Here's to 2006!!

I have no idea where to start this one - way too many bits to fill in! Maybe I will try bullet points?

1. Christmas was gorgeous. Me and the girls all day - played games, sat on the beach with Auntie Soph and a good dollop of Mark at breakfast and at dinner! Played games, ate too much and relaxed so much that I forgot to put the ham in the oven!! Late Christmas dinner - now there's a Percy family tradition!!
2. Confession - bit stuck on Mark now!
3. Off work for the last week - have another week to go till I have to get back to the daily grind. Spent last week having really good time with the girls - lots of sitting round the school pool, quite a lot of cooking (Boo now a complete whizz at rubbing in and making pastry!), lot of sleep, lots of hugs and not too much shopping.
4. Lou and Becs off to Wanaka (near Queenstown) in the morning. They come back Saturday week - so I'm looking forward to a little me time and some quiet - but suspect I will start missing them fairly acutely by Saturday mid afternoon!!
5. Me and Mark going camping for a few days over new year - will probably be the least larey and debauched I have ever been on NYE! Strong possibility that we will be christening his new Travel Scrabble! Think we are going down to the Bay of Plenty - not entirely sure where, am leaving that to Mark.
6. Am getting very good at delegating decision making to Mark - whoever said I was overpowering????!
7. 3 guesses! (clue first name begins with J!)(horrible and completely unfounded accusation, obviously!!)
8. Very stuck on Mark
9. Speaking of J word - all gone horribly wrong since last mail. What started as an argument about money (won't bore you with the details) has resulted, not in a sensible discussion, but in J threatening that he is going to file for 'Shared Care' of the girls - one week on, one week off. Suspect that this is more about being miffed that Mark gets on with the girls really well, than about him being wanting to see the girls more. There's a part of me that thinks that it would be a hell of a lot easier for me if we did do shared care. I mean, in terms of being able to arrange a long working week one week, and a short one when I have the girls - I'd have to ask fewer favours from my very long suffering friends and I'd have more quiet and unhurried time with Lou and Becs - but, bearing in mind the girls have adjusted really well to where they are now (both had storming reports, and are happy little things most of the time), and not forgetting that John is thinking about moving to the South Island some time in the next year - I'm not sure it is fair on Lou and Becs to start messing them about again. Plus, not sure how on earth John thinks he is going to manage the hours he does and drop the girls off to school and pick them up every day etc etc! Anyway, hopefully we will discuss all the options in mediation and we will come to a compromise which works for the girls and makes him a bit less poopy! And maybe at some point next year he'll start talking to me again?!?!
10. Girls got storming reports!
11. Mark lovely!
12. Haven't got digital camera yet, but am buying one with Christmas money and then will take lots of photos of everyone, including Grace, Mark, all my Auckland Posse and of course my two lovely little things.
13. That can't be it, there must be more!?!
14. Oh, yes - weekend after the girls get back from Wanaka, we are going on a mass camping expedition to Parkare (spelt massively incorrectly - but no idea why?!) which is about 90 minutes North of Auckland. There are about 6 families going and a barbecue!
15. Missing Lou's 10th birthday as she'll still be in Wanaka - not 'appy, but will cope. Think we are going to treat her like royalty and give her a second birthday on the day after they get back!
16. Lou giving up Flute. Bit sad, but figure, horses, water etc - and now I'll get the occasional Saturday lie in!!! They are both still netballing, Lou is wanting to check out the local swimming club, and Becs is still doing her gymnastics.
17. Those of you who haven't got a Christmas card from me yet - sorry, haven't finished writing them yet - figure I should get them done and posted some time before I go back to work on the 4th - please note, it is a compliment if I haven't posted one to you yet, it means I want to write something specifically to you, and I ran out of hours in the day - only reason the English cards got proper messages was because I stayed up till 3 to finish writing them!
18. Summation of 2005? Started off very cloudy with heavy winds and icy blasts gradually subsiding into sunny spells, then prolonged blue skies and sunshine, with occasional storms and some thunder.
19. 2006? Looking forward to lots more blue sky - and am armed with an umbrella (plastic, of course!), cause I'm picking the thunder storms aren't over yet!
20. New Years Resolution? Simplify!! Going to try very hard not to make life quite so crowded - am really enjoying being quiet with the girls and want to do it some more - quite enjoying being quiet with Mark too, but hey -
21. Did I mention that I'm a bit smitten with Mark?!

Sorry it's short, promise never to do bullet points again, didn't work did it?!! but I did get quite a lot in quite quickly!! - Postings will be more regular now we are passed Christmas - think I will start next years Christmas shopping next week??!!?

Other New Years Resolution - to try not just to remember peoples birthdays, but to actually send the card / present!!

Got to go - bedtime!

Happy New Year - loads of love - xxxxx

Updates...

Forgot to say that Grace is now not Grace Rosie - Daddy decided that it didn't sound right so he abolished her middle name and she is now just Grace Hutcheson. She is putting on weight nicely and very little and very lovely. Mummy is doing well although she has just been diagnosed as a Celiac. This has meant that the poor love has hardly held down a thing since having Grace, which is obviously going to make feeding an even bigger trial than usual!

Plus... haven't yet played Mark at Triv - personally I am beginning to think that this is the chink in his armour for which I have been searching and I believe he is deliberately sidetracking from the match in a vain attempt to avoid the inevitable thrashing! Speaking of which, SJ need you to come and see me again soon - has been wayyyyyy too long since I have beaten you at Triv. (That said, I am rubbish as soon as I have to play with either NZ questions or a different set of questions than the ones which my Triv arrived with in 1984!) Mark has beaten me at Scrabble at least twice since last blogging - and I continue to show my mental agility and intellectual prowess by beating him at Jenga!

Re photos of friends in NZ - will wait! Don't have use of camera at present, so will hope to download some piccy's early in the new year....

Anyway, bed is calling - in fact it is yelling extremely loudly! Huge snogs - mega update at the weekend.

xxx

Christmas is Coming......

Hi all! I know, I know, I haven't updated for ages - and now I am going to cheat! If you have already had your Christmas card (which is unlikely as they only fly out of NZ in my friends suitcase tomorrow!) today's entry will be somewhat familiar .... kind of figured that Christmas round robin would serve as a handy summary of 2005 - and then at the weekend I will do a proper blog! And yes, I will have time at the weekend, as spookily I have a weekend to do nothing!!! I intend to walk on the beach, test drive my new lawn mower, do some Christmas shopping and maybe finish Grace's cot cover! Anyway, in the meantime....

