Goodbye 2006, Titanic, Bantams

1. We're saying goodbye to 2006 in about half an hour. No party or anything. Just a happy new year and a yawn. However, it sounds like the neighbours are having a knees up. I'm looking forward to 2007. I like new starts. I don't make resolutions though. Too depressing when I break them. Hope all the bloggers who visit my blogs have a wonderful 2007 and I look forward to getting to know you all a bit better.
2. We all stayed up to watch Titanic which was a four hour long epic on tv. What a wonderful love story. The children even stayed up and watched to the end which surprised me. We let them stay up as a treat and they went off to bed very easily when it finished. I won't be far behind.
3. I've answered Michelle's question about silkie bantams on yesterday's post. We went to get them today. They are four weeks old and we have three of them, very fluffy and cuddly. Hopefully we have a rooster and two hens. Still a bit young to be completely sure. The rooster has been named Rocket and the girls are Tammy and Opal.

Sales, BBQ, bantams

1. We bought some Christmas decorations for next year at 75 per cent off the normal price. It was fun choosing and we particularly like the colour change lights. We stood in our large cupboard with the lights off to watch them change colour. Wonderful.
2. We also bought a bargain BBQ today. My husband spent a long time putting it together and I'm sure he enjoyed every minute of it. It looks magnificent. I'm looking forward to him cooking on it very soon.
3. We have been looking for some silkie bantams and have finally found some for sale not far from here. We're off to buy some tomorrow and borrowed a chicken coop from friends today. It was a mission getting it home but it's finally here, waiting for its new inhabitants.

Visitors, laughter, end in sight

1. My sister and nephew came to visit from Auckland today. It was great fun having them and a lot of help as my sister took all three children to the movies while my husband and I continued with the concreting around the pool. It was wonderful spending time with family as we didn't see them on Christmas Day.
2. We shared lunch and dinner together and spent much of our table time laughing over funny anecdotes. I've even been laughing to myself a lot since then, just remember the funny stories. We need laughter.
3. No concreting tomorrow. Probably gardening instead. And resting. Yes. Definitely resting.

More hard labour, gardening, cleaning

1. Aren't I the virtuous one? Not sure what's come over me but I certainly seem to be doing my fair share of hard work lately. More concrete mixing today which I continued to enjoy, although I'm not sure my hands will ever be the same again. Progress is being made though, so that's what counts.
2. I am creating a vegetable garden. Well, I've dug the hole anyway. This has happened before, without result - apart from a patch of weeds. However, I feel confident that I can make it happen this time. Ask me later.
3. I haven't had a lot of time for cleaning lately, due to my being stuck next to a concrete mixer for several days. However, tonight I vacuumed under and behind our bed. I finally got sick of cobwebs being the last thing I saw before switching off the light. I feel much happier.

Hard labour, food, weather

1. I've probably said this before but I'll say it again. I love the feeling I get from doing really hard manual labour. It makes me feel much more alive. I've just spent most of a day shovelling cement and sand into a concrete mixer as part of our swimming pool preparations. I concreted a few things I wasn't supposed to, including my shoes, due to poor co-ordination and lack of upper body strength. But generally speaking, I did a good job and I was very proud of myself.
2. However, due to the level of hard work, I allowed myself way too much food. It meant I had more energy for longer but I think I overdid it just a tad!
3. Has anyone seen summer? It's drizzling, although warm enough from time to time. I suppose I should be grateful as it's easier doing hard labour in weather like that I guess. Well, back to the grindstone.

Christmas, gardening, biking

1. Christmas has come and gone and I'm pleased to be back to some kind of normality. I like special occasions but I'm always pleased when things are back to normal. I like things to be predictable. That sounds boring, I know. But it's true. I hope all the word imps out there had a happy and relaxing Christmas.
2. Boxing Day for me has been gardening day. Well, I have done other things as well, but this evening I have been making a vegetable garden. So far, it's involved a lot of manual labour. Great for the soul.
3. We went on a short family bike ride so the children could practise riding their new bikes on the quiet roads around our street. It was wonderful to see the beginning of a confidence I'm sure they'll master very soon. A privilege, in fact.

Chocolate, tarts and pizza

1. In a rush so I have to say I enjoyed the chocolate truffles tonight, Margaret.
2. Also loved the fruit mince tarts, Margaret.
3. The pizza was super delicious Liz and Margaret. Happiest of Christmas wishes to everyone.

Organised, mosaics, pool

1. I'm feeling very virtuous because of my heightened level of Pre-Christmas organisation. Tonight the presents are wrapped. This would not usually happen until about 11.30pm on Christmas Eve and would be done grumpily. Not this year. I'm loving it.
2. I spent hours with the children doing mosaic tiles today. Not sure if the success rate is high, but we had fun.
3. The re-fibreglassing of patches of the pool happened today and things are looking relatively rosy in that department. We think we will swim in it before the New Year.

Hard work, dedication, giving

1. I worked so hard digging and pool cleaning today that I used up every ounce of energy. It felt very good to work so hard but I'm paying for it now.
2. I'm almost asleep as I type. That shows my absolute dedication to blogging. Zzzzzz.
3. We have discovered Oxfam's gifts for those less fortunate than ourselves and my eight year old daughter has organised us into a collection jar with the aim of paying for a first aid kit for a community because the nearest doctor could be a day away. She was horrified to hear such a thing could occur. I'm pleased it's raising the awareness level of my children. Thanks to my good friend Elizabeth who set the ball rolling on that one. Bye for now. Off to sleep.

Chocolate, hammering, party time

1. I haven't had any chocolate for a couple of weeks but have just had three nights in a row necessitating indulgence in chocolate. Tonight was the height of indulgence, with a dessert called "Chocolate Lovers" from my favourite local cafe called Elevations. Thanks for that yummy treat Sandra and co.
2. We have been preparing some tiles for mosaicing (is that a word?) and I discovered that my son gains great pleasure from using a hammer to smash tiles to pieces. He went to the job with so much gusto that I felt more than a little concerned. Perhaps it's called enjoying the moment.
3. My reason for eating more than a little chocolate tonight was a little Christmas celebration with my close women friends. We get together each Christmas for a mums' bit of fun and it was wonderful to have time out from children, pool fences and financial juggling. Thanks girls.

