I started this some time last week - so if you find something in orange, you'll know that's me just updating from today's point of view! (26 June 2007)
Despite the fact that we've now been here going on 6 years, I still can't get used to the way the antipodean upside down year works out.
In England, the year always seemed to really start in September with that forceful grunt towards Christmas as soon as the summer holidays finishes. It starts with new shoes, school bags and the determined sewing in of name tags on school jumpers; and then almost without a breath the PTA are talking Christmas Fairs and the children start singing Carols on the way to their swimming lessons.
Advent appears and all those dark evenings bring cake, pudding and paper chain making and then once the children go to bed that a mild frenzy overcomes the household as cards are written, fairy lights are tested and shopping lists are edited and re-edited. The nearer Christmas comes the busier the calendar gets with school nativity, church nativity, Christmas Fairs, pantos, drinks, drinks and probably a few drinks.
But in my memory, it seems to me that once New Years had passed and the kids had gone back to school there were 2-3 months when everything went quiet. Maybe it was just me - maybe it was just that I only get my new diary late in December and all the more organised of you had got yours ages ago and were already booked up? Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. But I always loved the run down after Christmas. It never really seemed to get completely back into mayhem and madness until after Easter and sometimes not even till Whit.
Here, however the year starts in January. January is the start of summer. Everyone has their new diary and by January 22nd pretty much every weekend has been booked up until the end of April. There are all the usual school commitments, the regular activities and there are barbecues and beach picnics in biro on every available blank spot on the day planner. And then, because you have not allowed any time for any of the spontaneous, as it happens stuff, that gets squeezed in somewhere too and the front end of the year ends up as just one big glut of socialising. Usually, once we get past Becca's birthday things get quieter and I look forward to a quiet and rather chilly couple of months - coming out of my chrysalis revived and replenished just in time for my birthday. We have a gentle run through till December when I suddenly realise quite how far behind I am and Christmas gets thrown together at the last minute.
The last 18 months however have not followed this pattern. The back end of last year was spent house hunting and shifting Mark, and the front end of this year was moving followed by all the usual fun but with house painting and renovating thrown in at every other waking minute. Becca's birthday is next weekend (last weekend in fact!) and yet the diary is still full for the next 6 or 8 weekends. And while I do love my new house, really love it, I sooooo wish that I could just throw money at a builder / plumber / electrician and say 'bugger the cost - just finish it and finish it fast!!' I want to wake up on a weekend and not lie in bed, thinking 'where am I painting today?' and saying 'which wall are you sanding today?' - Unfortunately I haven't won lotto yet though, so I will continue painting, and I will continue to sport new, rather fashionable highlights, otherwise known as Resene "high traffic, water based enamel", shade: Tea.
Anyway, Becs turns 9 next week- now turned. Since moving to this part of the globe Becca has acquired an extra birthday. She was born at 7pm on 25th - but in NZ, 7pm in UK is actually 6am on the morning of the 26th June here. Becca quite enjoys her double birthday status - but the 'it's my birthday routine' is now starting to wear a smidge thin! That said Hardly seems possible (turning 9 that is, just in case you lost the thread!). She is having a roller blading party to celebrate - there will also be a netball court and facilities although the party place doesn't encourage netball in roller blades - which I think is a little sad and shortsighted of them! As does Becca!! (Party was on Sunday. Easiest party I've ever done! 14 kids in a huge room and all very far away from the adults! Only even saw them when they needed feeding!! - they all seemed to enjoy themselves and Becs and Booie especially had a ball - they're both getting quite hot on the blades these days - must be after expert tuition from Auntie Toph!) Meantime, I have been asked by the birthday girl to throw together a birthday cake that is made of Jelly. She doesn't like cake, doesn't like biscuits and ice cream melts too fast for me to work with it! No idea how on earth I am going to turn Jelly into a cake! Apparently we are also taking out birthday girl and big sister for dinner on the actual birthday itself. Cake was rainbow layers - starting with red - each layer had different lollies (aka sweeties) in them. Bottom layer was chewy crocodiles, next layer = fruity fish, next layer = jet planes. And then the top was covered in mini marshmallows and half an apple covered in icing with the candles stuck in! Wasn't probably the most elegant cake - but there wasn't any left over! Oh, forgot to say, that the jelly thing was largely, I think, because Becca fancied doing jelly slurping through straws!! VERY noisy!! and not terribly effective if you want my honest opinion!
Other than that birthday girl is doing all the normal things. After a disastrous start to the netball season, The Chelsea Snowflakes (don't ask, I don't name the teams!) finally kicked back into gear when they won 9-2. They had a very stiff ref who was later revealed to be the sister of the Snowflakes Wing Attack! Boo actually pulled Becca up for stepping at least once - you couldn't quite here a pin drop, but it was close! As for Brownies, I was absolutely gobsmacked to discover that my little darling had actually done some badge work, unsupervised at home! Of course there is a possibility that Rebecca is in fact no longer Rebecca but that she has been abducted by aliens? The belly dancing is coming on a pace too - although Becca demonstrated for me that's it's not actually wiggling your belly that makes the coins on your skirt jangle, you have to wiggle your knees for that!
Lou meantime is still in lovely mode. Her netball is going very well. Her team has won pretty much every week and she is the star shooter - and is enjoying basking in every minute of the glory! Her flute is actually getting really quite impressive now - although practice has been less evident ever since I stopped yelling at her for practicing every time she went down to her room 'oh, there's my flute!' - what does this say about my rather contrary daughter? She's now in the orchestra at school and seems to be thriving on it.