Happy Christmas all! Firstly I apologise for the lack of Christmas card and news last year and throughout 2005. Doubtless, since then you have caught up with the various events on this side of the equator - but if not, by the end of the next page you'll be up to date! I guess that means that I have most of 2004 to catch you up on as well although I'm not sure how well I can remember any of that!!
So, 2004 started with John as an Executive Chef in Takapuna running three restaurants - somewhat knackered but professionally doing pretty well. We had Tracey, Phillip, Josh, Megan and John Snr over to stay in the January which was wonderful. One of the few regrets I have in moving here is that Louisa misses Josh big time and so for her it was a particularly good three weeks - plus I got to do some serious yacking with Tracey - which was great! Anyway, saw Dolphins, did the bubbly mud thing etc and then they headed off back to Blighty. Shortly after, John was diagnosed with depression, but saw the doctor who prescribed anti-depressants and a couple of counselling sessions and within a short space of time he seemed to be back to his normal sunny self. In May I joined the gym and spent about 5 months walking miles and miles on treadmills and streets, and working out with weights etc, lost mega fat stuff and even discovered that I was the proud owner of some abs - admittedly they were still quite well hidden, but!! John's sister, Suzanne, also came to visit last year on a whistle stop trip. She had one week off work and managed to get here, have 5 days with us and get back to work on the following Monday - and all with barely a smidge of jet lag!! Last year was probably also the time that Lou and I finally settled in over here. John seemed to get his feet under the table almost as soon as we arrived here. Becca seemed to barely notice that she has moved house, yet alone hemispheres!! but Lou and I, while quite comfortable here, just took a little while longer to feel completely at home. Last year we both found some friends who provided the necessary click factor and by the middle of the year it looked like we were having one of the best years for a long time..... However!! The best laid plans .... pride comes before a fall .... etc etc .... to cut a very very long story short, in October it turned out that John was not happy - and hadn't been for quite a lot of years and after a couple of weeks of not telling me what was going on in his head, or his heart, he left me and the girls, and soon after moved in with a new girlfriend, Sharron.
OK - at the time, all horrendous, all awful - hadn't seen any of it coming - very very hard, and not made at all easier by being miles from everyone at home in England. That said you were saved from a huge amount of burbling and tears, so maybe it was good that we were here when it all happened as it kind of forced me to take it on the chin, and just get on with it all. Subsequently, there have been a lot of angry things said, alot of tears, and quite a lot of arguing about who deserves what, how to best avoid damaging the girls, money, and ancient history. Recently we passed the one year anniversary of John's departure - and at about the time John's Dad and his sister came over on a visit too. I think words from Dad and sister may have helped John look at the train wreck that he left behind, and as a result in the last few weeks things have been noticably calmer and easier.
John seems to be happy. He has been Head Chef up in Torbay, north of Auckland at a place called Snow Planet for the last 9 months and tells me all is going well. He and Sharron are happy and plan to marry once John and I are divorced (we can't apply for divorce till we have been separated for 2 years - so won't be till the end of 2006). The girls get on well with Sharron which is a blessing and he has them to stay at his every other weekend which leaves me a little time to breathe.
Meantime... Having spent the first 10 months of separation swearing off ever having another relationship, I am currently seeing a very nice chap called Mark!! No idea where the relationship is going. Sometimes it feels like it could last forever - other times, and probably more often, I am hit with the "well look what happened last time you thought that" thing! That combined with the whole just having come out of a 15 year relationship which I apparently misread for years thing, and the fact that I can't help feeling maybe I should check out a wider selection of the population means that I am trying very hard, but fairly unsuccessfully to put the breaks on!! (note - 12/12/05 - breaks seem to have come off altogether.....)
So, anyway - that was why you didn't get a Christmas card last year!
2005 - well, Dad and Judy came in January and it was absolutely wonderful. Don't think I have ever been so pleased to see anyone in my life! Remarkable that when things are tough the person that gives you the very best hug is still your Mum or your Dad! And I had quite a lot of hugs! I had to work quite a lot of the time they were here, which was a bugger, but they earnt mega Brownie points on the babysitting front which also meant they got some quality time with the girls. It was fantastic for me not to have to worry how the girls were spending their summer holidays. I would come home to the house having been converted into a restaurant with menus and food to go with it, or to tales of lovely days on the beach or walks in the bush - Dad if you are reading this, I am hoping that if I rave enough you will feel the need to spend the next few summers in the City of Sails!!! Obviously, this is working on the theory that one or other of us wins Lotto - but then I guess if I win Lotto, I won't need to work and I'll just come and visit England every Christmas instead and save you the pain in your knees!
What else? I am still at AUT and have recently had a bit of a change in my job. Until now I have only been employing and managing Temp staff - as of tomorrow I will also be dealing with permanent vacancies and staff as I will be moving into the Human Resources dept which will be a bit of a change - quite looking forward to it - although, I am going to do some study next year to try to move towards working as a Careers Counsellor - that said, that will be a few years away! When John left I had to up my hours to adapt to the financial lurch of separation, and though it's doable, I have to say it is bloody hard work and only doable because I have had the support of a number of very kind and lovely friends who pick up my slack. Never have I asked so many favours and never have I been able to pay back so few. That said, they don't seem to hold it against me!! And despite everything, the girls seem to be riding the wave without too much trouble. Couple of blips from Lou during the year but generally they seem to quite enjoy the various friends who pick them up from school. I, on the other hand, enjoy the days that I pick them up from school and get to actually see them properly. Generally, life does seem to be a bit of a race at the moment though - as in - racing from school to work, from work to school, from school to gymnastics / netball / brownies, to home to bed to Oh my God it's school time again - and when to do homework?!! Never have I been so stressed by homework!!
Anyway - where was I? 2005!! Yes, I am now fat again - John left, I could barely get to the gym and so I spent evenings weight lifting the contents of the fridge - but hey!!! Time to work on it again I think - Mark is talking about getting a tread mill to live in my garage - I am saying nothing, but secretly hoping that he does!! What else - girls both Netball mad - Becca shoots like a little Silver Fern and Boo, if in the right mood, is absolutely cracking when it comes to intercepting. Becca's team did really well this year - but next year their teacher isn't able to run it, so it is being handed over to the Mums!! Haha - think I will be chief e-mailer! Lou's team less successful but playing a lot of older / taller teams so hopefully next year will be a good one. Meanwhile, both Lou and Becca at Brownies at the moment although Lou moves to Guides in January - in the meantime, I get an hour and a half to myself on a Thursday night! And Boo continues with her Flute. In March she was set to give it up - currently she is playing Minuet in G and Eidelweiss (forgive spelling!) and seems to be quite enjoying it.
Schoolwise they are both doing well. Lou is still absolutely rubbish at time management / organising herself and homework is a permanent battle - sadly, she is afflicted (!) by being quite a little bright spark, but she thinks this means she doesn't have to do any work. Becca, on the other hand, still quite bright but has to work a wee bit harder - in the end I suspect she might outsmart her big sister just because she decides she wants to! This year at school they both got completely involved in the school production of The Wizard of Oz - Becca was a Poppy, Lou was a Masseuse! Don't ask!!! And subsequently, Mummy has started having a bit of fun introducing them to some of the great classic musicals. Since seeing My Fair Lady while Grandad was here, they have both got pretty much every song down pat! Becca does a storming rendition of Just You Wait 'Enry 'Iggins, while Lou does a very creditable performance of I Could Have Danced All Night! Last week they seemed to enjoy Oklahoma! and are asking me to get hold of the soundtrack - and I figure it is only a very little while before I will be able to entice them to watch Singing in the Rain with me and to think it is one of the best movies ever!!!
Anyway, this week at school the girls have Outdoor Activity week. The year 6 kids go off on camp and the rest of the school has a bit of a hoolie. Louisa has so far walked up Mangere Mountain (South Auckland), climbed up a rock wall, and today is doing "foraging art" - Becca has been swimming a lot, today it is tent day and yesterday she learnt to draw sheep! Louisa will be sleeping in a tent at school on Thursday - so glad I am not the parent help!!!
As for Christmas - well, I have the girls on Christmas and Boxing Day and then on the 27th they are flying down, solo (Mummy having kittens slightly!) to the South Island to spend 2 weeks on holiday with John and Sharron. Meantime, I am not sure what I am doing, but may be going camping with Mark somewhere North I think!
I seem to remember that the first Christmas we were here I raved about Christmas in the sun - well I need to clarify a little here!!! The first Christmas, I had done most of my Christmas shopping before leaving England, and I was able to shop in the middle of the day when Becca was at kindy and everyone except for a handful of full time Mums were out shopping. I also managed to find the only supermarket in Auckland that no-one ever went to AND it was sunny on Christmas Day so that we had a beautiful Christmas breakfast on the deck and we spent the morning on the beach. However!!!!! Since then, it has rained or been cold every Christmas morning. So I have neither breakfasted on the deck nor been to the beach on Christmas Day since 2001 - Plus, everyone else seems to have discovered my deserted supermarket and they all seem able to shop only at the same times that I am able to! Coupled with the fact that I can't see the Christmas lights until gone 8.30pm and that Christmas trees over here are long needled and droopy (stars on the top not an option! - we hang ours from the ceiling!) I confess that I am hankering after a winter Christmas!
That said... The Pohutukawa tree is known as the Kiwi Christmas tree and it is generally held that if it flowers before Christmas we are in for a long hot summer. This year, my Pohutukawa tree flowered at the end of October - so hopefully we are going to have a cracking summer, Christmas on the beach and will still be basking in subtropical temperatures by the time Tracey and Phillip come to visit in March! (Oh, and Jonathan and Lou, Angela and Vince according to the long term weather forecast, next Christmas is going to be beautiful too - honest!! And if it isn't, I suspect it will be a fab Christmas anyway!!)
What else can I tell you? Seems ridiculous that I have just summed up 2 years in less than two pages! Dave (the lovely Scot at our wedding) and his new wife Claire came to visit this year as well, which was fab. They came for the Lion's tour - despite initially wanting the ABs to win, I confess to becoming totally Pommie by the last match, just on the basis that I was getting bored of the Lion's being pummelled! Likewise the last few weeks in the UK - that said, Daniel Carter is a bit 'Spishal'!
Yes, I now have a twang - sorry. Apparently the girls do too, but I don't hear it. Yes they are very kiwi. They regularly go to school with no shoes on. Sometimes because they want to, sometimes because they can't remember where they left them. Yes we barbecue using gas (aghast!), yes it is still bloody cold in winter without central heating and no I don't know all the words to the National Anthem in Maori - although I did for about 3 weeks last year.
I am now going to go and fix my printer! Failing that I will have to e-mail this to work and print it there! If you are on e-mail and I don't have it, let me know. Plus, for those of you I haven't bored to death already, generally keep my blog reasonably up to date with news - so if you want to know how we are going on next year, you can have a look on http://lisainnz.blogspot.com/ - although you might find the most recent entry is a copy of this!! (God I must be psychic!!!!!!) Please forgive the round robin approach, time is not my friend at the moment! Think of you all often. It's been a strange year or so, but we're ok, over the worst of it and smiling most of the time. It's been good knowing that you are all still there and that when I do ring, (not often I know - sorry) or hear from you in letters and e-mails, you are all the same as ever - and I still miss you all a stupid amount!
So, Merry Christmas to all and to all good night!! Oh, and over here they don't know Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat... !!! and have a fantastic 2006 - looking forward to seeing you, those that we know we are seeing next year - and will work on seeing the rest of you some time before my 50th!!!!
Huge hugs xxxxx

New Arrival...

