BERGMANIA!

An electrifying first

2007-11-23T09:09:00.000+13:00

My list of firsts is going well. I started reading To Kill A Mockingbird on Tuesday. Wednesday i was supposed to watch Star Wars, as i have never ever seen any of them, but we owed about $996 at the video shop, so methinks it is time to join a new video shop.

My first yesterday was an interesting and completely accidental first, in that i got electrocuted. I plugged in my hairdryer as per usual, it made a funny whirring sound, sparked all over me, burst into flames....at which point i threw it on the floor and it went out, thank goodness. I now have a lovely oozing black wound on my arm....it's so pretty!

Anyway. Unsure as to what to do today. I'm going shoppping for stocking fillers which i am greatly excited about. And buy a new hairdryer.

Work is starting to get very busy and looking at my Christmas roster i won't actually see my husband or children the 2 weeks before Christmas. I have a fair few nights where i'll be working until midnight, which really sucks, and don't even get me started on why shops need to stay open that late......it baffles me. I'm really glad we'll be escaping Auckland for Christmas; i've a feelling i'll need to by then.

Hope you're all well in any case, love to all xxxxx

Weekend away

2007-11-19T19:15:00.000+13:00

A bit tardy in updating our weekend away, i apologise. have some photos to start with whilst i think of something vaguely interesting to ramble on about..

We had such a fantastic time away and were blessed wwith some beautiful weather. Adrian and the boys caught some Kahawai off the beach on the sunday morning and were very pleased with themselves. Sheryl has allowed me to post a link to her blog where she has a video of Heidi and Haylee singing Twinkle twinkle....check it out :) http://www.nzkuypers.blogspot.com

Other than that, back to normality and enjoying some more lovely weather. We went to the Grey Lynn festival on Saturday with David, Atsuko and Mia and all the kids, who were very well behaved while we sat in the sun, drank alcohol at silly times of the day and all got rather sunburnt. And then of course went home for the obligatory barbeque.

My current project is Trying New Things Before i Turn 27 (the saturday after next). So far, i have.....

tried New Zealand marmite on toast (verdict - tastes too sweet and a bit beany....i can now say with conviction and from a reasoned viewpoint that i infinitely prefer English marmite)
tried sushi....albeit teriyaki chicken sushi which i am not altogether sure is proper sushi, but i had to start sommwhere. Tomorrow i may be brave and try actual fishy stuff ( or maybe just prawns...one step at a time!)
started reading a book i have been meaning to read for ages

And for now, that's it. Tomorroww i am going to try and run round Panmure basin twice, which i have never managed before, but i am suure i can do if i put my mind to it. All suggestions as to new things i can try will be gratefully recieved and i will endeavour to try them as i am feeling exceptionally brave and pro-active at present.

As for plans for my birthday, i am going for a lovely dinner with my lovely girlfriends, and then on the ferry into the city for a bit of mad dancing...that's the night before my birthday. And on the saturday of my actual birthday, Adrian's band and David's band are playing a gig in Ponsonby together, so i am pretending it is a gig in my honour and going to that. Very much looking forward to it all indeed. And not a bit bothered that i am only 3 years off turning 30.

Gulp.

Guy Fawkes

2007-11-05T16:10:00.000+13:00

As per family tradition, Saturday night we went up to Cornwall Park to watch the big fireworks display in the city. We took our blankets, hot chocolates and marshmallows and i'm not sure who was more excited; the kids or Leah's godfather, Morph! Fireworks were slightly disappointing this year compared to last year, but still a good night. It was not lost on me that i was wearing a t shirt in the middle of a November night....fireworks night is still associated with hats and gloves and wrapping up warm to me! This was the kids at 10pm once we managed to get home....

Friday night we went out to watch Adrian's band play at The Rising Sun on K Rd. Was really nice to go out for an evening, and we owe Sheryl big time for babysitting overnight for us! Here's me taking myself a lttle too seriously......!

This Friday we are doing our annual trip away with Sheryl and Rex and their kids, and Paddie and Daz and the twins. This year we're going for 3 nights to a place called Matheson Bay, and this is the bach we're staying in. Not far from Auckland, and just so looking forward to relaxing and enjoying time with our friends.

Anyhoo, hope you've all had an enjoyable weekend too. Lotsa love xxxx

A little of my genius

2007-11-01T15:10:00.000+13:00

Just found this photo from Heidi's birthday, courtesy of Sheryl. 'tis the Humpty Dumpty cake i made for her party, which was meant to be a simple affair. However, as you can imagine, finding an easter egg in October is not the easiest of tasks, so i had to make one.

It was easy enough, Humpty Dumpty Mark 1 got made without serious incident, but then he fell out of the freezer the night before the party and smashed into a million tiny pieces. He was unsalvageable, so Humpty Dumpty Mark 2 was made by a very grumpy Joanne at approximately 11pm, after a mercy dash to the supermarket for more chocolate. (Of course, when i had made HD#1 and he was a success, i stupidly ate the remainder of that king size chocolate bar, not allowing for any disastrous contingencies.)

HD#2 made, next morning and all i had to do before th guests arrived was ice the cake board and make some green grass out of coconut and green colouring; make chocolate icing for the wall, put the raisins on the wall to make it resemble a wall, and lovingly mould some limbs for poor old Humpty Dumpty out of fondant icing. It was at this point that i realised cake making is not the profession for me, especially not with 6 willing hands in the way trying to 'help'.

Anyway....the finished product, if you will!

Ah...can't get the picture any bigger thann this sadly, but you get the drift. In the event, Heidi hated all the attention and was traumatised by everyone singing Happy Birthday to her. Sigh.

Payola

2007-10-30T16:15:00.000+13:00

Well, i was a bit mean in my last post. I feel a bit guilty, because i went on to get the stomach bug and it was actually the worst stomach bug i've ever had, and apparently dysentery has been going round and it sounds like that's what we all had. Sorry Adrian.

Anyway, all better now and loking forward to the weekend. Already. It's only Tuesday however. Adrian is playing a gig on K Road on Friday with his band, and pending a babysitter i am going along too, huzzah! Here is the link to their new video to the song 'Oscillator', from the album 'Dirt and Stars'...look out for Adrian on the drums :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEA2Bb8_b4

Plus they have actually made a new website, all proper like, so check them out at www.payola.co.nz

Right. Off to make some dinner and then off for a run as it is such a lovely evening and i am very thankful to be feeling healthy again!

Man Sickness

2007-10-26T20:51:00.000+13:00

see, this is what has been bugging me about blogging. I'm about to moan abpout sick men and i KNOW for a fact that i have moaned about it before. It all comes full circle eventually.

So anyway. Adrian is Sick. He may not Make It through the night. He has Man Sickness. Different from Man Flu by way of physical symptoms, but generally exactly the same. Except this time i have to deal with his bodily fluids because he is Too Sick to deal with them himself.

However.

Upon producing a bar of Cadbury's Coconut Rough, all Man Sickness magically disappears and i am expected to SHARE said bar of chocolate.....my one reward for dealing with the sick husband and sick child all day, and the associated 16 loads of washing that accompany such illnesses. Who would like to bet $10 that tomorrow i will procure said vomiting bug and nobody will look after me??

AND i still don't have a kettle. It's been nearly a whole week since i drank a cup of tea at home. Thank goodness for going to work, where they have a non-ant-infested kettle.

I didn't mean to keep you all in suspense about my news, especially as it's really not that exciting to anyone but me! Have reached the monumental decision that we will stay here in New Zealand for the present and i will pursue my dream of becoming a midwife and apply to Auckland University next year. I'm nervous, excited, sad i'm doing it away from home but pleased to have the opportunity to study in a country that in pioneering in it's midwifery services. 'Twill be all change in the Bergman household for sure.

I can hear dramatic moaning from the sofa now.....and if you read this later Adrian i'm not having a pop at you darling....just all men in general :) Here's a piccy of us recently before the dreaded man-sickness hit......xxxxxx

blogging avec pictures again!

2007-10-24T08:19:00.000+13:00

hello peeps....not going to bother with the usual apology - you've all heard it before! I have a new digital camera at last so i can punctuate my ramblings with some nice photos again. We also have a new computer as our old one, which admittedly was 6 yearsold, died on us. So i am sitting here listening to Southern FM all the way over there in Sussex whilst i eat my marmite toast. The wonder of the internet, eh? I also have a very touch sensitive keyboard so excuse any spelling mistakes!

Had a hair ordeal at the weekend. Decided to visit a new hair salon as my old hairdresser has gone away to work on a cruise ship. In short, i asked for a trim, and the woman completely changed my hair. i now have a fringe for the first time since 1986, and it takes a lot of maintenance. It also dawned on me throughout the week that i was looking decideldy lop-sided, and i realised that i actually had one side of my hair approximately an inch loonger than the other side. So i went back to said hair salon and complained to the manager, who was shocked with the state of my hair and fixed it all up for me and gave me a voucher for a free hair cut next time. So i should think, though, especially as it cost me $110 JUST for a cut. Sooooo....new hair pic....

And from the front with the fringe....

This was us at the weekend with Atsuko, Sam, Jenna and baby Mia at a bit of a family barbeque thing.

And....shock news.....i am without a kettle! After the bbq on sunddy, feeling a bit worse for wear we only did a very quick tidy up, and SOMEONE (admittedly myself) didn't wipe down the counter, and in the morning we woke up to find approximately two billion ants had invaded the kitchen. Adrian bravely fought them all and cleaned it all up, and i thought it might be safe to make a cup of tea. However, in the place of my beautiful crystal clear Auckland water, was the watery grave of about a thousand ants. It was thick black ant sludge, and despite all my scrubbing of the kettle, i have been adamant that it has a funny smell and the water tastes funny. Adrian thinks it has all been in my head and that i am imagining it. But yesterday i found out that actully i am not going crazy; ants actually secrete something called Formic Acid and leave behind a horrible taste, and actually my kettle will never be the same again. So there. But it does mean i am tea-less until i can afford a new kettle. Sob.

And Heidi has turned 2 a couple of weeks ago....that's gone quickly. She's still very much the baby though and keeps us all entertained. At present her favourite phrase is "I'm Heidi Bourbon [Bergman!]" This was her with the big two at the weekend....

Anyway, that's enough from me for a morning. Hope you're all well, if indeed anyone is still reading; i have been most neglectful of you all. Lots of love xxxx

Eventful Eclipse week

2007-09-04T17:11:00.000+12:00

Evening all. Rather eventful week......starting with last Monday evening. Adrian and i were happily laying in bed, snoozing away as you do at 1am in the morning, when there is an almighty CRACK, and the bed literally just splits in two. We now have a new bed base, but the worst thing was, i was recounting the story to a girl at kindy, where a few other people were obviously listening, and one girl turned around and said " what were you DOING, to break your bed in two?!" Cue lots of blushing by me and some feeble protestations of "well,.....sleeping". Methinks i have a bit of a reputation at kindy now! Ah well, i bet they're only jealous.

We had a spectacular Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday( see pictures here) ; that was really something. And Wednesday i drove ALL by myself over the harbour bridge...IN the dark, i hasten to add. Which is a bit of an achievement. Except for the fact that i got completely and utterly lost and ended up in the completely wrong place. But of course, that is not the point - i never in a million years thought i would ever be able to drive over that thing by myself, and now i have. The world is now my oyster :D

Where i was going is another story and i want to tell some people in person before i announce it to the world, but suffice to say it will be a big change for us. Mysterious, yes....as a disclaimer i am not pregnant, moving or divorcing Adrian! All will be revealed in time.

Well, love to you all and thank you for all the emails, especially from Susan...i loved the pictures :) Don't know if i said a public congratulations to Emily and her new husband, but am really made up for you both and wish you all the best together.

Love to everyone........think i already said that but am feeling particularly loved-up this evening :) xxxx

The Grandmother's influence

2007-08-27T09:30:00.000+12:00

Work day yesterday. I'm really enjoying being at work, which suprises me. The girls that work there are all genuinely lovely, and i'm feeling like i've got the hang of it now. There are the usual funny questions though - one guy came in with his pregnant wife yesterday asking for a kitchen timer. I showed him what we have and he was disappointed that there wasn't a 24 hour one, as he wanted to set it for every 3 hours so they'd know when to feed their baby. I kid you not. I let out a rather unattractive involuntary guffaw and told them that i was sure the baby would be a good enough timer. Probably very rude of me i know, but it really did make me laugh. And did i mention the woman who came in asking for a thermometer to measure how hot her boiling water was? Again, i was like "errrr, at a guess, 100 degrees?"

Jenna is having her first time at morning kindy this morning, she was absolutely fine and sitting at the baking table ready to make some scones when i left. It's very strange just having one child around the place.

Adrian had a nice day with the girls yesterday by all accounts; he bought Leah some stabilisers for her bike as it's a tad too big and she was having a bit of bother learning on it, so she's all chuffed now. Jenna was very tired and grumpy apparently, and at one point Adrian was frantic trying to find her, thinking she'd gotten out of the gate, looking all up the street....then went into our room, heard a quiet little snoring noise under our bed......

....bless her; she stayed under there for 2 hours !

And lastly; i'd like to share with you all what my lovely mother has taught my children.

They are now hardened card sharks and sit at the table together after dinner (without adult help, even!) playing Last Card together. They'll be wagering their pocket money on it next, mark my words. It's really lovely, in truth; they play so well together. Well, until next time xxxx

disco fever year 2

2007-08-25T16:38:00.000+12:00

It's been Disco fever again in our household as i have been very busy helping prepare for the annual kindy disco. I was very wise and stayed safely within the confines of the cake stall. I suspect myself and my fellow cake-stallers were the only people with any personal space the whole evening. I even managed to escape looking after the children and poor Adrian was roped into looking after not only his own 3 but Sam, our nephew, also.

Upon tidying up with some others a full hour after the disco had ended last night, i looked around and wondered why it is so often the people with the most children that stay and help tidy up at the end of the night? Not always, i grant you, but of the 5 of us there, 4 of us had at least 3 or more children. Just a ponderance!

Today we've just been pottering really; we took Sam and the girls for a walk round Panmure Basin and they've just been playing beautifully in the playhouse and sandpit all day. In face it all felt rather 1950s-ish today at one point. Adrian was out mowing the lawns, i was inside cleaning the kitchen; the children were scampering up the treehouse; an ice cream van went past.....all that was missing was a pet Labrador and we would have been straight out of a children's book. I was even wearing a half pinny! ( Having just typed 'pinny', i am aware how strange a word it is - do people other than my mother still use the word 'pinny' for apron? Is it a scouse thing???)

I have grand plans for 2 trees in my front garden for the summertime. When we first moved in we thought they were a bit randomly placed on the front lawn like this.....

.... but i have come to the realisation that they are obviously there for me to put a hammock. I am now filled with contentment knowing that come December i will be in my hammock in the sunshine with an excellent book and a G&T. Does it get much better than that?

Anyhoo, talking of books, i am going to curl up on the sofa with my current book, some tea and shortbread, so i'll love you and leave you with some photos of today.

Chuckling away...

2007-08-22T16:15:00.000+12:00

I am still in the depths of despair but a very funny announcement i heard today has had me chuckling away to myself. I was in Sylvia Park ( swanky great big brand new mall-type thing) and driving past the train station attached to it with my window down. The next second i heard over the railway tannoy:

"If you urinate in that shelter one more time young man, i will come down there and chop it off and you won't be able to urinate anywhere"

I was in stitches, i tell you....best thing i've heard in ages.

Also got news today that Jenna starts Morning kindy on Monday, so it'll just be me and Heidi in the mornings now which will be nice and quiet, no doubt!

Adrian started his new job yesterday and all seems to be well, they sound like nice people and hopefully all will continue to go well. Mum and Dad are about 3 hours into their mammoth 13 hour trip home from Hong Kong as i type; bet they'll be glad to be back on solid ground.

Other than all that, it's back to normality so quickly.

