I'm back. Michelle that is.
I picked Harriette up on my way back from Auckland and knew it had been a bad morning when she told me she only had sandwiches in her lunchbox! One of the rules in this house is that the girls pack their lunchboxes in the evening (minus sandwiches which Eric or I, OK Eric usually, does late evening or early morning). In the morning adding anything else is only allowed if they have time. Going to school with just sandwiches means a) they didn't do it the night before and b) they were rushed/late/behind in the morning. Eric filled me in when I got home and it is apparent that there was all out war in the Tanner residence this morning! I'd like to say 'Glad I was in Auckland' but that would only be partly true.
I have to go to Auckland for 2 days every 2 months. The first day is for our Regional Meeting and the second for training. This time we had to stay for a 3rd day for a powhiri (pronounced Po-for-ri) or Welcome. IMAC has moved from it's 2 sites in central Auckland to the Tamaki Campus of Auckland University. It is a brand new campus built for post-graduates on the site of the old Commonwealth village. I gather that NZ hosted the Commonwealth games in the past. It's actually in a pretty grotty area of Auckland but it was nice to be back in that acaedemic environment. But I digress. IMAC has to be formally welcomed onto the campus and this was due to happen today. However the dean is in Australia so it was cancelled. We, ie us lot who had traveled up from the Midland Region, stayed overnight last night anyway for a mornings computer training.
Wednesday I dropped Bloo off at Hamilton Airport on my way up to Auckland. I think he appreciated the time non-travelling. We had our meeting in the rather nice hotel we were staying in and in the evening, before supper, I went for a 40 minute walk round Panmure Basin, an inlet of Aucklands extensive and very convoluted coastline. It took about 40 minutes and was frequented by many walkers, joggers etc. They have a fitness trail will lots of sit-up, pull up and other methods of torture points. I just walked!! It was quite lovely I must say. The sun was setting on a beautiful day and there were storms somewhere as there was a rainbow. The cloud formations were very dramatic.
I was sharing with another English girl with whom I clash with terribly. I find her intolerant and rude. I'm sure she has equally horrible things to say about me! I do try extra hard to be chatty with, and nice to her as we work on the same team and I don't want to create bad feeling for all the others but we always seem to end up falling out! I do hope I don't have to share a room with her again in a hurry. It made the whole time there quite stressful. We did our best to keep out of each others way, dining at different times etc.
Thursday we had training all day at the campus. It was pretty full on and my brain ached by late afternoon. What a good idea it was of one of the Auckland girls to adjourn to the bar, conveniently sited next door to IMAC's base, for drinky poo's. It was just what we needed but meant it was dark by the time we got back to the hotel and therefore we did not do our usual walk. An early supper and then I retired to read my book whilst ensconced in a deep, hot bath. (Another Jodi Piquoult - Plain Truth)
Back to Tamaki for computer training this morning with several colleagues in the car and heaps of luggage. Luckily I managed to get out of the airport run as I was staying on to sort a few computer problems with our computer bod Rodney.
Auckland is a city of contrasts. The beautiful coast line and far,far too much traffic, gorgeous and unusual architecture (mainly in the houses) and grotty industrial areas. As city's go (world-wide I mean) I think it's one of the better ones. Eric doesn't like it.
It was so nice to get home. After collecting Harri we went through to get Alice who ran across the playground yelling 'Mummy, Mummy' with her arms out! I was going to walk this evening but could not persuade anyone to go with me, so instead I fed the pigs with Eric and ambled across the paddock to commune with the cows. They moo-ed frantically and dashed across to chat to me over the gate. I'd like to think they were pleased to see me but I guess I have to admit that they just thought I might give them some extra silage. Sorry cows!
Alice has gone off to the Hinuera disco. She looked gorgeous, not dress-wise particularly,but her face was glowing and she had her hair in scrunchy buns. I wish I'd taken a photo. I do worry a little when she goes, she always seems to come back upset that no-one asked her to dance, or she fell out with a friend that I wonder why she goes back. Fingers crossed things will be better tonight (I say that every time).
Oh well, I've altered Harriette's netball skirt ready for her first match tomorrow and am now off to shower and bed.
Night night all.
Michelle
xoxoxox
Friday, April 30, 2004
Thursday, April 29, 2004
And the rain came down.
Well, as promised, I'm back. Yesterday evening it started to rain and by the time I climbed into bed, it was hissing down. It hasn't stopped really, only become sporadic. I returned from work to find our lake had once more risen from the depths and was about a foot deep, not quite as bad as when it reached a depth of four or five feet the year before last, none the less, a good downfall. The problem is, we need a slow steady rain, not a delugewhich causes damage rather than just soaking the ground but we need it. The poor pigs have excavated the floor of their 'temporary' arc, consequently it was well below ground level and thus filled with gooey mud. I moved it this evening and put them back on higher ground so hopefully they will get a good nights kip. I can't wait to convert the old stable block into reasonable pig pens so they can come in at night and be kept off the ground when it is too boggy. They can then have nice deep litter for bedding down and having lots of little piggies in. Very comfortable I'm sure. This morning started early with a dash down to the back paddock to feed the silage out to the cattle. What with the rain last night, it was not a particularly pleasant job, I can only hope that I don't make too much mess taking the Safari down there tomorrow morning. Once you start to make a muddy mess, it seems to take forever to regrow in grass.
Friday tomorrow and the old gal will be back to take the reins again. I have started on the carpet edging in the kitchen diner. The bit I have done looks good but I'm not sure whether to proceed further or change tack a bit and use a different profile on the dining room and living room doorways. It was something I hadn't contemplated beforehand as I thought I would be restricted to the bog standard type of doorway trim. Still, I'll see what the boss thinks. Harri was all of a tizz last night as she couldn't find her maths homework book. Together we turned the house upside down with no joy, I don't know if M picked it up with her Auckland kit but that seems the most likely outcome, I must check when she phones me this evening. Whatever, it won't help Harri to get her homework in on time so I suppose it makes no difference.
Apart from partaking of forbidden fruit, I made chips tonight and we had them with home made burgers and baked beans, that is about all for today, herself will be back tomorrow night so I'll be relegated to the boring chores whilst she plays on the keys and lets everyone know how happy we are. No, seriously, we are, I'm just griping for gripings sake, as I know I'll be questioned in depth about my feelings and whether I'm happy or not. I'm a bit like Ben the fat lab, not my Inky Stinky gun dog. I like the attention, it matters not how I get it! I await the call, good night and sleep tight, or wake up, rise and shine, enjoy lunch or whatever you are doing wherever you are reading this at whatever time of day.
Friday tomorrow and the old gal will be back to take the reins again. I have started on the carpet edging in the kitchen diner. The bit I have done looks good but I'm not sure whether to proceed further or change tack a bit and use a different profile on the dining room and living room doorways. It was something I hadn't contemplated beforehand as I thought I would be restricted to the bog standard type of doorway trim. Still, I'll see what the boss thinks. Harri was all of a tizz last night as she couldn't find her maths homework book. Together we turned the house upside down with no joy, I don't know if M picked it up with her Auckland kit but that seems the most likely outcome, I must check when she phones me this evening. Whatever, it won't help Harri to get her homework in on time so I suppose it makes no difference.
Apart from partaking of forbidden fruit, I made chips tonight and we had them with home made burgers and baked beans, that is about all for today, herself will be back tomorrow night so I'll be relegated to the boring chores whilst she plays on the keys and lets everyone know how happy we are. No, seriously, we are, I'm just griping for gripings sake, as I know I'll be questioned in depth about my feelings and whether I'm happy or not. I'm a bit like Ben the fat lab, not my Inky Stinky gun dog. I like the attention, it matters not how I get it! I await the call, good night and sleep tight, or wake up, rise and shine, enjoy lunch or whatever you are doing wherever you are reading this at whatever time of day.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
It's me today!
Sorry anyone hoping to hear from Michelle but she has gone to Auckland for a meeting or two so I'm left holding the fort. For those that don't know me, I'm her husband, the one who does all of the unsung things around here. Well, I've just faffed around getting Outlook 6 up for madam and it is now too late to blog. I am going to bed but will catch up tomorrow. Sorry M, but some of us have to do kids, sandwiches, feed livestock go to work etc.
Monday, April 26, 2004
An average Monday
The kids are back to school HORRAY!!!! I went to Te Awamutu and Cambridge on some brief visits today and came home to do paperwork. Bloo was supposed to do some work on an assignment for some accountancy qualifications he's studying for. 'DEFINITELY!!' was the word he used last night when I asked him what he was planning today. Well he took one look at it and gave up. So when I got back he was out. I settled down at my desk and it was SOOOO quiet. Absolute bliss. I've decided that I find noise very stressful. (As I sit here with the radio on, Eric bashing the living daylights out the other computer that is playing up, and Harriette pinning Alice down to the sofa as she applies make-up, with Alice alternating between screaming, yelling and laughing!!). Bloo is very quiet doing (another) jigsaw.
