15 November 2006
14 November 2006
Mini-mini update!!
Weeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!
- Mark's house has now gone UNCONDITIONAL!! Which is sort of the same as 'Exchanging Contracts' in UK.
- This means Mark will be homeless on 7 December! At least he will be if he isn't extremely nice to me - assuming that he is as lovely as usual, I might just let him move in here!
- Optimum plan is to find a house to buy immediately and move in soon after Mark. (Cats, visitors etc - tooooo hard all on the same day!)
- Possibly even more optimum plan is to find fantastic section and move into a bigger rental while we build dream home! Like the sound of that one actually!
- THE QUILT IS FINISHED!! Sarah loved it - Grace loves it and if it was any later I would be expecting a hand written thank you note from Grace - delivered by her in her own car!
- Christmas cards / parcels not in the post yet! Sorry!
- Divorce papers were served on Saturday - the termination of my marriage is in court on 13 December (what is it about that date?) - and I will officially no longer be married on 15 January - which is, coincidentally, Mark's birthday - bargain for a pressie!
- John obviously not getting married on 17 December now.....
- Tickets for UK likely to be booked / purchased before 15 December!!!!
- Diet has begun again! First target is 5kg (and hopefully fave jeans) before Angela arrives -
Think that is the update on the update completed! Promise to desist from bullet points in future - it is very nearly bedtime and I am trying to be disciplined and actually get into bed some time before midnight!
Lots of hugs - will be back soon with proper literary effort! And no, still haven't got onto the book yet!
Lili xx
10 November 2006
Christmas is Coming - the Goose is Getting Fat and I Still Haven't Won Lotto!!
I know I haven’t blogged for ages – but there is a very very very good reason – namely that there is just sooooooooooooooo much going on and I am absolutely terrified of jinxing the house stuff that I have not been able to blog!!
Edited highlights below – will flesh it all out as soon as some of it is slightly resolved…
Mark has an offer on his house!!!!!!!!!!!! If it all goes through (find out in the next few days) he will be moving out on 7 December! Therefore….
I might be moving out of my nice little house soon after the 7 December!!! Will post picture after weeding and lawn mowing on Saturday!GOT A NEW CAR!! Ditto picture!
Now, briefly 2 car family! Old car in drive – bugger to get car in garage right way round at the moment!
Gamble with John didn’t pay off – he wouldn’t negotiate so I didn’t sign divorce papers – debt issue not resolved, pension issues not resolved, life insurance issue not resolved – and now, of course, he will be able to blame me for pretty much everything for evermore, particularly not being able to get married on 17 December!
Grace’s first birthday at the weekend – it is just possible that I may finish the quilt cover by then. It has been sitting, all the hand sewing finished, just waiting for the machining to be done, since last November!
Haven’t done Christmas Round Robin yet – haven’t started Christmas shopping yet – last cheap posting date is tomorrow – but I’m going to wing it and cross fingers that they arrive sometime before the festive season – if they don’t, sorry! Just that this week the quilt came in first on the priorities list!!
Girls wonderful.
Lou’s netball has been brilliant – they haven’t won that many games, but then half of their team have never played before. As a result Lou has shown great netball skills and some really cool leadership and coaching skills too – Mummy v proud! She’s looking at training to be a Netball referee. She’d only be able to ref for little league games (ie up to age 9), but that would work fine on a Saturday morning when Becca plays.
Becs great too. Her netball good too. She is a sunny little soul and full of fun – suspect she may be a bit of a handful in teen years!
Coming up we have Lou’s school camp, for a week. Outdoor activity week for Becca; Monitor’s trip to Rainbows End Theme Park for Lou; Opening of the new shading at school (PTA work!); End of Lou’s primary years; lots of Christmas parties; Mark’s brother and his family coming to stay and Angela, Vince and the boys coming for Christmas.
Mark still absolutely lovely. Seems to be v calm about the whole move thing, where I have gone quietly into panic mode – sooooooooooooooo looking forward to it on the one hand – and there’s the other part of me which is saying "you’re impossible to live with – he’ll leave you!" – of course I’ve never been one for melodrama or over thinking things?!! Fortunately, I am aware that as soon as we do it, all will be well and I will be happy as the proverbial pig! And for those of you who have seen the e-mail about coming back as a pig – well hmmmmm!!
Oh – and went to the ballet – not going to rush telling you now – was one of the highlights of my year and will fill you in next time – but enough to say that it is an enormous pleasure, not to be underestimated, for mothers to take daughters to see ballet.
Have to go – am at work – am being very very bad – forgive – will get to it!!
Huge hugs xxxx
11 October 2006
01 October 2006
Rejoice Heartily, Your Teacher Has Measles!!
I hate to always start with the weather, but I am English and it always seems to give me enough blurb to start with that I remember the stuff that I actually want to say!
Anyway, last week I felt sure that we had turned the corner into early summer as I had spent Monday and Tuesday sitting on the beach as the girls played in the rock pools. This mistaken assumption had been compounded by the fact that we had enjoyed fish and chips in the park on Friday as the sun went down - and by the fact that the journey to work no longer seemed to require a fleece lined anorak to protect from the Antarctic blasts. I confess that I was feeling smug that winter was falling behind us, whilst my friends in the North were just beginning to dig out their longer pjs as the sun cream sadly collected dust on the corner of the bathroom cabinet!
However, it seems I was a tad premature in my farewell to winter! We sprung our clocks forward one hour last night, and instead of waking up to Summer, we awoke to the foulest weather imaginable! We were actually out of town staying at Mark's Mum's for the weekend and drove back to Auckland in the filthiest downpour only to discover on arriving home that the path between my garage and my front door was flowing slightly faster than the Zambezi. As a result I had to roll my trousers up to paddle through two inches of water to open the garage door and discover two inches of water inside as well as out! The deluge has continued all evening, and despite the fact that my house sits about 5 feet above the road on 3 of it's 4 sides, I am not entirely convinced that we are not going to be washed away over night! (2 days after writing this, 3 houses within walking distance of us, fell off a cliff and into the Waitamata Harbour!! - told you it was wet!)
I am off work again tomorrow and suspect that instead of sitting on the beach, my daughters and I may be playing Monopoly!
Apologies - this is now not 'tomorrow' but 10 days later, 11 October, to be precise. We did play Monopoly, it did continue to rain and I did have another lovely day off. In fact it has rained intermittently ever since and the girls have continued to be pretty lovely. At the moment Louisa's stereo is confiscated at least once a week. It is returned when the nice smiley lovely Lou is up and about - and repossessed every time she talks back or gets bolshy!! I'm hopeful that relentless repetition will ram home the message eventually - but then it never has done with anything else, so ho hum!!
Lou is feeling really rather full of herself at the moment actually - at the end of last term she was awarded a certificate for Excellence in Road Patrol (they didn't give me one!!!) - which I think means that she always turns up and is quite bossy! The same week I was sent a note from the Year Head telling me how well Louisa had done when she had presented her book review to the whole syndicate - can't remember exactly what it said, but it made Lou feel very special. Sorry, that's 'spicial', forgot I was in NZ for a moment!
Plus, this week she finally passed the spelling test that she has been labouring on since March! 25 / 25 and a Congratulatory sticker from the head for finishing the spelling programme - first student this year I believe! And now of course I don't have to think twice before putting the second 'l' in 'travelling'. Funny how some things stick with you. Lou had 'Rhythm' in her list, and to this day I remember Miss Parr, my music teacher at The Abbey, drilling us with 'Rejoice Heartily Your Teacher Has Measles' - and I fully expect that Louisa will pass that little gem on to any little darlings she has.
Becca meantime, still a poppet. Has the odd tantrum, but nothing that can't be fixed with a mild beating!!!!! She's actually pretty good at working out that the sooner she stops yelling, the quicker she gets out of her room. Mark is still new enough to family life that he finds the 8 year old tantrum very entertaining - remind me to report back on whether the funny side has worn off this time next year!
Netball starts again next week. This is the 'fun' term. No trophies (but then there weren't any last term for those of us that didn't win!!), and more 'positional' play. Gymnastics is already back - Becs is wildly excited that next week she will finally join the 100 Club. All this actually means is that she will receive a delightfully tacky (but don't tell her I said that!) t-shirt, which commemorates the fact that she has attended 100 classes. She has asked that I attend. May have to take the new camera and see if I can capture on film my little Olga Corbett doing her thing on the beam! And then the week after that she is doing her Grade 2 exam.
Both the girls have recently discovered Cluedo. They borrowed it from a friend and as a result Mark and I are now becoming Super Sleuths - at this stage I am not unconvinced that Mrs White isn't actually a serial murderer - although her modus operandi varies considerably - last week she favoured a candlestick in the dining room, yesterday a wrench in the Conservatory. I was also rather distressed to see that the Reverend Green has been defrocked and is now plain Mr Green - perhaps we shouldn't delve too deep into that one!
Not sure if I have told you (!!!!!!), but am completely totally and utterly smitten with Mark. I only add this here because for some reason Tracey didn't seem to have absorbed this fact!! LOVE in a big way!
House not sold yet. Originally Mark signed up with a 'budget' agency - seemed like a good plan. The fees worked out at about $8000 less than the mainstream realtors, but the reason for this soon became apparent when hardly anyone came to see the place! It is now on with 'Barfoot and Thompsons', and they seem to be working hard - currently have my fingers, toes, and elbows crossed as I, in fact we, are now in serious need of living in the same space as my lovely man. http://www.barfoot.co.nz/scripts/db.dll/details?sid=300&ref=349421# if you fancy a nice 3 bed holiday home in Auckland??!
What else? Well the John saga continues! All seriously messy now. He's asked me to sign divorce papers, come the two year anniversary of our separation, so that the divorce goes through in time for him to get married to Sharron in mid December. I have said I'll only sign them once he has resolved a couple of financial issues which remain outstanding. Suffice it to say that the air has been more than a little blue round here since I replied to his request.
Strange though. Everything felt very very heavy yesterday. The fact that the divorce is pending has made me do even more thinking than usual. I read a lot of the e-mails that John and I have traded in the last two years and found myself feeling sad and a bit sick. I walked while Becs was at gym, had the music on very loud (I know, Dad) and in the middle of some innocuous song I found myself pounding the pavement very purposefully, but with tears rolling down my face. There was some line about 'the memory of love' and I remembered John smiling at me and how happy I was. It just seemed a very long time ago.
And no I wasn't having a relapse! And I wouldn't trade where I am now for where I was even 3 years ago for all the beer in Munich (was going to say 'tea in China', but can live without tea!) - I am very happy to be with Mark, and Boo and Becs, making plans and just keeping my head far enough down that eventually all the crap will pass over and be done. VERY HAPPY - (sorry, just reinforcing for Tracey's benefit!!)
And of course I have had a birthday since last blogging. I was well looked after by Captain Yummy Pants, but my girls completely blew me out by forgetting to make me a card. I know that they are only young, but I had told them, fairly bluntly that all I wanted for my birthday was a beautiful homemade birthday card from each of them (please note, that they forgot last year too!!) - call me over optimistic, but I thought they might have got the point! Fortunately my disappointment was countered by Mark being very attentive, very very lovely and very extravagant - I now have fab digi camera!!! I'll even take some more pictures when it stops raining! I mowed the lawn last week so that I could take a picture of the house now that the Wisteria is out - sadly, Wisteria in howling gales and torrential rain wasn't quite the picture I had been hoping for!
Yes, so anyway, 42!
Anyway - think that is it for now. The rain is still raining! Andy Williams is Loving me Baby, and I need to check out RVs for Angela and Vince who are coming in about 7 weeks! When did a motor home become an RV? or am I missing the point?
Huge snogs, big hugs xxx
Anyway, last week I felt sure that we had turned the corner into early summer as I had spent Monday and Tuesday sitting on the beach as the girls played in the rock pools. This mistaken assumption had been compounded by the fact that we had enjoyed fish and chips in the park on Friday as the sun went down - and by the fact that the journey to work no longer seemed to require a fleece lined anorak to protect from the Antarctic blasts. I confess that I was feeling smug that winter was falling behind us, whilst my friends in the North were just beginning to dig out their longer pjs as the sun cream sadly collected dust on the corner of the bathroom cabinet!
However, it seems I was a tad premature in my farewell to winter! We sprung our clocks forward one hour last night, and instead of waking up to Summer, we awoke to the foulest weather imaginable! We were actually out of town staying at Mark's Mum's for the weekend and drove back to Auckland in the filthiest downpour only to discover on arriving home that the path between my garage and my front door was flowing slightly faster than the Zambezi. As a result I had to roll my trousers up to paddle through two inches of water to open the garage door and discover two inches of water inside as well as out! The deluge has continued all evening, and despite the fact that my house sits about 5 feet above the road on 3 of it's 4 sides, I am not entirely convinced that we are not going to be washed away over night! (2 days after writing this, 3 houses within walking distance of us, fell off a cliff and into the Waitamata Harbour!! - told you it was wet!)
I am off work again tomorrow and suspect that instead of sitting on the beach, my daughters and I may be playing Monopoly!
Apologies - this is now not 'tomorrow' but 10 days later, 11 October, to be precise. We did play Monopoly, it did continue to rain and I did have another lovely day off. In fact it has rained intermittently ever since and the girls have continued to be pretty lovely. At the moment Louisa's stereo is confiscated at least once a week. It is returned when the nice smiley lovely Lou is up and about - and repossessed every time she talks back or gets bolshy!! I'm hopeful that relentless repetition will ram home the message eventually - but then it never has done with anything else, so ho hum!!
Lou is feeling really rather full of herself at the moment actually - at the end of last term she was awarded a certificate for Excellence in Road Patrol (they didn't give me one!!!) - which I think means that she always turns up and is quite bossy! The same week I was sent a note from the Year Head telling me how well Louisa had done when she had presented her book review to the whole syndicate - can't remember exactly what it said, but it made Lou feel very special. Sorry, that's 'spicial', forgot I was in NZ for a moment!