Nice memories

2007-08-20T16:46:00.000+12:00

aaah, well they left again :( I'm all depressed and gloomy again and wondering why on earth i live where i live. It was the most fun holiday though; i had a thoroughly lovely time. I'm too gloomy to write much today but in short, my highlights were, in no particular order

Spending a lovely day in Devonport
Having a picnic with all lovely organic foods from the Clevedon Farmers Market, all courtesy of Uncle Joe
Going away to a beautiful bach in Russell
Seeing pods of dolphins and seeing the look on Dad and Leah's faces
Watching Harry Potter with Chris
When a random man asked Chris teh way to Manukau (sometimes pronounced Mun-oo-ko), Chris thinking he'd asked the way to Monaco and told him to go to a Travel Agents down the road
The fact that Heidi never once called Chris by his name - he was always "Grandad", much to our amusement.
Having coffee out every single day
Spending a day out shopping at Sylvia Park with mum
Playing lots of Scrabble and Cranium, and most notably, Chris's interpretations of miming walking down an escalator, and a spring roll. I guess you had to be there, but take my word for it that it was hilarious :)
Talking to Claire at least twice a week; something i must do more often for i forgot just how much she always cheers me up
Going to the zoo for Dad's birthday
Watching the expression of horror on Adrian's face telling him that we had used approximately 400 tea bags in 3 weeks.

There were so many highlights and I'm sure I've forgotten some of them; i had such a great time, and the kids just loved waking up and having them in the house. It all feels very empty without them. Heidi keeps asking "Where Nanny?", Jenna has expressly told me NOT to talk about Nanny and Grandad and Chris or else she will get sad, and Leah has told me in no uncertain terms that she wanted to go back to England with them and that we need to go back soon. As for me, i have done all my usual sobbing and wailing, and Adrian felt so sorry for me that he bought me a pair of boots, which has appeased me somewhat.

Anyhoo, as usual will leave you with some photos of yesterday....enjoy :)

BLOGGERS CRAMP

2007-08-15T09:29:00.000+12:00

Further to all your emails and messages, i have returned to blog once more. I have been trying, i promise, but a combination of having my parents here and a feeling of not knowing what on earth to write any more have stopped me. Seriously, I've been sitting down to write something and then getting stuck for inspiring words to come out. A severe case of bloggers cramp, if you will. Plus Adrian has lost his job; it's been a hectic old month.

It's been fantastic having mum and dad and Chris around; too much to go into detail about now, as I'm still enjoying spending every last minute with them, but I'll leave off for now with a selection of photos from recently for you. We've had a weekend away at a lovely bach up north in teh Bay Of Islands, doing a bit of dolphin spotting, playing lots of Scrabble and Cranium and generally relaxing and just hanging out together and enjoying each others company.

And........as i didn't write a special message for her, a VERY happy belated birthday to Claire....sorry darling xxxx

Mad weather

2007-07-04T16:32:00.000+12:00

Well, all moved in to the new house; everyone should have gotten my new address via email but if anyone hasn't then drop me a line and i'll send it on. It's just lovely, and i mean it this time! I have told Adrian if he asks me to move again he will find divorce papers on his desk (kidding....kind of!) Kids have been loving roaming around the garden and sheltering from the rain in the playhouse at the bottom of the garden.

The day started off beautifully today; i got two whole loads of washing out and dried before lunchtime - Pat can vouch for me no doubt that given Auckland weather currently that is no mean feat! Then we had to go out to get Jenna's immunisations done at 3 o clock; i'd noticed some interference with the telly and said to the kids there would probably be a thunderstorm. Well, you've never seen anything like it. I was driving down Pakuranga highway and honestly, i've never seen such an ominous looking sky. The heavens literally opened to the point the visibility went to practically zero, with loud thunder and scarily close lightning. I had to pull off the road and try to wait it out. We got to the doctors safely and by the time we got out it was just raining. Turns out, listening to the radio a minute ago, there was a tornado just bowled through Botany Downs (about 5 minutes away from where we are). Minimal damage but lots of flooding, some roofs are missing Scary stuff.

Now the skies have gone black again and looks like we're going to get another storm, so i'd better get off the computer. Sorry for the lack of blogging again recently, should be better now we're up and running again. Love to you all xxxx

Girl power!

2007-06-26T12:42:00.000+12:00

I am currently feeling like Wonder Woman. Yesterday, i got a job before breakfast ( yes, the interview went well and i have a job, yay me!) , i packed up the entire contents of my house, made biscuits with the children, cooked a fabulous dinner out of nothing, and then went outside and chopped the wood for the fire. And today, having got the keys to the new house, i am single handedly moving the entire contents of the house, bar one or two things. Men....pah....who needs them?!

Backdating to do....

2007-06-25T07:40:00.000+12:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging - i have, as usual, no excuses........just laziness on my part! I forgot to blog a Happy 6th Birthday to Leah, so first off, Happy Birthday Leah! We had a lovely day and her party was decidedly more low key than Jenna's was, for the sake of my nerves! I took her and a couple of friends ice skating and they loved it - leah especially, who was running across the ice by the end thinking she was Torvill and Dean.

And another birthday.....Rachael and Ivan rang on Monday night last week to ask if we could look after Sam for the night as Rachael was in labour, and baby Owen Bergman was born on the 19th at 3am. We saw him yesterday and he is very very gorgeous (photo courtesy of Ivan)

I have an interview this morning at Stevens, for a part time job. Hopefully it goes well and i get it. Up until about 10 minutes ago i had only one shoe suitable for interviews. The last time i remember wearing them both together was the last time i went for an interview......ummm, about 2004!

The big move happens tomorrow; i get the keys to the new place and will satrt taking boxes over during the week and then the men can do all the lifting at the weekend. So looking forward to be living there now - will email you all my new address.

Anyhoo, wish me luck! xxx

Houses, houses.....

2007-06-12T20:46:00.000+12:00

Well, it's that time of year again.....yes, the Bergmans are on the move again. I swear we must have gypsy blood in us somewhere along the line. However, the new house has been approved by myself, it has a lovely playhouse outside and a massive garden, with a tree hut and a slide, and all fully fenced. And not far away, so no moving of schools or kindy. 3 weeks and we'll be off again

Also, quite randomly, Adrian found our first ever house we had in Rotorua on trade me earlier this evening....click this link to have a look at how it looks now. This is what it looked like when we first moved in - clearly we did all the hard work for them moving all the rubbish out of the garden!

And these ones show just how overgrown that lawn by the tree was when we first moved in - I'm sure Anne and Des remember it all too well, we spent WEEKS clearing that! And now someone is selling it for $269,000. Pah.

Party

2007-06-10T11:04:00.000+12:00

Party done and dusted, and all successful and, dare i say it, rather enjoyable. There were 15 kids ranging from 1 to 5, and every single one of them behaved beautifully. Sheryl did face painting for the kids, then we had a treasure hunt in the garden, which took all of 2 minutes but they all loved it. Then we bought out the morning tea, and i had done a fruit platter (which they all went nuts over - there wasn't a single piece left at the end), sausage rolls, mini rice crackers instead of crisps, marmite pinwheels, and once they had polished that lot off they had fairy cakes. Luckily the weather held out for us and they had a run around in the garden, giving me a brief respite to clean up a bit, then back again for pass the parcel while the adults had some Bucks Fizz, which went down very easily for morning tea on a Saturday!

Then we had presents, and Jenna got more Polly Pocket stuff, a new Troll, a supermarket checkout thing complete with annoying beepy noises (!) puzzles, books, new clothes - she did very well! Then onto the cake......

....of course they all ate off the sweets and left the cake; it wouldn't be a kids party if they didn't. (all photos courtesy of sheryl - i was too busy to even think about touching a camera!!!)

Then we had a relaxing afternoon; i had a nap and then watched The Queen when they had gone to bed, which i didn't enjoy as much as i thought i would. And this morning we all had an early start to drive to the airport ( my first time!) to pick up Adrian who had been playing a gig in Wellington.

Today the weather is horrible and i have just been informed by the children that "there's nothing to doooooooooooo". Nothing, of course, other than the 2 tonnes of plastic we have acquired in the last four days!

Roll on birthday number 2.....

Happy Birthday Jenna

2007-06-07T08:55:00.000+12:00

It is most scary that it seems like only yesterday that i wrote that last year. First off, happy 4th birthday to my middle baby, and secondly, a picture for Claire, of Jenna wearing the outfit that she bought her...and of course Jenna's new bike!

And the new cardigan that Aunty Mary and Uncle Loll bought for her....it was 6am which is why she looks so sleepy!

I have literally the most amount of stuff to do for this party on Saturday, so much so i really shouldn't even be sitting here writing this! I will update again soon, but i bathrooms and kitchens to clean, bedrooms and gardens to tidy and many party cakes to make, ice and decorate - arrrgggh! Not enough hours! Plus Adrian is talking about us moving soon and wants me to go view a house today or tomorrow - why do men not understand the planning that goes into parties??

A couple of random photos whilest i'm here; Jenna with Haylee and Heidi...

...and Leah reading to Heidi up on the top bunk; heidi was most incensed to be pulled down from there!

Birthday season

2007-06-06T09:51:00.000+12:00

I'm more stressed than i am at Christmas - June is fast becoming a horrible month! Not really, of course, but ours is a household in the grip of fever pitch excitement, which brings with it frayed tempers, a lot of fighting and a mother increasingly turning to drink to cope with it all! Jenna turns 4 tomorrow, and is having a morning tea party for her friends on Saturday, and Leah is 6 (6!! Where did that go?!) next Saturday and is going ice skating with a couple of friends from school.

We had a lovely bank holiday weekend for the Queen's birthday, it was very busy and we caught up with lots of people we haven't seen in a while. We were treated to dinner at Paddie's, went to a lovely farmer's market out in Clevedon, went to the beach and made sandcastles, and took our nephew to MOTAT, which was great fun and all the kids loved riding on the trams. I especially liked the aviation hanger, where they had an old plane that was the first to do the trip from Auckland to Southampton. Boy, we think we've got it bad having to fly 24 hours - it used to take 12 DAYS! Stuff that! Although they did have an awful lot more leg room than they do these days. But still, you'd have to REALLY want to get to England badly to do that mission.

Bad news for Leah yesterday; we had to take her to the orthodontist because she has an ectopic eruption, and turns out she needs a plate brace to correct it. My poor baby - i really wasn't anticipating braces at such a young age. This diagram (courtesy of www.uic.edu/classes/orla/orla312/VTM_4.gif) is the best i can find to explain it; basically her molars are growing at the wrong angle, and if they don't straighten them, the molars will erode the tooth in front, cause an infection and all go a bit pear shaped. And he told us that we should prepare ourselves that she will need fixed braces as a teenager. Time to start saving or take out a dental plan, methinks!

Anyhoo, will leave you with some photos of the weekend; will probably post some pics of the birthday girl tomorrow xxx

Lovely Sunday

2007-05-27T16:46:00.000+12:00

Fairly quiet weekend in the Bergman household. I am still alive and Adrian was not cross with me about the tyre. He didn't really have a leg to stand on really as he had admitted that he had driven the wrong way down a one-way street just the night before, so i did have that to hold against him!

A delicious lamb roast a la Adrian is filling the house with gorgeous smells as i type; i have a good book, good wine, worn out children and a roaring log fire.....it's a good sunday afternoon. In fact it's been a lovely Sunday all round; if only every Sunday could be like this.

I got to lie in bed this morning with a (good strong English) cuppa and my book, then had a lovely chat on the phone to Emma which cheered me up no end for many reasons :) We then had a lovely morning at the park in Panmure basin, and the kids and i had morning tea under the shelter while it rained. Then the kids played with the little boy next door all afternoon and Sam and Ivan came to visit just before, so it's been all fab.

Hoping the coming week holds fewer insults and mishaps!

pre-menstrual mishaps

2007-05-25T13:07:00.001+12:00

I was doing so so well with my whole not crying thing - as previously mentioned i did not cry when Jenna's teacher essentially told me i looked fat; nor did i cry when heidi smacked her lip on the pavement later that afternoon and blood went all over my brand new shirt. (poor heidi - there was blood all over her, me, the pavement - it looked like a massacre. Leah didn't help much by standing there screaming "there's blood EVERYWHERE!!!!" It was only her gum luckily but she did have a fat lip for a few days). NOR did i cry when i burnt the Toad in the Hole the other night.

However, i did cry today. I was driving to music group, which is all of a kilometre away from the house; i went to turn left and as per the road code, gave way to traffic turning right, i turn next and BANG, misjudged where the kerb was and blew a tyre. As you can see, i don't like to do things by halves and thought a massive great big hole would obviously more dramatic.

I cried, i admit it! Luckily i was at music group and my lovely friend Tiffany is a proper grown up and knows how to change tyres, so she made me change it myself. Although at one point a rather rude man who obviously thought he was coming to save the day told me to "get out of the way and let me [him] do it". I firmly but politely told him that i was quite capable of doing it myself and had to learn. Honestly.

The worst thing is i've probably done the wheel alignment again and Adrian is probably not going to be very happy with me. Who gave me a licence? Seriously, i think i should have an extra clause on my licence that specifies no driving whilst pre-menstrual. Forget about not letting me drive at night, i'm fine then - just shouldn't be allowed on the road for about a week per month.

On the (only) plus side, i do now know how to change a tyre which is something i was worried about not knowing, and if i do ever get stranded on my own, i'll know how to do it.

I may be back to blog again, dependent entirely if Adrian kills me or not tonight *gulp*. I'm sure he won't......i think!

Weight gainage

2007-05-22T13:24:00.000+12:00

I am incensed. And also a little bit upset. I just dropped Jenna off at Kindy and her teacher came up to me, asked how my trip was and said "wow, you've put on weight.....they must have really fed you well in England" Isn't that just what every girl wants to hear after she comes back off holiday, or indeed, ever?

So of course i did what every self-respecting girl would do after she's heard news like that; i came home and ate a bacon sandwich and a big bag of crisps, topped off with a chocolate bar, and then i sobbed into my cup of tea. (well actually, that's a lie, i didn't cry - i've gone 4 WHOLE days without crying now, which is somewhat of a record this year! But i felt like crying, anyway)

The worst thing is, i know she's right, i have put on weight, and even worse than that, i can't even run or swim because of my dodgy hip, which i managed to hurt again last night. Must find a nice osteopath.

Thining about it, I actually blame Chris for my sudden weight gain, as he was a co-inventor of the Stilton Crumpet....the nicest way to eat a crumpet in the whole world, but i suspect, also highly calorific and not good for people's waistlines. In my defence, i HAD to eat as many as i could while i was there because you can't get a good crumpet here, and i went to the supermarket yesterday to get some Stilton and the cheapest little slither was no less than $10, which is an excellent deterrent to purchasing it.

Ah well, it's a good job i don't have any major psychological issues with my weight - people just shouldn't say things like that! Anyway, photo for the day, and one of my personal faves, my (weighty) self and the person i blame, Chris. (I'm sure, incidentally, that my expanding girth has nothing at all to do with the French Fancies, Hula Hoops or numerous lovely dinners out!)

Slightly more awake

2007-05-21T15:51:00.000+12:00

A little more awake today :) Although Saturday was a mammoth 19 hour day due to me waking up so early.

Anne and Des really did jet off to England today - really really this time, i am sitting at my computer in Auckland, it's definitely not me this time! It's going to take a wee while before i'd be prepared to do that journey again.

Feeling a little more settled in at home today, although certainly more resolute that Auckland is not the place for me. I don't feel miserably homesick, just glad i've made my mind up and made an informed decision that i really would rather be at home. It's just going to be a lot of baby steps over an extended time to implement it.

Adrian started his new job today and it seems all has been going well so far; he was, in his own words "more nervous than when i got married" this morning. This was probably compounded by the fact that, despite having had 3 whole weeks to buy something to wear, he left it until THIS MORNING to go out and buy something suitable to wear. Honestly, men!

Some more holiday snaps......a nice one of me and mum at the Potter in Lancing, where i found a HAIR in my profiteroles; be warned!

Laura, Richard and I ready for our first night out in Worthing in years. We might as well have had our walking sticks with us, we all felt that old!

Nice one of me and pa in the garden :)

Off to dish the dinner now, and make another cup of fabulous English tea....they just don't make the bags strong enough over here. NZ can have the coffee but England wins hands down on tea.

xx

in the middle of the night...

2007-05-19T02:44:00.000+12:00

It is 2.40 am. i am VERY awake. i owuld probably be less awake if i stopped playing on the computer but it is, for now, preferable to lying in bed feeling sad. It will not be more preferable when i have to look after the children alone tomorrow because Adrian is at his album launch party. I am quite scared; i haven't looked after 3 children alone for about 3 weeks!

Will upload my favourite picture of the holiday, even though i must say it is not my best photo ever! In my defence, dad had just jabbed me in the ribs and Chris caught my ridiculous face with precision timing. It just makes me howl with laughter every time i see it.