Sleep in, fly, fence

1. I very much enjoyed allowing my son a sleep in this morning as it was the first day of the school holidays. He made the most of it and seemed happier for the rest. If only I could do the same!
2. An angry fly has been buzzing madly about my small office as I write. It's very distracting, but I realised how fortunate I am to live an existence quite different to that of a fly. I'm happily human tonight.
3. My husband has been diligently applying himself to our swimming pool fencing and all seems to be going to plan. I helped a little tonight, although my daughter wanted me to make Christmas crackers with her instead. I managed time for a little of both, but didn't really fulfil either role adequately. I hate that mother thing of being torn between so many wants and needs.

Weird, party, shattered

1. Blogging is a weird thing. People I've never met make friendly comments on my blog and they feel like friends. I'm realising that the comments I make on people's blogs probably give them a similar feeling of warmth and joy to the feeling I get when that happens to me. Thanks everyone. Did that make sense? Warm fuzzies to you all at Christmas and always.
2. I had my little neighbourhood dessert evening tonight and it went very smoothly. The participants ranged in age from four to "seventies" and covered North Americans, British and New Zealanders. The chatting was laid back, the children behaved well, the desserts were mouth watering and the Christmas tree sparkled. I'm glad I did it.
3. It was a nice end to a shattering day. I spent almost all day driving from one timber supplier to another searching for a particular type of fence with no satisfying conclusion. It was frustrating, particularly driving to another town because the man on the end of the phone assured me they had the exact fence. They didn't. However, I remained calm and didn't growl.

Christmas lights, holidays, visitor

1. I'm looking out my office window tonight at an array of Christmas lights adorning the houses in our street. I'm getting in the mood for Christmas.
2. Tomorrow the children will have their last day at school before the summer holiday which amounts to about seven weeks off school. The thought is daunting, but I know it will be fun.
3. I had an unexpected and welcome visitor pop in today. She doesn't celebrate Christmas because of her beliefs, but we managed to skirt around the "holiday" question quite happily. I was amazed that I managed to have a whole conversation with her without mentioning Christmas - although we did stand beside the Christmas tree at one stage. I guess her stress levels will be lower than mine at least!

Seattle, tidy, little helpers

1. Seattle sounds like such a wonderful place. Just the sound of the name is inviting. Our neighbours emigrated to New Zealand after living in Seattle and their family is visiting from Seattle for Christmas. Everything I hear about it makes it all the more intriguing. I must visit there some time.
2. I was a tidy fairy today, tidying and cleaning things for most of the day. I've wanted to get it done for ages - and I'm by no means finished - but I've made a start and the house is looking much better.
3. Our children spent hours in tidy mode today as well. Our son worked on his bedroom diligently and our daughter did mirrors, cleaned out drawers and did some serious scrubbing. It was a real hive of activity and very enjoyable, with music blaring away in the background. I would like more days like that.

Tired, cricket, new recipe

1. Everyone in the family was very tired today due to the late night we all had on Friday with my husband's Christmas party at work. There were some tears, not mine. And a little bit of stomping, again not mine. However, we got through the day and almost everyone's asleep again. I love tomorrow.
2. We love playing cricket as a family and Santa turned up at the work party last night with a cricket set, funnily enough. So we took time out today for a family game of cricket after dinner. My son is a very talented cricketer, following in his dad's footsteps. However, my daughter has my cricketing genes! We try but I think butter fingers would mainly describe our efforts. However, we enjoy having a go and that's what memories are made of, I think.
3. I tried a new recipe tonight called Honey Chicken which uses two cups of tea in the sauce which the chicken pieces cook in. Scrumptious.

Friendship, children, dancing

1. It's been a happy day and a busy one. I started it by having morning tea with a friend who I met more than seven years ago when we moved to this house. She was my neighbour but has since moved house. We always have meaty philosophical discussions and solve the world's problems over hot beverage. I enjoy it immensely, although it's not a frequent event as we're both busy working mums.
2. The children had their end of year concert at school this afternoon. I was so proud of them both, standing on the stage, smiling, singing, remembering their parts and being very earnest. I feel very fortunate to have two happy children.
3. We also had my husband's work Christmas Party this evening. There was heaps of karaoke and dancing and I slipped into the role of DJ for some of the night because I figured out how to use the Karaoke machine. I'm not usually technically minded so it was a bit of a change for me. Santa visited the Christmas Party and their children were very happy with their gifts. I'm glad my husband has found a job where he is valued and so is his family.

Singing, swishing, All Black

1. My daughter went into her room to get dressed for school this morning. She turned her CD player up loudly and sang along to all the words of a song I had no idea she had even heard before! I realised very strongly how she is very much her own person. For some reason it was a wonderful moment for me. I'm so proud of her.
2. As I drove along today I passed a woman walking briskly in her exercise gear. I've noticed a lot of women exercising in public lately. I hope it's not the universe trying to tell me something. Anyway...the most interesting bit was the rhythmical swishing from side to side of her long blonde pony tail. The top half of the pony tail swished while the bottom half stayed still. It looked odd but fascinating.
3. I meant to write this one yesterday, but forget. So here it is today. I listened to a radio interview featuring former All Black Eroni Clark. The interviewer asked about his introduction to rugby and when he started dreaming he could be an All Black. Eroni described being a young boy watching an international rugby match in Auckland with his father. He said that from that day he "purposed to become an All Black". I have never used the word "purposed" in that way. However, now I've heard it, I like it very much. "I purposed at a young age to become a children's author, and I did!"

