Just Do It

Part 3

2011-05-01T15:34:00.000+12:00

Our bedroom with the absolute suntrap of the bay window. Very tiny room with weird angles all over the place - still trying to sort this room out. There was also no hardware in any of the wardrobes so this has held things up too while we went to purchase a wardrobe system - ugh who needs to wear clothes!! OK rhetorical question - don't answer that!

Tommy's bedroom with his weird set up that he is perfectly happy with thank you very much. The hole in the wall is the "tuck shop" and provides access to the alcove in the kitchen that we have set up as the breakfast area. Another gorgeous sunny room.

The boys' lounge upstairs they are really happy up here especially with that fridge that they think they are keeping - got news for them!

The view from Nick's bedroom and if you enlarge the pic you can see the ocean in the background -way cool. This was another interesting room in that the windows looking at the view were all screwed shut when we arrived and there was lock on the outside of the door - all have now been removed although we might re-think that one :-)

Part 2

2011-05-01T15:22:00.000+12:00

These cubbie holes and drawers hold a very interesting story. Apparently the owners of the house had 12 children and after school the cubbies held their school bags and homework and supplies went in the drawers - wow so organised. Suggested this to the boys and was met with much disdain! Oh dear looking at this I really must throw out my tulips although they do look kind of funky with their petals like that!

My office - or the room I have taken over which is directly off the main lounge - such a warm sunny place and a huge mess at the moment - work in progress remember we have only been here for just over a week.

The view from from chair - you can just see the golf course behind the spa pool. Book case nearly organised :-)

From the main lounge looking through the kitchen to the dining and then to the golf course. Huge wide open spaces - loving all this room.

And the kitchen to finish off this batch of pics.

New Beginnings - Part 1

2011-05-01T14:55:00.001+12:00

And so we go again - another move, more upheaval and leaving all the very many people we have become close to during our time in Pukekohe. There are many upsides to our move to Wanganui though and the house is one of them!

This is the view from the bottom of the garden. Directly behind me taking the photo is the local driving range and golf course.

The front view of the house is next - loving the little portico so guests will always have somewhere under cover to park and get out of vehicles in the dry.

Having room for the spa pool is wonderful and we have all enjoyed many soaks in here with a glass of wine - well Andy and I anyway!

This shows the garage and the boys lounge above it. Interestingly, the buiding you can see next door is the local convent and the home of many nuns. It is also the local catholic girls high school - we shall see what happens next, not sure who is going to get the most education my boys or the neighbours!

The amazing fire that has already been well used. It is a hot plate on top and on the right hand side is an oven, still to work out how to heat that up enough, but I am sure as winter settles in we will work that one out.

New Singlet

2009-04-06T21:07:00.000+12:00

Monday, 6 April 2009 - Ali was wanting another singlet to wear to the gym. We remembered this one that Uncle Marty gave to Andy a while ago. Go Ali, advertising and working out!

Sunday, 5 April 2009

2009-04-05T15:31:00.000+12:00

Sunday, 5 April 2009 - Had some drinks with a few friends yesterday and one of them kept going on about spraying her weeds. It must have sunk in because I walked to The Warehouse and came home with change from $20 and these. The spraying is done!

2,3,4 April

2009-04-05T10:22:00.000+12:00

Thursday, 2 April 2009 - What an absolutely gorgeous day, so crisp and clear and check out what the barometer says! My birthday pressie - I have wanted one of these for ages.
Friday, 3 April 2009 - The wisteria that is growing on the deck railing outside our kitchen window, so nice to look onto.
Saturday, 4 April 2009 - Oh dear it is getting real now, I am gonna be tested on all the stuff I have been learning for the last few weeks!

29 March to 1 April

2009-04-05T10:11:00.000+12:00

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - Oh man, I hate maths! Trying to work out things for my economics paper. I had to get Ali to help me with this one. He explains things really well and I think I understand now. It took 4 pages of workings like this to get one answer!
Monday, 30 March 2009 - Autumn is on the way, love the colours of the trees at this time of year, can't stand getting up in the dark in the mornings though.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009 - Nick's favourite birthday present.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009 - My place of work with the Hampton Downs racetrack being worked on in the background.

25-28 March

2009-04-05T10:01:00.000+12:00

Wednesday, 25 March 2009 - Boys playing silly buggers and Ali wearing the throw to keep the flies off and the tea cosy while he does the dishes!
Thursday, 26 March 2009 - So cool to come home and see a bill that Andy has paid. Paying the bills has been my job for such a long time.
Friday 27 March 2009 - I use my phone as my alarm clock and this is the time it goes off each week day morning.
Saturday, 28 March 2009 - Happy Birthday to Nick. 14 years old and what a wonderful family day we had - just us and out for butter chicken for lunch and then homemade pizzas for dinner. Lots of conversation with real sentences instead of yes/no or grunts!

21-24 March

2009-04-05T09:53:00.000+12:00

Saturday, 21 March 2009 - Man check that front coming over. What on earth are you supposed to put on when the day starts out like this. For the record, it was a gorgeous day.
Sunday, 22 March 2009 - Driving day again and we headed into St Heliers. The boys dropped me off and I walked to the Parnell baths where they were all having a swim. A gorgeous day and I finally got to do the walk that I have wanted to do for years.
Monday, 23 March 2009 - Ooops, forgot to take a pic today, so here is one from yesterday when Tommy just couldn't stay out of the tree.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009 - Our little bookworm is often found in the afternoon lying on his bed and reading. Can't believe that not so long ago he wouldn't go near a book.

17 - 20 March

2009-04-05T09:46:00.000+12:00

Tuesday, 17 March 2009 - Birthday flowers from Mum, a gorgeous spray of Singapore orchids and I only got round to taking the pic today.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009 - Our letterbox.
Thursday, 19 March 2009 - Freshly mown grass - gee getting desperate about what to take pics of now.
Friday, 20 March 2009 - Nick hanging the laundry out yet again - and man did he get dark after he heard the shutter click!

Some more

2009-04-05T09:41:00.000+12:00

Friday, 13 March 2009 - Friday afternoon pre birthday drinks with the girls. Gotta get rid of that stray gray!
Saturday, 14 March 2009 - Happy Birthday to me. I had been up for ages, but had to wait for everyone else to wake up before I went back to bed for my pressie time.
Sunday, 15 March 2009 - Out for a drive and we ended up at the airport where we sat and watched several planes being unloaded and then reloaded. And we dreamed quite a bit!
Monday, 16 March 2009 - Love this little succulent. I picked a bit off another plant many years ago now and it is still only this big. I guess the neglect that it receives might have something to do with its size.

