Back from camp, soccer, wheat

1. Tired but happy. It's a phrase I'll always remember from a Janet Frame novel and I use it frequently. We're tired but happy after our three days on class camp at the Outoor Pursuits centre at Lake Karapiro. The children learned heaps of new skills including kayaking, walking along high ropes, archery, raft building, orienteering and more that my brain has forgotten. A highlight for many was overcoming a fear regarding heights or water. We also saw the Evers-Swindell NZ rowing sisters who train at Lake Karapiro which was exciting. The weather was divine, the children were well behaved in the main and the experience was unforgettable.
2. Our Wednesday evening 5-a-side soccer team was without any substitute players this week due to class camp, school discos and other events, which made for a couple of tiring half hour games for those of us who were left to hold the fort. We lost one game, then won one. It will be good to have our full contingent back again next Wednesday.
3. I really enjoy Gok Wan from How to Look Good Naked. I'm going to try to take his advice about doing without wheat. It does cause me to get ghastly bloating and I've given it up before with much success. So I hope I can do it again. That's my challenge.

Class camp, clutter control, writing news

1. My children are both in the same class and they're on class camp together for three days this week, starting tomorrow. I'm spending one night and two days with them. Lots of opportunities to extend their outdoor risk taking skills which will be great. I hope we all get some sleep.
2. I'm trying to have a clutter free environment bit by bit. Today was the turn of the bathroom cabinet (a large pantry style affair), the top of my bedroom dressing table and my hair and jewellery bits and pieces area. I was pleased with what I'd achieved. It takes so long though. Grrr.
3. One of the books I've been writing will be published in July next year. Because of the long lead time for books, all the finishing touches are being done now. Today we were working on the back cover blurb. The other day I worked on the front cover. It's all very exciting. At some stage in the near future I'll see the manuscript in its almost completed form for last proofreading. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product. It's taken such a long time from conception to publication but it's been worth it.

Anniversary, sports day, sickness

1. Yesterday was our 12th wedding anniversary. We don't celebrate our anniversaries in the traditional sense, but I asked my husband whether he knew what the 12th anniversary stood for ie. paper, clay, rubber... He said "earmuffs". Fortunately, I found that particularly funny. Humour is one of his many wonderful qualities. I enjoy being married to someone who always has a quick comback line - even when it's at my expense! We had sushi for lunch. So maybe 12th anniversary is celebrated with rice...
2. We had the school athletics sports last week and the zone athletics sports is coming up on Friday. I always enjoy that day - as long as it's fine weather. Not sure of the forecast but I've actually given up on weather forecasters. They can't be trusted.
3. My daughter was home sick from school today. Sore throat, runny nose sort of thing. Not too bad but I'm hoping to give her a rest so she'll recover more quickly. Always tricky with kids to know the best way to react in that regard. I'm glad I kept her home though. She seems a lot better. I hope it lasts.

Success, Writing, Photos

1. Long time no write in this blog. In case anyone happens to check, here's a brief update. Firstly, we're all excited here because we've just heard today that our son has passed the exam to get into the accelerate class at his new school next year. He's thrilled and so are we, for him. I hope our excitement is not misplaced. Time will tell.
2. I continue to be kept very busy with several writing jobs. I have recently been working on the final editing process before one of my books for young teens goes to print. It's published in July next year. Very exciting. It's been a lot of very hard work and long hours but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. It's one in a very popular series and I hope it will be in libraries, schools and book shelves over a long period of time which is always good. Other writing projects are ongoing, as always.
3. This weekend I've been working on cover photos for the book I've mentioned above. It's in a series called My Story published by Scholastic. It's been fun but a challenge finding just the right "look" for the cover model. I'm feeling confident though and will be very happy when it's all in the hands of the printer.

Writing opportunities, rugby, squash

1. I'm busy with lots of writing opportunities at the moment and scrabbling to find time to work on them. Another 12 hours in the day would be extremely well received. I am envying those people who get by on 4 hours sleep a night.
2. The Rugby World Cup has begun with a good win to Argentina. Our family is staying up late tonight to support our very own All Blacks against Italy. Go Dougie!
3. We have been at a squash tournament in a town about 45 minutes away today. We also went there last night. Our son had three games. He lost the first two and won the final game. It had its challenging moments from the point of view of anxious mother but I enjoyed it. Three tournaments to go...

Lunar eclipse, teaching, amazing race

1. Tonight we have been observing a lunar eclipse. Interesting in its own way and won't be seen again for another 7 years I believe. Oh well.
2. I've just completed two busy teaching days working with a group of gifted young writers aged between 8 and 13 years. It was fun, challenging and inspiring. I'll repeat the process with a new group next week.
3. Our family really enjoys the Amazing Race on television. I felt sorry for some of the competitors on tonight's show as they had to deal with airline problems which were no fault of their own and set them back half a day. I'd still like to do the race myself one day though.

Glasses, home sick, control

1. I now wear glasses for reading and computer work. I'm very happy with this turn of events as I've always rather secretly thought my face would suit glasses. The reaction from the family has been mixed, to put it politely. My husband laughed. My son looked dazed and my outspoken 9 year old daughter described them as "disgusting" or some similarly outlandish word. Friends who I showed the glasses off to described me as looking intelligent with them on. Mmmm. Not sure about the ramifications of that one. I took all this in my stride as I love them and that's that. No one else has to look at me while I'm reading or on the computer. And, obviously, my eyesight is much better with them than without them. That's a bonus.
2. My son stayed home from school today. He had quite a bad cough although he got progressively better during the day so I'm sure he'll be back at school tomorrow. I think a day of rest probably helped a lot. Several other children in his class have had a virus which results in a persistent cough but I think his is on the mend, thankfully.
3. Usually, having a child home sick from school sets my schedule right off balance and I find it hard to cope. Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often as my children love school and are pretty well most of the time. Today, however, I found myself in control of the situation despite having a busy day planned. I was able to change some of my appointments very easily and my mum was happy to look after her grandson while I taught for a few hours in the morning. So, all in all, I felt very "together" about the whole thing which is happy-making.

Angry and upset, eyes, another birthday

1. I cried today. It was in anger and upset at what I considered to be an exhorbitant parking charge. The sign clearly said I would be charged $7 as long as I arrived before 10am which I did. After spending just over three hours researching in the library, I went to leave the carpark - only to be told that the charge was, in fact, $13. Surely there was some mistake? But no, I hadn't noticed the bit they'd added to the sign on Tuesday which said the $7 fee only applied to early birds who left the building after 2pm. And you're not the only one who's been complaining about it, lady! That was obviously supposed to make me feel better. It didn't. I'm still fuming and they haven't heard the last of me. I can promise you that.
2. I also had an optometrist appointment today. Not good news. However, I rather fancy the idea of adding glasses to my visage. I'm suffering from age related eyesight deficiencies which, apparently, start affecting people from around 45 years of age. On top of that, I have astigmatism in both eyes. He did explain it. So, I'll be wearing glasses for reading and computer work from this time next week. My daughter is not happy about it but I think it's cool.
3. My husband celebrates his birthday tomorrow. Well, when I say "celebrates" I mean it in the broadest sense of the word. He would rather not celebrate. But we're going out for a family game of 10 pin bowling as a happy compromise. I don't expect to do well.

Birthday, surprise, food

1. Yes, it's my birthday. I'm 48 today. It's the first birthday when I've actually felt concerned about time marching on. I certainly don't feel 48. Well, not often anyway. More like 32. I'm having some deep, personal thoughts about aging but I'm not ready to share them.
2. I had a wonderful birthday surprise today when my friend from Auckland (two hours drive away) turned up on my door step. We spent two hours together over lunch with my mum in a wonderful cafe before she had to return to her family in Auckland. It was a wonderful memory. Thank you Lynley.
3. I've enjoyed plenty of wonderful birthday food today - and the best thing about it all was that I didn't have to cook it or clean up after myself. Yay! I think that's my favourite thing about birthdays.

Power cut, writing prompt, squash

1. I came home from a teaching job to a strange power cut thingy today. Let me explain. The fridge light was dim. The computer started to make the right noises but it wouldn't come on properly. And the microwave was haunted. I went to warm up my lunch, opened the microwave door to find the glass plate inside spinning mysteriously by itself. I closed the door. It stopped. I opened it to check and it started spinning again. Some of the lights in the house worked. Some didn't. The electric kettle turned on but would only warm water, not heat it to boiling point. My cordless phone explained mysteriously that it was "out of range". I phoned my husband on the cell phone. He wasn't particularly sympathetic, just told me to calm down and turn everything off at the wall in case of a "surge". So, sadly, the afternoon was free from vacuuming, exercise videos, computer work etc. The power went off fully for about two hours. I'm not sure why. But the strange state of "half power" was spooky indeed.
2. I use a writing prompt when I work with writers in schools which always works. It reminds them of a time when they were afraid and they write about their experience. I worked with a classroom of students aged about 10-13 years old today and a couple of the boys who "hate writing" actually enjoyed the experience. I was thrilled. So was their teacher.
3. I used to write a lot on this blog about my son's squash tournaments but haven't done so for a while. He's reached a bit of a plateau at J3 - sometimes winning, sometimes not, but just hovering at that level which is fine by me. It's teaching him lots about the game etc. Tonight we were at a tournament about 45 minutes drive from our house. It was very difficult to find the squash club in question - in part due to their signage which clearly pointed with an arrow in completely the opposite direction to where the club turned out to be. Then, once we actually found the building, there was another trick. The entrance to the squash club was through the toilets and not marked at all. Very odd indeed. My son lost his game. I was glad to be out of the place.

