Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Thursday 5 November 2020

Kindness Turnabout

 

 

As many of you already know I belong to a facebook worldwide group called Random Act of Crochet Kindness or RAOCK as it is known. Please follow the link if you wish to know more about it.

 Mainly we use crochet skills ,knitting or any other craft to make small items and leave them out as a gift for anyone to pick up. The idea is to spread happiness even if it is just a tiny smile or a happy moment. Originally it was just small flowers but now with over 17,200 followers (RAOCK angels as I call them) it has developed into any crafted item you spontaneous like to make and gift to others. 

 

 These are some of the type of tags that usually accompany the RAOCK when dropped off.


 

 

I make two kinds of RAOCKs the ones I spontaneously make and send to members of my family or friends. This is the winter hat I am doing at present for my great nephew who lives in the UK.

 

and then there are the RAOCKs which are dropped off anywhere for anyone to pick up.   In my case the latter I leave on a park bench,at a bus stop,hanging from a front door,in the railway station,in the social centre,in the post office and so on. Along came lockdown and I had to stop momentarily. When we were let out there were again impediments as people were understandably reluctant to pick anything up unknown from park benches or other places.  The big clean up campaign in Alicante city also made it rather risky as a RAOCK could easily disappear into a bin. A few weeks back and thinking that things had calmed down somewhat I thought I would share a RAOCK from my growing stash. I left it on a bench in our new park which is right in front of my residential complex. I could see the bench in question from my kitchen window...a few passer-bys were curious but they did not pick it up. A little girl came joyfully hopping along in front of her mother and she spotted it and picked it up and turned to her mother obviously to show her what she had found. I couldn't hear of course what was being said but the mother's descriptive body language told me she was telling her little one off and not to touch it but to immediately return it to the bench!! The poor little girl was in tears as they walked away. I felt so bad seeing this.. that my RAOCK which had been made to please, to make someone smile had produced such rejection,such  a negative reaction. Understandably I went straight out and picked it up from the bench,put it back in my RAOCK stash and I haven't dropped any of them off since.   This recent experience which really left me a little upset and also hesitate about how I could continue sharing my RAOCKs.                                  I am open to any suggestions!.   

At present I plan to add two flowers with tags to the parcel that I shall be sending with the winter hats I have crocheted for my 18 month year old great nephew Kaylan in  the UK!  I shall ask my niece if Kaylan's two sisters could give the RAOCK flowers to their teachers.

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

 

 

I thought I would share with you these two photos that my niece has sent me of the blankets I made for each great niece and nephew before they were born. Looks like the blankets are weathering well:


and this photo shows the hats that I made and sent to my other three great nieces and nephew last year




Makeover amateur:

My daughter has caught the makeover train..at present she is focussing on plant pots and framing. 

This is one of her very first makeovers; converting an old lantern into a flower pot.  Her mini rose bush wasn't doing very well in fact it was very poorly so she thought that re-potting it would do the trick.
All this was during lockdown so she couldn't buy a new pot. She had this old lantern that she was going to throw out and she had seen online that you can use a plastic bag for planting. She therefore cleaned the lantern up followed the instructions online and filled a strong plastic bag with soil and transferred poor wilting mini rose bush to the lantern and put it out on her balcony.

 


Obviously poorly mini rose bush liked the change over because a little green leaf suddenly appeared!!  

Then there was another green leaf and another sprouting up too!!

and glory be lots more little green leaves




and finally......... one gorgeous mini mini rose flowered.


sorry ...the photo is a little blurred

as I tell her a very good start to her makeover hobby!! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Now I have to convince her to start blogging !!

πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†πŸ”†


What's on the menu today for lunch?

Home-made main dish chicken soup(Spanish style)!!

 

It is definitely a soup day today as temperatures have dropped and it is pelting down!

 


 I would normally give you the recipe but this is my MIL's recipe and I have not got it written down and some of the ingredients I just don't know what they are called in English. I think the next time I make it I will spread out all the ingredients and take a photo to post here.   What I can tell you is after peeling,cleaning  and preparing all the ingredients you put all the ingredients in the Food Steamer, cover it all with water, add chicken stock, 3 bay leaves,some saffron and seasoning. 


 

 You wait until the little nozzle on the lid starts to wriggle and whistle (my food steamer is an oldie) and turn down the heat and leave it to cook for 20 minutes. I then remove the nozzle and allow the steam to escape and open the lid.I add the potatoes to the soup for 15 mins more and the pre-cooked chick peas I add to the soup the last 5 minutes.The soup is strained before serving.

 

Keep well

 Amanda :-)

 





 

 

 

 


 

25 comments:

  1. That's such a shame about the RAOCK Amanda, I know it would never work in my area because there are too many vandals and whatever I left would probably end up as a football. It's understandable but sad that people are reluctant to pick things up now and with that in mind what about a bit of yarn bombing, rather than leaving it for someone to pick up tie it to a fence or hang it on the back of a bench or perhaps a low tree branch, that way people would see it as they pass by and it will cheer them up, if they want to take it then that's fine too. I love the lovely gifts you have sent to your nieces and nephews, they all look so happy with their lovely blankets and the others so cute in their hats it must be lovely to see the photos of them wearing them and to see that they fit so well. Well done to your sister hopefully the rose will go from strength to strength. I hope that you enjoyed your chicken soup I make a similar looking one which is a one passed down from my Syrian MIL. Stay safe. xx

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    1. Thanks for your comments Linda. It is indeed understandable but I can't change how I feel about that particular incident. Yarn bombing hasn't been so successful either...sigh!! I always insist that my family send me photos of the children using the makes I send. Keep well A x

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  2. Some lovely hat and blanket photos there. Sad that the little girl couldn't keep your RAOCK - she would have loved to! Oh well, something to look forward to again once restrictions are lifted a bit. We all need kindness at the moment, don't we?
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Ellie! I am going to persevere as it is now when kindness is most needed. There are lots of lonely people out there who need a little gesture just to show they are not alone!! A x

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  3. Do you have a drop in center close by, where you could hand in your makes, more controlled, but you could help keep a vulnerable person keep warm this winter. Love the repurposed rose pot, your daughter is clever like her mum. We are loving soups and using our slow cooker for comfort foods.