Its been a while

2009-04-05T09:31:00.000+12:00

Sunday, 8 March 2009 - Ali felt like making date scones. A huge mess but very tasty!

Monday, 9 March 2009 - Nick and Tommy playing at spies. This involves putting on every item of clothing in your drawer and then running round with guns. Love the co-ordination Tommy!

Tuesday, 10 March 2009 - Took the pic, but sorry not for publication :-)

Wednesday, 11 March 2009 - Ali went to the Counties Manukau Secondary School athletics day today and threw a javelin 34.8 metres to come in at 4th place. Gee with a bit of practice you could be really good at that dude.

Thursday, 12 March 2009 - Check this amazing rainbow!

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-03-14T21:32:00.002+13:00

Yay, it is my birthday today and I have had a wonderful day with lots of cuddles, emails, texts and phone calls. A perfect way to celebrate the beginning of yet another year.

No photos today, because my computer is in the shop having an overhaul - hopefully it will be back early next week and then I can post all the pics that I have been taking.

And the rest

2009-03-08T09:42:00.000+13:00

Wednesday, 4 March 2009 - Every morning as I leave for work I look up and wave goodbye to Andy and usually Tommy. Love this, it always makes me leave with a smile on my face.
Thursday, 5 March 2009 - My morning brew - every morning and it has to be in my blue coffee cup too or it just doesn't taste the same.
Friday, 6 March 2009 - Our house seems to be turning into the spot that the kids all want to come too. Nick and Ali both have mates staying the night. Yay, that was one of the things I wanted for my boys as they grew up, that they and their mates could feel really comfortable hanging round here, even with the rules!
Saturday, 7 March 2009 - Got a text from Karen today saying they were out at the track. Was great to catch up with her and the kids when they came round for dinner after the racing.

Last weeks pics

2009-03-08T09:33:00.000+13:00

Saturday 28 February 2009 - Nick trying to avoid having his pic taken. If you just let us take a pic we will stop bothering you mate!
Sunday, 1 March 2009 - Off out today to go and buy a new hockey stick for Alistair. He has shown a lot of commitment to his sport so we figure he deserves a decent stick to replace the old worn out one.
Monday, 2 March 2009 - Pork and fennel meatballs with pasta was our dinner tonight. Love all these concoctions Andy keeps coming up with. Pic by Tommy tonight.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009 - Caught ya! Tommy deeply engrossed in reading his book. Something about Star Wars I think! Pic by Alistair.

Busy Week

2009-02-27T20:26:00.000+13:00

Monday, 23 February 2009 - Oh man you guys are so busted! There is no x-box allowed during the week!! And I just told you that and to put it away not 10minutes ago!
Tuesday, 24 February 2009 - Check out the bounty on this grapevine. Our neighbour has a wonderful vine and so much of it is growing on our side of the fence. The boys have already had a few bunches and really enjoyed them.

Wednesday, 25 February 2009 - Ali headed into the zoo for his school biology trip. He took the camera and has a whole pile of photos, but none of them have made it onto my computer yet. I am looking forward to seeing what he took pics of.

Thursday, 26 February 2009 - Finally the textbook for my Economics course arrived and I can get stuck into some study. Yikes my first assignment is due on Sunday night. I see a lot of book work coming up for me over the next few weeks.
Friday, 27 February 2009 - Nick hanging the laundry onto the drying rack and using a peg so he doesn't have to touch my knickers!

Dishes time

2009-02-22T20:25:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 22 February 2009 - Emptying the dishwasher has traditionally been Tommy's job. Lately he has got slack and more often than not, it is Andy who does it. Today it was Tommy's turn even it was really late and we had been grocery shopping by the time he did it.

...

2009-02-21T21:50:00.000+13:00

Friday, 20 February 2009 - mmmm, yummy, love that these Cadbury cream eggs are back in stock in the supermarket. This one sat on my desk for 2 days before I finally succumbed to it.
Saturday, 21 February 2009 - Today Ali went and trialled for Counties Manukau Under 18 hockey team. Keeping my fingers crossed for him.

Yay for the AA

2009-02-21T07:22:00.000+13:00

Thursday, 19 February 2009 - Driving home on Thursday night, I felt a pop, looked in my mirror and saw a whole pile of smoke coming from the back of my car. Pull to the side of the motorway and ring Andy. No, I can't smell our dinner, but can you smell my tyre? 45 minutes later, the AA had been and changed my tyre and I was on my way. (I was way to close to the traffic half way up the Bombay Hills to want to change it myself)

20 years

2009-02-18T20:34:00.000+13:00

Wednesday, 18 February 2009 - At 5.30pm, 20 years ago I walked down the aisle and took this wonderful man to be my husband. I cannot believe that 20years have gone so quickly. Love you heaps babe, and looking forward to sharing the next 20 with you too.

Pies, pies and more pies

2009-02-18T20:30:00.000+13:00

Monday, 16 February 2009 - Wow, Andy was hugely busy today and made the yummiest dinner for us. Homemade chicken and corn pies - way too tasty and even one left for me for lunch!
Tuesday, 17 February 2009 - Yesterday's pies were so popular that there was a request for pies again tonight - mince was the flavour requested today. Another huge hit with everyone.

Party time

2009-02-15T16:20:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 15 February 2009 - Technically these pics were taken on Sunday, because it was 1am when they were taken! Greg and Sandy came and stayed the night, a wonderful night with lots of games of pool, good music and waaay too much vodka. Wish I was still feeling as good as I felt last night!

Today I learned

2009-02-15T16:18:00.000+13:00

Saturday, 14 February 2009 - that when your jandals have run out of tread, you shouldn't wear them in the wet! Yep, I was walking to the bakery for lunch while scrapping with the girls and next thing I knew I was down! It might have looked but darn it hurt!

Cleaning up after dinner

2009-02-13T22:43:00.000+13:00

Friday, 13 February 2009 - Tommy made such a huge mess eating his dinner tonight and the deck was littered with rice when he was finished. We sent him under the table to clean up the mess!

Lunch time

2009-02-13T22:37:00.000+13:00

Thursday, 12 February 2009 - Making school lunches a hugely thankless task especially when they don't get eaten. The boys are loving these 'cheeseburgers' Andy is making them at the moment.

