Life in Middle Girth

Mood: TIred but happy
Listening to: Dishwasher, radio burble

Sunday, 3.42 pm

 

Guess I'll blog while all is quiet on the home front - Pip, Duncs and Brent have just taken the carcass of a pig over to the home-kill butcher in Feilding for processing, Greg is down at the beach with Shaun and his family, and Mike has gone round to mow Jo's lawn.

 

It has been a week of the most fantastic weather - glorious sunshine for about 5 days on end, and today was just the same. It's wonderful the effect this has on people, they talk to each other, smile, and generally are nicer to be around. Oh if only we could bottle the essence!

 

Brent got up at God knows when this morning to go whitebaiting - first attempt for the season which began last Monday. Came home with just on half a pound so he's happy enough. He will be early off to bed tonight, not only because of his early start but also because we were out last night at a party, and ended up walking home - it was a very long way, gave us lots of time to appreciate the starry, starry night! Must clock it on the speedo, I reckon it was about 4 km. Took us about 45 minutes, with only a few wobbles!

God my feet are sore today. My own fault - I'd worn my old fluffy sheepskin slippers because they were sore all day yesterday, so slopping along in those all the way home hasn't improved them. Have also discovered my big toenails appear to be detaching from the nail bed, wonder if that's anything to do with the other foot problem? I'm having a bit of a flare up, the sooner it settles down again the better.

 

Barbara came up on Friday night to stay for Aunty Doff's 90th yesterday. We whipped up some plates of various sandwiches, and asparagus rolls; Carey Grey had done a birthday cake and some pikelets with jam and cream, somebody else took pavlova, scones, slices..... The only hiccup was that we bowled in at 2.30 expecting to be early only to find everybody else had arrived at 2 o'clock. Felt a bit stink but what could we do? AD had a ball, read the card about 20 times and the cat book I got her from cover to cover - seems quite happy but not up with the state of the nation. Apparently she turns up in funny places doing funny things e.g. at Pauline Hill's house down Mill Street for a cup of tea...... Tout seul which is a bit of a worry.

 

Rod is coming over in the middle of the night next Thursday so we will find a bed for him. We are off to Hamilton on Fri/Sat to watch Greg's team in the Geography Olympics but he can stay here. Barb will join him so I guess they will entertain themselves and AD somehow.

 

Working M/T/W/Th this week as far as I know, and hope to do the sheep with Dave on Friday.  And one day I'll get to the gym!

 

Pip bought a beautiful top to go with her black ball gown which she's going to fold down and wear as a skirt. It's pink, boned strapless chiffony stuff with a flower on one side. Very pretty, will look gorgeous with the black. Bargain too, was $90 but she got it from Stax for $30.

 

Blimmin cat has caught 3 little wax-eyes today. Poor little things. Mrs next-door feeds them and I guess they're easy pickings for him. He'll get the bum's rush if she catches him catching them!!

Kevin brought me another reference to do for him yesterday, this one is for Teachers college. He's made up his mind to do it, and, depending on whether he goes the Primary or Secondary route, will leave the Airforce January or February next year.

Must go before I drop off.

Jaybee

Mood: Happy
Listening to: Sponge Bob Square Pants on TV. It intrudes.

Monday, 4.30 pm

Yipeee Hooray happy happy joy joy.....can you tell I'm excited?

Wanna know why?

 

Because while I''ve been away from my blog slacking, the 1000th visitor has been and gone!! And that's pretty momentous in my book!! Thank you, thank you very much!!! (Thinks - ah, if only they were paying guests!!)

 

See, it doesn't take much to keep me happy really.

 

Now, I’m not great at emails, but here’s a transcript of a "conversation" between Pip and me today. It’s easier to keep a po face than face to face! I was considering getting a cute little soft toy dog we have at the shop…but couldn’t resist a gentle wind-up, and I think she's swallowed it....

ME: Hey, wots yr fav dog?