Yesterday evening I spent hours moving photo's onto blog (aren't you proud of me Stan/Carol?) and then realised, at about 10pm, that I still had not turned up Harriette's winter school dress which I bought on Friday and she needed today. I spent well over an hour doing it when all I wanted to do was go to bed! I sat sewing wondering how many Mom's across NZ were doing the same thing at the same time! Eric and Bloo worked on the Meccano.
Such concentration!!
I hasten to add that the girls had long before gone to bed and Bloo had to help once he completed jigsaw No. 1. Eric was adamant that the Meccano was for the 40+ age group and he was very advanced and pleased with himself being able to put whatever it was together. Well almost. It turned out he had put something in back to front and Bloo had to reassemble it. Talk about engrossed. They both applied themselves with the concentration of the average brain surgeon. I never knew Meccano could be so serious!!!!
The finished product.
The girls are wading through homework based on the first World War It was Anzac Day yesterday, which the kiwi's treat with a similar reverence that the UK does Nov. 11th. I meant to take the girls to church but somehow it didn't happen. Maybe because Alice was not here.
Well, not a lot to report. Long email gratefully received from Carol this morning to which I must reply. She is suffering - Bless Her. I also owe other emails and plan to address this this week.
Suppertime.
Love Michelle
xoxoxox
Yesterday evening I spent hours moving photo's onto blog (aren't you proud of me Stan/Carol?) and then realised, at about 10pm, that I still had not turned up Harriette's winter school dress which I bought on Friday and she needed today. I spent well over an hour doing it when all I wanted to do was go to bed! I sat sewing wondering how many Mom's across NZ were doing the same thing at the same time! Eric and Bloo worked on the Meccano.
Such concentration!!
I hasten to add that the girls had long before gone to bed and Bloo had to help once he completed jigsaw No. 1. Eric was adamant that the Meccano was for the 40+ age group and he was very advanced and pleased with himself being able to put whatever it was together. Well almost. It turned out he had put something in back to front and Bloo had to reassemble it. Talk about engrossed. They both applied themselves with the concentration of the average brain surgeon. I never knew Meccano could be so serious!!!!
The finished product.
The girls are wading through homework based on the first World War It was Anzac Day yesterday, which the kiwi's treat with a similar reverence that the UK does Nov. 11th. I meant to take the girls to church but somehow it didn't happen. Maybe because Alice was not here.
Well, not a lot to report. Long email gratefully received from Carol this morning to which I must reply. She is suffering - Bless Her. I also owe other emails and plan to address this this week.
Suppertime.
Love Michelle
xoxoxox
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Burning Times
Friday I had meetings in Hamilton and managed to catch up with my colleague Jude. Jude covers the bit of the Waikato that I don't, ironically that area includes Matamata!
Saturday I picked up Michelle Hudson who returned to Matamata after 8 weeks of touring around NZ. Michelle spent 2 weeks recharging her batteries here in early March. She is on a world tour, following roughly the same route as Bloo so they catch up every so often, like here, now.
With Carol safely ensconced on the other side of the globe we felt it was safe to light fires on the drive again. Yesterday afternoon I rallied the troops and I lit a few, strategically placed and busied myself cutting back some large bushes outside our bedroom window. I looked up slightly shocked to see Bloo and Michelle with a raring fire that reached up into the trees above, at approximately the same place that Carol started 'that' fire of hers. All I could think was 'Thank God Eric is down by the barn' (with his chainsaw still wading through the blue gum), he'd have thrown a fit!! Well he did amble up and hardly said a word. Not fair! If it was me he'd have gone ballistic!! Anyway I left them too it and carried on in my little corner. I should add that we don't just light fires for fun, we are trying to burn the heaps of tree debris that lines the drive.
Harriette went off and climbed a very large tree stump in the pig-pen paddock (ie the paddock next to where Bloo and Michelle were). She perched herself on top ie about 8 - 10' up, and looked very chuffed with herself - which was the point at which I walked off and told her she could get herself down. I later looked down the drive to see Harriette dangling from the stump, her buttocks firmly supported in Bloo's upstretched hands!!!! Personally I'd have left her! There was all sorts of manoeuvering until she was finally helped to terra firma. It was quite amusing to watch.
As darkness fell we came in for the traditional Saturday evening pizza's before that game of TP. It had been an incredibly hot day.
Went to bed, after the afore mentioned TP, with all the curtains left open (something we never do) in case that bright orange glow should appear in the sky again! TP was good fun. I had decided to give up chocolate as I have overindulged somewhat this week and have had awful headaches, when Michelle arrived with a box of Favourites and another of Celebrations yesterday. Well they came out and you know me, more chance of fly in the air than resist chocolates placed right under my nose. So I ate most of them! Still had a headache this morning! TP questions from the mid - 80's really make your brain ache. Add together the fact that I was in a news void (ie S.Africa) for that time and my brain is well on it's way in that process of atrophy, I had no chance. Bloo was also too young to answer a lot of the questions. It was therefore a very slow game and after 3 hours lost it's charm and I was desperate for my bed!! Eric won in a sudden death play off!
This morning Eric and Harriette went to feed out and were taking AGES. They finally appeared through the gate on the top of the drive, from the paddock, with Harriette driving. That's why they had taken so long, she'd obviously wangled a driving lesson out of him.
After a cooked breakfast on the deck I went back to the drive and carried on burning, 6 fires today, as Eric mowed the drive with the sit-on. Well by morning tea time it had started to rain. Quite amazing as we have had no rain for about 6 - 8 weeks. I came up and did some baking (fruit cake and fejoa muffins Carol) and decided that, as the rain seemed to be getting heavier, I would blog instead. Eric went back out to strim as I'd moaned that he only ever half does the job when he does the drive. He only got a little wet!
And so, here we are, Bloo and Michelle jigsawing,
Harriette and Eric doing Meccano. Harriette was told she had to do it, more to justify Eric playing with it I think! Michelle is off to a friend Katrina who is a horse trainer for the week. She is doing a weeks work just for the experience and as she has time to kill before a friend arrives from the UK. And she'll start the days at 4.30am!!!
Alice will be returned later today by Mandy after they have dropped Adam (their eldest) off at the airport. Adam is off to France for 2 weeks to help build a racing yacht. No a bad experience for a 15 year old. I hope he has a fabulous time!
Must phone Mom and Daddy tonight and if this appears with photo's it means Bloo has successfully instructed me how to do it (or he's given up and done it himself!)
TTFN
Michelle
xoxoxox
Saturday I picked up Michelle Hudson who returned to Matamata after 8 weeks of touring around NZ. Michelle spent 2 weeks recharging her batteries here in early March. She is on a world tour, following roughly the same route as Bloo so they catch up every so often, like here, now.
With Carol safely ensconced on the other side of the globe we felt it was safe to light fires on the drive again. Yesterday afternoon I rallied the troops and I lit a few, strategically placed and busied myself cutting back some large bushes outside our bedroom window. I looked up slightly shocked to see Bloo and Michelle with a raring fire that reached up into the trees above, at approximately the same place that Carol started 'that' fire of hers. All I could think was 'Thank God Eric is down by the barn' (with his chainsaw still wading through the blue gum), he'd have thrown a fit!! Well he did amble up and hardly said a word. Not fair! If it was me he'd have gone ballistic!! Anyway I left them too it and carried on in my little corner. I should add that we don't just light fires for fun, we are trying to burn the heaps of tree debris that lines the drive.
Harriette went off and climbed a very large tree stump in the pig-pen paddock (ie the paddock next to where Bloo and Michelle were). She perched herself on top ie about 8 - 10' up, and looked very chuffed with herself - which was the point at which I walked off and told her she could get herself down. I later looked down the drive to see Harriette dangling from the stump, her buttocks firmly supported in Bloo's upstretched hands!!!! Personally I'd have left her! There was all sorts of manoeuvering until she was finally helped to terra firma. It was quite amusing to watch.
As darkness fell we came in for the traditional Saturday evening pizza's before that game of TP. It had been an incredibly hot day.
Went to bed, after the afore mentioned TP, with all the curtains left open (something we never do) in case that bright orange glow should appear in the sky again! TP was good fun. I had decided to give up chocolate as I have overindulged somewhat this week and have had awful headaches, when Michelle arrived with a box of Favourites and another of Celebrations yesterday. Well they came out and you know me, more chance of fly in the air than resist chocolates placed right under my nose. So I ate most of them! Still had a headache this morning! TP questions from the mid - 80's really make your brain ache. Add together the fact that I was in a news void (ie S.Africa) for that time and my brain is well on it's way in that process of atrophy, I had no chance. Bloo was also too young to answer a lot of the questions. It was therefore a very slow game and after 3 hours lost it's charm and I was desperate for my bed!! Eric won in a sudden death play off!
