Swimming, understanding, 40

1. Our swimming sports went very well. The day was overcast and cooler which made the water colder but reduced the chance of sunburn considerably. The children did very well and my daughter was especially brave. She swam in the relay and flying squad race, even though she didn't really want to. Her reward was to be part of our school's first placed flying squad team. I was very proud of her for conquering her self doubt and so pleased that she experienced the joy of sporting success when that's usually her brother's domain. Well done, Sophie.
2. I understood something about myself today. I have been feeling less than 100 per cent emotionally for a while and now I have a clearer picture of the cause. I knew it had something to do with the ongoing work on our pool and deck and my husband's unrelenting work in that area. I was speaking to a friend about that today and realised that I'm feeling unable to express my feelings because I don't want to appear ungrateful. Anything critical I say could be construed as not appreciating the amazing job he's doing day after day to complete our pool and deck area. It's not easy to explain here but I'm sure that other wives in a similar position probably understand. I have talked about it a little with my husband and I think he has an inkling of the problem. He's assured me that we're on the home stretch so that's good news.
3. My friend is turning 40 in March. She's a wonderful woman, very beautiful and extremely creative. I feel blessed to know her and look forward to sharing the fabulous 40s with her.

Swimming sports, kindergarten, shoes

1. Our children have their swimming sports tomorrow and they are looking forward to it with varying degrees of enthusiasm. It's actually a fun day for parents and, although I'm going to be there, I won't be helping out with the race results this time. Last year, an angry parent was very accusatory about the work we were doing at the end of the race with the announcement of 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. So this year I've decided to be an observer and avoid being a target for parents with a competitive streak.
2. I worked at kindergarten this morning instead of Wednesday so that I can see the swimming sports. I enjoyed playing in the sandpit for the first time in ages. We made an enormous river and a wonderful mountain with a waterfall. Very therapeutic.
3. I took my son in to get his new shoes today. He has to wear expensive sports shoes due to his need for orthotic insoles to compensate for a difference in leg length and a lack of arches. Very complicated and irritating but it doesn't seem to stop him being an avid sportsman.

Killing bugs, progress, writers

1. My husband has bought a bug killer. Sorry to offend the squeamish here. It's shaped like a small tennis racquet and electrifies flies etc. I dislike flies intensely so I'm happy about it. It's actually amazing to see in action. The death is quick. Apologies to bug lovers of the world. We will be careful about its use.
2. I made a good deal of progress on the book I've been working on today. It was great to finally get some meaty work done. First time in ages. Yeehah! Roll on tomorrow.
3. I went to a writers' thing tonight where 5 NZ authors (one for children, four for adults) read from their work and spoke a little about it. My daughter came along and did well to sit through the adult bits which were hard for her to understand. But the children's author, Vince Ford, was hilarious and she enjoyed that reading immensely. I mainly enjoyed it but found some of the authors difficult to listen to.

International, Daisy Ashford, shoes

1. We had lots of visitors today, from all over. We had South Africans, Germans, Austrians, Brits, Kiwis and two lots of Americans, from Seattle and Arizona. Quite an international day, in fact.
2. Tonight I read to the children from a book I own which is nearly 100 years old. It's by a nine year old girl called Daisy Ashford and is called The Young Visiters. It's gorgeous. If you can get hold of a copy, do.
3. We bought lots of new shoes from The Warehouse today because they were so cheap. Fifty per cent off the lowest marked price, so mainly about $2. I got soccer boots, slippers and something beady. Lots of fun.

