I apologise because I have been MIA for a very long time.

What have I been  up to since? A lot has changed , for starters  I hardly use the train for travel anymore.Regrettably, I had to stop using the train as my vehicle was vandalised a few times.As a result, I began to drive to work.I also changed jobs a few times as well. That's it for an update.
So what have I been up to since my last post.As you have already gleaned, this blog will no longer be about my train ride musings.

This blog is now all about my crafting adventures.In late 2012, I got  a market stall and sold Ankara wall hangings, bangles and hair clips.It was a fun event and a good experience for me.

I had made a commitment to myself to at least make a project from beginning to end every week.On my return to work, however, I failed   to balance my time and did not completely achieve my goal.

Here is a list items I made though.

• Crotchet handbags , 1 complete, the rest yet to be completed.
• A man's shirt
• A blouse
• toilet paper roll wall  hanging

In trying to remember exactly what i made last year, i am realising that not much was made.I am starting this blog now in an effort to keep myself honest and to keep utilising my various talents and skills.We are 4 months into the new year, and this is what I have made.

• ankara gathered shirt
• ankara shorts
• ankra blouse
• ankara dress.

Not much I know.

I will cover the process I used to make the shorts and blouse in my next post. I would also like to experiment with knit fabrics and possibly make a coat this winter.I am also keen on remodelling clothes.I have currently started with turning my son's jeans into shorts, as he has grown taller. Oddly enough i did not think of it earlier and had actually bought a pair of jean shorts for $17.

Good intentions

When I first started this blog and called it musings on the metro this had a lot to do with what was happening in my life at that point.Having started work approximately one-and-a-half hours from where I live using public transport.I wanted to utilise my travel time to document my musings and observations.

I enjoyed my trips and used the time for forward planning and introspection.I also came across several interesting and friendly people usually on the two last legs of my trip.These were people from CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities.So there were loads of good as well as cringe worthy moments.

Fast forward to May 2012 and  my happy and naively secure world was shattered.Within a space of a few days my vehicle was broken into, side swiped and the sideview mirror broken at my local train station.I made a report to the local police who were very dismissive. I guess it all boiled down to them needing me to bring the perpetrators to the station for them to deal with.Now, how was I to do that when I had not witnessed anything?

That was the end of my cheap train rides which set me back $95 per month and thus began my morning rides to work which would cost me about $240 per month.My little old car was starting to annoy with all the dents.That was the beginning of my dissatisfaction with my  little car and I decided to buy another vehicle.That was quite an experience but that's whole 'nother  story.

That ended my public transport trips.Do you want to know what I do on my trip to work now?Check out my upcoming posts.

Bye for now.

10 Things to do on a train trip

Here is a list of 10 things to do on a train ride.The assumption here is that the view from the train window is not picture-esque enough and you like to use your time wisely.The  list is not in any particular order.

1. Read a book,magazine or comic.
2. Listen to  music.
3. Catch up with family or friends on the phone...if its not late or too early.
4. Do your weekly menu plan and shopping list.
5. Do a puzzle or a brain teaser.
6. Finish off that knitting or crotchet project which has  been in your closet forever.
7. Did you complete your  assignments, those of you who are studying?You may even proof read your work.
8. Look to your fellow travellers  for inspiration and write a story,song,blog or design an item of clothing.
9. If you are a parent ,read the school  newsletter and sign your child's excursion forms.
10. Meditate on your life  and the direction you want it take.To Quote Mahatma Ghandi:In the attitude of silence the soul find the path in a clearer light, and what is illusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal  clearness.Our life is a long arduous quest for Truth.

Special People

Do you ever feel that certain people would get someone to feed them  if they could?One of my pet peeves is people who believe they are that important they cannot walk  a  mere 100m.As I approach the railway station in my neighbourhood, there is a roundabout that turns into the station parking space.You will have to walk  back 100-200m back to the station after parking your vehicle.This morning I was right down to 3minutes before the train took off.It was just my luck to have all the cars in front of me, five of them park in the roundabout to drop their partners and children in a convenient spot.My car was stuck because my way had  been  blocked.Needless to say, as I  got out my car .....along came the choo choo train.No amount of running could get me onto it.GREAT start to the day......URRRRRRRGH!!!!!!

Introduction

My inspiration in starting this blog is my morning one and half hour trip and more of the same in the evening.As I travel by train everyday, I see all manner of interesting things that set my mind ticking.One of my wishes is that I should have a travel companion to share my thoughts and ideas whilst having a laugh about everything in one hit.Seeing as anything can be had in the virtual world.I welcome you all my fellow travel companions to enjoy the ride with me