Bangladesh Upgrades

I've been home alone for the past week - Claire and Mark are house/cat sitting for a friend of Mark out at Burwood. Claire isn't due back home until Sunday. I did get a text from Claire yesterday saying that the cat they are looking after is naughty and she misses and appreciates the good behaviour of Min and Toby.
It's all in the parenting....

I had a visit from my friend Jo Glover from Auckland over the weekend. Jo has just returned from a 7 week tour of some parts of America and was en route to Winton to stay with her brother, his wife, and their two little kiddies.

She arrived on Saturday afternoon bringing the sunshine with her. We went to a movie on Saturday night - Couples Retreat which was quite good. Some laugh-out-loud parts. And then had a nice Chinese meal. $18 each got us about 5 different dishes to share PLUS chicken and corn soup PLUS spring rolls AND wontons! Needless to say we took a rather large doggy bag home with us! It was yummy!

On Sunday morning we conquered the hill walk - all the way up to The Sign Of The Takahe and back which is an hour and a half round trip. There was a lot of silence up the steeper parts of the hill! It was just too hard to talk.

I took Jo out to Riccarton Mall for a look around in the afternoon and then we met Mel at the Museum for a walk around Hagley Park in the evening. It was a good weekend.

Jo caught the bus to Invercargill on Monday morning so I dropped her in Worcester Street on my way to work.

Tuesday afternoon at work my exclusive man friend Lance popped in with perfume and wine that he had bought me while he was in Australia for 10 days for work. It was nice to see him but unfortunately he was on his way back home to Picton as he had an important meeting this morning at work. He plans to be back down in a few weeks so I will look forward to catching up properly then. Mmm... I smell nice today!

I have a sneaking suspicion that our horrid neighbours at number 12 have come into a bit of money recently. They have started upgrading bits around the house - starting with a new gate from the house to the garage. You'll never guess what the gate is made out of - Corrugated Iron! The very same material that she complained about us building a fence out of saying, and I quote 'It devalues the street'. Ha! Eat your words, Tinny! I hope it doesn't cause her too many migraines... much! The labourer had to replace wooden panels on the garage to attach the gate to which OBVIOUSLY means that the garage is rotten and about to fall down. Good to know.

Also it has been noted that they have new netting curtains - about time! AND she may even have slightly cleaned the windows of all the cat fur! There were no net curtains up at all for about a week which gave Claire and I maximum peeping Tom oppotunities! Not that we could see a whole lot - it's very dark in there.

I stand in the kitchen and don't even try to disguise the fact that I am staring at their hovel with a look of disgust on my face. Maybe they got the message.

We still get the constant noise from the breeding cats in cages down the back though which breaks my heart. I swear I can hear them saying 'Let me ouuuuuut!' or 'Danieeeeeeellllllleee!' Poor things. Cat breeders are NOT cat lovers, in my opinion.

Ouch!

Not such a good result at my weigh-in this morning unfortunately. Apparently I put on 500grams this week. That's half a kilo. That's a lot. After walking every day this week for at least half an hour - most days twice - it was a bit of a shock. I guess it just means I will have to try harder next week. And I was so confident that I would have lost weight too - skiting away to Averil last night on Skype. That will teach me. Today I just feel like crawling under a rock.... with a packet of toffee pops.....

A Visit From The Queen

We've had quite an eventful time since the last blog was posted. Last Friday I had a waxing appointment after work and while I was upstairs getting hair ripped out some guy backed into my car. Luckily for me he is a nice guy and left his business card with details and licence plate number so I won't have to pay an excess to get my car fixed. The back drivers side light was completely smashed, with a dent in the metal below the light, and cracking on the bumper. I think the bumper has also been pushed forward a little. I have been in touch with my insurance company and got a quote from a collision repair place near my work. I've got the ok to go ahead but am just waiting for a courtesy car to come free and they will get it all fixed for me.

It was Nana Bartlett's 10 year anniversary on Saturday 26th so Claire and I went and met Paula at the graveyard and took some fresh flowers to put on the grave. The graveyard is kept really clean and tidy which is nice to see.

Mel's birthday was the 26th and we were invited to join her for drinks and dinner that night. Drinks were at 7.30pm at No.4 in Merivale then dinner was at Tutto Bene. There were about 10 of us altogether - all females - and it was a great night. We met a few of Mel's friends who we hadn't met before and they were lovely. We had a lot of laughs. Dinner was nice and afterwards we went to Sullivans for a drink. Claire and I headed home just after midnight... I think.

