Dog, dressing up, squash

1. I was driving today and noticed a large black dog lumbering along the path. He (or she) looked completely self-sufficient, on its way to or from an adventure and confident in its identity. I liked that dog.
2. It was dress up day at school. Everyone dressed as something starting with A or M. My son dressed as Marge Simpson and won the prize for most realistic costume in his class. My daughter shared the prize for most creative costume. She went as a map.
3. I played a long, hard, winning game of squash tonight. I was particularly proud of myself. The match went to five games. I won the first two and the last one. My opponent was newish to squash, but she was a very fit young woman who was a quick learner on the court and never stopped running. My son and I are both in the tournament. We have our last games on Saturday.

Weather, filing, memory

1. I'm not sure why I am so affected by weather. However, I am. Today's weather has been pretty miserable and I've struggled to keep from being swept up into that kind of feeling as well. Perhaps I need to see the positives in all the different types of weather and relate those positives to my life. I'll try that tomorrow. It's due to be raining again.
2. I spent most of the day organising my filing system which had fallen into a shambles over time. I managed to discard a lot of paper that was just clogging up the filing cabinet and felt very good about that. However, there is still so much of my office and home that needs organising that I need to try hard not to feel overwhelmed by it all.
3. My memory hasn't been good for a while now, as I'm sure I've mentioned several times on this blog. Tonight there was something on a 20/20 programme on tv about how to remember things more easily. It was stuff I actually already knew, but hadn't thought about for a while. I'll try to integrate the strategies into my life.

Kindergarten, enthusiasm, reading

1. My morning at kindergarten went smoothly. I had a successful session with the children outside, despite the inclement weather. A little boy in rabbit ears carrying a basket of make believe Easter eggs brightened my day.
2. Not sure if my lack of enthusiasm generally today has been one of my menopausal side effects or whether it relates to other things. One of those days I just needed to get through, due to feeling a bit directionless.
3. My latest inspirational read is "The Greatness Guide" by Robin Sharma. The comment that has inspired me most so far, is our days are our lives in miniature. Our hours create our years. Our days create our life. Mmmmm. Not sure what I was doing today then!

Bilingualism, amazing race, honey chicken

1. I have been doing some research into bilingualism at the moment as part of my interest in the Maori language. It's very interesting and hard to describe in a short space like this. However, I'm finding it interesting, challenging and invigorating which are all good things to be feeling.
2. Tonight was the final of Amazing Race on our tv in NZ. To tell you the truth, I found the end a bit of an anti-climax. However, I still enjoyed the show and look forward to the next one. Go Phil! (The host is a New Zealander).
3. We had Honey Chicken for dinner tonight - a great favourite with the whole family which is very unusual in our house. In fact, almost unheard of! So dinner wasn't stressful because everyone was happy!

Birthday, singing, orange house

1. My daughter's birthday went surprisingly well, considering the number of children at the sleepover. I've never had more than two children sleep over before, so I thought I might have been biting off more than I could chew. However, everything went smoothly. The swimming and dressing up kept them busy for hours. And now I have a nine year old. And a beautiful one, at that.
2. I relaxed on Sunday which is pretty unusual. I also had some girl time doing Sing Star with my daughter. We had a fun time. I love singing.
3. The orange house next door is finally sold after being on the market for many months. We are hoping the neighbours will be wonderful.

Birthday, cricket, family

1. I'm in the middle of our daughter's birthday sleepover. The seven girls are lying in the lounge watching a video as I write. They've done lots of swimming and playing and will hopefully sense the urge for sleep in the near future. It's gone very well so far - less hands on than I've been used to with parties for younger children. I've also noticed how very more "grown up" my daughter has become since her last birthday. I'm very proud of her.
2. Our son did very well at cricket today. He made a great catch early on in the game and also bowled and batted impressively. He batted 3 fours and a single which increased his batting average. We were all pleased that he did so well as assorted family members were visiting for the birthday celebrations and came to watch his game. As parents of cricketing children, we all continue to enjoy the 3 hour long enforced rest required while watching the game of cricket. Perhaps that's why the game was invented...
3. It was wonderful seeing our extended family gathered together for our daughter's birthday today. Thank you all for your generous gifts and the time it took to drive here and spend time with us. We really appreciate it and love you all very much.

