Second Thoughts

I looked at my blog a few minutes ago and thought, I'm not really into this anymore and it shows. I checked visitors to my site, all foreign strangers and I started feeling a little uneasy. So I decided I might post one last blog - The Last Post.

Then a funny thing happened, I remembered posting the story of Christ's birth one Christmas, so I started scrolling back through old posts looking for it. Another funny thing happened, I was quite surprised at some of the funny things I'd written and of the diverse range of topics I'd blogged about. I actually used to think I wasn't that good at blogging, not compared to those witty American bloggers and my very funny friend from Dal, Hel and Bel (Incidentally Hel, I've never stopped hoping that sometime soon you will have time to give us an update).

No wonder my family never check me out anymore - I never post! So here is one of those resolutions that will make it to the New Year list.

1. I will pick up blogging again and start sharing all the cool stuff that I have to be grateful for.

Yes folks, there are still 24 hours in every day, no more - no less; so I'm going to make a more concerted effort for 2012 to keep the whanau up to date with the happenings in my neck of the woods.

So tomorrow I start................ stay tuned

Cramming for exams

Isn't if funny how all those little things you meant to do for ever such a long time (ie new post), suddenly get done when it's time to start serious swotting for finals!

I'm usually quite well organised, know what jobs need doing on what day, have lists for everything blah blah but there is one time when I become the master of procrastination - and that time is now. So instead of cramming - here I am, alive and well, in remarkably good condition, apart from the body that groans under the strain of the always increasing weight. But come this weekend I'll start for sure. Promise.

IN RECOVERY MODE

I've been in hospital for some surgery. Although its one way of getting a few weeks off work, it certainly wasn't fun. I had lots of injections and other poking and prodding, lots of drugs that made me feel yucky and lots of PAIN. The visitors were the best part of the ordeal. My sister even travelled up from Wairoa to visit (although she looked so tired and stressed I felt I should have been cheering her up and not vice versa). Major learned to say Hostible, but there was no way he was getting anywhere near the bed incase I got to go home and he had to stay. Now I'm at my aunty's recovering. Under Dr Sally's careful eye I'm doing lots of ....zzzzzzz...

and the odd bit of this

And soon I'll be all good as new, back to work and this will all be one of those unpleasant, distant memories that I'll banish as quickly as it appears. After all you can't keep a good woman down!

BOUNTY FROM THE GARDEN

A quick whip around the garden a couple of weeks ago, brought this wonderful bounty to the kitchen. There's corn, purple and green peppers, tomatoes, grapes, cabbages, cauliflower, zuchinni, onions, passionfruit and these flying saucer type things that I don't know the name of which I accidentally picked up instead of zuchinni. They're obviously related to zuchinnis but taste quite different.

Anyway it's a real buzz to get all these beauties straight from garden to kitchen, well worth the effort.

HOLIDAYS HAVE BEEN AND GONE

Who sped time up?

I waited all year for the holidays and already they are over.

The good news is I got to spend a precious few days with both my mokos and it was so much fun. The joy your grandchildren bring into your life is hard to describe, your own kids are great but your mokos are out of this world. My mum told me that and now I know what she meant.

Major's helping Jade unpack her Christmas box from Gran (he was an expert at opening presents by the time all the gift giving was done - and he wasn't really fussy about whose present he was opening either)

Wish I could master the art of taking a good photo, this isn't the most flattering shot, but it's my best darlings without any airbrushing

Jade is so tall and beautiful now, we loved playing Cluedo with her. Despite our best efforts she still managed to whip us at it. Now previously Justine thought she was the Cluedo Champ, so there were a few heated discussions over whether a wrong accusation by all three players meant the last player to get it wrong could actually be considered the winner (that was Jade of course who still counts that game as a victory)

You have to have plenty of coins for the rides when you take Major near the mall

You know my great grandmother was full Maori and wore a moko (tattoo chiselled onto the lips and chin). You'd never know these two had any such connection looking at their pale skin. One thing's for sure though, they look like cousins and they're both mad about each other. Hope that lasts through all their years.