For those of you who are keeping up with the various story lines on my blog (!!) I thought you would like to know that Sarah and Matthew welcomed Grace Rosie into the world this morning. Emergency caesarean - don't know the details yet, but just over 5lbs, 42cm long and absolutely beautiful - or so says the gushing father!
Fortunately I suspect baby Grace won't be heading for her cot anytime too soon (wayyyy too little) as the cot cover is only about a third finished! Guess what I'm doing this weekend?!! Hopefully it will be sunny and I can sit in the garden while Mark trims the hedge! (Well that was lucky wasn't it????)
Anyway - work beckons xxx

Flying Possums II!

Sadly it seems that my theory re: Lou / Mark / me at Backgammon was a) misguided, b) gung ho and c) very wrong!! Just had the pants thrashed off me big style!! Fortunately the victor was gracious in defeat and only gloated once or twice between conciliatory snogs!!

Early in the game, when it became obvious that I had no idea what I was doing, I tried to play the "well after Chelsea losing on Sunday, I wasn't sure you'd cope with another defeat..." line - but my rather pathetic bluff was exposed, giving the victor a wider scope for long term gloating!

Have now decided that tactical games just aren't my forte and so have challenged Mark to a game of Triv - using the English answers from the original 1984 edition! Figure if I can't beat him at that I shall just have to keep beating him at Jenga - or try him at some of the girls games - maybe dominoes or the memory game - on second thoughts - have no memory whatsoever - so probably better joining Becca to play Flying Possums?!?!

How lovely?! 

Ditto! 

Lou School photo - October 2005 

Becca School Photo - October 2005 

Flying Possums

Well, I thought I'd check before I started blogging, but I haven't won lotto - which is a bit of a bugger! It is the night after Guy Fawkes night, and as I sit in a very tidy kitchen with fresh baking smells all around (I know! Unlikely!) the evening quiet is being regularly punctuated by the bangs and whizzes of firecrackers and rockets! Tomorrow is Monday, which was why I felt prompted into checking my lotto ticket - was sooo hoping I didn't have to go into work!

Ok - so, while on work, all fine. Still at Auckland University of Technology, still running the Temp staff who work at the uni. Still quite enjoying it, but could do it standing on my head. That said, the hours fit in, as much as possible anyway, with the girls, they pay me reasonably well for standing on my head and I can study (with all that spare time I have!). Have had a bit of a change of plan since last talking about study. I had decided to do a Human Resources Management course - but wasn't quite interested enough to do anything about it. So, instead, as of March, I will be studying for a careers counseling qualification. Kind of related to what I do now, and something I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about. The bee got particularly over excited a couple of years back when I started looking at going back to work and realised that despite a degree, a management qualification and an armful of sales courses, not to mention O'levels and A'levels, I was doomed to work in a job rather than a career, unless, of course, I considered the possibility of adopting out my children! Anyway, told you there was a bee in my bonnet! So going to do something about it next year.

Continuing on the me front (completely self obsessed, I know!) - still seeing Mark. Couple of weekends ago, he took me away. In the beginning, the weekend was intended to take my mind off the fact that it was a year since John left. As it turned out, I actually almost forgot about it, entirely!! - mission accomplished I guess!! We did sort of go South, but not to any of the places that I had imagined - and in the end it wasn't a surprise either. It turns out Mark is as bad at keeping a surprise secret, as I am about having it kept from me!!
When we first started dating, (3 months ago now!!!) we were talking about favourite places and I told Mark that mine was Cathedral Cove, on the Coromandel where he had never been - so on the Saturday, that was where we ended up and I got to show him my little piece of heaven - beautiful blue sea, and sky, empty beach and a fair amount of snogging! Excellent afternoons work! On the Saturday night, he took me down to Tauranga to meet his Mum - which was really lovely actually. Confess that I was a bit wibbly in the tummy, at the prospect of being vetted - but was made very welcome and treated to the most beautiful roast lamb - and after a rather stonking breakfast on the Sunday, I was sent home with lemon curd (is this becoming a theme?!), oranges, orange juice and avocados! Weighed down with our produce, we headed back to Auckland where Mark had booked us into a rather swanky hotel. The views were just perfect - we had Rangi (my volcano, you'll remember...) out of one window and the city out of the other. When we went to bed we left the curtains open so that we would be woken by the dawn - and we sat on the balcony drinking tea at 5.30 on Monday morning in lovely crunchy white hotel dressing gowns while watching a beautiful sunrise...
Anyway - so, I was originally thinking that Mark was probably not going to be a long term prospect - now, not quite so sure! He gets on well with Lou and Becs, and I spend a lot of the time I am with him laughing, or smiling idiot-like - and when I'm not with him, I kind of wish I was!

The girls seem to be taking all the above in their stride - their approaches are completely different, and seem to sum up the differences in their personalities - Louisa generally greets Mark with "Will you verse me at Chess, Mark" (as in play / versus - don't know, don't ask!), if it's not Chess, she's after Backgammon. Rebecca on the other hand, generally screams into the kitchen yelling "Flying Possums!" which, roughly translated means, "Mark, please take your position at the far end of the living room, so that I can propel, the small stuffed toy possum clutched tightly in my left hand, towards you at great speed. Please be aware that the rules will change as the game progresses to be as advantageous to me as possible. Please also be aware, that should either one of us miss fire, said possum and smash any one of Mummy's special (that's Spishl in Kiwi) bits of china, I will not be seen for dust and you will have to take the brunt of her displeasure!"
Whilst on the games front, Louisa keeps beating Mark at Backgammon, I beat Louisa - ergo hoping this bodes well for my upcoming fixture with Mark. Meanwhile, he still keeps beating me at Scrabble, although less convincingly (I can say that, cause he doesn't read my blog and won't be able to contradict me!), and I still keep thrashing him at Jenga!

Last week Rebecca asked me if we were poor - (how sad is that!), "No," I said, "we are broke"- "What's the difference between poor and broke?" she continued. So I explained that we had a nice home, and food on the table and enough money for decent clothes and for going to the cinema and other treats sometimes, but that there wasn't much left over - which was being 'broke'. She then asked if we were broke because Daddy left - and I told her that that was part of the problem. The following day on the way to school, she suddenly burst out "Mummy, I've been thinking, if you married Mark now, we could have all his money and then we'd be rich!" cue lesson number 473 - "Generally darling, when we get married, it is because we love someone and they make us happy. If you are going to marry someone for money, it is a good idea to make sure they are VERY VERY rich!!"

Then this week, Louisa asked me if I could please have another baby with Mark!!

Both conversations have been reported back to Mark, surprisingly he has not dumped me, although his face did go a very strange shade of pale when I mentioned the baby idea!! Just for the record, NO! - not even a remote possibility!!!!!!

Other than that on the me front...I am exceptionally fat, I have broken out in spots, Chrystaltips hair is being managed with straightening irons, my left knee is buggered from sitting badly at work for 10 of the last 20 years, the rest of my body seems to be under the mistaken belief that it has just entered it's 8th decade, I have discovered that I hate audio transcription, and socially I need at least another 10 hours a day - something which could be solved with that lotto win!

What can I tell you about the girls? Guess I should updated on the netball...Becs back on the team after a bureaucratic / parental glitch - she played yesterday as "Goal A" scoring 14 of the goals in their 16 - 0 win - proud Mummy! Boo at the moment is less enthusiastic, which I am hoping is temporary - think it is partly as her team have been less dynamic of late, but also suspect she has been feeling rather over worked on the homework front, and that by the time it gets to netball night all she wants to do is either design her next catwalk collection or nothing at all!

Christmas is fast approaching - I imagine that you are all sitting there in your polo necks and jeans having been shopping in twinkly lit streets with bows of holly and big Christmas trees - if you have been very lucky it will have been crisp and cold enough that your ear lobes will have hurt. Here, on the other hand, it has just started getting warm. (This is not good! Mainly because I am too fat to take off my jacket at the moment!) We will shop in glaringly sunny shopping malls with bows of holly - (quite ridiculous - it just looks like someone forgot to take them down at the end of last Christmas!) - Santa still wears his big red suit and succeeds in looking rather sweaty and seedy - I'm hoping that the Farmers Santa Parade in the city will be on John's weekend so that I won't be nagged narrow to go - If I give in I will have to sit for 2 hours on a dirty kerb before the parade even starts during which time, a series of fairly untalented extras will throw bucket loads of sweets (lollies in kiwi!) at my children and their perfect teeth - this will be followed by more larily dressed would be actors bringing round flags, hooters and more sweets. Then the parade will start - and shortly after it will finish - and I'll have to remember where I parked the car before battling with all the other irritated mothers to get out of the city and back home! Bah humbug! But oh, it would be soooo much nicer in the cold!