Plus, this week she finally passed the spelling test that she has been labouring on since March! 25 / 25 and a Congratulatory sticker from the head for finishing the spelling programme - first student this year I believe! And now of course I don't have to think twice before putting the second 'l' in 'travelling'. Funny how some things stick with you. Lou had 'Rhythm' in her list, and to this day I remember Miss Parr, my music teacher at The Abbey, drilling us with 'Rejoice Heartily Your Teacher Has Measles' - and I fully expect that Louisa will pass that little gem on to any little darlings she has.
Becca meantime, still a poppet. Has the odd tantrum, but nothing that can't be fixed with a mild beating!!!!! She's actually pretty good at working out that the sooner she stops yelling, the quicker she gets out of her room. Mark is still new enough to family life that he finds the 8 year old tantrum very entertaining - remind me to report back on whether the funny side has worn off this time next year!
Netball starts again next week. This is the 'fun' term. No trophies (but then there weren't any last term for those of us that didn't win!!), and more 'positional' play. Gymnastics is already back - Becs is wildly excited that next week she will finally join the 100 Club. All this actually means is that she will receive a delightfully tacky (but don't tell her I said that!) t-shirt, which commemorates the fact that she has attended 100 classes. She has asked that I attend. May have to take the new camera and see if I can capture on film my little Olga Corbett doing her thing on the beam! And then the week after that she is doing her Grade 2 exam.
Both the girls have recently discovered Cluedo. They borrowed it from a friend and as a result Mark and I are now becoming Super Sleuths - at this stage I am not unconvinced that Mrs White isn't actually a serial murderer - although her modus operandi varies considerably - last week she favoured a candlestick in the dining room, yesterday a wrench in the Conservatory. I was also rather distressed to see that the Reverend Green has been defrocked and is now plain Mr Green - perhaps we shouldn't delve too deep into that one!
Not sure if I have told you (!!!!!!), but am completely totally and utterly smitten with Mark. I only add this here because for some reason Tracey didn't seem to have absorbed this fact!! LOVE in a big way!
House not sold yet. Originally Mark signed up with a 'budget' agency - seemed like a good plan. The fees worked out at about $8000 less than the mainstream realtors, but the reason for this soon became apparent when hardly anyone came to see the place! It is now on with 'Barfoot and Thompsons', and they seem to be working hard - currently have my fingers, toes, and elbows crossed as I, in fact we, are now in serious need of living in the same space as my lovely man. http://www.barfoot.co.nz/scripts/db.dll/details?sid=300&ref=349421# if you fancy a nice 3 bed holiday home in Auckland??!
What else? Well the John saga continues! All seriously messy now. He's asked me to sign divorce papers, come the two year anniversary of our separation, so that the divorce goes through in time for him to get married to Sharron in mid December. I have said I'll only sign them once he has resolved a couple of financial issues which remain outstanding. Suffice it to say that the air has been more than a little blue round here since I replied to his request.
Strange though. Everything felt very very heavy yesterday. The fact that the divorce is pending has made me do even more thinking than usual. I read a lot of the e-mails that John and I have traded in the last two years and found myself feeling sad and a bit sick. I walked while Becs was at gym, had the music on very loud (I know, Dad) and in the middle of some innocuous song I found myself pounding the pavement very purposefully, but with tears rolling down my face. There was some line about 'the memory of love' and I remembered John smiling at me and how happy I was. It just seemed a very long time ago.
And no I wasn't having a relapse! And I wouldn't trade where I am now for where I was even 3 years ago for all the beer in Munich (was going to say 'tea in China', but can live without tea!) - I am very happy to be with Mark, and Boo and Becs, making plans and just keeping my head far enough down that eventually all the crap will pass over and be done. VERY HAPPY - (sorry, just reinforcing for Tracey's benefit!!)
And of course I have had a birthday since last blogging. I was well looked after by Captain Yummy Pants, but my girls completely blew me out by forgetting to make me a card. I know that they are only young, but I had told them, fairly bluntly that all I wanted for my birthday was a beautiful homemade birthday card from each of them (please note, that they forgot last year too!!) - call me over optimistic, but I thought they might have got the point! Fortunately my disappointment was countered by Mark being very attentive, very very lovely and very extravagant - I now have fab digi camera!!! I'll even take some more pictures when it stops raining! I mowed the lawn last week so that I could take a picture of the house now that the Wisteria is out - sadly, Wisteria in howling gales and torrential rain wasn't quite the picture I had been hoping for!
Yes, so anyway, 42!
Anyway - think that is it for now. The rain is still raining! Andy Williams is Loving me Baby, and I need to check out RVs for Angela and Vince who are coming in about 7 weeks! When did a motor home become an RV? or am I missing the point?
Huge snogs, big hugs xxx
27 August 2006
Nippy Nights and Sunny Sundays!
Hi all! No idea what I am going to tell you about today, but I'm sure I'll think of something!
Primarily we are gradually moving into Spring - this is only notable because living without central heating, the move out of winter means that bedtime is just slightly less fraught with danger! - or at least pain! If I was to be asked onto Desert Island Discs, apart from my fairly dubious selection of music, I suspect I would take a radiator as my luxury - obviously on a desert island this would be completely pointless, but you get my drift! It is something which I never dreamed could be missed so much! There are winter nights so cold that faced with the prospect of exposing myself to the elements in the process of getting undressed, I have opted to fall into bed fully dressed and still been a little nippy!
Anyway, Spring has sprung, there are daffs popping up in people's gardens, magnolias bursting their buds and a whole rainbow of poppies in the hedgerows. That and the blue sky and puffy clouds we had today are enough to plaster a grin on my face from the minute I open my eyes.
Today was a good day. Apart from a decent lie in, which only ever happens on Sundays, the girls have been rollerblading with Auntie Soph round in Mission Bay. Fortunately Soph was a tad late which meant that I had the privilege of spending 20 minutes adjusting Becs right skate. Each time I finished she got up skated round the fountain and returned to bench looking even more put out than on the last circuit! Finally we took the whole thing off, started from scratch and lo and behold, it was just about perfect as Soph arrived to take over proceedings.
Post rollerblading, we have been to a birthday party and the girls still managed to have a nice early night, which bodes well for the start of the new week!
While on the girls, netball is almost done for the term. Ironically, both teams have only really started to gel in the last few weeks. They were both made up from half of last years team and some very enthusiastic novices - which has meant that results have been somewhat patchy! That said, Lou's team have had 2 very impressive wins in their last outings, and Becca's team snatched a decisive victory yesterday, and both my little mini ferns are playing really well and continuing to enjoy it - which is fab. Over here people play netball for years, so I'm hoping that if Lou and Becs carry on as they are now they will have a very social way of staying fit for the years to come!
What else? Spelling tests this week - arghh! Both spell well, but Lou is having a pig of a time passing her latest test. They have 250 words to learn and are then tested on 25 - they have to get 25 - and somehow, every time I think we have checked and rechecked her words she manages to find a little pathetic word and get it wrong! As in, she can do Siege, Seize, referred, preferred, traveling, regretted, rhythm and all sorts of other tricky ones correctly, but then she'll spell stereo as sterio! Arghhhhhhh - so fingers crossed this week!
Things continue to go well in the Mark department. They just seem to get nicer and closer and warmer all the time. The girls adore Mark, Mark adores them, and I just sit and grin a lot!
Thursdays Lou and I go and have supper at Mark's house while Becca is at Brownies - he takes full advantage of being flavour of the month with Lou, and crowbars as many vegetables as he can possibly find onto her plate. He was very excited this afternoon when he found a new challenge for her in the form of Broccoflower! It's amazing what you can get her to eat when your name isn't Mummy and when there's the promise of a Magnum once she finishes all the green stuff!!
On the down side, Mark's house is not selling as quickly as we had hoped and so he's taking it off the market till the summer - I've offered to strip and paint the living room several times and have today been accused of nagging, so I'm giving up on that one! - Have also given up looking at other houses for now, as it all seems a bit like tempting fate.
Stuff with John is still completely appalling! I have been told by my Dad and by Tracey that I should be a little guarded in what I put on my blog about the John stuff, so forgive me if I am a little vague. Bottom line, financially things are not sorted and heading to the courts, I think (how stupid is that for two people with no money and two kids?!). And there are a whole load of issues around time with the children which are also causing problems at the moment. Suffice it to say that last week I failed to rise above one or two of John's e-mail comments and, despite having remained, calm and restrained for one and a half years, I threw a bit of a dicky fit and chucked a whole load of dung back in his direction - probably not my best move, but can't do much to change it now! Ho hum!! For further details feel free to e-mail!!
In the meantime, we continue to barely speak and to grin through gritted teeth as the girls depart with him and arrive home after their weekends to his place.
Early in September it is Parent Teacher interviews at school, that'll be fun (!), and then the week after we have to submit Lou's application for Intermediate school. They do 2 years in Intermediate before heading to Senior School, or as Kiwi's have it, College, at 13. Think Lou'll be going to Birkdale. It's almost local, most of her friends will be going there and they have 2 accelerant classes which seem to be largely made up of Chelsea kids, so there'll be some continuity for her for a couple more years. We went to an open evening there last month and I was amazed at the subjects they cover these days. Instead of just having 'Science', they have a weather station, a radio station, robotic classes and science competition work! It all looks just brilliant - mind you I suspect she only wants to go there because they do dance and drama!
Oh, and apparently the divorce will come through in about 8 weeks time. I don't have to sign it or anything, just have to have it served on me. Can't help feeling it is a little informal in comparison with how our marriage began. John is, I understand remarrying in December, which I confess to thinking indecently hasty in light of his distaste for his first marriage! I am not expecting an invitation!! His Dad is coming over for a few days on the way to the Cayman Islands. The girls will be glad to see Grandad, and I hope to grab dinner or lunch with him one day while he is here.
I am still fat. I am nearly 42. I haven't had a haircut or colour since March and I am feeling just slightly frumpy! I have started eating more sensibly in the last couple of weeks, although fell off the wagon rather badly today - back to basics tomorrow I fear!
Work is work. Being Percy again has caused one or two problems, and I have had at least two Congratulation on your Marriage, messages which was a little embarrassing! but Lisa Percy is now working very hard at AUT and mostly remembering to answer the phone as Percy and sign off letters with the right signature!
Oh, and glasses! God, it was easier before I had to remember to put them on to see!!!
And this afternoon I bought my first contribution to Santa's work! I'll need to start on the Christmas epic soon, and shopping! And posting - oh God! And it all begins again!
Speaking of which, Midwinter Christmas was very Christmassy! We had fairy lights up in the lounge, best china and chrystal on the table and surprisingly, I even managed to find crackers! The girls were away with John that weekend, so we were loud until late. The evening culminated in Pictionary with as much cheating as there always is! I actually got told off by my team captain (also Chair of PTA! - think power may be going to his head!) for not cheating properly!
Primarily we are gradually moving into Spring - this is only notable because living without central heating, the move out of winter means that bedtime is just slightly less fraught with danger! - or at least pain! If I was to be asked onto Desert Island Discs, apart from my fairly dubious selection of music, I suspect I would take a radiator as my luxury - obviously on a desert island this would be completely pointless, but you get my drift! It is something which I never dreamed could be missed so much! There are winter nights so cold that faced with the prospect of exposing myself to the elements in the process of getting undressed, I have opted to fall into bed fully dressed and still been a little nippy!
Anyway, Spring has sprung, there are daffs popping up in people's gardens, magnolias bursting their buds and a whole rainbow of poppies in the hedgerows. That and the blue sky and puffy clouds we had today are enough to plaster a grin on my face from the minute I open my eyes.
Today was a good day. Apart from a decent lie in, which only ever happens on Sundays, the girls have been rollerblading with Auntie Soph round in Mission Bay. Fortunately Soph was a tad late which meant that I had the privilege of spending 20 minutes adjusting Becs right skate. Each time I finished she got up skated round the fountain and returned to bench looking even more put out than on the last circuit! Finally we took the whole thing off, started from scratch and lo and behold, it was just about perfect as Soph arrived to take over proceedings.
Post rollerblading, we have been to a birthday party and the girls still managed to have a nice early night, which bodes well for the start of the new week!
While on the girls, netball is almost done for the term. Ironically, both teams have only really started to gel in the last few weeks. They were both made up from half of last years team and some very enthusiastic novices - which has meant that results have been somewhat patchy! That said, Lou's team have had 2 very impressive wins in their last outings, and Becca's team snatched a decisive victory yesterday, and both my little mini ferns are playing really well and continuing to enjoy it - which is fab. Over here people play netball for years, so I'm hoping that if Lou and Becs carry on as they are now they will have a very social way of staying fit for the years to come!
What else? Spelling tests this week - arghh! Both spell well, but Lou is having a pig of a time passing her latest test. They have 250 words to learn and are then tested on 25 - they have to get 25 - and somehow, every time I think we have checked and rechecked her words she manages to find a little pathetic word and get it wrong! As in, she can do Siege, Seize, referred, preferred, traveling, regretted, rhythm and all sorts of other tricky ones correctly, but then she'll spell stereo as sterio! Arghhhhhhh - so fingers crossed this week!
Things continue to go well in the Mark department. They just seem to get nicer and closer and warmer all the time. The girls adore Mark, Mark adores them, and I just sit and grin a lot!
Thursdays Lou and I go and have supper at Mark's house while Becca is at Brownies - he takes full advantage of being flavour of the month with Lou, and crowbars as many vegetables as he can possibly find onto her plate. He was very excited this afternoon when he found a new challenge for her in the form of Broccoflower! It's amazing what you can get her to eat when your name isn't Mummy and when there's the promise of a Magnum once she finishes all the green stuff!!
