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.
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