You can never have enough...

[Lilith7]

How uncanny - this morning i was listening to a podcast thing - Michael Moore talking to a USA lawyer (Dr Michele Bratcher-Goodwin, who's had her own problems in the form of abusive family) about the changes to reproductive laws in some of the states, then I come in & the posts are on adoption/abortion & women's reproductive health. Coincidence, perhaps.

Its called Policing the womb for anyone interested.

https://www.michaelmoore.com/p/policing-...jukXvi0xIM

Most of our generation will have known women who had unwanted pregnancies & the various ways of dealing with that. Mostly young women were sent 'up north for a while' to a home for unwed mothers as they were called then to stay until their baby was born, with pressure being applied to give up the child for adoption. Some married the father instead - they were called 'shotgun weddings', but some men 'shot through' often to Australia to avoid the issue & leaving the young woman to deal with the consequences.

Then there were those brave young women who somehow kept their child, often with family support & some attempted to get maintenance from the father, which meant going to court.
I've heard of cases where the father would round up his mates to claim they'd also had sex with the woman in order to avoid having to pay.

Those women who have babies up were often scarred to some extent by it & many have in later years managed to make contact with their child.

The world was cruel to those women who became pregnant outside marriage back then; let us hope that those times never come again.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I confess to smiling when grandmothers announce their granddaughters are having babies, on their own. It is so much kinder and really a more natural way of fulfilling our biology. Having been there I am very much in favour of this social change - despite the inherent challenges it brings for everyone involved.

It beats the hell out of 'letting down the family name' lol...

[Lilith7]

I confess to smiling when grandmothers announce their granddaughters are having babies, on their own. It is so much kinder and really a more natural way of fulfilling our biology. Having been there I am very much in favour of this social change - despite the inherent challenges it brings for everyone involved.

It beats the hell out of  'letting down the family name' lol...

Indeed it's a far better way of doing things these days, it just makes sense whereas the old ways didn't - but they were useful for 'keeping women in line ' or attempting to. Which at the heart of it is what the American laws are all about - power & control.

And interesting that 'letting down the family's name' didn't seem to apply to the men equally responsible for a pregnancy.  Hardly surprising that many men loathe the women's movement.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

There were some very strident wimmin involved in those days. There is one who was in that mob in our village. Boy, she has some interesting views - like choosing lesbianism is a political act.

Uh huh. Maybe for some...

[Lilith7]

There were some very strident wimmin involved in those days. There is one who was in that mob in our village. Boy, she has some interesting views - like choosing lesbianism is a political act.

Uh huh. Maybe for some...

Yeah...nah. The very idea doesn't do anything for me - fine for those that way inclined, but I'm not. Much good that it did me! 

Oddly enough, several of the women involved in producing the Creative Cronies Calendar & Diary are lesbian. I think one or two were advocating lesbian/Gay rest homes for older non straight  women in the news a few years ago. 
They're really nice people & after the quakes here I had an email from them to see if i was OK, which I found really touching.

[popeye333]

Lilith

Years ago my Sister managed to get pregnant before she got Married... mum very swiftly made her get married..

I remember Mum going off her rocker with arguments about my sister ruining her life etc.

Many years later I was sitting in science class and for some reason something popped into my head.

My Sister married in October and my nephew was born on May 3rd.. BUT then I thought Hang on a minute. Mum and Dad got married on June 21st and my sister was Born November 6th.. That sure as heck wasn't 9 months either. lol

All I could think was that Mum was the biggest hypocrite out... Pot calling the Kettle black As well as Do as I say Not as I do came into play.

lol

[Oh_hunnihunni]

November the 6th though, that is the perfect birthdate...

---

I shortened the sleeves on my denim jacket today. I carefully measured and cut bravely at the cuff, then removed the too long bit, and very carefully hand stitched the cuff back into place

Wrong cuff, wrong sleeve.

And no, I didn't fix it. It is a unique work of art, this is just another hand made feature!!

[kiwimade64]

morning ladies A bit blustery out there this morning but no rain until this afternoon.

I guess we all have stories about women. Thanks for the podcast name, lilith. I will look it up and listen to it. The Americans are verrry conservative when it comes to women's health. I also agree, it's another way to control a woman's body. So much for 'land of the free'. They have fewer freedoms than we do. My cousin was pushed into a 'shotgun' marriage as his girlfriend became pregnant. The pregnancy was all very hush hush. No one wanted to talk about it and this was in the 1980s. As if we couldn't do the maths. I remember mum and dad finally telling us and they were both disgusted my cousin and his girlfriend were being pushed into marriage. My parents were ahead of their time The marriage lasted only a short time and they were much happier apart. I hate the argument, you have ruined your life by being pregnant. No, life goes on. Just differently that's all. As for being gay, our family is made all the better and richer for having our gay family members.

