Saturday 27 April 2013

Just the notes - 2

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Got the banking checked, both ours and for the studio, something I do most days.
Updated my blog & got some towels washed.

J.L. and Miss L were up by this stage. Miss L and I went to Cummings Park library to pick up a book she wanted. This was on the way to Pa's so worked in well.

Meanwhile J.L. was at home putting a bid on Trade Me for a chemistry book he'd seen.
Only $10 so if he doesn't end up using it not too great a loss!
There were also a couple on Physics he was watching.

Miss L and I went on to Pa's and I had a bite to eat.
We'd brought a GF sandwich over for Miss L from home.

C, the property manager, arrived soon after and I gave her a tour of the house.
There was discussion and she gave us a lot of ideas.
Quite a few we knew, so we know what needs doing to get it into a good state for renting out.

Before we returned home I took some photos of the Lowrey organ Pa has had for quite a few years.
The plan is to try and sell it on Trade Me.
We wended our way home.

Soon it was out to dance classes, where I used the waiting time to knit.
Home again and dinner.
Headed into the Central Library in the city.
Had a few books to return & J.L. was wanting to get some out.
The Battle of the Nile;
Energy the sublte concept: the discovery of Feynman's Blocks from Leibnitz to Einstein
were the two he chose!

When we got home I tucked up into bed and did some of the homework for the Beth Moore study.
Then I read for a while before settling down to sleep.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Late last night Miss L finished the math book she'd been working on.
It was the 2nd book at that level.
She appeared and so I gave her the next one as promised!
She couldn't resist starting it...even though it was very late!

On waking I savoured my Jarrah coffee and read my bible. I'm reading through Leviticus at present.
When I was up and dressed I wrote an email to my siblings and other extended family outlining what was going to be needed to spruce up Pa's home.
That took a while to do.
I also had a chat with Pa letting him know what it said. He is getting a copy too.
He was a little unsure why I included his "grandchildren"
I gently pointed out that said grandchildren are all adults in their 30's and late 20's with families of their own,
and all interested in helping!

I got a leotard cut out for J.L.
Miss L did her Davis work and showed me that she'd done 12 pages in her new Math book!
Well done! I checked it over and nearly all was correct :)

Later it was out to contemporary.
While they were in class..both in the same class...I sat in the van and did some more of the Beth Moore homework.

Earlier in the day I'd put on the leftover chicken carcasses to boil up.
I pulled all the meat off them and threw in some veges to make a pot of soup for dinner.
Also made a pot of vege soup for R.
Miss L decided to walk to GB. Gaining confidence :)
Having been a shy wee lass these are all big steps for her.
I said she needed to text when she arrived.
Soon I received a text..from her big sis, C, who is co-captain.
I like to know they're safe :)

Later in the evening I sat in bed doing my Beth Moore homework, with the TV on in the background.
I was going to try and finish all the days.
But I was falling asleep over it... so turned out the light.

Friday 12 April 2013

When I woke up I finished the last day of the Beth Moore homework.
Didn't take too long. Each session/day is around 45 mins.

Checked emails and the bank balances on the computer.
Saw a couple of books I wanted on Harvest Curriculum Swap, a site for home educators to buy, sell, or swap educational materials.
They were local and from a friend so she arranged to drop them off later that day.

Went to Life group. There were a few new ladies so more of us there now which is lovely.
Enjoyed the discussion we had over our homework.

Got home and rang National Hearing Care to see if I was able to take Ma's hearing aid in to be fixed without taking her. The weather is a bit cold to be wheeling her in a chair at the mo.
They said it was fine to bring it in.

Went upstairs to sew J.L's leotard. J.L. tried it on, the fit was good but this is a thinner lycra so needs to be two layers. Cut out a second layer.
Heard a knock at the door and it was my friend, J, dropping off the books.
A brief chat and then she left taking my Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere Level to have a look at. She may use it next year with her twins.

Back upstairs to finish the leotard.
Miss L was busy tidiying up as her party was the next day.
I popped out & picked up Ma's hearing aid from the rest home.
Dropped it off and popped into the library to pick up a book I'd seen they had, then picked up the hearing aid and dropped it back to the home.

Back home to carry on with the leotard. Got a text from L's mum asking if I could pick him up and take him to Ballet so willingly said yes.

