Photo's

Second posting tonight with some more piccies. This has become very complicated. Firstly I messed up some of the links for the first set of photo's. Whilst trying to sort it found a comment from Stan saying he was sorting it. ie we were both fiddling at the same time. Very confusing so Stan went to work and left me to it. Then, I am trying to work out why I missed Friday the 13th this month. I then consulted the calendar and realised that I hadn't but Eric's camera was on NZ time and therefore the Friday night piccies it thought were taken on Sat morning (13th Nov)!!! Anyway, here are the photo's I missed last time, and some more.




These taken on Friday, not the 13th:





And these on Sunday:


Jez

Brotherly Love - Mark and Stan

Hugh

PHOTOGRAPHS!!!!!

For heavens sake. Talk about harrassment! HERE are some photo's. Now are you happy!!!!

Dover Castle

Bloo's left nostril

A tad traditional I know Ian but lipstick is traditionally worn on the lips.

Poor Mugs.

Another person Eric was delighted to see. Thanks for making it Woody.

For the girls to comment on!

I have nothing to say!!!

Stin and Kate

Yet another welcome face - Kate.

Meterological Matters

It is very frustrating when you do a blog…then loose it!! It wasn’t the first, and probably won’t be the last but it is still very annoying. I wrote blog then went to photobucket to sort some piccies out to paste. As I was about to click the button I briefly thought I should save this in drafts. Why do I not listen to my inner voice?! Anyway. I was, in said lost blog, talking about the weather.

Regular readers may know of my, near obsession, with the weather. I thought the British had the monopoly on meterological concerns. Well their casual ‘still raining’ or ‘nice weather today’ comments are nothing on the conversations that go on down here. For a start the weather here is seriously unpredictable and secondly it is seriously important. Judging when to lock down paddocks, when to get hay/silage cut etc are expensive decisions. One year in a few decades time we might get it right! And by unpredictable I mean that. A few days ago Eric and Carol sat on the deck for, so they tell me, a short period of time (?!) and Eric at least got sunburnt. Yesterday it was bitter cold all day (16 degrees),with showers of torrential rain and very windy. In the afternoon I lit the fire. Today, as I sit in bed at 7.20am, it looks gorgeous but by 9am who knows. I hope it is good today as there is some sort of parade in Matamata at 11am that the girls want to go to.

Still on the theme of the weather, yesterday I was driving home between Cambridge and Hamilton and was taken aback by the sky. Directly above me and following the line of the road, was a strip of white cloud. To the left of it was lower seriously black cloud and in the distance I could see rain falling on the hills. To the right of this strip was bright blue sky and occasional ‘good weather’ clouds. Needless to say I was driving into the weather system to my left. In fact by the time I got to Camridge I was in the midst of a hail storm. It’s all my fault you know. I got the summer duvet out when Eric was away.

Yesterday morning I was laying in bed looking at the rain and listening to the weather forecast when asked Eric if anyone had told God that it is supposed to be summer. He handed me the phone but I didn’t know the number!

Carol has left and headed South, due back this weekend. Her blog takes on a different hue when she writes from NZ. There is no doubting where her heart is. I have always said how she pales my ramblings into insignificance.( www.quest4aragorn.blogspot.com ). She even makes very unfunny things funny. As an example, as few days ago she managed to join us for breakfast and related, almost verbatim, the talk over the table. No I was there and found it, at the time, frustrating. You know, the usual, ‘will you do this’ and ‘have you got that’ pre-school stuff. Well reading Carols version was hilarious. Maybe I would benefit from looking from the outside in sometimes.

Work has eased off a bit with a huge rush due over the coming weeks. I have almost nothing in the following week and plan to keep it that way. I will take some of the many hours time owing I am due and catch up on weeks of neglected office work. Our Cold Chain Accreditation process should start next week but I am not planning to do any until the following week. I need some breathing space. I am aware that I have not been performing very well this last 4 weeks and Jude has even picked up on it so I must take myself in hand. Eric has been very supportive – when he’s been here!!! But I know I must take responsibility for myself. Gosh isn’t that very growd up!

Well I guess I ought to get up. Have invited R+R and Helen and Phil for supper tonight. R+R are busy and haven’t heard back from H+P (left them a message). Also left Mandy a message asking if we could pop in today as I have to go over to Tauranga but haven’t heard back from her. (Must check my deodorant!!!)

Will try and post piccies this evening if we don’t have ‘company’. Did your parents used to refer to ‘company’ when people came over? Mine did. Doesn’t it sound terribly quaint now!

Hobnobs and Horse Riding.

