WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ ETC :PART 6!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow! Part 6...got to be a record.

MN Towers, where's our prize?!

DH is on his way to auckland to pick up our dog! We are so excited, we are all going to be together again

I think once she is home, it will really feel real to me, that we really really live in nz.

How exciting frik! I remember our cat arriving and it making a big difference.

OH just left

I'm very tempted to go get a kitten this weekend.

She is here!!!! Very very excited happy reunion DD is totally made up

Only thing is the poor animal is molting like crazy in time for what would normally be summer in the ME, and it's going to be winter here. Never mind, I can just knit her a jumper lol.

Very happy family today :-)

Oh frik that's wonderful! It must be so nice to be a complete family again

We're home. In addition to the rain, we had the added complication of DD2 getting sick this morning, and then again in the car on the way home. So we decided to cut our losses DH & I now feeling distinctly queasy too, but that could be just having done all the clean ups

Our cat started moulting quite quickly when she arrived in Nov. It's amazing how quickly they adapt- it must be cues from the light/temp but within a few months she had sorted it all out. I miss her- she passed away a few months ago after three years in her new home.

Oh no vvvv, hope you don't all come down with it.

Littlest, go for it! You can always just tell DH, oh well, if you were home you would have been able to stop me.......lol. Sorry about your other cat, it's very hard isn't it

Happy Easter Everyone!

Does this sound like someone you know??

Entirely random but I met someone yesterday that I would love to be able to meet again. We met outside Cafe on Kohi over the shared love of Border Terrier dogs(theirs and ours), this family with one boy and one girl arrived in NZ in December from Northern Irelend and live in Devonport, children go to Devonport Primary.Their beloved dogs are still in the UK.

Our dogs are most likely related as ours came from the same town as this lovely family.

So unusual to have such random things in common so would love to meet this family again.

Sorry fangolina can't help! Put an ad in the devonport paper?

frick yay! to doggie home at last.

vvv oh dear, that's a real shame. Doesn't sound like you had the best break. I'm sorry about that.
I hope you don't catch bug, and the girls pick up soon x

littlest do it do it do it! You need a snuggle buddy!

Well, we were going to do one of the walking tracks today, but decided it was too hot, so headed to the beach.

Dd and ds2 (plus daddy) straight in. Ds1, as usual, wasn't keen. Dh and I had had a chat and I had warne him not to make an issue of it, he'll do it when he's ready, just let him enjoy the beach and building sandcaastles etc etc

So we were walking down the beach and saw 2 people bending down looking at something.
Being a right nosey fecker, I went and had a look too!

It was one of these: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_man_o%27_war

Heard someone saying what a nasty sting they give and can be dangerous etc. I had never seen one before and was freaked out so gave dh a shout and showed him and he decieded to get kids out.

We thought we'd meander up to the very end of Palm Bay...did no one think to inform me this was a NUDEY beach,btw?!!

I digress, pick a spot (not near nudey's) and kids play in sand.
The air is then pierced by ds 1's screams.

He has only stood on one. I flapped like mad and felt quite helpless and distressed, no life guards to ask for help or anything and he has blue tentacles in his toes and is screaming.

Obvioulsy a crowd gathered and a woman googled what to do on her phone (where would we be without them??)
Anyway, he is fine now, but I felt totally sick and want to mke it my mission to seek out and DESTROY all farking bastarding jellyfish
Hurt my baby will you, you spineless bastard!

Problem is, I'm really rather allergic to cats.

AB- that sounds like quite a shitty day. I've seen those jelly fish at Piha. Scary stuff- what are you supposed to do- wee on it?

I've been to Palm beach a few times but never seen any nudey bathing!

vvv- I hope you all feel better.

DD is just been up for her 5th wee in an hour and I got shouty. I cannot have this on my own every night. May try the sleeping outdoor threat soon.

AB - sorry to hear about ds. I told you one end of Palm Beach was nudist!

Those jellyfish are very nasty.

We call them Bluebottles here, some beaches used to have bottles of vinegar so you could douse yourself but is a childhood memory.

I think they come in seasons and you often see lots washed up at the same time.

wss, hmm something is coming back to me now. Wish I'd recalled it before I witnessed an elderly couple, legs akimbo.

Actually, it was a great spot and I was up for staying, but dh was having non of it!