This morning Eric and Harriette went to feed out and were taking AGES. They finally appeared through the gate on the top of the drive, from the paddock, with Harriette driving. That's why they had taken so long, she'd obviously wangled a driving lesson out of him.
After a cooked breakfast on the deck I went back to the drive and carried on burning, 6 fires today, as Eric mowed the drive with the sit-on. Well by morning tea time it had started to rain. Quite amazing as we have had no rain for about 6 - 8 weeks. I came up and did some baking (fruit cake and fejoa muffins Carol) and decided that, as the rain seemed to be getting heavier, I would blog instead. Eric went back out to strim as I'd moaned that he only ever half does the job when he does the drive. He only got a little wet!
And so, here we are, Bloo and Michelle jigsawing,
Harriette and Eric doing Meccano. Harriette was told she had to do it, more to justify Eric playing with it I think! Michelle is off to a friend Katrina who is a horse trainer for the week. She is doing a weeks work just for the experience and as she has time to kill before a friend arrives from the UK. And she'll start the days at 4.30am!!!
Alice will be returned later today by Mandy after they have dropped Adam (their eldest) off at the airport. Adam is off to France for 2 weeks to help build a racing yacht. No a bad experience for a 15 year old. I hope he has a fabulous time!
Must phone Mom and Daddy tonight and if this appears with photo's it means Bloo has successfully instructed me how to do it (or he's given up and done it himself!)
TTFN
Michelle
xoxoxox
Saturday, April 24, 2004
My Auckland trip - By Alice
Saturday.
Today I went on the ferry to Devonport.
Really it's just a quick was to get to another sticky out bit of Auckland otherwise we would have taken ages and ages to get there. Mandy met a friend and me and Hannah cleared off with ice-creams to a park. Next we went to a museum. We got half way and and someone came and said we had to pay. I mean, there were no signs saying that we had to pay.
Later on we watched UK TV, it was a murder mystery called Midsummer Murder.
Today I went on the ferry to Devonport.
Really it's just a quick was to get to another sticky out bit of Auckland otherwise we would have taken ages and ages to get there. Mandy met a friend and me and Hannah cleared off with ice-creams to a park. Next we went to a museum. We got half way and and someone came and said we had to pay. I mean, there were no signs saying that we had to pay.
Later on we watched UK TV, it was a murder mystery called Midsummer Murder.
A brief posting
A quick posting as I am aware that I have not done this for 48 hours now and I am trying to blog daily. Didn't do it last night as Harriette, Eric, Bloo and I went into Hamilton to watch a Super 12 rugby match. The Stormers (S.African) v our local Chiefs. Against the odds we won 29 - 14. In fact it would have been a bigger difference but for the try that the Stormers converted in the last minutes of the game. It was a good match, not brilliant, but good. Eric was amazingly restrained and I didn't see him leap from his seat once. He said he did but I was too busy leaping around and cheering to notice! Harriette loves her rugby and I enjoy watching her watch it. She did spoil it a bit being pre-occupied with her tummy saying how hungry she was! We went to the Lone Star for our customery pork ribs. There was another rugby match on - league, NZ vs. Australia. I think we lost. We all tried hard to ignore the TV and be polite but only partly succeeded!!
I am being summoned to play Trivial Pursuit (for the first time in a about 10 years) with Eric, Michelle H and Bloo, coffee and some nice chockies Michelle bought! Will blog more in the morning.
Michelle
xoxoxox
I am being summoned to play Trivial Pursuit (for the first time in a about 10 years) with Eric, Michelle H and Bloo, coffee and some nice chockies Michelle bought! Will blog more in the morning.
Michelle
xoxoxox
Friday, April 23, 2004
My Auckland Trip - by Alice
Friday
Today I went up the sky tower with Bianca (the Scott-Mackies German student) and Hannah. For some weird reason Hannah and I got 'fun-packs'. It was brill. We met Scotty Sky Tower.
Today I went up the sky tower with Bianca (the Scott-Mackies German student) and Hannah. For some weird reason Hannah and I got 'fun-packs'. It was brill. We met Scotty Sky Tower.
Thursday, April 22, 2004
My Auckland Trip - by Alice
Thursday
Today I arrive in the city of sails. For the first time in my short life I have not been home sick! I wrote a post card to mum & dad.
Today I arrive in the city of sails. For the first time in my short life I have not been home sick! I wrote a post card to mum & dad.
School hols -yuk!
It's very quiet here! Alice has gone to Auckland for the weekend to join Mandy and David who are there with their 3 children, Bloo has gone to meet the Dirty/Hairy/Horny (can't remember which) Milkmaid - don't ask, Harriette is at the Scotts and Eric and I are here - on our own. It's very nice. It would be nicer but I'm very stressed out. We are coming to the end of the school holidays and I can only cope with Harriette for one week! Trying to work (admittedly Harriette's large bedroom doubles as my office so the privacy is a bit lacking) with 3 children charging around, is mega stress making. Especially as I had decided that they had to pull their weight a bit over the hols as Eric and were working and they weren't. Getting them though the (small) list of chores each day was like getting blood from the proverbial stone. It would have been easier to do it all myself but a girl has to stick to her principals (are they headmasters spelt like that!?!) or her principles! It has not been easy and I am looking forward to Monday.
(Break for tea/coffee/beer with the Scotts)
Yesterday, after Carol left and we had finally pulled ourselves together I told the girls I would drop them at the movies at Te Awamutu. It was decided they would watch the Scooby Doo movie at 2pm. They then asked if they could watch Horror Mansion. I said only if they could persuade Daddy to go with them. Alice phoned Eric at work at 11.45am, and to put this in context Te Awamutu is a 3/4 hour drive away AND Eric finishes work at 1pm, and asked him to escort them. 'What time does it start Alice?' '12.30 Daddy'!! Guess which child is not gifted! I had assumed that it also started at 2pm. Anyway, we resorted to plan A and I dropped them off to watch Scooby Doo as I did some fridge audits at a Te Awamutu GP's and the prison medical centre. I had one more to do but they needed collecting so I dropped them at a park (after finding out where it was from tourist information). I was so impressed. You walked through a beautiful rose pergola and the grounds were GORGEOUS. By the time we got home it was 5.15pm and I was due to have Ashley returned to her parents in Ngatea (silent g) by 6pm and it's over an hours drive away. I phoned to say we'd be late and was thrilled to hear Jo (Ashley's Mom ) say ' we can pick her up tomorrow if that helps'. So, I did a salmon pasta and we quickly retired to bed. Alice had to come for a 'in bed cuddle' as she was off the next day and would not see us for 3 days. She does miss at when she's away and gets a bit emotional - bless her.
Before going to be I phoned David to see what time he wanted to pick Alice up the following day. Alice had been invited to Auckland with the Scott-Mackies for the week but could not go as Ashley was here. Mandy said that David was going up on Thursday so it was agreed he would take her up then. When I spoke to David (on Wednesday evening) he was on his way and said that Mandy had emailed earlier that day with the change in plan. We had not seen this. It was finally agreed that Mandy and Eric would meet halfway on Thursday afternoon to transfer Alice to them, in which case he'd drop Ashley off as the pick-up point was only a few kms from her house. It all became even more complicated when Eric got held up at a road traffic accident and Alice arrived without the required sleeping bag - ooopps. I hope they find have found her something to sleep under tonight! Can you see why I say I am stressed!?
Eric dropped Harriette at the Scotts so she could play with Sarah while he was away and they have just bought her back after feeding her a fish n chip (or as they say here fush'n chup) supper. She looks exhausted! We have just had a great chat with Richard and Robyn. They are so easy going and have become very dear friends. They went off to the Coromandel (can you believe it for the first time ever?) over the the last weekend and Robyn was milking (their cows) over Easter so we have not seen much of them over the holidays. They work harder when the rest of us are having holidays as they have to give their farm worker the time off. Robyn usually picks up Logans milking sessions.
We'll they have gone, Bloo has just returned (Milkmaid came with husband and a Canadian farming student) and gone to bed and I can hear mine calling me.
Still waiting to hear from Carol.