Too long, Portuguese, Erebus

1. I've been too long away from this, my other, blog. No real reason. But I'm back now. Life has continued. The cat's all better, thanks to a dental op under full anaesthetic and a large sum of hard earned cash. The children are well and, hopefully, asleep. My husband is wonderful. My friends are very kind. I'm busy with lots of writing workshops with kids and one of my closest friends - who normally lives in Belgium - is home for a visit. So, all's well.
2. My joke book is going to be translated into Portuguese. Strange, but true.
3. I'm working on a book for young teens about the Erebus disaster. Up to my neck in research.

Birthday, sick cat, family

1. Our son had his 11th birthday on the 07.07.07. It was quite a low key affair and one friend stayed for a sleepover. I enjoy birthdays but I'm always glad when they're over. I'm looking forward to having an 11 year old in the house.
2. Our 10 year old cat has been ill and needs a dental operation next week. Our son has grown up with the cat, Moose, and we had to make an urgent visit to the vet as part of the birthday celebrations. However, antibiotics and painkillers are doing a good job until the operation. I'm sure all will be well with old Moose.
3. Several family members visited for the birthday on Saturday and more are coming for an extended birthday celebration on Tuesday. It will be good to see everyone and catch up on jobs, homes, spouses etc. Families are fun!

Holiday, relatives, blogging

1. As some of you have been aware, I've been away from my normal work station since Tuesday. I took the children to Auckland and north of Auckland for a few days as part of the school holiday break. We're having a lovely time and it's been a welcome change of scenery. We're currently in a place north of Auckland which is particularly picturesque and has lots to recommend it - the Warkworth, Matakana area including Omaha Beach. The beach was deserted apart from our little group, a lone surfer and a woman running a shaggy Wheaten Terrier dog named Roxy. It's winter here, so no swimming for us. But the children enjoyed the huge expanse of sand, the interesting shells and the toe dipping in the brisk water. I love being near nature. It's rejuvenating.
2. The relatives we are staying with are relatives of my husband who, sadly, had to be at work this week so hasn't accompanied us. It's wonderful catching up on the lots of the family history and spending time with wonderful family members who we don't see for years on end. The latest addition is baby Rita who has just turned 6 months old. The children were enchanted by her and we had a lovely dinner with Rita's American mum who is, happily, a trained chef!
3. Blogging away from home has had its challenges so I thank everyone who also uses my wordimperfect blog for their patience while I've been away. I've managed to keep up the blog, which has been due to the generosity of the aforementioned relatives. I'm looking forward to my own office again though!

Health, friends, revelations

1. I'm back! As well as being busy I've felt a bit under the weather in recent days with an intermittent tummy upset. However, I feel much better today which is wonderful. Just in time for the school holidays!
2. I had lunch with friends today and the chef was our very own local domestic goddess, Elizabeth. The meal was exquisite, the conversation hilarious, the company warm and the builders noisy. However, renovations or not, it was a memorable and well needed interruption from my self inflicted schedule. Aren't friends a wonderful gift!?
3. I had three revelations this morning. One, I am the servant I wish I had for myself. Of course, I've created this rod for my back and it's my job to wean my family away from my constant help and attention. The process has begun. Two, my children are growing up into wonderful, funny, happy, bright individuals and I really enjoy their company. I look forward to the teenage years! Three, my husband has a great job with wonderful future prospects. I have lots to be thankful for.

Still busy, weather, emotions

1. I've just realised how long it's been since I added something new to this blog! Too long. Sorry about that. Still busy with heaps of writing and research for writing as well as being a mother, friend, wife etc.
2. Our weather has been very stormy for the last three days or so. Very cold in the with lots of snow and things being cancelled. Up here in the north it's just been windy, stormy and wet but not too cold at the moment which is a bonus. I'm travelling to Auckland tomorrow with the children to see the stage show of High School Musical with thousands so I hope the weather takes a settled turn, at least for the drive there and back.
3. Things have been tough emotionally in our circle of friends recently. One of our number has had some bad health news which has left us all in a dazed state as we come to terms with it. Positive vibes are called for in huge doses.

Busy, writing, speech finals

1. I've had a very busy week which has been made busier by needing to spend a lot more time reading through the invented meanings on my blog! The numbers are still high a week after gaining Blog of Note status and I feel very honoured. I must say a big thanks to all the very loyal word imps who have been with the game since its early beginnings late last year. I kept going through thick and thin because of all your encouragement and this week has certainly made it all worthwhile. Long may it last.
2. I am working on at least three writing deadlines this week. It's not easy because I have also had several workshops to run with gifted young writers - not to mention the daily motherly tasks I am supposed to be performing... I have been so busy that I have been forced to take the advice of my good friend Rhonda who advised that, when all else fails, live in a state of denial. No, the house doesn't look that bad. No, it's not impossible to finish that book by the end of the month. Of course you can be in three places at once on Friday afternoon!
3. I am a very proud mum tonight. We have just arrived home from the speech finals which our son was part of. His speech was about "annoying flies" and he won the trophy! He was in the eastern zone junior speech competition which consisted of about 7 or 8 other local schools who each sent one or two of their best speechmakers. The two speakers from our little country school did very well indeed. Well done to Abby who was a clear second. Our daughter didn't speak tonight, but she was in the top six at school with a very funny speech about her career options. Next year will be her big chance, with her brother gone to intermediate! So, I'm smiling.

Blog of Note, yachting, squash

1. Today's big achievement has been to have my word imperfect blog chosen as a Blog of Note. It's been a long held dream of mine, since I started that blog in October last year. I am absolutely thrilled and humbled by the wonderful response. And so glad to bring the happiness of this enjoyable word game to even more bloggers than before. I'm not sure who to thank for becoming a Blog of Note but, whoever you are, many many thanks. I appreciate it very much.
2. Today was also a great day for us all here in New Zealand. Our Team NZ yacht won the fifth race in a row and took out the Louis Vuitton Cup which means we can now challenge for the Americas Cup. Well done to you, Dean Barker!
3. My son Gregory had a wonderful win at squash this evening. He played an older boy and won. He plays twice more over the next two days and hopes to repeat his performance. It's very exciting to watch a sporting son play a game like squash - especially when you're a mum like me who didn't get picked for any teams at school!

Reunion, family, friends

1. I enjoyed my high school reunion immensely but was disappointed about the number of people who stayed away. It was great to see some of my favourite teachers again and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing a speech made by our former principal. Lots of great memories came flooding back. It was also fun spending time with my sisters.
2. My family coped extremely well while I was away in Auckland. Well done to them!
3. I used my time in Auckland to spend time with some special friends and that was definitely a big highlight of the weekend for me. I'm so fortunate to have wonderful friends who know me well. I enjoy the way different friends relate with me in different ways. It feeds my soul.

Busy, exercises, reunion

1. I haven't used this blog for a few days - mainly because I'm quite behind in my "to do" list. I think it's because I've been out and about a lot lately with school visits. I enjoy them but I'm finding it makes me feel more disorganised at home. I'm hoping for a turnaround in that soon.
2. I have still been getting up on these cold mornings to do my turbo jam exercises which I'm quite proud of.
3. I'm really looking forward to going to Auckland tomorrow for my high school reunion. I'm going with my three sisters.

High school musical, Skipper, school visit

1. We went to our local high school musical tonight at the insistence of our children who went to a special viewing for local schools yesterday. It was "Back to the 80s and was great fun. It took me back to the days of my own high school musicals. I would have liked to have been one of the chosen few on stage but, in those years, I was less forthright. Instead, I was usually found in the orchestra pit on the end of a clarinet or saxophone - neither of which I could play today. It was good to see our local teens in a happier light than they sometimes portray themselves.
2. One of my book characters turned 5 today. It's exactly 5 years since the first Skipper readers turned up in my letterbox - my version of an anniversary. Happy Birthday, Skipper. He's a mischievous fun-loving border collie dog who helps lots of 5 and 6 year olds in New Zealand learn to read.
3. I visited a nearby school today to talk to the children about my books and writing. They were a bunch of exuberant 6 year olds and we all had a great time together. I love school visits! We worked on a new Skipper story together and I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out in the end.

Vacuuming, friends, television

1. Anyone familiar with this blog or me personally knows of my aversion to housework. I did manage some long overdue housework today, however, and even surprised myself by vacuuming the van as well. No medals were awarded. I also didn't receive any pocket money. Oh well...
2. I spent some time today with friends who are moving to Auckland. I will be sad to see them go, but wish them all the best finding happiness in the big city.
3. My joke book was mentioned on television several times today. It was wonderful. Sunday morning television for children includes a popular show called What Now? The host, Charlie, read out several of the jokes. And then it was very exciting to see the illustrator of the book, Ross Kinnaird, teaching children from the audience some drawing skills. Ross said a special hello to me at the end of the programme. Thanks, Ross!

Blisters, bag, digestion

1. Lesson 1: If you are buying a pair of boots for a special event which may require some walking, practice wearing the boots for a day before the special event. Otherwise, painful blisters may ensue.
2. Lesson 2: If you are borrowing someone's special bag for a special event, check the capacity of the bag before deciding to take it as your only bag for whole time in another city.
3. Lesson 3. If you have any digestive weaknesses, don't expect to feel romantic after a tension filled award ceremony followed by a large banquet style dinner.
Here endeth the lesson. For more uplifting information about the NZ Post Children's Book Awards, see the Writing News section of my wordimperfect blog.

Awards, dressing up, exercise

1. I'm not sure if I'll have time to update this blog for the next few days, as I'll be going to Wellington for the NZ Post Book Awards ceremony on Wednesday. I hope to update the blog when I return on Thursday. It's the day I've been waiting for since I found out I was a finalist on February 7 so it's been a long wait!
2. I'm looking forward to dressing up for the awards ceremony. I'm taking a few choices with me and will make a final decision once I'm there - taking the weather and my mood into consideration. It's been fun figuring out what looks good together and choosing some new items for the special occasion. Thanks to the friends who have loaned me their special occasion clothing. I really appreciate your help.
3. I've been doing my new turbo jam exercise DVD for a few weeks now and am back to really enjoying the morning workout again after a bit of a break while I was away on the author tour. The hotel rooms didn't have DVD players so I had to find other forms of exercise such as swimming and investigating the hotel gym. Then, when I returned, I found it a bit hard to get back into my normal exercise routine. However, perseverance paid off in the end and this morning I really enjoyed it. It's very exciting for me to be looking forward to exercise - as it's not my normal state!