Embracing change, birthdays, kohanga

1. I'm feeling happier about embracing the changes that are occurring in me at this pre-menopausal stage of my life. I feel less panicky about it and more "normal". It's a good day and I'm not feeling so many symptoms as I did yesterday, so that has helped. However, I think if I can relax into the experience it will be easier - rather than fight it, that is.
2. Plans for my daughter's birthday sleepover on Saturday are rolling along smoothly. She has very clear ideas on what she wants to happen. It's exciting but I'll be glad when the friends go home, I have to admit.
3. I visited a Kohanga Reo this morning to see what happens there. Kohanga Reo means language nest in Maori. It's an early childhood centre where Maori is spoken exclusively or almost exclusively. It was a big learning experience for me and I look forward to visiting again soon.

Wellington, menopause, cricket

1. My plans for my trip to Wellington are becoming clearer. The awards ceremony will be held at Parliament which is pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to it very much, as you can imagine.
2. My pre-menopausal symptoms are definitely becoming more obvious. I've had an up and down emotional day but I keep reminding myself that other women cope - and so can I.
3. The cricket season is nearly over and I feel sorry as I enjoy watching the boys practise and compete. Kids sport is great.

Joke book, friends, cooking

1. I was thrilled to read that my blog friend Sara has ordered a copy of my joke book from Amazon as a birthday gift for her son. That's very kind of you, Sara. It just goes to show how powerful blogging can be! I hope you and your family enjoy the book very much, Sara. Maybe I'll get a chance to sign it for you some day!
2. My friends and I had a lovely get together at my favourite cafe today. It was fun and relaxing and giggly girlish. I had the citron tart which was nearly lemony enough but not quite. I also had a latte. Yummmm. Happy birthday Rhonda. Enjoy being 40! It's great.
3. I spent the morning cooking dinner for us as well as dinner for my friend who's just had a beautiful new baby boy. Our group of friends is cooking for the family to give the new mum and decent break and today was my rostered day. I hope they enjoyed the meal. We thought it was delicious.

Daylight saving, baby, squash

1. On Saturday night we put our clocks back one hour because of daylight saving. It's been good in lots of ways. However, because of the way I do my blog, it means I will have to make an adjustment to the time I do it and I'm still getting used to it.
2. My friend Pele has a new baby boy. Well done Pele and Damian. He is beautiful.
3. We had our last game of business house squash today. Our team came third equal out of 12 teams which we were very pleased with. The children were particularly pleased with the Easter eggs as prizes. I actually played two games of squash today as I also played at lunch time with another mum. I feel very virtuous about that.

PMT, party, reunion

1. I've been displaying irritable behaviour due to a severe case of PMT (I think that's PMS in some countries). Feeling a lot better about it today, thankfully. Yesterday I wasn't a particularly pleasant person to be around. However, I did put on a good show out in public.
2. We went to our wonderful friend Rhonda's wonderful 40th birthday bbq in the evening and it was one of the best parties I've ever been to. I haven't been to many and we did have to leave early to go to another function, but it was outstanding. So thank you Rhonda and your family for a very well organised, delicious, hilarious event. We all had to wear something a bit posh, something that doesn't get an outing. My husband wore his pyjamas and dressing gown.
3. We then went to another of my husband's school reunion functions (we got changed in between). It was less fun for me than the first reunion night as it was a bit noisier and more difficult to hear what people were saying. However, we did catch up with a few people that we hadn't seen for a while so it was worth it.