Love Michelle
(Break for tea/coffee/beer with the Scotts)
Yesterday, after Carol left and we had finally pulled ourselves together I told the girls I would drop them at the movies at Te Awamutu. It was decided they would watch the Scooby Doo movie at 2pm. They then asked if they could watch Horror Mansion. I said only if they could persuade Daddy to go with them. Alice phoned Eric at work at 11.45am, and to put this in context Te Awamutu is a 3/4 hour drive away AND Eric finishes work at 1pm, and asked him to escort them. 'What time does it start Alice?' '12.30 Daddy'!! Guess which child is not gifted! I had assumed that it also started at 2pm. Anyway, we resorted to plan A and I dropped them off to watch Scooby Doo as I did some fridge audits at a Te Awamutu GP's and the prison medical centre. I had one more to do but they needed collecting so I dropped them at a park (after finding out where it was from tourist information). I was so impressed. You walked through a beautiful rose pergola and the grounds were GORGEOUS. By the time we got home it was 5.15pm and I was due to have Ashley returned to her parents in Ngatea (silent g) by 6pm and it's over an hours drive away. I phoned to say we'd be late and was thrilled to hear Jo (Ashley's Mom ) say ' we can pick her up tomorrow if that helps'. So, I did a salmon pasta and we quickly retired to bed. Alice had to come for a 'in bed cuddle' as she was off the next day and would not see us for 3 days. She does miss at when she's away and gets a bit emotional - bless her.
Before going to be I phoned David to see what time he wanted to pick Alice up the following day. Alice had been invited to Auckland with the Scott-Mackies for the week but could not go as Ashley was here. Mandy said that David was going up on Thursday so it was agreed he would take her up then. When I spoke to David (on Wednesday evening) he was on his way and said that Mandy had emailed earlier that day with the change in plan. We had not seen this. It was finally agreed that Mandy and Eric would meet halfway on Thursday afternoon to transfer Alice to them, in which case he'd drop Ashley off as the pick-up point was only a few kms from her house. It all became even more complicated when Eric got held up at a road traffic accident and Alice arrived without the required sleeping bag - ooopps. I hope they find have found her something to sleep under tonight! Can you see why I say I am stressed!?
Eric dropped Harriette at the Scotts so she could play with Sarah while he was away and they have just bought her back after feeding her a fish n chip (or as they say here fush'n chup) supper. She looks exhausted! We have just had a great chat with Richard and Robyn. They are so easy going and have become very dear friends. They went off to the Coromandel (can you believe it for the first time ever?) over the the last weekend and Robyn was milking (their cows) over Easter so we have not seen much of them over the holidays. They work harder when the rest of us are having holidays as they have to give their farm worker the time off. Robyn usually picks up Logans milking sessions.
We'll they have gone, Bloo has just returned (Milkmaid came with husband and a Canadian farming student) and gone to bed and I can hear mine calling me.
Still waiting to hear from Carol.
Love Michelle
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
The departure
Well she's gone, and a very sad affair it was to. Carol packed up and, after sneeking notes from the girls and a card from us into her suitcase, we loaded the stuff into the car prior to breakfast. As we did this I noticed she had TWO suitcases. 'Are you taking both of these?' I ask. 'No, that one is going in the container'. Yes you've guessed it, the one I had put the cards in. So, we positioned Carol at the breakfast table so she could not see out the window, and once everyone was seated I dashed out and did the swap.
A few tears were shed as she left but when I came into the house Alice was sitting on the sofa sobbing her heart out and Harriette was in the bedroon playing 'Amazing Grace' on the recorder. After cuddling Alice and shedding a few more tears myself Alice went and got the cards Carol had left for us (one for Bloo). Well much as she tried Alice could not read out loud as it made her cry, so I took the card and only got half a sentence out. Eric then took it and he was also so tearful he could not get much further. She wrote such soppy, but nonetheless, much appreciated comments. Carol having you living with us has been.....well....an experience. We've loved having you, your wit and stories we looked forward to every evening and watching how ridiculously hard you have worked this year has made us realise how lucky we are...and how daft you must be!!
We very much look forward to your return in November - if you last that long. Big Hugs, and safe journey, I know that you will be reading this in Singapore, by then you would have been 'computerless' for at least 18 hours and having withdrawal symptoms! And anyone in the Uk who will be coming in contact with carol, be warned, she will be unbearable!
Must do some work now. I have just been into Matamata and picked up my car which was serviced yesterday and have taken ages to get connected to the computer so I'm not having a very productive day!
Love to all.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Vegetables, a Range Rover and departures.
I finally got the leeks in, and carrots, and broad beans. I lied on Sunday when I said it looked like a beautiful day. When I actually went outside it was quite overcast. However as the morning progressed the cloud cleared and the sun shone. In fact working in the garden I was flippin' hot and had to resort to suntan lotion (minimum of factor 30 here). In fact the day/weekend/last few weeks have been absolutely wonderful. With some night time rain for pasture growth it would be perfect.
I spent almost the whole day in my veg. plot, and Eric, now don't faint.... worked on the Range Rover. Yes, that brown one he had in the UK! It sat on the top of the drive the first year we were here as he could not get it on the road. Then we had the arborist in to drop a huge Mexican pine and Eric moved the RR into the front paddock so it didn't get damaged as the tree was felled. And there it stayed. The battery was not charging and so starting it never happened (actually felling the tree never happened either - the arborist disappeared for 1/2 and hour and never came back, but lets not rush the chap that was only a year ago. After all this is New Zealand!). On Sunday Eric took the battery out my Mistrral and put it in the RR. It started first time. He drove around the paddock with the biggest grin on his face. He then took it up to the house and played for awhile - getting the window wipers to work I think. I think I have now persuaded him to splash out and purchase battery for it.
Later in the day we went down to the back paddocks clay pidgeon shooting. Harriette still cannot be pursuaded to fire the shotgun because of the noise (would I ever have believed 3 years ago that I could ever utter such a sentence - I was so anti guns). I think she may have had a go this time if Eric had had his earplugs available. It is the noise that frightens her. I only had a few blats then came back up to the house to press on with dinner. Roast beef (No 47) and roasted veg. When the rest of them came back later Bloo had taken a dive into the stream which is all mud at the moment and he needed hosing off.
I made a boob on Monday and had arranged a visit when I was supposed to be looking after the kids (3 of them as Ashleigh is still here). I decided that I could drop them at the pool in Cambridge on my way through to Te Awamutu and Eric could pick them up after work. So, I look up where the pool is (Williams Street) and off we go. Well after driving up and down a very long Williams Street and finding no pool, I ask a woman where the pool is. 'Oh you want WilliamSON Street', on the other side of town. Off I dash, find the pool and...it's closed!!!! So here I am, 15 minutes late now, 20 minutes from home, and with 3 children needing some sort of supervision. Thank God for Carol. I phoned and got her to pick them up and deposit them at the pool in Matamata. I phoned through to the prison to warn them I would be late then when I finally got there I find that the person pivitol to the meeting I wanted to have was not available and I had to hang around for another hour for the staff meeting that I wanted to address. The day hit the height of disasterousness when I got home. Eric had his exam results and failed all 3 papers. He was gutted. I felt so sorry for him, he studied for hours, every day for 2/3 months for these. I know he feels he has let us down, and he is incredibly frustrated. He has done his best and it just doesn't appear to be enough. He is now investigating the possibility of returning to universiy for this year and doing the 5 papers as full courses, and this when he has already done them in the UK and passed all the exams there. The thing is we have invested so much into this that we cannot give up now, and yet there is still so far to go. Oh well.....
Today is also a bit of a sad day, as Carol leaves tomorrow and she has been dragging herself around like a wet weekend all day. This evening she capped it all with the statement loudly broadcast to anyone who would listen 'Why bother when my life is effectively over!!' We sort-of get the impression that she doesn't want to go!! In reality we do feel so sorry for her. If we had to return to the UK to live we would be devastated. We love our life here, as she does (her life not ours). I took Carol to Fran's, a lovely cafe in Cambridge full of arty stuff, big sofas, wonderful food and a great courtyard out the back, for lunch. Eric and Bloo had both, sort of hinted, that they might like to come but I made it clear it was a 'girlie' lunch. We had the most wonderful pancakes, cream, maple syrup and coffee. I am not looking forward to her departure at 7.30 tomorrow morning. Still November is not too far away.
Ann and Mike (Juliets parents) popped in today to return the chipper/shredder they borrowed some weeks ago. They have been tree felling through the summer. They also return to the UK soon. Mike desparately doesn't want to go but as they don't have permanent residency and have to leave for 6 months of the year. All these goings.. I do feel sorry for them!
Bedtime now, nightie night.
I spent almost the whole day in my veg. plot, and Eric, now don't faint.... worked on the Range Rover. Yes, that brown one he had in the UK! It sat on the top of the drive the first year we were here as he could not get it on the road. Then we had the arborist in to drop a huge Mexican pine and Eric moved the RR into the front paddock so it didn't get damaged as the tree was felled. And there it stayed. The battery was not charging and so starting it never happened (actually felling the tree never happened either - the arborist disappeared for 1/2 and hour and never came back, but lets not rush the chap that was only a year ago. After all this is New Zealand!). On Sunday Eric took the battery out my Mistrral and put it in the RR. It started first time. He drove around the paddock with the biggest grin on his face. He then took it up to the house and played for awhile - getting the window wipers to work I think. I think I have now persuaded him to splash out and purchase battery for it.
