Simone Quentin de Manson

I want want want… I am not a consumer AT ALL.

I am sitting baking by the fire in the lounge on a big beanbag slowly coming to realise i actually did it! I quit the regular pay check for doing it myself!

Watch this space, i will have a re-design for bloggity coming. I also registered and put up an old portfolio page on my new “business” domain name. www.quentindemanson.com

What i plan to be doing is:
1. Web design. Simple neat and affordable. The complicated jobbies I can possibly help on, but the more complicated websites are not a task I will be doing alone. I just do the pretty things.
2. Graphic design, being business cards, identities, stationary, the odd sign perhaps, again keeping it simple.

But now I have time back to be creative and explore opportunities I miss while working the nine to five. I have so many ideas and with all my playing on the weekend.. I just cannot fit them ALL in. This way when there is a lull in work, i can start painting again, I can look into textile design, i can take short courses on random stuff that for some odd reason interest me. AND i am blabbing. I stop now.

I have moved into a new place in the last two weeks. It was an epic effort of moving alot of stuff. I used to live in a house I rented, furnished and stocked with kitchen stuff including a dedicated studio. To ONE room in a friends place, with the idea of doing the house thing again in a year or so. Lets just say, it involves storage and alot of effort and organising. I could not of done it without Kylie and help from friends with larger vehicles But i still sit behind the computer most of my days and occasionally see lovely links and tutorials that i think.. “must blog about that”.

Here are a few..

• Craft 2.0 coming to christchurch! Yay yay. Now I hope to give you guys a sneak preview of some friends work, so stay tuned.
• Clever Bastards, a New Zealand based online shop selling handmade nz artist’s goods! Don’t forget Felt for that too, sell your own things, has the etsy feel to it
• Studio Home, A blog I am loving for its NZ flavour and delightful posts
• Wardrobe Refashion: I have asked to post here and got accepted! I have yet to write a post as the acceptance came mid move. Will be thinking about it this weekend. But basically you choose time where you will buy nothing more new clothing wise and you adjust/work with what you have already got. YIKES! But I thought this would be a great motivation and learning curve to get comfy and happy in sewing again.. i used to do quite a bit without thinking about when i was growing up, but now i’m grown up, I’m all scared to experiment!

Right thats me! Enough blabbling! Sorry no piccies today…

I have been slightly obsessed over bikes again. Its happened with the purchase of a road bike. The excuse: training for triathlons. I brought the beauty off Trade Me for alot less than what it was worth (or so i like to think).

In the spirit of bikes here are some cool commuting bikes, all available (some even made) in New Zealand!

From the top left: Yuba Mundo, The Euro Folding bike, The Euro Commuter, The Euro City 2473.

Now for some cool links:

• Urban Bicycles : A personal page put up with cool links and even an essay on commuting in New Zealand, the aim to get everyone out on their bikes.
• Gofa bikes! Funky commuting bikes
• Clever Cycles : A Bike Blog
• Trio Bike : A carrier bike!
• Copenhagenize : Bike blog, nz, chch video!
• Feeling Bikey

Ok thats me for today, have a good one!

A friend and myself decided to attend (fairly last minute) a pirate party in Lake Daniels. I didn’t know the birthday boy for whom the party was for, but he didn’t seem to mind. We dashed off after faffing in town at about 1, we drove through drizzle and rain for twoish hours. Arrived at the hutt in the dark around 6ish. It rained the entire time we walked but never enough to get to upset about, as we were under the bush canopy and fairly well protected.

After fun frivolty and many “arrrrgggggg” with fists shaking… we all went to bed to wake up to this:

I happily ran around with my camera and and took ALOT of photos…

We dashed off because we had to get home quick like. There was no stopping but as we drove up the pass there was SNOW and I took even MORE photos out of the car window.