This week I started my new part time job at CherryTree. I worked Monday-Thursday 5.30-8.30pm. I really like it so far. The other girls are really lovely. So far I have been calling numbers from the phone book. Everyone so far has been very friendly. If they say they aren't interested then I politely end the call - they don't have to say no 10 times!

I'm hoping to keep playing netball on Thursdays so am going to talk to my manager tomorrow night and see if Thursdays can be flexible. Fingers crossed.

I had to rearrange my Weight Watchers meetings to accommodate the new job so have transferred to a meeting in town on Friday mornings at 7am. I got there in plenty of time on Friday and my weight loss this week was 1.5kgs! I was totally stoked!! Total weight loss to date is 3.7kgs. Only 20.3 kgs to go. Easy.

We had a VIP stay with us this weekend - Mum came on her way home from staying the week in Queenstown with the Southern Bart's. It was so nice to see her and get much needed Mum hugs. We got to play 2 games of REAL Scrabble (not that electronic Facebook one). Last night we went to the Pak's for dinner which was very yummy.

Yesterday we had a lovely ladies lunch out at Elevate - down by the Centaurus Road roundabout at the base of the Port Hills. It was just so great hanging out with Twisha (aka the cutest woman in the world!)

This morning we dropped Mum off at the airport and then this afternoon Claire, Mark, and I went to the movies to see 500 Days Of Summer. It was a nice movie. While there we saw advertising for the movie based on the childrens book 'Where The Wild Things Are'. I couldn't help but think that the character Max looks familiar.....

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Losers Can Be Winners!

Last weekend we had my good friend Jacqui Dinneen from Auckland down staying with us. What a great weekend! She left her husband - Shane - and her two girls - Ashley and Alexis - at home and came away BY HERSELF. I think the best bit for her was sleeping in AND not having to worry about anyone but herself. Things that us single folk take for granted.

On the Friday night we met up with some other Auckland friends - Sean, Karen and Max McArthy - who were down for a couple of days visiting old haunts. Sean went to Art College down here 25 years ago and Karen worked for a small newspaper in Sefton. Max is only 6 so it was his first visit to the Garden City.

We had a lovely dinner at the Belgium Beer Cafe and it was so great to catch up with them again.

On Saturday Jacqui and I went to the Craft Fair at Addington. There was lots to look at. I couldn't help but notice the many stalls for soaps and chocolates. I guess they are catering mainly to the female population and these are two things we like - smelling nice and anything chocolate.

I bought some beads and beading wire but most novelty stuff was a little overpriced for my liking. I did see a great idea for a bird feeder - a pottery/china cup and saucer sitting on top of a post. Easy yet effective. But they were selling for some ridiculous price so I thought I might give it a go myself. Watch this space.

After a nice lunch at Denny's. (Yes, we are both cheap dates!) We went for a walk through Hagley Park to the Arts Centre for an ice cream. (Please note this was my last weekend BEFORE starting Weight Watchers so I had to make it count!).

The trees through Hagley Park are all in blossom at the moment and look beautiful. Jacqui is a florist so was most appreciative of all the spring flowers in bloom.

Next we decided to head home for an afternoon nap which Jacqui was most excited about - having a 3 year old and a 1 year old doesn't leave much time for afternoon naps. Another thing I am just not ready to give up.

Saturday night we got pizzas and a movie and stayed in. It was a nice relaxing night in.

After a nice lunch at The Globe on Sunday we had a cuppa in the sun before heading to the airport. The weekend was over all too quickly.

Last Tuesday was my first Weight Watchers meeting. Eek! I weighed in heavier than I actually thought I was which was a little bit of a shock. But made me all the more determined. So the last week has been all about counting points and refamiliarising myself with the WW points system. It's easy once you get the hang of it. The first couple of days I ate and then counted the points I'd eaten... often going over my points allowance. By the third day I realised that planning the menu for the day ahead was a much better idea. On Friday I had a binge on a handful of salt & vinegar chips and about 10 WW chocolate chip cookies.... it tasted so good.... until I counted the points. It worked out to be about 12 points. I'm only allowed 21 per day!

So on Saturday I went for 3 walks - totalling 2.5 hours which only just cancelled out the binge.. Makes me look at chips in a whole new light.