So far I have not found a charity Christmas card supplier - this is also bad! I have written my list - I have even thought about the possible contents of my round robin, however, I have no cards yet - deadline 11th November - alias Friday! Arghh. Fortunately I have a friend travelling to the UK on 15th December - so if all else fails she may be playing the role of Postman Pat - or at least handing over the sorting and delivering to him!

I have now booked the girls flights to the South Island and I am no longer going with them as our airpoints wouldn't stretch - I am a tad nervous about them flying solo, but know that kids do it daily the world over and will now just try and pluck up the courage to let them walk to the dairy (aka corner shop) on their own!

On the John front, getting better. His Dad and his sister obviously struck a few chords with him while they were over as he has been unfailingly nice and normal since their departure. Long may it continue - he and Mark met today and there were pleasantries and no fisticuffs!

I am going to cut short at this point as I have decided to try and get a week of relatively early nights - I have recently, on several occasions, been mistaken for a zombie and think that I should work against this image! However, before disappearing I will try and post the girls school pictures and a couple of other goodies.

Plus, I am going to see if I can get pictures of some of my kiwi and not so kiwi friends here. I am aware that apart from Matthew and Sarah (who are still waiting for Grace Rosie to arrive) I haven't really mentioned anyone in detail, only in very general terms - which is extremely remiss of me because in the last year they have pretty much kept me afloat. Anyway, next time I will see if I can borrow a digital that works and I'll introduce you to some of my muckers.

Big snogs xxx

Watch this space....!

Surprise, surprise, late again - and not even blogging now - but will do on Sunday night - that is Sunday morning in Blighty! News should be up to date by the time I go to bed!

To tempt you - there will be news of approaching summer, barbecues, beaches, gorgeous weekends away and more Scrabble and Jenga. Plus fixtures and results of the new netball season. Not to mention, Roald Dahl, Hilary Duff and the fact that I haven't sent Hilary (Ledger, not Duff) a birthday card - Happy 40th Hils!, or Jo - or even Lottie - who was way back in September - although I have got Lottie a rather cool Christmas present if I can just remember to put it in the post! Come to think of it, not sure that I ever got round to the late birthday card and present for Dom (sorry, Dom - look on the brightside, will have to be a good one for Christmas!)

Anyway - will update Sunday, promise - catch ya then xxx

Blogspam!

I know, I know - first I am the worst correspondent in the world and then I decide to hoik it up a notch and be the worst blogger too!! I have now had at least 3 friends mail me and chastise me for the lack of update! And yes it has been well over a month, I apologise and will do my best not to repeat this serious misdemeanour! (To those of you who I occasionally try and keep in touch with by e-mail, you will be very familiar with similar apologies!)

ANYWAY!!!! - What's new? Nothing much, I guess, otherwise I'd have been blogging like mad!

Girls have just had 2 weeks holiday from school. We have had no recorder practice (oh the peace!), nor have there been homework fights, no daily sock shortage and I have actually arrived at work on time for all but 2 of the last 10 days - this is a feat in itself!
Girls school holiday coincided, rather conveniently, with a visit from John's dad, and his sister 'Nin'. They had the dubious pleasure of my two delightful and massively over excited daughters for most of the last two weeks - I suspect they will now have to take some time off to actually recover from prolonged babysitting duties!

The outlaws stayed with me and the girls, probably mostly because John doesn't have the space for visitors. That said it was good for Lou and Becs that Granddad and Auntie Nin stayed with us - they always have done in the past, so normality was retained, and also it was just great for the girls having them around all the time. Have to say, that I also had a lovely time with my almost ex-outlaws (not sure you ever lose your outlaws do you? - hope not!). Spent a lot of time chatting with Suzanne and catching up on the changes in her life and boring her, doubtless with the changes in mine / ours. Obviously, both John snr and Nin spent a fair amount of time with J, as you would expect. They visited the Coromandel and Tauranga / Bay of Plenty area and had a couple of nice days out with the girls and Sharron too.

Confess that that was probably the only negative aspect of their visit, in that I spent 2 weeks avoiding my estranged hubcap. Early part of their visit J was really snotty, no idea why, but the last weekend he apologised and seems to be making an effort to actually be decent. We have even exchanged some completely normal, totally innocuous e-mails since then - got a lemon curd recipe off him!

Anyway, outlaws departed last weekend. Suzanne left on Friday and by Saturday I suspect she was as happy to be back in Blighty with her new boyfriend as she was sad to leave Aotearoa and the girls. John's dad left on Sunday and is now spending 2 weeks in Canada with his step sister. Got a text from Niagara yesterday - think he is discovering a late starting jet setting gene!! Anyway, it was really good to see both of my outlaws - and looking forward to next time already.

Got the other half of the Le Riche clan arriving in April! For Lou the countdown will probably start on January 1 as she will be dying to see Josh!

Moving on....

Ahh yes - I turned 41! Had Sausage Toad with Sarah, Matthew and their girls, my girls, Soph, Mark - and a couple of lovelies from school - was meant to be a quiet supper, but kind of extended a bit and a bit more! Turns out that as with Meringue, I will never out sausage toad my mother! Also turned out that Matthew hates sausage toad with a passion - Sarah told me just as we sat down to eat, so that the rest of the table got great pleasure from Matthew pushing his toad around his plate in an effort to look like he was eating it.

As with last year, Matthew took ageist pops at me for the 3 weeks between my birthday and his - now he has caught up, I won't have the barbs, at least not for another 49 weeks!

And while on Sarah and Matthew - they are expecting Grace Rosie anytime soon. (Jessica chose the Grace bit, Izzy chose the Rosie part!) Sarah looking very pregnant, and very glam and making me feel enormously fat! Helped organise her baby shower last weekend and only found out on the morning of the shower that there are supposed to be baby shower games! Obviously my age group were pre baby showers! I didn't know! (Any Percy's reading will know exactly the tone of voice to read that last phrase in!!)

In the past, I made several of my good friends first babies patchwork cot covers (will doubtless be priceless limited editions, valued in the $1000s on the Antiques Road Show's Centenary edition!) and decided that I would like to make one for Sarah's bump. Sadly, lack of Laura Ashley in NZ has meant that production has been somewhat stunted and as yet only 15 of the 300 diamonds have been sewn together - note to self, work on time management - failing that, 'Do what you gotta do!!!!....' - anyway, middle finger right hand will be very sore and stunted by the end of next week and will have to cross the fingers on the other hand that Sarah doesn't deliver Grace as early as she did Jess and Izzy or I am scuppered!

And of course it is now almost exactly a year since my nice life all went a bit pearshaped! October 3rd was the start of the end - 22nd was the day John left. Had intended on marking the day with some kind of party. Not a negative 'hate my husband' type party - more of an "I'm still here party - and thanks for being such lovely friends" type of party. However, I am now not having a party....

Instead, I am now being taken on a bit of a magical mystery tour by Mark. No idea where we are going - his shout. Think we may be venturing South (dropped a 'down' into the conversation), and know that we are leaving on the Saturday morning at unGodly o'clock! Suspect we may be heading to Taranaki, which is where Mark is from. Not back till Monday! Not very good at surprises and dying to know where we are off to!

In the meantime, we have homemade Pizza's and Pirates of the Caribbean and Popcorn on Saturday! Bit of a 'P' thing going on there!!

Still having a nice time with Mark. Still not sure how I should introduce him - at the age of 41 somehow 'this is Mark, my boyfriend' - sounds just a bit sad really!! Have made some other suggestions: my distraction? ('Nah') - my partner? (too serious / pc) - my lover (too explicit!) - rather liked 'my pecadillo' (not to be confused with armadillo! it means a 'justifiable sin' according to the Concise OED - which I thought was really rather appropriate - however Mark thought it sounded a bit gay!), tried introducing him as 'ma snog' for a while, but that lost it's novelty value very quickly!! Mark rather like the idea of being introduced as my 'sex toy'.... but then he's male I guess! Any other suggestions very welcome!

Oh and we are now at 11 weeks - in two weeks I'll be able to start counting in months - as in 'We've been dating for 3 months now actually, thank you for asking!' (Oh I still love that French and Saunders sketch!)

Enough of Mark....

Nearly Christmas!! May have to do a special Christmas Blog!! Copy it off to put inside the Christmas cards of the technologically challenged - apparently cards have to be in the post by 11th November - so you will all be getting your first Christmas card around the 15th! Sorry! Am actually doing quite well on the kids present front actually and may even succeed in catching the early parcel post too! Haven't done anything for this end yet - should really be thinking puddings before long - but somehow daffodils and sunshine don't make me want to start chopping almonds!