Got my tunes

2009-02-13T22:35:00.000+13:00

Wednesday, 11 February 2009 - Charging up my ipod so I can listen to some music at work tomorrow. We are in a dead area and can't get any radio. The silence is driving me nuts! And then I went and left my fully charged ipod at home!!

Finding Pics

2009-02-11T21:58:00.003+13:00

Gosh I didn't realise how hard it would be to take one picture every day. It was easy during the holidays when we were doing lots of different things, but remembering to take a pic now is hard! With not getting home until 5.30 by the time I have chilled out a bit I am fast running out of things to take pics of, and dinner every night is pretty boring.

I did take my pic tonight but can't be bothered uploading so it can wait till tomorrow. I think I need a big list of pics that I do want to take at some stage during the year and then when I can't think of anything I can refer to one of those ideas. Yay, another thing to put on my 'to do' list!

Windscreen Dramas

2009-02-10T20:19:00.000+13:00

Tuesday, 10 January 2009 - I got hit by a stone this morning on my way to work and apart from telling the truck off I didn't think much of it. This huge big crack is what greeted me when I went back to my car after a day of it sitting in the sun. Darn, time for a new windscreen. Just as well Andy is at home and I can pinch his car tomorrow.

Breakfast time

2009-02-10T20:16:00.000+13:00

Monday, 9 February 2009 - This has been my regular breakfast for about the last 6months now. One fried egg on wholegrain toast eaten in front of my computer while check the emails and news headlines.

TV Watching

2009-02-10T20:13:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 8 February 2009 - Tommy spent a lot of Sunday morning sitting down under his duvet watching TV. Alien movies were his choice today. I have no idea how he coped with the heat of his duvet though.

We had a lot of fun later that afternoon when we both had a hose and washed my car. I think we both ended up a heck of a lot wetter than the car, but we cooled off and I scored a clean car!

Bulldogs for breakfast

2009-02-07T09:40:00.000+13:00

Saturday, 7 February 2009 - Tommy was delighted to have boiled eggs for breakfast this morning. Poor deprived child hasn't had these in forever. Lots of pre-school days memories for him.

Defrosting

2009-02-06T16:02:00.001+13:00

Friday, 6 February 2009 - Yay, we got to sleep in this morning! The ice box in this little fridge has been annoying me for ages now and today I decided to defrost it. Our big fridge didn't fit the hole in this house so it is downstairs and our 'bar fridge' now gets to live in the kitchen. Gee ice free freezers are such a good idea.

5 minutes

2009-02-05T21:05:00.000+13:00

Thursday, 5 February 2009 - You do lots in 5 minutes including cook a chocolate cake! Very yummy recipe a friend of mine shared.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE - for one
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons (or less) chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

I cooked ours tonight in a 6cup pyrex measuring jug and it was perfect for dessert for 4 of us. Thanks Kris for sharing your recipe :-)

Am I shrinking

2009-02-04T20:42:00.001+13:00

Wednesday, 4 February 2009 - or are my boys just getting heaps taller? I knew they were lots taller but this was definitely confirmed this morning as Andy took this pic just before we all ran out the door. Goodness only knows what Ali was doing but in all the pics that were taken he looks like a goofball!

Open Air Kitchen

2009-02-03T20:23:00.000+13:00

Tuesday, 3 February 2009 - Since Andy made this table we have eaten outside every night except for the one night it was raining! Tonight Ali decided to chop up the bits for the salad outside as well.

First Days

2009-02-02T20:54:00.000+13:00

Monday, 2 February 2009 - Very exciting day for both Tommy and me this morning with both of us having our first days at a new school and a new job. We both came home with lot of stories of a very successful day. Looking forward to tommorrow.

Waterskiing

2009-02-01T18:29:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 1 February 2009 - Andy took Ali and Nick down to Piarere to watch the tournament happening down there. Tommy and I made the most of our last day of holiday and chilled out at home.

Desk bits

2009-01-31T22:50:00.000+13:00

Saturday, 31 January 2009 - Oh dear, 10.45pm and I haven't taken my pic for the day, looking round my desk I see this plaque that Ruth gave me when we left Whangarei. Life certainly is a huge adventure and I am looking forward to seeing where it takes us next.

Shopping Trip

2009-01-30T18:58:00.000+13:00

Friday, 30 January 2009 - Dress at my new place of work is corporate attire - oh man, do you know how long it is since I have needed clothes like that. Dashed into Sylvia Park and caught the tail end of the sales. Just a couple of bits. Woohoo my police check came back and was very boring so I get to report for duty out at Springhill at 9am on Monday. So excited.

Working Life

2009-01-29T17:02:00.000+13:00

Thursday, 29 January 2009 - And now the next phase of our really successful year is beginning. A vodka to celebrate our new good fortune. So very excited to be heading back into the workforce.

Train Trip

2009-01-28T15:19:00.001+13:00

Wednesday, 28 January 2009 - I had a most pleasant journey into Britomart on the train today. Another job interview with another agency right in the middle of the city. One of these interviews has to turn into a job at some stage soon. Very impressed with the train network though, especially when it isn't in peak travel time. Please excuse my blurry pics, I didn't take the camera and these were taken with my phone. Think I need a bit more practice with the phone camera :-)

Yummy Snacks

2009-01-27T18:30:00.000+13:00

Tuesday, 27 January 2009 - I spied these in the supermarket the other day and bought them for our picnic yesterday. We never got round to opening them, but today I couldn't resist. So very tasty and ever so crisp. I will definitely be buying them again.

Anniversary Day

2009-01-26T20:59:00.000+13:00

Monday, 26 January 2009 - The new toll road opened this weekend so we decided to head north and check it out. An amazing piece of work that will certainly help with traffic congestion. We were most impressed with it. We took a picnic lunch and then headed to Mahurangi Regional Park, just gorgeous and a great way to spend a lazy day in the sun.

Day Off

2009-01-25T19:23:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 25 January 2009 - I guess today counts as a day off. Tommy went to play with a friend, Nick went to Rainbow's End for a birthday party and Ali went 10 pin bowling with a mate. Andy and I headed out to the race track to watch the Formula 5000 racing. Lots of fun.

Goodbye Piney

2009-01-24T21:54:00.000+13:00

Saturday, 24 January 2009 - Piney has gone now and just the cleanup remains. I loved having a real Christmas tree this year, the gorgeous smells and our sparse decorations. We will definitely have a real tree again.