Cutey pie, super organisation, exercise

1. At kindergarten, there's always one child that is the cutest of cute. One of the little girls at kindergarten is just that little cutey pie. Long curly brown locks, turned up nose, rosebud lips, enormous brown eyes with a slightly faraway look that suggests she's partly in the world of her imagination and partly in the here and now. I like cute.
2. I'm spookily well organised for Christmas. Not completely, mind you. But well on the way. It feels great.
3. We have a huge dirt pile to shift. It's what came out of the hole that the pool now sits in. So it's out with the wheelbarrow and shovel and hard labour for all concerned. However, it's good exercise and should help sculpt the svelte body of my dreams. I look forward to more of the same tomorrow.

Pool, health, more luck

1. The pool is in the hole. It was touch and go for a few anxious moments but a few quick words to my contacts upstairs sorted that out. I have photographic evidence but am not clever enough to get them onto my blog as yet. Maybe some day soon I'll be able to add that exciting facility. That could be a challenge but I'm willing to accept it. Anyway, all looks well for a swim on Christmas Day.
2. I am feeling virtuous about my health after five days (so far) on a healthy eating kick. Also feeling happy, well and not so snug in my clothes! (that's definitely a good thing)
3. We wondered why we had $40 in our bank account and today I found out that our Bonus Bond of $100 won $4o. I think it's the first time in about 7 or 8 years that we've had a win from it. Mum gave it to us when we married 11 years ago. I think we've had $25 ages ago as well. Probably not the world's best investment! But exciting nevertheless. I'm attributing it to the lucky four leaf clover which is still happily living in my garden. Another reason for a photo!

Blogging, countdown, hot hot hot

1. I love blogging. I love bloggers. I love being connected to people around the world who love blogging too. Thank you everyone for caring enough to be part of my blog. I'm honoured.
2. It's the countdown to our swimming pool delivery. It will be delivered by truck and installed by crane (vehicular rather than bird) tomorrow. Very exciting. I can't wait to tell you all the details in my next blog.
3. Finally, some summer weather. Today was incredibly hot. I kept my cool though and did some serious Christmas food shopping to beat the rush which will start to take effect next week, I expect. Good weather for a pool actually.

Calm, faraway friends, hugs

1. I'm pleased to say I stayed calm through many difficult moments today. Everyone seemed to have their moment of angst but I can safely say I pulled each through their own particular storms and all is sunny again. Not bad for someone with PMS either!
2. My faraway friend phoned tonight and I realised how faraway she is. However, we do have a strong spiritual connection which I will try to cultivate at this time of year when I wish we were nearer.
3. Our children are very "huggy". I'm not sure what has created this but I like it. Mostly. Sometimes, however, I don't want to be hugged. But usually, I hug anyway. Lots of hugs were had by all today.

Tired, sky, parade

1. I've been tired and just a bit irritable today, mainly due to PMS. However, I got through the day in an achieving fashion. It was one of those days that I'm just pleased to have nearly ended.
2. The weather was irritable today as well. We all noticed an angry blue black cloud menacing the sky above Mt Kakepuku. It seemed to say "I can get you whenever I want, so watch out!"
3. Our local Christmas parade was held in mixed weather conditions this afternoon. We haven't been since the children were preschoolers, but decided to give it a try this year. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and our children were pleased to be thrown a lolly or two. Nothing like the parades full of marvellous floats that I remember from my Auckland childhood though. And Santa was too skinny.

Luck, zones, Christmas shopping

1. A friend gave me a four leafed clover the other day. Better still, she uprooted the thing and gave the plant to me to plant in my garden. She seems to have more than her share of four leafed clovers in a lucky little patch of garden at her place. Hopefully my plant will go forth and multiply in a similar way. I believe the luck is already trickling in. Might even buy a lotto ticket. Thanks, Margaret!
2. Someone on another blog mentioned Flylady who I already knew about and her "zones" which I didn't really know about. I've checked it out and sort of started trying to be a house cleaner by zones. Well, I'm working up to it anyway. The good news is, I shared this idea with the children who both find the mess in their rooms beyond their ability to move. So I talked about zones. Both children have now cleaned one zone in their rooms. Progress. I can recommend this for other messy children's rooms. Just get them to tidy one part like a bookshelf or desk or cupboard. The rewarding tidy area makes the room look surprisingly tidier and gives the child a sense of achievement and (hopefully) the will to press on to the next zone!
3. I have finally begun some Christmas shopping. This is unusual since it's not Christmas Eve. However, I'm pleased to be somewhat more organised than usual and have bought two frozen chickens! Unheard of.

Luck, zones, Christmas shopping

1. A friend gave me a four leafed clover the other day. Better still, she uprooted the thing and gave the plant to me to plant in my garden. She seems to have more than her share of four leafed clovers in a lucky little patch of garden at her place. Hopefully my plant will go forth and multiply in a similar way. I believe the luck is already trickling in. Might even buy a lotto ticket. Thanks, Margaret!
2. Someone on another blog mentioned Flylady who I already knew about and her "zones" which I didn't really know about. I've checked it out and sort of started trying to be a house cleaner by zones. Well, I'm working up to it anyway. The good news is, I shared this idea with the children who both find the mess in their rooms beyond their ability to move. So I talked about zones. Both children have now cleaned one zone in their rooms. Progress. I can recommend this for other messy children's rooms. Just get them to tidy one part like a bookshelf or desk or cupboard. The rewarding tidy area makes the room look surprisingly tidier and gives the child a sense of achievement and (hopefully) the will to press on to the next zone!
3. I have finally begun some Christmas shopping. This is unusual since it's not Christmas Eve. However, I'm pleased to be somewhat more organised than usual and have bought two frozen chickens! Unheard of.

Miracle sorted, feedback, hats

1. The sevens ticket miracle has been sorted. I'm more than pleased. Now I can dress up as Marge Simpson at the Wellington rugby sevens in February with my sister and friend and join the biggest party in the world. No blogging that weekend sorry.
2. I received some excellent feedback today from my Maori language mentor about the work I'm doing in kindergarten. It was good to hear.
3. My daughter wants a new summer hat. Nothing seems right though. What do you want? Not that. What would your hat look like? More fancy. Aaaahh! The joy of daughters.

