WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ ETC PART 7 !!

[frikonastick]

Come oooonnnnnn MNHQ, where's our medal

That is bloody annoying frik. Can you get one of those prepaid ones?

Like this: www.nzpost.co.nz/products-services/prepaid-gift-cards

I've been for a flu jab this morning and now I feel sick. I have a couple of pals who are really sick this year which is why I volunteered to have it. Am slightly regretting it now.

Anyone want an almost 6 year old? Free to a good home. Must (for their own sakes) have ready access to earplugs or a good tolerance for utter nonsense.

And it's only the first day of the holidays. It's going to be a long long two weeks.

I just banished her to the playroom in a request for 5 minutes peace and she looked at me like a mournful puppy. Oh dear

Lol! I hear you vvv, I hear you.....

Well. This year is turning out to be a doozy. One of our oldest family friends just killed herself. I can't tell you how shocking it is. Never ever ever ever in a million years would I have said that she would do something like that. The thought of what terrible depths of despair she must have been in to not only contemplate, but actually carry it out, I can barely imagine it. But she never said anything. And she loved her daughters, I mean, we all love our kids, but she lived for them, and I just can't see how she would have voluntarily left them like this. They are of course completely devastated and terribly terribly blindsided and shocked. The one daughter is my now oldest surviving friend. We spent about three hours just breathing at each other on the phone last night. You just want to BE with each other. I feel hollowed out.

Thanks justa, that's made me have a really good cry. I actually feel much better for it. Although DD is a bit nonplussed, she wanted to know where I hurt myself and I said I was hurting in my heart and she was a bit like, well mommy, you must take better care of it! Lol.

A visit would be heavenly, but I absolutely insist we come to you. Just spoke with DH and he is keen for us to come down on the weekend and make a real day of it, go to the aquarium, which DD has been desperate to do for ages, meet up with you guys if you are available, just have a happy day :-)

I'm so sorry, frik. You really are having an awful few months. Wish there was something I could say to help a bit.

You just did xxx

Really sorry frik, what a terrible shock. Take care of yourself.

Just checking in as it has gone very quiet - school holidays and everything else I guess.

We are back from a very wet week in Vanuatu. We still had a great time but I do feel a bit cheated. I was so looking forward to a week of reading books around the pool, instead we dodged sheets of horizontal warm (30 degrees) rain using all the resort facilities to the max. Ds2 has gone up North to stay with his cousins this week so I have been juggling work with trying to surgically remove ds1 from his playstation and other gadgets. He's old enough to leave at home while I go into the office which makes life easy but I trying to get him to do anything else is quite exhausting. He has had friend stay and the house smells of teenage unwashed boys and is littered with remnants of toast, crisps and weetbix - their staple diet when I am not here!

Next week ds2 is back so will need to do more with them.

Lastly - went to see the Lone Ranger yesterday - it is fantastic but I grew up watching it on TV. Think it would have been a bit old for ds2 (who is 8) maybe???? There were adults in there on their own. Johnny Depp was great.

We're in Taupo having glorious weather, sorry Sibble

We came across a GrabOne deal and came down at the last moment (via an overnight with MIL - who I suspect I deeply offended by taking the literally 10 inches of soft foam 'mattress' and 3 massive blankets out of DD2's travel cot).

We've swimming/soaking at the hot pools and DH & DD1 are currently prawn fishing while I supervise DD2 in a sandpit. DD2 actually slept while I had lunch in a cafe. All of which means I may actually officially declare this holiday an actual relaxing holiday!

Back tomorrow for birthday parties & more family stuff, and then lectures restart on Monday (eek!)

(frik - thinking of you by the way. We've gone through that with relatives and it's unspeakably hard)

vvv sounds great. Yes we had seen more sun in the 24 hours after we got off the plane back here than the whole week we were there! Winter has been good this year so far.

Wow! I would feel significantly out of sorts if I went to Vanuatu and the weather was cack.

I've come down with another winter bug. Grrr. And we fly off to an island tomorrow. I will be distinctly pissed off if the weather is bad as I will be looking after DD all week on my own. Sorry you had no sun Sibble.

I am finding the prospect of paid holiday nice though. I've been struggling a bit with being knackered in my new job. It probably hasn't helped that there has been a lot going on and DH has been away two weekend in my first month. He has just announced another European trip for September. Sigh.

Hey all, sorry just laying low for a bit. Took DD to buy shoes this afternoon, jeeze, what a palaver. I now totally understand everyone complaining about shoes and the lack thereof. We did at least manage to get her something though, $79 later.........

Sibble, sorry you had crap weather, but I agree sometimes just being away is enough. Vvv hot pools sounds heavenly, in fact maybe I will palm DD off on DH this weekend and go off by myself for a restorative soak. Oooohhhh penguin, which island?

Actual laugh out loud at mental image of Arnie in a clerical collar!!!

You see DD has 3 pairs of shoes. Which comprise of, one pair of crocs (no good for cold) one pair of wellies (no good for pretty much everything) one pair of trainers (which are the shoes being replaced) that she uses for pretty much everything and now are so small that her big toe has a bruise on it (very bad parenting sad face here) so three hours and much fucking about she's got a pair of $79 Nike fancy schamncy trainers that she tried to convince DH she needed to sleep with them on. A small victory actually as usually new shoes are worth at least a month of crying every time they get put on. The universe has sensed that I am a donkey on the edge and supplied a dose of child compliance. For which I am suitably grateful.

Still can't get over Terminator for Christ. Tell us more!!!

Stay the fuck away from her. Honestly. I feel quite strongly that our spiritual lives are often where we are most vulnerable, no matter how 'undamaged' you may or may not be.

People tell you who they are. You don't need to go again to find out if she was telling the truth.

Go to the nice nun. Seriously.

I was going to be very Irish and waffle a bit about how she might make you feel and what support she may/may not be able to give.... and then Frik said exactly what I wanted to say