Anyways, i suppose i'd better be getting back to bed. love to all xx

Missing you

2007-05-18T04:21:00.000+12:00

Back on solid ground at last. It's 4am and i've managed to sleep pretty much all afternoon yesterday, woke up and had dinner and watched a bit of telly, and went to bed at 9.30pm; so i feel pretty good. I didnt get any extra seats on the second leg as it was a really packed flight, so it was pretty uncomfortable.

I should have also included another thank you yesterday - Adrian of course. I don't know many men who would so willingly shoo their wives off halfway round the world for 2 weeks and look after 3 littlies. He's done a fantastic job and i'm so so lucky to have him.

I also never said a public Happy 18th Birthday to my fabulous littlest brother Chris. I was just having too much fun with the real people to want to sit at the computer blogging!

And also a huge congratulations to Laura on the birth of her little girl, Olivia....huge congratulations to all the family :)

It's good to be back and see the kids and Adrian, and i'm really looking forward to catching up with friends today. So many people told me before i went to England that i would get there and realise how lucky i am to live in New Zealand and that i would never want to go back. I am lucky to live here, but it's not my home. Sure, you can't get a good coffee for love nor money in England, (honestly, the amount of times i burnt my mouth on a cappuccino - it should be WARM, not scalding!!) but if anything, this trip has really shown me that we won't be here long term. It took every ounce of my self control not to run out of the departure lounge at Heathrow. If Adrian and the girls hadn't been waiting for me at the other end i wouldn't have got on the plane.

Anyway. Enough melodrama! Looking forward to mum and dad and chris coming out in about 7 weeks; that'll keep me going for now. I'll upload some photos of my trip and see if i can do it without crying ;) Mum and Dad and I at the airport just the other day; we only look so happy because Laura and Richard suprised me at the airport and they managed to make my last hour in the country a fabulous one by making us all laugh and making us forget that i was leaving. honestly guys; thank you so much :)

Emma and i in her house, and underneath us with her gorgeous boys; it was amazing to see you all again, love you so much darling x Hopefully next time we'll all be catching up :)

And one of all the family :) I have so many to upload but my computer has a virus and it's taken me half an hour to do these ones. It'll be fixed at the weekend so hopefully after that i'll be able to upload lots more.
Right, i'm off for now then. I've said it already but i'll say it again; it was the holiday of a lifetime; i loved every bit of it and it was so good to see all of you. I'm sorry to the people i didn't get a chance to see; 2 weeks wasn't long enough! I miss you all already :( Right, off to watch some Dancing On Ice to cheer me up now! Love and hugs xxx

Greetings from Seoul!

2007-05-16T19:41:00.000+12:00

Hello from Seoul! I have landed safe and sound at Incheon airport and i have a few hours to kill before i get on my next plane to Auckland. It's rainy and windy here in Korea and i just found a free internet booth :) Flight was really empty so i had 3 window seats all to myself to sprawl out on; always good! Hoping for the same on this flight too.

Wow. What an incredible adventure the last couple of weeks have been. I never in a million years thought i would be able to do this alone. I haven't done it very WELL alone, granted; there have been more pathetic tears than i imagined, but i've still (almost) done it! I'm definitely not cut out to be a solitary traveller. The highlight of the trip has to be seeing Mum's face at Heathrow - i'll never forget it. And of course seeing so many of my friends and family who i haven't seen in 3 years; i have many nice memories, and photos will follow when i get home.

SO looking forward to seeing Adrian and the girls; it's all that's keeping me going right now. Thank you so much to everyone who made my trip such a fantastic one, especially my fabulous Dad, without whom, none of this would have been possible. I love you all so much, and i'll be in contact when i'm back in NZ.

kisses and hugs ALL round xxx

Happy Birthday Mum!

2007-05-03T19:21:00.000+12:00

A very very VERY happy 50th birthday to my mum :) The best part is that i've been able to say it to her in person this year. For those of you in the know, i am safely home after my long journey. For those of you not in the know, dad and i have been hatching this plan for me to come home as a suprise for mum's birthday for months, and have weaved a tangled and elaborate web of lies. I even lied on here about Anne and Des coming over to England....yep, that was little old me! I said goodbyeto Adrian and the girls on Tuesday morning (NZT) and flew 12 hours to Seoul, where i stayed the night in a rather swanky hotal. Didn't like that bit at ALL; all i could think of was that i was a million miles away from everyone in the world i loved, and i was rather teary.

But, i flew out of there the next day and flew another 12 hours to Heathrow, where i met a VERY suprised mother, who had absolutely no clue whatsoever. I think she's stopped crying just about! It's just so exciting to be home, and very surreal walking round Lancing and Worthing now. Looking forward to doing some serious shopping too :) We're off out to dinner tonight so that may be the perfect excuse to start some of that shopping.

I'm still pretty jet lagged but i'm forcing myself to keep to English times. Oooh, and i guess what i FINALLY got my hands on???! Yes, the humble French Fancy. i have not eaten any yet but i plan to sit down and savour the whole packet.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone while i'm here; if anyone wants to email me while i'm away you'll have to use jsho_mo@hotmail.com because i can't pick up my .xtra emails.

Love to you all xxxx

2007-04-28T20:52:00.000+12:00

One photo i forgot from yesterday.....my baby holding a baby and not looking so much like a baby herself any more!

I see you all want to be having some drama of your own having earthquakes over there....what is the world coming to? Come ON....that was so my one exciting dramatic thing that ever happens here and you go getting them in Kent, of all places. Whatever.

Went to meet Adrian's new boss today, and i'm happy to report he is a) a very nice person and b) one of the tallest individuals i have ever met. It seems like a really nice place to go to work every day; it's like sitiing in an office in the middle of a forest or something.

Went to Ivan and Rachael's this afternoon to see Anne and Des before they embark on their overseas trip on Tuesday, and then took the kids out to the domain again for a run around to burn some energy. All good, ducks, dogs, birds and trees to climb - kid heaven. And as they read this blog, i must wish Anne and Des a lovely time in England. I'm not jealous...not one little bit, not one. Not at ALL jealous. Not me.

Anyways, some photos of the day.....

2007-04-27T16:45:00.000+12:00

I have yet ANOTHER box of 48 bars of Dairy Milk to sell. I only just got rid of a box of Caramellos from the school fundraiser and then the kindy hand me a box too. Problem is i am too lazy to sell them and so end up eating far too much chocolate. Which is exactly what i am doing right now. Well it IS Friday; i need a treat!

I have realised that i am a dangerous driver when i have PMT. Today i was trying to park the car with the handbrake on. It took me a full 5 minutes, plus a walk round the car to see what on earth was wrong with my tyres, and then a few pathetic tears, to realise i had the handbrake on. Then i started laughing and crying a bit maniacally. Goodness knows what anyone round thought i was doing.

Jenna and Heidi met their new cousin today ; Jenna is smitten. Heidi thinks she is a toy. Some pics of today and the littlest girls modelling the latest in baby hair accessories.....it's so fun being cruel to your children!!

I am going to the fridge for a wine now. It's Friday. I survived another week. I deserve a treat.

Til next time xx

Cake making

2007-04-23T14:24:00.000+12:00

Back to school, hoorah! We were all so keen to get back to routine this morning we were 20 minutes early for school!!!! I wasn't the only one, so i can't be alone in celebrating the return to normality and relative peace. Jenna and i made one of those awful Thomas the Tank Engine packet cupcake mixes today ( purely because they had those rice paper character things to stick on the top). Heidi helped a bit too, and they are actually suprisingly tasty. 6 paper thingies went missing during the process and a fair bit of icing was consumed in a brief parentless interlude....

They had fun though, and are still going at the bowl as i type. It must be a kid thing, licking the bowl, i honestly couldn't do it these days.

We have a rare night out tomorrow night courtesy of Ivan and Rachael....Adrian and another guy at his work are having a joint leaving do, so we are staying at Ivan's and having a sleepover. Plus Wednesday is a public holiday for ANZAC Day, so we'll have a day off to recover, which is always nice. May update then with some photos. xxx

A watery day

2007-04-22T20:40:00.000+12:00

Just ONE more baby photo, i promise! I took Leah up to the birthing centre today to meet Mia, and she was wide awake, so it was very cute :) She is without a doubt the smallest person i have ever met.

Before that, we had all been swimming, where Jenna was so keen she jumped in the water in her dress, then realised her mistake and was mortified, poor love. And after visiting Atsuko we went for a walk round the duck pond in the domain, and Leah dipped her BRAND new, just been bought school shoes into said pond. Caused some unhappy campers, that one! Heidi had a massive screamy tantrum, so we decided to leave the park before we were arrested for Disturbing The Peace. You just can't take us Bergmans anywhere.

I am currently INSANELY jealous that Anne and Des are going to England next week (they know it too, so they won't mind me posting that!) to do some work for Animal Aunts. I would go in their place but as i am not fond of animals i am thinking it probably wouldn't work out!

I have another massage course sometime soon and i have done ZERO practice. Whoops. I'm supposed to have done 20 hours. I think i may have massaged Adrian to sleep once, but knowing what he's like for lying down, it probably only lasted about 5 minutes before he was snoring away. Anyone want to volunteer for 19 hours and 55 minutes worth of massage within the next 2 weeks?!

Another lot of school holidays over with and survived....just. I swear each one gets harder.

Blonded and babies :)

2007-04-21T17:20:00.000+12:00

Just got back from the hospital from seeing brand new baby niece; she is very very super cute and made me cry again. She's just the tiniest little dot of a baby, and very gorgeous; i am in love already! Here she is looking very awake with her Uncle Ivan...

Not much else to report today, i have been re-blonded which is always good. Just been for a run and the husband has made me tea, so i am a happy bunny.

*happy sigh*

Welcome to the world Mia!

2007-04-20T16:50:00.000+12:00

Oooh, ooooh, ooooh, i'm an aunty again!!!!

New baby niece Mia Bergman born today lunchtime-ish NZT, and she's a teeny tiny 5 and a half pounds!!!! haven't met her yet but can't wait to, and huge, massive, gigantic congratulations to David and Atsuko. Will of course post pics when we've seen her. I'm a weeping mess, i keep bursting into happy tears!

Getting my hair done tomorrow morning, so i will be re-blonded and (hopefully) beautiful for the first meeting with baby niece. First impressions are very important, she needs to see her aunty looking good

ooooooooooooohh, i'm so happy!!!

Apologies

2007-04-18T13:02:00.000+12:00

Still here, still surviving. No baby niece yet. Any day soon....

As i type the children are being exceptionally well-behaved and quiet. On the whole they have been terrors this holiday, the big one especially We had a small problem the other day for which she got a severe telling off for. As a result later that afternoon i received my first ever written apology.....

It's hard to stay cross sometimes! I just love the "to Jo" part!!! I'm sure you can figure out from the note what it was that she had done wrong! She had told fibs about it too, so that's why i was so cross.

My fitness regime has been going very well; as well as my swim + run on Sunday, i swam 30 lengths Monday and Tuesday too, and plan on running more at the weekend. I will NOT turn into a blob just because i can drive.

This morning we went to Bunnings ( like B&Q) for a craft morning where the kids made mosaics with borken tiles. It was all good and not very crowded, but there was one fatal flaw in the proceedings. As the woman was spreading glue on all the tiles she said "please don't let your children touch the glue.....it's highly toxic" Okaaaaaaaaay! I'm sure every single child there touched this glue, but we have no adverse effects (other than good behaviour) so far!

Off for a midday nap now. xxx

Feeling sanctimonious

2007-04-15T23:21:00.000+12:00

I survived my night alone without incident. Although Heidi gave me a fright this morning standing next to my bed. Obviously she's still in a cot, so i thought perhaps Adrian had come home and got her out. No, and the big two were asleep. Turns out she has SOMEHOW managed to pop one side of the railings off and swung it open like a gate.

I was feeling very pleased with myself this morning. By 11am i had tidied the house, put the washing out, taken the kids and me to 8.30 mass, and gone for a swim of 20 lengths and a 5km run. I have systematically undone all that hard work by eating stray Easter eggs. Tut.

I'm gonna ACHE tomorrow!

Adrianless

2007-04-14T21:43:00.000+12:00

Happy Saturday to you all. Mine has been a long one, although slightly less trying than previous days this week.

Adrian is away recording his new album ( wow, that sounds so rock star-ish. I wish it were) in Rotorua. Weekend days are always so much worse days to be alone because you just know everyone else is having great fun, and even if they're not, it still feels like they are because you're feeling a wee bit sulky.

Anyway, today wasn't so bad; we went to the library due to persistent rain. Heidi ran riot as per usual and made me look like a bad mother because i kept forgetting to watch her, and before i'd know it she'd be in the Sociology and Anthropology sections upsetting people by pulling random books off shelves. Completely her fault.

Obviously all that trouble making was very tiring, as she fell asleep in her lunch not long after.....

Then we went to the video shop and spent too much money on New Releases. This afternoon we went for a walk round Panmure Basin and got rained on, but apparently this was the best bit of the day because we found a cool park in the shape of a ship. So i got to sit in a dry cosy 'ship cabin' and listen to the rain, whilst the girls ran around IN the rain shouting "ay ay captain", and "hurricane's a'comin" (been watching the Little Mermaid too much this week!)

This evening i have lit the fire, scoffed some of the kids' Easter eggs that they appear to have forgotten about (not going to get away with that trick for many more years!), and watched some random films.

Tomorrow i have a half day off, so i am going to make the most of being alone :)

All for a good cause :)

2007-04-11T07:23:00.000+12:00

Easter holidays and so far the average hour of waking in the household seems to be 5.50am. Which is why this morning, at 7.24am, i have done 2 loads of washing, fed and dressed the kids, and have a batch of chocolate eclairs in the oven. Sadly come 3pm i will be a tired, crotchety mama and will not feel like making anyone any dinner.

I'm going to use my blog as a medium to fundraise today; my good friend from school, Hannah, is going to walk 40 miles across the South Downs on May 19th, and all proceeds will be going to St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing which provides palliative care for adults and children in the area. It's a very good cause so if you'd like to sponsor Hannah, click this link and pledge her some money :)

I'm allowed to tell you all our fabulous news now as all the people who needed to know first have been told. (i just KNOW Claire's saying "she's pregnant again, isn't she?"!) Adrian had applied for a job as a Horticulture Sales Co-ordinator about a month ago. It's at a local company that grows and supplies big trees to landscapers ( and at over $800 for some of them, very rich people!) Well, he was invited for an informal meeting, then an interview which lasted 2 hours (!), then a second interview with a HR Consultant, and was told the other day that he has beaten 50 other applicants and got the job! I'm so proud of him, and he's really chuffed i think. It's going to make so much difference; he'll be travelling half of what he was to his other job, and he'll be home at 4.30 every day.

So there you go. Times are changing in the Bergman household again, and i wouldn't be suprised if we move again very soon, knowing us!

Eclairs are ready for filling and icing now, so i'm off. Love to all xxxx

Happy Easter

2007-04-09T09:28:00.000+12:00

The Easter Bunny has been and gone and has left me three children on a permanent sugar high. Not so fun.

We spent the weekend in Rotorua at Anne and Des's and had a lovely relaxing time. I even drove the mad 4 hour drive all the way down there (including motorway and windy gorge-type one-inch-to-the-right-and-you're-carreering-down-a-mountainside type roads) as the husband was busy sleeping off a hangover. I was very proud of me!

In his infinite wisdom the Easter Bunny decided that his family tradition that he wanted to implement was to leave the girls' Easter Eggs next to their beds so they could see them when they woke up. Of course, by 7am the children had already eaten said eggs whilst we were still asleep. Easter Bunny has now been fired and will not be allowed any Egg-type duties next year.

Anyway, off for a 10 mile run to exhaust the children now. Photos of the weekend - Heidi discovers the hose! there's nothing funnier than watching a baby with a hose - they are extremely powerful!! And Jenna inherits gold sparkly clip-on earrings - girls are so easy to please!!

"Salted nuts, Sir?"

2007-03-27T14:00:00.000+12:00

New Zealand should well be in Eurovision - it's a crying shame that i will not be able to watch the pure singing genius that is Scooch's entry for England. Pah. I may fly home for an evening to watch it. It's all making me rather homesick for all things cheesy and Terry Wogan and Eurovision partays. Pah.

I am also re-loving Take That. And wouldn't you have thought, that if they were going to Australia, they would come over here and see me? I would think that. Especially as i am the only person i know in this country that owns the Greatest Hits of Take That. New Zealand just doesn't do cheese. I am in the wrong place. Pah.