On the down side, Mark's house is not selling as quickly as we had hoped and so he's taking it off the market till the summer - I've offered to strip and paint the living room several times and have today been accused of nagging, so I'm giving up on that one! - Have also given up looking at other houses for now, as it all seems a bit like tempting fate.
Stuff with John is still completely appalling! I have been told by my Dad and by Tracey that I should be a little guarded in what I put on my blog about the John stuff, so forgive me if I am a little vague. Bottom line, financially things are not sorted and heading to the courts, I think (how stupid is that for two people with no money and two kids?!). And there are a whole load of issues around time with the children which are also causing problems at the moment. Suffice it to say that last week I failed to rise above one or two of John's e-mail comments and, despite having remained, calm and restrained for one and a half years, I threw a bit of a dicky fit and chucked a whole load of dung back in his direction - probably not my best move, but can't do much to change it now! Ho hum!! For further details feel free to e-mail!!
In the meantime, we continue to barely speak and to grin through gritted teeth as the girls depart with him and arrive home after their weekends to his place.
Early in September it is Parent Teacher interviews at school, that'll be fun (!), and then the week after we have to submit Lou's application for Intermediate school. They do 2 years in Intermediate before heading to Senior School, or as Kiwi's have it, College, at 13. Think Lou'll be going to Birkdale. It's almost local, most of her friends will be going there and they have 2 accelerant classes which seem to be largely made up of Chelsea kids, so there'll be some continuity for her for a couple more years. We went to an open evening there last month and I was amazed at the subjects they cover these days. Instead of just having 'Science', they have a weather station, a radio station, robotic classes and science competition work! It all looks just brilliant - mind you I suspect she only wants to go there because they do dance and drama!
Oh, and apparently the divorce will come through in about 8 weeks time. I don't have to sign it or anything, just have to have it served on me. Can't help feeling it is a little informal in comparison with how our marriage began. John is, I understand remarrying in December, which I confess to thinking indecently hasty in light of his distaste for his first marriage! I am not expecting an invitation!! His Dad is coming over for a few days on the way to the Cayman Islands. The girls will be glad to see Grandad, and I hope to grab dinner or lunch with him one day while he is here.
I am still fat. I am nearly 42. I haven't had a haircut or colour since March and I am feeling just slightly frumpy! I have started eating more sensibly in the last couple of weeks, although fell off the wagon rather badly today - back to basics tomorrow I fear!
Work is work. Being Percy again has caused one or two problems, and I have had at least two Congratulation on your Marriage, messages which was a little embarrassing! but Lisa Percy is now working very hard at AUT and mostly remembering to answer the phone as Percy and sign off letters with the right signature!
Oh, and glasses! God, it was easier before I had to remember to put them on to see!!!
And this afternoon I bought my first contribution to Santa's work! I'll need to start on the Christmas epic soon, and shopping! And posting - oh God! And it all begins again!
Speaking of which, Midwinter Christmas was very Christmassy! We had fairy lights up in the lounge, best china and chrystal on the table and surprisingly, I even managed to find crackers! The girls were away with John that weekend, so we were loud until late. The evening culminated in Pictionary with as much cheating as there always is! I actually got told off by my team captain (also Chair of PTA! - think power may be going to his head!) for not cheating properly!
Once again the hour has got the better of me and I am going to have to go and find warmth under my duvet!
Going to try to get back to fortnightly blogs - but don't hold your breath!
Huge hugs to all xxxxxxx
23 July 2006
The Summer of '85!
Did you know that on 13 July it was 21 years since Live Aid??
Bob Geldof was being interviewed on our TV news last week, largely to mark this anniversary. It was summer 1985, my summer. It was the summer of my 21st (I know!!!), it was the summer I worked at the Rising Sun in Hurley (went for the interview as Ultravox were doing their set and got back in time for Madonna in Philadelphia!) and it was the summer that Nikki, Sally, Paul, and some other friends only half remembered enjoyed all the privileges of being grown up - with none of the responsibilities. It was before children, before long term boyfriends even, and before careers. Three months summer break between second and third year at Uni - and still clear as day! And what makes that particularly scary is that at almost 42 I find it increasingly difficult to recall on Monday morning what I did with the weekend just finished!!
Anyway, just as I was recovering from my mental wallowing in the the Summer of '85 including the Top of the World tour (bikes, cider, pubs - recipe for disaster!), the cute chef from Ye Olde Bell etc and a coleslaw splattered summer house, they started talking about Band Aid - and I was back in St Hilda's common room Christmas Decs up and hearing the Band Aid single for the first time.....
Anyway, you get the gist - burble burble! But if I knew you 21 years ago, I'd have been thinking of you a lot last week!
So apart from the world moving on, I also received the rather depressing news that time has also moved on for me and I have finally succumbed to the need for reading glasses!! Apparently there is a condition which means "Ha, you hit 40 and it's all down hill from now on" and I have it!! And if you are over 40, you will too soon, so don't laugh too hard!! First thing in the morning, things are very blurry - hopefully I look blurry too, but I doubt that - mind you the bathroom mirror isn't quite as scary as it used to be!
PS - now Percy at work!! x
Bob Geldof was being interviewed on our TV news last week, largely to mark this anniversary. It was summer 1985, my summer. It was the summer of my 21st (I know!!!), it was the summer I worked at the Rising Sun in Hurley (went for the interview as Ultravox were doing their set and got back in time for Madonna in Philadelphia!) and it was the summer that Nikki, Sally, Paul, and some other friends only half remembered enjoyed all the privileges of being grown up - with none of the responsibilities. It was before children, before long term boyfriends even, and before careers. Three months summer break between second and third year at Uni - and still clear as day! And what makes that particularly scary is that at almost 42 I find it increasingly difficult to recall on Monday morning what I did with the weekend just finished!!
Anyway, just as I was recovering from my mental wallowing in the the Summer of '85 including the Top of the World tour (bikes, cider, pubs - recipe for disaster!), the cute chef from Ye Olde Bell etc and a coleslaw splattered summer house, they started talking about Band Aid - and I was back in St Hilda's common room Christmas Decs up and hearing the Band Aid single for the first time.....
Anyway, you get the gist - burble burble! But if I knew you 21 years ago, I'd have been thinking of you a lot last week!
So apart from the world moving on, I also received the rather depressing news that time has also moved on for me and I have finally succumbed to the need for reading glasses!! Apparently there is a condition which means "Ha, you hit 40 and it's all down hill from now on" and I have it!! And if you are over 40, you will too soon, so don't laugh too hard!! First thing in the morning, things are very blurry - hopefully I look blurry too, but I doubt that - mind you the bathroom mirror isn't quite as scary as it used to be!
As usual I seem to have slipped into waffle mode very early and will try harder to keep on track!
Work is good. For a while there it looked like a restructure within my department was going to mean a really fab promotion and a fair amount more money (albeit along with the less riveting prospect of returning to full time work!) - but the lame duck director seems to have allowed the proposal, and the recommendations to fall into a vast black hole. I could push it, but in doing so would be stabbing my manager in the back fairly ferociously - and over the last 2 years she has given me a hell of a lot of lea way to adjust to my new life style and has become a very lovely friend - so, I am resigned to continuing in the job I started at Christmas, which is not great - but it pays the bills and I still get to pick the girls up 3 days a week - so, not all bad I guess.
Things with Mark are still going well. I'm still feeling very very happy, content, loved, looked after and a bit like the cat who got the cream. The girls also seem very happy with the way things are and still fight over who is going to sit next to him at the supper table! Meantimes, his house is on the market as of tomorrow - so watch this space!
I'm not sure that I have told you anything about Mark other than the fact that he wears bad sunglasses and is a damn fine snog! So figure that I ought to give you a bit of a sketch of him...
Age 44. Nearly divorced - separated 2 and a half years ago. No kids - never wanted them, doesn't fancy the baby thing, but is enjoying them at age 8 and 10! Mum is from Guernsey (what is it with me and the Channel Islands!?!), but now lives in Katikati, 2 hours out of Auckland. His Dad was from Wales but died a few years back. He has two brothers who both live in England (Chipstead, Kent -15 mins from Green St Green! - Twilight Zone stuff!) Avid Chelsea supporter, much to Dad's disgust - brothers are also into their football (Liverpool and West Ham). Previously worked in banking, but resigned a few months after his marriage split and has since been working as a laborer (I know!!!! it was supposed to be a lawyer this time, but you can't have everything!!) He did look at going back to the banking earlier in the year - but changed his mind cause he likes being outside! What else - enjoys Scrabble and games in general - but still hasn't taken up my Triv challenge! Gardens, builds benches, paints plates, brings me fire wood, has a cat (!!!arghhhhhh - actually getting used to it now! - Becca thinks that moving in with the cat is almost as exciting as moving with Mark!) and cooks very good sausage casserole!
There will be a quiz next time!
What else? I guess somewhat inevitably, Lou is starting along the path to adolescence. Shower time is now conducted with the door closed. Crop tops have become a necessity rather than a fashion item, and moods are not quite as predictable as they once were!
Speaking of which, I've been meaning to update on Lou's 'condition' - all looks good at the moment. For the last 7 years or so doctors have been trying to block Louisa's production of estrogen - obviously that is partly because it is not that desirable for a 4 year old to be going through adolescence, but also because the excess hormones age the bones, and the knock on effect is that left to herself she would have stopped growing early and been significantly shorter than one would hope. Anyway - at age 8 Booie's bone age was thought to be 11 - she started a new drug shortly after that and at age 9 her bone age was reassessed to be 10 - her most recent bone age was 3 months ago - age 10 her bone age was still 10! Which means that she will probably grow to the very normal age of 14 and the Doctor is confident she will reach 5' 4" or 5'5". Two years ago they we were told that her optimum height would probably be just under 5 foot! PLUS she grew 6cm in 3 months at the last check, so looking good. Anyway, they reckon that she is on the drugs for a maximum of only another 9 months or so, and then nature will do it's bit, and we will only have to see the doctor once every year. Confess I won't miss a monthly race across the bridge after school for her injection!
Other than that, Lou is good. We are off to have a look round the local intermediate school this week. She only has 2 terms left at Chelsea and another 2 years before "college" (roughly translated as "senior school") She is quite excited about the change, while I am quietly having kittens! The local school seems well thought of, but I shall go along armed with a gazillion questions and see what we think on Wednesday.
Girls both went back to school on Monday and seem pleased to be back - this term's project for both of the girls is 'Food'! So far I have been treated to an array of appallingly complicated food questions and a number of delightful songs including:
"Eat your vege-tables, eat your vege-tables,
They may be disgusting but . . . .
Eat your vege-tables!!"
Last week they could be heard discussing which was their favorite vegetable of the vegetables that they hated! Oh to be 8 again!
Becca is fine. Netball starts back on Saturday, can't remember what position she is this week but I am sure that I will be reminded! She has had her 8th birthday since I last blogged - we spent the morning with Soph and then went to the movies to see Over the Hedge (Hedge is called Steve!) and then she had a couple of hours with John in the afternoon. Since then she has taken to her rollerblades with great enthusiasm and is reading as if she has to get through the whole library before tea-time!
We had her party on Friday. She wanted a movie night at home - followed by a sleepover. So we rented Nanny McPhee and I bought in buckets of popcorn and ordered in Pizza for tea. Total disaster! Fortunately she thought it was great - but at 6.30 (party ended at 7!) I had 5 children in my kitchen telling me that they didn't eat Pizza unless it only had cheese and ham on it! This was very bad news as I hadn't done my normal shop, just the party shop and in the end had to feed them sandwiches / bread and butter because there was nothing else that they liked, including brown bread! Arghhh! Anyway, the sleepover bit was fine - although I went to bed before the last one went to sleep!
Cake was good - she had asked me to make a Swimming Pool cake like the one that Lou had for her 8th birthday. There were some adjustments though, she wanted a me!! - she wanted the two little girls to be her and Lou, and the legs of the boy diving in to be Mark's. BUT Mummy hadn't got enough icing to make a fair representation of her girth - and Mark's leg kept dropping off - so Mark was removed from the water (I ate his bum!) and he was replaced by a beach ball!
Next weekend we are having late midwinter Christmas here - not my fault - I bailed out of MWC, but I got volunteered when I was a tad less than sober and apparently I agreed! So on Saturday I will be laying a table for ten, cooking an oversize turkey, boiling puds, roasting spuds and generally running round like a headless chicken! I think Mark may have to be in charge of keeping the fire ablaze!
Sarah and Matthew good. Grace 8 months, very smiley, not quite crawling, but close to it and will doubtless be cruising the furniture soon - they are skiing on Mt Ruapehu this weekend and I am jealous and want to go and play - but am guessing it will be another couple of years before I get there!
I know I still haven't done the photos yet! Sorry - I will!! Really! And keep July next year free - think we might get over for a visit... not definite yet - need citizenship and house sale before we get the tickets, but looking probable!!
Got to go - is late and I tired - still freezing cold over here! Haven't seen any daffs yet - but evenings are getting longer! Look out you lot, it'll be winter there soon!!!
Hugs xx
PS - now Percy at work!! x
29 May 2006
A Little Bit of Waffle on Several Wet Afternoons.....
Hello Blighty!!
It is cold, wintry and extremely wet here in 'the land of the long white cloud' - at this point in time, I'm fairly sure there is a good case to rename Aotearoa 'land of the long, fat and endless black cloud' - but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? Strangely, English rain and kiwi rain are two entirely different entities. As you will doubtless have noticed in England, when it rains, it generally keeps raining for several days at a time. In NZ, when it rains there is always the possibility that a big patch of blue is coming just over the horizon (although, less often recently!) - however, the raindrops here are much fatter than in the UK. As such, despite drying hair flat and tidy each morning, generally by the time I have reached the garage door, I am already wet and Chrystaltip like. Obviously, those organised amongst my kiwi fraternity, put an umbrella up - but my umbrella is always either in the boot of my car (inside said garage) or under my desk, some 45 minutes away! You will gather that despite having just embarked on my 5th winter here, I am still not very good at kiwi weather!