Later in the day we went down to the back paddocks clay pidgeon shooting. Harriette still cannot be pursuaded to fire the shotgun because of the noise (would I ever have believed 3 years ago that I could ever utter such a sentence - I was so anti guns). I think she may have had a go this time if Eric had had his earplugs available. It is the noise that frightens her. I only had a few blats then came back up to the house to press on with dinner. Roast beef (No 47) and roasted veg. When the rest of them came back later Bloo had taken a dive into the stream which is all mud at the moment and he needed hosing off.
I made a boob on Monday and had arranged a visit when I was supposed to be looking after the kids (3 of them as Ashleigh is still here). I decided that I could drop them at the pool in Cambridge on my way through to Te Awamutu and Eric could pick them up after work. So, I look up where the pool is (Williams Street) and off we go. Well after driving up and down a very long Williams Street and finding no pool, I ask a woman where the pool is. 'Oh you want WilliamSON Street', on the other side of town. Off I dash, find the pool and...it's closed!!!! So here I am, 15 minutes late now, 20 minutes from home, and with 3 children needing some sort of supervision. Thank God for Carol. I phoned and got her to pick them up and deposit them at the pool in Matamata. I phoned through to the prison to warn them I would be late then when I finally got there I find that the person pivitol to the meeting I wanted to have was not available and I had to hang around for another hour for the staff meeting that I wanted to address. The day hit the height of disasterousness when I got home. Eric had his exam results and failed all 3 papers. He was gutted. I felt so sorry for him, he studied for hours, every day for 2/3 months for these. I know he feels he has let us down, and he is incredibly frustrated. He has done his best and it just doesn't appear to be enough. He is now investigating the possibility of returning to universiy for this year and doing the 5 papers as full courses, and this when he has already done them in the UK and passed all the exams there. The thing is we have invested so much into this that we cannot give up now, and yet there is still so far to go. Oh well.....
Today is also a bit of a sad day, as Carol leaves tomorrow and she has been dragging herself around like a wet weekend all day. This evening she capped it all with the statement loudly broadcast to anyone who would listen 'Why bother when my life is effectively over!!' We sort-of get the impression that she doesn't want to go!! In reality we do feel so sorry for her. If we had to return to the UK to live we would be devastated. We love our life here, as she does (her life not ours). I took Carol to Fran's, a lovely cafe in Cambridge full of arty stuff, big sofas, wonderful food and a great courtyard out the back, for lunch. Eric and Bloo had both, sort of hinted, that they might like to come but I made it clear it was a 'girlie' lunch. We had the most wonderful pancakes, cream, maple syrup and coffee. I am not looking forward to her departure at 7.30 tomorrow morning. Still November is not too far away.
Ann and Mike (Juliets parents) popped in today to return the chipper/shredder they borrowed some weeks ago. They have been tree felling through the summer. They also return to the UK soon. Mike desparately doesn't want to go but as they don't have permanent residency and have to leave for 6 months of the year. All these goings.. I do feel sorry for them!
Bedtime now, nightie night.
Sunday, April 18, 2004
2 blogs in 2 days!!
Well I am going to try and be a bit more diligent with this. Especially now I have realised that people are reading it! Stan Thank You. We now have a 'comments' section so please click on it after you have read a section and type a few words. Doesn't matter who you are or what you write, and don't be put off by the thought that the rest of the world can read it!!!I know lots of you in the UK may be new to the concept of blog. I read Carol's for ages before I had the courage to click THAT button! Stan has also posted Eric's 'answers' and the photo's. Stan is our 'big brother' in the world of blog, he who has the power to do what he wants with this site. No seriously he posts all the photo's and does the technical stuff. Carol and I, and I guess others, just type. Oh and for those of you who don't know who Stan is (is there anyone!), he and Eric were at school together and he lives in Woking (and part-time in Cedar Lodge, Met's A/L allowing). Our computer guru.
Carol and Bloo (Stuart) arrived yesterday. It was a GORGEOUS day and I had just dragged Eric away from farm jobs to help me edge the veg plot. I have the equivalent of 4, 20'x20', plots and want to raise them. After saying our Hello's and afternoon tea, I went back down and started tilling the area I had de-weeded earlier. I ran out of petrol and laid the tiller down on the ground, went to the barn and got the petrol can Eric had told me had the right mix in. I then came back and, after checking I was pouring down the right orifice (you may recall I once filled the lawn mower putting the petrol in the oil orifice!!!), I filled it. As I was doing this I vaguely thought I don't remember that choke, and being surprised at how little petrol it took. As I was replacing the lid on the petrol can I saw the tiller NEXT to what I was filling. I had filled the weedeater (strimmer) that Eric had bought down to the veg plot. Now 'so what' I hear you say. You obviously are not aware of the complexities of petrol mixes for the multitude of petrol driven implements we have here at Cedar Lodge! Now logic would dictate that with all the petrol cans we have Eric would label each one with the mix, and what items they could be used for. But no, this is Eric we are talking about. Hard working, a wonderful husband, great father and all that - Yes, but organised - No. So I felt pretty aweful and at that moment Eric drove into the paddock. I was quaking in my boots, well not quite, when I explained what I'd done, thinking of all the work I'd made for Eric, he'd have to strip the weedeater down, clean lots of things and put it back together blah, blah, blah, when he said 'It's OK, they use the same mix'!!!
I bought leek plants and plan to put them in the ground we cleared yesterday. I don't do very well with leeks here and this year I'm going to experiment and put half in plain soil and half in highly composted soil. When I was last in Juliets veg plot I was very impressed with her leeks, which blew out my theory that it was the warmer climate that accounted for my poor results here.
Yesterday evening over the traditional Sat evening pizzas Carol relayed a story to Bloo about Inca's behaviour when we are out in the evening. Now to put this in context you have to realise that we are seriously rural here, no neighbours in shouting distance, we hardly ever close curtains and don't lock doors etc in the evenings. Also that recently Kevin had a Maori man prowling around their house in the wee small hours - very scary. So Carol is here, at night with the dogs for company and every so often Inca leaps up from the depths of sleep, hackles up and barks like crazy staring out the french windows onto the deck and the paddocks beyond. Apparently when she is here alone he does this quite often. Or as Carol said 'barks at the Maori's putting their willies up me'!!!!!!!
Bloo has just gone for a run, Eric is feeding out and I am still in bed. I had best get up and cook a breakfast and then we are clay pidgeon shooting. I also plan to garden and give Harriette a driving lesson. It looks like another beautiful day.
Love Michelle
xoxoxox
Carol and Bloo (Stuart) arrived yesterday. It was a GORGEOUS day and I had just dragged Eric away from farm jobs to help me edge the veg plot. I have the equivalent of 4, 20'x20', plots and want to raise them. After saying our Hello's and afternoon tea, I went back down and started tilling the area I had de-weeded earlier. I ran out of petrol and laid the tiller down on the ground, went to the barn and got the petrol can Eric had told me had the right mix in. I then came back and, after checking I was pouring down the right orifice (you may recall I once filled the lawn mower putting the petrol in the oil orifice!!!), I filled it. As I was doing this I vaguely thought I don't remember that choke, and being surprised at how little petrol it took. As I was replacing the lid on the petrol can I saw the tiller NEXT to what I was filling. I had filled the weedeater (strimmer) that Eric had bought down to the veg plot. Now 'so what' I hear you say. You obviously are not aware of the complexities of petrol mixes for the multitude of petrol driven implements we have here at Cedar Lodge! Now logic would dictate that with all the petrol cans we have Eric would label each one with the mix, and what items they could be used for. But no, this is Eric we are talking about. Hard working, a wonderful husband, great father and all that - Yes, but organised - No. So I felt pretty aweful and at that moment Eric drove into the paddock. I was quaking in my boots, well not quite, when I explained what I'd done, thinking of all the work I'd made for Eric, he'd have to strip the weedeater down, clean lots of things and put it back together blah, blah, blah, when he said 'It's OK, they use the same mix'!!!
I bought leek plants and plan to put them in the ground we cleared yesterday. I don't do very well with leeks here and this year I'm going to experiment and put half in plain soil and half in highly composted soil. When I was last in Juliets veg plot I was very impressed with her leeks, which blew out my theory that it was the warmer climate that accounted for my poor results here.
Yesterday evening over the traditional Sat evening pizzas Carol relayed a story to Bloo about Inca's behaviour when we are out in the evening. Now to put this in context you have to realise that we are seriously rural here, no neighbours in shouting distance, we hardly ever close curtains and don't lock doors etc in the evenings. Also that recently Kevin had a Maori man prowling around their house in the wee small hours - very scary. So Carol is here, at night with the dogs for company and every so often Inca leaps up from the depths of sleep, hackles up and barks like crazy staring out the french windows onto the deck and the paddocks beyond. Apparently when she is here alone he does this quite often. Or as Carol said 'barks at the Maori's putting their willies up me'!!!!!!!