Got the leotard finished to the point that J.L could wear it.
Out to dance picking up L on the way.
Miss L and I returned home as there was still a lot to do.
Sat down for a bit with a cup of coffee and a look at the book I'd got from the library.
L's mum, C, text offering to bring J.L. home so I said yes please!
Saves me a trip out :)

Tucked up in bed early with my book :)

 

Friday 26 April 2013

Just the notes - 1

I'm going to try and catch up with just the bare notes I made over the last few weeks :)

Sunday 7 April 2013

Daylight savings ended early this morning so we could have got an extra hrs sleep...but don't think I did.
Went to church. C was tired so stayed at her place but Miss L came with me.
Gave the wee merino blankets to E for the twin babes.
Spoke with C from church re property management and will talk with Pa about it.
Got home and soon after R arrived home. He'd been brought by Pa as he'd left his lights on and flattenend his battery!
So I spoke with Pa re meeting the property manager and he is happy to do that.
Later in the arvo took J.L and his friend K in to their class at Pump Dance, then dropped R off to start his van with the battery he'd brought in.
Came home dropping K off on the way.
Sewed up Master D's booties.

Monday 8 April 2013 - Miss L's Birthday - Happy Birthday!!

Miss L's birthday but still lots to do.
Made phone calls and went on line to check out info for Pa.
Calls to WINZ and IRD.
As Pa is moving in with us we need to sort some things out.
That done I spoke with sis R to share the info I'd found out. 
Whizzed out to pick up A and Little O from A's mums home, and dropped them at their place.
Shopped for food for Miss L's bday dinner...Roast chicken etc.
Home and began preparing a gluten free sponge cake.
Took Miss L to balllet then home to finish the veges J.L had started preparing.
J.L. left for Hip Hop.
Pa arrived soon after...I'd suggested he join us but wasn't sure if he would.
We had a cuppa and chat as I continued getting dinner organised.
Showed him the figures I'd worked out.
R got home from work and had a chat to Pa.
Then R went to pick up Miss L from ballet,  then A,J and Little O.
They all arrived back and soon after S & J arrived.
J.L. was dropped off after Hip Hop then C arrived as well.
Only B, T & Master D weren't able to make it to Miss L's dinner.
They were missed, but that's what happens as families grow up.
We had dinner and chat and "the" song was sung.
It has become somewhat of a tradition in our family to NOT sing in tune...
started by R, wonderful DH :)
Needless to say many of the young uns try to outdo each other in their tunelessness!
Quite a cacophony which has startled a few guests!!
Then the candles were blown out.




Ummm....the icing sugar was blown too!!

After a cuppa it was time for folk to wend their way home, and I took A, J & Little O home.
Miss L came for the ride and told me it had been a lovely birthday dinner.



Tuesday 9 April 3013

Got up, coffee to help me wake :)
Caught up on a blog I follow...and got a call re Ma's hearing aid.
The tubing is slipping off one of them.
Miss L had woken up and was keen to set up a Facebook account.
I helped her to do that...I won't allow them to get one before 13..it asks your age.
I don't like them to lie about their age...it's a lie even if it's small so both J.L and Miss L have had to wait till they are actually 13.
I whizzed through a shower.
Hunted for and found some vouchers we'd been given.
Some were for petrol and some for groceries.
It had been a lovely day then turned to the south and rain came...which the country needs!!
Drought condidtions in many areas.
Miss L did her Davis work & I popped some rice on to cook.
Miss L and J.L. to dance then I dropped off Little O's buggy which somehow was left in the van.
Went to the library to get some books for J.L.
Napoleon's Buttons, The Rocks don't Lie, Milestones of Science, Forces of Change
were the titles I picked out.
Science type books :)
Picked up Miss L from dance and through the supermarket to pick up a few things.
Used one of the gift cards :)
R picked up J.L. from dance.
Dinner and then watched David Attenborough 60 yrs in the field.


Monday 15 April 2013

The rest of the busy week...in brief!

Friday 5 April


Today I took Miss L for her physio appointment...she is growing at the moment which is affecting the strength of her achillies. Just has to keep plugging away at the exercises.

After physio we called in to Spotlight in Kaiwharawhara...Miss L was wanting to get some beads.
There were a few she wanted...in the end she chose some.

I suggested that as her birthday was soon we give her a voucher for Spotlight.
When she realised she could choose anything from the shop she thought it was a great idea :)

I switched my phone to silent while we were at the physio...and forgot to switch it back.