I had to chuckle at your jacket, OHH. It sounds exactly like something I would do. I measure, and measure again, then cut only to find the fabric is back to front or upside down lol. Can't wait to see to photo of it.

It could be an embroidery day by the looks of it. My 'day' lamp' will be used too as even with lights on it's still pretty dark. I stitched some of the falcon's head yesterday and blended some dark brown into the grey. It looks better but I think I'm overthinking things again. Will go where the needle takes me today.

Happy crafting

[Roma]

Good morning. 

Very dark here too as we await the expected rain.  My son and family are packing up early in the Coromandel, it's pouring! It's not unusual to be wet at Easter though!

I love your acceptance of the now different jacket sleeve OHH ... wish that was me, I'm an unpicker!

I agree KM, diversity in our families make life interesting and fun. And gosh yes, how many of those shotgun marriages went kaput!

Grocery shop now before the troops are here. 

Have a good day ... whatever the weather.

[Mica]

Morning all
Looks like its going to be another beautiful sunny day here. Very crisp this morning at 6 when I fed and ,et the k9s out.

Had great day out with my sewing buddies yesterday.

A bit of housework then sew up couple merino preggy tahirst for DIL today.

Enjoy the day

[popeye333]

Morning everyone

WE have the rain lol... and a bit of wind.

Cant wait to see your Jacket OHH... My sister would be 66 this coming November..

My mother or well the babies all arrived interrupting something. My sister was 2 days before mums Birthday, Brother at Easter 16th April, Next brother 1 day before Mums birthday ( yes we had 6th 7th and 8th of November) And the Final Glory the two of us for around Mothers day in May the 5th lol.

And May Babies are the best eh Kiwimade lol

Im not sure if there were any more Shotgun weddings in my families, and as far as I know we dont have any gays either.
My Middle brother is badly homophobic.

Ill always remember being out with a gay friend of mine, who hadn't come out yet. We came up to a set of lights and there was a group of good looking guys standing on the corner. I said to my friend Oh a bunch of fine looking Young men, they are probably all gay.... My friend came out shortly after that.. And he remembered my comment in a good way for many years.
We were soo close that we finished each others sentences etc. I Miss him. He died of a brain bleed at 48. Its funny tho cos we used to say that we could be the best or worst grandparents out.. Yet in those days Gay men couldn't adopt children and Kids were Never on my agenda. lol
MrP hated him so I guess he was homophobic or just plain jealous of our friendship.

I like the sound of a Gay / lesbian rest home. Where they get to be who they are...

Off to see MrP and my ever increasing rest home family today. Going at my usual time but I will stay long enough to see the meal. MrP wasn't given a main meal yesterday only pudding...

He has saved his Easter egg they gave him for me.. sometimes I see the good things I have missed. For many years.. Ill suggest we share it.

Have a fab day everyone

[Praktica]

Good morning ladies. One thing I learned from my genealogical studies was that "short pregnancies" were quite common, in the past. Scotland's People has the records of Presbyterian parishes on line, and it's interesting to read of ancestors hauled before the minister for "antenuptial fornication"!

[Lilith7]

Even with all its faults, I think today's world at least here in NZ, is far better for women than most countries. We're certainly not perfect by a long chalk but we're not so very bad either, especially when we look at places such as America or other very religious countries where there's no division between church & state.

Good for you Hunni - sewing isn't my thing so I might very well chucked it up the gully when it went a bit wrong.
I had to laugh at your post, Popeye - years ago I did a very little bit of family tree research & discovered that my Grandmother had also had a 'short pregnancy' - & unbeknown to anyone, her mother had a baby before she married. 'Skeletons' of that kind lurk in most family trees, I think, with human nature as it is & contraception not being wonderful till fairly recently.