Living in a constant state of exhaustion blogging has been neglected lately and what has been written has been less than interesting. Hopefully normal service will soon be resumed. I have been looking forward to ths evening. Not only have I got the last few weeks out the way but the VTC I was running today and yesterday are now finished. I came home and had a long snuggle with Eric on the sofa with a cup of tea and the paper, which I managed to read - bliss!

We got our sheep sheared on Sunday afternoon. The black sheep look almost shiny black now as opposed to the dull brown with full fleece on board. They have not been terribly well looked after this last 6 months and I expected them to be skinny underneath all that wool. They looked suprisingly good though. Several wethers (de-bollocked males) have huge smudges of pink on their faces. When the withholding period following drenching has passed they will find their way into the freezer. Carol made some comment about the sheep talking to each other ' Ere, have I got pink stuff on my face?'

Eric is sunburnt. While I slogged away teaching all day yesterday, Eric and Carol sat chatting on the deck. In true kiwi summer style it is now chucking down with rain and I even lit the fire again this evening!!!

Carol took Alice horse riding this evening. I have previously expressed my admiration for her teacher Dorne but what do I know about horse-riding. It was nice to hear Carol (who does know about horses) come in singing her praises. Carol also commented that she had never seen Alice apply herself so well. She really does love her lessons.

Bridget and Carol finally met on Sunday afternoon. They seemed to get on like a house on fire (ooppps, bad pun where Carols concerned but you know what I mean!!).

I am sooo generous. On Sunday morning I shared my hobnobs with Eric. My image of a Sunday morning snuggled up in bed with tea, hobnobs and the Saturday paper went out the window though. We had gone to bed so early Saturday night that I was awake at 6.30am. I was conscious that Eric had had a bad night and was so sleep deprived that I got up so as not to disturb him. I was in the veg plot at 7.30am but I did leave him tea and biscuits on the bedside table before I left. However Eric did present me with 3 bars of Galaxy chocolate Saturday night and I guess I cannot hog ALL the goodies.

Home safe and sound.

Today is the first day that I have felt even half normal since getting home. Thanks to everyone involved, I was shell shocked and knackered but enjoyed being 'Yo' Bitch fo da weeken'. I do feel that an apology is in order to MTM though. If your reading this, I'm sorry if Stan and I hijacked your evening on the Wednesday night mate. Piggy is wonderful and we enjoyed your company sooo much we just couldn't let you slip off! You even looked as though you enjoyed it, in which case, I'm not sorry at all so skip the apology bit, but Piggy is still wonderful. The beer there is good too, only the kebab afterwards didn't do it justice. Sorry had to have one before I left.

A good flight from LHR to Tokyo with a whole centre isle to myself. I stretched out and did get some sleep, the cabin crew were going to leave me to sleep through dinner but a whiff and I was sat up ready for grub. That was about an hour into the flight, needless to say despite occassional nods, I didn't get back to sleep. The films were the same as the ones on the way there, so no relief from that quarter. I was too tired to read and my eyes ached so just me and the long haul. A three hour stopover in the transit lounge and off again on the home leg. I couldn't believe my luck, it seemed as if I was going to have the three seats by the window on which to stretch out my abused body. Just as the doors were being shut, two giggling Japanese girls sat beside me! I had the last laugh as the chap infront had the same idea of stretching out and as the cabin crew shut up dived into the row infront with a glance around to make sure that he was ok. Two more Japanese came looking for their seats and he had to sheepishly relinquish his prize. I tried not to smirk but it was hard! The flight was uneventful and I nodded a couple of times waking myself up each time I did it.

Coming through passport control was a breeze only about fifteen of us were NZ passport holders or held residence certificates. Great, through in a trice only to be held up waiting for the luggage to come through. Last as it happens. Alice was there to greet me and M was on her mobile to Cx who had forgotten her vanity case. I ask you, can you imagine Cx without lippy and hair straighteners? Harri couldn't come as her back was so painful. Carol was cooking my breakfast so I'll let her off. Besides, that would have been too much. Her meeting me at Heathrow and then at Auckland. My mind was numb anyway!

Yesterday we had the sheep shorn and I was left pooped. Today, it was back to work as per usual. It was a bit like a long dream. I felt myself starting to nod at one point and had to pull over and drink in the sunshine. How long can I make that excuse last? Not too bad a morning though, a couple of stray dogs that I managed to reunite with owners. A property inspection out in the wop wops, and delivery of my pig bin to the orchard. The owners then quizzed me as to how many pigs I had and then asked if I would take over the disposal of the big bins ( 200 Ltr drums) of veg waste. You bet! Tonight the pigs dined on stawberries and could have had the last of the colostrum which I suppose is as near as pigs will ever get to strawberries and cream. Cx cooked a mexican for us. Where she dragged him from I don't know but he spat too much and smoked terribly! It was very good in truth and M and I appreciated not having to cook for once.