When I thought to check it there were several messages. A couple from DIL A saying she didn't need me to drive her to her mum's....but could I take her to After Hours Dr as she wasn't feeling great and wanted to be checked before getting on the plane to Auckland that evening.

I'd been going to run up a guys leotard for J.L...but plans changed.

I drove out to pick up A and Little O from her mum's in Titahi Bay. We were lucky, there were only a couple of people waiting so A was seen fairly soon.

A was checked over and her chest and everything was clear so that was good..she'd been feeling a bit tight-chested and generally blah.

On the way back to drop her off at her mum's I called in to Baby Factory to see if they had any woollen baby singlets. They did and they were 30% off :) So I got 3 for S & J's wee one who will be born soon.
I need to get some for Master D as well but that can wait for another day.

In the early afternoon E dropped off some merino for me to hem on the overlocker. E's DIL had twins a couple of weeks ago and the merino is to make them warm but light-weight blankets.

Soon it was time to drop J.L off at his ballet class and Miss L and I went to hang out at L-M's while he was in class. It gives L-M and I a chance to discuss any business needed for the studio.

That's pretty much it apart from dinner & bed.

Saturday 6 April

 

This morning I woke up around 6.30am and lay awhile thinking about the things I wanted to get done today.
Quite a few things on my mental list.

I had a leisurely cup of coffee in bed and then went upstairs to watch a DVD.
Our Life Group is doing a study on David: Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore.
I hadn't been able to go to the group this week as I needed to take Miss L to physio and J, our group's leader, had dropped the DVD off for me to watch.
I needed to hand it on to someone else after me as well.
It was interesting and looks as though it will be an interesting study. The format is...watch the DVD then over the week there are 5 days of study...so homework for me!

While I was watching the DVD my DH cleaned out the fire box and got out the fire bricks.
Several are cracked and only 1 whole so they need to be replaced.

Soon after I'd watched the DVD we headed out to Porirua. First stop was to pick up the voucher from Spotlight. That only took a few minutes.
On to the Warehouse to see if there were any of the boots DH wears for work. He has size 13/14 feet so not so easy to get shoes for! None today so we'll look again. I had a look for merino vests there but none of those either.

I popped down to the Baby Factory and got 3 merino vests for Master D. I got size 2 as they'll last him a couple of winters hopefully as he is only 1yr old at the moment.

Then it was back towards home calling in at Ablaze on the way. I'd seen they stocked fire bricks. Yes, they could supply them but would need to cut them so could we leave the brick with them and come back in around an hour. We did.

DH choked a bit at the price...at $39ea it would be around $200 for the five bricks we needed.
I pointed out we'd had the fire 13yrs, never had to replace them before and as he cleaned the chimney didn't have that cost either! He's a frugal man my DH :)

I got DH to take me over to the home where I needed to drop off the DVD. R & D were home so I had a quick chat. I knew one of R or D's parents was a property manager and wanted to ask a few questions. D said it was his mum and he'd check if she was going to be at church in the morning and introduce us.

We headed home for some lunch and soon after I went back out to pick up the bricks. DH had to cut one of them to fit as our fire has a wetback and it just needed a regular saw to do this.
The bricks are not brick in the sense of being concrete/cement as the old ones were.
They are some kind of composite and imported. DH said you could probably buy a sheet at a hardware store for a lot less...but apparently not.

I washed the wee vests I'd bought for S's "bump" the day before so it was one less thing for her to do.

I got a text from B asking if I could post over Master D's teething necklace and a bandage for the dog's paw. I had already thought about posting the singlets so put them all in a bag.
I was pretty sure the Post Shop shut at 4pm so walked down.
The Post Shop shuts at 12.30pm on Saturdays so I'd have to post on Monday.
I got a good walk anyway :)

When I got home I hemmed the wee merino blankets so I could give them back at church the next day.

A southerly had blown in and it was fairly cold so we lit the fire.

Years ago DH built this wood box





It has done a sterling job over the years. He brings home a lot of off cuts from where he works.
Lovely light cedar.





Some pieces are quite large and if we don't have kindling are great to chop up, they split easily with the tomahawk.




They also catch very easily...and spark a fair bit!
I've just lit the fire here, you can see the new "bricks" at the side.