Nearly been here 4 years too! Haven't done residency yet - will do soon, need to unspend some of the residency money!

Also need to book flights down to the South Island. Girls are going to be spending 2 weeks with John and Sharron and her family in Wanaka which is way down the bottom of the South Island. J & S going down before Christmas, so figured that bearing in mind I have a week without work and without kids I should make the most of it and intend on checking a bit of the South Island out myself. Will fly down with the girls and hand deliver them to John and then got a 5 day Tiki tour taking in Milford Sound, Stuart Island, Dunedin and Christchurch. Will be staying in back packers and touring with 28 year olds - so will doubtless return to Auckland feeling 102, hungover and with itchy feet and no money!! So what's new - really could do with winning Lotto!

Still haven't decided the title of this post. Doesn't seem to be a drift this time either - may have to see it published first....hold on...

Oh, and it turns out there is blogspam! Check out the comments on the last two posts! Wonder how many other single blogspots are going to hit on me!!!!

Got to go - bed time, school night - need to do some garage work in the morning - fat bits getting way too wibbly! (that'll see off the blogspammers!)

snogs xxxxx

And She Scores.......

Have just come back from Becca's netball, last game of the season. John's weekend with the girls but I was given special licence to see the match as Becca was playing Goal Attack. Have seen her play alternate weeks for the last 5 months, but always in defensive positions! And have been told sooooo many times what a stonker she is at the goal! Anyway, at the commence of play the Chelsea Stars were sitting in joint third position in their league - and they played a blinder!!! 11 - 0 - and Becca, bless her little tiny cotton socks, scored 9 of them! - confess that by the time we got past 7 it was actually starting to get a little predictable / boring (! would never tell her I said that!), so we started shouting from the barbie as we ordered team hotdogs!!! Monday we will find out if the girls managed to take the opposition out of the number 2 spot and whether we will be required at prize giving or not. Watch this space.

Boo, just for the record also played a cracking match on Wednesday - she had her 4 favourite positions and so played GD, WA, GS and GA - scored 3 goals but they still lost 8 - 5. Good little team though and next term they will be playing Summer / Twilight netball, which is only two positions a match, and 'encourages positional play' (?) - and she's still loving it.

Just in the middle of making pears poached in red wine for dinner at Sarah and Matthews this evening and lemon cake to take to work on Monday for my birthday - still think it's a bit rough that I get to do cooking for my birthday!

Anyway, short and sweet today - but amendment to previous blog - think I made reference to being the Tania Turner of Birkenhead Utd - if that transpires I will have traded in Mark for a different model, as he actually plays for Glenfield Rovers - Yellow and Black hoops as opposed to red and white stripes! I stand corrected!

xx

Claire, Dave and me after the Lions lost! Strange that we look so happy?!?!

Claire, me and Dave before the Lions lost the 3rd test! 

Booie and Dave at Takapuna - July 2005 

The Wizard of Oz and 'Moving On'...

Not sure where to start this one - this week has been stupidly busy as the children have been doing Oz for most of it. They absolutely loved it - and the parents all oohed and aahed and breathed a collective sigh of relief as the last curtain came down, knowing that we weren't going to have think 'show' again for another 2 years. Certainly the costumes were spectacular, the children performed with the enthusiasm that only a child can perform with; the piano was so loud that you couldn't hear the characters singing and the sound effects generally arrived several minutes after the cue - and Lou and Becs were on and off so quickly that I wasn't quite sure whether they had actually done their bit or I had just imagined it!

That said, Oz is now done and I have been left with the aftermath of two totally wrecked daughters. Becca is coping with 'Post theatrical stress disorder' far better than Louisa who is still an absolute shocker when she is tired. And of course, this week we still have gymnastics, netball, brownies and music! Roll on the holidays!

Becca's team, the Chelsea Stars, were back on court yesterday and rather spectacularly won 12 - 1. Lou's, the Chelsea Chicks (she thinks this is a very uncool name, and who am I to disagree!) play on Wednesday and have to come back having lost the last 3 matches - hoping they play well, as for the last few weeks they seem to have been playing with lead in their boots - and I'm hoping it's just because of the effort involved in doing the Oz thing!

Speaking of the holidays, (tried to move this paragraph but won't let me!) we have our next visitors just in time for the girls school break. John's sister, Suzanne and his Dad are coming over. They are going to stay with me and the girls for most of their stay, I think, but will obviously spend a fair amount of time with John too. The girls are getting very excited at the prospect of 2 weeks of Grandad and Auntie Nin - think it will do them a world of good to know that all the old relationships are still there, despite Daddy not living here anymore.

While on the John front, I had been having a fairly lumpy couple of weeks - new revelations emerged that meant that once again I hit the floor with an almighty thump, dissolved into blubbering mess which soon evolved into ranting and raving etc etc. Think first port of call was a virtually unintelligible phone call to Matthew and Sarah - and Matthew, whilst sympathetic and, by now getting very good at interpreting snivvly Lisa splurge, suggested that it might be time to start trying to 'let go'. Mark, a little later, made a similar suggestion - and when my boss and Soph both said the same thing the next day, I started thinking perhaps they had a point! And so, I am trying to 'move on'. Suspect that there will still be many bumps along the road, but right now it seems like a hell of a lot easier traveling. John and I have agreed to 'start from here' - and to have the relationship of parents of our children rather than ex - partners. No idea how easy it will be or how practical - but has to beat the alternative. In the spirit of the new truce, John came and had dinner with us last night for Father's Day - slightly surreal, but we managed to survive the evening without bloodshed and have exchanged e-mails today.

And all of that, I guess, leads neatly on to Mark! Toyed with the idea of a separate 'post' - listing Marks 'vital statistics' etc (sounds a bit rude) - but thought better of it! Anyway, yes still seeing him. Will be 6 weeks this week. (Counting in weeks always seems so sad! I mean - last year it was, 'how long have you been together?' - and the answer would be 'oooh 14? 15 years now' - now it's erm 5 and a half weeks!) That said since last blogging, have had flowers, fire wood, more beach, more walks, Scrabble, Jenga and meeting each others friends - and more dinners and lunches out - diet not going well!
Yesterday, Mark treated the girls and I to a day at the zoo which was fantastic. I think he may have figured it out as being a relatively safe and painless way to lower himself into the mire that is children! Bearing in mind that he has no kids of his own and his only nephew lives in Sevenoaks, I suspect that it was the first time he has ever spent a whole day with children! - or at least since being an adult! Girls were perfect, weather was perfect - and so were the ice creams! New flavour Magnum - white chocolate berry! And please don't tell me that it has been in England for the last 2 years!
Re the Scrabble, he beat me! Arghh - although I did beat him at Jenga - but I'm not entirely sure that you get boasting rights with Jenga! Speaking of Scrabble - have decided that men play much more tactically than women - you know, grabbing the triple words and making every tile finish four words off and all that sort of stuff. Women, on the other hand, like putting down nice words! eg - I put down 'Tithe' not a great word, like Pronk, but a nice word - Mark found me about an extra 24 points just be putting 'Hit' two squares over - I took the extra points, but confess that I still prefer Tithe!!!
Oh, and while Mark is a Kiwi, his Mum comes from Guernsey!
Next weekend we have been invited to dinner with Sarah and Matthew - which for Mark will be the equivalent of me taking him to meet my Dad! He seems quite calm about the whole thing - maybe I need to beef up the magnitude a bit, just for fun?!?
And yes I am having a very nice time and he makes me smile!

Work wise - change of plan!!(dashing on rapidly - dying to be in bed!) Have decided to ignore the HR route and instead get into something that has interested me for years, careers counseling. Turns out there is a nationally recognised qualification offered at AUT, which I can do FREE!!!! Now just have to figure out where to put the kids! Anyway, starts in Feb - and I have all but signed on the dotted line!

Although, I still haven't started my book! That said, found one of my 'starts' last week and think I quite like it and might run with that for a while...

What else? 41 next week - have decided to count backwards for 3 years - much prefer the idea of being 39 again!

And oh, the beautiful weather we are having!! August is still supposed to be mid-winter, and yet we have had the most glorious uninterrupted sunny weather pretty much since the Lions left!! (sorry Dave!) - Saturday after netball we had hot chicken baguettes on the beach and the girls went rockpooling for 2 hours! I even have a little bit of pink on my nose and forehead (note to self - buy suncream!). This probably means that we are having our summer now and come December it will rain relentlessly for the whole of 2006 - and Chrystaltips hair will be the new hair craze - at least for me!

Saw Lou's specialists last week. No change all fine - latest best guess is that she will hit a fairly normal 5'2" - 5'4" - will just cross my fingers that she is not blessed with my boobs or my feet! Poor love!

As for Becca's skin, well it had been fantastic for about 2 years until last week when after 4 nights of make-up she was looking absolutely dreadful - all pinky eyed and dry and scaley - that said, fortunately already her face is pretty much back to normal, so hopefully, she may eventually out grow the eczema.