Saying goodbye, neighbours, cuddles

1. Lots of the kindergarten children are leaving this week or next for school. I'll miss them so much. Even though I only see them on Wednesdays, they become an important part of my life and I see them grow in confidence and abilities - then bam... most of them are never seen again. However, I do occasionally see them in the street - when that happens, I'm invariably treated with a giggly embarrassed smile.
2. We spent some time with some lovely neighbours tonight. My husband offered to cut down a tree on their property which was causing trouble. He's in his element with that kind of work and jumped at the chance as soon as he heard they wanted it gone. He did a marvellous job and we went over in our pyjamas to see him finishing it off. Then we all walked around the lovely garden they've created. It's surrounded on two sides by a creek and we spotted an eel curving past. Very exciting. It's the first they've seen there. It was a special time and the children each came away with an old stamp album from the depths of their garage.
3. We spend a few minutes each night giving each of our children a "cuddle time" to say good night. It's a lovely time when they tell us secrets from the day and we remember how much we enjoy being parents.

Lunch out, dinner out, family

1. I was lucky enough to be invited out for lunch with some women friends today. It was a very long lunch with plenty of laughter and delicious home cooked fare. Thanks girls! I needed that.
2. Then I was lucky enough to be invited out for dinner! My husband's parents shouted us dinner at a restaurant near their home and I devoured a wonderful Moroccan chicken dish. Mmm. I needed that too.
3. Enough about food. I feel very fortunate to be part of a large, loving family which is relatively functional as opposed to dysfunctional. Others less fortunate are all around us, and I need to remember to count my blessings.

Mind rooms, bloggers, maybe miracles

1. I worked with some students today on a short writing project using an idea I got from another blog. Blogs are great for that. It was the idea of someone else (I'll get back to you on that) about imagining your mind as a room and describing the room. The students aged 6-12 imagined their minds as various rooms and several produced great results. I can recommend it to other teachers. A fulfilling lesson.
2. I had cause to be thankful for another blogger today. I was checking out the blog of Meg4Meg who has started enjoying my word imperfect game. I noticed that a recent post of her was dedicated to how much she enjoys my word imperfect blog. Thanks Meg4Meg. I'm very pleased to be bringing joy to people far out of my normal sphere of influence. Hope the joy continues.
3. My search for rugby sevens tickets took me into uncharted begging territory today. They say it's not what you know it's who you know. Well, it's not exactly someone I know but someone my husband used to know. I phoned him with my request and he says he will do his best to try to find us some tickets through his contacts. It's not a miracle yet but it has the potential to be one. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Fun, pancakes, wind

1. Some friends from my husband's work visited today. We played soccer and cricket on our large front lawn and lots of fun was had by all. It was nice to play.
2. We had pancakes for dinner. I enjoy flouting custom every now and then and having dessert instead of a main. It's not a regular event in our household, but unusual enough to be considered a real treat.
3. I don't enjoy the wind and there's been plenty of it lately. But, on the good side, the washing gets dry. And I like that a lot.

Miracle, gala, butterflies

1. Finally, the world's kindest man has agreed to shift the swimming pool we have bought from its possy in Auckland to the whole in our lawn. It will cost us, but it's what we've been hoping for. Happiness reigns.
2. The local school had a gala this morning. I asked my son if he wanted to come with us. He said no. We were organising to go and he said "what is a gala?" When told it's like a fair, he said "Oh, I thought it was a garden centre. I'll come then." Something of a word imperfect moment I thought.
3. My daughter and I were shopping for tent pegs and also bought a swan plant so we can hopefully watch the monarch butterfly life cycle process. I haven't seen a single monarch butterfly for ages. Then, about 5 minutes after we arrived home, I looked out the window and a monarch butterfly flew straight past! Very weird.

Recycling, relaxing, hail

1. I helped the environment today by taking my recycling to the depot. I took my mum's recycling as well. It's not a big thing, I know, but it all adds up. I'm sure.
2. Now that my manuscript is in the able hands of my agent, I can finally begin to unwind and relax. It's a wonderful feeling. There are other pressures, of course, but nothing too onerous.
3. Today was the first day of summer in New Zealand. You wouldn't have known it though. It actually hailed! Hail is so exciting! The children didn't mind at all. There wasn't much and it melted fast. But it drew whoops of glee while it lasted.

Relief, blogs, more relief

1. My first reason for being relieved today was that I finished my manuscript (until my agent gives me reason to think it's not finished, that is). My deadline was the end of November and, being a very legalistic girl, I finished it today. I'm amazed that I managed to complete it, as it was a mammoth task for me. I'm only used to writing manuscripts of about 1000 words or less. I have done 10,000 before but 30,000 plus was uncharted water. I don't know if I'll do it again either. However, for now, I'm done. Phew.
2. My son keeps a reading log for school. I noticed that one of his entries this week features my blog. He's written the blog address for his teacher as www.wordimperfect.blogsplat.com. As far as I know, there's no such thing as blogsplat! But it sounds kinda cute, doesn't it?
3. More relief. As I realised that today is the last day of November, I found myself feeling very glad that I hadn't attempted to participate in NaNoWriMo as well as doing all the other things I had to do this month. Maybe I'll do that next November, as long as I don't have another important deadline, two school camps, and numerous other intervening factors.

Singing, shopping, sleeping

1. I went on a kindergarten trip to our college marae and adored the kapa haka group's singing. There's something emotional and uplifting about a group of teenagers bonding together through the songs of their forbears. Made me wish I was Maori.
2. Finally got to do the Monday shopping today. Whizzed round and avoided biscuits and potato chips successfully. Trying to wean the children off potato chips and bought biscuits in favour of homemade or, even better, fruit. So far, it's working well. No complaints or questions.
3. Have I ever mentioned how much I love sleep? I would swap it for chocolate any day. Sleep is a gift from God. It's my favourite "s" word!

