Hooked on crafts

For the last week the Girl has spent nearly every spare moment hunched over a project in the far corner of the sitting room.  Today she proudly finished this magnificent hand-hooked rug - just in time to enter it for the annual Albany District 4-H show, held at JoAnn's craft supply store.  It's not a judged show - everyone wins a ribbon.

The Boy is exhibiting the felt candle he made the other week. 

Since we were in JoAnn's, both kids insisted on buying new rug-hooking kits, which they've been working away on this evening.  The Girl is doing hers upstairs this time, while listening to the 17-disc Jim Dale audio version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  We might not see much of her for the next few days...

Floodwatch

The kids crashed in from school in a state of high excitement, and absolutely drenched.  "We came home through a FLOOD!" they explained.

They weren't kidding.  After getting changed out of their wet things and into more appropriate footwear than soggy sneakers, they took me out to see the newly formed local water feature.  What with the Thanksgiving holiday last week, the leaves haven't been cleared for a while and must have been blocking the storm drains.  I couldn't even see where the drains were supposed to be.

We had some fun paddling, examined some working storm drains further along the road that were Niagara-like in their wateriness, and watched while neighbours successfully cleared yet more drains, to save their front yards from being submerged.  

Then we went home, where someone who'd got water in his wellies had to get changed all over again.

Uncommon reader

It's not at all uncommon to see the Girl with her nose in a book...

But here's a rarer sight:

These pictures were taken at the library, where we spent part of a rainy afternoon.  The kids were having a half day off school so that teachers could have "conferences" with parents.  The Man and I met with the Girl's teacher, and were pleased to hear that our daughter is doing fine.  It has been a big transition for her from her old school this year, and we're proud of her for handling it so well.

TV or not TV?

Not content with my radio appearance a while back, I've just signed up tonight for a spot on TV!  Yikes!

WMHT, the public television station, is putting together a series called "Our Town", and the next programme is going to be about...our town.  When I say the TV station is putting the show together, what that actually means is that local residents will be going about with camcorders in the next couple of weeks, taking footage of subjects that interest them around town.   The production team at WMHT will then condense this all down into 1-2 minute segments, and play the video under interviews with the amateur film-makers.  The whole programme will run to about 90 minutes.

I went to the public meeting tonight just to find out more about the project, and suddenly found myself with my hand up promising to do a piece about fair trade.  Oh my - here I go, about to make another giant leap outside my comfort zone...  But then who knows - this year local-interest telly, next year The X-Factor?

I told the Boy about this latest venture and his response was "Yay! Now we'll have to get a TV!"

Stop 'n' shop

After such a busy two days (on top of a busy week running up to them) I was glad not to have too much to do today.  We got up late and generally lounged around.

There was a skating lesson at noon.  The usual teacher was away, so my group was taught by a couple of hockey dudes.  They weren't so much into the graceful, artistic side of skating (you know that old joke about ice hockey, "I went to see a fight and a hockey game broke out") but we did a lot of practice on stopping which is actually quite a useful thing to be able to do well.

We had lunch at Java Jazz, scene of our trivia-nite victory a few weeks ago.  And, ha-ha, there was a photo of our team hanging up, right where anyone serving themselves coffee couldn't fail to bump their noses.  Our fame lives on...

This evening, a family trip to the mall.  The Girl now has her own skates again, so won't miss out on any frozen lake oppportunities this winter.  She also chose a new top, and looks very lovely in it.  She's turning into quite the fashionista.  Don't know where she gets that from - certainly not her parents.

You're faired!

Part two of the Fair Trade Market also went well.  Not quite the huge crowds of yesterday, but nonetheless many visitors happy to spend.  Over the next few days we'll be hearing exactly how well all the vendors did, and then I'll let you know the grand total - I suspect it will be big.  The majority of stallholders run their fair trade enterprises as not-for-profits, so their takings will be going directly back to, for example, a Kenyan slum community, women rescued from prostitution in China and Cambodia, Afghan widows and many many other deserving but disenfranchised groups of people. 

People helping people to help themselves - that's what fair trade is all about, and it's great.

When our organising committee first sat down and started planning this event (was it only two months ago?) we told ourselves, "Let's do something amazing."  I think we succeeded.  Yay!

Yesterday, as a contrast to the day's do-goodery, the Man and I sat and watched a desperate bunch of sharp-suited wannabes stabbing each other in the back.  Of course!  The latest episode of the UK Apprentice, courtesy of You Tube.  Now here's an idea for the next Comic Relief [biennial British comedy telethon] - challenge the Apprentice contestants to set up a fair trade business in which everyone treats each other with respect, a spirit of cooperation breaks out, and much common good is achieved.  Marvellous - but would it make such good telly?

Doing a roaring (fair) trade

The day of the great Fair Trade Market dawned: damp, cold and grey - and I gave a little cheer.  This was exactly the sort of weather we were hoping for, the sort of day when what could be nicer than spending a couple of hours in the Delmar Reformed Church hall looking at lovely fair trade crafts?

And indeed we weren't disappointed with the turnout.  Customers were coming through the doors all day long in a constant steady stream.  They came on foot from the neighbourhood, and by car (and even minibus) from right across the Capital District.  I even spoke to one man who'd come all the way from Texas (though I suppose it's possible he was just there as somebody's Thanksgiving house-guest). 

The atmosphere was great - people were really happy to do their Black Friday shopping with us and know that every purchase they made would benefit artisans and communities in some of the poorest countries of the world.  We're open tomorrow morning, too, and then we can't wait to tally up the takings.  I'm pretty sure this is the biggest fair trade event ever held in our region - and I'm also pretty sure it's only going to grow from here.

I must say a word of thanks to my dear Man (to his slight chagrin one stallholder today greeted him, "Hello [Albaniana]'s husband!") who ferried me to and from the event and put up with the children all day, and was generally very supportive of my endeavours, as he always is.  Without him I couldn't do all these things I so enjoy doing.