School's out for summer. It was actually almost summer today. Almost. It is sooooo tempting, isn't it? Given what we are going through in Canberra at present but....mustn't grumble about the weather. Last week, we had the coldest night of carol singing out on Hawker oval. I'm not grumbling, in case you can't tell. I am just stating a fact. People were huddled under blankets, in woolly jumpers, in bushwalking style fleece jumpers, with beanies on, keen to jump up and play tug-of-war so that we could feel our limbs - that kind of thing. Cold. In Summer. Really cold, songs about snow made sense - cold. I'm a hot weather girl. I like a nice warm day, I love all things coastal, all things like oceans and rivers and pools in Dickson. I wait all year for these things to come and grace our short summer in Canberra, and then for some reason, detours happen and we're back in, well, if not winter, pretty damn close to it. OK. That's all. You get it.
School is out for summer. What's not to love? And my amazingly focussed 9-year-old, managed to make the guide leaders and the much loved Grade 4 teacher some glittery Christmas baubles to thank them for a great year. Tess has really thrived in Guides and in school this year. It is wonderful to end this topsy-turvy year with a feeling of rightness-with-the-world. There were times when we all felt scratched and torn from the year's briars and thickets. When I see what Tess has made and I think of the relationship between these women and my daughter, I am content.
As you know from here, we make the teachers a gift and keep one part of it as a memento of them. This year, Tess also decorated cardboard boxes to house the gifts. We had a pattern from a friend of mine who designed a little green and red Christmas box with poinsettias on top. We adapted it to use our own papers and add our own flourishes. You stamp and cut and glue and emboss with gold paint and then you get this... all the choices of colours, papers and ribbon are Tessy's. We ended up making three different boxes. One for the school teacher, and two for the guide leaders. I only photographed one. I plead busyness.
This is a gift for the Grade 4 teacher who is a maths whiz. And I mean whiz. Maths olympiad type maths whiz. A sane and calm and clear-sighted person who gently and persistently taught the children to excel in something that is not very popular. Maths. She is a plain and decent woman and I wouldn't be at all surprised if a frippery such as this was not her first place of cultural comfort. Perhaps the tartan ribbon and those uncompromising moors of Scotland will evoke her resilient and humble nature. I will certainly hang her decoration on my tree each year with pride.
These decorations were completely handmade by the Tess. I did nothing.
These bells below, two of which were given to the Guides leaders, were 96% made by Tess. I did a tiny 4% of ribbon and sequin pinning (all statistics are faithfully represented by the 'guessing here' footnote). This distribution of the workload is quite a reversal for me. Usually the children start with me but peter out and I spend a few nights with a glass of wine and some beads finishing off the present.The tide has turned.
We are, with great sadness, saying goodbye to our Guide leaders. Tess is going up to the next level in the new year so not only did we make these, and some decorated boxes, but we also included some handmade chocolates and a Christmas mug from here. I have done a very, very modest amount of volunteer work during my children's life (secretary of the P&F for two years, and school canteen manager and canteen volunteer for three years). And my husband has too (scout leader and community garden convenor for about the same amount of time - thankfully at different periods though). I know how much time these ladies spend throughout the week; designing programs for the 4 terms of 10 weeks of 1 1/2 hour weekly activity session, sending and answering emails, attending weekend camps, filling in forms, going to training, shopping for supplies. It is an amazing amount of work to ask of women who work and raise families and volunteer to turn up, week after week after week to a small hall in Hawker, to guide young girls through life. I have such respect for them. Thank you, Guide leaders. We'll miss your warm smiles and quirky traditions and reassuring presence. Stay well. Love from Tess and Melissa.
Previous posts
Beaded Christmas decorations - teacher's presents (Nov 2011)
