Sister Patricia Rickards

I wish to express my thanks to this amazing woman, thanks for teaching me what it is to give with not very much, teaching me how to create and how the most beautiful ideas are not the most expensive but the ones with the most heart.

I spent a good chunk of my youth growing up in a townhouse complex where Patricia and two other sister from the Daughters of Charity lived. When I was about 9, Sister Patricia invited me over to watch and help (and I think invited myself over quite a bit, I loved it :). Patricia had set up a gorgeous little sewing studio that she had in the back of the garage. It was homely, and from an old singer sewing machine she made strawberry shaped pin cushions amongst so many other treasures while telling me stories about her years growing up. Sister Patricia knew she wanted to be a nun from a young age, telling me about the time she was being courted by a lovely "young chappie" and, one then coming to clearly understand the call on her life to something beyond the norm, a life devoted to creating joy for others. Growing up in the 20's Patricia experienced what it was like to have very little. I wish that someone had made a documentary of her life, asked her the details about that time and written it down or filmed it. Stories from that era were part of the weekly experience at Patricia's sewing studio.

One of the most beautiful things that I remember she used to do was celebrate every Christmas and Easter in the most fabulously creative way. In celebration of every find, Patricia collected the most gorgeous gum nuts and pieces of bark and somehow weld them together with lights and painted wooden Nativity characters. So carefully crafted with a simplicity that comes from being an expert crafts person, Patricia's nativity scenes were widely loved and recognised in the local area, garnishing the front of the daughters of charity complex every year. Her last one was the last time I saw Sister Patricia, and I will remember her joy at collecting some 'beautiful piece of bark'. Always celebrating the small, elevating the insignificant into something beautiful - this is an analogy that sums up Patricia's life and the way she treated people.

Always giving things away, always creating things to sell at the stalls at the church in order to raise money to give to her well connected contacts who helped the poor overseas, Patricia was excited always to show me her trays of easter bunnies, cut out of cardbard, a fluffy cotton tail carefully stuck on the back, whilst a hole in the middle housed an easter egg. Some $1.50, some gorgeous creations, "really top ones" at $3.50, there were trays of these creations, different every year, with a variety that evoked tears at the love and care that went into things that were so inexpensive to buy. Patricia loved the $2 store, marvelling at the range of glittering craft supplies that could be purchased. Her excitement of raising $100-$200 for her creations at these stalls was unmeasured, a raging success. The money may go to providing mattresses to lepers in Nepal, and the whole amount would be greatly received by her adoring friends in other parts of the world. Patricia was indeed one of a kind, and affected anyone who met her.

Patricia's love for detail, her love and passion for people, her passion for giving to those she met who were less fortunate and her absolute joy and satisfaction at being able to give her all in a creative way in a world who's priorities and morality is getting worse and worse, visiting Patricia was a like visiting a light in the world.

I moved out of the area and as my contacts there got fewer I managed to see Patricia about twice a year. The last time I saw her, Patricia was bright and bubbly, very excited about her new creation for Christmas. Little did I realise that would be the last time I would be honoured to share her time and airspace. Patricia was no ordinary nun. Vivacious and well travelled, Patricia was a strong lady, not unaware of the world and it's darkness whilst staying innocent in her countenance. In fact I used to comment that I don't remember her face changing very much at all in the past 25 years. Humble in her position in the world, Patricia always talked about others above herself. Her trips to Fiji wowed her with their hospitable culture and their beautiful songs and attitude to life. Her chats about peers was equally humble, mentioning in awe how a colleague had taken a man off the street, washed his filthy stinky feet and then set about cutting his ingrown claws, gently prising the dirt out of his toenails with her bare hands. Whilst she had done many other similar things, Patricia always talked about others above herself, with great love towards people who touched her in some way, whilst all the time touching others.

I was shocked when Patricia passed, unable to feel the true effect of grief until recently. While sitting here, I am crying for her but also crying for someone that will never get a public funeral, never be remembered en masse as the significant person that she was, a person who touched countless lives. Somehow I was privileged to know her. I regret that no one ever did a documentary about her and celebrate her life so that she is never forgotten. Patricia, you are never forgotten. I will make sure you are never forgotten through my life, and in everything you will be remembered. Your grave may be humble but your memory is eternal and lasting and there will never be another like you.

The world lost someone equally important as any world leader or changer the day that Sister Patricia died, Sister Patricia died aged 88, peacefully, on July 17th 2009. We love you and always will, and you will never be forgotten, your legacy of love will live on in every heart you have touched in your life. You have reminded me that there is always a good time to give, you don't have to wait until you have the time or the money. You can do so much with so little. Thankyou. Thankyou, Thankyou.