Soon enough it was roaring and pumping out the heat :)




It's also handy for keeping a cuppa warm :) You can just see my cup at the top.

I love the warmth of a fire, and the sound and changing patterns of the flames.

Later in the evening I finished off sewing up the booties for the bump and crocheting ties for them.
Sitting in bed, with the TV on as background.
Then...sleep :)

A busy week...continued

Thursday 4th April


So Master D had woken. I got him some milk and warmed it a little. He has just switched from formula to cows milk so I didn't think he would appreciate it cold from the fridge!
I turned on the lullaby music again to help to settle him. After he'd drunk most of the milk he thought that it was going to be play time!
He didn't want to snuggle in and settle to sleep on my lap...so it was back to the port-a-cot.
I thought that he may protest loudly but he was a good wee laddie. Apart from a few grizzles and the odd bit of talking he settled off to sleep finally.
I played the CD through twice.



I found this CD before Miss L was born. I used to play it to her when she was still in my womb.
When she was born I would play it...and it would help her to settle :)
I was delighted when I found it on itunes as our copy had become scratched and was skipping.
I bought it from itunes and have given copies to all the grandbabies...well their parents.
S specifically asked for it when she found out she was expecting. She remembers it being played for Miss L and it brought back lovely memories.

I was very glad of my rocker.



A had found one after Little O was born at the local Salvation Army shop. We looked on Trade Me and there were a lot in Auckland...pick-up only.
We were patient...and we found one :) I'd always wanted a rocking chair with my littlies so it's lovely to have one for grandbabies. A lot of people gravitate to it :)
Eventually I'll make a cushion for it..at the moment an old woollen blanket suffices.
It adds a bit of warmth in winter!

After 2 rounds of the CD I turned it off. All the lights except mine were off.
Master D eventually settled off to sleep. I didn't go in till there had been silence for a while!
The door was ajar so I'd hear him if he yelled, and the night light was on.
I didn't bother trying to sleep as I knew I wouldn't settle till I knew he was asleep.
I'm like that...I like to know folk are settled in their beds before I sleep.
I have to be very tired or ill before I fall asleep with people up and doing things.
Even if they're quiet!

As it was now 2.30am I figured the partygoers would soon be arriving home.
I figured wrongly!
I tossed and turned, got up to the loo several times, heard several cars...not them.
The clock ticked on...3am...4am...5am...still no sign.
Hmmm. Hope they are all ok and nothing has happened.
No accidents, injury or trouble with police. Poor DH, his sleep wasn't as good as I was restless.
I think I finally drifted off just before the alarm went off round 6am!
I vaguely remember DH giving me a peck on the cheek as he left for work.
Five minutes later who should appear home but the partygoers!!
At 7.15 in the morning.

They were quiet and got themselves settled...but not long after I got up anyway.
Master D would most likely waken soon and Miss R was arriving around 9.15am.
No point in staying abed for me!
My favourite Jarrah coffe helped!! I made it stronger than usual.
Never mind the sugar and fat today!

Strangely enough around 8am my body, though tired, woke up anyway. If that makes sense.
Master D woke up and was talking away from the cot.
I went up and woke Miss L as she had requested the night before, then took Master D up with his morning bottle for Miss L to cuddle him while he drank it.
They came downstairs and by then I'd put some clothes on and toast was ready for Master D.

9.15am came and Miss R, her bro B and their mum E arrived.
B & E left after Miss R was settled, which didn't take long.
E had an appointment to attend and B was going on a visit.

Miss R was a busy wee girl. She will turn 5 in June..where has the time gone.
She showed me how she can play "Mary had a Little Lamb" on the piano.
Then I got out some paper and a box of colouring things. She liked the pastels and as they were chalk ones they weren't too messy, just a bit dusty.
She created several pictures and Miss L was busy as well. Miss R wanted to do some of the things Miss L was so Miss L helped her with that.
When Miss R had had enough drawing I brought out the Math-U-See blocks we have.
Miss R had fun playing with those.




This is what she built first...and wanted a photo of it like this. But you can't see the blocks underneath
so...




I took this one :) We counted all the different combinations of 10 as well for a bit of extra "math".
Then she added more layers and this was the final result.




After Miss R was finished with the blocks she saw that Miss L was finger knitting. "Can I do some finger knitting too?" I managed to get a photo of her wee busy fingers :)




Pretty good for 4 1/2! We also read some books together too.