Sunset, cricket, bargain

1. I took this photo this evening outside our home. My husband and son were outside playing cricket and they called me to "come and see the wonderful sunset". We do have some spectacular sunsets here, but this was one of the best yet. The most amazing thing is that this photo doesn't do the real sunset justice by any means. The core of the sunset was exactly like a hot flaming ball which looked like it was coming to burn us to a crisp. Unfortunately, my photographic skills didn't extend to recreating the scene exactly. However, I'm happy enough with the result and equally as pleased to be able to bring it to the rest of the world.
2. Our son had his first "competitive" cricket game today for our local Te Awamutu team. It was a 3 hour match and I enjoyed every minute of it. He was put in to bowl first and did so very well. Then, as a fielder, he even caught someone out which was a huge bonus for his ego. He wasn't pleased with his batting though, as he was stumped before getting any runs. Roll on, next Saturday.
3. We needed a new 5 litre can of deck stain and our local retailer had run out of the particular colour we needed. I drove 30 minutes north to Hamilton, our nearest city, to get a can and was surprised to find that it was $15 cheaper than the one in our town! Same franchise and everything. I guess the transport costs must be to blame...

New photos, teeth, cricket pants

1. As you can see, the photos from my photo shoot with my wonderful photographer friend Pele have arrived. I'm thrilled. This is my favourite at the moment. It makes me look much more relaxed than I actually am. (And a bit less wrinkly thanks to a wonderful thing called photoshopping!) Thank you Pele! You are a miracle worker!
2. I spoke to a mum at school today about teeth, as part of my market research into the best method for dealing with my son's need for orthodonture. Is that a word? It was good to get the benefit of another person's experience. It's a big decision and I want to make it carefully.
3. I got a bargain today - and I love bargains. The white cricket pants my son wanted for his first game tomorrow were $25 in the shop. Before forking out the cash I went to the local op shop to see if, by some miracle, there were any white cricket pants for sale. The miracle occurred and I got a very nice pair of white cricket pants that fit loosely but will last well for the tidy sum of $2.

Employment, dinner, staining

1. I went to see a friend about a possible employment opportunity today. I hope to get some work proof reading, sub-editing and writing which will help the family finances along a bit now the children are getting older and become more expensive to operate! It was good to know I have important skills relevant to today's workplace.
2. We had our dinner out on the deck tonight as it was so hot inside the house. It was wonderful, after 7.5 years in this house, to finally be eating outside on a deck. I've dreamed of it all that time.
3. Every time my husband adds a bit more decking timber to the deck, I have the job of staining it rustic oak. I am now chief stainer and highly experienced in that role. Tonight I managed to keep the stain off my feet for the first time. I had the brilliant idea of wearing some old socks. Some people are slow learners...

Kindergarten 1, kindergarten 2, photo shoot

1. A gorgeous little kindergarten girl came up to me when I arrived this morning and said "I thought you and your little girl were coming to visit me at my house in the holidays!" This had been something of a loose and unconfirmed arrangement and, due to the fact that I'd never met her mother, I didn't feel comfortable waltzing along on just any old day. I explained that we could write mummy a note together and see if we could arrange something soon. We did that and had a lovely time working out a letter which she decorated with a detailed drawing of horse, including stirrups, girth, bridle etc!
2. I loved this little interchange with me and boy at kindergarten this morning:
Boy: "Look at my picture of a spider with a moustache!"
Me: "Wow! How did he get a moustache?"
Boy: "I drawed it."
3. My good friend Pele who is an awesome photographer gifted me a photo shoot to help with my publicity as an author and we went to a little gully to take the photos after lunch. It was great fun pretending I was a model for an hour or so! I'm looking forward to seeing the results soon. Perhaps I'll share one or two on the blog as well!

Spying, teeth, cricket

1. I had a spying job to do today. I can't give out any more information than that. I enjoy private detective work. I know that makes me sound like I do it a lot, which is not true at all. However, on the few occasions in my life when someone has asked me to check something out for them anonymously, I must say I've enjoyed it.
2. We had an appointment with the orthodontist about our son's teeth today. It was a lot to take in. I shall be mulling on the information for a while. Expensive too. But teeth are teeth and smiles are important.
3. After the dentist appointment, my husband and daughter went home for the evening while my son and I went to Hamilton to watch the NZ cricket team play Australia in the third game of a series. We had already won the first two games of the series and I'm pleased to say we won the third tonight as well - in style. It was very "edge of the seat" stuff and I loved every minute. It was great to share the experience with my son too. Bring on the World Cup!