Tonight was the weigh in. Dum-dum-dummmm!! I lost (yes, that's right LOST) a whopping 2.2 kilos!! I was floored! I was hoping to lose at least 500 grams. I know it's not always going to be that high but what a great start! I had to talk about my first week at the meeting tonight in front of everyone and it was like giving an Oscar speech - afterwards everyone clapped and I nearly cried!

Claire and Mark went up North for 6 days on Friday and are due back tomorrow. Sounds like they have been visiting up a storm!! I'm looking forward to hearing all about it tomorrow night.

I managed to score myself a part time job 4 nights a week for a company called CherryTree. I start on Monday and am really excited about it. I will be telemarketing which I've never done before but it's not the usual hard sell kind of telemarketing. It's offering to send out information on a tour of the company which, if you join, offers it's members wholesale prices on a whole lot of goods saving lots of dosh. I'm interested to give it a go.

And that's the happenings of the past few weeks. I got the potatoes planted in the weekend. The garden looks like it has two dead bodies buried in it! The weather has been fantastic lately with a bit of welcome rain this afternoon/evening. It is supposed to be thunder and lightening tonight. Oooh how exciting!!

I'm off to put the jug on for a cup of tea and two Weight Watchers biscuits which are awfully small but really yummy and only equal 1 point!

Birthday Time

First up I must congratulate ALL entries in the caption competition last month - and the winner is.............drumroll please............... EVERYONE! They were all great entries. Well done. Now the pressure is on to find another good photo for the next competition. Watch this space.

Claire is up to her usual tricks of passing assignments left, right, and centre. The last assignment to come back had a pass with MERIT. No simple old passes for Claire, oh no no no! She's a machine!!

And speaking of passes, I also know that Mum is doing extremely well and got an A in her last assignment which is brilliant!! Well done Mum. Sending you a great big congratulatory virtual hug!!

Claire turned 30th on 3rd September - of course no one believes she's THAT old.... which is good because that hopefully means that no one believes that I am 5 years older that THAT.

Mark whisked Claire off for a romantic mini-break to the Capital for two nights which sounds like it was lovely. They said they had a great time with just the right balance of relaxation and tourist attractions, as well as a lot of people watching (commonly known as 'staring') which is ALWAYS fun (as long as you're stationary and don't walk into a sign).

We had a few people around for a takeaway meal on Saturday night and then invited others to come along later for drinks. It was a good turn out and everyone seemed to have a good time. It was good to catch up with some we hadn't seen for a wee while.

We also had Alex's 19th birthday on 6 September. 19!!!! Wow - time has flown by.

Claire and I were invited to join the Pak's, Henry, Sam, and Mitchell for dinner at Garden Restaurant on Sunday night. It's a buffet and is mighty yummy. I left there feeling like I was actually going explode. Paula also snuck in a yummy chocolate birthday cake which I HAD to have a slice of.

We had our end of season function for work at the end of August. We don't have anything much at Christmas as it is our busiest time so they put on a dinner and band for all staff and partners mid year. It's always a good night. I got a little (lot) tipsy and ended up losing my camera. It is a shame as there would have been some brilliant photos with some hunky guys on it. I initially thought that someone may have picked it up and would return it to me at work so I put a notice up on the noticeboard at work but after two weeks I can safely assume that I won't be seeing the camera again. Someone obviously needed it more than me. The hardest thing about that is that it is either someone I work with or a partner that has taken it. Doesn't make me feel very good about the morals of my workmates. If I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me if I had found my camera I could afford a new one! Nice that they all care though. Oh well, that's life I guess.

My new favourite thing is SKYPING. Ooh it's so great - seeing AND talking. So great for those far away AND for growing babies!

Exciting news - I will be joining Weight Watchers on Tuesday which I am looking forward to. I have slowly but steadily put on 21 kilos in the 6 years that I have been home from my OE. That's a lot. I looked up on the WW website today and apparently my weight is perfect............ if I was 200cm tall!!! Easier to lose weight than lengthen my body I think. So Tuesday is D Day. I thought I would bring it up so that I am more likely to be motivated knowing that you all know. That's the theory anyway.

Oh and something completely unrelated but worth a mention - one of our sales guys from work, Robert, is the proud father of the new Miss South Island. His daughter, Kelly, was approached while working at Dragonfly in Rolleston and asked to be part of the pageant. She agreed and won it!! She is now getting ready for Miss NZ at the end of October. Very exciting. I think Robert is getting ready to quit work and be her manager if she wins that one!

Min & Tobes say meow purrrrrr. Little fatties. Bless.