M is pooped and I'm sunburnt from sitting on the deck with Cx after work putting the world to rights. Time for bed and hopefully tomorrow, I can put an entry on the Forum. Note for Richard, THE FORUM, not the afore mentioned magazine Forum! Night night and sleep well all. I'll bore you all again soon. Cheers Eric

2 travellers, arrived safely

Sitting in the living room with Carol, Eric and the girls eating a bar of white Toblerone (Thank You Mom and Daddy - it wasn't meant for Xmas was it?!?!?!) having just had a pizzas on the deck. It is 7pm and I'm sure it must be nearly bedtime!

I drove to Auckland airport yesterday with the girls to collect Carol at midday and was back up there at 9pm today to collect Eric. Eric arrived, ill with a sore throat, tired through lack of sleep (over the last 10 days not just 24 hours) and grumpy!! He improved significantly after the cooked breakfast Carol made, a shower and shave. I am impressed that he has managed to get through the day without snoozing.

Back to yesterday. Harriette was going to go to school to hand in her budgeting project in the morning but was unable to complete it as the computer locked up for 2 days and she didn't have it on disk. She therefore stayed off. I had a quick tidy up, having been up til gone midnight trying to get some semblance of order in the place, and we tottled off. Carol arrived looking pale and immaculate, not the healthy loooking country girl that left here 6 months ago. The weather was gorgous (I was pleased, it would have been awful for her to have arrived in the rain) and she spent the afternoon by the pool. She is delighted to be back here and it is good to have her back. We had supper on the deck, well we started to, it then became rather blowy so we adjorned to the kitchen. This morning it was up again at 6.30am for the second trip to Auckland.

Richard, our shearer phoned this morning and asked if he could shear tomorrow (I phoned him to ask when he could do it a few weeks ago). My heart sank! Not tomorrow, my only lie in and Eric's first morning back. "Yes" I said " what time?" I was most relieved when he said 1.30. R+R were going to pop in pm tomorrow so I have phoned to re-arrange that for am. Bridget is calling in after work. Our poor shep missed out on their May shearing this year. Normally Claire tells us when she is getting her sheep done and we put ours in to be done at the same time but she didn't this year. By the time we got round to phoning we had started lambing and it seemed to take about 6 months to have 8 or 9 lambs so they didn't get done. Poor things, they must be exhausted carrying all that fleece around.

Eric has had an amazing time away and I cannot say Thank You enough to all of you who contributed to his ticket. I have asked Stan for a list of all who did so we can say Thank you individually but I think the chance of me getting it is about zero. Bloo Thank you so much for risking your credit card for this and I hope that you are not out of pocket. Thank you Helen and Carol also. Everyone I have told has commented on what brilliant mates Eric must have to do such a thing - I agree.

Eric unpacking was great. I got...... an IKEA catalogue. Thank you sooo much M+D. I also got heaps of Thorntons toffee and chocolates as well as 2 Toblerone bars. I am presuming that these are Xmas pressies and we will save all, but afore mentioned bar already consumed , for then. Big Thank Yous. I also got a giant packet of HobNobs and 4 packets of custard creams. Just as well I don't do diets isn't it. I have to say I have no intention of sharing hobnobs with ANYONE!!!

I actally got down to my veg plot today. I planted some lettuce and pepper plants. I am a bit stymied until my poo comes. I must phone again on Monday. They said it would be here on Tuesday last week but I've only phoned twice and it usually takes 5 calls before it actually arrives, in true kiwi style!!

I'm going to eat my strwberries and cream that Alice has just haned me and go to bed. Night night all.

Too tired to Blog.

Carol's here. It's 9pm and I'm exhausted. Have to get up early again tomorrow (Sat) to go and pick up Eric. I am SSOOOOOO looking forward to regaining some normalitiy back in life. Have been really lonely without Eric around. Harri is not coming to the airport. I think she has fractured her coxyx (?spelling!!) and 4 hours in the back of our bone shaker was enough for her today.

Will blog long and hard in the next day or 2.

Life at home Pooh-less and tree felling.

Not quite sure why I'm blogging down under when all the action is happening 'Up top'. If you ignore trees falling across the drive and dead animals!

Went to see Juliet and Kev for the day yesterday. Kev was bought a chocolate lab puppy bu his in-laws and Mom as an early Xmas pressie. Needless to say she is gorgeous and has bought some light into their world lately. No photos as my camera is elsewhere! No news on the job front and with Xmas approaching none expected. Kev is looking into setting up a business on his own at present. If it doesn't come off at least it has given him something to focus on. Juliet's parents have just arrived from the UK so it was nice to see them. They have just had got their residency through so I am hoping that Mom and Daddy follow in their footsteps very soon.