Always feels good to start with a good waffle!!!!
So, here we are - already almost half way through the year, and before I know it, I will be stressing about arrangements for Christmas parties, recitals, Santa duties etc! The start of Term 2, in April, means that the netball season is upon us again. Louisa seems to have regained her form, and is playing brilliantly - although her team hasn't yet won, they seem to have finally remembered how to pass the ball up and down the court, so hopes are high for Wednesday. Becs team have had mixed results so far - her team lost their first match 25 - 2 - Becs scored both goals and from the look of triumph on her face each time the ball went in, anyone would have thought that they had a chance of winning!!! Second match they won, but on Saturday they were beaten 9 - 5. Becs got player of the day - as Boo had done earlier in the week!! Oh what talented children I have!
In between ferrying children from netball court to netball court I have been working on my second assignment for my course. Despite the fact that after 40 years of leaving things to the last minute I should know better, it seems that this is my modus operandi! I finished The Case of Joan by the skin of my teeth and was pleasantly surprised to find today that not only had I passed, but my lecturer had written "Very Good, well done, you obviously have a sound understanding of the theories we have discussed this semester" - oh I was a happy camper!
I guess I should at this point apologise for the delay in adding this most recent blog. You will note from the date that I actually started this addition about 2 weeks ago, but as per usual, time and lack of sleep have got the better of me and I have not actually managed to finish and post the blog. Today is now Sunday 4 June. We are smack bang in the middle of Queen's Birthday weekend - which is a bank holiday weekend. Sadly, I still call long weekends, bank holiday weekends, which causes much amusement in my office. Here, a bank holiday is just a 'holiday' - but I'm sorry, a holiday is where you go to sit on the beach and rub gritty sun lotion on your back while your children fill the your picnic lunch basket with seaweed and sand! Obviously beach is possible on a 'bank holiday weekend' here, being only 8 minutes from my front door, BUT, generally the big fat kiwi rain decides to fall just as I finish work on the Friday before a long weekend! (sorry I am obviously in waffly mode - perhaps because I keep stopping and starting this post! - it has the potential to be a very long post!)
So, chez Le Riche, all is good. The girls are very settled. School is good. We have just had another Chelsea Singer's Extravaganza, this time it was 'The Best of British', and we were treated to Crocodile Rock, The Wall, Land of Hope and Glory and Swing Low Sweet Chariot - a somewhat eclectic selection! I have to say it was a vast improvement on previous efforts - which was a relief being as it was Mark's first time! Strangely, and I have to say that I am a little concerned about this fact (!), he seemed to really enjoy everything about it - except for the sitting on chairs designed for 10 year olds for 2 hours! In actual fact, he seems to be getting rather into the kids stuff, he came along on an extra curricula school trip to the Planetarium on Thursday, he's been to a couple of Becs Saturday matches and is hoping to get to one of Booie's mid week matches. Plus, as a treat, a couple of weeks back he took the girls and I to see one of the local professional netball matches, which was absolutely thrilling! Really nail biting stuff. Lou was absolutely mesmerized, Becs enjoyed it too, but I think she was most taken by the blow up plastic clacky tubey things! - or more specifically making as much noise as possible with them! (Sure they must have a name, but have no idea what it is!)
House hunting is going slow but sure. We have looked at a few places of varying degrees of wrongness but I live in hope! The market has dropped a bit in the last couple of months (Mark hasn't sold his place yet, so sadly, the benefit will be limited, but hey!) and there are one or two people getting a bit optimistic about what their houses are worth! But we are sitting tight, and waiting till we see the place that we want and then hopefully everything will fall into place. I'd forgotten quite how frustrating house hunting can be, and how deceptive photos can be - they never show you the fact that the house is actually positioned immediately next door to the neighbours from hell who favour car wrecks rather than water features in their front yard!
Currently I am home alone!! (Rarely does that happen!) Mark has been off doing his shopping, feeding cats and water blasting his deck (or was that yesterday?!) and the girls are at a friends house occupying their kids! So I unexpectedly am enjoying "Me" time, me music and catching up on my blog. In reality, I ought to be working on my next Careers essay, but it.....
Well I have no idea what the end of that sentence was going to be as I started that 10 days ago! I am hopeful that we are on the home run now! It is June 12th. I am not at work as Becca has a wicked cough that kept her and me up half the night. She's at home from school, so she has been snuggled watching Disney videos in the living room and I have been pottering - just catching up on myself. We are in the middle of another miserable day. So windy and wet that the power is down in town - so if I were there I wouldn't be able to work anyway!!
Essay number three went in by e-mail this morning. This time we had to propose our own theory of career development. I suspect my submission was pretty weak, but hey, will cross fingers and hope that I am not considered shallow!
There is a distinct possibility that I may have to leave paper 2 till term 1 next year - logistically next semester is a nightmare, and it will be significantly easier to manage the term after when I will hopefully be living with nice boyfriend who does babysitting favours now and again!
I gather the World Cup has begun! and I presume, as always, there will be nostalgic footage of 1966 and experts saying how we are in with a really good chance of winning? Always struck me as being a bit like when Terry Wogan assured us that we were in with a good chance of winning Eurovision!! Here it is not quite so big as in England. The English know it's going on, but the Kiwis aren't in it, and all the matches are at 1am! I nearly got up for the Paraguay match but had had a particularly hard day of watching netball and over 35s amateur footy - I wasn't entirely sure I could cope with anymore excitement!! I jest! ( Becs scored 7 goals and her team won on Saturday!)
Barking continues in the living room. Think we are now onto Peter Pan.
Just breifly - all quiet on the John front. He has recently changed jobs and I gather is enjoying his new role, but it means he's seen less of the girls. We aren't really talking at the moment - but then neither are we shouting! Solicitors doing whatever it is that solicitors do, and doubtless in about 4 months I will receive divorce papers in the post. Currently feeling very laid back about it all.
Going to go. Lou home from school soon. Spelling testing needs to be done, macaroni cheese to be made, Guides to be attended and cough stricken daughters to be held and healed!
Have a lovely summer.
think of me in the wet, I am going to dust off my flippers and snorkel!
xx
PS - sorry I missed your birthday, Dave! Hope it was fun! Thought of you loads xxxx
It is cold, wintry and extremely wet here in 'the land of the long white cloud' - at this point in time, I'm fairly sure there is a good case to rename Aotearoa 'land of the long, fat and endless black cloud' - but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? Strangely, English rain and kiwi rain are two entirely different entities. As you will doubtless have noticed in England, when it rains, it generally keeps raining for several days at a time. In NZ, when it rains there is always the possibility that a big patch of blue is coming just over the horizon (although, less often recently!) - however, the raindrops here are much fatter than in the UK. As such, despite drying hair flat and tidy each morning, generally by the time I have reached the garage door, I am already wet and Chrystaltip like. Obviously, those organised amongst my kiwi fraternity, put an umbrella up - but my umbrella is always either in the boot of my car (inside said garage) or under my desk, some 45 minutes away! You will gather that despite having just embarked on my 5th winter here, I am still not very good at kiwi weather!
Always feels good to start with a good waffle!!!!
So, here we are - already almost half way through the year, and before I know it, I will be stressing about arrangements for Christmas parties, recitals, Santa duties etc! The start of Term 2, in April, means that the netball season is upon us again. Louisa seems to have regained her form, and is playing brilliantly - although her team hasn't yet won, they seem to have finally remembered how to pass the ball up and down the court, so hopes are high for Wednesday. Becs team have had mixed results so far - her team lost their first match 25 - 2 - Becs scored both goals and from the look of triumph on her face each time the ball went in, anyone would have thought that they had a chance of winning!!! Second match they won, but on Saturday they were beaten 9 - 5. Becs got player of the day - as Boo had done earlier in the week!! Oh what talented children I have!
In between ferrying children from netball court to netball court I have been working on my second assignment for my course. Despite the fact that after 40 years of leaving things to the last minute I should know better, it seems that this is my modus operandi! I finished The Case of Joan by the skin of my teeth and was pleasantly surprised to find today that not only had I passed, but my lecturer had written "Very Good, well done, you obviously have a sound understanding of the theories we have discussed this semester" - oh I was a happy camper!
I guess I should at this point apologise for the delay in adding this most recent blog. You will note from the date that I actually started this addition about 2 weeks ago, but as per usual, time and lack of sleep have got the better of me and I have not actually managed to finish and post the blog. Today is now Sunday 4 June. We are smack bang in the middle of Queen's Birthday weekend - which is a bank holiday weekend. Sadly, I still call long weekends, bank holiday weekends, which causes much amusement in my office. Here, a bank holiday is just a 'holiday' - but I'm sorry, a holiday is where you go to sit on the beach and rub gritty sun lotion on your back while your children fill the your picnic lunch basket with seaweed and sand! Obviously beach is possible on a 'bank holiday weekend' here, being only 8 minutes from my front door, BUT, generally the big fat kiwi rain decides to fall just as I finish work on the Friday before a long weekend! (sorry I am obviously in waffly mode - perhaps because I keep stopping and starting this post! - it has the potential to be a very long post!)
So, chez Le Riche, all is good. The girls are very settled. School is good. We have just had another Chelsea Singer's Extravaganza, this time it was 'The Best of British', and we were treated to Crocodile Rock, The Wall, Land of Hope and Glory and Swing Low Sweet Chariot - a somewhat eclectic selection! I have to say it was a vast improvement on previous efforts - which was a relief being as it was Mark's first time! Strangely, and I have to say that I am a little concerned about this fact (!), he seemed to really enjoy everything about it - except for the sitting on chairs designed for 10 year olds for 2 hours! In actual fact, he seems to be getting rather into the kids stuff, he came along on an extra curricula school trip to the Planetarium on Thursday, he's been to a couple of Becs Saturday matches and is hoping to get to one of Booie's mid week matches. Plus, as a treat, a couple of weeks back he took the girls and I to see one of the local professional netball matches, which was absolutely thrilling! Really nail biting stuff. Lou was absolutely mesmerized, Becs enjoyed it too, but I think she was most taken by the blow up plastic clacky tubey things! - or more specifically making as much noise as possible with them! (Sure they must have a name, but have no idea what it is!)
House hunting is going slow but sure. We have looked at a few places of varying degrees of wrongness but I live in hope! The market has dropped a bit in the last couple of months (Mark hasn't sold his place yet, so sadly, the benefit will be limited, but hey!) and there are one or two people getting a bit optimistic about what their houses are worth! But we are sitting tight, and waiting till we see the place that we want and then hopefully everything will fall into place. I'd forgotten quite how frustrating house hunting can be, and how deceptive photos can be - they never show you the fact that the house is actually positioned immediately next door to the neighbours from hell who favour car wrecks rather than water features in their front yard!
Currently I am home alone!! (Rarely does that happen!) Mark has been off doing his shopping, feeding cats and water blasting his deck (or was that yesterday?!) and the girls are at a friends house occupying their kids! So I unexpectedly am enjoying "Me" time, me music and catching up on my blog. In reality, I ought to be working on my next Careers essay, but it.....
Well I have no idea what the end of that sentence was going to be as I started that 10 days ago! I am hopeful that we are on the home run now! It is June 12th. I am not at work as Becca has a wicked cough that kept her and me up half the night. She's at home from school, so she has been snuggled watching Disney videos in the living room and I have been pottering - just catching up on myself. We are in the middle of another miserable day. So windy and wet that the power is down in town - so if I were there I wouldn't be able to work anyway!!
Essay number three went in by e-mail this morning. This time we had to propose our own theory of career development. I suspect my submission was pretty weak, but hey, will cross fingers and hope that I am not considered shallow!
There is a distinct possibility that I may have to leave paper 2 till term 1 next year - logistically next semester is a nightmare, and it will be significantly easier to manage the term after when I will hopefully be living with nice boyfriend who does babysitting favours now and again!
I gather the World Cup has begun! and I presume, as always, there will be nostalgic footage of 1966 and experts saying how we are in with a really good chance of winning? Always struck me as being a bit like when Terry Wogan assured us that we were in with a good chance of winning Eurovision!! Here it is not quite so big as in England. The English know it's going on, but the Kiwis aren't in it, and all the matches are at 1am! I nearly got up for the Paraguay match but had had a particularly hard day of watching netball and over 35s amateur footy - I wasn't entirely sure I could cope with anymore excitement!! I jest! ( Becs scored 7 goals and her team won on Saturday!)
Barking continues in the living room. Think we are now onto Peter Pan.
Just breifly - all quiet on the John front. He has recently changed jobs and I gather is enjoying his new role, but it means he's seen less of the girls. We aren't really talking at the moment - but then neither are we shouting! Solicitors doing whatever it is that solicitors do, and doubtless in about 4 months I will receive divorce papers in the post. Currently feeling very laid back about it all.
Going to go. Lou home from school soon. Spelling testing needs to be done, macaroni cheese to be made, Guides to be attended and cough stricken daughters to be held and healed!
Have a lovely summer.
think of me in the wet, I am going to dust off my flippers and snorkel!
xx
PS - sorry I missed your birthday, Dave! Hope it was fun! Thought of you loads xxxx
25 April 2006
...It wasn't Red Sausages, it was Luncheon Meat!!!
