Anyway, we have had a good weekend. Juliet, Kev, Hannah and Emma came down for the w/e. At this time of year with netball w/e's occupy only one and a half days as they cannot get here until Sat pm. Trouble is we are all inundated with visitors through the summer months (don't get me wrong I'm not complaining)that finding a weekend when we can have the whole w/e together is very difficult.
On Saturday, Eric took Alice in for her 10am match and then bought her home. I then took Harriette in for her 1pm match (early - I dropped her off) and did the supermarket shop. Came back and got unpacked before The Stokes arrived then had to go back in to pick her up. Emma and Hannah wanted to watch Harriette play so I took them in with me. Harriette played a team of predominantly Maori girls (always renounded for their awesome play, as children anyway). Their goal shoot and goal attack were the most amazing shooters. They would catch the ball turn and pop it into the goal all in one fluid movement, from anywhere in the semi-circle. No lining up or aiming, no stepping forward or anything. Harriette's Golden Dragons lost 29 - 9 but that doesn't reflect possession or territory. It's just that the opposition scored anytime they got within sight of the goal. Harriette had a good game with some nice passes, playing wing attack.
The weather since Friday has been a bit miserable. So we have stayed indoors chatting, and eating far too much, for most of the weekend. I had a mad attack of baking on Friday evening making macaroons (Eric's favourite and the best ones I've made I think), a fruit cake (Juliet: 8oz each of SR flour, butter (melted) or marg, brown sugar,raisins and sultanas. 1 tbsp each mixed spice and brandy. 4 eggs and 4oz coconut. Mix and bake for 1 hour at 140 C, 275 F, Mk 1, cover top with gp paper and cook for another hour and 15min) and chocolate brownies. Saturday evening the girls were in very good humour and we were in stitches over supper with everybody's declaration as to who they most fancied. The girls cannot understand why I think Snape is so sexy and were horrified at Kev's announcement that he lusted after Liv Tyler declaring that she had piggy lips. Kev said he'd never noticed which led me to believe he had been directing his attention to her other attributes!! The girls stayed up late watching a Chamber of Secrets in Harriettes room. We realised too late that we should have suggested another movie as Hannah found this too scary for bedtime viewing (I can understand this) and was therefore encroaching on our 'adult time'. Difficult to avoid as we have a fairly open plan home.
On Sunday we did this:
The older cows are going to be sold, as I think I have said, and some are missing ear tags, so we had to put tags on them. This involved rounding them up and getting them into the races (pens with a channel in which you can hold them and do whatever you need to with them). Now they are getting more and more resistant to the idea of going in the races and will duck and dive all over the place rather than go in them. Rounding them up took all 8 of us. Once in I would try and get their heads up (why is it the one you wanted to tag would suddenly find the ground so interesting and manage to get their head firmly wedged under the body of the other cow in the crush?) and then Eric would drench (the ones that were staying)and tag them. My only injury this time was a bruise on my bum when Freckles shoved her horns in the back of my thigh when I was standing on the fence in her pen (affectionately of course!) and a bruised hand when Ermentrude wedged it, at the base of my thumb, between her horns and the fence. Ouch! We caught a good patch of weather and in fact the heavens opened just as we got back to the house. A good excuse for tea and cakes!
Freckles has won a reprieve. Eric suggested that we get her de-horned and keep her, maybe breeding from her. Needless to say Harriette was over the moon. I must say I'm quite pleased as she is rather sweet, and about the only cow you can get close enough to to stroke.
Sunday, when we were preparing vegetables for our roast dinner, Eric bent down to pick up the potatoe sack in the kitchen and I pinched his bum. Well it was just there... for the asking! Anyway, he leapt back and yelled in pain. He'd tweaked his back and was most upset when we all fell about laughing! Anyway he moaned for the rest of the day and sulked that no-one was sympathising with him. This morning, while walking round the bedroom in nothing but his red underpants he forgot himself and did a bum wriggling sort of jig and again yelled and doubled up in pain as he was reminded of his sore back. Once again he did not seem to appreciate me falling about laughing at his misfortune!
Yesterday evening with the girls in bed early Eric and I had a lovely evening doing nothing. Well almost. I dozed on the sofa listening to an unabridged Rebus tape and then cleared about 2 years worth of accumulated sewing. So satisfying!
Thank heavens Eric is back to working his normal 4 hours a day this week. I have a guaranteed boring week as I have to get this Regional Analysis finished by Friday. It is soooo boring wading through pages of stats. At least I have my computer back. It did arrive on Friday but I was mortified when I couldn't connect. It turned out to be a minor problem as they had changed the telephone number on it. Today I have been having printer problems!!!!!!!
I consulted my birthday calendar today and was mortified to see that I had not got cards in the post in time for Helen and Katies birthdays. But what was even worse was I had totally forgotten Cheryl and Marks wedding anniversary AND Marks birthday. Groveling emails sent. Why am I so bad at getting organised at sending cards? I can't even say I forget as I cannot remember any birthdays beyond immediate family and rely on my birthday calendar to tell me when everyone else's are due. I send about 80% of my cards late!
Enough for now. Night night.
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