Husbands, waves, quiet women

1. I felt so lucky that my husband was happy to sleepover in the tent with three children he doesn't know and then get up and go to work. That's dedication.
2. We've been at the beach for room 3's class trip. Children and waves went together well, despite the water being very cold. Peer pressure took over and everyone got wet.
3. I was a passenger on the beach trip. My driver is the quiet mother of two quiet daughters. This is far from my ken but I really enjoyed letting the silence be silence for once.

More camping, brownie, editing

1. My husband and daughter are overnighting in tents at school. I think school camps are a highlight of the year for children. Their social interactions get extended beyond the norm. I hope she has fun. My turn when we go to the beach for the day tomorrow. Hope the weather is kind.
2. I make a lot of chocolate brownie. I love baking and it's the one recipe I know by heart. Nothing much can go wrong with it and everyone seems to love it. It's my contribution to the home baking for the beach trip tomorrow. It's baking as we speak. And smells alluring.
3. I've spent all my spare time editing my manuscript today. I keep thinking of new things to check and recheck. I thought I might have used the phrase "a bit" a bit too often. I was right. Actually, I used "a bit" a lot too often! Thank goodness for "find" on the keyboard.

Concentration, stones, book

1. The end is in sight. By that I mean my deadline of course. I'm feeling very happy because I've almost completed my manuscript to the point where it's suitable for my agent's critical eye. Just a few more hours in the next day or so and I will be able to relax. I managed a good number of hours working on it today and feel happy with the result. Yaaayyy!
2. My daughter and her friend painted large river stones today as gifts for some of the teachers at school. I noticed that my daughter has started using the painting techniques she's been learning at her art class. It's great to see her transferring her learning to the painting she's doing at home. Money well spent.
3. My son has been teaching us one of the games he learned at camp. We sit in a circle acting like chickens and passing round the "book". It's very funny but hard to translate onto paper.

Sleeping in, helping, summer fruit

1. My post-camp sleep in was delicious and much-needed.
2. Our son has never shown a great interest in helping dad with outdoor chores, apart from on the odd occasion. This has started to change slowly and today he proudly prepared 12 wheelbarrow loads of pit sand for the swimming pool hole. And not a word mentioned about monetary reward!
3. I'm ga ga over strawberries. We also have the juiciest pineapples available at good prices. Apricots are just on the scene as well. Melt in my mouth, juice runneth over, summer fruit. I love to savour the flavour.

Synchronicity, school camp, ducklings

1. We are having a lot of trouble getting our pool from Auckland to our home two hours south of there. It's because it's the pool season and all the pool installers are so busy. We have options though, both expensive and possibly risky. But which way to go? In a moment of beautiful synchronicity, my friend in Belgium phoned about a decision she needed help with. I helped her through the decision making process and, in doing so, realised the same process could be used to help us decide which option to take for the installation of our pool. We feel a baby step closer to having a pool instead of a hole in the back yard.
2. I've just returned from a three day two night school camp in Auckland with my son's class. The highlight for me was climbing Rangitoto, a dormant volcano in Auckland's harbour. It was a long climb but one that reminded me that my body actually enjoys exercise.
3. Ducklings featured on the television golf news tonight. They were having trouble getting out of the bunker (something I am very familiar with, sadly). My sister's friend also has an orphaned duckling living in her swimming pool at the moment. He's called Daxter and, by all accounts, is very cute. I have a soft spot for downy baby birds. They make me say aaaaahhh.

Tickets, hole, weta

1. Tickets for the Rugby Sevens in Wellington went on sale today. It's always a mad rush and those who miss out (namely me, my friend and my sister) then have to pay exhorbitant prices on Trade Me (the NZ version of ebay). We thought we had a plan sussed, but tickets were all snapped up in minutes. We know we can get some on trade me though, so we'll still make it. The positive thing that came out of that is keeping focussed and looking on the bright side of life. I realise there are thousands like us who are disappointed at missing out. We're not alone in our plight. I wanted to dwell on the misery of not getting tickets in the mad internet rush at 9am but instead I focussed on the fact that I'm alive and well and have a wonderful family. I like the power of positive thought.
2. We have a rectangular hole in our backyard. A digger came today to create it so we can have a swimming pool installed. We all marvelled at the expertise of the digger operator and the machinery he used. It was fascinating.
3. My husband pointed out a weta on our curtains. We don't know how it got inside. He suspects it was inside some clothes that had been drying outside and were now inside waiting to be folded. Yikes! Imagine climbing into your und... no, I won't go there.

Little legs, baking, company

1. We had our interschool athletics in town today. It's always a great day for supporting the children and encouraging them to try things they're not necessarily good at. They do everything from long jump to shot put and from sprints to long distance. Neither are my children are gifted athletes. Both are average and enjoy the day to varying degrees. They try very hard at everything and have fun with their friends which is the main thing. I particularly love watching the youngest five and six year olds competing. Some have little legs that churn at a surprisingly rapid rate along the track. Others are happier to take a less hurried approach, turning to wait for a friend or stopping to tie laces in the middle of the track. But my favourite part of all is the relays. Our school did very well in the relays today. Cheering them on is very uplifting.
2. I did some baking today - partly for the upcoming school camp and partly for my husband who'll be at home with our daughter while I'm at camp with our son. I love baking. Today, among other things, I made a batch of custard squares. Mmmmm.
3. My lovely eight year old daughter had a couple of difficult moments today. One was caused by a missing hat in the morning and the other by a misunderstanding this evening. In the end, she came supermarket shopping with me tonight after telling me that she likes to keep me company in the supermarket so I don't get lonely. I kept my own feelings about the matter to myself and took it as a compliment. And indeed, we had a delightful time together deciding between choices of muesli bars and flavours of yoghurt, among other things.