Ah yes, the party was fab!! The orange shirt, which cost $4.32, looked absolutely disgusting and wasn't helped by the fact that it was a 3XL (they didn't have any smaller!!) and I had to tie a knot on my left hip (very 1979!) - the bandana also looked a bit dodgy but fortunately, Mark was not unduly fazed by my new look! (But then remember the sunglasses - and he does have a banana yellow pair the same!) Highlights of the party included each of the five teams singing Waltzing Matilda (!!) on a roundabout outside a very nice local restaurant, the loss of my very fetching, and very cheap jandals (still not retrieved 4 days later) and the strange disappearance of road signs, realtor boards and street furniture not nailed down! I think Malcolm was planning on putting them back them on Sunday, but I can't remember what we 'moved' from where, so I can't tell if they have been returned!
Anyway, moving on!! Mark scored a gazillion points last night when he turned up with a treadmill. This could be construed as a not very flattering and a not very subtle hint, except for the fact that ever since I have known Mark I have groaned about the fact that since John left, I've not been able to get out for walks. Thinking about it, I guess most of you lot, have not seen me when I am in fit mode! About 3 years ago I discovered walking and within not very long at all I was walking 5 - 6 times a week for about an hour. Clocking up about 40 - 45 km per week. A bit after that I discovered the gym and after losing about 3 stone was actually looking quite trim and even had abs!! If you doubt me, I do have photographic proof of this, but I intend to be buried with it! Strangely John left when I was actually looking the best I had looked in 15 years - read into that what you like!!! Anyway, since his departure, I have gradually inflated and without some serious effort I will soon be unable to leave the house for want of a wide enough door frame!
Anyway, tomorrow I will be up at 5 am and will make a very gentle start on my wobbly bits! Hopefully, Rangi will be kind and reward me with a spectacular sunrise!
Other news? Yes, course going ok. Harder work than I had anticipated but enjoying it immensely. We were given our essays back a couple of weeks ago - which I passed. There are 3 marks, pass, fail and resit - so I guess I will be pleased with my grade, but somehow, just 'pass' is strangely unsatisfying!! We have another assignment due on May 22nd - the Case of Joan. We have to figure out why she is where she is career wise and try to find a way forward - suffice it to say, Joan is a tad unconventional!
Today is ANZAC Day, which is a public holiday. The girls have been in the parade in their Brownie and Guiding gear. And yesterday I did my best to explain what it is that the war dead have bought us. I explained about poppies, and Gallipoli - and then I ventured into a metaphoric explanation revolving around Louisa deciding that she wanted to have Becca's room too - and Mummy deciding whether she was going to let Lou get away with it or not - because obviously, if I stood by and did nothing, then next thing I know, Lou is going to take over the living room too! Needless to say, the girls were bemused at my persistence and none the wiser at the end of it!! I shall try again next year! Personally, I have never forgotten the first time I saw the Festival of remembrance at the Albert Hall when the poppies fall from above and just keep falling and falling and falling.
Anyway! Anzac Day! Post parade, Louisa is trying to master her roller blades! We gave them to her for her 6th (maybe 7th?) birthday, (Fortunately we got the kind that grow!) and they have gathered dust at the bottom of her wardrobe for the last 3 / 4 years! Sadly, here is not the best place to try them out - we live at the top of a steep hill and have cobbles down our drive, so she has resorted to going round and round the garage. Still, if she takes to it, maybe she can have a new pair for Christmas and we'll have to look for a house in a flat street or with a flat drive!
Speaking houses... We actually did some 'Open Homes' on Sunday. Another curious Kiwi thing. The Real Estate man doesn't ring you up and say 'can I bring a bloke round at 3.00?', instead, on a Saturday and Sunday, you clean your house, gather up your children and head for the swimming pool / cafe while the realtor, sits in your house while hoards of people tramp through having a bit of a nosey. Not all are buyers - some are just getting ideas for their new sofa, others are just seeing how the other half live, but one or two may just be interested in buying your house!
So, we had a look at a couple of places - one was gorgeous, expensive, but no spare room and nowhere for the girls to play and the other one we could afford, but was in a horrid area and was just yuk! (All that money and an English degree and you still only get 'horrid' and 'yuk') - then we had a look at a couple of sections (land - another kiwism!) (oh and sheets and linen are 'Manchester'!) several very steep, (this is Auckland of course!) and one quite usable, but we seem to have missed that one!
Mark had his place valued this morning (scarey) and I'm starting to think that maybe 'it's' actually going to happen. Despite all the hassle that is going on with the settlement and the divorce, it suddenly feels like the girls and I are very nearly out of that forest. Apart from all the things Mark is and all the things he does for us, he just seems to fit. He seems to be part of us. John will always be Daddy - and the girls will have another happy little world with him and Sharron - but in my little part of the world, with Mark and Lou and Becca things are feeling very right and very normal. When John left it felt like the world would never be the same again. It felt like something was broken that could never be fixed - right now, I am just starting to acknowledge that maybe I was wrong and it feels bloody marvelous!
And with that, I am going to bugger off and play on my treadmill -
huge snogs from the land of the long white cloud. xxxx
Anyway, moving on!! Mark scored a gazillion points last night when he turned up with a treadmill. This could be construed as a not very flattering and a not very subtle hint, except for the fact that ever since I have known Mark I have groaned about the fact that since John left, I've not been able to get out for walks. Thinking about it, I guess most of you lot, have not seen me when I am in fit mode! About 3 years ago I discovered walking and within not very long at all I was walking 5 - 6 times a week for about an hour. Clocking up about 40 - 45 km per week. A bit after that I discovered the gym and after losing about 3 stone was actually looking quite trim and even had abs!! If you doubt me, I do have photographic proof of this, but I intend to be buried with it! Strangely John left when I was actually looking the best I had looked in 15 years - read into that what you like!!! Anyway, since his departure, I have gradually inflated and without some serious effort I will soon be unable to leave the house for want of a wide enough door frame!
Anyway, tomorrow I will be up at 5 am and will make a very gentle start on my wobbly bits! Hopefully, Rangi will be kind and reward me with a spectacular sunrise!
Other news? Yes, course going ok. Harder work than I had anticipated but enjoying it immensely. We were given our essays back a couple of weeks ago - which I passed. There are 3 marks, pass, fail and resit - so I guess I will be pleased with my grade, but somehow, just 'pass' is strangely unsatisfying!! We have another assignment due on May 22nd - the Case of Joan. We have to figure out why she is where she is career wise and try to find a way forward - suffice it to say, Joan is a tad unconventional!
Today is ANZAC Day, which is a public holiday. The girls have been in the parade in their Brownie and Guiding gear. And yesterday I did my best to explain what it is that the war dead have bought us. I explained about poppies, and Gallipoli - and then I ventured into a metaphoric explanation revolving around Louisa deciding that she wanted to have Becca's room too - and Mummy deciding whether she was going to let Lou get away with it or not - because obviously, if I stood by and did nothing, then next thing I know, Lou is going to take over the living room too! Needless to say, the girls were bemused at my persistence and none the wiser at the end of it!! I shall try again next year! Personally, I have never forgotten the first time I saw the Festival of remembrance at the Albert Hall when the poppies fall from above and just keep falling and falling and falling.
Anyway! Anzac Day! Post parade, Louisa is trying to master her roller blades! We gave them to her for her 6th (maybe 7th?) birthday, (Fortunately we got the kind that grow!) and they have gathered dust at the bottom of her wardrobe for the last 3 / 4 years! Sadly, here is not the best place to try them out - we live at the top of a steep hill and have cobbles down our drive, so she has resorted to going round and round the garage. Still, if she takes to it, maybe she can have a new pair for Christmas and we'll have to look for a house in a flat street or with a flat drive!
Speaking houses... We actually did some 'Open Homes' on Sunday. Another curious Kiwi thing. The Real Estate man doesn't ring you up and say 'can I bring a bloke round at 3.00?', instead, on a Saturday and Sunday, you clean your house, gather up your children and head for the swimming pool / cafe while the realtor, sits in your house while hoards of people tramp through having a bit of a nosey. Not all are buyers - some are just getting ideas for their new sofa, others are just seeing how the other half live, but one or two may just be interested in buying your house!
So, we had a look at a couple of places - one was gorgeous, expensive, but no spare room and nowhere for the girls to play and the other one we could afford, but was in a horrid area and was just yuk! (All that money and an English degree and you still only get 'horrid' and 'yuk') - then we had a look at a couple of sections (land - another kiwism!) (oh and sheets and linen are 'Manchester'!) several very steep, (this is Auckland of course!) and one quite usable, but we seem to have missed that one!
Mark had his place valued this morning (scarey) and I'm starting to think that maybe 'it's' actually going to happen. Despite all the hassle that is going on with the settlement and the divorce, it suddenly feels like the girls and I are very nearly out of that forest. Apart from all the things Mark is and all the things he does for us, he just seems to fit. He seems to be part of us. John will always be Daddy - and the girls will have another happy little world with him and Sharron - but in my little part of the world, with Mark and Lou and Becca things are feeling very right and very normal. When John left it felt like the world would never be the same again. It felt like something was broken that could never be fixed - right now, I am just starting to acknowledge that maybe I was wrong and it feels bloody marvelous!
And with that, I am going to bugger off and play on my treadmill -
huge snogs from the land of the long white cloud. xxxx
18 April 2006
Orange T-Shirts and Red Sausages....
Well, Phillip, Tracey and "the cousins" have been and gone. My first essay is in and is now returned; have done Wellington; School Fair is all finished up and Easter has now been reduced to chocolate egg wrappers scattered liberally around my newly hoovered carpet! It is now Saturday. The girls are with John this weekend and I have had the luxury of an extremely lazy day painting my toe nails, looking at the property press and spray painting larey t-shirts! (more of that later!)
The girls are off school for Easter and as a result, I too have been 'off'. School broke up on the day before Good Friday and was the last time I rushed anywhere! I had promised myself we would have our Citizenship application in by Easter - which inevitably meant racing round having photos taken, finding a JP for his signatures and getting all the paperwork done only on the day before my deadline!!! (When will I learn?) Anyway, posted applications by courier post and hopefully my charming offspring and I will be holders of both British and Kiwi passports by the end of the year.
Since then, there has been an eerie, unhurried calm over 5 Le Roy Terrace! I have slept late everyday, so have the girls. We have eaten together, played games, gone to the movies and generally chilled out - and God it was needed. One of the things I hate about single parenthood is the rushing everywhere. Children in general do not really understand the concept of being on time, (actually that could be nothing to do with children in general, but rather something to do with Percy family genes???!) and as a result mornings in particular are fraught with tension, and tardy children are harassed verbally, very loudly! Generally we get where we are supposed to be near to when we are supposed to be - but rarely actually when! Thus, holiday time is as much a calm down time for the girls. First day of the holidays Becca asked me how long she was allowed to stay in the bath. It was 10.00am and we had nothing on so I hollered back something along the lines of "As long as you like, Hun!" - she eventually emerged from the waters purple and prune like at 1.08pm!
Apart from the usual everyday knackeredness that seems to prevail in most youngish families, ours had been exacerbated by the recent visit from the Southampton branch of the Le Riches. It was fab to see them (please note that I have to be nice about them here as Tracey will be reading this!!) really fab. They were only here a couple of weeks but they spent time with us in Wellington (nice place, but not as nice as Auckland!), time doing the tourist track on their own, time with John and they also swung 3 days in the Coromandel with my two small people in tow. They stayed at a friend of Soph's bach in a place called Cooks Beach. I went there with Soph before we moved here and remember it as being incredibly peaceful. The house is so close to the beach that you can hear the waves as you lie in bed drifting off to sleep. (Tracey says she couldn't, personally I think that she is probably going deaf rather than me romanticising about Cooks in the intervening 6 years?!!) That said, I remember thinking at the time that Cooks was the most beautiful beach I had ever been to - and then Soph took me to three others within 15 mins drive and I had to confess that they were every bit as gorgeous - and maybe even more so!! (you may have noticed that I like the Coromandel!) Where the English coastline is traditionally adorned with promenades, beach huts, pink rock, kiss me quick hats and ice cream shops that sell buckets, spades, rubber rings and fishing nets, kiwi beaches are just where the land ends. No shops, rarely even a loo, just sparse long grass then sand then sea. Gorgeous. Anyway apparently Cooks worked it's magic on Tracey and Phillip too, as I got a message in the middle of their second day saying something like "We aren't ever coming back, we are staying here for ever and if you want to see your children again you'll have to come and get them!!!"
Having waved goodbye to Josh, Megan and the big LRs at Ungodly O'clock a couple of Mondays ago, we now find ourselves in the middle of a rather changeable Autumn. Today started grey and rainy, has since been blue and sunny and now looks grey again, which is a bit of a bugger as my painted t-shirts will probably run all over my jeans, my feet and the pavement! I ought to really get onto explaining that, oughtn't I?...
...Friend Kerry, (husband Malcolm put up the girls netball net...) is 40 this weekend and is partying. She has rather magnanimously decided that her friends need more exercise and has put together a Scavenger Hunt round Birkenhead for us to complete - whilst not very sober. I gather that one of the tasks to be completed is to order a Kilo of 'red sausages' (curious kiwi speciality - size of cocktail sausages but wrapped in red frankfurter skin and boiled in water. Adults DO NOT eat these thing - they are awful enough that only children like these delicacies and quite predictably they adore them!!) - anyway, yes, Kerry wants us to buy a kilo of these hideously awful sausages and to finish eating them before we go through the checkouts - photographic proof required!! Whilst carrying out these exploits we have to wear t-shirts in our team colours - which we have now spray painted with various birthday messages - my hands are blue and pink and my t-shirt is orange!!!! Thanks Kerry! I will be taking some photos with a digital camera - and if I can figure out how it works, I may post some of the resulting photos some time next week - I will not be in any of them - I am not sure that an orange spray painted t-shirt accompanied by an orange bandana is really going do much for my image!