Advice has changed fanjolina, apparantly vinegar is used for all jellyfish stings, but bluebottle/man o war, is NOT technically a jelly fish.
(Can't remember what it is) anyway, viinegar increases the toxicity of the sting. Also, fresh water (which is what we poured on it from a flask) also makes it worse!
It should be salt water, if you can warm it that's better. Or wee on it, and keep it submerged for 20 mins.
Dh removed the tentacles and got a secondary sting, so don't remove them straight away, or with your fingers.
They can also still sting if dead.
So, there you go, you are all know knowledgable about this subject!

Oh AB, what a day! Hope everyone is ok now.

We've had no more sickness since about 4 (when the jelly that we thought might help with fluids and stop her yelling "yum yums" at me every 30 seconds, came straight back up again ). But then she has only had breastmilk & water since then, which she was quite put out about.

I'm sleeping in beside her tonight for my own peace of mind. I have finally however remembered to layer mattress protectors & sheets, so any change of sheets should be minor.

Also, to complicate matters I managed to drop a heavy table lamp on my foot. Ouch

Can Easter be over now?

Ow, vvv. I dropped a heavy roasting dish on my inner ankle bone yesterday pm...agony!
Hope dd better today/

Right, I am definitely coming over to Auckand next Sat if anyone fancies a coffee

Ok. I bought the rice cooker.

I cooked the rice

It burned on the bottom

Thought maybe it was because I didn't wash rice properly. Tried again

It burned on the bottom

Tried brown rice, washed thoroughly, added in extra water

It burned on the bottom

What the hell people!!!! I thought the whole point of a rice cooker is you don't get burnt rice!!!

All advice welcome

frik I know nothing of rice cookers I'm afraid. I do any old rice, in a bowl, lots of water, cover, microwave for 20 mins, bish bash bosh, job done.

Hi all and thanks for support and comments. We did go to the beach so no internet access.

I did/do wonder if he is having a form of mid life crisis (has been hard to live with for 2-3 years and is 53) and a breakdown (of sorts) due to work situation. I calmed down enough to speak with him yesterday. I told him (very brief summary) I am struggling to get my head around the fact he thinks there is nothing wrong in making such a decision without consulting with me and thinking logically (i.e. not checking with bank first). Long and short he thinks I am making a big fuss over a car! He cannot see or doesn't want to admit that he is wrong. He is going to go ahead with the purchase. I am now going to go to the bank with him tomorrow (if he makes an appointment) as I don't trust him at the moment. He admits he has had a shit 2-3 years at work and now having no job and the prospect that nobody wants him is hard (he is very confident and has never been turned down for a job, he's had 3 recently). He is sick of having no money, his friends have motorbikes, play golf etc..etc... bit my tongue about no money = no car and we do have money but he spends it.... this year he has bought a new set of golf clubs (used once), a tinnie (small boat) (used twice), an i-phone (last week), $1000 of new clothes (2 weeks ago), the list could go on.

I told him I couldn't deal with it all, we need to work things out or I am leaving. He thinks I am being a drama queen. He also said I'm not a barrel of laughs (true I have to admit but living with meltdown Victor Meldrew with turrets is making me grumpy!) I told him I am over him swearing at me and the boys, being sarcastic, doing what he wants to do with no consideration of us etc. etc.. I have calmed down enough to see that I don't want my boys growing up without a Dad, don't really want to be on my own but am not prepared to continue as we are. I have put the ball in his court to talk to me and tell me what is going on and we can work from there. If he doesn't I don't quite know what I'm going to do. There is no way he will go to counseling, his brother is a counselor and there is no way I would post what he thinks of counseling.

I am also somewhat pissed off as my Grandad died in Jan, he left me $9k. I havn't spent it as I know we are struggling, thought I'd wait until we were in a better position. He has now in a round about way used that money to fund the car I don't want and don't think we need. I havn't mentioned this as it seems petty (my money, your money) but I am very angry about it.

Anyway, thanks all, long post and only the tip of the past 4 days. Walking on the beach sure does clear your head.

Glad you have talked to him Sibble. My dh can be a bit like this - not to the level of new cars - but he is a spender and I am much more of a saver so I know it can be frustrating. Dh has got a lot better since we had dcs.

thanks justa - no he's not religious at all, product of being brought up by a very religious mother I'm afraid. Budgeting possibly not a bad option. The other reality is that the bank will say no tomorrow. I have pointed out that it may happen. If you look at our income and outgoings recently, they do not add up (except for cash injections from the UK which will not keep happening). The reality is I work on contract so at the moment I am working as many hours as I physically can and he is not on contract - as and when. The bank doesn't like to loan if there are no guarantees. We will see. I'm kind of hoping this will be a wake up call as well!

he is on contract I should say i.e. no fixed job, work as and when people put something his way.