Touring, hotel cleanliness, good news

1. I'm back! Actually I've been back for a day or two but it takes a while to get back into the swing of things. However, I've finally found time to update this blog. I was away on an author's tour from Sunday to Wednesday in Tauranga and Rotorua. I also went to another area called Otorohanga on Thursday. I had a great time talking to children about my work and taking joke writing workshops. It was pretty tiring though and, although I enjoyed the change of scenery, I was very happy to be home again. Now I'm looking forward to the awards ceremony in Wellington next Wednesday evening.
2. One of the hotels I stayed in while I was in Rotorua had some cleanliness issues. I wish I had spoken to someone straight away and got a different room but I didn't feel assertive enough for some reason. It will be interesting to see if I hear back from the manager about the complaints I've detailed on his survey form. If not, I'll keep trying to gain his attention.
3. I was thrilled to hear last night that David Bain has a chance for freedom. Most of you won't know of him. He's a young man who's been in prison here in NZ for about 12 years for supposedly shooting his whole family. A former All Black, Joe Karam, has written a book about his struggle to help David attain justice. I've read the book, called David and Goliath, and have always believed in David's innocence. Finally the Privy Council in England has said there seems to have been a miscarriage of justice and David may be out on Tuesday. It's a bit more complicated than that, but I'm very very happy for him.

Squash, clothing, interview

1. My husband is playing in a masters squash tournament tonight. I'm glad our family is into squash. It's a great game for getting a sweat up.
2. I've been trying to decide what to wear for the big awards ceremony in Wellington on May 16th. My main points of indecision are over the inability to predict the weather that day and the fact that the awards are held from 4pm to 7pm. I've also seen photos of some of the winners from last year and I wouldn't say they were dressed to the nines. So, any ideas? I want to buy something and I've looked around but am still undecided. My friend has offered to loan me something if there's anything in her wardrobe that would work so that's a kind offer and could prove a winner. I'll keep you informed. However, my main priority at the moment is preparing for my author tour. I leave on Sunday. How exciting!
3. Today I was interviewed for a radio programme. It will play on Radio NZ on Sunday some time between 2.30pm and 3pm. If you want to get it via the internet after that, I believe it's available for four weeks on the website. The website is www.radionz.co.nz and the programme I'm going to be on is an Arts on Sunday programme which is in the afternoon. The host is Lynne Freeman. Hope you find it. Let me know!

Furby, hair cut, dancing

1. The "furby gone bad" comment on my word imperfect blog brought to mind something I haven't mentioned here and should. My husband brought home a furby from a garage sale recently. It's first words were "I hate you, I hate you". Now, I'm sure this wasn't the way a furby was designed to behave. I felt sorry for the poor thing. It had obviously been living in a dysfunctional home - particularly since it was sold for a dollar at a garage sale! I said "I love you, I love you" and the furby said "ooooh, nice words" or something similar. It was quite bizarre. Happily, the furby no longer says "I hate you, I hate you". However, if it's awake and there's a loud noise, it has a cute way of reacting and saying "ooh, loud noise" or something like that which I can't exactly recall. I like having a furby in the household.
2. I had my first hair cut in years today. I've been cutting my own fringe for ages and haven't had my long hair trimmed for several years, as far as I can recall. However, $40 later, and my hair is very tidy. I like it a lot. No one has noticed.
3. We've been enjoying our NZ version of Dancing with the Stars. I would love to do ballroom dancing but my husband isn't so keen. So, for now, I'll watch.

Feelings, sports, awards

1. Tonight I talked to the children (and myself) about the importance of expressing our feelings rather than going off in a huff. I think it helped. We shall see. I'll try to set a good example.
2. We had a busy sports day with our son on Saturday - with squash and soccer. He came runner up in his age group for the regional squash champs which was wonderful. His squash was some of the best I've seen him play. He really believed in himself and pictured himself doing really well. Great to see children grasping those concepts well. In this first soccer game of the season, he scored his team's only goal which made him very happy. The team lost 8-1 but the goal helped!
3. The NZ Post Book Awards announcements and awards ceremony in Wellington is drawing closer. I'm really excited, as you can imagine. My husband and I fly to Wellington for the awards on Wednesday 16 May and return the next afternoon. The week before that, I'm away from May 6-9 on an authors' tour in association with the awards. I visit Rotorua and Tauranga, speaking to school children about my work. I'm also looking forward to that very much.

Pool party, roosters, school

1. We had an impromptu pool party on Sunday afternoon which was a great success. We decided a couple of days out to invite lots of people and see what happened. It went well and the weather was great. The party was mainly for those who hadn't seen the finished pool yet, especially those who helped with the work.
2. The hen/rooster update is that we have/had 3 roosters and no hens at all - which explains the incessant crowing. The person we got them from came to get them today and we will hopefully get some definite hens soon.
3. It was back to school today after a very enjoyable two week holiday. I had a kind of do nothing day - although I'm proud to say that I did two lots of exercise so I did achieve something!

Neighbours, friends, dvd

1. Did I tell you we have new neighbours in the orange house which was built next door? Well, we do. They seem a lovely couple and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. I took them brownie as a welcome gift. Today she returned the favour and the container filled with yummy biscuits. The soft, chewy, full of choc bits kind! Did I say we have great new neighbours?
2. The children played with friends today. The boys were here. The girls were at the friend's house. I did some cooking and cleaning but mostly lolling and mooching. I'm not exactly sure of the meanings of those words but they sound quite descriptive of today's mood.
3. The highlight, for me, was the arrival of a DVD of the tv programme that I appeared on a few weeks ago. We don't get that particular channel so it was my first chance to see how I appeared on the programme. I was pleasantly surprised at what I looked like, although I never do like seeing my profile. The best part was what I said. It actually made sense! You would swear that I have done that kind of thing my whole life. It was very spooky. I actually couldn't really believe it was the same me as the one in my head. What's that about?

Lotto, books, skype

1. Someone in our very small town won Lotto. Well, at least someone from somewhere bought a winning lotto ticket at our small town's small lotto shop. So, well done to whoever you are. No, it wasn't me. Sadly.
2. At the risk of reiterating what I've probably already made abundantly clear, I love books. Any books actually. I don't even have to read them. And, just between you and me, I don't read many. I skim them, or just look at them. I can just love them without even opening them. In fact, I enjoy judging books by their covers. One of my most favourite places (other than a cafe sipping moccacino that is) is to be in front of the "new books" section in the library. Now that's heaven.
3. I had an interesting phone conversation today with my close friend who's living in Belgium at the moment. She phones me using skype. I can't explain that for those who don't know. Just trust me. It's a phone thing. Anyway, the thing with skype is that there's a slight delay and it can also have a hollow tinny ring to it. But, once you get used to that, you can cope. But, because of the slight delay and the fact that my friend and I are both the chatty, talk over each other types, we have devised a method of having a sensible phone conversation via skype. No one can speak unless the previous speaker has said "over" or "finished". Not even ooh, ahh, wow, gosh, yes, or other minimal encouragers. It's a great test of listening skills. I kind of passed but only because I'm good at sticking to rules. I wanted to butt in lots of times. However, I was a good girl and I learned a few things about listening. Hope I can remember them - even when I'm not on skype.

Absence, play, change

1. My absence from this blog has been brought to my attention by more than one avid reader. Apologies. I can't explain my absence except that I've been enjoying the school holidays and haven't been spending too much time at the computer. Probably a bit of laziness entered into it, as well. So, I'll try to improve my attendance record!
2. I wrote a play for a competition. I have no idea whether it's any good but I had lots of fun writing it, so that's the main thing. It's about my experiences at the rugby sevens in Wellington over the last couple of years.
3. I think I'll change something about this blog. I'm not sure what or when. I'm feeling a bit bored with writing something each day (as my absence makes clear) - it's turning into a bit of a diary and I was never a great diary writer, I'll have to admit. So I'm working on what I want it to be. Something that will inspire me as a writer, or you as a writer perhaps... I'll let you know.

Cricket, holidays, invention

1. I watched a wonderful match of cricket between Sri Lanka and England on television this morning. Well, the last hour or so, anyway. It was one of the most exciting matches I've seen in a while. England almost came back from a terrible position to snatch a win. But, unfortunately for them, it wasn't to be. Good luck against the Aussies, England!
2. The school holidays have arrived. I'm feeling happy and relaxed and will try to make sure we have some interesting outings that don't cost too much. Walking along with the river is a good one. I must remember that.
3. I've thought of a good idea for a new invention. It's kind of a game and I'm very excited about it. However, this happens frequently and my ideas very seldom get further than the idea stage. But you never know. This one could be IT!

Easter, my agent, lunch

1. For someone who loves chocolate, I am surprisingly calm about the forthcoming Easter eating binge. It's also the beginning of a two week school holiday for our children, so perhaps that's having an effect. Typically, any eggs I receive are eaten very quickly. I can't stand having any chocolate lying around uneaten. Anyone else in that particular boat?
2. I have the world's best literary agent. I got a wonderful email from her saying she liked my most recent story and was sending it off to a publisher straight away. She also updated me on other manuscripts that had been sent. I'm feeling strangely confident about the responses from publishers. Watch this space!
3. My friends came over for a casual lunch today and it was very peaceful and enjoyable. It was a great time to enjoy the new baby, a boy named Soia. Thanks everyone for a lovely lunch.

