26 March 2007

250 Days....

.... so kind of figure that now is the time to get fit! (How many times have you heard this?) - I have measured every conceivable part of my body to discover that since John left my chest has increased in size by 20cm and my thighs, and more worryingly my arms!, have thickened by 2cm each! I suspect that even my feet are not as small (!!) as they used to be!

Here I am, 42 and rather flabby! Have yummy man, lervely daughters, fab house and no excuse whatsoever for putting off getting back to the gym any longer. Not rejoined yet though, but am mid negotiation with ('it's worth a stay at) the YMCA'! Hope to be signed up and hating every minute on the rowing machine by next weekend. In the meantime I am walking, and walking and walking! I have an eating plan. I also have a pair of black combat pants that are feeling neglected and unloved in the back of my wardrobe. They are my first objective.

Speaking of wardrobe, my 'walk-in wardrobe' which is in fact just a large space with no doors is about to be converted into an actual walk in wardrobe. We have a builder coming in next week who is doing something with the two bathrooms that Mark ripped out over the weekend. We are going to get him to rig up a new wall ready for Mark to get creative fitting a snazzy wardrobe for us - with hanging, and shelves and shoe space etc etc - hopefully I will be able to fill it with clothes that are not bought in the same shop that Orca frequents!

Also have to finish assignment 1 for paper 2 this week. I've done the reading, now I just have to turn it into an assignment. Louisa wants to know why I have left it till the last minute!!

And only realised when I talked to Dad last night that I had failed to report on my near death experience!! (never let it be said that I exaggerate!) - the girls and I were in an earthquake last month! Admittedly 4.5 on the Richter scale is little enough that Mark was out and didn't notice it!! BUT the girls and I did! Becca was a little bit freaked out so she and Boo slept together - but was a bit scary. The actual earthquake itself was fine bit like a herd of elephants having a party in the living room - but afterwards, I think we were all just waiting for it to start again -wondering if it would be bigger. Did the sensible stand in the doorway or get under the kitchen table speech, but not sure how convincing I sounded. Turns out 4.5 is as big as it's ever been in Auckland - so guess that, in itself, is heartening - but still find it difficult to explain to Becs why we thought it was good idea to move to a geothermal / volcanic / earthquake black spot!!

Better go. Things to do etc etc

snogs xxxx

15 March 2007

Tickets booked!!

261 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!!

SEE YOU IN DECEMBER!!! XXXX

Not that I'm excited or anything!!!!! (Suspect Mark may get bored of this by next weekend......!!)

xxxxxx

14 March 2007

How Heavy's your Heart??

I am at work! I should not be blogging! This will be quick! Will follow up with fuller version at the weekend - hopefully!

Most recent news is that Becs had a day trip to Te Papa yesterday. Te Papa is NZ's National Museum - and is in Wellington! So Becs and 17 other children from school hopped on a plane yesterday morning at 8.30 and were back at school by 8.30 last night - and Oh My God she was buzzing!! The school has a theme this year of "Are we what we were?" which is focussing on ancient cultures. Te Papa is currently running an Ancient Egyptian exhibition "Beyond the Tomb". The kids got to go behind the scenes with their own tour guide and seem to have had an amazing time! Since picking Becs up I have learnt that Mummy's are wrapped in 4 layers of linen and that their stomach's, liver, intestines and lungs are all removed and put in jars - their heart is taken out 'something is done with it and then it's put back in'! This morning, my education continued when she told me that Egyptians were tested after they died to see if they would go to Paradise or to eternal darkness. Apparently one of the tests was to have your heart weighed against the weight of a feather - if your heart was heavier it would be eaten by a creature with a crocodile's head, a dog's middle and a hippopotamus's bottom! Otherwise, you were into Paradise. And all this before 8am!! Doubtless I will learn more on the way to gymnastics this evening!

Netball is nearly here again. Lou had her trials yesterday - and this evening she and I are learning to be netball umpires! I have to get a whistle on the way home from the $2 shop! She is going to umpire Becs games and I get to umpire hers! Four sessions on Wednesday nights from 7.30 - 9 which would be fine if I wasn't supposed to be writing Assessment 1 for Paper 2 of my course!

Lou has also recently just bought a new camera! She got money from both Gramps and Grandad for her birthday and has been Trade Me (like E-Bay) surfing ever since - found a very snazzy Nikon last weekend - and now we just need to buy an adaptor for the battery charger as the plug is actually french! Anyway, the idea with the digital was that it would mean that she could take as many appallingly bad shots as necessary while she learns what makes a good picture and without costing a fortune in film and developing! We shall see - I will post her more successful efforts to our Picasa Photo Album - and you can let me know if you think she is going to be the next David Bailey!?

Nearly bought tickets for trip home!! Probably ought not to blog date of arrival and departure - might be seen as inviting intruders! In fact you probably already know the dates - as if I'm sensible I will put the dates in the Blog Update e-mail??!! Anyway, we already have plans to do London Eye, Open Top Bus Tour, the Christmas Lights, Santa at Selfridges (yes I know they are too old but you have to do it once!!)(which they have - but you should be able to remember it!!) - I think Mark is horrified at the prospect of London at Christmas, but I'll win him round! Will need to fit in a couple of visits to friends and family as well I guess! May have to ask Dad to check out the Panto at Windsor Royal as well??

Have had stonking Summer! Has been sunny almost everyday since Angela, Vince and the boys went home! (And I know that none of you who have been here will believe that - but tis the truth!) - however, Summer seemed to end rather abruptly on Monday. Yesterday when the heavens opened - we had thunder, lightning, power cut - flying trampolines (nowhere near my house!) and a couple of leaks in the roof!! Bugger!! The lights all went out at about 10.30 - the alarm started beeping and 30 minutes later when the electricity went back on we woke the whole neighbourhood up with our shreaky alarm! Have to say it is a tad loud and not at all sure my ears will recover - Becca, on the other hand (only off the plane 3 hours before!) slept through the whole episode! Note to self, must find out alarm code before the next power cut!
As an addendum to the 'it's now Winter' declaration above - School Fair on Saturday....... Joy!

Mark saw thumb man this morning - op to fix it sometime in the next couple of months. Since pinging his thumb tendon he has also buggered his knee (and his foot!!) playing 7 games of football in one day (Finals Day!) As yet, Doctor won't look at knee as it is too swollen to see anything!

Becs room has been redecorated - VERY pink! but she seems to like it!

We have purchased our 3 bathrooms - but have yet to install them - currently they are sitting, dry and boxed in the rumpus room! We do now have a new water heater - which in the installation process gave me 3 mornings of freezing cold showers! However we now have mains pressure and very hot water! plus a hot water tank to put all the washing on top of now that Summer has passed and nothing will dry on the washing line!

House still lovely by the way! Mark still gorgeous! Me still fat - but have now started walking again - even in the rain! Figure in 8 months I can be virtually skin and bone if I work very hard?!

Sure there must be more! Work busy!! Is actually! Just breathing for 5!!

Better go! Huge snogs xxx