Job Hunting

2009-01-23T13:47:00.000+13:00

Friday, 23 January 2009 - My computer screen spends a lot of time lately looking just like this as I search for another job - certainly not as easy as I believed it would be when I first started looking before Christmas.

Caught up again

2009-01-22T21:29:00.000+13:00

Monday, 19 January 2009 - I headed home today and Andy & the boys went off to the lake for a bit of skiing. Nick gets to try out his slalom ski for the first time in a while.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 - The boys just loved catching up with all the kids we see each year and the kids just adored having all the big boys round to play with them.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009 - Oh the memories this picture invokes of all the wonderful times we have spent at the lake. A little interruption this year, but we will be back to enjoy it all again.
Thursday, 22 January 2009 - Nick and Andy really enjoy having one of these coffees most nights. Nick is getting quite the expert at making them.

More Photo A Day pics

2009-01-22T21:08:00.001+13:00

Thursday, 15 January 2009 - Today was the day NCEA results were released so we made a trip into Whangarei to find and internet connection so we could get Ali's results. Yep he flew through - congratulations Ali, all that hard work paid off.
Friday, 16 January 2009 - Back at the beach again and some pics of the way the boys loved to spend their time, catching waves with Marty's boogie boards.
Saturday, 17 January 2009 - Marty, Glennis and Scott came up and joined us. They made a whole pile of 'bombs' which they then threw into the waves.
Sunday, 18 January 2009 - A walk up to the trig station at the top of the hill. I was looking forward to walking uphill with all the downhill I had been doing, but man, I really wasn't ready for those hills!

Catching Up

2009-01-22T20:52:00.000+13:00

Sunday, 11 January 2009 - Andy's brother lent us his bach way up in the hills at Waipu Cove. The rising moon was just spectacular on our first night.
Monday, 12 January 2009 - The boys relaxing after a swim and getting thoroughly peeved with me continually having the camera out. Might have to find some new subjects!
Tuesday, 13 January 2009 - Every second day I walked as far as I could get down the road before Andy came down with the boys in the car. This first day with the camera I managed 6.2km, 4 of that on dirt road, just beautiful and ever so quiet.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009 - Chilling out back at Marty's with a game of Monopoly. Lots of fun and laughs with Ali eventually coming out on top.

Easy Dinner

2009-01-10T20:20:00.000+13:00

10 January 2009 - Tonight our dinner consists of lots of leftovers from Ali's birthday dinner. Just what we needed as we are all very tired after a very late night.

I got all enthused today and went for a walk to Warehouse Stationery. Ali came with me on his bike - great you can carry home the corn on your handlebars :-) Power walking up the hill on the way home and trying to get to the top before he sorted out the corn and caught me up, he rides past me and mutters "geeze you walk funny". I couldn't keep up the pace after that, I was laughing too much :-)

I am going to keep taking my daily pics but we are going away for the next week so I won't be posting here again for a bit, still you are probably used to that. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays good up north.

Happy birthday Ali

2009-01-09T17:29:00.001+13:00

9 January 2009 - 16 years ago this little guy came into our world and turned it upside down. I have loved watching Ali grow up and he is turning into a fine young man.

Finally the courier turned up with the present I had ordered! I tried taking a pic of him this morning using the razor we bought him, but he wasn't playing that game and reckoned I was 'so gay' even trying to get that pic! Geeze, they just don't understand!!!

A half stained table

2009-01-08T17:34:00.000+13:00

8 January 2009 - Today Andy put the 3rd coat of stain on the new picnic table he built for our deck before Christmas. It is only half done because we need to turn it upside down to do the rest, but that will wait until we get back from holiday. I got to enjoy the table in its natural state for just on 3weeks so that will have to do me, I so prefer the plain wood, but I keep getting overruled!

Awhitu Peninsula.

2009-01-07T20:34:00.000+13:00

7 January 2009 - What a gorgeous day! I went into the local info centre yesterday and asked about local walks and cheap/free things to do with the boys. Awhitu Peninsula was suggested and man what a great suggestion that was.
We had the best day just checking out various beaches and enjoying each other's company. The colours were so vivid with the gorgeous blue sky. First pic is Big Bay, and this one is Orua Bay.
We got up to the lighthouse lookout a bit too late and the gate was closed so we kept driving and found this amazing view. I stayed very safely in car while the boys were out getting all the pics.
The Manukau Heads, a great day trip and not really too far from Auckland. A beautiful drive that would have been stunning with all the pohutukawas out only a few short weeks ago. Try and time it for a high tide if you want to swim. The boys found that to get in the deep water they were standing in mud which wasn't so nice. They tried again just before we left and were able to swim very happily with a sandy bottom.

Put away the Christmas tree.

2009-01-06T16:33:00.000+13:00

6 January 2009 - And get ready for Easter??? What?? Couldn't believe my eyes when I was in the supermarket earlier and just had to buy them.

Long Bay

2009-01-05T20:11:00.000+13:00

5 January 2009 - I can't believe I am really posting this - a pic of me on a beach in a bikini! A gorgeous afternoon on the beach with Karen, Shane & Jade. Just the right amount of sunburn too. Yay, I am starting to loose that lily white look.

Photo A Day

2009-01-04T17:28:00.001+13:00

I am back! After ever so brief a break - yeah right. Last year I followed a number of bloggers who were taking a photo a day and posting them on their blogs. This really appealed to me and I figured I would give it a go this year. Goodness knows how we will go, but so far I am doing OK and either Andy or I have managed to take at least 1 pic every day. Now you get to look at them :-)

1 January 2009 - Alistair skiing up the creek on New Years Day.

2 January 2009 - Shane turns 14 - Happy Birthday Dude.

3 January 2009 - Uncle Steve gets Skype on his computer and we kill a fair bit of time talking to him.

4 January 2009 - We went out to the Pukekohe race track to watch a whole pile of trucks that were out for a kids in cars event. The trucks all went past our house this morning and every single one of the 400 odd honked their horn as they went past.

What are you going to do

2008-03-26T22:13:00.000+13:00

with all those acorns? I went into Nick's room this afternoon and when I sat down next to him at his I looked toward his bed and saw this huge pile of acorns. I dunno was his response. But why did you get them all? It's acorn season - you wouldn't understand cos you aren't a boy was his response.