Rove, play, meetings

1. I'm so glad that Rove is back on television this Friday. For those who aren't in the know, Rove is an Aussie funny man who left our screens suddenly late last year when his wife died. I'm really looking forward to Friday. He's got my kind of humour and he's also cute.
2. I'm writing a play. Well, I haven't started yet. But I've been writing down some ideas and hope to get onto some actual writing on Thursday when I have a day set aside for it. Very exciting. I can't tell you what it's about though. Top secret!
3. It was a day of meetings for me. Mostly enjoyable but some tedious. I'm not that much of a meetings person but some things have to be done, don't they?

Limericks, story, song

1. Have you visited The Limerick Lounge? It's a blog of one of my word imps, Sonnjea B. You can find it by looking at the links on my word imperfect blog. It's a great place to read and write limericks. Good for the brain.
2. I worked for a good part of the day on a story that I haven't worked on for months. I got it out again today and liked it all over again. So I worked on an ending and finally completed it. I'll be sending it to my agent tomorrow.
3. I learned a new part of a Maori song today. I thought I knew the song well, but I had actually missed out quite a bit of it. And it was the fun bit too! I'm very pleased that I visited the kohanga reo and heard it.

Work, work, work

1. I had a "to do" list today. I achieved all but two things from the list. Well done to me!
2. One of the things on my list was moving 400 pavers from a trailer to another spot not far away. My wrists and hands can attest to the fact that this task got the big completion tick.
3. One of the smaller things on my list was something which has been left undone for too long. It's the linen cupboard. Well, it's now a lot tidier. I'm happy to report that things can actually be found where they're supposed to be. I'm now taking bets on how long it will stay that way. Hopefully at least as long as it takes you to read this blog post!

Dog, dressing up, squash

1. I was driving today and noticed a large black dog lumbering along the path. He (or she) looked completely self-sufficient, on its way to or from an adventure and confident in its identity. I liked that dog.
2. It was dress up day at school. Everyone dressed as something starting with A or M. My son dressed as Marge Simpson and won the prize for most realistic costume in his class. My daughter shared the prize for most creative costume. She went as a map.
3. I played a long, hard, winning game of squash tonight. I was particularly proud of myself. The match went to five games. I won the first two and the last one. My opponent was newish to squash, but she was a very fit young woman who was a quick learner on the court and never stopped running. My son and I are both in the tournament. We have our last games on Saturday.

Weather, filing, memory

1. I'm not sure why I am so affected by weather. However, I am. Today's weather has been pretty miserable and I've struggled to keep from being swept up into that kind of feeling as well. Perhaps I need to see the positives in all the different types of weather and relate those positives to my life. I'll try that tomorrow. It's due to be raining again.
2. I spent most of the day organising my filing system which had fallen into a shambles over time. I managed to discard a lot of paper that was just clogging up the filing cabinet and felt very good about that. However, there is still so much of my office and home that needs organising that I need to try hard not to feel overwhelmed by it all.
3. My memory hasn't been good for a while now, as I'm sure I've mentioned several times on this blog. Tonight there was something on a 20/20 programme on tv about how to remember things more easily. It was stuff I actually already knew, but hadn't thought about for a while. I'll try to integrate the strategies into my life.

Kindergarten, enthusiasm, reading

1. My morning at kindergarten went smoothly. I had a successful session with the children outside, despite the inclement weather. A little boy in rabbit ears carrying a basket of make believe Easter eggs brightened my day.
2. Not sure if my lack of enthusiasm generally today has been one of my menopausal side effects or whether it relates to other things. One of those days I just needed to get through, due to feeling a bit directionless.
3. My latest inspirational read is "The Greatness Guide" by Robin Sharma. The comment that has inspired me most so far, is our days are our lives in miniature. Our hours create our years. Our days create our life. Mmmmm. Not sure what I was doing today then!

Bilingualism, amazing race, honey chicken

1. I have been doing some research into bilingualism at the moment as part of my interest in the Maori language. It's very interesting and hard to describe in a short space like this. However, I'm finding it interesting, challenging and invigorating which are all good things to be feeling.
2. Tonight was the final of Amazing Race on our tv in NZ. To tell you the truth, I found the end a bit of an anti-climax. However, I still enjoyed the show and look forward to the next one. Go Phil! (The host is a New Zealander).
3. We had Honey Chicken for dinner tonight - a great favourite with the whole family which is very unusual in our house. In fact, almost unheard of! So dinner wasn't stressful because everyone was happy!

Birthday, singing, orange house

1. My daughter's birthday went surprisingly well, considering the number of children at the sleepover. I've never had more than two children sleep over before, so I thought I might have been biting off more than I could chew. However, everything went smoothly. The swimming and dressing up kept them busy for hours. And now I have a nine year old. And a beautiful one, at that.
2. I relaxed on Sunday which is pretty unusual. I also had some girl time doing Sing Star with my daughter. We had a fun time. I love singing.
3. The orange house next door is finally sold after being on the market for many months. We are hoping the neighbours will be wonderful.

Birthday, cricket, family

1. I'm in the middle of our daughter's birthday sleepover. The seven girls are lying in the lounge watching a video as I write. They've done lots of swimming and playing and will hopefully sense the urge for sleep in the near future. It's gone very well so far - less hands on than I've been used to with parties for younger children. I've also noticed how very more "grown up" my daughter has become since her last birthday. I'm very proud of her.
2. Our son did very well at cricket today. He made a great catch early on in the game and also bowled and batted impressively. He batted 3 fours and a single which increased his batting average. We were all pleased that he did so well as assorted family members were visiting for the birthday celebrations and came to watch his game. As parents of cricketing children, we all continue to enjoy the 3 hour long enforced rest required while watching the game of cricket. Perhaps that's why the game was invented...
3. It was wonderful seeing our extended family gathered together for our daughter's birthday today. Thank you all for your generous gifts and the time it took to drive here and spend time with us. We really appreciate it and love you all very much.

Embracing change, birthdays, kohanga

1. I'm feeling happier about embracing the changes that are occurring in me at this pre-menopausal stage of my life. I feel less panicky about it and more "normal". It's a good day and I'm not feeling so many symptoms as I did yesterday, so that has helped. However, I think if I can relax into the experience it will be easier - rather than fight it, that is.
2. Plans for my daughter's birthday sleepover on Saturday are rolling along smoothly. She has very clear ideas on what she wants to happen. It's exciting but I'll be glad when the friends go home, I have to admit.
3. I visited a Kohanga Reo this morning to see what happens there. Kohanga Reo means language nest in Maori. It's an early childhood centre where Maori is spoken exclusively or almost exclusively. It was a big learning experience for me and I look forward to visiting again soon.

Wellington, menopause, cricket

1. My plans for my trip to Wellington are becoming clearer. The awards ceremony will be held at Parliament which is pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to it very much, as you can imagine.
2. My pre-menopausal symptoms are definitely becoming more obvious. I've had an up and down emotional day but I keep reminding myself that other women cope - and so can I.
3. The cricket season is nearly over and I feel sorry as I enjoy watching the boys practise and compete. Kids sport is great.

Joke book, friends, cooking

1. I was thrilled to read that my blog friend Sara has ordered a copy of my joke book from Amazon as a birthday gift for her son. That's very kind of you, Sara. It just goes to show how powerful blogging can be! I hope you and your family enjoy the book very much, Sara. Maybe I'll get a chance to sign it for you some day!
2. My friends and I had a lovely get together at my favourite cafe today. It was fun and relaxing and giggly girlish. I had the citron tart which was nearly lemony enough but not quite. I also had a latte. Yummmm. Happy birthday Rhonda. Enjoy being 40! It's great.
3. I spent the morning cooking dinner for us as well as dinner for my friend who's just had a beautiful new baby boy. Our group of friends is cooking for the family to give the new mum and decent break and today was my rostered day. I hope they enjoyed the meal. We thought it was delicious.

Daylight saving, baby, squash

1. On Saturday night we put our clocks back one hour because of daylight saving. It's been good in lots of ways. However, because of the way I do my blog, it means I will have to make an adjustment to the time I do it and I'm still getting used to it.
2. My friend Pele has a new baby boy. Well done Pele and Damian. He is beautiful.
3. We had our last game of business house squash today. Our team came third equal out of 12 teams which we were very pleased with. The children were particularly pleased with the Easter eggs as prizes. I actually played two games of squash today as I also played at lunch time with another mum. I feel very virtuous about that.

PMT, party, reunion

1. I've been displaying irritable behaviour due to a severe case of PMT (I think that's PMS in some countries). Feeling a lot better about it today, thankfully. Yesterday I wasn't a particularly pleasant person to be around. However, I did put on a good show out in public.
2. We went to our wonderful friend Rhonda's wonderful 40th birthday bbq in the evening and it was one of the best parties I've ever been to. I haven't been to many and we did have to leave early to go to another function, but it was outstanding. So thank you Rhonda and your family for a very well organised, delicious, hilarious event. We all had to wear something a bit posh, something that doesn't get an outing. My husband wore his pyjamas and dressing gown.
3. We then went to another of my husband's school reunion functions (we got changed in between). It was less fun for me than the first reunion night as it was a bit noisier and more difficult to hear what people were saying. However, we did catch up with a few people that we hadn't seen for a while so it was worth it.

Story again, swimming, reunion

1. I worked on my latest picture book manuscript again today. I read it aloud to my neighbours and their four year old son. It was well received and I got some constructive feedback. I wish I could read it to you, too. I love reading it aloud. One of my goals is to write some picture books that are wonderful to read aloud. I enjoy reading other authors' picture books aloud and look forward to being able to do that with my own.
2. The children had their school swimming sports today which went well despite the dubious weather. One girl described it as "brain freezing cold". I've actually been in water like that before so I know what she means. However, all's well and they're safe and sound.
3. We went to my husband's primary school reunion this evening. We had a good time even though there was only one person there from his class. That person came from Australia to the reunion, as did several others. Not sure I'd travel that far for a similar event, but there you go. Anyway, my husband was glad to catch up with this friend who he hadn't seen for 20 years. It was interesting, too, to see where he'd spent his early years. I'm going to my high school reunion in June.