While all this activity was going on Master D was being a baby, playing as babies do.
The 5 partygoers had all bedded down in the one room! 
I did wonder about the "fugginess" of the room but left them to it.
They roused up around 11am and I suggested they open a window!
Master D crawled in to see his Mum, Dad had come out to give him a cuddle.
I told them all it was lucky they'd woken then. If they'd all still been asleep at mid-day I was going to go in with a metal pot and a metal spoon telling them time to get up. After all they're all more than half my age and had more sleep! If I can surveive on an hour and a bit so can they!!!

Turns out they drove to Makara. They had wanted to keep partying but hadn't wanted to disturb us by coming home. Oh well, such is life! 

Everyone pottered aound ...the sleepy ones eventually got organised.
 Miss R was picked up and went home with her bag of creations.

Eventually is was time for people to leave. B,T & Master D went off in their car and T & P went in their friend D's car.

A brief lull before I took Miss L and J.L to dance. Then home again after dropping Miss L and E-R off at Girls' Brigade.

DH organised some dinner which was lovely as I was feeling rather spacey and tiredness was really settling in.

It was early to bed for me...I don't think I managed to read for too long!


Wednesday 10 April 2013

A busy week

Well, it's been a while since I updated my blog so I'm going to try and do a quick entry for each day last week

Monday 1st April


In the morning I read for a while. It was a cruisey kind of day and I knew I was in for a fairly busy week so decided some R & R (rest and read!) was in order. Helps me to unwind and relax.

Later in the day I popped down to see S at the retail place she works in. We chatted for a while and then I went on to the supermarket to pick up a few things for dinner.

Dad and bro M were going to be arriving for dinner soon and by the time I got home they were there. I got on with preparing dinner and kept my ears open for a text to let us know the campers were back.

Around 5ish we got a text to say that they were close to Welly, then not much later that they had arrived. There must have been a delay in the signals. DH went off to pick up J.L., T & H and all their gear.

They'd had a good time and were full of chat. One of the activities was Top Town when they wore their circus gear.




Here is J.L. in the full look. There are rainbow coloured braces as well but they are covered by the jacket :) Apparently the pants were admired by many :) :)

We enjoyed dinner chatting and listening to the boys' tales of their time at camp. Dad and M headed off around 9pm.

The boys were all pretty tired so I headed them off to bed around 10ish...and tucked myself up too!


Tuesday 2nd April


I let the boys sleep in as long as they liked. J.L. was pretty tired and I thought he would sleep for a while. I'd suggested that T & H not wake him too early in the morning.

Their early and my early are different :) By 9am T had been up for a while and decided it was time J.L. was roused!

T had organisd to meet some friends at the local pool and so J.L went down with him. Meanwhile H had disappeared upstairs and was busy with the Xbox. I figured this was fine as he was on holiday.

I'd heard from a friend the day before by text and so sent her to text to see if she was free for a chat. It was a day off school for most children for some reason. Since we home educate I don't tend to know unless someone tells me. I knew about this one as it was on the info I'd been emailed by T & H's mum.

P text back that yes she was home and wanted a chat so I called her up and we spoke about this and that as you do. It's great to have friends to chat things over with or just to pass the time of day.

I pottered around and did a bit of this and that...though memory fails me as to what exactly!
J.L arrived home around 1pm. The others were going to walk a friend home and he wasn't keen to trail around for the afternoon. Still feeling pretty tired I think.

Around 3pm I heard H come down.... I think his tummy had finally reminded him that food was needed!

Miss L and J.L had their usual dance classes so we headed off around 4.15pm. I'd said to T that he needed to be here by 6pm as it had been arranged for the two boys to go to friends of their family for dinner. Like a good lad he was here when I got back.

We popped the cases they were leaving at their old home in the van and headed over there. Cases delivered I dropped them off for dinner.

On Tuesdays DH picks up J.L. as usually I take Miss L & her friend E-R in to their Hip Hop class, but as all the schools had a day off so did most of the dance studios. So no Hip Hop for them today.

We had dinner when DH and J.L. got home then later watched the current David Attenborough series that is screening.

T & H were dropped back here around 9pm. T went to bed around 10pm I think and by 10.30pm I'd let J.L and H know it was time to settle down. Miss L had been chased off to bed around 9.30pm.

