Part of my childhood

When I was in the convent or institute as you want to call it we had many nuns. We had nuns that stayed with us during the day. I actually don't remember if one nun had us in the morning and then another one in the afternoon or the whole day and then change. I am sure they had turns but I don't know how their system worked. We had a piano nun she taught piano to the boarders and people who didn't sleep there, they came over just to learn piano. The earning was of course for the mother superior. There were some nuns living and staying with the boarders so we didn't see them much. The place and how it ran was very much in order and routine. I would have loved to learn the piano, sometimes, the nun would let us touch it and try out some keys because we couldn't play anything. The piano sister was called sister Emanuela she had the perfect beautiful fingers and soft hands, she was happy and make you feel at ease. As maybe you know we were four sisters there, sister Emanuela picked us four sisters as her singers so when it was Christmas, she teaches us songs suited. In the beautiful small chapel there were a narrow round stairs which took us upstairs and we will sing from up there. I felt very special and it was such a good feeling to be able to sing beautiful songs. The nuns between them spoke Italian so we couldn't understand everything they said to each other. Sister Emanuela,we called her Manuela too had another job, she took care of the chapel. She would prepare the dress colour for the priest, who would come everyday for mass and another day for confessions. She would fill the wine and water bottles that the priest uses during mass and decorate with flowers. I had a small part in those chores but not for long. Oh sometimes, how I miss those days and I would so much thank those nuns. I never wanted to be a nun but I can't help feeling grateful how much they did for us.

Just something about me

I just want to share a little bit of my childhood. When I was about nine years old I was sitting in front of our house with my mother. It is tradition to sit in front of your house watching people walking by and saying hello to the passers by while knitting or munching on peanuts or seeds of any kind. It was a fine day and at some point my mum asked me if I wanted to go to the nuns, I said yes straight away it was kind of fashion back then. She was telling me are you sure you want to go I said yes, yes, She said I will take you Saturday. She was saying you will not have to walk to school and she was less scared that a car will hit us that we were safer there. I remember the day she took us, oh! she also took my younger sister she was seven at the time, we were walking in front of a small church on our way there. As we got there big iron gates that we had to go through and a big entrance door. Mum rang the bell and a small hunchback lady called Marinton opened and she showed us the chairs to wait for a nun to come. I don't remember what my mum said to the nun but we said good bye to my mother kissed her hand as that was what she thought us and the nun took us in. I don't remember what we did then but I do remember when they were doing our beds. I saw them putting our beds together and the put plastic on the beds as soon as I saw that, I told her we don't pee in our beds you know, the nun told me here you don't say pee you say toilet. They gave us a number mine was 5 well this was an important number to remember we had a big wardrobe and in under my number they place my belongings. We would try uniforms because people paid the nuns for us to go to funerals, so on our dresses we would have a number to let them know which one was ours and white hats with dark blue ribbon we looked so smart like in the Tv show Madeline.  I cried a little that day because my mother told me that my other two elder sisters were going to stay with us if she hasn't said anything I wouldn't have. So on Sunday or Monday my two elder sisters came to join us there. We used to get up around six or six thirty I think, we had to wash our face, teeth and do our beds the very young ones got help from the elderly girls to help with beds. Then we will go to a small chapel which I loved so much and we had mass after that we will go downstairs and have breakfast. Our breakfast was coffee with bread and butter and on special occasion chocolate. Milk was dry powdered milk. We were all allocated chores from a four year old to maybe seventeen year old. What would a four year old do you may ask? well she had to sweep the stairs. Then after we had a school we will go to classes. This place we were in was huge there were also boarders they paid to stay there they didn't do chores as far as I know. So in there, there was part for boarders and few nuns, a small theater and changing room, classes, our tv room, our dining room, the nuns' dining room, two staircases, another room we hardly used, our dormitory, nuns' dormitory, big yard where we played and a big garden we had a gardener too. I will keep on telling you about my time there, they were good times and disciplined but I loved it being there and I loved and respected the nuns deeply for what they have done for us, till next time then stay tuned.

Hippo

I have made this hippo from revelry website. It was hard to make the nostrils I wasn't macthing so I gave up few months back. I decided to give it another go. I was a stitch more so I worked around it. The rest of it is pretty straight forward. Yes I think any experienced person used to make amigurumi can make this beautiful hippo. I like how it looks like the real thing. here are some photos of it. I reckon it took me twelve hours to make.

Thombliboo

From what I gather this toy is one of the Tombliboos. I had a hard time doing the head on this one. I had lots of spheres made up and I picked one that was in skin colour. It happened to be big but I used it anyway since my grandson is only one year old and he will not know the difference. When I put them next to each other I see many mistakes. I did crocheted the eyes as it is safer for a young child.

My buzzbee

Hi guys, I just finished making this buzzbee for my grandson. He had a smile when he saw it. He is nearly one and he can recognize it. I had no pattern for it. I tried to copy a picture. It is the best I could do for now I guess.I'm always learning and improving. They say practice makes perfect and it is so. I saw the first toys I made and I can tell you the stuffing showed a little. I crochet tight I thought but I can do it much better now.First picture is the buzzbee I wanted to make but I looked at the videos to look at him sideways, front and back. Anyway here is what my buzzbee looks like. I haven't done things to scale haven't I

My childhood

Today I will tell you about my childhood. when I was nine years old my mother asked me if I wanted to go to the nuns convent. Since it was kind of fashion back then I said yes. I never regretted it, it was the best years of my life. So, one Saturday,  my younger sister Nadine,(different name)  she was seven and I went there. We were little, so when they made our beds, they put them together as they thought we would fall down. They also put plastic so we won't wet the beds. I told then nun, we don't pee in bed and she told me, here, you don't say that, you say toilet. That was the first day, I still remember it so clearly. I am very proud to say, there, at the nuns, I learnt many things, I wouldn't have learnt at home. I knew how to knit and purl at home. We were allocated jobs, from four years old to seventeen years old. The four year old, her job was to sweep the stairs. Mine was different every week, sometimes it was washing the breakfast cups and saucers and someone else will wipe and put away. Sometimes was to wash the dishes at dinner time with someone else. I used to wash the nuns' plates not so much the rest of the other chores. The nun in the kitchen used to want me there to help her making biscuits and whatever sweets she did. But as a young girl, she would send me in the pantry, which was in another room to get her stuff. Like those tiny silver balls that you add to cookies. I wouldn't know what she was talking about, so I stay there till she comes and get me. Sometimes, she would explain better, where the things are and I got her the right thing. I would feel so relieved.  The nuns were very good to us and we never were treated badly. In Christmas time, it felt like Christmas. Easter felt like Easter. We did dramas, we went picnics, we had a house near the beach and we went swimming. There was order, discipline, play time,work time,embroidery time, fun games. Today I wish to thank all those nuns in my life, I wish to see them and I love them all so much. I wish God will reward them for me. I'm living in Australia now and when I went for back holidays twenty three years ago, I went to visit the place, where I stayed for five years, till I was about fourteen. The place looked smaller now but i was so happy being there remember my childhood. There was only one nun left that I knew. The place is not for children any more. It is a home for older priests. I will stop here today.