Finally had a good conversation with Eric this morning. ie he wasn't a) drunk, b) in a room with a hundred other people or c) on a cellphone that was breaking up. I phoned him at our dear friends Helen and Paul's. Helen said he still looked shocked. I also had a great chat with Helen, whom I miss lots still. Eric obviously has an absolute ball over the weekend and I can't thank you all enough for that. I have never seen such good photo's of Eric as those taken since he found out he was going, just beaming! I am pleased that he will have a bit of a wind down time with his family over the next few days.

Alice took a call from Claire, next door, this afternoon saying that a tree had come down on our drive. Yes Eric, that one you said you would tell Ian about. Claire said Ian had said last week he must chop it down before it falls down!!! No-one could have predicted the weather we have had this last 24 hours. I woke at 11.45pm to an enormous clap of thunder. The rain was deafening so I did the usual, walk round the house and close windows. Alice had the window next to her bed wide open (probably to allow Feral free access) and the blind was being sucked out. She was laying there sprawled out, covers off, oblivious. After deciding all was fine I went back to bed and thought of you all doing your 2 mins silence at Duke's. The rain was getting harder and harder and the wind was blowing a hooley. I decided that sods law said a tree would fall on the house as Eric wasn't here and got back up then to put some PJ's on. I thought back to the night of the fire when Carol and I both wasted time getting dressed (and running around in small circles in a totally unconstructive manner). I must say it was quite scarey but I finally manged to get back off to sleep. Since then we have had bright spells one minute and then rain and wind coming from nowhere the next - literally. Just after the girls got in from school Alan went to kill a couple of Claire and Ian's sheep (with their permission I hasten to add) and said the tree was already down. This means one of 2 things. Either the girls walked through/over it and forgot to tell me (unlikely but I can't exclude that totally) or it fell within minutes of them walking past it!!!

And the dead animal. I saw Inca in the front paddock hasseling a ewe and lamb yesterday. I called him and he reluctantly came back but on inspection I saw that the newborn lamb was dead. He was looking for an early supper!! I dumped it down the offal hole and was pleased to see today that the ewe has not been fussing around that part of the paddock. That is a couple of newborn lambs we have lost this year which is a bit worrying. I wonder if the fact that we did not get the sheep sheared in May is anything to do with it.

I took the girls to school today and picked up some things in Matamata. I popped in to Eric's office. He had had 2 emails from one of the girls. One saying they had just heard that Eric had to dash home and assumed it was a family crisis, could they do anything, and another which came after they got the full story. I planned to get organised at work today but got so many phone calls that I made very little progress. I have so many hours owing that I am hoping to take a few hours off each day this week. I guess I'd better take Friday off as I think someone might be expecting to be met from the airport! In fact I have 2 trips to the airport in less than 24 hours for Carol and Eric. Carol, could you get a bottle of Gordons and one of Blue Saphire at the duty free at Auckland please for me. I priced it last week and it is cheaper at the moment than buying in the shops. My gin levels are seriously low at present (ie levels in the booze cupboard, not blood levels!!). I think one of the girls told you that the growd up ribena is back on the shelves (they stopped making our everyday cheap red wine for about a year but it's back!). And what do you want for supper on Friday evening? Eric you know you will get pizza as you come home on a Sat.

Stan phoned briefly this evening. He had just got up for work and sounded terrible! Darling you left before Alice could say Hello and she was very sad!! :( Oh Alice has a blog!!! www.cedarlodge.blogspot.com I planned to get the girls sandwiches done and tomorrows pork vindaloo underway this evening but decided that a blog entry was required. It's now bedtime. Night, night. And good morning UK.

Rural Romeos and Airports

CAROL, CAROL!!!!! I have just bought the Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition) just for you. Yes, I know neither you nor I usually buys ‘Women’s’ magazines BUT this one has an article ‘Find A Farmer Wife. 25 Rural Romeos looking for love’. If we work quickly enough maybe you won’t have to go home in 4 weeks time!!!!!!! At first glance I’d go for No 4 Wayne of Taranki. Sheep/Beef farmer. He buys flowers!!!!!!!!, wants passion J but has 3 kids L!!! Should I book a blind date now?

I am sitting in Invercargill airport. When the hotel shuttle arrived there wasn’t anybody here! I swear you could have walked out the back and hoped in a plane and no-one would have noticed until you fired up the engines. I love small airports, you know the kind the are just one big room really where you can put your bags at a table and go and get coffee and still watch them, where you go outside to the car park (or in the likes of Zambia) the field the runway is in, and get your bags.

