or knitting. There are so many crafts out there and sometimes (if you are like me) you can have a habit of dabbling in a few and then end up with a hoard of craft stuff.
My inspiration this year has been the fact I am moving rooms, DS14 has moved into a larger room in the house and freed up a good sized room that I have claimed.
 Moving my craft stuff up into the house instead of the rumpus area out the back of the house has meant a few things for me. Hard work moving everything is probably the negative side but there are far more positives.
Being in the house means when the weather has extremes I am in the main house which has heating and air conditioning and therefore makes the sewing room more pleasant all year round. Which in turn means I am more apt to go into my sewing room and sew away.
And of course when you have to move everything it is the perfect opportunity to reassess how functional the craft room will be and how can I make it better organized.
I wonder if you too need a bit of a make over for your craft area, What is your inspiration?
To go in for the draw of the book just leave a comment below with your best organizational tip.
 On Australia Day, Jan 26th at 6pm Brisbane time (GMT+10) I will choose the best tip and post on here, who that winner is and of course what the tip is.
Come on Ladies get your thinking caps on and post those tips.
Happy Crafting
Amanda

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Slow Cooked Beef Curry




 Whilst I am not able to sew until I finish moving my sewing room, I thought I would share some of my recipes that are yummy...
Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Beef Curry.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time:  8 hours slow cook
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1kg cubed casserole beef
2 brown onions, thickly sliced
2 tbsp ground Cumin
2 tbsp ground Coriander
2 tbsp Garam Marsala
2 tsp Sweet Paprika
1/2 tsp ground Turmeric
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets (frozen if fresh unavailable)
6 carrots, peeled, thickly sliced 
1 cup chopped beans (frozen)
1 tin coconut cream 
fresh coriander
Salt to taste.

Instructions:
  • Put cubed beef in slow cooker.
  • Add spices to the beef, rub into beef with bare hands (washed of course).
  • Add onion, Carrot, tinned tomatoes and coconut cream.
  • Mix with a spoon.
  • Cook on 'Low' heat for 6-8 hours in the slow cooker
2 Hours before serving:
  • Add cauliflower and beans.
·       Serve on a bed of steaming Basmati rice and garnish with the fresh coriander, and sour cream if desired.
 Notes:
I have seen similar versions to this but I prefer to add everything to the slow cooker and let it do all the hard work.
Bon Appetit !

Friday, December 27, 2013

Six Long Months




Well Blog friends (if I have any left) it has been a long six months since I posted last, what a bad girl I am…
Life has been very busy and I have battled a few health issues, some remain ongoing. But shock Horror I have managed to get some sewing done in the last couple of weeks. I had a lovely day @Khristina’s having a Christmas party sew-in with a couple of the local CRAFT group girls. We each made a lovely Star Trivet from “The Bronze Wombat” Blog it was fun and I managed finishing off the binding at home. I was so inspired that I made a cute pink one for my friend Kate…

What else has been going on here? Well we added a new fur baby to our family…
His Name is Phoenix and we adopted him from the RSPCA at one of the local adoption sites throughout our area. He is such a delight and I think Charlie is finally getting used to him. They groom each other (mostly Phoenix does the grooming) and spend time running round the house playing chasey.


My sewing room has often felt like a Ghost Town because I just have not had the gumption to get in there and sew…it has not helped that it is one of those rooms that feel the heat and the cold and is not a place you really want to be. That will be changing in the New Year though, we will have our large room at the back of the house back when our DD2’s best friend moves out into another friends house. Long story short, she could not live with her family due to some serious issues with one of the family members, 3 years later she is moving out. Don’t get me wrong we have loved having her here; we have given her a home to live in because we believed she would have ended up in dire straights otherwise. And it seems to have made a difference in her life. No she still cannot move “Home” but is working on those relationships.
So having said all that we are having a big move around, DS14 is moving into that room with his many electrical devices (Xbox, Computer etc) and I will be moving my sewing room up into his old room in the house. It will be cooler in summer (air con) and warmer in winter so I might be inspired to sew something. Keep your eyes peeled for future posts.

We have just celebrated Christmas and are heading into the New Year…what will it bring, I wonder. I pray it brings peace and joy for us and for all the readers out there.
In keeping with the New Year and hope for the future I will be posting a competition in the beginning of January so keep checking back to get a chance to go in the draw.
Well I have said enough for now…
Happy Stitching
Amanda

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

A Reply







I have meant to reply to a comment posted after one of my Blog posts about my dietary changes but of course have been too ill and distracted… so here goes


“Thank you for sharing what you are going through, your diet change, and what it is~ I am also trying to lose weight, and it has been next to impossible. I don't have any digestive issues...just can't seem to lose. I've gone from vegetarian, to vegan to raw to juicing to raw and juicing and I've decided I need to eat a small amount of protein, some veggies and a little fruit and some oils. That is it. Sounds almost like what you are doing. Anyways, it was interesting to read what you are dealing with”.

Thanks Cathy, it sounds like you are on a journey just as I am...I hope you find the right combination for you that will help kick start your weight loss. I do know that the key ingredient in any weight loss regime is exercise, bah, very sad but true. Unfortunately my exercise regime gets forgotten or is just too hard some days...I am working on it though.
I am a firm believer that weight loss starts in your mind, if you are not in the right frame of mind or distracted then it becomes a real battle, having the right frame of mind at the time is a major help when making choices about exercise and food.

I also believe it makes it easier if you are able to forgive yourself when you fall off the wagon so to speak…when I eat that chocolate or drink that full milk Latte with vanilla flavor (not that I can drink full fat milk anymore), I have to remember that it was just once and I should not throw out the entire diet and exercise regime just because I failed once. My trouble is I feel guilt about it and let it change my mindset about how I am doing. Guilt is the enemy of the mind when it comes to weight loss.
I have to say to my self OK you blew it today but tomorrow is another day and I can start again.
Weight loss only gets harder the older you get sadly, so I hope those who are on any kind of weight loss journey will take my advice and be kind to yourself, forgive yourself when you fall off the wagon and jump back on.
Happy Weight loss
Amanda