Well whatever you are going to do with them there sure are a heck of a lot of them. The boys counted them and there are 1,127 acorns Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with that many acorns??

They forgot ...

2008-03-15T09:24:00.002+13:00

My mother remembered, my sister remembered, my brother remembered, my online friends remembered, my real life friends remembered, but my blokes forgot my birthday yesterday. At first I thought they were going to surprise me later so I didn't worry, but by the time I dished up dinner I couldn't hide my disappointment or disbelief they didn't get the hints I kept dropping. Today they are taking me away for the night to spoil me heaps :-)

MXC

2008-03-04T21:20:00.002+13:00

Have you seen this show on TV? I just had to go and check it out tonight when I could hear Tommy laughing so heartily and for so long. 7.30 on a Tuesday night on C4 is MXC a very painful but very funny show. It is a Japanese game show where the contestants try to complete an obstacle course and often fail. I know, I think I have the same morbid sense of humour as my boys, but I couldn't help laughing out loud either.

Catching Up

2008-02-25T21:04:00.002+13:00

Walking through the supermarket getting some bits for dinner tonight I heard someone call my name, I looked and the face was ever so vaguely familiar but I couldn't really place it. "Remember Tech" she says. I wind back the clock about 6 years to when I did my computer course and still can't place her. She then starts talking about names I haven't heard in years and my mind is forced all way back to when I was 17! OMG!

A real trip down memory lane and I am still struggling to remember the names of all the girls I hung out with. Of course that was back in the day when the camera very rarely came out and I have no photos of any of these girls either!

We reminisced briefly about sitting in the cafeteria drinking coffee and chippies and talking about the MOTMs (Man of the Moment) now that we were all so worldy wise not being at school anymore. Too funny. Can't wait to catch up with Teresa again, after my mind has battled through the major mummy brain it is suffering at the moment.

I have been

2008-02-24T13:39:00.000+13:00

reading some of my old blog posts while I was searching for some information. It made me realise just how much I use this as a diary and so much of the stuff I had forgotten. Really inspired me to start posting again. Who knows for how long, but we will see.

First up a couple of pics to share with you. We went down to Piarere for a waterski tournament last weekend. Piarere is on Lake Karapiro just south of Cambridge. We had to take our tent down for onsite accommodation. We were a bit worried about the tent as the last time we had it up was 16years ago. When I got pregnant with Alistair we decided that camping with a baby was going to be too hard and made the step up to a caravan. The tent was great nick and even though we had lost the instructions on how to erect it the memory didn't fail me and we managed to get it up with not even one disagreement. I had forgotten just how much fun it is to go camping. The boys kept laughing at me because I was so excited to be boiling up water so I could wash and dry the dishes!

This is the view from our tent, the big white thing in the water is the jump which is probably the most exciting event in waterskiing, except when my boys are jumping and then I turn all scardey cat and can't watch them. You have to excuse all the pics of me in my pjs, but Andy couldn't wait until I got dressed to take the pics.

Monday was a big day for us in that we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary - can't believe how quickly that time has gone. We didn't make a big deal out of things or do anything special, mainly because we forgot what the day was. Better plan something for next year though.

I was so proud of Tommy on Monday. He had decided that he wanted to be a house leader at school. They had the voting on Monday and he couldn't wait to tell me that one friend got 3 votes, another got 4 votes and he got 55 votes and was elected the leader! Woohoo, way to go Tommy, so very proud of you. Very impressed too that even at number 3 in the family he can still do something that no-one else in our family has ever done before.

Drivers Licence

2008-01-13T11:03:00.000+13:00

When, oh when did this child grow up enough to be able to drive a car? It really doesn't seem that long ago that he was 3 years old and annoying the heck out of me. Now he is 15 and only annoys me sometimes. Alistair turned 15 on Wednesday and Friday we went and sat his learners licence. I let him drive home from the school at the top of the road and that was enough of being a driving instructor for me. Andy took him out a bit later and they were gone for an hour, not bed for a first lesson.

We have just found out though that Alistair is not insured to drive our vehicles and the insurance is null if a driver under 25 is using them. Oops, I will be ringing the insurance company on Monday to get clarification on that one, but in the meantime, Ali has had his wings clipped. Bummer.

In search of ....

2007-11-12T19:54:00.000+13:00

the perfect Mojito. I had several of these while we were stateside and loved them. Over the weekend I had the brainwave to try and make my own. A couple of flops - too strong - too sweet - not strong enough (that was easily remedied and then turned into the first option!) Tonight was much better, the first drink was not bad, but the second I reckon that is nearly there. Might have to try again tomorrow night just to make sure.

The recipe if you are keen to try a wonderfully refreshing summer drink:

3 fresh mint sprigs
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz light rum
club soda

In a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside. Add the sugar and lime juice and stir thoroughly. Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with *chilled* club soda (or seltzer). Add a lime slice and the remaining mint, and serve.

Finally

2007-10-30T22:27:00.000+13:00

we get a decent day - yay maybe summer is finally on the way. I was reading Ruth's blog earlier and saw she was going for a walk tonight. Aha I thought as I got ready to drop Ali off at his hockey game, so texted to see if she was still going. Bummer she was already home and settled in to watch Coronation Street - thanks for the updates Ruth, I am sure my walk wouldn't have been anywhere near as enlightening if it wasn't for them :-) Apparently some dude died - very interesting.

I managed to persuade Andy to go the doctor yesterday and get his arm x-rayed - this is the same one he has been walking round with in a brace for 3weeks now. Yep, it was broken and he is now in a temporary cast until they put on a waterproof one. He reckons the arm didn't hurt until he found out it was broken - huh, he can't have been listening to me telling him that for the past 3weeks!!

Where has this week gone?

2007-10-28T09:09:00.000+13:00

We arrived back in the country last Sunday morning and I can't believe that a whole week has gone by already. The boys were so pleased to see us and us them too. Lots of cuddles and hugs and then onto the important stuff of ripping open the pressies. Tommy just loves his new light sabre - it lights up and makes noises whenever it is moved - very cool, and very noisy (silly parents!)
Nick's new jump helmet was just perfect and a real hit with him too. I think he wore it most of the day, and I am pretty sure he slept with it that night.

Ali getting stuck into ripping off the packaging on the jump skis.
He was wrapped with his loot and really looks the part now with the jumpsuit, sling and helmet as well.

