Too long, Portuguese, Erebus

1. I've been too long away from this, my other, blog. No real reason. But I'm back now. Life has continued. The cat's all better, thanks to a dental op under full anaesthetic and a large sum of hard earned cash. The children are well and, hopefully, asleep. My husband is wonderful. My friends are very kind. I'm busy with lots of writing workshops with kids and one of my closest friends - who normally lives in Belgium - is home for a visit. So, all's well.
2. My joke book is going to be translated into Portuguese. Strange, but true.
3. I'm working on a book for young teens about the Erebus disaster. Up to my neck in research.

Birthday, sick cat, family

1. Our son had his 11th birthday on the 07.07.07. It was quite a low key affair and one friend stayed for a sleepover. I enjoy birthdays but I'm always glad when they're over. I'm looking forward to having an 11 year old in the house.
2. Our 10 year old cat has been ill and needs a dental operation next week. Our son has grown up with the cat, Moose, and we had to make an urgent visit to the vet as part of the birthday celebrations. However, antibiotics and painkillers are doing a good job until the operation. I'm sure all will be well with old Moose.
3. Several family members visited for the birthday on Saturday and more are coming for an extended birthday celebration on Tuesday. It will be good to see everyone and catch up on jobs, homes, spouses etc. Families are fun!

Holiday, relatives, blogging

1. As some of you have been aware, I've been away from my normal work station since Tuesday. I took the children to Auckland and north of Auckland for a few days as part of the school holiday break. We're having a lovely time and it's been a welcome change of scenery. We're currently in a place north of Auckland which is particularly picturesque and has lots to recommend it - the Warkworth, Matakana area including Omaha Beach. The beach was deserted apart from our little group, a lone surfer and a woman running a shaggy Wheaten Terrier dog named Roxy. It's winter here, so no swimming for us. But the children enjoyed the huge expanse of sand, the interesting shells and the toe dipping in the brisk water. I love being near nature. It's rejuvenating.
2. The relatives we are staying with are relatives of my husband who, sadly, had to be at work this week so hasn't accompanied us. It's wonderful catching up on the lots of the family history and spending time with wonderful family members who we don't see for years on end. The latest addition is baby Rita who has just turned 6 months old. The children were enchanted by her and we had a lovely dinner with Rita's American mum who is, happily, a trained chef!
3. Blogging away from home has had its challenges so I thank everyone who also uses my wordimperfect blog for their patience while I've been away. I've managed to keep up the blog, which has been due to the generosity of the aforementioned relatives. I'm looking forward to my own office again though!