All Steamed Up

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the latest Roocci venture - fabrics. I just ordered a steamer, and it looks like a rocket ship. You need a steamer for colour fixing the fabric. Why fabric you may ask? Because I am now branching out into fabrics - like, yeay, and by July should be able to print Roocci designs onto fabrics like cotton and silk. As you know I try to source all my products from Australia and where possible make sure they are also Australian made. Trouble with fabrics is that everything is outsourced overseas. And steamers? Well they are big in the US - silk painting is still huge over there and so you can basically source them without hassle from a specialist art shop. Not so here. It took me a month on google to find a steamer in Aus and I was so damn lucky to stumble over the one I finally bought.

Anyway, basically when i figure out how to use it next week, I will be able to print on silk first, then in July when the cotton printer comes i can print onto cotton. Woo hoo!!!! So...look out for Roocci Cushions, Roocci Cotton Quilt Covers and a lot more this year. Will post a picture of the steamer too - it is an awesome sight to behold.

I am also so excited because i have been in the past tempted to go overseas with the fabric thing and my philosophy has and always will be Aussie Made where possible so it really aligns with my home grown business ideas. I am also an artist and the just thought that I can just design and print my own fabric totally blows me away. Imagine ordering fabric by the meter to compliment your wall art to cover a chair? Wow!!! I also like the thought of having a sewing helper who is not exploited for their impressive artistic skills.

So...yes the new products will be tested next week when the steamer arrives for colour fastness in the wash etc - I am looking forward to sharing them with you. Bye for now. :)

Bad Cake

Considering that I am a perfectionist within my own creative arena, it bamboozles me that I can't bake a good looking cake. It may taste yummy but man its UGGGGLLLY! It's more like a landscape than a cake or a melting polar icecap.

That is why I ordered some AWESOME cupcakes for last weekends baby shower from our Italian Mama up the road, oh my GOD they are amazing. The secret ingredient I will not divulge but if you are ever in this part of town go to the Italian deli in the middle of Annangrove Rd Kenthurst. Mama may tell you what it is. So light, so fluffy, so freaking perfect, and the way I think you know good food is if you don't get full too quickly even if you eat lots.

Here's another awesome recipe from Mama: (anyone, even me can get this right)
For a simple, delicious summer pasta, get some penne on the boil. Then fry a couple of cloves of garlic in proper olive oil and add lots of fresh chopped parsley. To this add a bunch of chopped up celery and grate a few carrots. Cook for about 10-15 minutes (depending on how many veges you have) and toss once and a while so it all cooks through. We eat this at home with crumbled fetta cheese, extra olive oil drizzled on the top & grated pepper but feel free to add salt or parmesan. The delicious sweet flavours will blow you away. YUM!!

Don't forget to eat the roses

I once received a lovely card from a friend that read - "Everything I learned in life I learned from my cat". It also read "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses." At the time I was looking after my brother's cat who's mantra could have been 'Don't forget to eat the roses'. She was very rounded and had enjoyed a 'cup-runeth over' type of lifestyle. Apart for roses, she had also acquired a liking for blueberry muffins - and kebabs. I learned a lot from my cats, and from Puss, I learned that you should take the shortest route possible to the food bowl, get lots of sleep, stretches, belly-rubs and don't be afraid to let people know 'get out of my space'. Cats are so intelligent!

But over the past few years it has been different. I have dogs. Two dogs. Two dogs that are a little behind the eight-ball sometimes which is why I love them so much. However this seems to be rubbing off on me. The day before Valentines Day I even forgot it was Valentines Day. And what makes it worse is that I had planned things for the actual day but in the haste of a Friday afternoon's work I just plain forgot.

Gareth did not forget. I saw him ducking behind the house in the pouring rain and just assumed he was running around the house in the rain, nothing more. Not even when he stopped short at the window as if to say "got me" with something clearly in his hand (which I thought was a newspaper) did i associate 'running around madly behind the house with something in the hand' with 'Valentines Day'. So when he came inside with a resigned look and a long stemmed rose I was clearly taken by surprise and the whole thing made instant sense. "Damn it" says Gareth , laughing "I sooo thought you saw me - here - happy V Day babe".

But it was the red against the green grass out of the corner of my eye while I has hugging Gareth for the one long stemmed rose that made me curious. "Is that what I think it is?" is all I had time to utter was before we both flew out the door, trying to shoo Charlie away from a huge bunch of roses that he was hoeing into. Our new dog Moo who had scored one of the roses too and was running around with it in his mouth like a canine Romeo.

I never thought that dogs liked actually eating roses too. I think the smell must be so good that they think it's worth a munch. A great metaphor for life from our furry friends then: if life is a rose, don't just smell it, hoe into it!

Bushfire Appeal - Wildlife Victoria

The bushfires in Victoria have caused untold death and destruction to what is likely to run into the millions of native animals. For wildlife, the occasional bushfire is a part of life however with the conditions so bad last weekend, they would not have had a chance to get ahead of it.

Unfortunately euthanasia will be the only end to of those injured too badly to recover. It is truly a disaster of horrific proportions for both animals and humans alike.

Wildlife Victoria has launched an appeal to "help pay for bandages, treatment, medicines and food for injured wildlife" Please click on this link to donate to this most worthy appeal.