Rugby, Shark Tale, Pancakes

1. We watched the All Blacks defeat France on television today. It wasn't the same comprehensive display of last week, but beautiful nevertheless. I thought the French rugby players were beautiful too.
2. The weather remains crappy, to put it bluntly. The children amused themselves variously but at one stage resorted to watching the Shark Tale DVD. It's one of my faves and I watched some of it with them in between household chores. I love the quick wit of it and caught several lines that I don't remember hearing the first, second or third time around.
3. We had pancakes for breakfast, made by yours truly. It was a yummy treat enjoyed by all - including two rugby watching guests - and I am indebted to Sophie Gray, Destitute Gourmet, for the no-fail recipe. (Not to mention my mother-in-law who gave me the cookbook!)

Neck, children, freedom

1. I wanted to work harder at my deadline today but I woke up with an astonishingly sore neck. Not sure if it's from sitting at the computer or perhaps a chill while reading in bed last night. Either way, it's been a pain all day long and hard to concentrate around. Since this blog is about beautiful things, however, I will have to say that the good thing about it is that it reminds me of how I take health for granted until something goes wrong and then I realise how topsy turvy the world becomes when one part of my body is not feeling in sync. So, if you're reading this and nothing hurts, appreciate it! Be grateful! Dance for joy!
2. The children each had a friend over today. It rained persistently from dawn til nearly dusk when the sun decided to make a brief appearance. That meant they were cooped up inside. The girls were okay about that, and enjoyed playing with tiny polly pocket stuff and making mad dashes out to play in the rain every now and then. The boys were harder to please. I needed my wits about me to keep the happiness cogs clicking over but finally resorted to a borrowed Playstation! Bliss returned.
3. Australian Shapelle Corby is in the news again as her book hits the shelves. After a news item about her ghastly life in a Bali prison I asked my husband to remind me about Shapelle the next time I uttered a word of complaint. It wasn't long. I can't remember what I was moaning about 10 minutes later but he turned and said "Shapelle, remember Shapelle". Grrr! Okay. Shapelle, I admire your capacity to choose life under the circumstances which have befallen you. I wish you every success for your upcoming last chance appeal. I believe you.

Flow, happiness, focus

1. I love writer's flow. It's much more acceptable than writer's block.
2. I was very happy today because the bad weather meant the children's sports day was postponed. I know that inconvenienced lots of people but it convenienced me because I wanted to be at home and write - and I was able to.
3. This is a very boring blog right now because all I am doing until the end of November is working towards my deadline. However, I can say that my ability to focus on that goal is actually surprising me. For ages I couldn't/wouldn't work on this project but suddenly I have all the energy in the world for it. However, tonight I'll have an early night and work again at the weekend.

Acting, energy, writing

1. I realised today that my daughter is the proverbial chip off her mother's block. I was taking a small group of writers for a play writing session at school and she was in the class. She was quite the little actress - more so than I had realised. It was wonderful to see her so full of life.
2. I spent money on myself today. I needed an energy boost to get me through the next two weeks and realised it had been a while since I'd bought my favourite health product - coenzyme Q10. So when I was at the health food shop getting something for my son, I decided to indulge in my own health as well. It's about valuing myself and that's always a good thing.
3. The children played so happily this evening that I got some writing done at a time that I normally wouldn't be able to concentrate. The power of a deadline is great.

Chicken spots, apprentice, Brazilians

1. One of the kindergarten children told me that her friend wasn't at kindy today because he had "the chicken spots". I remember when my two children were afflicted. I was confined to my home for a month. One had two weeks at home with "chicken spots" and on the day she was deemed fit to return to society, the other one burst out in the dreaded things. Another two weeks at home. So the beautiful thing about that is chicken spots is a distant memory.
2. My father in law came to do some string lines for a swimming pool we are planning for the back yard. I was required as his apprentice to hold the string or the tape measure at various points. I carried out my role with ease but have no desire to enter the building trade. However, the string lines are perfectly square and we await a digger.
3. My son attended his weekly Brazilian futsal class today (indoor soccer for the uninitiated). The three coaches are all Brazilian. I think I'll leave it at that.

Deadlines, memory, love

1. It's nice to have this blog and know that my friends and family can catch up with my thoughts and news even if I'm too busy meeting deadlines to chat in person. Thanks to those of you who I know are reading this as a way of keeping in touch with me at this busy time. I appreciate you!
2. I've had cause for concern about my own memory as well as the memory of someone close to me lately. I think I took memory for granted for a long time. Now I realise it's something precious, to be prized and can be easily lost.
3. My children are always telling me they love me. I never tire of it.

Deadlines, sleep, squash

1. I am remaining calm despite an impending deadline. One of the beautiful things about getting older is realising that everything passes and there really is nothing to worry about. If I do start to panic, I remember the people who are worse off than me, such as Rove who lost his beautiful wife to cancer at the weekend. So sad.
2. I had a wonderful, deep and restful sleep after our long weekend away and feel surprisingly with it. I love sleep. It's my favourite emotion.
3. Our son enjoys playing squash and was excited to be nominated for inclusion in our region's development squad for junior squash players. He's very competitive so that sort of thing is right up his alley. I feel so proud to have produced a sporting child - definitely unexpected! I think he must have my husband's genes. However, I shall take some of the credit nevertheless.

Wedding, anniversary, home

1. My sister's wedding was beautiful. She looked incredible in chocolate brown with sparkles. The occasion had exactly the right mix of ceremony and informality. It was great to be at such a happy event with my family. We wish you a wonderful life together, Sue and Brent.
2. Today is our wedding anniversary - 11 years. We were in Auckland because of my sister's wedding, but spent the day with our nephew Kendall and our children at the zoo. The highlights for me were being the in the parrot enclosure, seeing the orangutan who celebrated his first birthday and my husband's jokes.
3. I love being home again.