I’m going to research Rural Romeos now.

I forgot!

Richard and Robyn, I have meant to phone you but not got round to it. Sorry. I hope the girls behaved. I am mortified to hear that Alice and Kathryn were chatting until nearly midnight, I hope Kathryn is not too tired. I am sooooo grateful to you both for having them. Thank you sooo much. Speak to you tomorrow or Sunday.

Hey everybody, I think I heard wrong when I was taking to Bridget this evening. I thought she said "Harriette's been an angel" Nooooo surey not. Seriously though darling if you have I'm proud of you and Thank you.

He's phoned - at last.

Sitting in bed in a hotel room half way to Antartica and finally having some time to myself. Have spent an hour reading everyone elses blogs and looking at some woman hugging my husband on Stan's blog. Well she was hugging him at Heathrow airport actually and looking pretty pleased with herself!! Is it nice to have him there Carol?

I have finally heard from my man this morning which made me late for the course, well for setting up anyway. Thankfully Jillian, who, sort of, does my job in Southland, was there - and organised. I'll explain. I am teaching on a VTC down here, a course I was meant to organise, but Jillian has done most of it. She works in Invercargill and we have both been teaching this last 2 days. As well as doing the VTC from 8.30am - 5pm we had a Vaccinators Update to teach from 5.30 - 9.30pm last night. Well it was a disaster. Started off with no-one coming to re-arrange the room, the meal coming late and consequently us starting late. We then had a power failure on the cable running the dataprojector and then tea for the break was 25 mins late. We patted ourselves on the back for soldiering on but God it was stressful! I fell into bed around 10.30am exhausted and struggled to wake up this morning. I woke at 3am and, having given Eric strict instructions to text me as soon as he got to the baggage lounge at Heathrow turned my phone on as I reckoned he would be arriving around then. Woke at 7am and finally struggled out of the sack. No texts so texted Carol and demanded to know where my husband was, he phoned me back and had just arrived at her place, they having just dropped Stan off. It was SOOO good to speak to you Pooh! Have tried to phone you for the last hour but some infernal woman keeps telling me you are unavailable. What does she know that I don't I want to know!!!!!?

Anyway after finally having a chat and knowing Eric had safely arrived I finally got along the corridor to the course. Today went really well. I had a discussion with the hotal assistant manger about the appalling service yesterday and he has agreed to deduct the cost of my room and was falling over himself with apologies. The group were more interactive today and gave us lots of really positive feedback on evaluation. We even got a round of applause which was a first for me!
We cleared away and Jillian took me down to Bluff, mainland New Zealands most southerly point. Eric there's no refinery down there and I think it's pretty, in a rugged sort of way. Reminded me of the drive to Pembrokeshire or Holyhead but with lots of flax. We went for a short walk on the coastal walk and blew the cobwebs away. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was so nice to get out after being cooped up for 2 days. Thank You Jillian. She kindly bought her camera and promises to email me the results which I may post. We then drove around the hotspots of Invercargill (Harri and Alice apparently they are netball mad down here!) and finally collected the evaluations and adjourned to the bar. We sat over a (now don't laugh!)... Dubbonet and lemonade (me) and chardonnay (Jillian) and had a post mortem on the last 2 days. We chatted for ages and had a very pleasant evening. I hope I get asked back and look forward to catching up with Jillian in the new year at some IMAC meeting. I had posh fish and chips in the restaurant, spoke to the girls and booked my shuttle for the morning and came to bed. Alice is mortified at having to get up at 6am tomorrow. Bridget is taking them to Waahi to an A+P show and I will collect them from somewhere in Hamilton on my way home. 1 more sleep!!!!

7 sleeps until CRD (Carol Return Day) and 8 sleeps til PRD (Pooh Return Day).

Messages

Eric, No hear nuffin' from you. Have texted lots and tried to phone you but am guessing that the cellphone's not working there. Hope you are OK. Missing you big time. Love you Lots. M x0 .PS If you are reading this please blog.

Everyone else. I cannot access my emails to xtra (don't know why) so please email me on hotmail address (emhatanner) or imacwaikto address.

I am in the middle of my VTC so must go. Working until 10pm so cannot promise an entry tonight! Long one tomorrow.