PIP: Those black 1s wiv brown eyebrows dnt knw wot they r cald y?

ME: Fat or skiny? Rotty or doberman?

PIP: Rotty I thnk y?

PIP: Y?

ME: Jst wndrd. U shd let nana knw wen u r going 2 stay.

PIP: Y do u wana knw r u gtn a dog? Its nt lyk i cn txt hr!

ME: Use snail mail! Maybe bt dnt tell Dad.

Here comes my favourite line.....

PIP: Dad lives wiv u u geek do u nt thnk he wud notice?

ME: Lol u thnk?

PIP: Na try it & c.

ME: Ok, mite. Dnt dob me in.

ME: Do u kno wot a schauser looks like?

PIP: No wher r u gtn it frm?

ME: Hav a look on da net. Cn gt miniatures 2.

Haven't heard back since then, she's either twigged, given up completely on her mother's flights of fancy, or decided the whole thing is too slow and she'll ring tonight when she has free minutes!

I don't usually go gaga over soft toys but these ones are seriously cute - little dogs in handbags, about 3" long. Poodles, rottys, corgis, schnausers, alsations, bichon friezes and more, but no chihuahuas - sorry Miss Hilton! All for the great price of $12.99.

 

Ok, the boys are home, now I have to take Greg to the doctor with his infected finger.

BBL

Jaybee.

Mood: Tired, listless, lacking energy
Listening to: Nickelodeon crap on TV

Sunday, 2.43 pm

 

Feeling a bit "Poor Me" today - have got a sore throat (it's really hard to look down your own throat) but only seems swollen and spotty on the right tonsil side. Feet blimmin sore too, especially the right one. Yes its red and has been pus-y and flaky and looks dreadful and feels SORE. Have just spent half an hour reading various PPP (palmoplantar pustular psoriasis) sites and think I should be grateful that my doctor didn't misdiagnose me several times as a lot of folk seem to have happen. Mind you, he couldn't give me a remedy either.

 

So this morning I stayed in bed curled up with a good book (Shipping News) and the cat. Brent took Michael to Palmerston North for the Secondary Schools squash tourny and Pip went off to work at 6.30 am. She's still there, a long day today. Brunch was postponed through lack of maternal interest, but I did cook up a triple batch of pancakes for lunch later on. They were scrummy - and the triple mix worked - there are actually some left over. My favourite topping is old fashioned lemon juice and sugar.

 

Facing a huge mountain of washing to be folded/ironed and put away after getting 3 loads dry yesterday. We have had 3 days with frosts followed by beautiful blue-sky days - the sort of days where people chat to each other and smile at strangers just because the weather makes you feel so damned good! Alas, because it's been sitting in the basket a lot more will need ironing than usual but we went out last night so it didn't get done. (Kids do it? YEAH RIGHT!!)

 

Went to Centrepoint Theatre in PN to a performance of "Shaggy Dog Story", very enjoyable and lighthearted. Was a Social Club outing. 

Stopped halfway over to see whether we could see the Space Shuttle passing overhead but I think we were a bit late. Greg, Duncs and I watched it the night before, it was amazing! Starry night, no streetlights out the back, and we'd just about given up trying to find it when it just appeared and cruised across the sky right over our house it seemed. Took about 4 minutes from whoa to go and looked a bit like a comet, complete with tail. Awesome. Hope those dudes get back to earth ok tomorrow.

 

Went out on Friday night too, just down to the Marton Hotel for tea with Dave and Jo. First time we've had a catch up with them for a while. Wasn't going to be a late night but it was midnight or so by the time we got home. However, everybody minded their p's and q's and there were no dramas.

 

Finally, finally got the passport photos together with the applications together and filled in. Brent has taken them out to Braemore for Dave to witness this afternoon. Must admit after months of saying "Don't worry, there's plenty of time", I had a few moments of panic when I couldn't find Brent's photos. However, all's well now, just so long as they accept our photos. Apparently the Dept Internal Affairs rejects them quite regularly.