These days I like to try and settle down around 10.30pm. At least to be in bed and reading for a while before I snooze :)


Wednesday 3rd April


I slept in a bit this morning. I'd turned off the alarm and after DH left for work I must have dozed off again for a while...surfacing around 8.30am! 

H had just got out of bed and was in the lounge looking rather sleepy still. I thought T was up but, no, he was still sleeping.

When T got up he had arranged to meet up with some friends...got to try and fit them all in when you're only around for a few days! He headed off to meet up with them.

H was going to see some friends of his for the day...or most of it. J.L. had woken up and was feeling tired, cold and headachey. Either a virus or he still hadn't had his sleep out.

I drove H out to his friends' place north of Porirua, leaving J.L and Miss L to have some down time. When we arrived I was offered a cuppa and as I hadn't seen P for a while gladly accepted. We had a catch up for around an hour before I headed back home.

I was going to be looking after Master D for the night as B & T were going into the city to celebrate a friends birthday. So I knew they'd be staying. I got a text asking if the birthday girl, T and her partner P could stay as well as they had nowhere to stay for the night. Ok, so long as they don't mind mattresses on the floor!

B & T duly arrived with Master D...and asked if the friend who was driving T & P could stay as well...please. Yes, ok. But they'd told 3 others they couldn't!! Hmmm. Nope, definitely not!

Pretty soon it was time for Miss L to go to dance. As B & T weren't sure what time they were leaving I took Master D with me. On the way I had a quick think and sent a text to A to see if they were home. Yes, they were. So after dropping Miss L off I drove to visit A, J & Little O.

The two grandbabies had a good time together. It's a lot of fun seeing them interact...especially when they decide they want each other's drinks!

It was just a short visit and then it was back to the studio to pick up Miss L, then out to get H from his day at his friends' place. Twin boys the same age as him.

I got Miss L to call home on my phone and ask DH to put on some water for pasta. I'd made a meat sauce as I thought there may be a few for dinner. I was right :)

T was having dinner at a friend's place and due back by 8.30pm as their check in time was 9.20pm. H had been fed and said he didn't need any more. Most of the rest tucked in.

Birthday girl T and her partner P arrived and P thanked me for allowing them to stay. T's dad lives locally but wouldn't allow them to spend the night. So they were glad of somewhere to lay their heads.
The girls were getting themselves ready and I overheard the words ".....in the boot of the car..." referring to one of them travelling in it as there were too many for one car!

As I had to go through the city at the same time I suggested a much safer option would be if "the one" travelled in my van!! Thankfully I didn't have to pull "Mum rank" as they accepted and I ended up taking two of the guys in.

Sometime in amongst all this going on the phone rang and it was our niece-in-law E ringing to ask if I would be able to look after wee Miss R in the morning. Yes, sure, no problem :) Miss R can be choosy as to who she will relate to so this is a step forward...she really likes Miss L though so that is probably the draw card!

Master D had been fed Spag Bol and bathed by Miss L with DH keeping an adult eye on them. Miss L then cuddled him while he had his bottle and I put on the lullaby music we've played since he was born. B had commented that Master D no longer settled at other peoples places as well...in fact yelled the place down. I popped him into bed after his bottle and saying good-night to Mummy and Daddy....and he was asleep in 10 minutes! Could be as our place is so familiar since he spent his first 4 1/2 months here...and the lullaby music :)

8.30pm arrived and so did T. So T & H put their bags in the van and hopped in, J.L. climbed in and the two extras, K & D, got in as well. At the last minute T said "Do we have the tickets?"  Thankfully I had printed them off when their mum sent me a copy so I ran in and grabbed them and there was no time lost.

Off we went. Dropped  K & D off by Reading Courtenay as arranged, then on to the airport. Plenty of time which is just how I like it :) I dedcied to treat myself to a Latte as there was a while before their flight at 10pm. Also we were waiting till their mum's flight arrived at 11pm so I needed to stay awake!