The Big News

I’m on an airplane flying from Auckland to Invercargill via ChristChurch. I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally and am just drawing breath. For those who don’t know I will start at the beginning. Eric went to school in Dover. The school has a really strong ‘Old Boy’s’ (OB’s) network which meet every year over Remembrance weekend. Eric has attended every year since leaving school, with the exception of the last 2 years. He really misses it. Well, about 2 and a half weeks ago (God is that all it is!), I had a phone call from Stan asking if I could arrange for Eric to get time off work over OB’s weekend, they were having a whip round for his ticket. I was rushing out the door (it was that morning I was late having turned up Harriette’s dress) at the time and just said ‘Yes’ after trying to voice protestations about extravagance etc whilst Eric was in earshot. I dashed out refusing to say who had phoned or what it was about. On the way to Hamilton the dates rang bells so I pulled over , checked my diary and realised that I flew to Invercargill on Wed 10 Nov!!! I then phoned Robyn and Richard and left, what they tell me was a very garbled message, asking if they could have the children for a few days. THEN I thought, Aminals. Who was going to look after them. By now I was at the practice I was due in and all thoughts of this were shelved as I did the work there. I left in the afternoon and the brain when back into overdrive, (where it has stayed ever since), WHO could I get to house/child and aminal sit?? With huge relief I thought of Bridget, phoned her and she said ‘You want me to house-sit’. She’d been in on this for awhile. OK so that was sorted, next Eric’s work. I phoned his boss and he could not have been more obliging. ‘I think it’s great and he must have some neat mates to do this. Take the time and we’ll sort it when he gets back’ Great. Next, visa’s. Now you may think having our entire lives based in NZ and being permanent residents we could come and go as we want. No. You need a Returning Residency Visa, and ours had expired. I then had a 10 minute telephone conversation with an Immigration Officer about how I could get Eric a RRV without him knowing. He did not realise that I was the principal applicant when we originally came out and insisted that Eric had to sign the form. When I finally confirmed what he meant by principle applicant and explained that I was that he said no problem, you apply. It takes 20 working days. I don’t have 20 working days! So I filled in the forms and took them personally to the NZIS in Hamilton. ‘Please have them ready by next Tuesday’ I begged and nearly kissed the guy when he said they’ll be ready in 30 mins! Unfortunately I could not wait so agreed to collect on Wednesday last week. I actually didn’t get in until Monday this week. I then had the weekend in Auckland for the Parent and Child Show followed by those 2 days off sick last week. While all this is going on there is a flurry of emails going from my job computer to all in the UK trying to arrange for Eric to see as many people as possible during his trip. Bloo booked the ticket and managed to get him a flight out today as I was going to the airport anyway. The only problem was he cannot get back until Sat next week, ie 10 days away, which is great for him, he can have some time with his family etc, but terrible for us (I miss him already). So when to tell him? Plan A was I would somehow get him to take me to the airport and give him his suitcase and ticket there (this was when I thought he’d only be gone 5 days). Went off that idea at the thought of him and the girls not being able to say Goodbye properly, especially when it was evident he’d be away longer. Plan B, let him get ready for work in the morning, feed aminals, then tell him to get changed, he wasn’t going to work. Discarded when I realised we had to leave at 5am to drive to the airport. So…. I told him last night. Arranged that Bridget would come ‘for supper’ and Richard and Robyn would ‘pop in for coffee’ I woke up at 4.30am yesterday and could not get back to sleep. I had to get up and write various lists, one was a ‘to do today list’ with 28 things on it!!!! Had supper (Harriette cooked a very nice cordon bleu chicken) and waited for R+R to arrive. By now I was at breaking point. Bridget kept telling me to stop pacing! We sat on the deck on a lovely still evening and I told him. As per previous blog entry. The rest of the evening was a blur really with Eric stressed out because he couldn’t find his OB’s tie and what long pants to take? He has about 15 pairs but hasn’t worn any for the last 3 years so didn’t know what fitted, were comfortable etc. We got to bed after midnight, I think and woke to the alarm at 4am. He was still in shock when I put him on the plane this morning.

So there you are. Now where were H and A in all this? Well I had not told them. However I was worried about a negative reaction spoiling Eric’s surprise so told them just before supper. Eric and Bridget had gone to Matamata to collect my car which I had forgotten to get in the afternoon when it had gone in for a service that it didn’t need (another story!), and I told them then. Harriette literally leapt in the air saying “Great, Daddy gets to go to OB’s!’. Alice however just burst into tears! A combination of a) shock, b) why don’t we get to go to England, you’ve both been now, and c) ‘but we always go to OB’s as a family’. I gave her a hug, told her that when Helen wins the lottery she’ll pay for us all to go (didn’t tell her you don’t do the lottery Hel) , promised to save hard to go as a family as soon as possible and made her promise to not cry or be miserable when I told Eric. As the evening went on and bedtime came they had lots of tears, which made us feel SSOOOOO terrible. Eric was very emotional this morning before leaving still feeling guilty at leaving them.

I nearly missed my plane to ChristChurch (I mean I was only in the airport 5 hours early!) and have lots ,ore to write but you have had enough to read and we are coming in to land. Later.