Story again, swimming, reunion

1. I worked on my latest picture book manuscript again today. I read it aloud to my neighbours and their four year old son. It was well received and I got some constructive feedback. I wish I could read it to you, too. I love reading it aloud. One of my goals is to write some picture books that are wonderful to read aloud. I enjoy reading other authors' picture books aloud and look forward to being able to do that with my own.
2. The children had their school swimming sports today which went well despite the dubious weather. One girl described it as "brain freezing cold". I've actually been in water like that before so I know what she means. However, all's well and they're safe and sound.
3. We went to my husband's primary school reunion this evening. We had a good time even though there was only one person there from his class. That person came from Australia to the reunion, as did several others. Not sure I'd travel that far for a similar event, but there you go. Anyway, my husband was glad to catch up with this friend who he hadn't seen for 20 years. It was interesting, too, to see where he'd spent his early years. I'm going to my high school reunion in June.

Story, double, unwell

1. I got some great picture book writing done in a cafe today. I went there for a change of scenery in the hope of inspiration and achieved my goal. The first draft is now complete.
2. There's a programme on tv tonight about us each having a double. I know I do. My sister met her in a lift. She even thought it was me at first.
3. I haven't been feeling so well but not unwell either. Just mediocre. Some sort of virus, no doubt. It'll pass.

Deja vu, hot foot, weather

1. I forgot to mention in my movie comments yesterday that I experienced a strong feeling of deja vu while watching the Miss Potter movie. During one scene just before the intermission I had a strong sense that I had seen the movie before, which I hadn't. This was followed soon after by the man next to me (who had played the piano for the opening since it was the NZ premiere) handing me his business card and suggesting that he would like to play for me when I had a grand gala launch for my next book! Nothing like positive thinking! Anyway, the interesting thing about that was that as the man turned to me, holding out his business card, I had another very strong feeling of deja vu that this man had handed me his business card before and I also felt sure I knew what the card looked like. Very weird. Even more oddly, when we came out of the movie my son said "I'm sure I've seen that movie before." Make of it what you will.
2. Still in the "strange" category... since yesterday I have been experiencing strange "hot flushes". Now... this might not be so unusual as I'm 47 years old. However, the hot flushes are located in the sole of my left foot! If anyone reading this can make any sense of why such a thing might be happening, I'm willing to be enlightened. I don't think there's a pattern to it, but I've started making a record in case there is.
3. Today's weather in New Zealand has been out of the ordinary - very strong gale force winds, snow in some parts of the South Island, trees down, heaps of rain etc. I was home alone when a gazebo went scuttling across the road towards the neighbour's house. I managed to get some neighbours to rescue it but it was already snapped into several pieces. I was apprehensive about getting in the van to drive out to school to collect the children but managed it easily enough. Then, just before I arrived at school, a huge tree in the school grounds fell over. Fortunately, it fell away from the classrooms and children. However, it clipped the roof of the hall. Not sure if we'll get any more summer swimming in our new pool!

No shame, movie, storm

1. I have no shame. But I'm proud of it. I'll explain. Today our small local cinema had the NZ premiere for the movie Miss Potter (about the life of Beatrix Potter and starring Rene Zellwegger). I knew about this vaguely and had planned to see the movie as I liked what I'd read about it. Then I read in our local newspaper that local identities and celebrities had received invitations to the four showings today. I felt peeved. Am I not a local celebrity? Is Miss Potter not about a children's author? Am I not a children's author? So, guess what I did? I marched right down there and stated my case at the box office. It worked. There was much apologising and our family was given four tickets for the 5.30pm session tonight. Yay.
2. The movie mentioned above is excellent. A must see. Beautifully shot. A wonderful story. Acted with great class as always by Rene. We were all very pleased we went. I can highly recommend it to you all.
3. We are having a storm tonight and the children are unsettled because of it. Last night, fortunately, they slept through the torrential downpours. But this time the thunder and lightning started while they were still reading in bed. Hopefully they'll tire soon.