And then there's Annie..... Lou is now officially an orphan! or at least in the school production she is. However, unofficially, or rather officially but rather temporarily she is also Annie herself! This star status will only prevail until the end of term when the fully fledged Annie returns from holiday in the UK, but till then Boo is giving it her all. The bathroom resounds to Tomorrow, her bedroom to It's a Hard Knock Life and everywhere in between you can hear Maybe, NYC and Easy Street, which Annie doesn't even sing! Actually it's a bit like the flute - now, every time she goes to her room to tidy it, or put on her shoes, or brush her hair, it's as if she walks through her door, and thinks 'oh yes, I'm Annie.....,'... 8 seconds later,'The sun'll come out tomorrow, betcha bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun...' etc etc - I may go mad before the end of June!
Think that Lou has now decided that she would like to go to the Guide Jamboree in Christchurch next year. She'll get back to Auckland from London on the Wednesday and fly out to Christchurch on the Friday - but I think she will have a ball and she'll make some fun new friends.
And of course, come July we will be immersed morning, noon and night in Harry Potter! I believe both film 5 and book 7 come out at the same time and should reap gazillions more quid for Ms Rowling - God I must get on and write that book! In fact, there's a good plan, I'll write the book instead of doing the painting!! Now how can I sell this to Mark??!
Had Boo's report on Friday too - not quite straight As but near as damn it - she had 4 Bs the other 21 were all As - the comments by the teacher were all really positive. Tomorrow I have her parent / teacher interview - and logic suggests that should all be positive and glowy as well!
Mark of course is still absolutely spiffing. Am still in my little puffy pink cloud. Fortunately I think he is too - although his cloud is probably a little more macho than mine and not at all pink! His new job is fine. He preferred being out and about in his van and doing something different every day, but he is being very heroic and sensible towing the corporate line and enjoying earning a few more bucks. He's still playing footie, and is back in goal for the Panthers (and no, I had nothing to do with naming them either!) again this season - Wednesday night training seems to be hard work, mainly cause 45 year old knees are not as comfortable as they once were.
For me? All gorgeous with the Yumster, see above!
Work is getting fairly stupidly busy which is great. When I went back to TOC at the beginning of the year, the only proviso was that we continue to break-even. So far to date we are well into profit (not bad for a non profit making arm of the Uni!) and at last count we were up about $200,000 on last year - so Big Boss very happy with us! Big Boss is actually rather Sir Les Pattersonish but shall not bore you with the details!
Course now finished! Surprisingly my last assessment actually pulled in a Merit (like an AA++!) - which was gratifying - even if somewhat astonishing! I think getting older makes you expect more of yourself and when you know that you didn't put in as much effort as you should have and when you know that you have bluffed, just a little bit, it makes you just a little less reverent about the Academic establishment! That said, not knocking it!
Went on to do Assessment 3 which was an assessed role play. Absolutely foul! Did not excel myself but managed to pass. And then yesterday I got back my reflective journal (which is not graded, but if you don't hand it in, you are an automatic fail) which was referred to as 'wonderful' but then also as a 'mini novelette'! My lecturer suggested that I should give it to the girls when they are older, or alternatively that I consider turning into a script for a 'Broadway Production'!
And there I go again, wishing I could actually get bottom in gear for the book! Really must get bottom in gear - had never thought of the possibilities of a stage show - had only got as far as the film!!!!! Think I had Dawn French as me, Richard Briers would have to be Dad (although I'm not entirely sure that Richard Briers isn't dead!!), maybe Rufus Sewell or Colin Firth for Dunc, Kate Winslett for Soph possibly. Mark as yet uncast - although I suspect it would need to be an inconspicuously dishy newcomer - thought Martin Clunes would make a rather good Jonathan, Emma Thompson might work for Salbags - but still have to think of someone to fit the bill as John. If you have any suggestions for your own parts please let me know - and once I have completed my blockbusting novel and sold it for megabucks, probably to Working Title, I will certainly put your ideas forward!
Actually I rather like the idea of a film of your own life - imagine what fun you could have with the Soundtrack!!
Ohhhh - and to all those of you who doubted my taste in music in my formative years - (and yes ok, Barry Manilow was a bit of a blip!) a couple of weeks ago we had an impromptu party after football - and I WAS team leader! So cool! My CD collection is now legendary throughout Hillcrest and to the edges of Glenfield! (the Le Riche leaving CD, mixed in the legendary Pratts Bottom Frost studio went down particularly well!)
I seem to have drifted faaaaaaaaaaar from the point - if there ever was one!
Fitness regime wise - gym is going well. Five o'clock in the morning, is now a breeze (cold arctic Southeasterly to be precise!) sadly, by 11 I am still somewhat drained! Have lost 9kg but it seems to be going VERY slowly / stopped. This is probably because despite being at the gym for an hour daily - I am probably spending almost as much time raiding the fridge each night! This issue is being addressed as of tomorrow. It has dawned on me that we are now only 5 months from arrival at LHR!
Added incentive for minimising calorie intake is that Labour Weekend (3 years since John and I separated - and bloody hell how that has flown!) Mark and I are taking advantage of the long weekend and going to Melbourne! Now I am a Kiwi - I don't even have to get a visa to get into Oz - although I think I need to check if I need one to get into England! Confess to being v excited about Oz trip - but in order to make the most of the shops, definitely need to have lost at least another 8kg!
Better go - Spag Bog for tea - btw, is it just in Southern Hemisphere that this has mutated to Spag Bol? or is the 'bog' bit a Percyism? - either way, not going to cook itself!
Big love - huge snogs
xx
PS - 153 sleeps! xx
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