Monday to Wednesday

2007-10-18T18:50:00.000+13:00

We have slowed down a lot now as things catch up with us and we hear tales of things from home that don't make us particularly happy. Hey boys, you really do need to pull your weight for Nana and help her out with some decent behaviour. Keep things happy and you will be rewarded when we get home.

Monday we really just cruised and sorted out a few things that need to be done before we can export the truck. Tuesday we headed back to Palm Springs with a stop at Cabazon a huge outlet store shopping area. Lots of fun checking out and hunting for bargains. I managed to score myself a pair of True Religion jeans which are the funkiest things I have ever seen!
Palm Springs is hugely windy and they have a heap of windmills to help generate electricity. Not that you can tell from this pic but as we drove in they were working overtime with lots of sand blowing everywhere.
The view this morning from our hotel room - palm trees whereever you look. A very cool or warm day as we took a walk among the shops and then back to the hotel to relax by the pool.
Andy took a drive to the local museum and I took the opportunity to have my nails done.
A perfect day! Tomorrow we head back to Kathryn and Mike and start the packing up process. Really looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone again.

Hollywood Sign.

2007-10-18T18:30:00.000+13:00

After dinner Gary drives us all up to the top of Mulholland Drive from where there is a short walk to the Hollywood sign. Unfortunately the fog had descended on LA tonight and even though we standing a mere 50feet from the sign we couldn't see a thing or any of the lights from the city.
We did get lots of pics though prove that we were there
And that you aren't allowed to walk to the sign. An awesome night and so cool to put more faces to the names that we hear Kathryn talk about.

Dinner in Hollywood

2007-10-18T18:26:00.000+13:00

Tonight we meet up with more friends of Kathryn and Mike and they take us all into Hollywood to go to Saddle Ranch on Sunset Boulevard which is where all the stars go to eat and play. An amazing restaurant where the staff obviously love going to work and do a fantastic job at keeping everyone happy - apart from Kathryn, who was mortified when the mariarchis serenaded her! Sooooo pleased it wasn't me!
Check out this dessert - so much candy floss - or cotton candy as it is called here. I didn't see anyone I could accurately recognise although I am told that some dude from Lost was there. I could have sworn that Bill Gates sat at the table next to us and I am sure I saw K-Fed as we were driving out. All unconfirmed though and no-one else agreed with me so they must have been look alikes!
Oh man, how sad is this, I definitely do not have the Hollywood smile! Kathryn and Karen have it perfected - keep your mouth shut Lynda!!!

Hoover Dam to Indio

2007-10-18T18:15:00.000+13:00

Leaving the dam we stopped for gas at Boulder City - Andy's newest favourite place. He ended up talking to everyone, including the dude who owned this rig and the normal 5 minute fill took 20minutes! I have a feeling we will return here.
This road went straight for 17 miles with not one bend in it - a million ups and downs and bumps every time I tried to take a pic, but no corners.
Finally after a 5hour drive at an average speed of 80miles an hour we arrived in Indio, just out of Palm Springs and met up with Gina and Phil, very good friends of Kathrn and Mike.
We had an awesome night with these guys and shared lots of laughs and a whole heap of hospitality. I recall feeling distinctly tired the following day!

Hoover Dam

2007-10-18T18:05:00.000+13:00

Andy has been hanging out for seeing this place ever since seeing a programme about it on the Discovery channel. They are in the midst of building a new freeway to bypass the dam - man is that a feat of engineering in itself let alone the dam!
We did an ever so sneaky stop and change of driver here so that Andy could take the pics and we could avoid the parking charges as we didn't really want to stop and do the tours.
Looking down the dam and you still can't even see the bottom!
Over the other side into Lake Mead and you can see how much the water level has dropped over the summer.

Vegas here we come!

2007-10-18T17:35:00.000+13:00

Hey Nick, this jacked up Hummer pic is just for you! We had decided to stay in Pahrump for the night because we liked the name and it made us laugh. Lots of other people thought that too because they were booked out.
Bummer, we better drive that extra 60miles onto Vegas! Got the pic of the sign this time.
The most comfortable beds ever in our room at the MGM Grand! Now were they really comfortable or were we just not disturbed in the night because we took one each!
The MGM lion, just in case there is a bit much reflection and you can't work out what the pic is :-)

Death Vally to Nevada

2007-10-18T17:24:00.000+13:00

Check out the red rectangle up above the truck in this pic, that sign says 'Sea Level' - crazy huh?
The obligatory tourist pic that needs a lot of work with photoshop which isn't on this computer!
This little pond is all saltwater and tasted very salty, yeah I couldn't help it. Hence the reason for calling this area Badwater Basin.
And finally we leave one desert for another one - Hello Nevada!

Death Valley

2007-10-18T17:05:00.000+13:00

Well this is the lowest point that this truck and these people are ever going to get too!
The ruins of an old Borax mine we decided the weather was quite pleasant and a short "hike" was in order. By the time we finished we were rethinking the pleasant weather bit - yup it was hot!
An empty carpark and a lonely black truck looked rather picturesque!
Desert as far as the eye can see and probably even further!

Alabama Hills to Death Valley

2007-10-18T16:56:00.000+13:00

A dried up lake bed in the middle of nowhere on our way to Death Valley - I couldn't resist a bit of graffiti.
Man check the size of these freakin birds - I think they are crows but I sure wasn't getting any closer to find out!
Sea level - and normally we would be paddling right about - not a drop of water to be seen anywhere though - apart from my water bottle.
This one is for the boys reminiscing about all the RV parks that we stayed at with very little facilities. Don't think any were as sparse as this one!

Alabama Hills

2007-10-18T16:43:00.000+13:00

This is the scene of many cowboy movies. We were talking to a guy at breakfast who had hiked to the top of Mt Whitney they day before - 14000 feet! - and he mentioned the glorious rock formations only 5miles away.
We were hugely impressed spent quite a bit of time walking round exploring.
Just loved this rock and it's strategically placed bush.
We were waiting for the cowboys or the indians to appear from behind a rock somewhere here, but it never happened.

Way behind.

2007-10-18T16:00:00.000+13:00

Is what I am in posting pics and words about what we are up to. Currently we are in Palm Springs having just had the most glorious Mexican food ever. We are enjoying the gorgeous weather and even I was comfortable tonight out in just my t-shirt sleeves without the sweatshirt.