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    1. There is a drop in center and I do leave some items there at times. They are mostly keen on receiving clothing for adults. Soups are a main meal in winter here too. A x

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  4. This is a sad post I follow a friend that lives in the middle east that crochets and she does the same-she crochets little hearts and then hangs them all over on her walks in the city to share I will ask her if she as experienced the same-I think fear is one of the worse things that has come out from this covid crisis.
    I enjoyed seeing the items you made, and we Love soup here too. we were cold and rainy for awhile and now for a few days we have warmed up

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    1. Thanks for your comments Kathy. I think you are right....fear makes people do strange things! It has been raining for a couple of days here but we are back to sunny days again :-) A x

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  5. How sad that the little girl wasn't allowed too keep your RAOCK. When I made crochet hearts and stars I was able to hang them by my front garden wall with a sign to say please take. Is there somewhere you could do that?
    Those blankets have certainly worn well, and looks like they're well loved and used. Your daughter has obviously inherited your creative talent, too. Lovely make-over. xx

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    1. Thank for your comments HH :-) I do wish I could hang my RAOCKs in the garden here but this is a residential complex and I would have to have permission from the community to do so! I am trying to encourage my daughter,now she has more time,to start a few hobbies. She detests sewing of any kind and doesn't like knitting or crochet but it seems she likes doing things with paper and the make overs have been successful. A x

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    2. I only thought after I posted, but when my grandson was born, he had to go into NICU for 2 weeks. My daughter, son-in-law and grandson were given crocheted hearts each, also knitted/crocheted bonding squares. Maybe you could ask at your local neonatal unit. Or maybe a local care home would accept your RAOCKs for the residents. xx

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    3. That is a thought. I live near a private care home so I could ask there. Thanks for your advice. A.

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  6. How sad that the little girl wasn't able to keep your gift. Maybe a homeless centre or a charity requesting items for Christmas. Your daughter has certainly inherited the craft talent.

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    1. Thanks for calling in and for your comments. Yes I am going to check with a homeless people centre nearby. A x

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  7. Hi Amanda ... gosh I felt sad reading about the RAOCK experience. That is such a shame. I think I would not give up but maybe wait a bit longer til things hopefully settle a bit more. I am sure you can bring some sunshine to folks lives but just wait a bit longer. Your daughters pot planter looks wonderful - good on her for repurposing that lantern - it makes a great planter pot & the rose looks most happy there.

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  8. I'm sorry you had to see the RAOCK sadness. I had never thought of that kind of response to such a lovely gesture. I would like to believe that most are received with your intended joyfulness. Your soup looks delish!! I love your daughter's rescued rose, good for her. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Thanks for your comments Teresa. I think a lot of people are being extremely cautious about what they touch or pick up in the street. It is all so uncertain and the restrictions given for C19 are not really proven to be the most successful. It was a sad experience! A x

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  9. What a sad, sad story. If the Mom didn't want the little one to touch it, they could have taken it home and washed it before she let her play with it. I didn't even think of anyone having that sort of reaction. I'm sorry.
    We had homemade chicken soup and bread tonight for dinner. Yum!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. She could have Betsy! I expect she was too worried about her daughter touching it ! Fear makes people act in strange ways. A x

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  10. I think at this time we particularly want to reach out to others. Using our practical skills is a way of showing we care. Your blankets and hats sent to your family are lovely. It must have been upsetting to see the response when the little girl picked up your RAOK and was told to leave it. We're living through strange times when we're cautious about touching things when out and about. Everyday activities we took for granted in normal situations are having to be thought through and done differently. Fellow crafters have made some good suggestions. I know you will continue to add to your collection of crocheted small items for a future time when you'll be able to leave them around the neighbourhood again. :)




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    1. My stash continues to grow and I do indeed look forward to when we can once again go out and about and not have to worry about the close contact with people or things! Ax

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  11. Oh Goodness Amanda. The reaction of the little one after she touched it was heart breaking. I will toss some thoughts around as for who you could give them to. Hmmmmmm. I know our church quit taking used clothing during COVID.
    Winter is coming, Perhaps crochet masks? Put them in a bag with a note that says it has been sealed since Nov. xyz and you wore a mask and washed your hands when it was made?

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  12. Thanks for your suggestion Kathy. I saw a crochet mask pattern on Pinterest not long ago. I shall check it out. A x

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  13. I love the idea for the RAOCK. I may have to start doing this. If It brings a smile to someone, Im in! Hope you have a wonderful day!
    Lisa

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    1. Thank for calling in Lisa. RAOCK makes are very rewarding. A x

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Thank you for your comments. I do read them and try to reply to all as well.Please keep them coming. Amanda :-)