Story, double, unwell

1. I got some great picture book writing done in a cafe today. I went there for a change of scenery in the hope of inspiration and achieved my goal. The first draft is now complete.
2. There's a programme on tv tonight about us each having a double. I know I do. My sister met her in a lift. She even thought it was me at first.
3. I haven't been feeling so well but not unwell either. Just mediocre. Some sort of virus, no doubt. It'll pass.

Deja vu, hot foot, weather

1. I forgot to mention in my movie comments yesterday that I experienced a strong feeling of deja vu while watching the Miss Potter movie. During one scene just before the intermission I had a strong sense that I had seen the movie before, which I hadn't. This was followed soon after by the man next to me (who had played the piano for the opening since it was the NZ premiere) handing me his business card and suggesting that he would like to play for me when I had a grand gala launch for my next book! Nothing like positive thinking! Anyway, the interesting thing about that was that as the man turned to me, holding out his business card, I had another very strong feeling of deja vu that this man had handed me his business card before and I also felt sure I knew what the card looked like. Very weird. Even more oddly, when we came out of the movie my son said "I'm sure I've seen that movie before." Make of it what you will.
2. Still in the "strange" category... since yesterday I have been experiencing strange "hot flushes". Now... this might not be so unusual as I'm 47 years old. However, the hot flushes are located in the sole of my left foot! If anyone reading this can make any sense of why such a thing might be happening, I'm willing to be enlightened. I don't think there's a pattern to it, but I've started making a record in case there is.
3. Today's weather in New Zealand has been out of the ordinary - very strong gale force winds, snow in some parts of the South Island, trees down, heaps of rain etc. I was home alone when a gazebo went scuttling across the road towards the neighbour's house. I managed to get some neighbours to rescue it but it was already snapped into several pieces. I was apprehensive about getting in the van to drive out to school to collect the children but managed it easily enough. Then, just before I arrived at school, a huge tree in the school grounds fell over. Fortunately, it fell away from the classrooms and children. However, it clipped the roof of the hall. Not sure if we'll get any more summer swimming in our new pool!

No shame, movie, storm

1. I have no shame. But I'm proud of it. I'll explain. Today our small local cinema had the NZ premiere for the movie Miss Potter (about the life of Beatrix Potter and starring Rene Zellwegger). I knew about this vaguely and had planned to see the movie as I liked what I'd read about it. Then I read in our local newspaper that local identities and celebrities had received invitations to the four showings today. I felt peeved. Am I not a local celebrity? Is Miss Potter not about a children's author? Am I not a children's author? So, guess what I did? I marched right down there and stated my case at the box office. It worked. There was much apologising and our family was given four tickets for the 5.30pm session tonight. Yay.
2. The movie mentioned above is excellent. A must see. Beautifully shot. A wonderful story. Acted with great class as always by Rene. We were all very pleased we went. I can highly recommend it to you all.
3. We are having a storm tonight and the children are unsettled because of it. Last night, fortunately, they slept through the torrential downpours. But this time the thunder and lightning started while they were still reading in bed. Hopefully they'll tire soon.

Squash, phone, dragons

1. We played our second to last game of business house squash tonight and won all but our last game of the evening. I played a girl the same age as my son and we had a great game. I'll try to dedicate myself more to the game of squash as it's good for fitness and I really do enjoy it.
2. One of the players in our squash team asked me to look after his "phone" while he was playing. When I say "phone" it looked more like (and performed more like, I suspect), one of the world's most up to date mini laptop communication systems. I found it quite frightening to even think about. That's the technophobe in me, I guess.
3. I watched one of my fave programmes on tv tonight - Dragon's Den. The dragons are becoming much more ruthless and dragon-like. I often have ideas that I'm sure are great, but when I imagine being in the dragon's den explaining them, I lose my nerve.

Rugby, Friends, Olly

1. I went to Auckland with my son for the weekend and enjoyed the change of scenery immensely. One of the highlights was the rugby match between the Blues and the Lions, both teams in the Super 14. Our favourite Blues team member, Doug Howlett, had a wonderful game and we were glad to be there to witness it in person.
2. We spent time catching up with several friends and family members in Auckland, which was very refreshing and entertaining. I look forward to our next catch up.
3. While we were at the rugby game, my friend's Bichon Frise dog, Olly, found a way to unzip a bag and retrieve his supper of a packed of chocolate chip biscuits! On our return, he looked very pleased with himself about the feat.

Limericks, tv appearance, close call

1. My limerick was featured in Sonnjea B's Limerick Lounge blog. I've always enjoyed limerick writing and have written a few in my time. It's a good discipline and I'll be visiting her new limerick lounge frequently. See my link page on the wordimperfect blog if you want to go there too. I'm not sure how to link it as part of a sentence like other clever bloggers do.
2. I drove for an hour to a town called Matamata today so I could appear on a regional tv programme to talk about my joke book. It was great fun and my slot was short and sweet and seemed to go very well. The host was really welcoming and friendly and I didn't think about the camera at all once we got talking. It appears on Monday but we don't get it where I live so I'll have to find someone to tape it for me. Or I can buy a copy for $25 plus $5 postage!
3. Driving back from Matamata, I had a close call with a truck! My heart was in my throat afterwards. I actually thought I would hit the truck and the realisation of that was strangely bearable. It was when I managed to avoid it that I suddenly realised the extent of the danger I had been in. The truck turned in front of me and I had to brake hard on a road slick with light rain. But, hey, I'm still here. So all's well in the world!

Kindergarten, library, children

1. I was feeling a bit low about my kindergarten work, a bit uninspired. However, I came way from today's session much happier. I have a plan and plans are good.
2. Our local librarian wants to make a display about me as part of the information leading up to May's announcement of the NZ Post Book Awards winners. I'm quite a show off so I was surprised she needed to ask if I minded being splashed about the children's section of the library! Splash away, I said. But I've promised my friends that if I get famous I won't shave my head or end up in detox.
3. Our children are so wonderful. I am in awe of them. These people were made by my husband and I and they're such individuals. So much their own people. Parenting is worth it, even if it doesn't often seem that way.

School visit, interview, nice

1. I visited a school today to talk about my joke book. It was a great experience and I particularly enjoyed reading from one of my books to a large audience of 190 children. I also caught up with some teachers that I know from the past. Thanks Emily for inviting me.
2. The questions have arrived for my tv interview on Thursday. My daughter gave me a pretend interview using the questions. I think I need a few more practices before Thursday, as I sounded a bit waffly.
3. I'm reading a book called The Power of Nice. I'm enjoying it and trying to be nicer as a result.

Recycling, office, squash

1. We get our rubbish collected on Mondays and, until now, we could also put out papers to be collected for recycling. However, our recycling collection service has now been extended and we have all be given big blue bins so we can recycle tins, plastic bottles, glass, cardboard and paper. It's wonderful but I'm glad I'm not the bin collector who has to sort it all.
2. I spent the day tidying and sorting out my office. I'm not finished but I've made a good start and I look forward to continuing until the job is complete.
3. I lost my squash game tonight for our business house team. However, I didn't feel discouraged. This was a big change for me. I usually feel down about losing a game of squash (which I do frequently) because I think about how I could have done this or that so much better. Tonight was a bit of a breakthrough. Yes, there was a lot I could have done better. But I still concentrated on enjoying the game, even as I knew I was losing. It was a good feeling.

Neighbours, vegetables, baking

1. I feel so glad we have good neighbours. Some of them came over today for afternoon tea. It was delightful.
2. Our vegetable garden gives us yummy salad treats including cucumbers, spinach and beans. It takes effort but it's certainly worth it.
3. I love baking but I haven't done any for a while. However, yesterday I made a banana cake and today I made honey rice bubble biscuits. Both worked out very well.

Cricket, moments, tidy

1. Cricket time again this morning. Our son did a good job with the bat and handled himself well as a fielder as well. His bowling was excellent. The whole team was wonderful and there were some amazing catches. We bowled the opposition out and came away with a great win. I love having a sporting son!
2. I'm learning about enjoying moments, living in them and making the most of them. I'm trying to make the most of moments which aren't necessarily "big" in the normal sense of the world, but are important nevertheless because they are part of a whole. However, I'm not learning that quickly. So I'll be working on this lesson for a while, I expect.
3. I want to be tidier. I understand the need to be tidier. I can visualise being tidier. I would operate so much more efficiently if things were tidier. However, actually BEING tidier seems a very big hurdle to leap right now. I'll keep you posted on progress.

Motherhood, writing, completion

1. I received some hilariously true emails about motherhood today. I'm not sure why they all seemed to arrive today, but they did. One was particularly apt. It was a job description for a mother. One part I related to well was the suggestion that a mother needs to cope with being indispensable one minute and an embarrassment the next. I am learning that, as we speak. My daughter, bless her heart, is quite clingy and mummy oriented as long as her friends are nowhere in sight. However, if she is with a friend, I am relegated to a very lowly position. At first I took this personally and found it very upsetting. It's a new behaviour and hopefully just a phase. Now I realise it's more about her than me and I have learned some coping strategies. I fear my sisters and I probably treated our mother in a similar manner to some degree.
2. I have been taking a little time out of each day to do some reading. I know it's a good thing for me to do as a writer, but it's something I don't usually feel I can justify as a mother. However, I'm pushing that barrier open and reading anyway. The pieces I read today and yesterday were very enjoyable and reminded me of my own writing style. I felt a sense of "I could have written that" as I read each piece. It made me feel that anything is possible for me as a writer. That's a good thing.
3. I worked hard all day today on a piece I've been finalising for a publisher. I set myself the task of completing it and sending it to my agent by the end of this week and I achieved my goal. I feel very pleased to have done that and much less stressed.