Up and coming...Triv rematch - girls hoping to have more luck with the dice and polish the guys off in the first hour - but the boys will have extra fire power in the form of Mark whose specialty is Chelsea Football Club and all things Kiwi! (must remember to keep using the English questions!) - also, Football club dinner (guess at 40 / 41 should really have been to a football club dinner at least once??! - Maybe I could be the Tania Turner of Birkenhead FC!) - oh and Sarah's baby shower is only 3 weeks away - which means I had better get on with sewing her cot cover!

By the way - cool kiwi music to check out (no idea which ones are in UK already - so forgive!) but Bic Runga, Greg Johnson (latest album - Here Comes the Caviar) and Goldenhorse.

And with that it is time to click the heels of my ruby slippers 'There's no place like bed; there's no place like bed; there's no place like ..............'

snogs xxx

Do What You Gotta Do!!

There is a law in the Le Riche household at 5 Le Roy which says "Do what you gotta do, before you do what you wanna do!!" This goes for homework, flute practice, tidying room, watching TV and pretty much everything else that goes on here. Admittedly, it seems that this law is known only by me - despite the fact that I recite it to my children at least 53 times daily!! I suspect that the people who live at number 3 and number 7 know this law - and it is quite possible that those at number 25 and beyond also do!

Anyway, it would appear that for the last few weeks I have been doing far too much of what I 'wanna' do, and not enough of what I've 'gotta' do! One such thing of course being my blog! And now I have to try to remember what it is that has taken up sooo much time as to make blogging near impossible!

Well, netball features, as usual. Last term were grading games. This term is the proper competition for both Lou and Becs. So far so good and wins have been recorded every week for both of them - actually think Becs may have lost one, but hey! Both are playing really well and more to the point enjoying it enormously. This afternoon they had netball club and Lou's group were doing team building games - which they seemed to enjoy even more than the netball!!

While still on the netball theme, we seem to have morphed into Netball central here - At Christmas, one of Lou's main presents was a proper netball net and ball. In the absence of a suitable wall to mount it on, it was initially taped (yes taped!) to the back deck! DIY had never been one of John's stronger talents and apparently that has not changed since his departure - so that when the rain came and came quite often, eventually the taping gave up and the net fell down! Last weekend I discovered that on occasion, not having a husband is actually no excuse for getting all the maintenance done. Sunday at 10.00am friend Debbie's husband Pete turned up and waterblasted my deck (looks great!) 6 hours later, friend Kerry's husband Malcolm arrived in the drive way and mounted the netball net to the right height in less than 10 minutes!
Since then, the netball hoop has been in almost permanent use! There are pre school one on ones - and post school!

Probably the other main thing going on in the girls life at the moment is their school production. Every two years they do a 'Show'. In 2003 it was Alice in Wonderland. This year they are doing The Wizard of Oz. Rebecca is playing the part of a Poppy (pivotal character in the story!). I'm still smarting at the fact that Louisa, whose alter ego Lulu Le Riche has on more than one occasion been referred to as sounding like a porn star, has landed the equally important role of a masseuse!!!! (No, I don't remember one in the film either!) Anyway, morning school dash is regularly accompanied by a poppy and a masseuse singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow and most of the rest of the musical numbers!

From my side - well, work is work - not very exciting at present and I bailed out of doing my HR course until next semester. Bit pathetic really but couldn't actually figure out where I was going to find an extra 10 hours a week and so am intending on starting some of the reading during this term and the long summer break. Note that I say I am intending, rather than 'I have..'! Will start it next year and hopefully be done by July - then I may see what else I can do!
Also trying to get my derriere into gear and start writing the book I have been meaning to create ever since we got here. Thing is that the longer I put off writing it, the more happens, the more the perspective changes - the more the starting point changes! So far I have 3 first paragraphs and none of them are particularly gripping! Must actually sit down at some point and get on with it - obviously the plan is that I will be the next JK Rowling!

On the more positive and fun side, I have been doing a fair amount of snogging recently!! (sorry, always going to be a snog!) With the same chap, I hasten to add! Met him at a party - friend of a friend. A kiwi (!!!!!!!), called Mark. Very nice man - so far I have been taken out to dinner twice, been treated to wine and fish and chips while watching the sunset from the beach, and have walked and walked along some beautiful beaches in rain and glorious sunshine! And all of that in the space of two weeks!!

Probably most worrying thing about the dating thing is that I start sounding a bit kiwi when I am round Mark. The one vowel which I know I have mutilated since I got here is the 'a' in car and park and dark and Mark - normally they are okish, but over the weekend I was aware that I was actually calling Mark, Maaaaaark as we drove in the caaaaaaaaar - I will have to keep a very strict watch on things or soon I will be finishing sentences with 'eh?' and talking about 'fsh and chups'!!

The girls know that I have had a couple of dates, although they have only met Mark very briefly just once. They both seem to think Mummy dating is incredibly funny and take every opportunity to take the mick out of me mercilessly! Rebecca wants to know if I am in 'lerv' (no!) and last week asked me if I was going to marry him!! Have to confess to feeling quite sorry for Mark, who doesn't have children and will doubtless be grilled fairly extensively by Lou and Becs when he does meet them properly! Louisa has already decided she wants to beat him at Chess - which is highly probable, bearing in mind how quickly she thrashed me this afternoon! That said, I am an appallingly bad Chess player!

Unbelievably, on 22nd October, it will be 1 year since John left. Think the day may have to be marked in some way, if only to stop me dwelling on what might have beens etc...

Oh, and October is also the time that I have to send Christmas cards! This year, I will be sending them again - and for those of you I haven't apologised to, sorry there weren't any last year - wasn't quite sure how to rise above the situation and sound like I wasn't about to throw myself into the Pacific!

As for news on the John front...well that is all rather plentiful!

First off, he and Sharron are getting engaged! Would have liked to have thought he could have waited till we were divorced - and in NZ that won't be till we have been separated for 2 years, so next October. Presumably, soon after that there will be a wedding - although I can't actually work out what the point would actually be - did ask him but was met with a rather stony silence!!

On the same day that John hit me with the "what would you say if I said Sharron and I were getting engaged" thing, he also let slip that he and Sharron are thinking of moving to the South Island sometime in the next two years - which means that he will see next to nothing of the girls and I will probably never see daylight again. Most worried from the girls point of view - not quite sure how John thinks he can explain away the fact that he is leaving them again. Also not sure how he thinks he is going to repair any damage to the relationship on a maximum of 4 weeks a year. Find it all really rather sad as I always thought he had the makings of a good dad - seems to have got lost in the mess a bit for now. Hoping he refinds it before he damages Lou and Becs illusion of him permanently.
Of course the other side of the John possibly buggering off to the South Island thing is my end - on one hand, I confess that if the girls were out of the equation, I could happily never see John again. But they aren't. Plus, if he does head South, the me time that I have only just discovered is going to get completely swamped! But, guess both those thoughts are really just asides to the main issue.

Anyway, rest of the news is not publishable to the www! You will have to mail me and ask for the extra bits!!

Gotta go - as I wanna get some sleep! Love to England xxx

Louisa, Toph and Becca (with very wiggly front teeth!!) - July 2005 

London

Realised after rather mammoth burble of 'Here Kitty Kitty!!' that having splurged rather fully on things Le Riche, I hadn't mentioned the awful events in London.

Have heard from most of our friends who do the London thing. First reaction to the news was that I was very glad to be half way round the world. And then sad that we are only able to feel safe because we live at the arse end of civilisation. And then sad that many people that we care about are not able to feel safe.

I remember in the early 90s when I was commuting on the tube into town everyday, that I never really felt completely relaxed and comfortable till I was sitting in my office (was fairly sure that a Manpower office was not going to be a major target for the IRA!).

Strange hearing the kiwi reporting of the incident - "so far we believe that there are no kiwi dead - and we hope that that continues to be the case..." and while I kind of see the point, what the hell difference does it make where someone comes from?

Trust that all the people you love are safe and that that 'continues to be the case'.

Loads of hugs xx

Here Kitty Kitty!!

Can't decide what to entitle today's blog. Haven't really decided what today's blog is even going to be about - so guess I will blog and having burbled I will see if there is a coherent chain of thought which provokes a title - possibly that is the way that titles should always be written!

I can never decide whether July over here is the worse time of year or the best. On the negative side it rains and rains and rains. Not continuously, but regularly and usually just when the washing is almost dry ... and I am out. Admittedly, because there are periods of beautiful sunshine in the interims (can that be plural?!) we do have the most abundant supply of stonking rainbows. Double rainbows, full rainbows, bright as poster paint rainbows. However this is small comfort when having left my umbrella in my office, accidentally and irretrievably, I am once again waterlogged by the time I get to the bus - and then again the following morning by the time I get to work. Of course my umbrella remains pristine and new and will doubtless remain so until the time that I bequeath it to my great grandchildren on my deathbed! Of course, the other problem with great big fat Auckland rain is that my normally slightly wave hair is daily combating the terrors of Chrystaltips hair. Rarely has anyone ever had bigger hair.