Bloo has just gone for a run, Eric is feeding out and I am still in bed. I had best get up and cook a breakfast and then we are clay pidgeon shooting. I also plan to garden and give Harriette a driving lesson. It looks like another beautiful day.
Love Michelle
xoxoxox
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Those questions
If you read Carols's Blog (Quest4Aragorn) you'll know about 'those' questions. I thought I'd put our answers on here.
Michelle Tanner of Cedar Lodge
1) Favourite colour RED (does that make me an aggressive person?!)
2) Favourite movie Call me soppy but 'On Golden Pond' is still my favourite, I haven't seen it for about 20 years now and can't remember the characters names but the stubborn-ness and humour of Henry Fonda's character is wonderful. I was fascinated by Henry and Jane Fonda playing father and daughter. How much did it reflect their real life relationship? The wonderful scenery, and of course the devoted love of Henry and .... oooohhhhh... I can't remember the really famous woman who played his wife.... anyway... it was great. How I romantically picture Eric and I at 75!!!!!! It's just come to me, Catherine Hepburn. I also loved The English Patient - Ralph Fiennes, sssoooo sexy.
3) Favourite animal. Difficult this. I love having cows and pigs.. and of course Ben and Inca but I adore dolphins and whales (doesn't everyone?) and watching big cats, elephants and giraffe in the wild is fascinating (giraffe in the zoo are boring but in their own environment....). But this says favourite animal, singular, so I have to say gorilla. Now I have not seen these wild, and that is one of my 'dreams'. but I have sat for hours and watched them at Howletts and Port Lympe. Absolutely wonderful.
4) Favourite book. I have just lost lots of sleep as I could not put down a gripping crime thriller called Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult (a mother, who is also a prosecutor, takes the law into her own hands and publicly kills the perpetrator of a sexual assault on her 5 year old son. The local priest. A big twist comes later and you wonder all through how she can get away with it. A study of a mothers love that one can really relate to (not a bad thing to read when my own mother-daughter relationship is under such pressure with a seriously hormonal child in the family!!) Never heard of her before but I certainly will be digging out more of her books. But favourite.. really hard this one. I'm not 'well-read' and have read far more text books than literature. I can't answer this one Carol, sorry.
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie). Well it has to be the fire - doesn't it!!
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto). Not the horses or the flowers!!! I know it appears conceited as I am in them but the 2 pics taken with Ben, Inca and me in August. I also love all the scenery, sunrays through the trees and Tauranga (which is actually taken at the Mount!).
"Get orf my laaand !"
7) Favourite smell. Freshly washed hair. I love snuggling into Alice's neck at bedtime when she has just washed (and dried!) her hair. Harriette also smells good but has short hair, Alice's is long! Ben and Inca smell decidedly better after a hairwash too!
8) Most essential quality in a friend. I'm not sure about 'quality' but it's knowing that no matter how erratic the contact and how long the separation, when you see each other again it was like you were last together yesterday. I've lived in 3 countries in my adult life and that's what I have with my dearest friends. I don't know if that is called loyalty or trust, love or what, or maybe it reflects something rather than being a quality as such.
9) Most desirable quality in a partner. Again this is not 'sum-up-able' in one word or quality. All of the clichés (GSOH, loyalty, trust, etc) are important but it's that 'knowing' feeing. I know Eric loves me, I know I can trust him, I know how he will respond to something, I know he will always be there for me, and our children..I 'know' him. And that is the greatest gift, along with children, that one can have in life.
10) Most embarrassing moment. I don't know if this was 'the' most embarrassing but it is recent. I popped into ICU to see the crowd I used to work with. One girl there I had always thought of as an elegant woman older than me (I'm 44). In front of her someone asked me how old she was. Always difficult this. I 'conservatively' estimated 45-48 so as not to embarrass her if she wasn't the 53'ish I thought. It turns out she was 35!!!!! I managed to keep a straight face and say I was joking, and I think I got away with it. But I couldn't get out of there quick enough!! (Carol if ever this is published you are banned from putting this in context!!)
11) Proudest achievement. On Wednesday I helped out on the last day of a music camp that Harriette was on. It was a morning of fun activities and I was helping on the flying fox. We were in the bush (it was so beautiful) and this went over a river, pretty challenging as the kids had to drop of a platform about 30' up. There were 3 ways over the river, a log bridge, the flying fox and a rope bridge. ie a steel cable tied between 2 trees with 2 cables at arm height to hold on to. All 30' in the air. It took me ages, I was absolutely terrified and my legs were killing me afterwards (I am very unfit) but I was sooooo chuffed with myself. That was very recent, but graduating from my first degree was pretty good as well. I was the first person to get a degree from anyone in my whole, extended family and was chuffed for my parents sake. Giving birth and surviving labour has to be the best though. Holding that baby and thinking 'we did this'!!!
12) Saddest memory. The saddest things in our lives must always be loss. Losing my partner of 3 years in a car accident was more than sad, it was devastating, as was the loss of my brother in a drowning accident. But these things gave me strength as I survived them. Love lost is also very sad, and we all have that experience. But, I once worked as a Health Visitor and one of my moms was a young girl who had a more tragic life than any of us could imagine. Confidentiality will not allow me to go into details as her case was so awful any details would immediately point to her for anyone who knows her. However, she was pretty, intelligent and so desperate to better herself, and life for her son. She was however on drugs and born into a family where she was abused and stood no chance. She did well to get to where she was, but sadness is looking at her and seeing so much potential wasted.
13) Happiest memory. Easy this one. Our 2 daughters were born 12 months apart. When Eric bought Harriette into hospital to take me home on the morning of Alice's birth, Harriette could not wait to get unstrapped from her pushchair. Eric lifted her onto the bottom of the bed and she crawled, as fast a her fat little legs would carry her, up to us at the top of the bed and threw her arms round Alice with such force and love that Alice bellowed. It was wonderful!
14) Hero. Superman. Well Christopher Reeve, as Superman, and in real life. But my real hero is Eric. You may cringe at that but he is. And it's official, after he was shot, (yes he really was, bank robbery we got involved in - long story) a friend entered his name to a competition (run by Hero aftershave) asking who is your hero and why. And they won.
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? No really strong feelings on this. I, sort of, do prefer burial but Eric wants to be cremated and ashes scattered at sea in the Channel. Well he always used to want that. In view of our emigration to NZ I wonder if that's changed, I must ask him. Anyway, I'd sort of like to think we'd be 'laid to rest' together, so I guess it depends on what he wants. If I am buried I'd like to have peace and quiet and nice views!
Harriette Tanner of Hobbiton
1) Favourite colour: Black
2) Favourite movie: Lotr RotK
3) Favourite animal: Freckles
4) Favourite book; RotK
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie)I was really torn between staying at Cedar Lodge with the bliss of a tv, sofa & peace & quiet or the company of other England fans to share the victory. (u meenie carol!) humph
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto) :
World Champions
7) Favourite smell: Strange crol but pea soup
8) Most essential quality in a friend: Understanding
9) Most desirable quality in a partner: Loyalty
10) Most embarrassing moment: Falling into the centennial pool
11) Proudest achievement: Playing in the jnr concert band on my sax
12) Saddest memory: Leaving good old England
13) Happiest memory: Picking Stin up
14) Hero:Stin
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? : I'm to young to think about it
Eric of Matamata , NZ
1) Favourite colour -Black
2)Favourite movie - The Cruel Sea " Whatho, schnorkers!"
3) Favourite animal -'Gun'dogs or pigs, I'm not sure which
4) Favourite book - Basic butchery of stock and game
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie) - The fire brigade one. I can't imagine why but it seemed such a good entry, if only it could have been someone elses property.
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto) -
"Gwapple me Gwape Nuts"
7) Favourite smell - Fresh hay/the smell of fresh sea ie not stinking estuary type pongs
8) Most essential quality in a friend - Loyalty
9) Most desirable quality in a partner - I'll have to careful here, let me think some more!
10) Most embarrassing moment - Being caught with a neighbours daughter not quite in a compromised position.
12) Saddest memory - Getting rid of my faithfull Painty dog prior to leaving for the deep dark South.
13) Happiest memory - Birth of my daughters. (WHY!!!?)
14) Hero - Winston Churchill
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? - Cremated and my ashes scattered at sea from Dover lifeboat. In fact, I am going to make a casket with a lead weight in it so that I sink in one piece if that makes sense! I did think of getting my ashes mailed to people all over the world and asking them to deposit them somewhere unusual but that has since been done by someone who pre deceased me! I'm still here!!
Stan can you insert the photo's? Don't know if you can. Thanks. MTx
Michelle Tanner of Cedar Lodge
1) Favourite colour RED (does that make me an aggressive person?!)