Once T & H had gone through the gate J.L and I headed back to the van and after paying $7 for around 35mins parking drove a short distance to Strathmore Road and sat in the van and waited...for free :) It would have cost $17+ for 2hrs and even though F offered to pay for parking since we were waiting...no way, too expensive. It gave J.L and I a chance to talk anyway which was great :)

We saw the flight taxi down the runway so I text F to say that when they had their bags to text me and we'd pick them up by Departures...avoiding parking fees. It wasn't long before she text and we were soon meeting them. We had a quick catch up as we were driving to F's sister-in-laws home. All good as F is coming here tomorrow for a longer catch-up :)

When we got home DH was tucked up in bed, Miss L was still up but was upstairs as she had put herself on "Master D watch" in case he woke up. All was quiet. Miss L and I chatted a bit and I was in the process of sending her to bed when I heard a grizzle, which became a cry and Master D was awake.........


 



Friday 5 April 2013

Easter Sunday


I woke earlyish (well for me!) as I'd set my alarm...which I don't usually do on a Sunday. I wanted to attend our church's Easter Sunday breakfast though so it meant being at the church at 8.30am.

Quite a good number of folk turned up. After our senior pastor said grace it was time to load up our plates. I had a sausage, piece of bacon, pancake with maple syrup, Hot cross bun and coffee. I think that was it! I did take a couple of photos but whatever I did it was only half a shot!! So none on here. 

I sat with H & R and we chatted. Getting on to the seat was a little tricky as I was wearing a skirt and it was a table with attached seats...one where you had to swing your leg up and over the seat. Thankfully my skirt was long enough!! There was also wee G sitting at our table. I commented that I liked the floral displays and G said "My Grandma owns them!" A closer inspection revealed they were artificial not fresh as I'd originally thought! A clever idea :)

Breakfast was made a bit more exciting in that there was a good breeze blowing and at one point a gust flipped the tablecloth so we had to grab our plates to stop our brekky blowing off the table! I wore R's bowl with a small amount of milk left in it...oh well, clothes wash!

Folk came and went from the tables and so I was able to talk to several different people :)

After finishing brekky I went into the hall area where we worship as it was pretty cool outside. Daughter C text asking if I was going to church could I bring her jeans. I responded that I was there already, but that if she wanted to call her dad...who doesn't have a mobile phone so can't get a text!...she could check if little sis Miss L wanted to come with her or go to church with her dad. As I suspected Miss L chose to come with C :) 

While I was waiting I saw that L was talking to a young aisian couple. It turns out it was their first time at NBC (Newlands Baptist Church). L was explaining that there is Zion Baptist which meets at our old church building and they preach in Mandarin. This young couple wanted an English speaking service though. I was chatting to them and the young wife came and sat next to me. Her husband followed. I introduced myself to them and we exchanged names. They are from China. M, the wife, has only been in NZ for a few weeks. R, her husband, has been here longer I think around a year, possibly longer. L and I also introduced M to our Life Group leader, J. M may come along on Friday morning.

We had great worship and a thought-provoking sermon. It was also communion. Last communion service Miss L had asked if she could take communion. I replied that she could if she fully understood what it was about and what it meant. In the end she decided not to. Today she asked if she could come up with me..so of course I said yes! So it was her first time taking communion :) An important step in her faith journey.

After the service I was able to introduce M & R to A, our senior pastor. I also found E, who is in our LG (Life Group) and who can speak Mandarin. So E and M were able to chatter away in Mandarin. Although E is from Taiwan and M from China they were able to understand each other easily enough.
I aslo found R who lives in the same street as M & R.

It cannot be easy moving to a new country so a few more connections would help.

Miss L and C left to go home and I wasn't long in following as C had to go out and so someone needed to be at home with Miss L.

Later in the afternoon I went down to see Mum at Johnsonvale, the rest home she is at. Dad and my bros, M & S, were there. They had to head off shortly as S was catching a train to Lower Hutt and being picked up from the station to spend the night in Wainuiomata. Tomorrow he is heading back up to Opotiki where he is living now and attending a truck/digger etc driving course. 

After spending some time with Mum I went to speak with one of the staff on duty as Dad had mentioned there was a problem with a pair of Mum shoes. It was suggested that we purchase a pair of Kumfs shoes and also some slippers that fit her feet better. As my feet are the same size I'll go try them on and then check them on her. I purchase them and then my sis, R, who handles Mum's accounts will reimburse me. I'll try to do it over next weekend.

Mum is doing okay although slowly detriorating :( It's sad to see but unfortunately is all part of her many conditions. One day God will take her home and she will be free from all these :)

The rest of the day and evening passed queitly and fairly early I was snuggled up in bed with a book :)