I am currently making a Beef and Red Wine pie and it smells yummy. My cooking mojo, having eluded me for the past month or so, has clearly returned. Seriously, it was really bad there for a while. I even burnt a shepherd's pie.

Very much enjoying having a drivers licence, i feel very growed up. Well, as grown up as i can be with Take That blaring out the window at School pick up time. (he he he! I will be perenially 17, methinks!) I even drove on the Motorway on saturday ON MY OWN! Granted, it was about 1km of motorway, but merging ain't easy for a little worry wart like me, so i was proud. The one thing i have to work on is b-r-e-a-t-h-i-n-g when i drive on the motorway. I realised i am holding my breath through nervousness and then i start seeing stars and feeling faint, which obviously is not conducive to effective driving.

Looking forward also to the impending arrival of our baby niece, courtesy of Adrian's brother and his wife. Only a few weeks to go - i am VERY excited about having a newborn to squish but not being in any physical discomfort myself. Tee hee :)

Anyway, enough of what i am looking forward to and upset about. Off to watch Oprah and then consider picking the children up. xxx

Taupo

2007-03-19T06:54:00.000+12:00

Back from a fab weekend in Taupo with Sheryl, Paddie, Katie and Kylie....back to normality and chores and school runs and washing.......etc etc etc! We had a great time, with lots of sleep, yummy cafe breakfasts and drinking and dancing on tables. Am still feeling a bit seedy so i'll let the photos speak for themselves!First night in the backpackers, meeting random Spaniards and Swiss men. Andre, Paddie, Carlos and Kylie.

Martin from Switzerland, my rather merry self, and Ana from Chile.

Hmmm, spot the drinkers! L-R: Andre, Carlos, Katie, Kylie, Sheryl, Paddie, Martin and Ana.

Myself, Sheryl, Katie and Paddie......Saturday evening BEFORE drinking

In the pub, with a random tagger-on, Kevin.

Drunk too much at this point perhaps? Not sure what pose this was meant to be!

Definitely drunk too much - no idea who my new friends are!

Self portrait on the dancefloor, Paddie, me and Sheryl.

No landscape shots or anything, no nice scenery....just lots of random people! While we were in Taupo though there was a lahar on Mt Ruapehu, which wouldn't have been all that far away from where we were, but we didn't know about it until we got back to Auckland. Amazing how smoggy Auckland is as well, you really don't notice until you get out of the city and into the lovely fresh air of the rest of New Zealand. We're already planning a trip to Wellington next year....can't wait!

Adrian coped fine with the kids for the weekend although he did remark on how lonely it was doing it on your own. He took teh girls to Auckland Zoo on Saturday and apparently Heidi's favourite bit was when a common sparrow landed on a fence near to her!

Anyhoo, Sheryl's birthday today so off for cream cakes and presents for morning tea. It's not a bad life!

Green paper

2007-03-15T20:15:00.000+13:00

Congratulations to Clairey, who also passed her driving test yesterday, and good luck to Dave who is sitting his today. We are all obviously fab drivers, us Hills!

It is such a lovely feeling having that green bit of paper saying i am legitimately allowed to drive; i'm almost begging to be randomly stopped so i can show it off!

Had the dentist today for leah; her 6 year old molars are growing into the teeth in front of them and eroding them away, and apparently it's going to be an orthodontist job. Which means muchos $$$$$$. And all to put a few rubber bands in between her teeth. Paddie suggested we might do a bit of a DIY job and save some money School age children really are the perfect contraceptive; they cost millions of dollars in school trips and dentists and uniforms and boxes of chocolates that you're meant to sell but end up eating and before you know it you owe the box $26. Pah.

Girls weekend tomorrow, hooray! Will be back after the weekend hopefully with lots of sober (!) St Paddy's day photos for you all. Lots of love xx

Farewell, L Plates

2007-03-14T10:18:00.000+13:00

Woooooo hoooooooooooo!

As is family tradition, i passed first time with only 2 minor faults. Yay me!!!! I was feeling very sick this morning and was up at 5am, but the minute i got in the car i was fine, and the examiner was really lovely. It was meant to be a 20 minute drive but he took me back after about 13 minutes. I knew i had made a mistake at some traffic lights by going into the wrong lane, and he said i was swinging too wide to go left, so i thought he was taking me back early because i had failed, but no, i have a licence, woooohoooo! Albeit only a restricted licence, so i can't take passengers (except the kids and adrian) and i can't drive between 10pm and 5am without a supervisor. But hey, it's a licence, and that's definitely a start!

The weather even held out and was beautifully sunny. This afternoon is bringing a massive storm though, with wind gusts of up to 130km, thunder and hail. Hmm. Summer has definitely gone.

Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers, it meant a lot. And a very happy birthday to Dave today from all of us.

I do wonder why though, when i should be feeling very elated and happy, i am feeling really weepy and down. I have a massive headache too. Funny what accumulated stress can do, i guess. Hmm.
xxx

Unfavourable weather

2007-03-13T21:31:00.000+13:00

Current weather conditions for driving test.....torrential rain and gale force winds of 70km. Hmmm. Tomorrow's weather not looking much brighter.

Not feeling so sick this evening though, i really just want to get it over with. And sorry Pat....not trying to get you into trouble, i manage that fine all by myself! Thanks for the good wishes :)

I have been slightly distracted from thinking about it this evening by a mass outbreak of nits amongst the smallest members of the household. I feel rather itchy.

Off to watch Gordon Ramsay now.....11 and a half hours and counting until driving test.

hic

2007-03-12T22:31:00.000+13:00

Well i spent pretty much all morning backing into random driveways, much to the disgust of the children who were most unimpressed with the futility of a trip in the car that ended up going nowhere except a lot of driveways. Backwards.

Feeling a bit better about it now. And lovely lovely Sheryl took me out for a drive in the afternoon. And on Pat's advice i had a glass of wine or 3 and now i'm definitely not nervous about my test *hic*.

More of the same tomorrow. Reversing, that is....not drinking *hic*

Nerves

2007-03-12T09:22:00.000+13:00

I had so many nightmares about my driving test last night; i was driving around all night in my dreams combined with waking sporadically in a cold sweat. This morning i feel sick and teary and i'm trying hard to remind myself that it WILL NOT be the end of the world if i fail! And it's still 2 days away, so feeling this nervous is not helping my overall state! It's also not helped by the fact that i have suddenly lost the ability to reverse into driveways. It will be purely good luck if i manage that on the day.

Adrian is out at a Mars Volta gig tonight. I think perhaps Desperate Housewives, wine and chocolate to calm the nerves might be a good plan.

Off to practise the driveways.

Groupe F

2007-03-11T20:48:00.000+13:00

Another fantastic weekend in the city of sails....i say that a lot, don't i? I love my weekends here! I was thinking last night that i wished i wasn't so homesick for England, because i do really love it here, but i know i won't be here forever, so i will just enjoy it while i am here.

Yesterday Adrian had a gig in Western Spings at the Pasifika festival; in the same place U2 did their gig when they came over, no less! I did take photos but they are all exceptionally rubbish, so you won't be getting any. However, i am going to attempt to put Adrian's band's video on here so you can all watch it. here goes......

Ok, couldn't work out how to put it in my post, so it will have to stay at the top of the blog permanently! Look out for Adrian playing the drums :)

And then last night i went to Auckland Domain to watch Groupe F, a group of French Pyrotechnicians (or should it be pyrotechnics? Not sure!) open the AK07 festival. I have never ever seen anything like it in my life; it was just incredible. If ever they're around, pay as much money as you have to to see it, it was amazing. Although ours was free, so it was even better!

3 more sleeps until driving test. Am feeling sick, and wishing i hadn't told anyone i was doing it, because if i fail i am going to feel so stupid. Hoping i don't fail.

Wet buns and holey feet

2007-03-06T07:42:00.000+13:00

8 days to go.....and my 'wheel alignment' got fixed yesterday. Except it wasn't wheel alignment, it was a buckled wheel. Oops. 2 new front wheels ( or possibly tyres, i am not sure!) later, and i am not my husband's favourite person.

Talking of the husband....... i received a frantic phonecall yesterday whilst i was at paddie's, asking me to please come home, as whilst putting up the gazebo in the garden, Adrian had trodden on a tent peg and it had gone straight through his foot, and there was blood everywhere. So, with visions of impaled feet, trying to remember how to bandage around impaled objects, i ran home ( why is the car in the garage when you need it most?!) , preparing myself for the massacre described. In actual fact, there was no blood to be seen, there was no tent peg through anyone's foot, although there was a newly-erected gazebo on the deck.

What HAD happened was that he had trodden on the short end of a tent peg and it had gone straight into his foot, which is no mean feat considering that they are not especially sharp. He does have a bit of a hole in his foot and can only hobble around. I phoned the nurse last night and she advised a tetanus shot and a trip to the docs to check for infection, but whether or not he goes is another matter.

I tried my first morsel of Samoan cuisine yesterday and I will not be repeating the experience. The food in question was a coconut bun, which sounds harmless enough; yummy even. In fact, it was a tray of bread rolls sitting in a layer of creamed coconut and cornflour. The bread rolls soak up the coconut gloop, essentially making wet bread rolls. It made me remember that wet bread is one of things i dislike most in this world.

bleurgh.

Je t'aime Auckland

2007-03-04T21:03:00.000+13:00

Well, another busy busy weekend in Auckland! Didn't do much yesterday due to my father transmitting his cold to me via the telephone, and me feeling generally crappy all day. We had offered to have our nephew Sam overnight on Saturday and were feeling a tad nervous about it as it was his first ever sleepover. In the end it was super easy ........ALL the children were fast asleep by 7.45pm; we couldn't believe it. Almost makes us think about having a fourth, it was that easy!

Then today, being National Children's Day, there were a variety of activities for us to choose from. In the end we all went to Omana Park in Maraetai, where the kids enjoyed a tractor ride, face painting, looking at small animals and various other farm-y type things all for free.

This evening we have been to a barbeque at Sheryl and Darren's, and all of a sudden it is almost Monday again. Which means it is only 10 days until my driving test. Tomorrow i have to take my car to the garage as i have knocked the wheel alignment out. It really doesn't look promising that i will pass, does it?!!!

Proud mother moment

2007-03-02T22:31:00.000+13:00

Feel very proud of Leah, her teacher told me today that she is the only child in the top group for reading in her class, and that she just needs to work on speeding up and introducing expression. Considering this time last year she was seeing a speech therapist and your average adult couldn't understand her ,and we were told that it would delay her spelling and reading. I am so so proud.

I'll even admit i had a little cry on the way home from school, but that is not suprising as i am a hormonal witch and a bit of a wreck this week. It's a wonder Adrian actually stays married to me. I actually THREW the paddling pool across the garden in a big tantrum yesterday. I felt like a toddler, and it was quite satisfying.

I am going away for a girls weekend to Taupo in a fortnight. It will be the very first time i have slept in a backpackers and i am disproportionally excited about this fact. It will also be St Patricks Day so we will probably spend the whole weekend sober.

It is only 2 weeks until my driving test. I am scared. I do not like tests.

Had more good news today that i can't tell you. There is a lot of good news this year and i am liking 2007 a lot; there is a lot to look forward to. I have a new neice and a new nephew who will both be arriving in the next couple of months courtesy of Adrian's brothers and their respective wives. And then it's not all that very far away that Mum and Dad come over, in July. Which sounds ages but then all of a sudden it's MARCH already.

Off to bed to read my book now, called The Cosmic Ordering Service. Apparenlty i can order things from the universe and they will be granted to me. That will be one Driver's License, please!

The joys of having one child

2007-02-26T09:53:00.000+13:00

I'm officially allowed to say it now, so

Congratulations James and Carey, who got married last week!! Still smiling for the pair of you

Have just worked out how to put emoticons on my blog, so expect a bit of emoticon-overload!

Had a lovely day yesterday, Leah and Jenna were whisked away to Waiwera hot pools by their fab Aunty Rachael and Uncle Ivan for the day. So Heidi had us all to herself for the day, and boy, did we make the most of it! We went for a walk, then went swimming, then had breakfast at the garden centre. Adrian had his usual Mexican breakfast and i had french toast with the usual, maple syrup, bananas and bacon, which was divine, except that the chef had obviously tried to be clever and put cooked tomato and rosemary potatoes with it too Tomatoes and banana are NOT a good mix. Neither, come to that, is rosemary potatoes and strawberry coulis. Most peculiar.

Whilst madam had a sleep Adrian and i watched United 93; totally child-unsuitable film, hoorah! Obviously very sad movie, but very well made and we recommend it.

Then after a bit more lounging we went out to Nosh, a posh foodie shop in Glen Innes, full of lots of breakable things and again, completely unsuitable for small people. We decided if we won lotto that we would do our weekly food shop there as it is divine. And very expensive.

Then we took Heidi to the big pet shop to look at the puppies and kittens and entertained the notion of getting a puppy for about 3 seconds. Then we realised that we actually had two more children to go and pick up and abandoned that idea.

Why oh WHY did we not appreciate having only one child when we had one child??

And i am very excited that Take That have been on telly with Torvill and Dean and Philip Schofield....i literally cannot wait to watch it. For now, i am going to watch the Railway Children again with Jenna. I cannot go out in public due a nasty eye infection that scares everone within a 1 mile radius, and it is making me most self-conscious. So slobbing it is, then! xxx

Congrats from Emma's parents!

2007-02-24T08:38:00.000+13:00

Ooh, ooh, ooh, i want to say congratulations to someone but i'm not sure i'm allowed.......but they know who they are so congratulations!! to the pair of you :) I got all teary yesterday for you both!

No more earthquakes as yet. Thank goodness.

The teacher parent interview was not what we thought it was going to be. It was actually called a 'meet the teacher evening'....where you get to meet your child's teacher and discuss plans for the year. Sounds to me like an interview. What, in fact, it was, was the headteacher giving the parents who did turn up a lecture on what we should be giving our children to eat, drink, when to put them to bed, not to argue in front of the kids, etc etc and something about some kind of octopus serum injected into a brain - i was nodding off a bit by that stage and wasn't quite sure what octopus serum had to do with putting children to bed by 7pm. Most bizarre. We did meet Leah's teacher.... for 5 minutes in a large group at the end. And she thought we were Emma's parents. Hmmmmm.

Adrian is playing another gig tonight for a friend's suprise party in a Ponsonby bar. At this stage i am sans babysitter so looks like i'll be watching Jane Eyre on telly.

Like Carly, i am struggling with my lenten promise to give up alcohol. I was doing so well all day Wednesday, then Thursday i forgot and had a cold beer. In my defence i forgot that beer was alocoholic and i did only have one.

I have also lost my cooking mojo. I have lost the ability to cook - everything i make turns out really dry, or burnt, or just plain horrible.

Heidi's favourite word is still 'NO' and she has discovered she loves the Fimbles. Every morning we all have to sit in front of the telly with some Fimble shower caps that mum bought for Leah and Jenna on our heads. Fine for kids but by 9.30 i usually have lost circulation and all feeling in my head.

Right, off to read the weekend papers and slob in my dressing gown a bit more.

edited at 7.30pm: Sometimes it is good not to have a babysitter....i have a yummy dinner to eat, then plan on getting in my pj's, watching American Idol, then scoff some chocolate ice cream and snuggle under a blanket whilst watching my movie......tis gonna be a goood night!

All a bit shaky...

2007-02-22T09:23:00.000+13:00

There were no fewer than THREE earthquakes last night in Auckland. I don't do earthquakes. I had to sleep with a torch next to my bed and make sure my civil defence pack was all up to date - i am SUCH a worry wart! And this morning i have been drilling the children in being turtles under the table if there is a big earthquake. They were, admittedly, only little baby 4.5 earthquakes but still. It all makes me decidedly nervous, especially as it is not usual to have earthquakes in Auckland. NZ Herald has a full report (ooh, i feel like a newsreader!)

Oh, to be in safe, non-volcanic, not-straddling-tectonic-plates England!

I feel like a proper grown up today....i have my very first Parent-Teacher evening! Looking forward to actually hearing from someone how Leah is getting on at school; she is a fantastic little reader and is so interested in everything, has made good friends and seems to really like it, so hopefully Miss Keswell can reiterate that.

Anyhoo, i'm having a big tidy up today, not least because someone is coming over to babysit while adrian and i go out tonight and i'd be embarassed to let anyone in my house at present with the state it's in. Toodlepip!