On the positive side - July goes quiet. Summer, and the barbies, parties, picnics and long suppers that are it's predominant feature, seems to start around September / October. The social blur runs on past Christmas and New Year, past the start of school term in February, past March and the clocks going back, and usually right up until Easter. Then there is the overflow and catch up of Autumn and usually life only seems to slow down once we have got past Rebecca's birthday - and now we have!

So last weekend I had the rare and incredible luxury of a weekend of nothing! The girls were with John and I managed to arrange a whole weekend of not arranging anything. Right up until the Friday I arranged nothing. I spent the Friday watching rented movies that I missed at the cinema in front of an open fire and with a glass of wine. I did gardening (yes, I know, doesn't happen often and really should clarify that in my case, 'gardening' is probably more accurately described as 'weeding'!). I spent Saturday night not watching the Lions getting beaten for the second time but instead sat in a spa bath drinking red wine and looking at all the stars in a fantastically clear Southern sky. And I managed to grab 3 walks - one of which was an hour and a half walking along an almost empty beach. The sky was as big and blue as it can possibly be and Rangitoto was there as beautiful as ever with a low mist hanging round it like a gauzy skirt. On those sort of days I find it difficult not to walk along looking ludicrously smiley!

This weekend has been less quiet. Obviously we have had the Lions here for the last few weeks. I've not really entered into the spirit or the frenzy of the whole event, largely as I can't quite decide who to support. And it seems faintly embarrassing that I don't actually mind who wins - particularly in New Zealand. The All Blacks are not just a rugby side here - they are revered above and beyond politicians, movie stars, royalty and probably relatives too.

Anyway, this week been one of the most relaxed and pleasant weeks I have had in a very long time. My very old and lovely friend Dave and his wife, Claire came to stay. They've spent the last couple of weeks discovering NZ whilst fitting in a couple of rugby matches on the way. They finally arrived in Auckland on Wednesday afternoon. Had not met Claire before we left the UK so was chuffed to have some time to get to know her - and had not seen Dave properly in about 10 years. And as is the way with very old and lovely friends, conversation flowed as easily as it has every time I have ever spent time with him. There is something incredibly comfortable in friends who have known you pre kids, pre marriage, pre responsibility - if nothing else it helps remind us who we were first - and bearing in mind that things can be a bit lumpy from time to time here at the moment, it also helped to put some of the crap in perspective. Anyway without getting burbly (or at least no more so than usual!) We chatted from about 6.15, when they arrived, until gone 1.30am. Thursday they went up to the Bay of Islands and then they got back here on Friday in time to have a very enjoyable evening with Soph. Saturday we did the rugby thing - Big TV screens in big and very overcrowded pubs, big beers, and quite a lot of bad dancing with hairy strangers and slurry accents! Think we headed home about 2am and carried on talking till sometime after 3.30. Now they have buggered off to Fiji for a week before heading back to the UK - and left us here feeling bloody freezing and feeling really rather homesick! (Am I piling the guilt on thick enough yet Dave?!!) And now I shall just look forward to my next dose of home.

Anyway, was a very very good 3 days. Admittedly I now have to recover - and I may well go to bed at the same time as the girls tonight! - This morning very few of my faculties seemed to respond to the normal stimuli - speaking didn't work very well, hearing neither - and I suspect my feet may actually have been squashed by a steam roller (note to Percy woman - feet do not respond well to high heeled boots in crowded seatless pubs for 9 hours!)

The girls are also recovering from their Saturday - sleepovers should actually be renamed 'stayawakeovers' in my humble opinion! Think they will be in bed before 7 tonight! Currently having a video fest. Fortunately we are on school hols so late sleeps tomorrow!

Netball over for the term - although both are doing a 3 day netball programme next week. Music also done for the term. They did an end of term concert last weekend - between gardening and spas I went along to see them play - it was a little more complicated than usual in that, because it was Js weekend with the girls he took Sharron to see them play too. Managed to keep them out of my sight and me out of theirs.

Becs starts at Brownies next term - and is currently looking really rather dodgy as both her front teeth are now finally out. I say finally as she is not a wiggler. Both teeth had been wobbly for at least 2 months prior to the tooth fairy paying a call!

Lou being quite angelic at the moment. Has even found a 'tidy gene' although I suspect it may have a very short life expectancy. She was cheering for the Lions throughout. To the extent that on Friday it was 'Black Out Day' at school - so she went wearing red!!

Anyway - have decided on my title - was an advertising slogan for the Lions series....

Enjoy Summer - winter is not far away and is very cold!!!

Happy New Year!!

Well Becca is now 7 - and I am at least 120! The party went well - 14 small girls made beautiful (if slightly tacky!) beady things; they ate disgustingly pink icecream cake and sang happy birthday, and made more noise than you would think possible - so we put them into cars and drove them to someone elses party!! Very painless! Must remember to take down the balloons on the gate.

As usual, I never fail to be amazed by the wild imagination of toy makers - Becca got a Pop Idol Barbie (longer legs than the Colossus of Rhodes! and arms like Mr Tickle!), a fortune telling mirror and quite remarkable array of things that you can stick together, take apart and generally mess around with for hours.

Sunday was slightly more complicated. At 2.10 I was soooo organised that I actually started hanging washing out - and this would have been fine but for the fact that I had told Heather and her boys (including Neil, her nearly famous yachtsman husband - ) to come around at 2.00 not 2.30 as I had thought! In usual Percy fashion, my guests spent the first 20 minutes talking amongst themselves while I put the hoover away, got washed and changed and tried to remember what I was meant to be doing next in the kitchen! I complicated things further by deciding that a mussel starter was in order - not that smart when you consider that I have never cooked mussels before (John's dept!) and the Turkey was out of the oven before I even started to reduce the sauce!!

In the event, we finally sat down to "Christmas Lunch" at 4.15 - so my 3.00 estimate was not far off?! Was not a bad lunch, in fact - but I can never understand why Roast Turkey makes you so much fuller than roast beef, pork or lamb - do not remember ever having felt so full in my life!

After pud and mince pies we had a very lovely evening in front of a blazing log fire before everyone left to get the kids to a reasonably early night before school. Once abandoned to clear the rubble, I discovered I had forgotten to serve both the cranberry sauce and the rum butter!

Today felt just like Boxing Day (except for going to work) - girls took turkey sandwiches to school and I took some to work. And this evening Soph dropped in to say 'hi' having just arrived back from Australia - and we had cold Turkey salad for dinner - figure I should just about be through the cold stuff just in time for Christmas!

Rebecca - Not that it's cold in the kitchen or anything?!! 

The date!

Thought you might like a bit of a giggle at my expense as I re-enter the world of dating!

Let's face it whole thing a bit of a nightmare anyway - hadn't actually reckoned on having to remember how to flirt at the age of 40, or on having to question whether I am a decent kisser or not! Certainly hadn't reckoned on the fact that it seems that I am doomed never to meet a sinlge, attractive and attractable male - BUT... Soph's nearly ex boyfriend, has a very lovely lawyer friend who very gamely rang me for a blind date! (never done one of those before either!)

After chatting on the phone for an hour on Monday and arranging to meet next Wednesday, we had a bit of a text flirt going on (whole new realm from last time I was dating!) on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I resolved to keep thumb away from phone keys as I wasn't sure my bank account could take the strain of a week of unabated texting! Anyway, turns out nice chap and I had got wires crossed - I had a phone call this Wednesday asking if I was standing him up! Oops!!

Anyway, invited him over for a glass of wine.

Remember the sitcom scene where the woman tidies up by stuffing everything behind the sofa or in the cupboard etc - well imagine that coupled with a desperate attempt to not look like I have just stood in the rain watching netball (which I have!) after a fairly heavy day at work! All in 15 mins - didn't even have decent standby outfit to change into as the weather has been so bad that pretty much everything is wet or dirty! Oh and no food in house either!

Did manage a fresh face and shirt - but sadly, I don't think that this made up for the Chrystaltips hair!

Anyway, nice evening - but very lovely man and I made no sparks at all. Sooo, back to the drawing board!

Maybe I need to set up a dating agency?!

Faster than a Speeding Bullet!

Well, it turns out that time has flown again, and I haven't blogged. Cannot believe we are already into June and soon into July. It seems that the older I get the faster I run, the more gets crammed in - and still the days whizz past until I hit yet another birthday!
Speaking of which...Lou's birthday was a hoot, popcorn and pizzas were demolished and it was very civilised - no tears, not much mess and general good will all round! Suspect Becca's on Saturday may be another story!

