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!!!
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