Waitakere Sounds

2007-02-18T07:47:00.000+13:00

Back again....the morning after the day before and feeling a bit worse for wear! On my second cuppa and hoping Adrian will take pity on me and make me some bacon and hash browns. He played an open air gig yesterday in Te Atatu to about 3000 people in the gorgeous Sunday afternoon sunshine. If i was clever and not hungover i would upload some of the video footage we took on YouTube. I may try this afternoon.

Anyway, they played very well and then we watched a famous-in-New-Zealand band called Hello Sailor who were very good too. The only casualty of the day were my poor poor glasses. In one foul swoop Heidi ripped them off my face, they feel on the ground and someone stepped on them. They're not broken but a bit twisted. SO typical.

This morning we are off to Toby's 5th birthday party at Chipmunks. Off now to dose up on paracetamol before the onslaught of screaming children. My poor aching head.

QM2

2007-02-17T09:42:00.000+13:00

I've been a very slack blogger of late...my apologies. We haven't really been doing anything of consequence so there's been nothing to blog about! Weather continues to be fantastic which is good. Heidi's walking is rapidly turning into running away, accompanied by little shouts of "no! no! no!" and a wicked little laugh. Luckily i am a toddler veteran and there's not much she can throw at me that her sisters haven't already!

This morning we were up at the crack of dawn and out down to Mission Bay to watch The Queen Mary 2 cruiseliner sail into Auckland. We thought there might be us and a few other anoraks at 6.45am, but there were thousands of Aucklanders and not a car park to be seen. It was very spectacular and absolutely massive, and now Adrian and i have added cruising around the world to our list of things to do when the children leave home.

Check out NZ Herald for better pics and all the info.

Then we came home and Adrian barbequed us a fry up, so we're fat, full up and have been entertained and it's only 9.47am. This afternoon Adrian is playing a gig in West Auckland so we're taking a picnic dinner and meeting up with a load of friends. It's shaping up to be a good weekend. Although i could possibly do with going back to bed!

Not much to say :)

2007-02-04T21:03:00.000+13:00

as usual, not much of consequence to say, but some photos of us at the beach at Orewa this morning. That's all :) xxx

edited this morning: Sorry about that, came home from a day out at various beaches a little worse for wear! We spent the morning at Orewa, then came back into the city to St Heliers for a birthday party at the beach, then came back to Pakuranga for a BBQ at Sheryl's . Goodness only knows how i managed to upload those photos last night - i have no recollection of actually doing it!!

Now i want bacon and eggs and yet i can't quite muster up the energy to actually make it. But i know it will make me feel infinitely better.

And just a bit of random fun that's had me entertained for a while.....What was the number one record the day you were born?

Mine was Super Trooper by Abba....anyone want to top that? I think mine is very cool :) (ps...click on the pink writing to find out your number one)

I love YouTube!

2007-01-29T21:31:00.000+13:00

Currently: watching Dancing On Ice on YouTube
Mood: Annoyed (at NZ tv for not having good tv like Dancing On Ice.)

Since reconnecting broadband i have discovered the unbridled pleasures and delights of YouTube. This evening i have been watching bits of Dancing On Ice. I love the internet!!

Not much to report....the husband is back safe and sound from fishing, although apparently a near-miss on the edge of a cliff meant that i was almost an actual widow. Very happy that he is safe and sound and he won't be allowed to go fishing again, coming back with stories like that!

Back to kindy tomorrow....another 10 days until school starts.......AAAAAAAND counting!

xxx

I'm scared :(

2007-01-28T21:23:00.000+13:00

Currently: hiding under a duvet....but still sweltering
Mood: scared

Isn't it just bloody typical that there woudl be a thunderstorm while i'm alone in the house?

I hate thunderstorms.

I'm scared, but doing my best "isn't this fun,listening to the clouds bump together" face for the kids.

I let the children sleep together in a bed because they're scared regardless of the above. I'm jealous they have each other to cuddle up to...I remember making poor Dave sleep in my bed as a child because i was terrified! Now all i have is a cuppa and a pack of biscuits.

I want my dad.

Widowhood by fish

2007-01-28T12:02:00.000+13:00

Currently: Sweltering
Mood: Summery :)

I am a fishing widow this weekend. Adrian has gone up to Goat Island fishing with all his Rotorua pals and will be back tomorrow. So far, so good, yesterday we looked after my nephew Sam for the morning, then in the afternoon a friend from Rotorua, Nadia, bought her baby girl Grace to visit. I spent the evening laughing my socks off at American Idol auditions, then feeling guilty for laughing at people's misfortune, then laughing even harder when someone worse came along!

I survived the night and didn't even feel the need to sleep with a crowbar under my bed for protection, AND i even left my bedroom window open - how brave am i?!!! (i'm such a scaredy cat when i'm on my own!)

This morning we were all up bright and early for swimming, then we fed the ducks at the pond, and went to the park and had an icecream. I feel like SuperMummy :)

feeling speedy!

2007-01-25T21:11:00.000+13:00

Currently: eating a Bounty bar
Mood: tired and hot

Woohoooooo, the Bergmans are back in the current technological age with Broadband! As a test to see how quick it is, i am going to find a random photo to upload and time how long it takes, bearing in mind that as a comparison, it took 4 minutes per photo on dial up. here goes......

Very impressive, a mere 21 seconds! And for my trouble you get a picture of the kids with red eyes.

Today we have all been to the beach at Orewa with Alicia. I was very brave and went in the sea. Thankfully i was not stung by a jellyfish/eaten by a shark/knocked over by a wave and drowned, which are my usual fears. However, i was given a new Honey Caramel flavoured Cornetto and it was possibly ....no, actually i've decided that it definetly was, THE most revolting ice cream i have ever had the misfortune of eating. It spoiled my day, i tell you.

Adrian has become very excited by a newspaper article he read in the Herald the other day. It seems that the band Crowded House are embarking on a world tour next year, and they're only looking for a drummer, AND holding auditions in Auckland! So he's going to try for an audition....watch this space!

Not sure if i would actually cope without him for a whole year though. I am very upset that after a week of being cooked for and being made to feel like a princess, he is going off fishing for 2 nights with his friends. I don't like being on my own :( Although he did suggest that if he becomes a famous drummer then i could move home for a year. Everyone pray REALLY hard that he gets this!!!!

I went to an Open Day at Manukau Tech yesterday to enquire about doing some foundation study to prepare me for the midwifery degree. As a result, i am now enrolled to do night classes on Mondays and Wednesdays studying Maths, Sciences and Communications for 6 months. Eek.

Well, off to bed now. night xxxxx

Bunks

2007-01-23T16:13:00.000+13:00

Currently: Listening to Macy Gray
Mood: Generally cheery and in holiday mode.

Apologies for the font mess-up yesterday, try as i might i could not get the font to be normal size.

Excitement in the Bergman household today as we had some bunks delivered for the big girls....

....Leah was previously in her own room but had started to complain that she was lonely without Jenna. So when we saw these near-new, excellent condition bunkneds in a secondhand shop yesterday for $300, we snapped them up. And the guy took $50 off too, so they were a complete bargain. I like bargains.

He also threw in some Obstetrics textbooks that i had seen that i thought might come in handy one day in the future. One was called 'The Newborn Baby' and was printed in 1973. I wish wish WISH i had flicked through it before i bought it....a more appropriate title might have been '1001 Graphic Pictures of Things That Can Go Wrong With A Newborn Baby" It made me feel very sad and gave me nightmares.

We had to visit the Plunket Nurse ( NZ Health Visitor) today for Jenna's and Heidi's check ups. All was well, although the nurse was very grumpy and told me that she was concerned that Heidi was "rather short and.......stout" WHAT she wants me to DO about it, i have no idea. Stretch her? Put her on a diet? Honestly.

Ooooh, sooo much good telly on at the moment. ER starts again tomorrow, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives are back v soon, and am loving Ugly Betty. Of course, come winter when there's nothing better to do of an evening there will be nothing at all to watch.

Anyhoo, not going to type any more for we're off to get fush and chups for dinner, then we're off to the beach to eat them. I love summer holidays!!!! xxx

Adam and Shortland Street

2007-01-22T22:03:00.000+13:00

Currently: Listening to Adrian snoring in front of the TV
Mood: Getting sleeeeeepy

Well, the neighbours finally admitted that it WAS them who dinged our car ( grrrrr, still cross whenever i see it ) and have told us to get a quote and they'll pay. At least we *think* that's what they said, they don't speak very good English. I have a feeling this won't be the last you'll hear about this saga.

Tis fantastic having Adrian home :) yetsredya he made us Lemon Garlic Chicken with wedges and greek salad, and this evening he has made me a gorgeous steak with homemade peppercorn sauce, roasted baby new potatoes and garlic field mushrooms for dinner, accompanied by a(nother) bottle of Sav Blanc *hic* AND he washed up. But he is going fishing all weekend so i am making the most of it.

Random, hilarious, front-page of the NZ Herald news story yesterday is that Adam Rickitt ( that blond guy off Corrie who snogged the other bloke, and one-time pop star, for those not in the know) has come to NZ to star in Shortland Street!!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!!! It will no doubt suit him well as Shortland Street is the most pathetic excuse for acting i have ever seen. He will do very well, i'm sure. I laughed so much when i got my papaer yesterday that everyone looked at me in the shop.

I have actually seen Adam Rickitt in a concert of sorts, with no shirt on. I hope Richard or Laura or Hannah is reading for they will certainly appreciate the enormity of this story and just how much it made me laugh.

I had a Bounty chocolate bar today for the first time in yonks. I forgot how much i loved them.

Ah well, best rouse the husband before he becomes comatose.

Everybody needs good neighbours.....

2007-01-20T18:11:00.000+13:00

Currently: Drinking cheap Sav Blanc ( by the computer...i really mustn't have learned my lesson)
Mood: Seething

Will start on a good note because i will probably spend the rest of this entry moaning. Tonight Jenna asked for "some cockporn" (popcorn) which made me laugh a LOT.

He he he :)

Ok, now for the whinging. Actually, not just yet. I 've been promising to post a picture of my lovely lovely car, my lovely blue Toyota Ipsum, so here she is.....

And THIS is what our neighbours did to our lovely car.....

....reversing down our driveway, although they refuse to admit it. We know they did it because they reverse their vans down our shared driveway at great speed. We've not been anywhere today and there are bits of our car all over the driveway. We are both very cross >( and NOT liking the neighbours very much. In addition to the constant smell of onions and curry 24 hours a day, i have found their 17 year old son on our roof for some reason, AND they park in our carport. That's not like parking outside someone's house in the spot you'd usually park in (a la England), your carport is attached to your house and part of your property. GRRRRRRR.

Anyway. On the positive side of things, i am getting the wheels in motion to start doing my midwifery course, whether it be here or in the UK. I'm applying on Wednesday to start a Pre-Degree Nursing course, which will give me the study skills to get onto the course, and hopefully starting a short course to be a Health Care Assistant, which will update my clinical skills. And i borrowed a book yesterday lunchtime called "Baby Catcher" by Peggy Vincent, and i have about 20 pages of this 500 page book to go; i've just devoured it - i don't want it to end! It's just so inspirational, and it makes me so frustrated that i can't skip off to university tomorrow and just BE a midwife. I will get there though, i will.

Oooh, hark at me, all serious! Back to the wine and giggling about cockporn, methinks! xxx

edited to say: oooh, an actual nice thing just happened to cheer me up.....whilst looking for a scourer on a top shelf, i found an unopened Christmas present from Mum and Dad for meeeeee...and it was posh chocolate from M&S, which i am now going to scoff in bed with a cup of tea whilst reading the last pages of my book, so my day has ended rather nicely :) Thanks mum and dad, you have no idea how happy that's made me!!! xxxxxx

Swinging child incident ends in disaster

2007-01-19T08:37:00.000+13:00

Just read the English papers online for the morning.....i do hope you're all staying put inside! By comparison we have the absolute opposite weather; very still and sunny. Will send some over.

Meant to write yesterday but i did a very stoooopid thing. I left my glass of wine next to the computer despite constant, lifelong warnings by my father and husband NOT to leave drinks by the computer. Being the very disobedient girl i am, i did exactly that and it all got tipped all over the keyboard in a child-swinging incident (not as barbaric as it sounds) and it has subsequently died. Lesson learned. She says, sitting by the computer with a cup of coffee and nail polish remover! So now this is taking me forever to write on this new keyboard because everything is different.

I want to watch Celebrity Big Brother, i do i do. It's just not the same reading about it. I need some proper trashy tv!

Ah well, another day with very little of consequence to say. Babysitting tonight for friends who are going to The Big Day Out , which is a festival-type thing, which i am sure Carly would be at if she were in NZ and not getting blown around in London. I own Jason Donovan's Greatest Hits on CD and am therefore deemed not cool enough to go. And also am not rich enough to go. Absolutely not my type of thing anyway, so will be sitting at Paddie's reading my Gordon Ramsay book. I'm so middle-aged.

Anyhoo, Adrian has 10 days off work as of tomorrow which i am looking forward to, although Adrian is the King Of Being Anal About Housework, and so there will be no excuse for not doing any housework all day. Gone will be nice things like reading library books and eating ice cream by the paddling pool, and then rushing around like a banshee at 5.30 trying to make it look like i actually was working all day long. I'll actually have to do it as i go along. Hm. I really do hate housework SO much *sigh*

Off to pick up a friend of Leah's now for some afternoon entertainment. I plan on sitting outside by the paddling pool with my book and a big fat ice cream. Being a housewife is goooooooood :)

A year in blogging

2007-01-16T07:57:00.000+13:00

Happy birthday dear blog......can you believe i've been writing this drivel for a whole year? he he he!

Life is a lot better this morning due to the total eradication of flies from our house. After weeks of promising , Adrian finally got the house sprayed and my Fly Rage has been abated. I truly detest flies.

*GULP* Driving test is on March 14th at 9am. That was the earliest appointment i could get. I reeeeeeeally need to pass but i was physically shaking even filling out the form in the AA yesterday so i'm not sure how that's going to go.

A random disclosure for the morning - i remembered last night about Boasters biscuits and now i want some.

Heidi is walking at last! And she is looking more ginger by the day :) In fact, i will take a photo of them right now to illustrate the difference in their hair colours.

Boring kindy chairperson-y things to do today and a supermarket shop, which is good as there is alarmingly little food in the house. But looking froward to watching the first episode of Ugly Betty this evening.

Anyhoo, hardly an exciting post for my blog birthday! Thanks for reading..... xxxxAuckland weather necessitated the girls wearing their new raincoats from Great Nanny and Grandad Hill. They all looked v cute......but WHERE is summer? Hm?

And Heidi walking......and safe in the arms of a big sister :)

And heidi's 'cross face' .........

Summertime

2007-01-11T17:17:00.000+13:00

My bad mood has been temporarily abated by the return of the sunshine, you'll all be glad to know :) We've been to the beach today and i WOULD have taken some funny photos of Heidi except when i got my camera out i discovered that the batteries were missing. Turns out Leah and Jenna had organised a stealth mission to steal the batteries for their kitchen that they got for Christmas, so their fault, not mine.

I have been thinking about Summer in general though. This is my fifth summer i've spent in NZ and i've come to the conclusion that some things are just the same wherever you are for summer.....

Finding that perfect spot on the perfect beach....only to be inundated with wasps/sandflies/(insert bug of choice) the minute you open up your picnic

Getting sand stuck to you in every conceivable spot....

....and having it all fall off the minute you get in the car, so you're actually still finding sand come winter.

Eating a sandwich the day after being to the beach and crunching on a grain of sand in your fillings.

Laughing at people trying to get dressed under towels on the beach, but then realising you've either got to do it yourself too or drive home with a soggy bum

Strawberries

Asparagus

Corn on the cob with butter and pepper

Tennis ( preferably watching)

Gin and tonic

Thinking it's acceptable to go to the supermarket barefoot and in your togs just Because It's Summer

Barbeques

And the number one, universal, worldwide Law Of Summer......Only men are allowed to operate barbeques.

I'm sure there are heaps more - feel free to add some!

Good intentions

2007-01-08T13:05:00.000+13:00

Ok, feeling a bit more settled today. Resolved to de-clutter house again ( how does it get so messy? HOW?), paid bills, took overdue library books back, feeling generally organised.

Until the post comes and i get a lovely lovely letter from Mum and Dad and now all good intentions of cleaning are gone out the window whilst i sit here sobbing into numerous cups of tea and eating the children's chocolate from Christmas.