Survival, more survival, sore throat

1. Today I went to lunch with my mother. She gave me a newspaper clipping about a family with 10 children who live "up north" without things like power, phone, water etc. It was fascinating stuff. The dad died last year and now the mum and her 10 children are continuing on in their little piece of paradise without the benefit of 20th century technology. Now that's survival.
2. Survival is definitely a theme today. I have just watched a documentary about Robert Hewitt, the New Zealander who recently survived after spending 75 hours alone in the sea after being swept away from his dive boat by a rip. I remember being part of the wave of emotion that went through New Zealand when Robert was found alive by a police rescue boat in miraculous circumstances. I felt the same emotion as I listened to him tell about his survival on television tonight. We need those stories in our lives.
3. All I'm surviving, apart from the usual difficulties and petty annoyances, is a shockingly sore throat. I'm not sure where it came from but it arrived suddenly and is not welcome. Miracles needed here too.

Swimming, understanding, 40

1. Our swimming sports went very well. The day was overcast and cooler which made the water colder but reduced the chance of sunburn considerably. The children did very well and my daughter was especially brave. She swam in the relay and flying squad race, even though she didn't really want to. Her reward was to be part of our school's first placed flying squad team. I was very proud of her for conquering her self doubt and so pleased that she experienced the joy of sporting success when that's usually her brother's domain. Well done, Sophie.
2. I understood something about myself today. I have been feeling less than 100 per cent emotionally for a while and now I have a clearer picture of the cause. I knew it had something to do with the ongoing work on our pool and deck and my husband's unrelenting work in that area. I was speaking to a friend about that today and realised that I'm feeling unable to express my feelings because I don't want to appear ungrateful. Anything critical I say could be construed as not appreciating the amazing job he's doing day after day to complete our pool and deck area. It's not easy to explain here but I'm sure that other wives in a similar position probably understand. I have talked about it a little with my husband and I think he has an inkling of the problem. He's assured me that we're on the home stretch so that's good news.
3. My friend is turning 40 in March. She's a wonderful woman, very beautiful and extremely creative. I feel blessed to know her and look forward to sharing the fabulous 40s with her.

Swimming sports, kindergarten, shoes

1. Our children have their swimming sports tomorrow and they are looking forward to it with varying degrees of enthusiasm. It's actually a fun day for parents and, although I'm going to be there, I won't be helping out with the race results this time. Last year, an angry parent was very accusatory about the work we were doing at the end of the race with the announcement of 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. So this year I've decided to be an observer and avoid being a target for parents with a competitive streak.
2. I worked at kindergarten this morning instead of Wednesday so that I can see the swimming sports. I enjoyed playing in the sandpit for the first time in ages. We made an enormous river and a wonderful mountain with a waterfall. Very therapeutic.
3. I took my son in to get his new shoes today. He has to wear expensive sports shoes due to his need for orthotic insoles to compensate for a difference in leg length and a lack of arches. Very complicated and irritating but it doesn't seem to stop him being an avid sportsman.

Killing bugs, progress, writers

1. My husband has bought a bug killer. Sorry to offend the squeamish here. It's shaped like a small tennis racquet and electrifies flies etc. I dislike flies intensely so I'm happy about it. It's actually amazing to see in action. The death is quick. Apologies to bug lovers of the world. We will be careful about its use.
2. I made a good deal of progress on the book I've been working on today. It was great to finally get some meaty work done. First time in ages. Yeehah! Roll on tomorrow.
3. I went to a writers' thing tonight where 5 NZ authors (one for children, four for adults) read from their work and spoke a little about it. My daughter came along and did well to sit through the adult bits which were hard for her to understand. But the children's author, Vince Ford, was hilarious and she enjoyed that reading immensely. I mainly enjoyed it but found some of the authors difficult to listen to.

International, Daisy Ashford, shoes

1. We had lots of visitors today, from all over. We had South Africans, Germans, Austrians, Brits, Kiwis and two lots of Americans, from Seattle and Arizona. Quite an international day, in fact.
2. Tonight I read to the children from a book I own which is nearly 100 years old. It's by a nine year old girl called Daisy Ashford and is called The Young Visiters. It's gorgeous. If you can get hold of a copy, do.
3. We bought lots of new shoes from The Warehouse today because they were so cheap. Fifty per cent off the lowest marked price, so mainly about $2. I got soccer boots, slippers and something beady. Lots of fun.

Sunset, cricket, bargain

1. I took this photo this evening outside our home. My husband and son were outside playing cricket and they called me to "come and see the wonderful sunset". We do have some spectacular sunsets here, but this was one of the best yet. The most amazing thing is that this photo doesn't do the real sunset justice by any means. The core of the sunset was exactly like a hot flaming ball which looked like it was coming to burn us to a crisp. Unfortunately, my photographic skills didn't extend to recreating the scene exactly. However, I'm happy enough with the result and equally as pleased to be able to bring it to the rest of the world.
2. Our son had his first "competitive" cricket game today for our local Te Awamutu team. It was a 3 hour match and I enjoyed every minute of it. He was put in to bowl first and did so very well. Then, as a fielder, he even caught someone out which was a huge bonus for his ego. He wasn't pleased with his batting though, as he was stumped before getting any runs. Roll on, next Saturday.
3. We needed a new 5 litre can of deck stain and our local retailer had run out of the particular colour we needed. I drove 30 minutes north to Hamilton, our nearest city, to get a can and was surprised to find that it was $15 cheaper than the one in our town! Same franchise and everything. I guess the transport costs must be to blame...

New photos, teeth, cricket pants

1. As you can see, the photos from my photo shoot with my wonderful photographer friend Pele have arrived. I'm thrilled. This is my favourite at the moment. It makes me look much more relaxed than I actually am. (And a bit less wrinkly thanks to a wonderful thing called photoshopping!) Thank you Pele! You are a miracle worker!
2. I spoke to a mum at school today about teeth, as part of my market research into the best method for dealing with my son's need for orthodonture. Is that a word? It was good to get the benefit of another person's experience. It's a big decision and I want to make it carefully.
3. I got a bargain today - and I love bargains. The white cricket pants my son wanted for his first game tomorrow were $25 in the shop. Before forking out the cash I went to the local op shop to see if, by some miracle, there were any white cricket pants for sale. The miracle occurred and I got a very nice pair of white cricket pants that fit loosely but will last well for the tidy sum of $2.

Employment, dinner, staining

1. I went to see a friend about a possible employment opportunity today. I hope to get some work proof reading, sub-editing and writing which will help the family finances along a bit now the children are getting older and become more expensive to operate! It was good to know I have important skills relevant to today's workplace.
2. We had our dinner out on the deck tonight as it was so hot inside the house. It was wonderful, after 7.5 years in this house, to finally be eating outside on a deck. I've dreamed of it all that time.
3. Every time my husband adds a bit more decking timber to the deck, I have the job of staining it rustic oak. I am now chief stainer and highly experienced in that role. Tonight I managed to keep the stain off my feet for the first time. I had the brilliant idea of wearing some old socks. Some people are slow learners...

Kindergarten 1, kindergarten 2, photo shoot

1. A gorgeous little kindergarten girl came up to me when I arrived this morning and said "I thought you and your little girl were coming to visit me at my house in the holidays!" This had been something of a loose and unconfirmed arrangement and, due to the fact that I'd never met her mother, I didn't feel comfortable waltzing along on just any old day. I explained that we could write mummy a note together and see if we could arrange something soon. We did that and had a lovely time working out a letter which she decorated with a detailed drawing of horse, including stirrups, girth, bridle etc!
2. I loved this little interchange with me and boy at kindergarten this morning:
Boy: "Look at my picture of a spider with a moustache!"
Me: "Wow! How did he get a moustache?"
Boy: "I drawed it."
3. My good friend Pele who is an awesome photographer gifted me a photo shoot to help with my publicity as an author and we went to a little gully to take the photos after lunch. It was great fun pretending I was a model for an hour or so! I'm looking forward to seeing the results soon. Perhaps I'll share one or two on the blog as well!

Spying, teeth, cricket

1. I had a spying job to do today. I can't give out any more information than that. I enjoy private detective work. I know that makes me sound like I do it a lot, which is not true at all. However, on the few occasions in my life when someone has asked me to check something out for them anonymously, I must say I've enjoyed it.
2. We had an appointment with the orthodontist about our son's teeth today. It was a lot to take in. I shall be mulling on the information for a while. Expensive too. But teeth are teeth and smiles are important.
3. After the dentist appointment, my husband and daughter went home for the evening while my son and I went to Hamilton to watch the NZ cricket team play Australia in the third game of a series. We had already won the first two games of the series and I'm pleased to say we won the third tonight as well - in style. It was very "edge of the seat" stuff and I loved every minute. It was great to share the experience with my son too. Bring on the World Cup!

Squash, joy, sunset

1. We play in a business house squash team on Monday nights at the moment. It was sweltering on the court so I was very pleased that we had enough team members and I could sit out for the night. My husband and son both won their games and did so in style. I was a proud wife and mum.
2. After the squash, we came home and the children and my husband dived into the pool to cool down. It was great to see my husband having so much fun in the pool after spending so many months working on it. It's still another two weeks until the deck is completed, but it's wonderful to see him take a night off to enjoy the fruit of his labour.
3. Sunset is my favourite time of day. I love pink and the sky around our property goes very pink at sunset many nights of the year. I especially love the mix of pink and orange. It's a fleeting beauty but one which I'm always thrilled when I spot. I never get sick of it.