Tomorrow we head back to Kathryn's place to pack up the humungous mess we left in her spare bedroom and get the truck prepped for shipping back home. Definitely looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone and getting lots of cuddles!

OK, gonna try and catch up on the last 5 days worth of pics and text now.

Mammoth to Lone Pine

2007-10-17T18:49:00.000+13:00

We took a wrong turn when we got to Mammoth and ended up driving to the top of the hill - a whole 8750 feet. We found the most gorgeous little fishing lake up there - Lake Mary. Very peaceful and very cold, with lots of snow still hanging round in the shaded area under the trees.
We had to laugh at this sign, especially as after we stopped at the restroom we found that they were closed for the season due to the lack of use with all the snow and cold temperatures.
Breathing and operating is hard at this altitude so we figured we would make a run for it and get a bit closer to Death Valley through some more breathtaking scenery.
We arrived in Lone Pine on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada ranges just as dusk was setting in. We were way more interested in relaxing with a drink or two than taking pics. This pic was taken in the morning just before we set off.

Lake Tahoe and Plans

2007-10-11T20:07:00.000+13:00

Leaving you with a pic of Mt Tallac the highest point round here of around 9500feet. The snow has all melted now and although the temps never got over 6degrees today we are hopeful of getting out tomorrow and heading south. We had thought of going to Mammoth but with that being at 8000 feet we are not sure. Andy is not finding the altitude very comfortable. We will see how he copes as we drive through tomorrow. Otherwise we will head straight for Death Valley which is 120 feet below sea level. From one extreme to the other! And the temperatures will be right up there too, back to shorts and singlets instead of jeans and sweatshirts.

Nick asked a question tonight just before we got cut off about what Kathryn and I were doing while the exhaust was being changed over. We were sitting down with our feet on the old air filter bits. Yep, he had to change that over too and put on the K&N stuff! I don't know - boy stuff - all I know is it is going to take a lot of handbag shopping to catch up!

Taylors Creek

2007-10-11T19:57:00.000+13:00

We were going to head out for a drive round the lake but needed chains to do that so flagged that one. Took a walk instead and happened across Taylors Creek where the Kokanee salmon come to spawn in the fall. Couldn't believe we lucked on that one. If you click and enlarge the pic you will see all the red flashes in the water which is the salmon.
Me checking out the view and flashing my handbag again - apparently it features in every pic I am in!
Andy watching the salmon just sitting in the river.
My attempts as a wildlife photographer.

Tahoe Snow

2007-10-11T19:43:00.000+13:00

Yep, I admit it, I am a snow newbie so you will see lots of geeky pics now. Like what it looks like from the inside of the car when you first turn on the wipers so you can see where you are going.
Everything changed with a dusting of snow and it all became so much prettier.

This is what happens when you are driving and the snow starts to melt and you put the brakes on. Fortunately it was only my side that got this lot!

Snow Day in Tahoe

2007-10-11T19:35:00.000+13:00

A wander down to the lake to check out all this beauty.
I couldn't resist making and throwing a snowball at Andy - such very light and powdery snow which very quickly turned to slush!
Views to the left and right of where we were standing.

Snow Day

2007-10-11T19:29:00.000+13:00

And this is the site that greeted me this morning when I opened the curtains - woohoo I was sooo excited and we have about 100 pics on our camera to prove that one. Truck pics for the boys too, because we won't get to see that again living in Auckland!

And onto Tahoe

2007-10-11T19:23:00.000+13:00

Woohoo, it's Chips! And they really do ride side by side. Ok, showing my age, but couldn't resist this pic.
A super duper camoflagued cell phone tower. This one is a bit obvious, but in the heavily wooded areas you can't even see them.
One of the really super cute motel/lodges that we passed on the way and I we couldn't believe the huge chunk of granite behind it - so very similar in size and grandeur to El Capitan in Yosemite.
And we arrive at our room in South Lake Tahoe. What a gorgeous place! Full of pine/fir trees and log cabin type accommodation. We are at 6200 feet so dealing with altitude is something new too. Apparently we aren't supposed to have any alcohol if altitude sickness comes into play. We will do our best to avoid that!

SF to Sacramento

2007-10-11T19:13:00.000+13:00

Old Town Petaluma where we stopped off for breakfast at 11am.
Heading towards Napa we passed this pumpkin patch. We would have stopped but figured we needed to have children to really take advantage of what was being offered.
A quick stop at the Kirkland Winery while we looked for some lunch, none on offer so a liquid one it was!
Can you believe this is 10miles out of Sacramento - the capital of California and there is farmland within 10miles of downtown. I couldn't quite understand that one hence the pics.

SF from the North Shore

2007-10-11T19:06:00.000+13:00

Man, what a bridge!
My darling checking out the views.
This is the Bay Bridge that we headed into town on and downtown San Francisco.
The tunnel that did all the damage to my hearing. Andy chopped down through the gears and floored it through here - man the noise of those V8s has nothing to what we heard through here. Almost expected to see the highway patrol on our tail!

Golden Gate Bridge and The Truck

2007-10-11T19:00:00.000+13:00

Well this has to be my most favourite photo that I have taken so far this trip - just love it!
These 3 pics are really for our boys - Nick in particular. I know he is soooo keen to see the truck and they will know exactly where the pics were taken. This time we caught the bridge without fog - a bit of cloud but hey, you can't have everything!

San Francisco part 2

2007-10-11T05:20:00.000+13:00

All the sea lions that call Pier 39 home, man can they make some noise.
A whole crab and a huge glass of margarita what better dinner could a girl want?
We were amazed at how the fog had rolled in while we were having dinner, a huge thick bank of it heading for Alcatraz.
The Golden Gate has already succumbed to the fog with just the very top poking out here.

San Francisco

2007-10-11T05:16:00.000+13:00

Downtown SF taken from the Bay Bridge.
Cable cars and trolleys were everywhere and an added extra to keep an eye out for.
Woohoo, let the shopping begin - the huge tourist trap of Fishermans Wharf, but oh so fun and a great place to be.
Alcatraz Island always impresses me with its history.

LA to SF part 3

2007-10-10T05:49:00.000+13:00

Hundreds of miles of man made canals taking water to all the farms we drove by.
You have to pay tolls to cross the bridge into San Fran.
We went over the gorgeous Bay Bridge - a wonderful way to enter the city and what spectactular views.
The Golden Gate in all its glory.

