Promises and Miracles!

I don't think I promised to blog every other day Helen, I think it was more a will try to. I hope that is the case as I am usually quite careful about not making promises I might not be able to keep. Having kids teaches you that! H will often say, when an alluded to treat doesn't come off, "but you promised". We then go into what a definition of what a promise is and that "we might.... at the weekend" does not constitute a promise. They'll learn. Anyway, I have an excuse, well for the last few days anyway. I got a cyber dose of whatever Carol had, well nearly anyway. I got sick. Don't know what it was but I woke up on Tuesday morning aching (is that how you spell ache-ing?), nothing unusual, just like I'd overdone the gardening (except I hadn't!), went to the loo and felt acutely ill. Crawled back to bed and within the hour felt like I'd done too many rounds with Mike Tyson. I slept most of the morning and moped around for the next day or 2. It was weird, like flu but from the neck down. I did manage to migrate out to the pool deck and die in the sun, just for a change in scenery you understand! Anyway I don't know what it was, some virus I guess, and come to think of it, I used to get this once every 2 years or so in the UK but I think it's the first time it's hit me here. Anyway, it's gone, and apart from feeling a bit precious, I'm fine.

And, miracle of miracles OUR HAY HAS BEEN CUT!!!!!! Poor Eric had given up on the idea of the contractors ever coming and in fact was moaning about it when he came in from work yesterday lunchtime, when the dogs suddenly shot out the house barking like mad and there was the cutter coming up the drive. What a relief. I don't think it will be the best quality stuff but at least, please God it doesn't rain, we will have hay. It is sooo much easier than silage to mangage. We had just made plans to sell off all the stock apart from this years calves as we would not have enough feed to over-winter them and Eric had started strip grazing the hay paddock. What a relief! Only problem now is it means some serious work for us shifting god knows how many bales of the stuff at the end of the week (Oh and I am at a meeting all day Friday!!). And I guess we are lucky they didn't come in the preceeding 2 weeks as Eric has been working full time covering for Steve (the other ACO in the area) who was on leave. Actually a couple of amazing things have happened this week. Eric applied for a job advertised as a junior solicitor, yes I know he's not one but it doesn't stop one asking, anyway, he had a letter of acknowledgement. And.......? I hear you say. Well that doesn't happen here, not in our experience (and Kevin's) anyway. NZ is a WONDERFUL country with a thousand great things about it but they do not respond to enquiries and they don't turn up when they say they will (you know, plummers, tree fellers that sort of thing). It's just a fact, if a very annoying one. Well to recieve a 'thank you for your application it will be considered with the rest' letter was just so, well, nice! The other thing was, Eric applied for his return to uni courses once he'd finally be given the right form, and they also sent a letter of acknowledgement!!!! Mind you after a letter of complaint to the Dean the admin department there will probably treat Eric with kid gloves from now on. So with hay cutting and letters I am beginning to think wonders will never cease. You never know, one day the girls might come home from school, empty their lunchboxes and hang up their swimwear without being told - one day!!