All in all a lovely weekend really…

Its labour day in New Zealand. I am sitting on my sofa cuddled up in a knitted hooded jacket I found in a second hand shop, (made in Nepal and it is the warmest pinkest thing I own) with a cute cat on my lap.

Just about to put the laptop aside and start on the chores I have avoided this weekend so far. But I wanted to share what was found whilst surfing the net reading my usual blogs. They are called Spoonflower, you can print your own fabric through them (not yet.. soon, they are in beta). I have to say right now.. I LOVE the internet. People can print their own books, fabric, tea shirts and who knows what else.. Its all rather wonderful really.

And just cause, here is another autumn shot. Such beautiful views around Christchurch at the moment, the colours are making up for the colder temperatures.

I walked down to the local park after work today, took some photos in the divine light. Here are a few.

Have I mentioned Autumn is my favorite season yet? Well its my favorite season.

The Beautiful: http://www.jumnakao.com.br/ci_colecao.htm

The Funny (really only for web geeks): http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2008/04/01/chuck-lewis-seo-rapp

I want to do that too!: http://www.ponoko.com

Last weekend I went into photo and video with Kylie to buy him a new lens. He got one, then the salesman showed me a few lenses I would have fun with on my camera. OOoo and am I. (Lets just say spare cash from selling car is bad… it stayed in savings account for about aaaaa… 2 weeks)

The play starts with photographing our preserves making epic/s. LOTS of apples. I also found a cool tutorial on photographing food from photojojo, nice and easy to read full of easily implementable suggestions…. fun! I kinda enjoy the light and coziness of photos that are yellowed by interior lights tho, helps one remember that they were up til’ 11pm, jarring those apples…

(kylies photo)

The recipe found for the cinnamon looking preserve (can you say Apple turnover, apple pastry aaand apple… yum yum) the original is here, but for your pleasure its also here: (with changes) we doubled the recipe to fill 3x 500ml Jars.

********

Dutch Apple Preserves

1 kg Granny Smith or cooking Apples (that’s 1kg after peeling & coring!)
1 cup sultanas
3 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup light brown sugar

To prepare:

1. Pour water and lemon juice into a large pot.

2. Wash then peel and core apples, then slice them into small pieces. Cast the apple into the pot as you go.

3. Add the sultanas and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a good simmer.

4. Add remaining ingredients and continue to simmer with the lid of the pot off.

5. Simmer for at least half an hour. Stir regularly!

6. Wash 3 500ml preserving jars, place on oven tray and bake in oven at 120 - 140 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes. Whilst they are baking (to sterilise them) wash and dry the screw bands and set aside. Wash and prepare lids according to manufacturers directions.

7. When all is ready. Quickly ladle preserves into clean jars. Wipe jar rims and threads with dry clothe.

8. Cover with two-piece lids. Allow to cool completely before checking seals. Label and date.

*********

Stay tuned because its autumn (my favorite season) I am all amped to take lots of pretty piccies!

Its taken awhile but here are the photos from my Mt Cook Easter adventure.

The drive and visit to Ashford Craft “village” Yes, this place has more than one craft shop! I brought some lovely blue and teal Carded Merino Fleece for spinning. (photo not taken of that yet). The first day was over cast and a bit wet. We had cloud covered mountain views.

We passed a convoy of old Valiants (?)

Cloud Covered Mountains

And more breaks and stopping to admire views

We get to Mt Cook Camp and set-up tent and have some dinner. After a quick walk around the immediate area. Still covered in cloud, there is No mt cook to be seen.

With Mt cook Village in the back ground we play with taking photos of the torch lit tent, then go to bed.

In the morning the cloud is still about, however as I inform Kylie… “it is surely thinning.. Look.. that cloud’s sorta blue-ish” After porridge it does start to clear, i run around with Camera in one hand, coffee in the other very happy with the world.

After coffee was finished, we went walking to various different glaciers, had lunch up near tasman glacier and generally took lots of photos

I think this is my favorite photo.

More in my flickr set