The Good Life

From 17th-27th August I was invited to housesit for friends of my workmate out in Templeton on their little 10 acre farm. The house is beautiful, big and new with SKY tv (a bit of a treat for plebs like me). The farm consisted of 5 sheep (two of which were pregnant) 8 chickens (1 was sitting on 10 eggs), about 24 bantams, and two cats. It was my own little slice of heaven for 10 whole days. The chickens/bantams had a great set up with pens I like to call 'Chicken City'.

My chores included feeding the chickens/bantams morning and night, collecting the eggs, feeding the sheep in the mornings, feeding/patting/talking to the cats. One cat was hardly seen as she is very timid and prefers to sleep in the barn only coming in at night to eat. The other cat, Duddie, is the complete opposite. He even followed me into the toilet one day and jumped on my knee!! We had to have a little chat about boundaries after that. He was great company and followed me EVERYWHERE. Even out to feed the chooks - they weren't bothered by him and he wasn't even interested in them.

The 10 eggs under the hen were due to hatch on Saturday 22nd August and sure enough, when I went out on Sunday afternoon there were 3 little chicks. Soooo cute! Now, those of you who are lucky enough to have SKY may be familiar with The Girls At The Playboy Mansion - a doco about Hugh Hefner and his three young, blonde girlfriends living at the Playboy Mansion. Being a non-skyer I got instantly hooked on this mind-numbing dribble and decided to call the 3 little yellow chicks Kendra, Bridget, and Holly after Hugh's girlfriends. After talking to Nicki (the home owner) when she returned, she said it is possible their names may have to be changed to Ken, Bruce, and Hal. Although it is a little early to tell.

When I returned home from work on Tuesday 25th there were two sets of twin lambs! Ooh if you know my love of all things mini, you can surely imagine how excited I was!! One of the little ones didn't look to be doing too well so I went in for a closer look. He wasn't looking all that flash which concerned me but he was breathing which was a good start. His Mum warned me to stay back by stamping her hoof. I went back to the house and when I came back out 10 minutes later all 4 lambs were up and jumping around. I was so happy I think I cried.

Thursday morning was my last shift before heading to work and from there going back home. Although it was nice to get back home and see Claire and our own cats, I miss the farm life. I feel I have done my apprenticeship now and am ready to take on Uncle Brian's 200ish hectares! Ha! Although nothing would get eaten - how can you eat it if you name it??

Captain's Blog: Stardate 0408:2009

What a crazy, fun, noisy, funny last week we have had at Roxy Inn! It seems somewhat like a ghost town this week in comparison.

Mum was the first to arrive on Saturday 25th July. Claire and I whipped out to the airport to pick her up in the afternoon. It was sooooo lovely to see her and get much needed Mum hugs.

Gavin, Catkin, and Annabelle (Henceforth referred to as The Southern Barts) arrived not long after we got home. Mum got right-of-way with cuddles as she was only staying for the one night.

Paula, Kazio, and Alex came around and we had a lovely family dinner... with 2 types of cheesecake... jealous much? It was a lovely evening.

On Sunday we went for a walk around the streets towards the Port Hills. It was a beautiful sunny morning - perfect for a walk. After lunch we played Scrabble and drank tea until having to drop Mum out at the airport again. Sad days :( There were a few tears in the car on the way to the airport but not for long as I pulled out the Smell mype joke!! It never gets old, that one.

The main reason for the Southern Barts visit was that Catkin had a two day vaccination course to attend. So on Wednesday and Thursday Gavin and Annabelle had quality time together without Aunties trying to grab, pinch, and prod poor Annabelle.

The week went well and Annabelle had lots of smiles for everyone. Catkin cooked a lovely dinner on Friday night which we all enjoyed.

The cats were very unsure of the 'midget with tourettes' (their words, not mine) invading their house. Everytime Annabelle saw either cat she got very excited and her little legs would start kicking! By Sunday morning Min became brave and by tricking her with the brush (which she LOVES) we managed to get her in arms reach of Annabelle. Annabelle got to pat Min which made her squeal with delight, and made Min scamper.... for a little while, but she came back. This went on a few times. It was hilarious.

We waved goodbye to the Southern Barts around 9am on Sunday morning as they started their journey South to Ohau for a night at the lodge before heading back to Queenstown the following day.

It has been suggested by a long time follower (thanks Apes! Great idea) that we have a regular caption competition. I found the PERFECT photo for this. Feel free to leave your caption in the comments below.

My entry - "And that, Nana, is how my Daddy fixes the Landrover!"