Old, New Borrow'd and Blue

The Old is my Grandmother's scissors. In the early 1920's she left her drunken husband and took my Dad with her, making a living as a dressmaker. She had the ability to tailor something by eye alone. Just take a look, a snip-snip here and a snip-snip there and it would fit perfectly.
My only memories of her include being chased around the house with her telling me off for fighting with my sister. I was six and it was the day I learned that you're not supposed to hit girls. I am now sure that my Grandmother was wishing her husband had learned that lesson as well.

Kathleen Elsie Dorothia Mary Eade. NZ champion swimmer and most excellent Grandmother. Rest in Peace. I wish I had known you for longer.

My good friend Rozzie can tailor by eye. I've seen her hand-cut a satin cocktail dress with casual insouciance that is a little unnerving. I guess Grandma must have been like that. I can do it with a tent or a backpack, but I mean, that's tent, dude.

The New is a part-construction of a new design I've just cracked. A good feeling to crack a tough design-nut at last. You know you've got it right when it's easy to do and looks just enough to do what it has to. It's the intentionally blurred black thing in the background

The Borrowed is a marking pencil that I got from a supplier. It's got this cool wrapped card casing that makes sharpening easy by tearing a bit of the casing off in a spiral. Cool.

The Blue is our new pack blue. Now it's in the shops I can show it off. I love it. It's my favourite colour right now.