Have had a few more ideas for getting home:

Go back in time 6 years and marry English man with no preference for overseas travel
Go back in time 3 years, listen to Emma and tell homesick husband to have a holiday in NZ
Have secret affair with rich doctor/airline pilot type, get lots of money, dump rich bloke, buy family tickets home. Adrian hopefully none the wiser.
Sell offspring ( increasingly attractive idea in the midst of summer holidays) ....OR....
*GASP* Get actual job that pays actual money and save up.

Hmmmm, all good ideas but as i am not in the posession of a time-travelling machine, am rather partial to the husband and the offspring, and plan no.5 sounds far too sensible, so am looking for Plan C.

And nobody's been so kind as to tell me i don't look 26 today, AND it's only Monday, AND the sun's not shining, so it's all rather dreary. Is 1.20pm too early for Gin???

Too old and too young

2007-01-05T16:43:00.000+13:00

Am still feeling a bit unsettled following the other day. REALLY needing to touch base at home very soon. Trying to think of million-dollar ideas but so far have only come up with

Get job at Showgirls
Rob bank
Sell offspring

Not exactly an overly inspiring list thus far......

And anyway, in the travel agents the other day ( just enquiring in case tickets home had dramatically been reduced to $50) i was informed that i am now too old, at 26, to receive Young Persons Discount. Thanks for that, 17 year-old blonde travel agent, cheer me up, why don't you?

AND. Today, in a desperate need for wine and despite my having sworn on Monday that i wasn't going to drink any more for a while, the kids and i took a trip to the supermarket in the car ( yes, slapped hand) It is in fact law to drink alcohol come 4pm on a friday afternoon in New Zealand, and i didn't want to be left out. And besides, the kids are driving me a little bit crazy, and i still have to put away all the 56 loads of washing from camping; i NEED some medicinal wine.

Anyway, parked car outside Foodtown, ran in, grabbed cheapest bottle of Sav Blanc i could find, and took it to the till.

"Do you have any ID for that?" (at which point i snort rather unattractively and say...)
" But i'm 26" (at which till girl raises eyebrows in disbelief)
"Well i'll need to see some ID....you don't LOOK 26" ( i get all feeble and whiny at this point)
" But i've got 3 kids and i'm married"
"I'll still need to see some ID no matter how many kids you have"

I huff off in a strop and get my English driving licence and huffily produce it , but then she has to check that it's valid ID because it's not NZ ID. All that for a $7 bottle of wine. I was v cross at the time at all the palava; i honestly thought i'd gotten past the point where i need to feel nervous buying alcohol. But now i have my wine i feel great that she didn't think i was old enough to buy alcohol. I look 17!!! I mean, clearly i don't and i'm glad i didn't resort to showing her the lines round my eyes as proof of age.

He he he! And wooo, it's the weekend! This is the point where i cease caring about housework. I truly do hate housework. Hate it, i tell you. I want a maid. And a big nice house. And broadband so it doesn't take half an hour to do my blog. And i want to go to university. And to see all my family, especially Dave who i haven't seen in yonks and i miss very much. And some French Fancies.

If only my list of Ways To Make A Million were as long as The Thing I Want list, then i could do all the things on the Things I Want To Do list. But hey, i still look 17 so for now, everything's fine :)

Oh, and the tooth fairy left $2 much to my horror as that was all the change he had. If it's $2 for a little tooth, what's it got to be for a big tooth? And what happens when they all start losing teeth?! It was very fun though and as an added extra i sprinkled some glitter all over the pillow as fairy dust - it was so funny listening to all the squeals in the morning! xx

Tooth fairy

2007-01-03T16:48:00.000+13:00

Two firsts today from the biggest and the littlest girls. Heidi actually walked about 5 steps which is the furthest and most serious attempt at actually getting off her bottom so far. It only took her 15 months!

And Leah lost her first baby tooth! It's been wobbly for a while but whilst biting a piece of sellotape this afternoon ( tut tut) it went flying out and a mad tooth hunt ensued. Jenna was rather alarmed at all the blood and started yelling to Leah that she was going to die which made me laugh a lot. So now we have to ascertain what rate the old Tooth Fairy is operating these days. I'm thinking $1.

So here's Gappy and Walky......

It's been a lovely summer's day here today; we've played in the paddling pool, been to the park, i've watched some tennis and eaten strawberries, we've all eaten ice cream and we're having a bbq when adrian gets home from work. All i need now is a large gin and tonic and my day would be sorted.....

3 years

2007-01-02T21:44:00.000+13:00

Hmmm, a few more New Years photos for you today in absence of anything else interesting to look at. We spent the evening in Kerikeri town which was possibly the sleepiest place we could have gone in the country. There was no entrance fee but if you wanted to dance then you had to pay $5 for the privelige. Obvioulsy they've never seen me dance or they would have paid ME to grace their dancefloor! And they wondered why there were only 2 people dancing. In stark contrast we were served by the bubbliest, most over-the-top enthusiastic barmaid in the world, who was obviously being told to sell copious amounts of "Superjugs" containing nasty beer in a large jug with separate chilling compartment.....as modelled by Adrian......

And then i was force fed said nasty beer by the brother-in-law....

No other photos. It was a rather lame one to be honest.

And it was 3 years yesterday since we arrived in NZ, all bleary-eyed and dressed completely inappropriately in our jeans and jumpers. New Year's Day is always a bit depressing now, which is sad because it should be an optimistic day but to me it just feels like i've been here for ANOTHER year, and i never expected to be away this long. Ho hum. Praying to the gods of Lotto and National Lottery..................

And tonight all that's on is stooopid Lord Of The Rings which although is a good movie i am completely over and am soooo not going to watch it with adverts in it as well. Pah.

Nice photo of Heidi at Christmas to finish on a not-so-depressing note.

happy new year!

2007-01-01T21:46:00.000+13:00

Welcome to 2007......looks pretty sunny and hot so far :)

We've just got back from a 3 day camping trip with Anne and Des and David and Atsuko, up in Northland, at Kerikeri which was v pretty. Was v v cold at night and a tad squished in our tent but enjoyable spending the warm days at the beach. Am exhausted now as a 3 and a half hour journey home plus hangovers plus an extra hour long queue to get back into Auckland has left me pretty tired, so i'll give you some photos to have a look at and will update more another day.

Thanks for all your messages and Christmas cards and emails....sorry i haven't gotten round to replying to a lot of you. And huge congratulations to Laura and Emilie....lovely news :) xxx

Murphy's Law

2006-12-28T16:07:00.000+13:00

Afternoon everyone. Today i am going to post about The Laws of Sickness in Families, based on my experiences of the last couple of days. It goes something like this....

DAY 1

Dad gets ill in a spectacular man-fashion. What he has is clearly the Worst Bug Ever. He writhes in agony and moans loudly. Dad goes to work in true Martyr style. Meanwhile Mum cleans up dried-on vomit from 3 bedcovers, the bathtub, the carpet and a wall where the children have also been sick, although of course not quite so spectacularly as Dad. No-one has the bug quite as bad as he does. By 9am Mum has done 3 loads of washing and been to the supermarket.

2 hours later Dad returns home from work and lies down on the sofa for the remainder of the day. Mum spends day cleaning up more vomit and meeting Dad's demands....

"could you pass me the remote?"
"could you get me some new batteries for the remote?"
"i need a blanket"
"could you make me spaghetti on toast?"
"could you make shepherd's pie for dinner?"
"would you run me a bath?"

Dad is cured by dinner time but conveniently falls asleep at bathtime and bedtime.

DAY 2

Somewhere in the last 24 hours the bug has been transmitted to Mum. Mum feels awful. Dad is fine and goes to work, although reminds Mum that she doesn't look anywhere near as sick as he was. Children are all fine, although starving from a day with no food and full of pent-up energy from being indoors all day. There is no-one to look after mum, who struggles valiantly on and takes children (plus sick bucket) to adventure playground. Mum also has to get everyone's bags packed and do shopping for looming camping trip tomorrow. Mum feels very sorry for herself although she feels a bit better now, just in time to get all her chores done and make some dinner. Mum just LOVES being a housewife.

xxxxx

ps Off camping tomorrow so if i don't write then i'll be back blogging in 2007 xx

Happy Christmas!!!

2006-12-25T20:38:00.000+13:00

Merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noël!
Meri Kirihimete!
Feliz Navidad!
and my favourite and the winner of the award for most long-winded way of saying Merry Christmas........Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom! (Russian, in case you were wondering)

I am far too drunk to write anything of consequence this evening having spent the day at Ivan and Rachael's house and having started drinking at 10am. It is now 8.45pm and i am eating eggy bread and a cuppa in a feeble attempt at feeling sober before i go to bed.

It took me about 10 minutes to write the above paragraph so i am going to love you and leave you. Tomorrow we are going for a walk to Piha (wild rugged west auckland beach) with the in-laws so i am hoping to feel energetic in the morning. Hope you all have/had a fantastic day....love you all lots xxxxx

Life Swap

2006-12-14T09:21:00.000+13:00

Carly is forgiven for giving me a cold on account of having the best idea EVER. Seriously, Life Swap....where 25 year old long-lost childhood friends from Lancing swap lives......

* cue music*

"Carly and Jo grew up in a small town in West Sussex called Lancing. They were friends at a local nursery school and lived down the road from each other. Carly and her family moved to Auckland, New Zealand when she was -----(fill in age please Carly!) and the two kept in touch via letters and emails. They never thought they'd see each other again......."

*cue happy music*

"....until at age 19, Jo met her boyfriend and future husband, Adrian, from New Zealand. They had a baby girl and were married and then one day decided to move to New Zealand...."

*cue hardcore clubbing music to introduce us to Carly's life*

"Meanwhile Carly, having successfully completed many degrees, decides to go on her OE to England to discover her roots and drink lots of beer. Having been in England for a while now, Carly is sick of it being cold and dark and is pining for a hot summer in NZ and also wants to watch Days of Our Lives when ill. Joanne longs for a crisp, cold, rainy, twinkly English Christmas and is currently pissing everyone off moaning about how it doesn't feel like a proper Christmas when it's hot."

*cut to shot of Joanne waving*
*cut to shot of Carly waving*

"Watch what happens when we give the girls the chance to Swap Lives for 2 weeks. Can Carly cope with domesticity and 3 children? Will she feel stifled in Auckland after living in London? Will Joanne enjoy being single again too much? Will she ever go back? Or might she find that actually she misses NZ? Will their mothers steal their passports so they can never leave? Coming soon to a telly near you......Life Swap"

I blame Carly ( not for everything!)

2006-12-13T09:46:00.000+13:00

Clearly by having a link to Carly's blog she has managed to transmit her cold to me via the internet. I feel gross, and all there is on telly is The Bold and the Beautiful and Days Of Our Lives - where's Lorraine Kelly and Phillip Schofield and Loose Women when you're stuck on the couch feeling sorry for yourself?

As it is Jenna and I are watching Pirates of Penzance and having a good laugh. I cannot go outside for it is so bright that my poor sore eyes feel like they may actually spotaneously combust.

Seriously Carly - do you want to swap lives? I want wintery Christmas - you're fed up of being cold....think how pleased our mothers would be! (i obviously don't actually blame you....I do hope you feel better soon!)

Bleurgh. Cough. Sniff. xxx

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited at 5.30pm to add:

Christmas has begun at The Bergmans. As Adrian is completely indifferent about Christmas i decided we would put the Christmas tree up today for something to do, and in true Hill tradition we all sang along to The Muppets whilst doing it ( ok, well, actually that would be just me singing The Muppets then.....!) In fact i got all teary because they started singing something about being home for Christmas *sniff sniff*

I had help from all quarters as you can see and everyone's fed up now and they've all gone outside to make mud pies. 2 nasty things happened though - i found 2 snails attached to the trunk/pole part of the tree and then a cockroach climbed out of the tinsel. EWWWW. I hate having a cellar.

Who wants to bet that tree will get pulled down about 154 times before Christmas?

I also found a lot of Claire's hair in the tree from last year. Thanks Claire, we won't forget you this year, you're STILL moulting all over my carpet :)

I watched some more dvd's from mum and dad today and managed to make the Railway Children work the whole way through and that made me cry too. A LOT. The guilty party knows who he is and why he's made me cry!

Right, off to make a salad. Nothing FEELS right. Still. This is NZ Christmas #4 for me and it still.......well, you know the rest. I won't whinge any more. Ding dong, Glad Tidings, all the rest of it.

*sniff sniff sniff* - no honestly, i'm fine....it's just my cold making my eyes water......*sniff sniff SNIFF*

*booooo hoooooooooo hooooooooooo*

2006-12-11T15:39:00.000+13:00

What a weekend.... I love Auckland in the summertime! After posting yesterday we all went to Victoria park in the central city to a French market and festival; by some miracle Adrian managed to drag himself off his deathbed to come with us. It was lovely weather, good music, good company, and as it was a French festival then we were (well, i was, at least!) obliged to embrace the spirit and drink (more) wine. As if my liver wasn't pickled enough from the weekend! The kids had a blast and played football with Adrian's friends, then Adrian took them home about 5pm and i stayed on to finish the weekend off with yet more wine.

And me this morning kindly taken by one of the children. I am clearly not pretty after a whole weekend of over-indulgence.

2006-12-10T10:14:00.000+13:00

argh.....computer.....screen....too.....bright......

My poor hungover eyes are not coping with all this Christmas sun. We've had a great couple of nights out, with my birthday do at Boogie Wonderland on friday which was fantastic, and the light-up dancefloor and 70's and 80's music was very much enjoyed. I never thought i'd ever go to a nightclub where they played Rick Astley songs. I wasn't actually tooooo hungover after that as we had a fantastic waitress who was topping up our water glasses after every drink - she was clearly an angel for i felt fine yesterday despite having drunk many nasty cocktails.

Then last night we had Adrian's work Christmas do at Gengi's in Newmarket ( like a Mongolian BBQ place). We left the kids at Adrian's brother's house and prayed that they would all behave themselves, which they did. The food was gorgeous and i didn't go too hard out on the free wine, but i called it a night before we all got to the pub at 11.30 and went home to bed. Adrian, on the other hand, stayed out until 2am and drank copious amounts of bourbon and is now in bed suffering a LOT. So much so that i had to drive us home on the motorway again this morning which was pretty nerve-wracking stuff without his guidance. I have a driving lesson tomorrow morning so that should be easy compared to Auckland's Southern Motorway with a hangover and a puking husband. Nice.

Will upload some of the less sweaty photos from Friday (believe me - there are some awful ones!!) i start off relatively normal looking and then the grin gets bigger with the more cocktails i've drunk and then i just have my hair scraped back from getting too hot. Oh ok, here's some of the terrible sweaty ones - it was hard work dancing!

2006-12-07T07:25:00.000+13:00

Seems i've been a naughty blogger ....... I used photos from Google but didn't credit the people who took them ( very sorry Jennie!) Lesson learnt for me *slaps hand*

You may remember i used 2 photos of Auckland Harbour Bridge to illustrate to you all just what a feat it was that i actually drove over it, well these photos came from http://www.farmcoveobs.co.nz (that's the bird's eye view of the bridge) and http://www.nzti.com ( the one with all the traffic)

Again, my sincere apologies to those involved.

ooooops!

Our Mate???

2006-12-06T21:16:00.000+13:00

Jenna's started kindy and all's well; i felt quite emotional which i didn't expect, but she's skipping off quite happily and coming home with lots of stories about playing "mums and dads", so i'm not worried! Things have gotten very busy all of a sudden, especially with all the millions of Christmas parties we have to go to. At last count i have

Christmas Music party #1 for Jen and Heidi this friday(bring a plate)
School Nativity Play and picnic ( he he he - have i ever mentioned that i'm not quite used to Christmas in the sun???!!!) for Leah at lunchtime on friday (bring a plate)
My postponed birthday evening on Friday ( no plates to bring but getting v drunk is a requirement of the evening)
Adrian's work Christmas do on Saturday ( as all food and drink is free, getting drunk and extremely full up is again a requirement)
Kindy Christmas party on Monday for all the parents which not only do i have to go to, i also have to organise and make a speech ( and bring a plate, naturally)
Playgroup Christmas Party on Thursday morning (bring a plate)
Another kindy party for the kids on Thursday (suprise suprise.......bring a plate)
Christmas Music Party #2 for Jenna and Heidi next friday ( need i say it......bring a plate)
And another one where i get to get drunk ....Paddie and Daz's Christmas party next Saturday, where i don't mind taking a plate because it will be full of crackers and blue cheese and i get to eat some of it!