Squash, joy, sunset

1. We play in a business house squash team on Monday nights at the moment. It was sweltering on the court so I was very pleased that we had enough team members and I could sit out for the night. My husband and son both won their games and did so in style. I was a proud wife and mum.
2. After the squash, we came home and the children and my husband dived into the pool to cool down. It was great to see my husband having so much fun in the pool after spending so many months working on it. It's still another two weeks until the deck is completed, but it's wonderful to see him take a night off to enjoy the fruit of his labour.
3. Sunset is my favourite time of day. I love pink and the sky around our property goes very pink at sunset many nights of the year. I especially love the mix of pink and orange. It's a fleeting beauty but one which I'm always thrilled when I spot. I never get sick of it.

Cricket win, cleaning, calm

1. New Zealand's Black Caps (our national cricket team) beat the Aussies at a match in Auckland today. We were glued to the television through most of the last hour or so as the Kiwis came closer to the impossible. Not impossible to beat the Australians - though nearly. We did beat them by 10 wickets in the first game of the series a few days ago. But in today's game the Aussies made a record number of runs for the venue and we still beat that great total. It was very exciting to watch and I'm still buzzing. Needless to say, I love cricket.
2. Today I spent several hours out of character! I cleaned the bathroom and the room that houses the toilet. (I'm never sure of the correct name for that room, sorry). When I say clean, I really cleaned. I even kind of enjoyed it, although it was a passing phase I'm sure.
3. I dropped my daughter around to play at the home of a friend today and stopped for a coffee with the mum who's also a friend of mine. I always find Robyn a particularly calming woman to be around and, when I came home, I found the calmness had transferred to me! It was lovely. Suddenly the loud list of possibilities on the "things to be done" list, seemed quieter and more orderly. I did more than usual because I didn't feel pressured to. It was actually quite bizarre but I hope it lasts because it was a happier way to live. Thanks Robyn.

Mad Hatters, bloggers, reading

1. The nearest city to us is Hamilton which is about 30 mins drive away. Hamilton has a beautiful garden and lake area and every year a Summer Festival is held there. I took the children, and my daughter's friend, to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party there today. It was a very funny mix of juggling, magic, strange accents, bumbling, child assistants from the audience, pouring teapots full of water over the audience and rubber chickens. Not many people wore mad hats - perhaps you weren't supposed to. But I did. Mine was a borrowed purple bouffy one.
2. I've been enjoying the latest round of bloggers that have found their way to my wordimperfect blog. They seem to be having a lot of fun with the experience. Long may it last. It's always nice to see old names bounce back up again on the blog - and always a thrill to see a new name arrive from the blogosphere. I'm particularly pleased that the friend who introduced me to blogging last year has now started visiting my blog and adding invented meanings. Thanks heaps, Matt. I really appreciate it!
3. The children enjoy reading to me and, usually, I enjoy it too. Tonight my daughter read Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present to me. It's a beautiful story and she read it with wonderful expression.

Baby shower, joke book, slave

1. I've been at my friend's baby shower tonight. She is already the mother of five children aged between 15 and 8 - I think that's right! Her baby is due at the end of March and it's her first ever baby shower. One of our very creative friends made a wonderful book and we all wrote our wishes for the baby inside. We also listed name choices. It was a wonderful night. All the best for your little one, Pele.
2. I found out today that my joke book has also been listed as one of the 40 notable NZ children's books of 2006.
3. My friend and neighbour, who's probably reading this, suggested he or his wife would like to repay us for loaning us their car for a few days while theirs was having a motor refit. I came up with the idea that I would like one of them to be my personal slave for a day, or perhaps half a day. Even an hour. Does that sound terrible? It's just that I've always wanted to know what it would be like to sit in a chair (for chair, read "throne") and order someone about. Of course, I wouldn't get them to do stuff like cutting the lawn with a pair of nail scissors or peeling me grapes. No, it would more like feeding the pets, watering the garden, making me a cup of tea, peeling the potatoes, cooking a bbq, vacuuming and dusting, swatting flies etc. The trouble is, of course, that the car is actually my husband's car and he's the one who should be repaid, if anyone is. But he's already got a personal slave... Did I really say that? Surely not... (just joking, darling)