2) Favourite movie Call me soppy but 'On Golden Pond' is still my favourite, I haven't seen it for about 20 years now and can't remember the characters names but the stubborn-ness and humour of Henry Fonda's character is wonderful. I was fascinated by Henry and Jane Fonda playing father and daughter. How much did it reflect their real life relationship? The wonderful scenery, and of course the devoted love of Henry and .... oooohhhhh... I can't remember the really famous woman who played his wife.... anyway... it was great. How I romantically picture Eric and I at 75!!!!!! It's just come to me, Catherine Hepburn. I also loved The English Patient - Ralph Fiennes, sssoooo sexy.
3) Favourite animal. Difficult this. I love having cows and pigs.. and of course Ben and Inca but I adore dolphins and whales (doesn't everyone?) and watching big cats, elephants and giraffe in the wild is fascinating (giraffe in the zoo are boring but in their own environment....). But this says favourite animal, singular, so I have to say gorilla. Now I have not seen these wild, and that is one of my 'dreams'. but I have sat for hours and watched them at Howletts and Port Lympe. Absolutely wonderful.
4) Favourite book. I have just lost lots of sleep as I could not put down a gripping crime thriller called Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult (a mother, who is also a prosecutor, takes the law into her own hands and publicly kills the perpetrator of a sexual assault on her 5 year old son. The local priest. A big twist comes later and you wonder all through how she can get away with it. A study of a mothers love that one can really relate to (not a bad thing to read when my own mother-daughter relationship is under such pressure with a seriously hormonal child in the family!!) Never heard of her before but I certainly will be digging out more of her books. But favourite.. really hard this one. I'm not 'well-read' and have read far more text books than literature. I can't answer this one Carol, sorry.
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie). Well it has to be the fire - doesn't it!!
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto). Not the horses or the flowers!!! I know it appears conceited as I am in them but the 2 pics taken with Ben, Inca and me in August. I also love all the scenery, sunrays through the trees and Tauranga (which is actually taken at the Mount!).
7) Favourite smell. Freshly washed hair. I love snuggling into Alice's neck at bedtime when she has just washed (and dried!) her hair. Harriette also smells good but has short hair, Alice's is long! Ben and Inca smell decidedly better after a hairwash too!
8) Most essential quality in a friend. I'm not sure about 'quality' but it's knowing that no matter how erratic the contact and how long the separation, when you see each other again it was like you were last together yesterday. I've lived in 3 countries in my adult life and that's what I have with my dearest friends. I don't know if that is called loyalty or trust, love or what, or maybe it reflects something rather than being a quality as such.
9) Most desirable quality in a partner. Again this is not 'sum-up-able' in one word or quality. All of the clichés (GSOH, loyalty, trust, etc) are important but it's that 'knowing' feeing. I know Eric loves me, I know I can trust him, I know how he will respond to something, I know he will always be there for me, and our children..I 'know' him. And that is the greatest gift, along with children, that one can have in life.
10) Most embarrassing moment. I don't know if this was 'the' most embarrassing but it is recent. I popped into ICU to see the crowd I used to work with. One girl there I had always thought of as an elegant woman older than me (I'm 44). In front of her someone asked me how old she was. Always difficult this. I 'conservatively' estimated 45-48 so as not to embarrass her if she wasn't the 53'ish I thought. It turns out she was 35!!!!! I managed to keep a straight face and say I was joking, and I think I got away with it. But I couldn't get out of there quick enough!! (Carol if ever this is published you are banned from putting this in context!!)
11) Proudest achievement. On Wednesday I helped out on the last day of a music camp that Harriette was on. It was a morning of fun activities and I was helping on the flying fox. We were in the bush (it was so beautiful) and this went over a river, pretty challenging as the kids had to drop of a platform about 30' up. There were 3 ways over the river, a log bridge, the flying fox and a rope bridge. ie a steel cable tied between 2 trees with 2 cables at arm height to hold on to. All 30' in the air. It took me ages, I was absolutely terrified and my legs were killing me afterwards (I am very unfit) but I was sooooo chuffed with myself. That was very recent, but graduating from my first degree was pretty good as well. I was the first person to get a degree from anyone in my whole, extended family and was chuffed for my parents sake. Giving birth and surviving labour has to be the best though. Holding that baby and thinking 'we did this'!!!
12) Saddest memory. The saddest things in our lives must always be loss. Losing my partner of 3 years in a car accident was more than sad, it was devastating, as was the loss of my brother in a drowning accident. But these things gave me strength as I survived them. Love lost is also very sad, and we all have that experience. But, I once worked as a Health Visitor and one of my moms was a young girl who had a more tragic life than any of us could imagine. Confidentiality will not allow me to go into details as her case was so awful any details would immediately point to her for anyone who knows her. However, she was pretty, intelligent and so desperate to better herself, and life for her son. She was however on drugs and born into a family where she was abused and stood no chance. She did well to get to where she was, but sadness is looking at her and seeing so much potential wasted.
13) Happiest memory. Easy this one. Our 2 daughters were born 12 months apart. When Eric bought Harriette into hospital to take me home on the morning of Alice's birth, Harriette could not wait to get unstrapped from her pushchair. Eric lifted her onto the bottom of the bed and she crawled, as fast a her fat little legs would carry her, up to us at the top of the bed and threw her arms round Alice with such force and love that Alice bellowed. It was wonderful!
14) Hero. Superman. Well Christopher Reeve, as Superman, and in real life. But my real hero is Eric. You may cringe at that but he is. And it's official, after he was shot, (yes he really was, bank robbery we got involved in - long story) a friend entered his name to a competition (run by Hero aftershave) asking who is your hero and why. And they won.
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? No really strong feelings on this. I, sort of, do prefer burial but Eric wants to be cremated and ashes scattered at sea in the Channel. Well he always used to want that. In view of our emigration to NZ I wonder if that's changed, I must ask him. Anyway, I'd sort of like to think we'd be 'laid to rest' together, so I guess it depends on what he wants. If I am buried I'd like to have peace and quiet and nice views!
Harriette Tanner of Hobbiton
1) Favourite colour: Black
2) Favourite movie: Lotr RotK
3) Favourite animal: Freckles
4) Favourite book; RotK
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie)I was really torn between staying at Cedar Lodge with the bliss of a tv, sofa & peace & quiet or the company of other England fans to share the victory. (u meenie carol!) humph
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto) :
7) Favourite smell: Strange crol but pea soup
8) Most essential quality in a friend: Understanding
9) Most desirable quality in a partner: Loyalty
10) Most embarrassing moment: Falling into the centennial pool
11) Proudest achievement: Playing in the jnr concert band on my sax
12) Saddest memory: Leaving good old England
13) Happiest memory: Picking Stin up
14) Hero:Stin
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? : I'm to young to think about it
Eric of Matamata , NZ
1) Favourite colour -Black
2)Favourite movie - The Cruel Sea " Whatho, schnorkers!"
3) Favourite animal -'Gun'dogs or pigs, I'm not sure which
4) Favourite book - Basic butchery of stock and game
5) Favourite passage from Q4A (if you don't have one, lie) - The fire brigade one. I can't imagine why but it seemed such a good entry, if only it could have been someone elses property.
6) Favourite photo from Q4A (ditto) -
7) Favourite smell - Fresh hay/the smell of fresh sea ie not stinking estuary type pongs
8) Most essential quality in a friend - Loyalty
9) Most desirable quality in a partner - I'll have to careful here, let me think some more!
10) Most embarrassing moment - Being caught with a neighbours daughter not quite in a compromised position.
12) Saddest memory - Getting rid of my faithfull Painty dog prior to leaving for the deep dark South.
13) Happiest memory - Birth of my daughters. (WHY!!!?)
14) Hero - Winston Churchill
15) Buried or cremated ? Where ? Why ? - Cremated and my ashes scattered at sea from Dover lifeboat. In fact, I am going to make a casket with a lead weight in it so that I sink in one piece if that makes sense! I did think of getting my ashes mailed to people all over the world and asking them to deposit them somewhere unusual but that has since been done by someone who pre deceased me! I'm still here!!
Stan can you insert the photo's? Don't know if you can. Thanks. MTx
Water woes
Stuff and bother! I started an entry last week and put it in drafts, and now I can't find it. Oh well.