So that's 9 parties between friday and next saturday and 7 ideas for plates of food that i have to come up with.

I went supermarket shopping yesterday and noticed on the shelves a familiar package up on the top shelf....my good friend Marmite. Except it isn't, and it's called Our Mate. (Thanks to Pat for the tips on this by the way!) Although VEEEEEEERRRRY similar to Marmite, it is in fact an imposter posing as Marmite. the difference is subtle, but i can conclude that Our Mate is distinctly saltier than Marmite, and not quite as nice. It will do, however, and it is a darn sight nicer than the tar they pass off as Marmite here.

Well, here's some photos of the girls the other afternoon when it was rainy and hot - we made an awesome tent and they sat out there for ages whilst i sat under the covered deck and drank tea and dunked Tim Tams, and read a pile of 15 Vogue magazines i had bought from the library earlier that day for a single dollar - bargain. My kind of afternoon!

xxxx

*ok, photos not working at present, will endeavour to post them in the morning :) *

Devonport

2006-12-03T16:09:00.000+13:00

Had another of our lovely Sunday outings, this time to Devonport on the North Shore, where we went up to the old army lookout that was used in WW2, which was really interesting,then we had fush and chups on the beach. It's been a gorgeously sunny, albeit very windy day. Feeling rather hungover and seedy (again!) today as we had Paddie and Daz and the twins over for a BBQ yesterday afternoon and then we had an impromptu girls night out, which involved me falling over rather spectacularly and cutting my knee and elbow; the pair of us singing Kylie and Jason very loudly along Pakuranga Highway, and culminated in me waking up in bed fully dressed in jeans and jumper this morning. Fab. I love being 26.

Had my hair done yesterday in the salon that Claire had her hair done when she was visiting this time last year. Halfway through my appointment, the girl who was colouring my hair asked " Was your sister's name Claire?" Turns out she remembered her exactly from when she cut Claire's hair and she was saying "And you have 3 little girls, and 2 brothers at home in England, and your sister had come out for a visit and was so pleased because her haircut was so cheap" . It was rather freaky how much she remembered from a year ago! Very pleased with my hair and have gone very light blonde - i feel very summery now :)

Anyhoo, here's us today just about getting blown off the cliff!

26 is goooooood

2006-12-02T07:27:00.000+13:00

26 is going to be a GOOD year, if yesterday is anything to go by!

After music we went round to Paddie's where a lovely boozy lunch complete with pecan coffee gateau-birthday cake was served - it was SO hard to leave to collect Leah from school! When we got home there was a fat envelope from the tax man which unusually was a very nice letter and one that made me make lots of "woohoooo!" noises. Then about 5 minutes later Pat rang from kindy to say that there was a place for Jenna to start next Tuesday which is excellent news and we're all very excited :)

Then Alicia came over to babysit as Adrian was taking me out for a drink, and we thought perhaps we might be able to splash out (!) and share a bowl of chips. We decided to go into the city where Adrian couldn't resist popping into Sky City casino, where upon my insistence he bet on number 26, and we won $90! So we went out for dinner instead to a gorgeous tapas bar and drank bloody marys. Which was very nice indeed, and much better than a bowl of chips!

So, despite me starting the day thinking that it was going to be a crap birthday, 26 was actually the best birthday i've had in years. And today i have an appointment for a cut and (long-overdue by the look of my roots!) colour, and then a driving lesson with the AA courtesy of Anne and Des.

I like 26 :)

Happy birthday to meeeeeee

2006-12-01T09:31:00.000+13:00

Indeed, happy 26th birthday to me. Have had a lovely morning so far with presents galore; i got some fantastic dvd's and an appointment with the hairdresser from dad and mum, a fab photo of me and adrian from Chris, a lovely bag and make up and lots of Walnut Whips from Nanny and Grandad and a gorgeous dress from Sheryl and Paddie. Spoiled :)

I'm having a special lunch made for me today after we've been to music, after which i plan on slobbing on the sofa with numerous Walnut Whips to watch The Railway Children ( dvd from dad :) ), and then Adrian's taking me out this evening, so i'm going to make the most of feeling fussed over. And, by Emma's orders, also drink lots of wine, which absolutely won't be a problem, i shouldn't imagine.

Here's to another year of still being 20ish and fairly young!

Edited to add....photo is of me, not Heidi! As far as i'm aware knitted all-in-ones aren't so much in fashion any more...... thanks for all your lovely messages :)

Conditioner woes

2006-11-30T08:56:00.000+13:00

Ahem....sorry about that last night. Didn't mean to take it out on my blog. Won't happen again. In a MUCH better mood today :) I refuse to spend my last day of being 25 in a grump.

First off, here's a scenario for you. You get into the shower in the morning, shampoo your hair etc, then realise that SOMEBODY ( could be the husband with approximately half an inch of hair who has no use for conditioner but still likes to use it anyway, or 3 little girls using the bottle as a squirting toy....i have my suspicions) has used the last of the conditioner.

Aha, you think, i still have a sachet of conditioner that came through the post in 1997 that you knew you'd need one day.

So, you get out of the shower to get said sachet and get back in the shower.

You proceed to spend five minutes trying to rip the thing open with wet hands to no avail.

So you get out of the shower again to rummage through the drawers for the nail scissors, which inevitably are not there, meaning you have to streak to the kitchen to look for the kitchen scissors, all the while hoping fervently you weren't that organised this morning that you actually opened all the curtains.

You cut the darned sachet, push what little conditioner there is up to the top, and watch in dismay as half of it ends up on the shower floor.

Then you carefully extract every last drop of conditioner which actually amounts to about 2 mls which will just about do your fringe, and then realise you've been faffing around in the shower for about 20 minutes and now everyone's late for school.

OK, so the last bit was case-specific, but seriously, is it just me that always happens to??!

No plans for my birthday as yet. Looks like it'll be a quiet one. Adrian would like to go and see Borat and i wouldn't mind so much, so i may coerce someone into looking after the monsters and go do that.

Ah well, off to playgroup! xxxxxx

Meh.

2006-11-29T19:41:00.000+13:00

Am in a VERY bad mood today. So i thought i'd bring you all down with me and share my bad mood around. (only kidding, just feeling a bit meh..... need to offload)

This morning was nice, we had our usual wednesday morning swim, so the day didn't start all that bad, but it was just One Of Those Days, where everyone wants to share their opinion on what you're doing wrong. A day where mean little old ladies pack a lunchbox and go and camp in supermarket aisles just waiting for their prey.....waiting for a stressed mother and a screaming baby and a whingy 3 year old. Then they jump out and THEY give you their opinion on exactly what you're doing wrong too.

Seriously....everyone from the bank clerk ( "ohhh, 3 girls..... isn't it a shame you didn't have a boy?" ) to the mean little old lady who had camped out to be mean to me ( "you should take that baby home - it's obviously tired from all this shopping" ) wants to give me their opinion on what i'm doing wrong. I KNOW what i'm doing wrong - i really don't need the whole world to point it all out to me.

And i'm also sick of bending over backwards for people who clearly don't appreciate it. I look like a mug. Again :(

One nice thing that happened today was that my lovely friend katie bought me a lovely birthday present....so it wasn't ALL bad. But adrian's playing a gig that i was meant to be going to but nobody wants to babysit for us, so that's making me cross, and all that's on telly is The Matrix and i refuse to watch it for reasons i am not entirely clear on myself. It's like Star Wars - still never seen one of those either....not really sure why other than a deep-seated feeling of Not Wanting To.

Meh. I don't even have any chocolate. And actually, i've just remembered the day DID start bad because i've run out of Marmite and the English shop doesn't sell it ( WHY would you have a shop full of English products if you don't sell MARMITE??? ) and i refuse to put my mouth anywhere near the muck they call marmite over here. Blasphemy, i tell you.

Well, rant over. Off to wrap Christmas presents which will definitely cheer me up :) (even though CLEARLY it is too hot to be Christmas..........meh)

Beaches and bridges

2006-11-26T16:10:00.000+13:00

Sadly, my birthday night outing was postponed until further notice due to illness of a crucial member of the party....so no drunken photos people, sorry.

Instead we have photos of us at the beach ( again !), this time up north at a national park called Wenderholm. Kids were tired and whingy so it wasn't the best outing, but we got some nice pics of us being summery. Heidi discovered today that sand isn't all that nice to eat in large quantities. I remembered how much i hate sandy picnics.

And also, BIG driving news - i drove over Auckland Harbour Bridge today. Not a huge achievement for all of you Auckland-savvy drivers, but for a little old nana learner driver like me, it was a very Big Thing. Am very proud of me - i didn't go careering over the side of the bridge into the harbour like i always imagined i would.

By the hair on my chinny chin chin

2006-11-23T09:26:00.000+13:00

Am clearly on the downward slope from now on in. Yesterday, at the grand old age of 25 years, 11 months and 2 weeks, i found a hair on my chin. Granted, i needed a magnifying mirror to see it but STILL. Needless to say emergency plucking was required, and then i went and ate lots of chocolate to cheer myself up.

And in a cruel twist of irony, and despite having drunk 3 litres of water a day for the past week to ensure beautiful skin for the one night a year i get to go out, i have come out in horrid teenage spots. I have the spotty cheeks of a 16 year old and the hairy chin of a 96 year old - i'm gonna look SOOOOOO good in my birthday photos this year!

Off to shops now to do Christmas shopping. Wierd that it is 22 degrees outside.....will never get used to Christmas in the sun.

xxxx

Standing

2006-11-22T08:51:00.000+13:00

Yeah, me again...just enjoying the fact that the ole camera is working again and so thought i would post a picture of Heidi standing up this morning. Not her best picture i grant you, what with all the snot and the night's nappy round her knees and the Weetbix-stained pyjamas, but still.....she's getting there!

photos

2006-11-21T17:13:00.000+13:00

Ok, further to my last post this morning, 2 blog-worthy things have happened.

Adrian ASSURES me i cannot have a groin injury as i am a woman, and only men get groin injuries. Do i have a groin???? I am assured that as i do not have testicles i do not have a groin.....who is right? Someone care to enlighten me ?
My digital camera is miraculously resurrected from the dead, and so i can post photos. Hoorah.

So in no particular order, us waiting for the fireworks in a field. Said fireworks actually commenced approximately 1 hour later as of course, we are on summertime and it's still light at 8pm.

And the girls at the pools the other day - i wish I looked like that in a bikini!!! Oh to be 5 years old again....Tonight i ate 4 hash browns and a mince pie for my tea due to a dwindled supply of food in the pantry. Haven't done that since i was a student and anything that didn't say "Grill on both sides for 5 minutes" was deemed too difficult to cook. Not feeling very satisfied now!!! Looking forward to food shopping tonight....

More musings

2006-11-21T09:37:00.000+13:00

Some more musings i have......

Why, when you wake in the middle of the night needing a wee, do you have an hour-long mental battle trying to convince yourself that you don't need a wee and finding it hard to get back to sleep, when in fact if you just got up and had a wee, you could be asleep by now. ( or is that just me?!)

Why do hairdressers only talk to you when they're blowdrying your hair and you can't hear what they're saying because they're blowing hot air in your ear?

Also on hairdressers.....why do they give you a cup of tea and then put it ever so slightly out of your reach, making you too afraid to reach for it in case you jog them and you end up with a chunk out of your hair? Hmmmmmmm.......

On marathon news, it's still all go. I managed about 7.5 kms last night which is my best so far......just need to be able to do about 6 times that amount and we're away! Have a groin injury from last night though so have to have a couple of days rest ( booo) I know i have the stamina and the drive to do this, i just need to build up my distances without getting injured.

I have my birthday outing all sorted....we're having a big girly night out (there's about 10 of us, and no boys allowed!) to Boogie Wonderland, a 70's/80's themed nightclub in the City and i'm very excited. We have our own individual booth that i have booked and we can have exclusive use of all night providing we all buy at least one cocktail each (NOT a problem!), and we even have our own waitress. My camera is still on the blink but will get a disposable for the night and hopefully post lots of random photos.

Heidi is standing up on her own a lot more but still making absolutely no effort to walk. Her favourite toy at the moment is a plastic baby that is about 1 inch tall and has a knitted nappy. Leah picked it up at a bring and buy sale and now Heidi won't let it out of her sight. Which really makes me realise that it's not really going to matter what Father Christmas brings her if this is the thing she loves most, this piece of plastic tat!

Anyway, until next time, lots of love xxx

Cars

2006-11-14T20:52:00.000+13:00

2 musings I have today: You know you're a Stay At Home Mother when.......

You measure the day by whether the weather is conducive to drying your washing. You get VERY excited if it is very sunny with a slight breeze (ie like today)
You cut your finger and the only plasters you can find in the house are novelty cartoon plasters. (also like today; felt a bit of a plonker in my Hi5 plaster)

I need to get out more.

And talking of getting out more - our new car arrived today which will now be Adrian's for getting to work, and i have the lovely lovely big blue car, woohoo! I am very excited and literally can't wait to start driving now. Few more driving lessons and i will be away...........and quite clearly i will put on about 5 stone from driving everywhere; i may even become like my husband and drive the rubbish down to the end of the driveway for the ultimate in laziness, he he he!!! The things i need to practise are reversing and parking, and particularly reversing out of parking spaces. *yawn* Booooring stuff - i want to DRIVE!!!

Hmmm, anyone else having trouble accessing my blog??? The only way i can get to my blog now is via the link on Vicki's blog - doesn't work from the link on Carly's blog, nor if i type the address in the address bar. Veeeeery strange. maybe it is just my ancient computer.

Right, off to bed now; it is super muggy here tonight and i am sitting here in my swimming togs at 9.10pm.....roll on summer!

xxxxx

ps. mum and dad - parcel arrived this evening, just thought you'd like to know it got here safe and sound :)

Procrastinating again

2006-11-08T08:41:00.000+13:00

well hellooooo.

Sadly, my digital camera has died so the blog will be photo-less until further notice. :(

Had a lovely weekend; i had my morning off on saturday and drank so much coffee i thought my head was actually going to spin off. Then in the evening we intended to go into the city and watch one of the big firework displays.....until we found out it was $35 to get in. Stuff that, we thought, and we went and sat in a field of cow pats in Cornwall Park and watched them for free from over the road, and we drank hot chocolate and marshmallows all huddled in blankets - it was so lovely. I had some great photos.....grrrrrrr.

Then sunday morning ....... I FINALLY BOUGHT ME SOME GLASSES!!!!!!! Hoorah, i will be able to see again! Eternally indebted to my sight sponsors - you know who you are :) ! I also bought a buggy board for Jenna which solves the broken buggy situation.

And yes, it's that time of year where you have to put up with my wild procrastinations. I have bought me some proper running shoes and am aiming for the Rotorua marathon which is 30 weeks away. So far i ran about 2 kms on sunday and then the same last night. I KNOW i could go further, mentally and physically i'm so fired up to do this; it's just my calf muscles that start hurting so much which is why i stopped last night for fear of injuring myself. Any runners out there??? Anyone got any tips??? I'm stretching beforehand but they're my downfall every time. Humph.

Anyhoo, we're off swimming this morning i think, if the rain goes away. Love to you all xxx

More climbing

2006-11-03T21:06:00.000+13:00

The more eagle-eyed of you night have noticed my fabulous just-out-of-the-shower appearance in the reflection of the window in the last photos - sorry about that.......good job i decided to wear a towel!!!!

Photo of Heidi today is her in the washing basket; i heard her singing to herself and went in to find her playing happily in there. It's not all that good a photo but she is showing off most of her 8 teeth to good effect so thought i would post it anyway. Today i walked into the lounge to find her scaling the bookcase. This is no mean feat - it involves climbing from the coffee table, onto the sofa, across onto the other sofa and then a bit of a jump onto the bookcase. HOW she managed it i would love to know - her body is pure pudge, devoid of any muscle tone and yet she is a master of climbing. Needless to say i bounded the entire length of the lounge in one massive stride and plucked her from the perils of a wobbly freestanding bookcase - it could have been ugly. Bloomin' baby - she thought it was hilarious and went for another turn. Think i will have to restructure the lounge this weekend.

We popped into kindy today to fulfil some chairpersonly (made up word of the day!) duties. I was quite horrified to see a bunch of 4 year olds dancing around to The Vengaboys and other random pop music from the late 1990's. Last time i heard any of that i was extremely intoxicated and about 18 - it was most disturbing to see children my daughter's age bopping around to it. I feel OLD. Althoughhhhhhh, yesterday a lady told me i didn't look old enough to have 3 children, so that was a welcome change to "you're 25???? Wow, i thought you were WAAAAY older than that!" Cheers.