Cricket win, cleaning, calm

1. New Zealand's Black Caps (our national cricket team) beat the Aussies at a match in Auckland today. We were glued to the television through most of the last hour or so as the Kiwis came closer to the impossible. Not impossible to beat the Australians - though nearly. We did beat them by 10 wickets in the first game of the series a few days ago. But in today's game the Aussies made a record number of runs for the venue and we still beat that great total. It was very exciting to watch and I'm still buzzing. Needless to say, I love cricket.
2. Today I spent several hours out of character! I cleaned the bathroom and the room that houses the toilet. (I'm never sure of the correct name for that room, sorry). When I say clean, I really cleaned. I even kind of enjoyed it, although it was a passing phase I'm sure.
3. I dropped my daughter around to play at the home of a friend today and stopped for a coffee with the mum who's also a friend of mine. I always find Robyn a particularly calming woman to be around and, when I came home, I found the calmness had transferred to me! It was lovely. Suddenly the loud list of possibilities on the "things to be done" list, seemed quieter and more orderly. I did more than usual because I didn't feel pressured to. It was actually quite bizarre but I hope it lasts because it was a happier way to live. Thanks Robyn.

Mad Hatters, bloggers, reading

1. The nearest city to us is Hamilton which is about 30 mins drive away. Hamilton has a beautiful garden and lake area and every year a Summer Festival is held there. I took the children, and my daughter's friend, to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party there today. It was a very funny mix of juggling, magic, strange accents, bumbling, child assistants from the audience, pouring teapots full of water over the audience and rubber chickens. Not many people wore mad hats - perhaps you weren't supposed to. But I did. Mine was a borrowed purple bouffy one.
2. I've been enjoying the latest round of bloggers that have found their way to my wordimperfect blog. They seem to be having a lot of fun with the experience. Long may it last. It's always nice to see old names bounce back up again on the blog - and always a thrill to see a new name arrive from the blogosphere. I'm particularly pleased that the friend who introduced me to blogging last year has now started visiting my blog and adding invented meanings. Thanks heaps, Matt. I really appreciate it!
3. The children enjoy reading to me and, usually, I enjoy it too. Tonight my daughter read Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present to me. It's a beautiful story and she read it with wonderful expression.

Baby shower, joke book, slave

1. I've been at my friend's baby shower tonight. She is already the mother of five children aged between 15 and 8 - I think that's right! Her baby is due at the end of March and it's her first ever baby shower. One of our very creative friends made a wonderful book and we all wrote our wishes for the baby inside. We also listed name choices. It was a wonderful night. All the best for your little one, Pele.
2. I found out today that my joke book has also been listed as one of the 40 notable NZ children's books of 2006.
3. My friend and neighbour, who's probably reading this, suggested he or his wife would like to repay us for loaning us their car for a few days while theirs was having a motor refit. I came up with the idea that I would like one of them to be my personal slave for a day, or perhaps half a day. Even an hour. Does that sound terrible? It's just that I've always wanted to know what it would be like to sit in a chair (for chair, read "throne") and order someone about. Of course, I wouldn't get them to do stuff like cutting the lawn with a pair of nail scissors or peeling me grapes. No, it would more like feeding the pets, watering the garden, making me a cup of tea, peeling the potatoes, cooking a bbq, vacuuming and dusting, swatting flies etc. The trouble is, of course, that the car is actually my husband's car and he's the one who should be repaid, if anyone is. But he's already got a personal slave... Did I really say that? Surely not... (just joking, darling)

Record keeping, lunch, radio

1. My husband is a wonderful record keeper. He has records of all our spending going back at least 10 years. It makes interesting reading. I have to keep my end of the bargain too, though, so today I was doing what we call "the finances" to help with the record keeping. This involved going through my wallet, sorting out receipts and seeing where our precious resources (mainly earned by my husband) have been spent. Usually groceries and petrol of course. It may seem petty to some, but being a wonderful record keeper actually meant we were able to buy this house. The bank said our income wouldn't sustain the mortgage but my husband was able to prove that we could through his amazing record keeping. So many talents...
2. I went to lunch today with my mother and mother in law to my favourite cafe called Elevations. I had ricotta and spinach canneloni and it was delish. It was nice to be treated. Wonderful, in fact.
3. Several people told me today that they heard my name mentioned on the radio news. It was about my being a finalist in the book awards. I didn't hear it, as I'm not a fan of the radio.

cricket, late night eating, looking forward

1. I spent an hour this evening at my son's first cricket training session. I constantly feel amazed at the way I have helped create this sporting person. Of course, my husband's sporting prowess has actually been responsible. But still, I feel proud to have been part of the process.
2. My children and I have eaten nothing since dinner at 5pm - much to the children's disappointment. It's part of my effort to deal with my son's gastric reflux. I read today that he shouldn't eat within 3-4 hours before bedtime. I told him I wouldn't make him do anything I wouldn't do as well. My daughter agreed, reluctantly, to help out. It's been hard but they're both asleep now. My turn next.
3. I'm very much looking forward to a celebratory lunch tomorrow with my mother in law at my current favourite cafe. She's shouting me lunch to congratulate me on being a NZ Post book award finalist. It will be wonderful.

Lemon slice, heels, photo

1. My son and I made a yummy lemon slice today from Donna Hay's Classics Book 2. If you like lemony things, you'll love this. It's in my fridge as we speak.
2. I bought some special cream to try and sort out my cracked heels. It's a never ending task but I'm hoping this cream will make a difference. It feels good so far, anyway.
3. My friend is a wonderful photographer. She phoned tonight to let me know she can take some publicity shots of me for my writing career which will be great. The one used in the newspaper the other day was at least 2 years old, I think. My hair was quite short and now it's much longer. I'm looking forward to my photo shoot!

Noise, gastric problems, marriage

1. I don't do well surrounded by noise. Strange, you might say, for someone who's responsible for quite a lot of it. However, it's true. My working environment in my home writing office is silence. No music, no radio, no chit chat. So it's not easy at the moment because bulldozers are creating a constant low grade rumble in the section of land near us which is being cleared for reasons I'm still unsure of. It's enough to drive a woman to chocolate. However, I'm hoping the new D Stress tablets might do the trick.
2. My son is home from school today with gastritis mixed with gastric reflux symptoms. He's had intermittent stomach trouble since Sunday and I finally took him to the doctor today. He's happier and on the mend, but the bulldozers rumble on.
3. I'm so happily married. I'm so grateful that I found a husband who is perfectly suited to me (for that, read, can put up with me). I feel very blessed to have met such a wonderful man. Nuff said.

Growing up, ducks, old age

1. I took my son to our regional squash training morning. He did very well and I had cause to notice how soon he will change from a little boy to a young man. Boys there who were aged only 18 months older than my son were noticeably more muscly, had deeper voices and seemed to be a world away from their younger counterparts. It made me conscious of the miracle of life, of changes from childhood to adulthood and how so much is beyond my control. Obviously, a had a bit of time on my hands for thinking!
2. I took my daughter to the lake to visit the ducks. We enjoyed their antics, particularly one who landed badly on the grass and took a while to regain her composure. Another landed badly in the water and draw a raucous quackophony from the other ducks around. It sounded exactly as though they were laughing at her misfortune. I guess we'll never know.
3. We also visited a cafe for lunch. The two tables nearest us held me fascinated. At one, a young man of about 18 was incredibly attentive to an elderly couple who were possibly his grandparents. At the other table two middle aged women were fussing over a very elderly and frail woman who probably didn't really know where she was. She certainly wasn't able to answer their questions about what she would like from the menu. However, they all seemed to enjoy the outing. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the company of my 8 year old daughter as we reminded each other of our "most embarrassing moments".

40th, father-in-law, squash

1. My daughter and I visited the home of a friend who was celebrating his 40th birthday today. It's also my 47 and a halfth (new word?) birthday today so I was feeling quite celebratory myself. It was a family bbq with children swimming, yummy desserts and not too many dipsomaniacs. Thanks Margaret and Andrew.
2. My father-in-law came to help my husband with the deck around the swimming pool today. They both worked really hard in very hot sunny conditions - something we're all very grateful for.
3. My son and I went to have our first game of squash for the year today. I was pleased with how well I did. I won the first two games but tired enough to let my son come through and win the next three. It was good to see we hadn't lost too much of our squash fitness from not playing over the summer.

Finalist, office tidy, lunch

1. The news that I was unable to reveal in yesterday's post was that I am a finalist in the NZ Post Children's Book Awards (see www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz) . This a really big thing for me and soooo exciting. The finalists are in four categories of children's books. My book called It's True...You can make your own Jokes (published by Allen and Unwin) is a finalist in the non-fiction category. An article about the awards and my book appeared in today's NZ Herald newspaper (page 7) which you can read online if you wish at www.nzherald.co.nz and then follow the links through entertainment and books. I'm pretty sure that will get you there. I won't be winning a computer savvy award any time soon! That's for sure. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in Wellington in mid May.
2. It wasn't easy coming back to earth after my big news. However, my office did need tidying so I managed to complete that task today despite my excitement and several phone calls. The hardest thing about having wonderful things like this happen is that I still have to fulfil my other roles in life (i.e. cooking, cleaning, childcare, taxi service, wifely duties etc) when I would much rather be swanning around at a cafe celebrating my success! Oh well, I guess there's always a downside...
3. My husband and I celebrated my great news with a lunch together at our local cafe called Cicada Cafe. It's nothing flash but it's close and my husband only has a half hour for lunch. We celebrated with Henry's homemade pies. I sense the need for a more formal celebration coming on though.
3.

Back to school, whistle, good news

1. The children went back to school happily today and both had a great day. They're in the same class although there's a year between them. It's a small country school with only four classrooms so the year 5 and 6 students are taught together. I'm looking forward to seeing their progress this year.
2. I worked at kindergarten this morning and a lovely little girl told me something sweet which I'm sure she won't mind me repeating here. I had just finished reading a story about a kangaroo which lost its ability to hop but regained it by the end of the story. She said "He got his bounce back!" I agreed, asking if she'd ever lost her bounce. "No," she replied. "But I did lose my whistle once." Pressing for more information, I learned that "Jonothan borrowed it for a while but I've got it back now. See." She then demonstrated her ability to whistle.
3. I received very good news today about my writing career but you'll have to wait until tomorrow's blog as it's embargoed until February 8. I was so happy I cried!