 

Can't access my voice mail on the cellphone because when I set it up I must have had a grey-hair day or a few wines or something, and I can't remember my password. Rang Telecom but they said I'd have to take it into a Telecom agency to get it reset. Bugger. Must see if I can find the instruction book just in case I wrote it in there but none of the likely ones work - home phone, answerphone pin, alarm pin, EFTPOS pin, what a dork.

 

Feel like I need a Nana-nap, think I've got a temperature too. Wonder if its connected to the tonsil or the feet? Wish there was another day to the weekend tomorrow!

 

Time to let Pip use the computer, she's got an assignment to finish. Good to see her this weekend.

Jaybee.

Mood: Gutted
Listening to: Nothing

Wednesday, 11.07 pm

Now I feel very ashamed of myself for moaning and grumbling, let me tell you why.

Brent did just arrive home and was in a much better mood than earlier. However, he had some news that his Mum had rung through just after I left for the Quiz, about his Aunty Caroline - she has just discovered that she has breast cancer. Shit shit shit shit shit. She is one of the nicest ladies you'd ever hope to meet, its just not fair!!! She has had the biopsy, it was malignant, now she has to go and have a partial mastectomy. Life deals out some crappy decisions sometimes.

So that is why I feel small and humble and what have I got to growl about.

In the next breath I'll admit to snarling at Brent again because we've just had the "Are you coming to bed now?" conversation, it goes like this:

Him   "Are you coming to bed now?"

Me "Soon. Could you put my electric blanket on please?"

Him "Yeah, don't be too long. Do you want  your light left on?"

Me "No thanks."

Him "So you're not coming to bed then. You've got to get up in the morning....."

 

Poor Caroline. Poor Tony. Hope she'll be ok.

Mood: Prickly
Listening to: Fire crackling

Wednesday, 10.47 pm

I guess its not a good representation of me, blogging when grumpy or annoyed or in a bad mood or upset about something. But here I go again! One day I'll come in all sweetness and light and full of the joys of life but in the meantime it's good to blow off steam.

 

I'm annoyed at the husband (again). Its like he is negative about me all the time, what I think, what I say, what I do, when I go to bed, da da da dee da. It's beginning to wear me down. Tonight he bashed pots and pans around in the kitchen and grumped around like a bear with a sore head when I got home from work - I went upstairs to get changed and took a while (because I needed to have a good crap if you must have all the details) and next thing he's yelling up about how long was I going to be, what was I doing etc. For goodness sake! Yeah I know he had Interclub tonight but so what, its no big deal getting a bit of bacon and eggs done is it? Not going to take too long! Then he got all poopy when he couldn't find his thermal. Asked me if I'd seen it lately before he even looked in his drawer. Grr. As it happened, it wasn't there but it irked me that he didn't look first. Michael had pinched it this morning - ok, so he shouldn't have done, but was he to know that Brent had decided to take tomorrow off to go fishing and would want that particular top? No. Talk about perform!

Then I went out to the Quiz night, left the boys in charge of small, had a most enjoyable time (and 3rd=)  got home shortly after 9 pm. No dishes done, plates not even in the dishwasher, bench not cleared, big boys watching their respective TVs - then discover that Michael had been revving Duncs up, Duncs got in a right state so Mike shut him in his bedroom and took the door handle off until Greg could go and pacify him. FOR GOODNESS SAKE again!! He's a strapping big 6' 17 year old and he can't cope with a 5 year old?? I feel so disappointed that I can't even go out for a couple of hours and leave them in charge.

 

Bugger now Brent has come home and will moan because I'm on the computer. Shit. Hope his mood has improved. He went to the Dr today about his back and it wasn't a very satisfying appointment. Has a referral to a specialist about the arthritis, but also giving up a few things was mentioned - like squash maybe? Or fishing?? HAHA right.