Ah well, off to ogle Gordon Ramsay. Night all! xxx

climbing and icing

2006-11-01T14:02:00.000+13:00

Imagine my suprise this morning, when walking down the corridor to the girls room with some washing, that i see a little face peering at me from the other side of our glass garden-thingy in between the lounge and the corridor. My smallest daughter, although complete inept at walking (- honestly, hold her up to walk and she goes limp and throws her head back - hopeless ) is VERY competent in the art of climbing, and had climbed up on to the sofa this morning with the aid of the coffee table, and was looking very pleased with herself.

We made hallowe'en biscuits last night as promised; i made a double mixture so ended up with about 60 biscuits. About 6 of them were iced by the girls to within an inch of their lives - even i can't quite manage eating icing an inch thick.

Guess which ones were mine???!

accents

2006-10-31T10:29:00.000+13:00

Have clearly lost all my English identity living over here. At the weekend i was asked by one person "what part of Ireland are you from?" and by another ..." how long have you been away from Australia?" Answers on a postcard please - i am aware, despite my best efforts to the contrary, that my accent is a mix of Wurrrvin' (Worthing!) and Nu Ziiilland, but do i really sound like an Irish Australian???

Another funny photo of Jenna for you ( she really is quite eccentric!). It was all quiet yesterday afternoon, which i mistook for a bit of peace and quiet. What in fact was going on, was that Jenna had found a box of Christmas decorations and was busy decorating the garden with tinsel, angels and baubles. I had to laugh.

Adrian and i applied for this job last night rather randomly. We hadn't any fixed plans to return to the UK but when we saw this job it sounded so good that we had to apply. Not holding out any great hopes that we will get it but it was worth a try! Will keep you posted.....

Jenna and i are making hallowe'en cookies today for something fun to do , and also because i am on a quest to use all of my 101 cookie cutters from Lakeland at least once!

Not much news today, i watched The Constant Gardener with Ralph Fiennes last night and it was fantastic, i thoroughly recommend it. (he he, just read that back - i didn't watch it WITH Ralph Fiennes, much to my dismay, he was in the movie - i watched it with Adrian, who eats all of his movie snacks really fast and then bugs me for some of mine, and then falls asleep and snores loudly through the rest of the movie. Think it would have been preferable to watch it WITH Ralph, i'm sure he's not a popcorn thief.)

Anyway, getting to the point where we actually had a video to take home was not easy as usual, as Adrian and i have such opposite tastes in movies that we rarely find one we both like, and trips to the video shop inevitably ends with one of us sulking.

For example, my favourite kinds of movie - Grease, Dirty Dancing, Moulin Rouge, Mrs Henderson Presents, Evita, Pride and Prejudice, anything with Colin Firth.....anything girly, light hearted and preferably with rousing singing and dancing numbers.

I do NOT like anything remotely scary, anything with Vampires, monsters, science fiction or Tom Cruise.

Adrian's favourite movies - Vampires especially; really scary movies, science fiction, things like Mission Impossible and other random things with Tom Cruise in, general things where people get blown up/eaten/ shot etc etc.

Adrian's pet hates - movies with any kind of singing or dancing, movies with Colin Firth, anything set in a high school especially if it also involves singing and dancing, anything with women bustling around in period dress.

You can see why we have problems! I think the only movie we both like is The World's Fastest Indian, which is also very good.

Anyways, i'm off now to practise talking properly, and get rid of my wierd anglo-kiwi-aussie-irish accent.

Love to all xxxx

Pants on your head

2006-10-28T21:57:00.000+13:00

About time i posted some photos i think, instead of me rambling on about nothing in particular ( although there probably will be a bit of that too!)

Had my Anatomy and Physiology exam today which i felt went really well; i'm confident i got over 70% which is what i need for a pass. They allocated 2 hrs 10 for the exam and i finished in 40 minutes having haemorrhaged all my knowledge onto the paper before my brain exploded with all this retained information. It struggles, my poor old brain. Anyway, i went for a walk around Newmarket shops and went into one clothes shop where i kid you not - the sizes ranged from xxx small to medium. I actually wanted to just stuff cake down the throats of every girl in there. It made me quite cross. Hmmph.

Anyway, rest of the day was exceptionally boring; they're s t r e t c h i n g about one days' learning into 2 days so it's very slow going and myself and an Irish girl i got chatting to, kept getting told off for nattering when we were supposed to be palpating each other's muscles - there's only SO much palpating you can really do of the biceps. *yawn* I have a practical tomorrow so let's hope i pass that after all my yawning!!

Anyway, photos. Heidi enjoying her first ever Chocolate Fish and looking quite disgusting - that thing was gone in 2 minutes flat. And Jenna....well what can i say?? I crept into the room the other day and couldn't resist taking a photo of her having a grand old time with knickers on her head.....as you do!

Off to bed now in any case, love to all xxx

Buggies and Bad dreams

2006-10-25T16:19:00.000+13:00

I think the Universe is against me today. First i woke up from a terrifying dream ( more about that later). Then at the swimming pool cafe my date loaf was all wrong and my coffee almost blew my head off - i have a feeling i'll still be awake from it NEXT wednesday, it was that strong. Then going out the door to pick Leah up, i realised that my poor old buggy has died - the axle at the bottom has clean snapped off the thing that was holding it on ( hmmm....technical term for "thing that was holding it on"????!) .

Poor old thing; it literally was flogged to death - i've had it for about 18 months and i've been trying to work out roughly how many kilometres i think it's done. Let me think, i walk at least 4km a day just taking leah to and from school, plus usually an extra 2km walking to the shops or whatever, so say 30km a week, times by 18 months........ (find calculator, not feeling very mathematical today.....) ........about 2340 km. In miles that's roughly 1400 miles - i could have walked from John O'Groats to Land's End (about 1080 miles) and then probably over to mum and dad's for dinner! Or from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, with a bit of swimming in the middle. No wonder the poor thing died.

No wonder i have a great bum, ha ha ha!!!!! Not bad for a second hand buggy that's routinely been carrying about 40kg of children, plus nappy bags and school bags and all manner of other random detritus that i seem to accumulate, every day. But rather annoying that now we won't be able to sell it. Incidentally we were looking at buggies in Baby City on Monday and looking at getting a single buggy with a kiddy board so Jenna can stand up.....went in with a $250 budget in mind and told the woman what we wanted. Well, we could have bought a small car for what she was offering, trying to convince us that we needed something with Ergonomic Design, Pneumatic Tyres and a Detachable Refreshment Tray (yep, those plastic trays with a drinks holder!) for about $900. Needless to say we didn't get a buggy. For $900 i'd just about expect it to have optional wings a la Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Anyway, got kind of off track there. Back to my awful dream, which was one of those ones that was genuinely terrifying whilst i was asleep but bizarrely comical in the morning. For some reason, I was in our church back in Lancing, attending a 'service' ( i use the term lightly) being held by none other than Adolf Hitler himself, wearing my clothes, quite strangely. Groups of people, some i knew, some i didn't, like an entire marching band (?!) were being marched off to the side room and didn't come out, and we were all really afraid of going in there. I know that Carey and Vicki went in ( sorry guys!!!) but thankfully we didn't have to go in this time. Down the back of the church i bumped into Mr McCurrach ( school music teacher!) who told us that Hitler was eating these people alive, and was encouraging us to make Down With Hitler placards. Which we did. And that was the end and i was very thankful to be awake and not being eaten alive. My commiserations to Vicki and Carey and the marching band.

I was reading my Spike Miligan book before i went to sleep last night ( Adolf Hitler; My Part in His Downfall) so i'm pretty sure that's where it all came from. And i was looking at Carey's and Vicki's blogs before bed so i'm sure it wasn't anything personal!! Bizarre, nonetheless!!!!

And also included in my theory of the universe being against me, today, at 25 years and 11 months, i found actual LINES round my eyes. My reasoning is daily squinting in this stupidly bright Ozone-less country. Honestly, i thought i had a few more years before having to worry about these kinds of things!!!

And the last reason the universe is against me is because it is fly season again *grrrrrrr*. There is NOTHING - absolutely NOTHING that makes me quite as angry as the flies in this country. They just manage to get in, in their seeimng hundreds even if you keep all the windows shut. Today i took immense pleasure in swatting some flies that were copulating on my curtain - no baby flies for them, ha!

Anyway, gotta get back to the books - nowhere NEAR finishing all my revision for Saturday's exam *sigh* Not easy with 3 small people 'helping' me. *note to self* - stop writing blog - might help.

Lots of love, hoping for pleasanter dreams tonight and a brand new buggy in the morning........and no flies.....or squint-induced lines......and a million dollars

hmmmm

2006-10-21T17:52:00.000+13:00

Think it may be a sign of too much wine that i wrote that i would be watching the wine - i meant that i am off to DRINK more wine - watching it is hardly going to do anything now, is it?! xx

Uncle Chunder

2006-10-21T17:16:00.000+13:00

Sorry for neglecting you all - Uncle Chunder has paid me numerous visits this week ( that's a vomiting bug to anyone other than Vicki and anyone else reading who may remember Uncle Chunder!) so i have not felt like posting and in any case, had nothing to report. So, here i am, it's Saturday and i am all on my lonesome, having convinced ( not quite sure how!) Adrian to take the girls to Rotorua to visit his parents.

At first the silence was deafening and i almost ran after them and told them all to come back, but after i thought about it and rationalised that probably Adrian would be able to make it down there in one piece without his non-driving wife occasionally shouting "watch that truck!" every time a truck goes past, i relaxed into my day and am having a grand old time - currently listening to Queen very loudly and drinking wine, which in turn is making me sing rather loudly as well, he he!! But all is good because no-one is here to tell me how crap my cd collection is or how awful i am at singing!

So far today in my re-visited singleton bliss i have:

Sat in my pyjamas until 10am
Browsed the internet without anyone saying "when is it myyyyyyyy turn?" or "we want cbeeeeeebies on the computer".
Gone to the shops and bought nice things to eat like strawberries and asparagus and chocolate ( what was most disturbing was that the checkout boy asked me if i was planning a romantic meal - he obviously thought i was what with all my aphrodisiac foods (!) - i just blushed and said something like "hrmmmmmrph" or something similarly indisinguishable - i was loathe to inform him that i was going to eat it all myself!)
Bought sweeties to eat, and i will be able to eat them in the lounge! Usually i am reduced to hiding and scoffing them in the pantry without the children noticing.
Perused a local book fair and bought 6 books.
Remembered what a bummer it is to actually have to carry shopping bags home opposed to bunging them in the bottom of the buggy.
Saw a hot air balloon and my mothering reflexes made me point up in the air to show the (not present) children, then made myself giggle realising this and looked like a fool walking along the road chuckling to myself.
Watched a programme about triplets and got to be all mushy without adrian making fun of me
Read some of my new Spike Milligan book and laughed a lot
had a nap
Eventually did some study for impending exams next week
Made dinner for one

And i am going out to watch adrian's brother's band this evening and then enjoy my inevitable hangover tomorrow without having to think of anyone but myself.

Other funny things that happened today were

watching 2 old ladies squabbling over a puzzle at the book fair
being "wooo"ed at from behind by a passing truck driver, which i know i should be offended at, but it's nice to be complimented when you're a worn-out mother. I did have a paranoid moment that perhaps he was shouting "eww" instead of "woo", but i do have a nice bum so i think it was a "woo". Modest, moi???!! Buns of steel , me, from all that pushing my own body weight in children and buggy 4 times a day!
seeing the postlady getting "woo"ed at by ( a different) truck driver, except she told them to F*** Off, rather loudly, which also made me giggle.

Simple pleasures! It's been a fab day, and i plan to spend tomorrow watching videos that adrian won't let me watch, yes, because i'm sad and like girly movies with happy endings. Right, off to watch more wine and get ready :) I AM missing adrian and the girls, honest!!

Lots of love xxx

vomut

2006-10-15T21:24:00.000+13:00

Evening all, hope you're all well. Had a good weekend at my last aromatherapy course and am confident my exam went well. Just been out to a memorial service at Auckland hospital so not feeling especially humourous tonight, but Carly's blog made me laugh a lot tonight, so check it out...

One thing that did make me laugh this weekend was one of the ladies talking about her daughter having had nits recently, which i know, isn't particularly funny in itself, just that kiwi accent making 'nits' in to 'nuts'.....he he he, they just can't say their 'i's ....it's the 'fush and chups wuth vunegar' syndrome!

Jenna's got a tummy bug that Heidi has had now, and wouldn't you know it.....i buy myself new underwear once in a blue moon, and last week treated myself to some lovely, albeit expensive although-bought-from-the-outlet-shop-so-not -so-expensive, bras. This week, said expensive bra has been vomited down TWICE. Clearly no good can come from cuddling sick children.

Anyhoo. Off to bed for an early one; was awoken at 5am today by "mummy.....i don't feel very wel........bleuuuuurghhhhhhhh" Dontcha just LOVE the smell of vomit at 5am??!!
xxxx

Time for another list

2006-10-11T13:37:00.000+13:00

Turns out the email i got back from the bursary place yesterday was an automated message and although i don't expect the actual people that work there to tell me anything different; i did have have to laugh out loud at how English the reply was, ie ....."please allow 30 working days for a reply". I must say that's one of the things that i DON'T miss about home, and it got me thinking that despite my moaning about New Zealand, if we did leave there are some things that i would really really miss. So i have been compiling a list of things that i love about good ol' NZ and would very much miss.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT NZ

The way kiwis think a place is 'packed' if there are more than 5 people there - this especially applies to beaches. If you don't have the beach all to yourself it's a complete bummer to them; more often than not you DO have a beach all to yourself

The weather, especially Auckland weather. It's either skin-fryingly hot and blindingly sunny, or like yesterday where the heavens open all at once and you fear your roof might collapse with all the rain. You never have a grey day here :)

The way all the houses look like Lego houses.......

......and the letterboxes look like bird houses

The way people say hello to you in the street ( on the whole )

The way you can phone up the doctor and get an appointment within the hour if you really want to ( granted you have to pay but i'm trying to think of positives!!)

The Maori culture - it's absolutely unique; not without it's fair share of problems but absolutely fascinating to an outsider. And without which, we would not have the delights of .....

.....The haka - especially performed by Carlos Spencer (yes, i'm a perve and i only watch rugby for all the thigh-slapping and delicious legs on show - i'm a girl)
The way you can rent a detached house with a garden and a garage for not very much money and without even having to prove you have a job.

The way they give all the bridges here ( even teeny tiny ones) a name and a little sign saying what it's name is. And if they haven't thought of a name, they put a little sign up anyway to say that they haven't named the bridge.

The way it's considered perfectly acceptable to drink lots at lunchtime as long as there are some "sausies" on the barbie.

The way you can guarantee someone will always bring a plate of something yummy to morning tea

Similarly, how there is always an occasion to have chips (crisps) and dip

John Campbell :) awwww.

Burger Rings (nz crisps - taste nothing like burgers like they claim to but, hey)
I'd even go so far as to say that i might miss Shortland Street - you've never seen acting like it, but they try, bless them, and it does have an odd way of sucking you in and making you watch it even when you KNOW you don't want to. Bit like Hollyoaks.

I love it when people say "She'll be right" - it makes me laugh, and can be applied to anything. Broken car? She'll be right. Lost your keys? She'll be right. House swept off a cliff by a landslide? She'll be right, mate ........ Anything.

The parks, the lakes, the mountains, the ocean, the volcanoes, even, dare i say it, the bubbling mud....it really is a beautiful place to live

I can't think of anything else at present; i'm sure there are more and i shall edit this post if i remember anything else i like. Of course it as always goes without saying that this list doesn't include family and friends; they are clearly the best bits about living here and without them it would be a very miserable place.

However, i'm not sure that even Carlos and John and some burger-flavoured crisps can keep me here. Now, if Carlos himself came and begged me to stay then that would be another story altogether, but the parents are reading you know, so better not go into that one he he he!!!

Right, i'm off. Bit unsure reading back over what i've just wrote, if 'fryingly' and 'blindingly' are actual words - you get the gist! Lots of love xxx

(ps. as a disclaimer, this is not saying that i definitely AM coming home right now, only that it's looking like a distinct possibility within the next year - so nobody's to get their hopes up, ok??!)