Squash, phone, dragons

1. We played our second to last game of business house squash tonight and won all but our last game of the evening. I played a girl the same age as my son and we had a great game. I'll try to dedicate myself more to the game of squash as it's good for fitness and I really do enjoy it.
2. One of the players in our squash team asked me to look after his "phone" while he was playing. When I say "phone" it looked more like (and performed more like, I suspect), one of the world's most up to date mini laptop communication systems. I found it quite frightening to even think about. That's the technophobe in me, I guess.
3. I watched one of my fave programmes on tv tonight - Dragon's Den. The dragons are becoming much more ruthless and dragon-like. I often have ideas that I'm sure are great, but when I imagine being in the dragon's den explaining them, I lose my nerve.

Rugby, Friends, Olly

1. I went to Auckland with my son for the weekend and enjoyed the change of scenery immensely. One of the highlights was the rugby match between the Blues and the Lions, both teams in the Super 14. Our favourite Blues team member, Doug Howlett, had a wonderful game and we were glad to be there to witness it in person.
2. We spent time catching up with several friends and family members in Auckland, which was very refreshing and entertaining. I look forward to our next catch up.
3. While we were at the rugby game, my friend's Bichon Frise dog, Olly, found a way to unzip a bag and retrieve his supper of a packed of chocolate chip biscuits! On our return, he looked very pleased with himself about the feat.

Limericks, tv appearance, close call

1. My limerick was featured in Sonnjea B's Limerick Lounge blog. I've always enjoyed limerick writing and have written a few in my time. It's a good discipline and I'll be visiting her new limerick lounge frequently. See my link page on the wordimperfect blog if you want to go there too. I'm not sure how to link it as part of a sentence like other clever bloggers do.
2. I drove for an hour to a town called Matamata today so I could appear on a regional tv programme to talk about my joke book. It was great fun and my slot was short and sweet and seemed to go very well. The host was really welcoming and friendly and I didn't think about the camera at all once we got talking. It appears on Monday but we don't get it where I live so I'll have to find someone to tape it for me. Or I can buy a copy for $25 plus $5 postage!
3. Driving back from Matamata, I had a close call with a truck! My heart was in my throat afterwards. I actually thought I would hit the truck and the realisation of that was strangely bearable. It was when I managed to avoid it that I suddenly realised the extent of the danger I had been in. The truck turned in front of me and I had to brake hard on a road slick with light rain. But, hey, I'm still here. So all's well in the world!

Kindergarten, library, children

1. I was feeling a bit low about my kindergarten work, a bit uninspired. However, I came way from today's session much happier. I have a plan and plans are good.
2. Our local librarian wants to make a display about me as part of the information leading up to May's announcement of the NZ Post Book Awards winners. I'm quite a show off so I was surprised she needed to ask if I minded being splashed about the children's section of the library! Splash away, I said. But I've promised my friends that if I get famous I won't shave my head or end up in detox.
3. Our children are so wonderful. I am in awe of them. These people were made by my husband and I and they're such individuals. So much their own people. Parenting is worth it, even if it doesn't often seem that way.

School visit, interview, nice

1. I visited a school today to talk about my joke book. It was a great experience and I particularly enjoyed reading from one of my books to a large audience of 190 children. I also caught up with some teachers that I know from the past. Thanks Emily for inviting me.
2. The questions have arrived for my tv interview on Thursday. My daughter gave me a pretend interview using the questions. I think I need a few more practices before Thursday, as I sounded a bit waffly.
3. I'm reading a book called The Power of Nice. I'm enjoying it and trying to be nicer as a result.