Record keeping, lunch, radio

1. My husband is a wonderful record keeper. He has records of all our spending going back at least 10 years. It makes interesting reading. I have to keep my end of the bargain too, though, so today I was doing what we call "the finances" to help with the record keeping. This involved going through my wallet, sorting out receipts and seeing where our precious resources (mainly earned by my husband) have been spent. Usually groceries and petrol of course. It may seem petty to some, but being a wonderful record keeper actually meant we were able to buy this house. The bank said our income wouldn't sustain the mortgage but my husband was able to prove that we could through his amazing record keeping. So many talents...
2. I went to lunch today with my mother and mother in law to my favourite cafe called Elevations. I had ricotta and spinach canneloni and it was delish. It was nice to be treated. Wonderful, in fact.
3. Several people told me today that they heard my name mentioned on the radio news. It was about my being a finalist in the book awards. I didn't hear it, as I'm not a fan of the radio.

cricket, late night eating, looking forward

1. I spent an hour this evening at my son's first cricket training session. I constantly feel amazed at the way I have helped create this sporting person. Of course, my husband's sporting prowess has actually been responsible. But still, I feel proud to have been part of the process.
2. My children and I have eaten nothing since dinner at 5pm - much to the children's disappointment. It's part of my effort to deal with my son's gastric reflux. I read today that he shouldn't eat within 3-4 hours before bedtime. I told him I wouldn't make him do anything I wouldn't do as well. My daughter agreed, reluctantly, to help out. It's been hard but they're both asleep now. My turn next.
3. I'm very much looking forward to a celebratory lunch tomorrow with my mother in law at my current favourite cafe. She's shouting me lunch to congratulate me on being a NZ Post book award finalist. It will be wonderful.

Lemon slice, heels, photo

1. My son and I made a yummy lemon slice today from Donna Hay's Classics Book 2. If you like lemony things, you'll love this. It's in my fridge as we speak.
2. I bought some special cream to try and sort out my cracked heels. It's a never ending task but I'm hoping this cream will make a difference. It feels good so far, anyway.
3. My friend is a wonderful photographer. She phoned tonight to let me know she can take some publicity shots of me for my writing career which will be great. The one used in the newspaper the other day was at least 2 years old, I think. My hair was quite short and now it's much longer. I'm looking forward to my photo shoot!

Noise, gastric problems, marriage

1. I don't do well surrounded by noise. Strange, you might say, for someone who's responsible for quite a lot of it. However, it's true. My working environment in my home writing office is silence. No music, no radio, no chit chat. So it's not easy at the moment because bulldozers are creating a constant low grade rumble in the section of land near us which is being cleared for reasons I'm still unsure of. It's enough to drive a woman to chocolate. However, I'm hoping the new D Stress tablets might do the trick.
2. My son is home from school today with gastritis mixed with gastric reflux symptoms. He's had intermittent stomach trouble since Sunday and I finally took him to the doctor today. He's happier and on the mend, but the bulldozers rumble on.
3. I'm so happily married. I'm so grateful that I found a husband who is perfectly suited to me (for that, read, can put up with me). I feel very blessed to have met such a wonderful man. Nuff said.