[JanW]

Good morning from a chilly cloudy HawkeÔÇÖs Bay - great day for crochet and the last of the hot cross buns
Robie had a very welcome call yesterday from his baker in the Ukraine - he was shot in the leg two weeks ago and has been taken to Poland - his wife and children and her parents are also in Poland - she was already on the official list to come here but covid stopped her so there will be no delay getting her in - her parents not so straightforward but Robie will find out what can be done - the first thing he asked Robie was is somebody feeding the cats - when the bakery shut at 5pm the staff have always taken the leftovers out of the pie warmer etc down to Clive Square where all the homeless are and THE baker started feeding the cats - he ran weekly illegal raffles instore he cooked a beautiful stew and dumplings and sold tickets to the staff to trap and get the cats desexed and released them - he is welcome back to live here for sure
Popeye I hope you have more success than we have had - the MP never attended our meeting about the kids - he sent a representative who was not at all interested - so we have a meeting with an owner who is renting 5 motel blocks for emergency housing - hopefully he will at least allow them to have at least a microwave in all units but we are going to try for airfryers for the nine families who have reached out for help .A lady I know does home help for the DHB had her hours increased to go out in the evening to put the residents to bed in a very well known rest homes as all their Phillipino staff were no longer allowed to work here and were sent home -she is being paid $68.50 an hour ! she repeatedly arrived to find several residents with their dinner sitting in front of them untouched as they were unable to feed themselves - spoke to management and was told shortage of staff etcetc - so she called a reporter from the local paper but before she talked to them warned the manager - her hours were miraculously changed she now goes out earlier and feeds them and management help to put the residents to bed - I bet there are old people all over the country living in appalling conditions just like the kids are stuck in motels - so fight on Popeye but it does get exhausting
I wish I could work out how to put a photo on here from my iPad - my desk top computer is in a box somewhere - my granddaughters have settled well in Oz with their cousins - they pooled their resources and bought an apartment very close to a train station so itÔÇÖs convenient to Uni .My son sent them a photo of two beautiful highland cattle he has bought which he told them jokingly had replaced them in his life - will email it to you two who I have your emails
Kiwimade I know what you are saying about your stand - when my old boy made mine for my pattern I hadnÔÇÖt realised how often I stopped to pick the pattern up to peer at
One of my Aunties who died at 84 had a baby out of wedlock as they called it back in the day kept her baby which must have been so hard way back then - she married when her son was 7 to a man who turned out to be the love of her life - which was a far better outcome than if she had been forced into a shot gun marriage
Hunni your jacket sounds like something I would love but never had the courage to wear - thats what I used to love about making Cloth dolls your imagination could run away with you -
Better get cracking day is running away with me

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Stayed in the warm with a good book for ages this morning and then dozed off, courtesy of the dull day and the rain. Everything hurting until I finally got up to make coffee and discovered two emails from my daughter in Perth, one with photos the other with two videos of the kids. Her husband is back to fly in fly out work in the mines so they can pay down the mortgage and finish the new house bits before she gives up fulltime work to focus on stabilising her MS. The kids are so beautiful, and so different in personality. My grandson adores his younger sister and puts up with a lot if the video of her chasing him round the pool before belting him in the groin is any indication. Both choking with hilarity. Poor boy has a hellion to love, some of the photos of her prove she has a lot of her mother's genes. Fair enough too - she ran rings around me as a kid, now she has her own 'feral child' as she calls her, to keep her grinning. From the photos, Easter has been a lot of fun at their place!

[Lilith7]

Jan, the Ukrainian baker sounds a lovely, kind hearted sort of person - glad he's made contact & is OK.

Hunni - its always good to get news of grandkids. My two eldest great grandsons went camping with their Mum & Dad & some friends over Easter, so they put photos on FB.
Was heading out to drop off library books earlier when this damn car kept beeping at me - eventually realised it was DIL & stopped. She put bike in the back & took me to library, then we came back to mine & had a catch up which was lovely, my dog, who adores her was thrilled too.

[kiwimade64]

That's great news about your son's baker, jan.  Hopefully his parents-in-law can be part of the Ukrainian contingent of refugees we are accepting.  

I tried to upload the photo for Jan, but the file was too big for here and I'm not very good at making photos smaller. 

If you want to upload pics, you need to start a new reply and scroll down to the bottom.  You will see the 'add attachment' box and from there you can search for your pic and upload it.  Just remember to put your curser where you want your pic to be or it could end up anywhere!

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I do all pf that and get told too big.

I'm going to get round to doing it on TM and posting links...

[JanW]

I do all pf that and get told too big.

I'm going to get round to doing it on TM and posting links...

Will have to have a fiddle round with it    

[Praktica]

If you have a Windows computer, the photo viewer has a resize option - click on the 3 horizontal dots on the top right of the viewer screen.