Trains, family, editor

1. I love trains. When I'm in Auckland I try to take a train journey somewhere. My latest was one hour long and culminated in a rendezvous with my family. Wonderful.
2. I love my husband and children. I enjoyed my time away, but I'm glad we're reunited. Yay!
3. My lunch meeting with my agent and editor was excellent. I feel that much closer to my goal.

More rain, big city, good food

1. I'm in Auckland for various reasons including a birthday, a wedding and book research. It's cold. And wet. And windy. But the library was warm and cosy and didn't have any windows, so I was happily oblivious.
2. Auckland is enormous in relation to the small town where we live. However, I felt quite at home among the city slickers and enjoyed being overawed by the sheer volume of people, shops, signs and traffic lights.
3. I'm spending the night with my sister and her husband. They cooked me a delicious meal of roast chicken, kumara and salad. It was exactly what I needed. It was wonderful to be "treated". Thanks Jude and Tony.

Vellicate, acceptance, husbands

1. I was teaching at kindergarten and the office administrator used the word of the day from my word imperfect blog, giving me a wink as she did so. She used it to describe a "very delicate" situation. I had told her about my blog but had no idea she had looked at it more than once. Turns out she's a very regular reader (possibly addicted), just not a contributor as yet. I was really thrilled. She says she loves reading the word each day, looking at the meanings contributed by others and trying to figure out what the real meaning is. Thanks, Lesly. You made my day!
2. I told the children that I'm going to Auckland a day earlier than I had planned. Usually this would result in something of a monumental meltdown, particularly with our daughter. However, I timed the discussion exactly right, said all the right things about how much help she'll be while I'm away and somehow managed to swing it so that no tears were shed. Hallelujah!
3. My husband was very happy about me going to Auckland a day earlier so I can do some library research for my book. They are coming up to meet me on Friday for a family birthday followed by a family wedding. I appreciated his willingness to cope alone with all the packing and planning. And, of course, he'll do a superb job.

Friends, letter, rain

1. I've just returned from enjoying an Indian meal with some close women friends. The food was delicious. The company was outstanding and the laughter was contagious.
2. My daughter wrote me a letter and made an envelope. The letter describes me as the "best mum ever". She writes lots of love letters to me, but this is one of the most precious.
3. It's raining and I don't particularly like rain. However, I know the ground loves it. The plants love it. And we need it. So I'm okay with the rain.

Rocks, surprise, salad

1. I drove out into a relatively remote rural area this morning. On the way, I passed the most amazing rock formations. It's my favourite part of the landscape near our home and whenever I drive through it, I try and imagine the conditions which led to the rocks ending up where they are, oddly angled and jutting from the landcape in clusters. I'm no geologist so the answer still eludes me. Probably volcanic, but I think I like the mystery of it all.
2. My sisters and I surprised our mother today with a birthday lunch. They all live in Auckland, two hours drive away, and she was only expecting to have lunch with me. It was a wonderful loooong lunch with lots of giggling - always the case when four sisters gather together. Very special memories for us all.
3. My lunch consisted of a moroccan lamb salad which was scrumptious. I'm finally learning to order light lunches and I've developed a strong enjoyment of anything leafy. I still had the obligatory moccachino of course.

Vermeer, cricket, Nemo again

1. I've just finished watching a beautiful tv movie about the Vermeer painting "the girl with the pearl ear ring". Very different. Every second scene could have been a painting. The scenery was moody, evocative and brought 17th century Delft to life. Highly recommended. And not just because Colin Firth played Vermeer either!
2. We played cricket on the lawn again today. I was crap at catching, not that good at batting, but excelled at bowling. I like it whenI do well at something which is far outside my real skills.
3. Nemo (the bird mentioned in a previous post) seems to be the parent of triplets. The parent and baby birds have been seen around our property a few times today. We have to keep the cat occupied though. Not sure how long that can last.

Gardening, homecoming, Nemo

1. My husband and I did some gardening together today. The weather was gorgeous. It's Spring here in New Zealand and, although bad weather is forecast for the week ahead, today was mainly clear, warm and calm. My husband gardened almost all day, apart from taking my son and his friend fishing for an hour or two. I helped intermittently, but enjoyed it very much. Great for the soul.
2. My daughter had a sleepover at a friend's place. Whenever the children are away for a night and I see them again, I'm reminded of how special they are to me. She was excited about her news, the different food she ate, the lamb called Fluffy and the duckling called Daxter. It was wonderful to catch up with what she'd been doing and be close again.
3. Nemo is a wild bird we rescued last year. He became very tame and we finally released him at the children's school because we were worried our cat would get him since he was so fearless around people. For the last few weeks, we have had a similar looking bird visiting us and he has been named Nemo. Some family members believe it's The Nemo. I'm not so sure. He certainly seems very friendly. Who knows?

Sisters, a book, bargains

1. I felt the love of my sisters today. Sisters are a special gift.
2. My neighbour loaned me an old book titled "Enquire Within Upon Everything". Each page is topped with lovely old sayings such as "hope is a better companion than fear" and "do a little well and you do much". I've enjoyed perusing the wisdom within.
3. We went to a school fair today and filled a box with bargains - books, cds, cassettes etc - all for $6. Everyone in our family enjoys pre-loved stuff, and there's something for everyone. Six dollars worth of fun for the weekend to come.

Characterisation, surprises, mown grass

1. Being a writer when the words flow from your fingertips (a phrase stolen from Clare of 3BT fame) is a wonderful thing. The character I'm creating came to life today. Just quietly, it was a bit of a relief!
2. My son received a surprise invitation to surprise birthday party for his friend at - you guessed it - the big M. It was fun keeping the surprise from everyone concerned - knowing something they didn't know. And knowing it would bring smiles all round.
3. I love a freshly mown lawn. My husband came home from work and duly mowed our half acre on his ride on mower. I asked him if he enjoyed it. His answer was "compared to what?"