He know's!!!!!

I've told him!!! Eric now knows that a fabulous bunch of friends in the UK have had a whip round for his airfare and that he fly's out tomorrow morning.




"Where would you like to be this weekend"




"Here's your ticket"




"Bastards!!!"

I cannot convey to you how frustrating this has been. I have almost let the cat out of the bag a thousand times. Eric has been moaning about me going away for 4 days and wanting to know why I have been smiling back! He had no idea and when I told him that he was going to Old Boy's he just said "Yeah Right" and then when he realised it was for real "Bastards"!

I am totally and utterly exhausted and still have lots to do. I promise a longer blog as soon as I can manage it.

Brown Beetles

Ahhh, summer. We had supper on the deck this evening and listened to the birds and the lambs. It was delightful. I then realised there was not a jot of wind so filled a spray container with anti fungal stuff and went to spray the fruit trees. I was devastated to see that many of them had been eaten to within an inch of their lives. I immediately identified the critters responsibe and went back up to the house for anti beetle stuff. There were thousands of the buggers but I don't think they had a chance against my big guns. I will be on their case now until every last one is dead!!!! Ahhh, summer!!

Planted beetroot seeds some silverbeet plants that I bought today. When I stuck them in I realised that I had already planted a dozen silverbeet about 2 weeks ago! About 4 plants keeps us supplied so I think I might be in for a glut!!

My work day was stuffed up when it was apparent that Alice was not fit for school. I moved my 10.30am meeting with my colleague to 3pm and spent the morning doing computer work. I actually got myself vaguely organised and waded through about 80 emails so felt quite productive. Haven't seen much of H today as she has gone to a friends for a sleepover. She came in breifly after piano lessons and dashed out again. Eric doing all the running around as my lack of sleep means I am hardly fit to drive. (I don't do much with less than 8 hours sleep under my belt!). Anyway I had a veg plot to tend.

Alice has perked up this evening - just in time for the weekend!

What time do you call this?!

It's 5am and I have been awake since 3.30am. Finally turned on the tape to listened to, I am always reluctant to do this in case I wake Eric, and that has chewed. Sorting it out will definately wake him so I have got up, made a Bournvita and decided to send the few emails I wrote in bed last night. One thing led to another and here I am blogging.... at 5am.... I must be mad. Anyway. My mind is in permanent overdrive these days. I will be glad to get the next few weeks out of the way and settle down to a more hum drum existence!

The weather must be getting better as I have made significant progress on my veg plot this week. It was 3 foot deep in weeds and now only 50% of it is like that! My brassicas are coming along great guns (Cauliflower, broccoli etc for those less green fingered amongst you), the broad beans have recovered from Saddle tramping all over them in their formative stages and the potatoes I planted are getting big. The strawberries, salvaged from under said 3 ' of weeds are recovering and one even has a strawberry on. Last years runner beans have re-emerged and I have a fair few things growing in my mini greenhouse to move down. Shame my gardening time is spent mentally organising myself and not relaxing. For the last 2 nights I have been down there repeating to myself that I will go up in 10 minutes and start supper. On finally making it up to the kitchen I have found that Eric has everything under control and all I have to do is the accompanying rice or some such thing. God he is wonderful!!

As I alluded to before I blogged recently and lost the lot. I was livid, especially as the briefest thought occured to me when I was having difficulty trying to publish that maybe I should copy to a Word document 'just in case'... then didn't! I had written over the course of several hours on Wednesday morning around a phone call to Carol. Catching up with Carol is impossible with shiftwork combined with time differences. Ditto with Stan but chatting with girls is more necessary. With boys the bare facts will do, that's usually all you get, but with girls long conversations with cup of tea in hand is far more preferable. Anyway, can you believe that our conversation was cut short becuase of a trip to the football ground to watch... Fleet. Yes, I know, you never even knew they had a team. Well apparently they do, and Bloo has a deep and meaningful relationship with them. They were playing at Kingston, Carol's home turf, and so she went along. Mainly because she thought Bloo had no friends to go with!!! Turns out she was to be part of a group of 4, even less of a reason to terminate a perfectly enjoyable conversation. I put the phone down thinking 'I forgot to ask this' and 'wonder what happened over that'. Anyway, as Eric says, only a few sleeps and we can sit by the pool, gin (or tea) in hand and gas 'til the cows come home soon!!!! (or it rains!)