Today is Tuesday - (I have just marzipanned the Christmas cake for Sunday. At some point between now and then will also have to ice it - doubtless there will be the usual spikey icing snow scene - can't remember when I took over Christmas cake duties from Mum but am rather hoping that soon Booie will get the urge!) and I am in the middle of the week from Hell!

I realised this afternoon that I hadn't got around to buying Becca's birthday present (so, now you know it is nothing to do with the post!), neither have I made up the party bags or started on the cake. This year, finally, Rebecca has decided that she would like a cake that she likes! For the last however many years she has insisted on sponge cake, even though she won't touch it. So this year, she has decided on a number 7 ice cream cake in synthetic pink strawberry ice cream. I have never made an ice cream cake before - but I will have by the end of this week as I can't find anywhere to buy one from! Have also got to remember to be in for 6 hours in a row to cook the Christmas pudding - although I have remembered to order a turkey and have passed on veggie duties to Sarah and Mathew - Heather is being Trifle monitor.

If the above sounds doable, remember there is also the job and netball! Just to add to my pleasure there is also "Americana" at school on Thursday. This is, almost, a concert! It follows in the tradition of the Scottish Night (St Andrews Day 2003), Irish Night (St Paddy's night 2004), and Pacifica (some time since St Paddy's). A 'choir' of hundreds (ish - although it has gradually diminished in size), known as Chelsea Singers, gather in the school hall wearing appropriate dress (parents also expected to dress up!)(none of which have been organised yet!) and then sing-a-long-a-tape deck of traditional songs from the region for about 3 hours (not exaggerating very much - honest!)! Within this set-up there are then a number soloists and groups who take on a song. One or two of them can sing but most can't - very painful - usually there is at least one cute (but appallingly precocious) 5 year old , who is chosen because he/she is ok about standing up in front of a couple of hundred adults, rather than because they can actually sing!

Anyway, Thursday we have Americana. Highlights will include Tie a Yellow Ribbon, You Must have Been a Beautiful Baby and If I knew you Were Coming I'd Have Baked a Cake. Deep Joy! That said, the kids enjoy it so I really should stop grizzling and smile and clap as usual!

I think after this week we get to settle into wintry comfort stuff - as in warm jumpers in front of open fires and log burners on a Sunday afternoon with the papers. Tends to not be quite so much running around in the winter.

Other news - was out at friends on Saturday. Pot luck dinner. As in everyone takes a dish and who knows what you end up with - this is not actually a particularly good idea as it seems that in general everyone takes curry, or everyone takes puddings! Saturday's, however, very good spread including a pumpkin hollowed out and mashed up and then peas put in and spooned back into the shell (no idea how the peas didn't get marmalised, but they didn't) - v. tasty. Only after I got home did I realise that probably for the first time ever, I was the only Pom! Had a very good evening none the less!

Have also decided that to shift the weight again (how stupid am I!) I need a challenge - and so Soph, me and one of the Kiwi's from Saturday are going to do the round Taupo bike run. If you don't know about Lake Taupo, it is huge. Look at a map of NZ - the big blue blob in the middle of the North Island, that is Lake Taupo - it is a 160k round trip. Could do it twice - but figure I have to leave challenges for future crises! Am setting up an exercise bike inside and a bike stand (you can train on your own bike without going anywhere and your bottom gets moulded your saddle!) in the garage. It's on November 26th - haven't decided whether to get sponsors yet - will let you know if I do!

Dave the lovely Scot who read at our wedding is over in a couple of weeks to see some of the Lions matches. Soph and I are going to catch up with him and his new wife for a few days which I am looking forward to - and Soph moves back to Auckland next week. So loads of stuff happening - all good.

Oh, and am out on a date next week!

Winter's here....

Sunday was the start of winter. I know this emphatically and without a shadow of a doubt for four reasons: 1 - we had our first roast of the year: roast lamb, onion sauce, mint jelly, snips etc - followed by a rather stonking apple crumble which I didn't make. 2 - turned around the living room. In summer we face our French doors and our deck, winter we face the open fire. 3 - lit the fire (just! - come back John all is forgiven!). And 4 - fleecy PJs came out of storage.

And Blimey, it is seriously brass monkey weather!! Always forget how chilly it gets here. Don't think it is anything like as cold as the UK, but for some Godforsaken reason, no-one seems to think that GCH is very necessary here. We live in little wooden houses on hillsides with wicked winds pitching in from the Pacific, the Tasman and the cold bit by the South Pole (can never remember which is Arctic and which is Antarctic!) - and we have no radiators!! There have been evenings in the last 3 years when I have resorted to spending the evening in my sleeping bag! Mind you, the kiwis are a bit dillusional when it comes to weather. In the summer they blast everything with air conditioning so that it's almost as cold as winter.

Speaking of curious kiwi things - did you know that over here, a French door / patio door, is called a ranch slider?! Linen is Manchester. Sweeties are lollies. Ice lollies are iceblocks and trousers are pants. Never thought I would get used to the trousers / pants thing - but confess to actually calling trousers pants!

I think I have started to wander - focusing, briefly - what's new?

Girls have colds again, Rebecca has had another chest infection. It has rained for 3 weeks. I'm fatter.

Saturday is Louisa's birthday party. Yes her birthday is in January. It falls smack in the middle of the school and annual holidays so no-one is ever in Auckland and so Lou's party generally gets kicked into February. This year, however she has been really rather skanky and I have had to cancel it (with the option to buy it back with good behaviour) at least 3 times! Finally, 6 months late (or 6 months early, whichever way you prefer to look at it!), Boo is having 6 friends (including Jacob!!!) round on Saturday for the movie "A Series of Unfortunate Events" followed by Hell's Pizza and a couple of girlies staying over. Think the movie is to be accompanied by much popcorn, and the Pizza is to be followed by multi-coloured jelly sucked up through straws! She's looking forward to it - and she is behaving beautifully. Have had a lovely Loulou for about 4 weeks, but who's counting?:! Should also mention at this point that Boo has been trying to set me up with Jacob's Dad!

Two weeks after that, Becca is having her birthday party (on the day!). She's having a jewellery making party with 10 little friends. Was going to all be straight forward except that this afternoon she came home with an invitation to a friends party on the same day and at the same time! Arghh! So now, her party is preceding the other party and there will be a convoy of mothers shipping screaming 6/7 year olds to part II of the party at the local bowling alley.

After that, I think I would probably quite welcome settling into a cold bottle of unoaked Chardonnay, however, instead I will be peeling potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts for 12, for Mid-winter Christmas on the Sunday. Which reminds me, at some point I really must cook off my Christmas puds!

Strangely, however much I know that we are now in Winter (see paragraph 1!) my brain does this weird loop and thinks that I should be planning New Year's Eve soon. And despite the fact that my washing seems to spend more time hanging limp and wet on the line than it does in my wardrobe (does spend a Hell of a long time scrunched up in the ironing basket too, but hey!??!), I still find myself talking about June, July and August as 'over the summer' - as in 'we'll go down to Taupo and see Megan over the summer...' - as I said, weird brain loop!

Netball continues. The girls do Chelsea Singers (I'll tell you about that another day!) on Wednesday and Thursday mornings before school, which gets me in 30 minutes early, which buys me half an hour in the afternoon - which means I get to get back from work in time to see Lou play netball. Turns out my Booie is really neat little player. Better on attack than defence. Her shooting is amazing and she marks like a little demon (till the other player gets the ball, when she kind of gives up!) - and sometimes she seems to make space! as in make it!! Anyway, I haven't played netball since I was about 15 and have never watched a whole game in my life - but suddenly Wednesday afternoon netball is the highlight of my week - not least cause I get a wee bit of time with Lou on her own. Saturday netball comes in a close second, of course!

Strange how there are some things in a situation which you don't anticipate. As in, you split up with long term husband and expect to be broke and tired. You expect to get a bit frazzled from time to time. You don't think about the fact that you will rarely get any time with either of your children on their own anymore. Thursday night is Lou's Brownie night so I get some time to read with Becs and have cuddles, and Lou I get 20 minutes after Netball - but that's about it.

Anyway.... just to complete my promises from previous blog - played Triv a couple of weeks back with a load of poms and a token kiwi. Girls led 5 - 0 for the bulk of the game, but couldn't land on the last piece of cheese - and in the end were beaten by the chaps! We wuz robbed!
Played a brief and unfinished game on Sunday after the roast as well and discovered that Matthew cheats!! (Could he have me for libel for publishing this fact on the web do you think?) - Turns out Sarah knows as much useless information as I do! - possibly more actually.

Spell checker very sad on the blog site - a 'Pom' is a poem - 'netball' is notable - 'Louisa' is logic and 'Jacob' is scabies! Oh, and defence is spelt with an s not a c!

Enough! I have flicked into burble mode! Doesn't take much, eh!?!

Bedtime - cold sheets - girls have heaters and wheatie bags - I have holey socks - woe is me!

N'night xxx