I think I am rambling! Yes, Autumn. My garden is looking atrocious. The flower beds have disintegrated into weed beds and my attempts at cultivating lavender bushes seem to have failed - judging by the small black sticky things which are now residing in the places that I put the lavender! My lawn is half mown, half not. My excuse is that I ran out of time, light, petrol and energy. Plus, there are two spots that I can't mow because they contain dead animals - one is a dead mouse - the other a dead bird - at some point I will look witheringly pathetic at Mark until he gives in and moves them for me! Have already mown round their resting places twice!
I haven't finished!! BUT, my team mates are arriving here in 45 minutes and it is going to be difficult enough to look normal in orange without complicating things greatly by trying to look normal quickly! So, I will take a breath here - and return tomorrow evening - possibly with the remnants of a hangover!
Snogs xx
PS, in case I forget tomorrow - the School Fair went really well. I did the quick fire raffle - a raffle every 7 minutes with baskets of goodies to be won - $1200 in 2 hours - not bad - but I couldn't speak (ha ha!! Yes I know!) for most of the following week. The fair as a whole made $17,000 which was a fantastic result bearing in mind it was only our second fair - and the first only made $6000! Gotta go - orange t-shirt awaits!
The girls are off school for Easter and as a result, I too have been 'off'. School broke up on the day before Good Friday and was the last time I rushed anywhere! I had promised myself we would have our Citizenship application in by Easter - which inevitably meant racing round having photos taken, finding a JP for his signatures and getting all the paperwork done only on the day before my deadline!!! (When will I learn?) Anyway, posted applications by courier post and hopefully my charming offspring and I will be holders of both British and Kiwi passports by the end of the year.
Since then, there has been an eerie, unhurried calm over 5 Le Roy Terrace! I have slept late everyday, so have the girls. We have eaten together, played games, gone to the movies and generally chilled out - and God it was needed. One of the things I hate about single parenthood is the rushing everywhere. Children in general do not really understand the concept of being on time, (actually that could be nothing to do with children in general, but rather something to do with Percy family genes???!) and as a result mornings in particular are fraught with tension, and tardy children are harassed verbally, very loudly! Generally we get where we are supposed to be near to when we are supposed to be - but rarely actually when! Thus, holiday time is as much a calm down time for the girls. First day of the holidays Becca asked me how long she was allowed to stay in the bath. It was 10.00am and we had nothing on so I hollered back something along the lines of "As long as you like, Hun!" - she eventually emerged from the waters purple and prune like at 1.08pm!
Apart from the usual everyday knackeredness that seems to prevail in most youngish families, ours had been exacerbated by the recent visit from the Southampton branch of the Le Riches. It was fab to see them (please note that I have to be nice about them here as Tracey will be reading this!!) really fab. They were only here a couple of weeks but they spent time with us in Wellington (nice place, but not as nice as Auckland!), time doing the tourist track on their own, time with John and they also swung 3 days in the Coromandel with my two small people in tow. They stayed at a friend of Soph's bach in a place called Cooks Beach. I went there with Soph before we moved here and remember it as being incredibly peaceful. The house is so close to the beach that you can hear the waves as you lie in bed drifting off to sleep. (Tracey says she couldn't, personally I think that she is probably going deaf rather than me romanticising about Cooks in the intervening 6 years?!!) That said, I remember thinking at the time that Cooks was the most beautiful beach I had ever been to - and then Soph took me to three others within 15 mins drive and I had to confess that they were every bit as gorgeous - and maybe even more so!! (you may have noticed that I like the Coromandel!) Where the English coastline is traditionally adorned with promenades, beach huts, pink rock, kiss me quick hats and ice cream shops that sell buckets, spades, rubber rings and fishing nets, kiwi beaches are just where the land ends. No shops, rarely even a loo, just sparse long grass then sand then sea. Gorgeous. Anyway apparently Cooks worked it's magic on Tracey and Phillip too, as I got a message in the middle of their second day saying something like "We aren't ever coming back, we are staying here for ever and if you want to see your children again you'll have to come and get them!!!"
Having waved goodbye to Josh, Megan and the big LRs at Ungodly O'clock a couple of Mondays ago, we now find ourselves in the middle of a rather changeable Autumn. Today started grey and rainy, has since been blue and sunny and now looks grey again, which is a bit of a bugger as my painted t-shirts will probably run all over my jeans, my feet and the pavement! I ought to really get onto explaining that, oughtn't I?...
...Friend Kerry, (husband Malcolm put up the girls netball net...) is 40 this weekend and is partying. She has rather magnanimously decided that her friends need more exercise and has put together a Scavenger Hunt round Birkenhead for us to complete - whilst not very sober. I gather that one of the tasks to be completed is to order a Kilo of 'red sausages' (curious kiwi speciality - size of cocktail sausages but wrapped in red frankfurter skin and boiled in water. Adults DO NOT eat these thing - they are awful enough that only children like these delicacies and quite predictably they adore them!!) - anyway, yes, Kerry wants us to buy a kilo of these hideously awful sausages and to finish eating them before we go through the checkouts - photographic proof required!! Whilst carrying out these exploits we have to wear t-shirts in our team colours - which we have now spray painted with various birthday messages - my hands are blue and pink and my t-shirt is orange!!!! Thanks Kerry! I will be taking some photos with a digital camera - and if I can figure out how it works, I may post some of the resulting photos some time next week - I will not be in any of them - I am not sure that an orange spray painted t-shirt accompanied by an orange bandana is really going do much for my image!
I think I am rambling! Yes, Autumn. My garden is looking atrocious. The flower beds have disintegrated into weed beds and my attempts at cultivating lavender bushes seem to have failed - judging by the small black sticky things which are now residing in the places that I put the lavender! My lawn is half mown, half not. My excuse is that I ran out of time, light, petrol and energy. Plus, there are two spots that I can't mow because they contain dead animals - one is a dead mouse - the other a dead bird - at some point I will look witheringly pathetic at Mark until he gives in and moves them for me! Have already mown round their resting places twice!
I haven't finished!! BUT, my team mates are arriving here in 45 minutes and it is going to be difficult enough to look normal in orange without complicating things greatly by trying to look normal quickly! So, I will take a breath here - and return tomorrow evening - possibly with the remnants of a hangover!
Snogs xx
PS, in case I forget tomorrow - the School Fair went really well. I did the quick fire raffle - a raffle every 7 minutes with baskets of goodies to be won - $1200 in 2 hours - not bad - but I couldn't speak (ha ha!! Yes I know!) for most of the following week. The fair as a whole made $17,000 which was a fantastic result bearing in mind it was only our second fair - and the first only made $6000! Gotta go - orange t-shirt awaits!
10 April 2006
Picture of Mark!!
At least if you scroll down there is!!
Will do proper catch up at the weekend when I am off work for 10 days, but till then - been to Wellington, passed first assignment, Tracey, Pip and kids have been and gone!
...........and here is Mark in all his glory, bad sunglasses and all!
xx
Will do proper catch up at the weekend when I am off work for 10 days, but till then - been to Wellington, passed first assignment, Tracey, Pip and kids have been and gone!
...........and here is Mark in all his glory, bad sunglasses and all!
xx
23 March 2006
Stop the world, I want to get off!!
It occurs to me that if I don't update today, I may well not get to update until late in April.... and I'm not sure I can cope with my father not only giving me grief for not writing to him, but now for not blogging too!!
All getting a bit frenzied in the next week or so. On Monday Tracey, Phillip, Josh and Megan arrive. They are in NZ for two weeks. Think they are spending most of the first week with the girls and me and then will spend some time with J the following week. All very excited about seeing them and thoroughly looking forward to next weekend when we get to spend the weekend in Wellington with them. The girls don't break up for Easter until after the English Le Riche's have headed back North, but they'll have a few days out of school so they can make the most of their cousins being here.
So this weekend is going to be cleaning (a lot!), mowing the lawn, ironing and doing a rather important essay! In the last 2 weeks I have had to do 3 interviews asking people about their careers. Now I have to summarise those three careers and my own and draw out similarities, differences etc etc. 5000 words, not due in till April 3rd but have a whole bunch of Pommies (!)(more of that later) staying here from Monday, so think that is the real deadline!
The following weekend is Welly and the one after that is the School Fair. I didn't think I had volunteered for anything, but, strangely, my name keeps on being bandied about at PTA meetings and appearing in the minutes! Apparently I am in charge of the Quick Fire Raffle. (Bit like Whisky Galore, Dad, but without the Whisky!)
I am only retaining my sanity at the moment by setting my sights on Easter, when I have 10 days off, most of them with the girls. Can't wait! I think from there on it seems to be Winter, and am rather hoping that things will get a little quieter - please!!
So, yes, things are somewhat frazzled here! Apart from all the extra stuff, I seem to spend half of my life running - school to work, work to school, school to gymnastics etc etc - rarely do I get the chance to go from say work to pub, or home to coffee bar! Think I might actually quite enjoy that, but know, I am one of the multitude of mothers who ought to have an (unlit) illuminated yellow "taxi" sign on my roof. I now am beginning to understand how my parents felt when I was 13 and had an activity every night of the week, when Dunc was playing sport every night of the week and when Soph was swimming at 6.30am 5 mornings a week AND doing activities every night! I think I am resolved that my children are going to learn about public transport very early!!
And I don't think this phenomenon is the preserve of the single mother (God I have a label!), think it is just motherhood / parenthood in general!
All getting a bit frenzied in the next week or so. On Monday Tracey, Phillip, Josh and Megan arrive. They are in NZ for two weeks. Think they are spending most of the first week with the girls and me and then will spend some time with J the following week. All very excited about seeing them and thoroughly looking forward to next weekend when we get to spend the weekend in Wellington with them. The girls don't break up for Easter until after the English Le Riche's have headed back North, but they'll have a few days out of school so they can make the most of their cousins being here.
So this weekend is going to be cleaning (a lot!), mowing the lawn, ironing and doing a rather important essay! In the last 2 weeks I have had to do 3 interviews asking people about their careers. Now I have to summarise those three careers and my own and draw out similarities, differences etc etc. 5000 words, not due in till April 3rd but have a whole bunch of Pommies (!)(more of that later) staying here from Monday, so think that is the real deadline!
The following weekend is Welly and the one after that is the School Fair. I didn't think I had volunteered for anything, but, strangely, my name keeps on being bandied about at PTA meetings and appearing in the minutes! Apparently I am in charge of the Quick Fire Raffle. (Bit like Whisky Galore, Dad, but without the Whisky!)
I am only retaining my sanity at the moment by setting my sights on Easter, when I have 10 days off, most of them with the girls. Can't wait! I think from there on it seems to be Winter, and am rather hoping that things will get a little quieter - please!!
So, yes, things are somewhat frazzled here! Apart from all the extra stuff, I seem to spend half of my life running - school to work, work to school, school to gymnastics etc etc - rarely do I get the chance to go from say work to pub, or home to coffee bar! Think I might actually quite enjoy that, but know, I am one of the multitude of mothers who ought to have an (unlit) illuminated yellow "taxi" sign on my roof. I now am beginning to understand how my parents felt when I was 13 and had an activity every night of the week, when Dunc was playing sport every night of the week and when Soph was swimming at 6.30am 5 mornings a week AND doing activities every night! I think I am resolved that my children are going to learn about public transport very early!!
And I don't think this phenomenon is the preserve of the single mother (God I have a label!), think it is just motherhood / parenthood in general!
Anyway, last weekend was quieter than usual. Louisa celebrated her 10th birthday. That's to say she was 10 in January but only had her party last Saturday! This is partly due to the fact that I am a bit disorganised, but mostly due to the fact that in January Auckland is deserted. Her birthday party is usually kicked into February, but this year it was March 18th! She and 7 friends went Laser tagging. Which, if you've not been, is playing war games in the dark. You score points by zapping your opponents targets (shoulders, back and gun) with a laser. Not a particularly girly birthday party but they all had a fab time which was followed by pizzas and birthday cake on the beach.
Becca has now made plans for her 8th (Sleepover), 9th (Paint the Earth - plate painting) and 10th (laser Tag) birthdays - so now I just have to plan the cakes!
Cake making prowess is not anything like the standard of my mothers, but I continue to try! This year, Lou had decided she wanted to have a candy / gingerbread type house. She lost the picture, which meant a fair amount of improvisation on my part. Having made the icing and carried out the architectural and building part of the work, it became apparent that this was not going to be as elegant and streamlined as I had hoped (although the thatched roof made of flakes was impressive). Deciding that discretion might be the better part of valour, it seemed wiser to allow the girls to undertake the exterior decorating than to complete it myself and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune! (ie - have the piss taken out of me mercilessly!!) Anyway, in true kid style, it looked fabulous. Smartie flowers in the garden and on the front and back of the house, jelly beans on the side, biscuit door, coconut ice windows and a liquorice footpath! Would love to have posted a picture here, but as yet still do not have digi camera. Working on it!
What else? Oh yes - finally, the girls and I are putting in for Citizenship next week, hopefully. Apparently, it takes about 6 - 8 months to process, so we should be fully fledged kiwi's by the end of the year.... and I will be able to refer to anyone losing at rugby wearing a white shirt as a Pom!
No idea what is going on with John. Not really talking at the moment, apart from on the bare necessities of arrangements for John's weekends with the girls. Hopefully will be hearing from his solicitor before long, just so that things can start moving. I'm hopeful that eventually we will be able to have a reasonable relationship again - but have always been a bit on the optimistic side!