No I am having feelings of deja vu here. Am I repeating what I lost or have I published similar thoughts before and getting you annoyed - sorry! As I mentioned before I had a day in hospital last Tuesday. The day started outrageously early as I had to be there at 7.30am so that I could spend 4 hours sitting around reading. R+R had had the children the night before so Eric and I could leave at 6.45am. I had a minor procedure done, and am absolutely fine (thank you for voiced concerns and good wishes). ANyway I had a similar trip in 2 years ago but this was so different. The first time I laid down was on the operating table. Now i agree that you should walk perfectly healthy people into theatre rather than 'make them ill' by sticking them in a bed and wheeling them around but I think popping onto a trolley in the anaestetic room would have been preferable. I am very hospital savy but found it quite daunting being wired up to equipment I understood with theatre lights being positioned strategically aimed at important bits of my anatomy, all the time thinking about what would be happening to me in a few minutes!! What was lovely though was the 'going to sleep'! I had been talking to the anaesthetist about how wonderful drifting off under anaestetic was and I am sure he deliberately prolonged the ectasy! Sooooo nice.

Woke up shortly afterwards to a nurse asking me if I wanted to get up into a lazyboy chair. 'Nooo' I said quite adamantly, 'please can I have another 1/2 hours sleep?' At 12.30pm Eric phoned and said he would come through to collect me but was in Te Aroha (te-ara-ha). By 2.10pm, knowing that Alice would be waiting at the gate at school at 3pm I phoned again. He was round the corner and I said I'd walk down and meet him outside ED. The nurse was not impressed and insisted she walk me down (I was the last patient left from the morning). Anyway we got to Alice for 3.03pm and she was there. Riding lessons were reached on time you will be pleased to hear (after dropping me off).

I took Wed off, not because I needed to but because I had been told to - I was fine. Harriette came home from school on Tuesday saying that the school was desparate for transport to take her and some kids to Tauranga Intermediate for a literature quiz she was in. So guess what I did on Wednesday? Alice had woken with a worsening sore throat and so I gave her the day off and booked her into the doctors (on a weekday for a change, Hurray. It's cheaper!). Tauranga Intermediate school is as nice as all the others. Beautiful grounds with wonderful rose beds everywhere and a staff room to die for (well any English school teacher would!), masses of new, comfy looking sofas arranged in groups, a foodbar with fruit and pastries laid out (for the teachers not us), a coffee machine that made 10 different types of coffee and lovely (clean) mugs to drink from. The quiz was held in the library and we had a nice lunch laid on afterwards. The result was good, 3 schools provided about 13 teams and each school got a placing with Harriette's school (her team in fact) coming second. Alice managed to answer a lot of questions so I can see her doing the same thing when she goes to Intermediate. Later I took Alice to the doctors, antibiotics for tonsillitis. The GP wanted to know if I wanted to rent a room, some reference to me frequenting the place of late I feel!!! I really should not have sent her to school yesterday but I had to go to a teaching session in Rotorua in the morning so she had to struggle through.

Well It is nearly time to get up so I expect if I go back to bed I will drop off just in time for the radio coming on at 6.15am. Night night world!

P....d off of Matamata

Wrote a seriously long blog this morning in 2 stages around a phone call to carol. Lost it!!!!!!!!!

Robyn, Eric seriously upset that you said Carol could drive tracker further than him. Feels ganged up on!

Bridget where are you?

Child and Parent Show

I've had a busy but enjoyable weekend. I went to help on the IMAC stand at the Parent and Child Show. It was flat out talking (yes, I know, I'm well practiced!) but but late Saturday I was losing my voice! A few people made comments like 'It was worth the entry fee just to hear what you have said' or 'Speaking to you made coming here today worth it' which of course made it worthhile for us too. I get to speak to lots of health professionals but very few parents in my job so it was good to have that contact.

I stayed with Beth and Graham again and as usual they thoroughly spoilt me and made me feel so welcome. Beth cooked a Fujian fish curry. I was a bit sceptical as I watched her mash bananas for it but it was very nice. Luke, their son, always gives me the biggest hugs I've ever had from a child and is quite delightful. Beth and I talked about house swapping sometime so we could do the city thing and they could do the country thing.

Have just asked the family what needs to be reported. Harriette wants the world to know she has a sore tail bone, and the meanest mother who won't write her a note to get her out of fitness. My argument is her problem is sitting and I can't think of any fitness activity that involves prolonged sitting! And how did she get this sore bum? Going over bumps too fast while pillion to Sarah on the, bigger, farm bike.

I'm am being hassled. The children are staying at R+R's tonight as I am going into hospital for the day tomorrow and have to be there at 7.30am!! (Nothing serious, girlie things). Getting me into Hamilton and the girls to school at the same time is impossible so R+R have come to the rescue. H is going back their after school so Eric only has to pick A up and get her to horse-riding on time. Lets see!!!!!!

I'll go now and fill in the gaps next time. To remind myself, the last of the pig milk and the tooth fairy.