Grey, bunnies, proud

1. None of the four year olds I was working with at kindergarten knew the name of the colour grey. One suggested silver which was great. Other answers included black or brown. However, my favourite was "dark white".
2. The kindergarten children have discovered a new song about bunnies and they enjoyed dancing to the cd and following along with the actions, hopping, floppy ears, twitching noses etc. Four year olds are so beautiful.
3. My husband told me he's proud to have me as his wife. He's a man of relatively few words on personal matters, so when he says something like that it's a real gem. Don't tell him I told you, though, because he's a "private person".

memory, writing, Maggie

1. I don't know if my memory problems are linked to pre-menopausal symptoms, early onset Alzheimers Disease or something more insidious, but I knew gingko was the answer. I visited my friend Rhonda today at work and there was a box of gingko tea on her filing cabinet. I was transfixed. May I have a tea bag? I asked. Yes, said Rhonda. Take the whole box. I don't really like the taste. So I did. Thanks, Rhonda. My mind will now be sharply focussed again. Phew!
2. A writing job I have been avoiding by blogging (!) actually turned out to be very enjoyable when I finally got around to working on it today. I had fun and I'm looking forward to going back to it as soon I've done this post.
3. My friend in Belgium called Maggie phoned out of the blue. It's always wonderful to hear her voice. She had good news about her journey too, so that was even better.

Chocolate, Movie stars, chimp

1. My friend stopped off with a card and chocolates for no reason other than she loves and appreciates me. I wish I was like that.
2. I enjoyed seeing Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt on the telly last night. I don't like him usually but he was playing against type. He reminded me of my dad, my husband's dad and lots of other men I know of that age. Extremely convincing acting! And I loved the theme of the movie - particularly his writing letters to his sponsored child Ndugu. Very funny and sad all at once. Well done, Jack. Don't know if you read blogs but if you do, thanks from me. I enjoyed the movie immensely. And regarding actors, I have remembered my fascination for Colin Firth, aka Mr Darcy times 3. Love Actually was on telly as well (I sound a bit square eyed here but it's not true) and I remembered how much I like his smouldering style. Bye bye Hugh Grant and Matthew McConnaughey, Hello Colin Firth.
3. Back to reality - my daughter saw my blog name "word imp" and said "Mum, if you were feeling frisky one day you could change your blog name to "word chimp".

Hollywood, Mother Teresa, pronunciation

1. Playing a board game called Careers with my son. I enjoyed going to Hollywood three times during the game. Probably the closest I'll get!
2. I read a quote from Mother Teresa on the blog of Michelle O'Neil at www.michelleoneilwrites.blogspot.com which inspired me. It's about not letting the opinions of others get in the way of your journey.
3. Hearing my daughter pronounce a Maori place name perfectly.

cricket, threnody, Harry

1. We played a family game of cricket on our front lawn today which is always exhausting but always fun. I'm hopeless at catching the ball but I made a catch on my shoulder and held it there with my chin. Miraculously, the ball stayed in place!
2. One of the people who put a meaning for threnody on my Word Imperfect blog recently used photos on her own blog to describe the meaning she'd given the word. It feels so exciting to realise that a small idea from my head in New Zealand can have an impact on people in another part of the world. I feel fully satisfied as Word Imp. I think it suits my personality well.
3. My daughter's school friend came to play. We picked her up from her home on a farm nearby. Her Border Collie cross dog called Harry loves racing vehicles down his long driveway. He waits beside the front wheel on the driver's side and watches the wheel. As soon as it turns just the tiniest bit, he's off, racing full speed down the driveway. He won, of course, and then did a victory lap around the paddock as a parting gesture.

Joke book, disco, trailer

1. I just found out my joke book called "It's True...You can make your own jokes" which was published in April appeared on a children's book website in a list of the top non-fiction books for the month. Pretty cool. The site is www.achuka.co.uk/books/nf/main.php if anyone is interested in having a look.
2. I've just returned from a school disco with the kids. The DJ even played some songs I knew and I got to do quite a bit of boogying. However, my ears will probably be ringing for a while. The kids, eight and 10, had lots of fun. Daughter (8) dancing with friends. Son (10) wandering around the room with friends.
3. I put the trailer on the van and took it to get a WOF all by myself. I'm not that good with trailers, so this was something of a minor achievement - although I must admit the mechanic's garage is almost within shouting distance of our house!

Gifts, cleaning, Isabella

1. Two parcels arrived in the post today - a skirt for me from one sister and a gift for each of the children from another sister. I'm so lucky to have generous sisters.
2. I vacuumed my van of hay, goat raisins and other ex-goat paraphenalia and it is finally fit for human carriage again. I don't like vacuuming the van, but I like the feeling of having done it at last.
3. I finally whittled a too-long picture book manuscript back to under 450 words for a publisher. Now just have to wait to see if it's accepted. The main character is Isabella - a name I love. I like that part of being a writer, I get to have all these children that I name and my husband doesn't get to say the names are crap!

New book, hide and seek, computer savvy

1. I received an advance copy of my latest book from Thomson Learning Australia and it has a dinky little CD on the front which is cute and quirky. Like Christmas!
2. Playing hide and seek with the four year olds at kindergarten. I teach Maori language there each Wednesday morning and one little boy started hiding so several of us joined in. The finer points of the game are lost on the children, though. They come out as soon as you finish counting to 10, shouting, Here I am!
3. Computer savvy is not my middle name. However, I did manage to add a poll to my Word Imperfect blog and I'm very proud of it.

Clare, Alan, Bernard

1. Clare again. This time, as well as continuing to join in with my blog, has put the name of my Wordimperfect blog as one of her beautiful things!
2. My husband just came home for lunch...
3. I thought of a name for my book character - Bernard!

Clare, breakfast, comfort

1. Clare, of 3BT fame, commented on my word of the day blog TWICE!
2. Breakfast in bed courtesy of my husband - he also did the same for the children.
3. Cool, crisp white sheets replacing warm, fluffy blue sheets.