LA to SF part 2

2007-10-10T05:16:00.000+13:00

Into the smog! The winds were blowing in LA and had blown all the smog away - we found where it ended up on the other side of the hills.
We were quite amazed to see lots of oil wells round here too.
And fields of cotton plants that looked like they were nearly ready for picking.
Man, the smell emanating from this cattle farm was horrendous. These sheds went on for about 4 miles and they were full of cattle enjoying all their corn.

LA to SF

2007-10-10T05:10:00.000+13:00

We hit the road today and drive the 380 odd miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Andy drove through the built up areas, but I got put my foot down on the open road parts. We spend lots of time taking pics out the window as we drive along so figured I should get a pic of that very common occurence.
A quick peek of Los Angeles city as we race on by. We hope to get into the city itself next weekend.
I have heard of Six Flags amusement park and all the roller coasters that are there and we went hooning past that too - my tummy flipped just looking at all those different rides.
Racing past the trucks as we climbed up to 4000 feet through the hills.

Dinner

2007-10-08T14:41:00.000+13:00

Andy and I in front of the sparkling lights.
My new handbag - woohoo!

More truck and dinner

2007-10-08T14:10:00.000+13:00

The finished job on the new exhaust system. It sounds pretty close to what is loaded on the Corsa site
One very happy boy who has just got back from test driving the new sounds! The interior looks black in this pic, but is really chocolate brown.
Kathryn and Mike took us up to Orange Hills restaurant for dinner. The aim was to get there in time to watch the sunset. We were sat up high in the hills round a fire pit sharing a few drinks and a few nibbles taking in the amazing views. These pics really don't do it justice.
Kathryn and Mike sharing a geeky moment.

Truck Pics

2007-10-08T09:37:00.000+13:00

The very shiny blingy grill! It is huge!
Mike coming in from the very first test drive.
Off with the old exhaust and on with the new.

Kathryn and I were the support crew and gave lots of moral support while we enjoyed the sunshine.

Hi from Los Angeles

2007-10-07T13:48:00.000+13:00

Yay, we made it! A very uneventful flight which reminded us how much we hate long distance flying and trying to sleep. We are just loving being here. We landed to gorgeous blue skies with no clouds and it is like that again today with temps around the 25 mark. Just perfect. So cool to catch up with everyone and have a few laughs. Kathryn came and picked us up in the new truck from the airport. Man that is some machine. I will show you some pics later, Andy has just popped up the road and the camera is in the truck.

We really just cruised yesterday and reacquainted ourselves with a few stores. We forgot to bring a converter with us so we could plug in and recharge all our electrical bits, so that was number one on the list of things to get hold of. Tried a few stores yesterday but it wasn't until this morning we were able to find one. Found a new electrical store which was twice the size of our old favourite - BestBuys. We spent ages in there just looking.

First up this morning Andy, Grant and Mike got stuck in and ripped off the old exhaust system and replaced it with the new corsa one. Man, I thought the truck sounded pretty good anyway, but you should hear it now - we sure won't be going anywhere and just sneaking in.

Once this was all installed there were quite a few test runs to make sure they could hear the difference properly and then we headed out for lunch and a touch of shopping at the mall. I managed to get into the handbag shop and scored myself a gorgeous handbag. We had Mike, Grant and his two boys with us too and they were not interested in looking at what Kathryn and I wanted to, so didn't get too much of a chance to have a decent look round.

Off our for dinner now so will post some pics a bit later.

4.5 more sleeps

2007-09-30T23:57:00.000+13:00

I am getting excited now - it seems like we have been waiting for ages but the time is now getting really close. On Friday night Andy and I fly out to Los Angeles for 2weeks all by ourselves! The boys are a bit bummed that they aren't coming too, but they are very excited about having Nana come to stay and look after them. I think Nana is a little apprehensive and quite excited too.

We are taking a laptop with us so we can keep in touch with everyone and hopefully I will even get keen about updating my blog a bit more regularly. Lots to do, because we have left most things till the last minute because it all seemed too far away before. My mind is working overtime and that is why I am up again in the middle of the night.

Birthday Boy

2007-09-30T23:40:00.000+13:00

My baby is 10!! Where on earth did all those years go? I am sure I can remember not so very long ago tearing my hair out with 3 young boys hooning round our house! Happy Birthday Tommy and sorry I am a week late posting this pic of you at your party.

Summer is on the way

2007-09-17T21:13:00.000+12:00

Wow, I really think summer might be starting to make its presence felt. We woke up to a glorious day on Saturday and decided to make the run up the Lakes with the new caravan. I was having a major worry session about how we were going to get the van off the section and on to the road and also how we would park it on our site. All that worry was needless as it turned out, everything worked like clockwork and we pulled it all off without a hitch. One of the highlights for me of the weekend was watching Andy and Alistair working together to get the van level on the site. It was so cool to see Ali down doing all the bits that Andy normally does and Andy standing back and watching. I loved seeing the pride that Andy felt watching this boy of ours growing up.

Mother Guilt

2007-09-02T21:26:00.000+12:00

Oh man Nick is laying this on me really thick at the moment! Thursday at school he was playing soccer and fell over, a whole bunch of guys landed on top of him. He was whinging about a sore arm and I told him to get hard!

This morning he was racing with Tommy to try and get to Andy's scorched almonds first and fell over landing on his arm again. He put on a huge hollywood which we figured was to distract Tommy.

After discussion with DH we decided that maybe he might be a bit sore and we better take him to the doctor. Turns out he has a fracture to his arm just above the wrist. Ooops! The doctor was most surprised that a boy of 12 could break his arm by falling on it and suggested we really up his calcium intake. Suits me because if Nick had his way all he would eat would be bread!

He now has a back slab plaster and we go back in 10days for a full cast. Oh dear, I am sure I get the worst mother award for today now.

I asked him a little later in the day whether he had forgiven me yet, and he gave me a huge grin and said yes, but I bet I will hear about this many times in the years to come. I know I would definitely be repeating it, if my mother did that to me!

More digi stuff from me

2007-09-01T00:15:00.000+12:00

Yeah these are really quite fun to do. The first layout was done earlier this week and again a very easy page with just adding pics to it. Jessica really has made the whole learning process very simple with layouts pretty much completed and just teaching bits at a time.

This second layout I have just finished now at midnight! Starting to dabble in brushes now and the learning curve goes up a bit more, or maybe it is just too late at night and my brain is going to sleep. I know that I am definitely going to sleep now.