I carefully turned on the taps this morning, it's Saturday, and low and behold we had water! Hurray!!! Let me explain. Water has caused us problems almost every weekend for weeks now. When Mom and Daddy were here the water went off on a Fri night. Eric checked the bore and it was pumping continuously indicating a leak somewhere. Ian (neighbour who owns the bore) and Eric checked all the paddocks (the water leaves the bore then goes round all our, and their, paddocks to the troughs before coming to our house) by torchlight, and could find nothing. They decided some of the old piping buried under Ian's paddocks must be leaking so closed off the pump overnight. (Bottled water to drink and clean teeth by and buckets of pool water to flush loos.) In the morning Eric bought 250m of alkathene piping and fitted a bypass to allow water to come from the pump to the house directly. When they turned the pump on we STILL had no water. Eric then checked the paddocks again and found that in one of the paddocks he thought Ian had checked the water was hosing out. One of the horses had kicked a joint and it had separated!!!! It just needed re-connecting. Luckily, the piping bypass was a job that was on the 'to do' list anyway but I could have done without being waterless for 18 hours, and all the accompanying stress.
The following Friday Eric came home from work and noticed the pump was smoking. The pump had come off it's mount and worn the belts. Eric replaced the belts and did a temporary job on the mounting to tide us over the w/e., with the intention of getting it professionally welded on Monday. Little did he know that Ian and Claire planned to top up their 35,000 litre tank over that same w/e (it is normally filled with rain water but we've has no rain), giving the system a severe hammering. The pump moved again, belts ripped and we woke up on Sat morning to no water AGAIN! Another 6 hours waterless as they replaced the belts and got a friend to weld pump to mounting.
The following w/e the hot water heating element went and we had no hot water. Luckily it was cold enough to light the fire, which also heats the water via the wetback. THEN, last w/e, on Good Friday, we lost water AGAIN. This time we had to get the bore engineers out and they lifted the pipe (all 120' of it) to find that there was a tiny hole in the pipe and it was sucking water. They did a repair to tide us over the w/e and we wait for them to do a proper repair (should have been this week!). So you can see why I tuned on taps with trepidation this morning! Oh the joys of rural living! This particular episode was extra stressful as we were awaiting friends from Auckland and I had visions of being waterless with visitors for 4 days!
News from the Tanner household? Well Carol and Bloo return today after their (her) 2 weeks of kiwi roaming. Bloo met up with her as he is also kiwi (well world actually) roaming. Bloo is another ex-dukkie (Eric's old school). Carol returns to the UK on 21 April having failed to engage any kiwi passsport holder in marriage to secure her permanent residency status. I joke! She is obviously looking forward to seeing friends and family but I think it will be with great saddness that she departs this beautiful country. Having just done the Coromandel and Bay of Islands leaving is going to be even harder methinks. We will all be very sad to see her go, she has become an integral part of our lives and through her blog we have seen Cedar Lodge through the eyes of another. Although we always knew we had it pretty good here it is nice to hear the comments of others that usually reinforce that. Life is not a bunch of roses (as the water tale demonstrates), we have the tedium of daily routines, the struggles of Eric's attempts to get qualified, endless exams and all the frustrations that go with that, Harriette's hormones to cope with (and mine!) and money, or lask of it, intermittently causing problems. But... we do it all in a beautiful setting with a secure family life and good health, which is more than lots of other people can say. I sit hear in bed with the girls next door bopping around to Stan's Party tape (how many of you remember that tape? Thunderbirds, Rocky Horror, Blues Brothers and Dehlila (spelling?)), which is blaring out, and Eric in the loo doing something that is a cross between singing along to the tape and a goons impression. Life can't be that bad!
As for us all, on both sides of the globe, the kids are on holiday. The girls are booked in for a day of golf and another of netball next week. Alice has Ashley staying for as long as she wants. Ashley used to go to Hinuera School but her parents moved to Ngatea (about an hour away) to work on another farm. Childcare during the hols is not a problem with me home working as I just organise any visits I need to do for the afternoons when Eric is at home. Except I have arranged a meeting at the local prison for 11am on Monday! Oh well I can drop the girls off at the pool and let them have a mornings swimming.
Well I guess I ought to get up. The Stan tape has finished and Eric is out feeding animals (we have had to start feeding silage to the cows as the grass has stopped growing - no rain). I have a cottage to clean up as I have not been in there since Beth, Graham and Luke left after last w/e, and shopping to do if people want to eat this coming week!
I do wonder if anyone reads this but then I guess it doesn't matter as it's more a diary for us. But let me know if you do. I'd especially like to know if anyone comes across this who does not know us. And I must ask Stan to put 'comments' and a 'contact us' on here if there isn't one already. Can you Stan?
I carefully turned on the taps this morning, it's Saturday, and low and behold we had water! Hurray!!! Let me explain. Water has caused us problems almost every weekend for weeks now. When Mom and Daddy were here the water went off on a Fri night. Eric checked the bore and it was pumping continuously indicating a leak somewhere. Ian (neighbour who owns the bore) and Eric checked all the paddocks (the water leaves the bore then goes round all our, and their, paddocks to the troughs before coming to our house) by torchlight, and could find nothing. They decided some of the old piping buried under Ian's paddocks must be leaking so closed off the pump overnight. (Bottled water to drink and clean teeth by and buckets of pool water to flush loos.) In the morning Eric bought 250m of alkathene piping and fitted a bypass to allow water to come from the pump to the house directly. When they turned the pump on we STILL had no water. Eric then checked the paddocks again and found that in one of the paddocks he thought Ian had checked the water was hosing out. One of the horses had kicked a joint and it had separated!!!! It just needed re-connecting. Luckily, the piping bypass was a job that was on the 'to do' list anyway but I could have done without being waterless for 18 hours, and all the accompanying stress.
The following Friday Eric came home from work and noticed the pump was smoking. The pump had come off it's mount and worn the belts. Eric replaced the belts and did a temporary job on the mounting to tide us over the w/e., with the intention of getting it professionally welded on Monday. Little did he know that Ian and Claire planned to top up their 35,000 litre tank over that same w/e (it is normally filled with rain water but we've has no rain), giving the system a severe hammering. The pump moved again, belts ripped and we woke up on Sat morning to no water AGAIN! Another 6 hours waterless as they replaced the belts and got a friend to weld pump to mounting.
The following w/e the hot water heating element went and we had no hot water. Luckily it was cold enough to light the fire, which also heats the water via the wetback. THEN, last w/e, on Good Friday, we lost water AGAIN. This time we had to get the bore engineers out and they lifted the pipe (all 120' of it) to find that there was a tiny hole in the pipe and it was sucking water. They did a repair to tide us over the w/e and we wait for them to do a proper repair (should have been this week!). So you can see why I tuned on taps with trepidation this morning! Oh the joys of rural living! This particular episode was extra stressful as we were awaiting friends from Auckland and I had visions of being waterless with visitors for 4 days!
News from the Tanner household? Well Carol and Bloo return today after their (her) 2 weeks of kiwi roaming. Bloo met up with her as he is also kiwi (well world actually) roaming. Bloo is another ex-dukkie (Eric's old school). Carol returns to the UK on 21 April having failed to engage any kiwi passsport holder in marriage to secure her permanent residency status. I joke! She is obviously looking forward to seeing friends and family but I think it will be with great saddness that she departs this beautiful country. Having just done the Coromandel and Bay of Islands leaving is going to be even harder methinks. We will all be very sad to see her go, she has become an integral part of our lives and through her blog we have seen Cedar Lodge through the eyes of another. Although we always knew we had it pretty good here it is nice to hear the comments of others that usually reinforce that. Life is not a bunch of roses (as the water tale demonstrates), we have the tedium of daily routines, the struggles of Eric's attempts to get qualified, endless exams and all the frustrations that go with that, Harriette's hormones to cope with (and mine!) and money, or lask of it, intermittently causing problems. But... we do it all in a beautiful setting with a secure family life and good health, which is more than lots of other people can say. I sit hear in bed with the girls next door bopping around to Stan's Party tape (how many of you remember that tape? Thunderbirds, Rocky Horror, Blues Brothers and Dehlila (spelling?)), which is blaring out, and Eric in the loo doing something that is a cross between singing along to the tape and a goons impression. Life can't be that bad!
As for us all, on both sides of the globe, the kids are on holiday. The girls are booked in for a day of golf and another of netball next week. Alice has Ashley staying for as long as she wants. Ashley used to go to Hinuera School but her parents moved to Ngatea (about an hour away) to work on another farm. Childcare during the hols is not a problem with me home working as I just organise any visits I need to do for the afternoons when Eric is at home. Except I have arranged a meeting at the local prison for 11am on Monday! Oh well I can drop the girls off at the pool and let them have a mornings swimming.
Well I guess I ought to get up. The Stan tape has finished and Eric is out feeding animals (we have had to start feeding silage to the cows as the grass has stopped growing - no rain). I have a cottage to clean up as I have not been in there since Beth, Graham and Luke left after last w/e, and shopping to do if people want to eat this coming week!
I do wonder if anyone reads this but then I guess it doesn't matter as it's more a diary for us. But let me know if you do. I'd especially like to know if anyone comes across this who does not know us. And I must ask Stan to put 'comments' and a 'contact us' on here if there isn't one already. Can you Stan?
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