Netball notices home - so that'll all be back on the calendar next term. Flute is actually coming on quite well. Lou is in the school band. They are learning Wild Thing for the next Chelsea Singers extravaganza (see June, Faster than a Speeding Bullet!) - I think her entire part involves 2 notes played about 40 times - I have heard the practice! Apparently both my little darlings are going to try for solos this time, so maybe Lou will be singing the Lambeth Walk and Becs can do Just You Wait 'Enry 'Iggins?? Perhaps not?! Of course, I will get additional entertainment value from the fact that Mark will, for the first time, have the pleasure of attending one of these musical (!) soirees!! That said, he did survive the school carol evening (note that I didn't say Carol Concert - that would conjure up a picture of orderly, angelic children singing Away in a Manger and Little Donkey. Chelsea opts for a more informal celebration of Christmas involving Snoopy's Christmas, Grandma got Run Over by a Reindeer and an awful lot of Conga's!). Don't you just wish you could come?!
Also have Parent / Teacher interviews next week. This could be interesting as John and I have to attend together - which will be interesting bearing in mind the lack of talking! Actually, can you imagine me not talking to anyone?!! I mean me / not talking??!
Girls have school sleepover tomorrow night - the whole school!!! Don't know whose idea that was, but I sure am glad that I'm not going to be anywhere near Chelsea tomorrow night! Am also glad that the girls are with John on Saturday night - suspect that very little sleep will be had on Friday and tempers will be frayed at best!!
Mark continues to be lovely. Poor love has just recovered to football injured wrist, and was about to return to goal keeping duties on Sunday, only to put his back out earlier this week - may have to trade him in for a younger model!! Girls still beating him at UNO and I got beaten again at Scrabble! Oh, and my Dad has ruled that 'Awares' is a made-up word and so technically I am still awaiting my first victory! (Blogging spellcheck doesn't have it either!!)
Haven't seen Matt and Sarah for a good long evening for ages - but am catching up with them next week, I hope. Matt mailed me yesterday and asked how I was - I replied "Fat, Poor and Tired" - I found in my mailbox this morning a message saying "Not fat, just not skinny - not poor, just not as rich as some people - and tired only because you are living life to the full" - Good way to look at it all I thought.
Gotta go - need to sleep. Essay to write, house to clean, ironing to iron - children to ferry about! etc.
Catch you soon.
Loadsa xx
03 March 2006
It's official....
... after almost 20 years since last studying, I am again a student!!
OK, only one night a week for 2.5 hours - and yes I know I blogged about this only on Sunday, BUT.... what makes it official is that I just finished my first assignment!!! AND, it isn't due till Monday!!!
Anyway, just wanted to share that one with you - 12.23am, just finishing making girls lunches for tomorrow and then away to bed.
Sleep tight, snogs xxxx
OK, only one night a week for 2.5 hours - and yes I know I blogged about this only on Sunday, BUT.... what makes it official is that I just finished my first assignment!!! AND, it isn't due till Monday!!!
Anyway, just wanted to share that one with you - 12.23am, just finishing making girls lunches for tomorrow and then away to bed.
Sleep tight, snogs xxxx
26 February 2006
As I Suspected!....
No, nothing drastic, just 2006 is looking rather alot like I thought it was going to!!
Can't even stop for proper blog tonight, but can't not blog for over a month!! So, highlights at this stage:
Mark and I are going to get a house together late this year! Girls are already planning the colour of their bedrooms. Predictably, Louisa wants 'lavendar' aka purple, Becca wants a 'darkish lightish sort of pink'. Also, Lou wants to know whether she is allowed to stick things all over the walls. To date she has a cork board with Daniel Carter (ABs no. 10) on it - and no, he isn't her heart throb, she likes sticking pin tacks in him!! Suspect she tortures him because she knows I think he is a bit yummy - although she hasn't started sticking pins in Mark yet, so who knows! House plan is not till the end of the year because Mark has to sell his place first and I sort of feel like I want one thing properly finished before starting the next....!
Girls are now back at school. Lou got the teacher she wanted, Mrs Bowerman; Becca got the teacher I wanted - Mrs Cross (who isn't!) - and she seems very happy with her too! Both have been suffering from "Start-of-term-itis" which has meant that they are both very pleased to be back at school, but are also extremely tired and very very narky with each other and with me. Last night I discovered that Becca's extreme case had been excacerbated by the fact that, for the last 3 weeks she has been reading - after lights out!!!! Not quite sure for how long, but the severity of the attack probably means that she was under the covers with her torch for a good while!
Activities have all restarted also. Lou is now a Girl Guide and Becs is still Brownieing. Lou has decided that she is going to continue with her flute for a while, and gymnastics is back too. Netball doesn't happen in Term 1 so Wednesdays are still relatively uncluttered and I am enjoying that for a wee while.
AND.......... I have started my activity!! Last Monday I started my Graduate Diploma in Career Development. So far nothing major, but am acutely aware of the fact that I finished my degree 20 years ago! I confess to being somewhat concerned about doing essays again, and am rather confused to discover that I am expected to write a study journal. The idea is that you start by entering where you are in relation to your chosen subject as you begin your course and then write down all the developments in your thinking, understanding etc so that you become a 'reflective' rather than a 'reactive' practitioner. I am given to understand that they don't want navel gazing, but rather are anticipating some sort of ideological epiphany!! Maybe I should do it in blog form!!
Since writing the last line, I have been away studying! Tomorrow is my class and our homework last week was to do a whole wadge of reading. I have read fairly steadily, but with no great urgency, through the week, thinking that I would polish off the last couple of pages this evening - only to discover that the last couple of pages actually entailed 48 pages of fairly detailed theory and a number of 'activities' encouraging us to germinate our fledgling personal theories on careers and career practice! Suffice it to say it is now gone midnight and I have learnt a lesson which I should really have learnt in 1983, 1984, 5 and 6 - namely, don't leave your homework till the night before it's due in!! Next week I have to hand in an account of my own 'career' to date which should be quite interesting (!) and 3 weeks later I have to hand in a report on 3 other peoples 'career stories' having interviewed them! What was I thinking!!!!!!
Anyway, what else? The John mess continues (as in my "As I suspected" title...). Everything escalated dramatically a few weeks back and now, having suggested to John that maybe we were both overreacting a tad and maybe, for our own sanity and for the sake of the girls we should call a cease fire, I am waiting to hear from his solicitor about going to court to sort out the money!!! Fortunately, it is all very black and white and whilst I will be taking advice from my own solicitor, it is unlikely anyone will take his case to court.
It seems to me, that at the moment we are both getting very entangled in the 'who did what to whom' type of scenario. I am hoping that next time I see John, things are calm enough to suggest to him that we try and focus on the fact that we actually each gave each other our beautiful girls - and for that alone, perhaps we should have a little more care for each other. Not sure it will have any effect, but the thought of 30 - 40 years of wrangling, is too scary for words.
Also, I am still fat.
Those who have never yet got their Christmas cards yet - I apologise, I honestly had all good intentions, they are still by the phone, and there is still a vague possibility that between career epiphanies and homework, I may yet get to write them.
Currently Mark's brother, also a John, and his wife Terri are over from the UK. Rather coincidentally both Mark's brothers (kiwis) live just outside Sevenoaks, about 10 miles from Green St Green! (small world!) (plus can't remember if I mentioned that Mark's Mum was from Guernsey? Which makes me wonder about the whole past life thing and what on earth the Channel Islands connection is to me?!!) Back to the brother, he's been taking Terri (Londoner) on a bit of a Tiki tour round Taupo, Rotorua, the Coramandel and Bay of Islands and catching up with family on the way - think he is kidnapping Mark on Wednesday and I'm not expecting to see him again till Sunday!
Meantime, the girls are on countdown for the arrival of Josh and Meggie. And I confess that I am also quite excited (29 days!). As part of the itinary we are having a little jaunt down to Wellington which I am really looking forward to. Not been before and about time I had!
Still haven't got digital camera - mess with John means that finances have been slightly buggered so that Christmas money has been temporarily diverted - am hoping that will change very soon! (speaking of which, must get road tax that expired last Wednesday! - was pleasantly surprised that car passed it's WOF / MOT almost first time!!) Once camera'd up, Mark and all of Birkenhead will be posted in these pages!
OHHHHHHHH - and biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggg news! I BEAT MARK AT SCRABBLE!! Only by 3 very marginal points and I think I may have invented a new word, but then he had invented one the day before so he has been gracious in accepting defeat and now I just have to beat him with legitimate words. For the record, while 'Unawares' is a word, 'Awares' is not! but it did fit very nicely onto a triple word score with the S on the red square, thus very large score!
Soph is good. Shopped with her yesterday for Bridesmaid dress for a wedding she is at in England next month.
No, Mark and I aren't getting married, ever! But hope to live in sin for many years to come. Figure the bit of paper didn't actually mean very much in the end.
Grace is lovely. Sarah and Matthew and their girls are also good and have been beseiged with visitors for months. What with that, work and yummy fella, haven't seen half as much of them as usual, but am hoping that will revert back to normal soon.
Oh and new job, busy but good. At present juggling new job, old job, training new girl on old job, extra old job and training other new girl and a bit of frazzling in the middle - otherwise, going well!
apologies for the slightly disorganised flow of things - brain ready for bed as are aching old bones.
huge hugs xxxx
Can't even stop for proper blog tonight, but can't not blog for over a month!! So, highlights at this stage:
Mark and I are going to get a house together late this year! Girls are already planning the colour of their bedrooms. Predictably, Louisa wants 'lavendar' aka purple, Becca wants a 'darkish lightish sort of pink'. Also, Lou wants to know whether she is allowed to stick things all over the walls. To date she has a cork board with Daniel Carter (ABs no. 10) on it - and no, he isn't her heart throb, she likes sticking pin tacks in him!! Suspect she tortures him because she knows I think he is a bit yummy - although she hasn't started sticking pins in Mark yet, so who knows! House plan is not till the end of the year because Mark has to sell his place first and I sort of feel like I want one thing properly finished before starting the next....!
Girls are now back at school. Lou got the teacher she wanted, Mrs Bowerman; Becca got the teacher I wanted - Mrs Cross (who isn't!) - and she seems very happy with her too! Both have been suffering from "Start-of-term-itis" which has meant that they are both very pleased to be back at school, but are also extremely tired and very very narky with each other and with me. Last night I discovered that Becca's extreme case had been excacerbated by the fact that, for the last 3 weeks she has been reading - after lights out!!!! Not quite sure for how long, but the severity of the attack probably means that she was under the covers with her torch for a good while!
Activities have all restarted also. Lou is now a Girl Guide and Becs is still Brownieing. Lou has decided that she is going to continue with her flute for a while, and gymnastics is back too. Netball doesn't happen in Term 1 so Wednesdays are still relatively uncluttered and I am enjoying that for a wee while.
AND.......... I have started my activity!! Last Monday I started my Graduate Diploma in Career Development. So far nothing major, but am acutely aware of the fact that I finished my degree 20 years ago! I confess to being somewhat concerned about doing essays again, and am rather confused to discover that I am expected to write a study journal. The idea is that you start by entering where you are in relation to your chosen subject as you begin your course and then write down all the developments in your thinking, understanding etc so that you become a 'reflective' rather than a 'reactive' practitioner. I am given to understand that they don't want navel gazing, but rather are anticipating some sort of ideological epiphany!! Maybe I should do it in blog form!!
Since writing the last line, I have been away studying! Tomorrow is my class and our homework last week was to do a whole wadge of reading. I have read fairly steadily, but with no great urgency, through the week, thinking that I would polish off the last couple of pages this evening - only to discover that the last couple of pages actually entailed 48 pages of fairly detailed theory and a number of 'activities' encouraging us to germinate our fledgling personal theories on careers and career practice! Suffice it to say it is now gone midnight and I have learnt a lesson which I should really have learnt in 1983, 1984, 5 and 6 - namely, don't leave your homework till the night before it's due in!! Next week I have to hand in an account of my own 'career' to date which should be quite interesting (!) and 3 weeks later I have to hand in a report on 3 other peoples 'career stories' having interviewed them! What was I thinking!!!!!!
Anyway, what else? The John mess continues (as in my "As I suspected" title...). Everything escalated dramatically a few weeks back and now, having suggested to John that maybe we were both overreacting a tad and maybe, for our own sanity and for the sake of the girls we should call a cease fire, I am waiting to hear from his solicitor about going to court to sort out the money!!! Fortunately, it is all very black and white and whilst I will be taking advice from my own solicitor, it is unlikely anyone will take his case to court.
It seems to me, that at the moment we are both getting very entangled in the 'who did what to whom' type of scenario. I am hoping that next time I see John, things are calm enough to suggest to him that we try and focus on the fact that we actually each gave each other our beautiful girls - and for that alone, perhaps we should have a little more care for each other. Not sure it will have any effect, but the thought of 30 - 40 years of wrangling, is too scary for words.
Also, I am still fat.
Those who have never yet got their Christmas cards yet - I apologise, I honestly had all good intentions, they are still by the phone, and there is still a vague possibility that between career epiphanies and homework, I may yet get to write them.
Currently Mark's brother, also a John, and his wife Terri are over from the UK. Rather coincidentally both Mark's brothers (kiwis) live just outside Sevenoaks, about 10 miles from Green St Green! (small world!) (plus can't remember if I mentioned that Mark's Mum was from Guernsey? Which makes me wonder about the whole past life thing and what on earth the Channel Islands connection is to me?!!) Back to the brother, he's been taking Terri (Londoner) on a bit of a Tiki tour round Taupo, Rotorua, the Coramandel and Bay of Islands and catching up with family on the way - think he is kidnapping Mark on Wednesday and I'm not expecting to see him again till Sunday!
Meantime, the girls are on countdown for the arrival of Josh and Meggie. And I confess that I am also quite excited (29 days!). As part of the itinary we are having a little jaunt down to Wellington which I am really looking forward to. Not been before and about time I had!