Enough. I'll come back at leisure later.

Jaybee

Mood: Weary
Listening to: Loud silence

Tuesday, 11.31 pm

 

Yes, I should be in my bed, should have been there hours ago. Thank you Aunty Em for those kind words. [My Aunty Em actually died several years ago but that was one of those phrases she used frequently.]

 

Heard on the news tonight that David Lange, an ex-PM of New Zealand, and a very clever, witty man, has just had the lower half of one leg amputated - a complication of his diabetes. Poor man. Diabetes is a bitch like that, you cope with it fairly well so you think, then it comes back and bites you later on; payment for former sins of bad control maybe. An incentive to keep things level, eh husband? Brent had given up his pills that he had been taking in conjunction with his insulin, reckoning that they didn't work anyway. About a month later he realised that maybe they did as his blood sugar levels were higher than they oughta be (no, I didn't say I told you so, I only thought it). He's been taking them again since about Saturday and going a bit too low; you just can't win.

 

Work has been really good so far this week - think I mentioned Mr & Mrs Boss are away, well, us girls are coping just fine to date. All of us part-timers are working full time this week to cover, and its lovely having the continuity with the others. No crises yet TOUCH WOOD, but it has been really busy. Time just flies. There hasn't been a single day since I started there when I've woken up and thought "Oh no, I've got to go to work" - isn't that great! The pay isn't wonderful, but it's more than I used to get staying at home! And contrary to what the husband says, I don't reinvest the entire amount in take home purchases. Haven't bought anything for me this week!

 

Sodding feet have gone septic again, it's a bloody nuisance. Maybe I'll do the soak-in-the-bath thing tomorrow night and give them a treat. No, it's the College quiz night tomorrow, will have to do it Thursday. We got 2nd last year - we being the Scout Group Committee team - so will try to at least match it this year. Haven't heard whether I'm going to be asked to do the questions for a quiz night this year, I've done it as a fundraiser for Scouts for the last couple of years and it's been quite successful.

 

Naughty me, been eating chippies and chocolate this week, and only gymmed once. Dammit, just when I was starting to make progress. Now it will all trickle back on again, just in time for the holiday. Grrrrr. I seem to have delayed reaction weight-wise - losses and gains take about 2 months to register! I have plenty of will power but no won't power when it comes to giving in to foody things.

Brent and Alan shot a deer the other night, they chopped it up tonight and this one is all going into sausages. They'd better be good..... I wanted half mince - at least I know the kids will eat mince in any way, shape or form whether it's plain old mince, chile con carne, spag bol, meatballs, rissoles..... why not leave the sausages till closer to BBQ season? The last time we had venison sausages they were Foul with a capital F. Disgusting. Even the cat wouldn't eat them. I think the butcher cocked up because it wasn't a gamey taste or anything like that, the seasonings were all up the shoot. What a waste. Different butcher this time though, highly recommended.

 

Pip's coming home this weekend. She doesn't have any classes on a Friday this term so that makes for a nice long weekend. She hasn't any on Thursday this week either as the tutors are going on strike.

 

We've decided to have a sumptuous morning tea tomorrow; my contribution is brandy snaps so I'd better get up a bit earlier in the morning to fill them. We'll be fat and spotty when Helen and Gary get back - polished off a box of scorched almonds they left for us today!

 

That Tracey off Coro St is an evil wench isn't she? How come people like her don't meet with their just desserts? I suppose if you're going to be wicked you might as well do it properly, there are real people like that though and the irritating thing is that I'm sure they sleep well at night in spite of their nastiness.

Shared my blog address with my mate in Upper Hutt, now I'm feeling quite nervous and exposed! Lynne, if you get to read this, leave a comment and do the poll thing for me. And I warned you it wouldn't be exciting!!!

Will report in after the quiz. Brent will be at Interclub so I won't feel guilty about computing. That's another story, don't get me started now.

Yaaaawwwwwwn

Jaybee