Growing up, ducks, old age

1. I took my son to our regional squash training morning. He did very well and I had cause to notice how soon he will change from a little boy to a young man. Boys there who were aged only 18 months older than my son were noticeably more muscly, had deeper voices and seemed to be a world away from their younger counterparts. It made me conscious of the miracle of life, of changes from childhood to adulthood and how so much is beyond my control. Obviously, a had a bit of time on my hands for thinking!
2. I took my daughter to the lake to visit the ducks. We enjoyed their antics, particularly one who landed badly on the grass and took a while to regain her composure. Another landed badly in the water and draw a raucous quackophony from the other ducks around. It sounded exactly as though they were laughing at her misfortune. I guess we'll never know.
3. We also visited a cafe for lunch. The two tables nearest us held me fascinated. At one, a young man of about 18 was incredibly attentive to an elderly couple who were possibly his grandparents. At the other table two middle aged women were fussing over a very elderly and frail woman who probably didn't really know where she was. She certainly wasn't able to answer their questions about what she would like from the menu. However, they all seemed to enjoy the outing. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the company of my 8 year old daughter as we reminded each other of our "most embarrassing moments".

40th, father-in-law, squash

1. My daughter and I visited the home of a friend who was celebrating his 40th birthday today. It's also my 47 and a halfth (new word?) birthday today so I was feeling quite celebratory myself. It was a family bbq with children swimming, yummy desserts and not too many dipsomaniacs. Thanks Margaret and Andrew.
2. My father-in-law came to help my husband with the deck around the swimming pool today. They both worked really hard in very hot sunny conditions - something we're all very grateful for.
3. My son and I went to have our first game of squash for the year today. I was pleased with how well I did. I won the first two games but tired enough to let my son come through and win the next three. It was good to see we hadn't lost too much of our squash fitness from not playing over the summer.

Finalist, office tidy, lunch

1. The news that I was unable to reveal in yesterday's post was that I am a finalist in the NZ Post Children's Book Awards (see www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz) . This a really big thing for me and soooo exciting. The finalists are in four categories of children's books. My book called It's True...You can make your own Jokes (published by Allen and Unwin) is a finalist in the non-fiction category. An article about the awards and my book appeared in today's NZ Herald newspaper (page 7) which you can read online if you wish at www.nzherald.co.nz and then follow the links through entertainment and books. I'm pretty sure that will get you there. I won't be winning a computer savvy award any time soon! That's for sure. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in Wellington in mid May.
2. It wasn't easy coming back to earth after my big news. However, my office did need tidying so I managed to complete that task today despite my excitement and several phone calls. The hardest thing about having wonderful things like this happen is that I still have to fulfil my other roles in life (i.e. cooking, cleaning, childcare, taxi service, wifely duties etc) when I would much rather be swanning around at a cafe celebrating my success! Oh well, I guess there's always a downside...
3. My husband and I celebrated my great news with a lunch together at our local cafe called Cicada Cafe. It's nothing flash but it's close and my husband only has a half hour for lunch. We celebrated with Henry's homemade pies. I sense the need for a more formal celebration coming on though.
3.

Back to school, whistle, good news

1. The children went back to school happily today and both had a great day. They're in the same class although there's a year between them. It's a small country school with only four classrooms so the year 5 and 6 students are taught together. I'm looking forward to seeing their progress this year.
2. I worked at kindergarten this morning and a lovely little girl told me something sweet which I'm sure she won't mind me repeating here. I had just finished reading a story about a kangaroo which lost its ability to hop but regained it by the end of the story. She said "He got his bounce back!" I agreed, asking if she'd ever lost her bounce. "No," she replied. "But I did lose my whistle once." Pressing for more information, I learned that "Jonothan borrowed it for a while but I've got it back now. See." She then demonstrated her ability to whistle.
3. I received very good news today about my writing career but you'll have to wait until tomorrow's blog as it's embargoed until February 8. I was so happy I cried!