Recycling, office, squash

1. We get our rubbish collected on Mondays and, until now, we could also put out papers to be collected for recycling. However, our recycling collection service has now been extended and we have all be given big blue bins so we can recycle tins, plastic bottles, glass, cardboard and paper. It's wonderful but I'm glad I'm not the bin collector who has to sort it all.
2. I spent the day tidying and sorting out my office. I'm not finished but I've made a good start and I look forward to continuing until the job is complete.
3. I lost my squash game tonight for our business house team. However, I didn't feel discouraged. This was a big change for me. I usually feel down about losing a game of squash (which I do frequently) because I think about how I could have done this or that so much better. Tonight was a bit of a breakthrough. Yes, there was a lot I could have done better. But I still concentrated on enjoying the game, even as I knew I was losing. It was a good feeling.

Neighbours, vegetables, baking

1. I feel so glad we have good neighbours. Some of them came over today for afternoon tea. It was delightful.
2. Our vegetable garden gives us yummy salad treats including cucumbers, spinach and beans. It takes effort but it's certainly worth it.
3. I love baking but I haven't done any for a while. However, yesterday I made a banana cake and today I made honey rice bubble biscuits. Both worked out very well.

Cricket, moments, tidy

1. Cricket time again this morning. Our son did a good job with the bat and handled himself well as a fielder as well. His bowling was excellent. The whole team was wonderful and there were some amazing catches. We bowled the opposition out and came away with a great win. I love having a sporting son!
2. I'm learning about enjoying moments, living in them and making the most of them. I'm trying to make the most of moments which aren't necessarily "big" in the normal sense of the world, but are important nevertheless because they are part of a whole. However, I'm not learning that quickly. So I'll be working on this lesson for a while, I expect.
3. I want to be tidier. I understand the need to be tidier. I can visualise being tidier. I would operate so much more efficiently if things were tidier. However, actually BEING tidier seems a very big hurdle to leap right now. I'll keep you posted on progress.

Motherhood, writing, completion

1. I received some hilariously true emails about motherhood today. I'm not sure why they all seemed to arrive today, but they did. One was particularly apt. It was a job description for a mother. One part I related to well was the suggestion that a mother needs to cope with being indispensable one minute and an embarrassment the next. I am learning that, as we speak. My daughter, bless her heart, is quite clingy and mummy oriented as long as her friends are nowhere in sight. However, if she is with a friend, I am relegated to a very lowly position. At first I took this personally and found it very upsetting. It's a new behaviour and hopefully just a phase. Now I realise it's more about her than me and I have learned some coping strategies. I fear my sisters and I probably treated our mother in a similar manner to some degree.
2. I have been taking a little time out of each day to do some reading. I know it's a good thing for me to do as a writer, but it's something I don't usually feel I can justify as a mother. However, I'm pushing that barrier open and reading anyway. The pieces I read today and yesterday were very enjoyable and reminded me of my own writing style. I felt a sense of "I could have written that" as I read each piece. It made me feel that anything is possible for me as a writer. That's a good thing.
3. I worked hard all day today on a piece I've been finalising for a publisher. I set myself the task of completing it and sending it to my agent by the end of this week and I achieved my goal. I feel very pleased to have done that and much less stressed.

Survival, more survival, sore throat

1. Today I went to lunch with my mother. She gave me a newspaper clipping about a family with 10 children who live "up north" without things like power, phone, water etc. It was fascinating stuff. The dad died last year and now the mum and her 10 children are continuing on in their little piece of paradise without the benefit of 20th century technology. Now that's survival.
2. Survival is definitely a theme today. I have just watched a documentary about Robert Hewitt, the New Zealander who recently survived after spending 75 hours alone in the sea after being swept away from his dive boat by a rip. I remember being part of the wave of emotion that went through New Zealand when Robert was found alive by a police rescue boat in miraculous circumstances. I felt the same emotion as I listened to him tell about his survival on television tonight. We need those stories in our lives.
3. All I'm surviving, apart from the usual difficulties and petty annoyances, is a shockingly sore throat. I'm not sure where it came from but it arrived suddenly and is not welcome. Miracles needed here too.