Still haven't got digital camera - mess with John means that finances have been slightly buggered so that Christmas money has been temporarily diverted - am hoping that will change very soon! (speaking of which, must get road tax that expired last Wednesday! - was pleasantly surprised that car passed it's WOF / MOT almost first time!!) Once camera'd up, Mark and all of Birkenhead will be posted in these pages!
OHHHHHHHH - and biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggg news! I BEAT MARK AT SCRABBLE!! Only by 3 very marginal points and I think I may have invented a new word, but then he had invented one the day before so he has been gracious in accepting defeat and now I just have to beat him with legitimate words. For the record, while 'Unawares' is a word, 'Awares' is not! but it did fit very nicely onto a triple word score with the S on the red square, thus very large score!
Soph is good. Shopped with her yesterday for Bridesmaid dress for a wedding she is at in England next month.
No, Mark and I aren't getting married, ever! But hope to live in sin for many years to come. Figure the bit of paper didn't actually mean very much in the end.
Grace is lovely. Sarah and Matthew and their girls are also good and have been beseiged with visitors for months. What with that, work and yummy fella, haven't seen half as much of them as usual, but am hoping that will revert back to normal soon.
Oh and new job, busy but good. At present juggling new job, old job, training new girl on old job, extra old job and training other new girl and a bit of frazzling in the middle - otherwise, going well!
apologies for the slightly disorganised flow of things - brain ready for bed as are aching old bones.
huge hugs xxxx
27 January 2006
Yes, I am still alive!!
It's Friday night. The girls are having a sleepover with each other (venue Louisa's room), torches are flashing and squeals of delight are spilling out into the rather sticky night air. Lovely Mark person is playing post footy pool at the pub.
And I am left contemplating the fact that last Sunday my Dad asked me why I hadn't updated my blog!
For those of you not aware of the irony of this fact, Dad has been computer literate for at least 15 years - or rather he has been WP literate. However, he totally abhors e-mail and is a tad distrustful of the internet. (When I say tad, read 'excessively'!) Sometime ago it occurred to me how useful it would be to invent a telephone where instead of talking, you actually typed. This thought occurred to me after having a long distance call with my Dad, who is just a smidge deaf - (when I say smidge, read 'very very'!) and the conversation was punctuated with 'pardon' and false starts and misunderstandings. Then they invented MSN Messenger, - which is a bit like a telephone with typing!... however, pathological dislike of internet, means Dad doesn't use it!
Just for the record, I am not suggesting that MSN Messenger (or any other kind of on-line chat) should replace the telephone, (can't beat hearing my lovely Dad on the phone on a Sunday night) anymore than an e-mail or a blog can replace a proper letter in an airmail envelope arriving on the Saturday morning when my girls are with their father - BUT, both have their place and can, on occasion be useful. (End of sales pitch to father!!!!!)
ANYWAY, the fact that my Dad has even read my blog is quite gobsmacking (put that one in just for you Dad!!), so for him to have noticed that I haven't updated is quite gratifying on one hand - on the other hand, it says to me that I have been a teency weency bit remiss (and yes for teency weency, please read 'a trounce'!). (Dad, love that you read my blog - and will write a proper letter soon!!)
Well that was a pre-amble and a half, and for those of you who managed to survive wading through that particular mire, hello!
Where to start? We are still in the middle of summer holidays. One more week to go and then the girls grab their sunhats and their jandals and their bulging book bags and we are back into the usual routine of things. It's actually been a rather lovely summer. The weather has been stunning - bit windy, but very very blue sky, fantastic sunsets, and the sea is that fabulous blue colour that sea is meant to be instead of murky grey / grey that you get at Bognor and Walton-on-the-Naze! (so kiwi that I can't even remember if that's how you spell "Naze"!!) So we have been spoilt with outdoor stuff.
The girls had a brilliant time in Wanaka. They came back with filthy clothes, filthy bodies and new tents! They seem to have spent some good time with Daddy and managed not to send him or Sharron mad, despite the 20 hour drive back North!! And I was quite chuffed that while they were down South they didn't go to Milford Sound, which means that I can keep it on my list of things to do with them when we get down their together.
While they were down South, Mark and I did a wee bit of camping too, we went down to the Bay of Plenty and spent 3 days doing not very much except taking in scenery, relaxing and playing Scrabble and Uno.
Yes, I am still being beaten at Scrabble fairly relentlessly - you will know when I beat Mark at Scrabble as I will probably devote a whole blog post to the match play! Judy has sent me a book of Scrabble tactics - which initially I had high hopes for, however I have only read the first couple of chapters, and it seems that if I am to beat Mark by anything other than fluke, I will need to learn several hundred 2, 3 and 4 letter words - not to mention the plethora of Q words which do not require a U! I will continue studying this tome in the vain hope that there will be a magic formula, or a chip that can be inserted into the Scrabble playing part of the brain, or that quite by chance there will be a game plan that exactly mirrors the next game that I play with Mark - otherwise, I fear I may just have to continue conceding defeat and concentrate on beating him at Uno instead - which I do very very often!!
Anyway, New Years Eve was, as predicted, quiet, but no less enjoyable for that. There was an extremely bad Karaoke competition on the Camp Site that we were staying on - fortunately it was just far enough away that all we could hear was a heavy bass - now how often are you thankful that you can hear the bass! So Mark and I looked at the stars, chatted under our gazebo and generally got rather sloppy and romantic! Not a bad way to see in the New Year.
And I am left contemplating the fact that last Sunday my Dad asked me why I hadn't updated my blog!
For those of you not aware of the irony of this fact, Dad has been computer literate for at least 15 years - or rather he has been WP literate. However, he totally abhors e-mail and is a tad distrustful of the internet. (When I say tad, read 'excessively'!) Sometime ago it occurred to me how useful it would be to invent a telephone where instead of talking, you actually typed. This thought occurred to me after having a long distance call with my Dad, who is just a smidge deaf - (when I say smidge, read 'very very'!) and the conversation was punctuated with 'pardon' and false starts and misunderstandings. Then they invented MSN Messenger, - which is a bit like a telephone with typing!... however, pathological dislike of internet, means Dad doesn't use it!
Just for the record, I am not suggesting that MSN Messenger (or any other kind of on-line chat) should replace the telephone, (can't beat hearing my lovely Dad on the phone on a Sunday night) anymore than an e-mail or a blog can replace a proper letter in an airmail envelope arriving on the Saturday morning when my girls are with their father - BUT, both have their place and can, on occasion be useful. (End of sales pitch to father!!!!!)
ANYWAY, the fact that my Dad has even read my blog is quite gobsmacking (put that one in just for you Dad!!), so for him to have noticed that I haven't updated is quite gratifying on one hand - on the other hand, it says to me that I have been a teency weency bit remiss (and yes for teency weency, please read 'a trounce'!). (Dad, love that you read my blog - and will write a proper letter soon!!)
Well that was a pre-amble and a half, and for those of you who managed to survive wading through that particular mire, hello!
Where to start? We are still in the middle of summer holidays. One more week to go and then the girls grab their sunhats and their jandals and their bulging book bags and we are back into the usual routine of things. It's actually been a rather lovely summer. The weather has been stunning - bit windy, but very very blue sky, fantastic sunsets, and the sea is that fabulous blue colour that sea is meant to be instead of murky grey / grey that you get at Bognor and Walton-on-the-Naze! (so kiwi that I can't even remember if that's how you spell "Naze"!!) So we have been spoilt with outdoor stuff.
The girls had a brilliant time in Wanaka. They came back with filthy clothes, filthy bodies and new tents! They seem to have spent some good time with Daddy and managed not to send him or Sharron mad, despite the 20 hour drive back North!! And I was quite chuffed that while they were down South they didn't go to Milford Sound, which means that I can keep it on my list of things to do with them when we get down their together.
While they were down South, Mark and I did a wee bit of camping too, we went down to the Bay of Plenty and spent 3 days doing not very much except taking in scenery, relaxing and playing Scrabble and Uno.
Yes, I am still being beaten at Scrabble fairly relentlessly - you will know when I beat Mark at Scrabble as I will probably devote a whole blog post to the match play! Judy has sent me a book of Scrabble tactics - which initially I had high hopes for, however I have only read the first couple of chapters, and it seems that if I am to beat Mark by anything other than fluke, I will need to learn several hundred 2, 3 and 4 letter words - not to mention the plethora of Q words which do not require a U! I will continue studying this tome in the vain hope that there will be a magic formula, or a chip that can be inserted into the Scrabble playing part of the brain, or that quite by chance there will be a game plan that exactly mirrors the next game that I play with Mark - otherwise, I fear I may just have to continue conceding defeat and concentrate on beating him at Uno instead - which I do very very often!!
Anyway, New Years Eve was, as predicted, quiet, but no less enjoyable for that. There was an extremely bad Karaoke competition on the Camp Site that we were staying on - fortunately it was just far enough away that all we could hear was a heavy bass - now how often are you thankful that you can hear the bass! So Mark and I looked at the stars, chatted under our gazebo and generally got rather sloppy and romantic! Not a bad way to see in the New Year.
Funny how the world turns. The end of one year and the beginning of the next is generally considered to be a time to reflect - and this year I did quite a bit of reflecting. I was thinking how my life was two years ago. At the time John was suffering depression so things weren't great, but he seemed to be coming out of it, and life was fine. The four of us, together in New Zealand - not a bad life, comfortable, quite safe, maybe a bit predictable - but I quite like security and predictability, so none the worse for that. Then I was thinking how my life was last new year. That was a scary time. 2005 looked like this huge, daunting mountain to climb - or, back to Matthews analogy this big, dark, seemingly never ending forest. I remember putting Dad and Judy on the plane and as we left the airport thinking 'Well, here we go!'. In fact 2005 turned out ok. I discovered how good my friends here are. I spent time with some lovely friends from home too. The girls thrived, we survived financially and despite swearing off men, I somehow managed to land myself a rather special one. (should mention that in a city, (or is it country?!!) where there are 40,000 less men than women in the 30 - 45 age group, I'm quite impressed that I, as a rather fat and jaded 41 year old mother of two, managed to find a man at all, let alone a nice one!) So now here we are at the beginning of another new year - quite optimistic about 2006 in some respects in other respects I am scared to the point of immobility.
Needless to say the optimism has a lot to do with Mark. We're thinking that towards the end of the year, after my divorce has gone through, and if we still like each other (!) maybe we'll get a place together - so stuff to look forward to. Then there's my new job. There's my Career counselling course and there's the confidence in the future that comes from having survived post John to this point - it took John leaving me for me to discover that I am actually quite resilient - I never realised quite how often I can be knocked down and still get up again afterwards!
And obviously the immobilising fear is largely to do with John and with recognising the fact that over the next few months there is going to be more and more confrontation as John and I separate our affairs and fight our own corners. Everytime a new battle commences - (and most of the time they start with very little warning or provocation, so that even a 'thank you' can be red rag to a bull) I feel my stomach tightening (oh that it actually would!!!!) and this awful nausea settles in, not about the actual immediate problem, but just because it seems like it is always going to be like this. I can't see the end of it. Can't see the way out of the forest - everytime I think I am getting close to the edge of it, it turns out it is just a clearing and there is still more forest the other side of it. That said, Mark is making the forest much more navigable!
Anyway - so, 2006 - we shall see! Watch this space
Oh, and of course 2006 WILL be the year I write my book - Yeah, right!!!!! God, so need to get up off my bum - or rather sit down on it, but anyway!!
I went back to work on January 4 and my new job now seems to have begun in earnest. At this stage, I seem to be learning a lot of processes and procedures, and initially I was beginning to think that I would never get to grips with it. However, three weeks in and I am quite enjoying excercising a different bit of my brain. I am now a Human Resources Assistant and I have my own portfolio of faculties and departments - which sounds far more exciting than it actually is, but hey!!
What else? Girls have nits - same the world over! Oh and me, Mark and the girls (my mother would have kittens about my grammar there!) went to Pakiri camping as well. That was a couple of weekends back. Can do the camping thing - although, I think four days is my limit! That said there is camping and there is camping! There was a whole crowd of us that went up to this site - 12 adults, 20 kids! We were last to arrive and we pitched our small dome tent (for the girls) and our large (as in 3 man) dome tent, for Mark and I, at the end of an avenue of tents all belonging to our crowd. Probably the best comparison would be that the far end of the avenue was rather like Mayfair, our end was a bit like Tooting Broadway (note I didn't say Bec!) - Malcolm and Kerry, (very kiwi, very lovely, totally heroic friends!) were in the camping equivalent of the Dorchester. They had a bed (not camp bed - real bed!!!), seating for 6 and a fridge freezer!!!!!! I jest not! Three other of our tents also had fridges! I was so excited by my big ice box before we left Birkenhead - then we moved in next to the Jones's! (Louise, Daniel, Courtney and Bradley Jones to be precise!!) We, I think, were in the camping equivalent of dome tents!
Anyway - the big gang of us meant the girls had a fantastic time. Becca had only just bothered to learn to ride her bike without the stabilisers, and was chuffed as punch to discover that she wasn't the only one to take her bike with her. Very happy children! Quite tired by the time they came home though. The beach at Pakiri was absolutely stonking (another one for you Dad!) too. Long, deep, empty and beautiful white sand. Saturday afternoon Lou and I spent a couple of hours diving through huge great rollers - which was probably my best bit of the weekend. Not often I get to have little special moments with one of my girls. Oh, and Mark beat me at Scrabble again!
I'm not sure I've told you half of what is happening over here - but seem to have waffled fairly extensively. And it's getting late, so I'm going to bugger off now. Hopefully my pool playing kiwi will poll in for a snog or two shortly and I will have a grin on my face as big as the sky!
Will go and reread last blog and see what else I was meant to be catching you up on and will blog again soon, promise!
Night night xxxxx
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