More photos, tidying, swimming

1. These extra photos from the Wellington Rugby Sevens (won by Samoa, in case you're not in the know) show (1) my sister (left) and myself (right) with a smurf (middle) and (2) my sister (middle) with two aliens (left and right) who apparently travelled millions of light years just to watch the sevens!
2. The children go back to school tomorrow so I got them into the mood with a bossy breakfast meeting where I came down hard on what I expected from them in terms of getting ready for the school year. Tidy school desk, tidy school bag, tidy bedroom, blah, blah, blah. And it worked! I think we achieved more in the way of tidiness and organisation today than we achieved in the previous seven weeks since the holidays began.
3. We also had time for a family swim which was much needed as the weather was sweltering to put it mildly. I'm loving having a pool - even if the deck isn't finished yet. Yay for home handyman husbands!

Photo of us at the Rugby Sevens

Okay. I managed to put a photo on the blog. This is myself, my friend and my sister dressed as Marge Simpson at the Wellington Rugby Sevens. We usually have yellow faces but our face paint started cracking and peeling in the heat so we cleaned it off. This photo doesn't show many other dressed up people. I'll try to put a couple more on showing others soon.

Reality, dreams, countdown

1. Being away from your normal life for a while and then coming back to it can have unexpected consequences. When I came back from the sevens last year, it took a few days for me to stop thinking about all the fun I had there. When we went on holiday to Fiji in May it took me weeks and weeks to readjust to my everyday life where I wasn't being waited on, served and cleaned up after constantly. This time after the sevens, though, I think I've fitted back into my life relatively seamlessly. I think I was more prepared this time and I also know I can go again next year so it hasn't been so hard to come back to reality. Just thought I'd share that with you.
2. While I was in Wellington I had a "bad dream". Not really a nightmare but it involved a child dying so it was definitely a bad dream. I was so relieved when I woke up to find it wasn't really true. I was talking about the dream with my friend and sister and I realised that bad dreams are actually a good thing - for me anyway. They help me to realise that, actually, life could be worse. It could be as bad as some of my dreams. It made me appreciate reality and be thankful for its normalcy.
3. I'm counting down the days until school starts again - Wednesday for our children. It's certainly been a long summer holiday with its highs and lows. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine, getting back to writing and having some space and time to sort out my office.

Sevens, sevens, sevens

1. Okay. So the first thing about the rugby sevens is that you don't have to know anything about rugby to enjoy it. You don't have to like the game, even. You see, people don't really go to the sevens to watch rugby. They go for a variety of reasons - partying mainly. I'm not that much of a party animal in real life. However, I do like dressing up, dancing and being on television. And last year, when I went to the sevens with my friend for the first time, I discovered that it's a wonderful place for having a great time - even though neither of us drink alcohol at all. So this year we returned, with another Marge, and the three of us had a wonderful time again.
2. We have discovered that dressing up as Marge Simpson is a great cure for the invisibility of being 40 something married women with children. Marge is a magnet. Everyone wants to have their photo taken with Marge, hug Marge, chat with Marge, help Marge etc.
3. Doing something very different to my normal life is a wonderful panacea. It helps me to appreciate life, enjoy life and relax about life. I can recommend it. Especially after weeks and weeks of school holidays. It's a wonderful tonic.

January, rugby sevens, children

1. I'm sorry, but has anybody seen January? It was here just a moment ago. I only turned my back for a second and it seems to have disappeared. I was only just getting used to being in a new year and now I'm one twelfth of the way through it. It's perplexing me, as you can tell. I think it has something to do with being in school holiday mode and not keeping track of the dates.
2. Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Wellington, our nation's superb capital, to meet my sister and friend for two days of being Marge Simpson at the rugby sevens. Not sure what will happen about blogging but, if all else fails, I'm back on Sunday. I'll tell all on my return. Well, nearly all.
3. Our children are growing up. I keep getting glimpses of it. I notice the way they cope with things differently, want to do more of their own stuff, express themselves as individuals, and surprise me with their opinions. It's wonderful, slightly scarey, an enormous relief and invigorating.

Cat, guppies, bantams

1. Today I'm going to tell you about our pets as they're a wonderful asset to our family. Moose is our cat. He's white with big orange splotches and about 9 years old. He has an interesting personality and has been the subject of two of my children's books - although the main character was changed from Moose the cat to Skipper the dog. That's life. Moose is okay with it.
2. We have a number of guppies who live in a cold water aquarium in our lounge. Guppies give birth to live young which happens in the summer months here. Apparently the mother gives birth to a couple of dozen fish but most get eaten by her and her colleagues. We have eight babies at the moment in a separate netted off area while they grow bigger. It's always very exciting when someone spots a new baby and everything stops so we can rescue it from all the marauders in the tank.
3. I've mentioned our three new silky bantams which we got on New Years Eve. They're doing very well and growing bigger and fluffier. Not much else to say about them right now.

Budgie, relaxing, stories

1. My daughter has a pale blue and white male budgie named Sugar who's been with us since early last year. She hand reared him so he started out very tame and has turned into quite a talker. She hasn't kept up the taming process though. Today, however, she decided to try and "retame" Sugar. She had some success, with a bit of help from mum. I hope she keeps up the effort as he's a wonderful budgie with great potential.
2. I relaxed with my daughter after lunch and watched one of her Saddle Club dvds. It wasn't really my cup of tea but I enjoyed the down time and the girl time.
3. I realised today that when I tell a long winded story I lose my audience because I take so long to get to the point. I listened to someone else doing the same thing and realised how I must sound, as it's a bad habit of mine - my father used to describe it as "enjoying the sound of my own voice". I'm going to try a new tack. I shall now cut to the chase and make that bit so enticing that the listener wants to ask questions to find out how the end result happened. I'll see how I go.

Anniversary, hard work, river

1. Today was a public holiday for our region of New Zealand called Anniversary Day. It was nice to have everyone at home doing their thing happily together. We had a variety of visitors popping in for a few minutes at a time which was also nice.
2. I helped my husband with some pool work today, mainly wheelbarrowing and lifting which I needed badly as my exercise level had dropped to marginal recently. I feel refreshed.
3. I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that we were part of a river drama on our way home from the lake yesterday. We stopped at a river to see if it was suitable for a quick dip. A woman and four children were there and we were chatting with them. Three of the children were under 5 and a boy called Richard aged about 8 or 9. Richard accidentally got into the swift flowing part of the river and I was the only one who noticed. I alerted the woman who tried to go to his aid. We managed to call out to him to grab a plant on the bank opposite, which he did. He was quite scared but held on tightly for a long time while we considered the options. We decided that, since he wasn't a swimmer, he should climb up onto the bank. He managed that with difficulty. My husband then found a way around to him via a bridge and helped him climb up the bank, including a vertical climb of about 3 metres through prickles and gorse. It was all quite exciting and the boy was very happy to be back with his family again. I was glad we were at the right place at the right time.

Lake visit,wild berries, pool

1. The family visit to the bach owned by my sister and her husband was a wonderful time out for us as an extended family. Very relaxing. Some went trout fishing with various degrees of success. Others read, chatted, cooked, ate, drank, played cricket, played cards, walked and generally chilled out. The visit to the natural hot springs was a highlight for me. Thanks, Jude and Tony, for your hospitality.
2. At one stage during our little sojourn at the lake my daughter and I went for a short walk and found some wild blackberries ripe for the picking. We enjoyed them very much. It reminded me of the times in my childhood when we would go to the paddock near our house to get up close to the horses and feast on wild berries. Yummmmm.
3. We had our very first family swim on our return from the lake today. It was great fun, with my husband being the life and soul of the party as usual. Great to see him playing after all the hard work he's been doing - and still has to do.

Long weekend, happy, movie

1. We have a long weekend looming, with time at a lake with our extended family thanks to the generosity of my sister and her husband who are having us all at their bach. We're only staying one night but it will be nice to have a change of scenery and for my husband to have some time off from the pool.
2. I'm feeling contented today and relaxed. It's not that common.
3. I'm about to sit with my husband and watch Flight Plan which I've been looking forward to for ages. Hope it doesn't disappoint!

Home, unpacking, pool

1. I love being at home. I have to admit to being quite boring on that one. Home is cosy and friendly and everything fits.
2. I spent time doing my own thing today before unpacking the van after the beach. It was a good way to unwind and not feel pressured to do work after driving home. I was proud of myself for taking time out. I don't do it very often.
3. My daughter and I cooled down with a swim today and it was absolutely wonderful. Nothing like it on these humid, muggy days. I reminded my husband how great he is for creating this outdoor haven for us all. He works on...

Rain, beach, clarity

1. Our first day at the beach was marred by rain, rain and a lot more rain. We flagged away the tent and went for the cabin option instead. We managed by reading, mainly. The children were pretty good but the dashes to the toilet left us sodden. We were wondering about our beach decision but decided the next day could only be better...
2. And it was! Today dawned misty but not rainy. We breakfasted quickly and set off for the black sand and waves below our cabin. The water was warmish but wild so we only paddled. We enjoyed the fresh sea air, sinking into the sand, exercising our calf muscles at last and dabbling our feet in the water. We found plenty of driftwood too. it was definitely worth the journey and the wait for better weather. (For those interested and who have a map, we went to Mokau which is on NZ's west coast north of New Plymouth. It's about 1.5 hours drive from our home).
3. This morning when we were looking out to sea, enjoying the clear air and listening to the pounding waves, I had a strong moment of clarity about life. The change in weather reminded me that the bad experiences are there to help us appreciate the good times even more. The day was average, but it seemed exquisite compared to the rainsoaked day before.