More photos, tidying, swimming

1. These extra photos from the Wellington Rugby Sevens (won by Samoa, in case you're not in the know) show (1) my sister (left) and myself (right) with a smurf (middle) and (2) my sister (middle) with two aliens (left and right) who apparently travelled millions of light years just to watch the sevens!
2. The children go back to school tomorrow so I got them into the mood with a bossy breakfast meeting where I came down hard on what I expected from them in terms of getting ready for the school year. Tidy school desk, tidy school bag, tidy bedroom, blah, blah, blah. And it worked! I think we achieved more in the way of tidiness and organisation today than we achieved in the previous seven weeks since the holidays began.
3. We also had time for a family swim which was much needed as the weather was sweltering to put it mildly. I'm loving having a pool - even if the deck isn't finished yet. Yay for home handyman husbands!

Photo of us at the Rugby Sevens

Okay. I managed to put a photo on the blog. This is myself, my friend and my sister dressed as Marge Simpson at the Wellington Rugby Sevens. We usually have yellow faces but our face paint started cracking and peeling in the heat so we cleaned it off. This photo doesn't show many other dressed up people. I'll try to put a couple more on showing others soon.

Reality, dreams, countdown

1. Being away from your normal life for a while and then coming back to it can have unexpected consequences. When I came back from the sevens last year, it took a few days for me to stop thinking about all the fun I had there. When we went on holiday to Fiji in May it took me weeks and weeks to readjust to my everyday life where I wasn't being waited on, served and cleaned up after constantly. This time after the sevens, though, I think I've fitted back into my life relatively seamlessly. I think I was more prepared this time and I also know I can go again next year so it hasn't been so hard to come back to reality. Just thought I'd share that with you.
2. While I was in Wellington I had a "bad dream". Not really a nightmare but it involved a child dying so it was definitely a bad dream. I was so relieved when I woke up to find it wasn't really true. I was talking about the dream with my friend and sister and I realised that bad dreams are actually a good thing - for me anyway. They help me to realise that, actually, life could be worse. It could be as bad as some of my dreams. It made me appreciate reality and be thankful for its normalcy.
3. I'm counting down the days until school starts again - Wednesday for our children. It's certainly been a long summer holiday with its highs and lows. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine, getting back to writing and having some space and time to sort out my office.

Sevens, sevens, sevens

1. Okay. So the first thing about the rugby sevens is that you don't have to know anything about rugby to enjoy it. You don't have to like the game, even. You see, people don't really go to the sevens to watch rugby. They go for a variety of reasons - partying mainly. I'm not that much of a party animal in real life. However, I do like dressing up, dancing and being on television. And last year, when I went to the sevens with my friend for the first time, I discovered that it's a wonderful place for having a great time - even though neither of us drink alcohol at all. So this year we returned, with another Marge, and the three of us had a wonderful time again.
2. We have discovered that dressing up as Marge Simpson is a great cure for the invisibility of being 40 something married women with children. Marge is a magnet. Everyone wants to have their photo taken with Marge, hug Marge, chat with Marge, help Marge etc.
3. Doing something very different to my normal life is a wonderful panacea. It helps me to appreciate life, enjoy life and relax about life. I can recommend it. Especially after weeks and weeks of school holidays. It's a wonderful tonic.

January, rugby sevens, children

1. I'm sorry, but has anybody seen January? It was here just a moment ago. I only turned my back for a second and it seems to have disappeared. I was only just getting used to being in a new year and now I'm one twelfth of the way through it. It's perplexing me, as you can tell. I think it has something to do with being in school holiday mode and not keeping track of the dates.
2. Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Wellington, our nation's superb capital, to meet my sister and friend for two days of being Marge Simpson at the rugby sevens. Not sure what will happen about blogging but, if all else fails, I'm back on Sunday. I'll tell all on my return. Well, nearly all.
3. Our children are growing up. I keep getting glimpses of it. I notice the way they cope with things differently, want to do more of their own stuff, express themselves as individuals, and surprise me with their opinions. It's wonderful, slightly scarey, an enormous relief and invigorating.