Author Archives: paulainauckland

Prompt 21..trying to flow

Posted in house - gardens, Journal, me, Teresa Wentzler by

Prompt 21: What didn’t you do this weekend that you think you ought to have done?

Smart cookies (you?) would have noticed that I missed a few prompts. That’s one of this things I think I should have done this weekend – caught up. Instead I’m going to go against my usual flow and mix it up a little. Rock my boat. Misuse some metaphors. Have fun?

What else should I have done?

  • chosen my TW to stitch for the upcoming exchange on our FB group
  • posted the business IRD return off
  • changed 10% of the tank and brought some new plants (the barbs like to rip the grasses up)
  • mopped the tile areas
  • cleaned up my eReader

I did achieve quite a lot, given that I was up every few hours for nearly five days with Mase and his meds. Facepalm of the weekend wasn’t me (cue surprise) but the mechanic at the VTNZ. I took the Toy Car up for it’s WOF and he was going to fail it – on the basis that he didn’t know how to open the engine bay. Freaking Idiot.

Prompt 12: What is happening NOW? Look out of the window and write about 3 things you can see!

Disclaimer: I wrote the original in my journal earlier today. Right now i’d only see black if I looked out the window – I really shouldn’t be playing on the laptop but should be getting ready for tomorrow!

I won’t write about what I can see, as I’m in my office, and if I didn’t have the blinds pulled, I’d look out into the corridor then the “pool” but rather I’ll write about what I want to see.

I want to be at home, sipping a coffee or wine while looking out the kitchen window at my new retaining wall, flat lawn, lush grass and fruit trees espaliered along the fence, interspersed with roses. Looking at someone else cooking, my kids playing and not ripping up the lawn.

I’m getting good at this fantasy thing! 

I do have a new retaining wall, and a nearly flat lawn. Grass will come in the spring, I just have to finish painting the fence (and figure out what I want to plant on the berm side to soften it up). The berry I planted a few weeks ago is still going strong and hasn’t drowned in all the rain, so there’s a win.

Prompt 13: The other day we considered the most USEFUL skill we have ever learnt. Today, consider the most IMPORTANT.

Probably communication – I’d hate to be in a position where I can’t express my thoughts, wants, needs. But being able to communicate appropriately is VERY important. I learnt that lesson at a previous employer (but in a way that benefited me) and one of the emails I received today only emphasized that. Someone out there is getting a visit from HR this week…

 

Speaking of parenting, as a lesson, here’s something I saw on Jennie’s pintrest. Perfectly apt, expec point four! Enjoy 🙂

parenting truth

Also loving One Republic’s Love Runs Out, almost as much as Happy. Hating anything Sam Smith, i’m over that very quick. And Iggy. Ugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OWj0CiM8WU

journalling prompt 11

Posted in Journal, league, me by

A long delay in journaling or blogging. Mase has been sick, and we couldn’t control his asthma so ended up at the doctors then Waitakere EDD the following day. A few quiet days at home has finished the process so hopefully this is it for a while.

Good news front – curtains are up in my room (a beautiful soft silver) and Z’s (moleskin or in plain speak, freaking ugly brown). Not in B’s (who chose black to go with his graphic novel theme) but his room is nearly clean enough for me to find the window. Surprisingly, I objected to his floordrobe, and he objected to my objection. Go figure.

League went well too this weekend – my kids all remembered to tackle low, and wait for that second pass. They had to wait a lot longer this week as our opposition wasn’t drilled and very hesitant. I guess that’s the diff between our kids and theirs – most of ours will go all out and have taken their lead from the few that played last year. Plus they are awesome.

I can also report that standing on the Thomas plastic rail track is very nearly as painful as LEGO. There you go, PSA of the year.

Prompt 11: What is the most USEFUL skill you have learnt?

knowledge

I can’t chose just one – that would be like choosing just one type of book, or fruit, and having to stick with that choice forever. Not going to happen!

So here’s the shortlist:

  • READING gain knowledge, relaxation, entertainment
  • PARENTING still learning this!
  • SEWING
  • DRIVING probably shouldn’t have left it until I was nineteen tho – lost opportunities!
  • BLOCKING OUT NOISE try studying for School Cert when the only neighbourhood trampoline was right outside your bedroom window. Means I can drown out the teen/tween fights now, at least until blood is spilt
  • COOKING very useful as I’m well over the toast/packet soup/2 min noodle university days
  • PATIENCE the skill I really need. I keep forgetting to count to ten!

Fred

Posted in Nora Corbett, stitching patterns by

Weekly progress of Fred, the Nora Corbett Blue Monarch Flycatcher. I kept the colours as charted. but did re-align the wing stitching. Awesome quick little design, looking forward to completing some of the others in her Audubon range (I’ve stashed four already!)

Fred, as at 19th May Fred, as at 22nd May Fred, as at 26th May 2014-06-02 12.17.43 2014-06-07 21.37.14

even more journalling

Posted in Journal, me by

Prompt 10: You are 6 years old! Someone has kindly given you 4 chairs covered with an enormous blanket!! It’s a tent! Tell us about your play day.

At six, I’d just become a big sister. I spent most of my playtime with Carol, the baby doll I received when Rob was born (she still only has one arm, as my cousin Sara threw it out the car window one day driving over the Kaimai’s) and my best friend Debbie.

We met at Brookfield kindergarten, hate at first sight. She hit me on the head with a hammer and I lured her to the Big Kids Slide (strictly forbidden) then pushed her down it. Her mum picked us up that afternoon and asked us about our day. From then on we were together more often than not until I moved away to Auckland. Our tents would be anything from a circus tent to a doll’s house to an escape from our brothers.

If I was by myself my imagination would take over and the tent would be Eeyore’s house in the 100 Acre Wood, to a ship on the High Seas of Narnia, to Pippi Longstocking’s House or even Dr Doolittle’s surgery.

Today my kids love “tents”. B & Z probably use theirs to hide mess, but Mase has a special space under his bed, complete with an adjustable Ikea lamp, that’s perfect for playtime. I’m a little jealous!

Mase’s lamp: http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/00201777/

more journalling

Posted in Journal, me by

so behind! Some prompts aren’t popping up with a lot of inspiration, or life is just taking over. I’m going to roll with it – some journalling is better than none.

Prompt 9: Jack Buchanan said that ‘everything stops for tea‘. Morning, noon or night – which beverage will make you ‘stop’ and say ‘Ahhhh! That’s better!’?

garfield coffee

This is me in the morning. I NEED at least two cups of coffee (or a V) to get going but I try not to have anything with caffeine post noon. I won’t sleep, or I’ll be very restless. This morning I woke with awful dreams (that we had been invaded, and B was conscripted, and the family separated) and I’ll blame that on the afternoon Pepsi.

Lunch – water.

Evening – depends on what is around. The other night it was obviously the vino (I’m buying that one again, no hangover!) & I’ve recently discovered Endeavour ginger ale – very dry. Stupid label placement tho. It tells a story (about the first sighting of land by the cabin boy) in two panels, one either side of the title, which would work on the flat but once the wrapper is on the bottle, you read the second half of the story before the first. #fail

Yesterday and this morning I’ve fed Emma’s three cats while she and her hubby are down at the Mountain. Even Gary, her older boy, is all smooch this visit. It’s nice to hear the purrs.

Driven to drink….

Posted in family, Journal, league, me by

image

It’s been a really long day. Started by finding out the youngest’s league game was not cancelled, so we turned up, panicked a little as we didn’t have enough kids (it’s fifty bucks if you don’t) then the opposition didn’t show. At their home ground, on the other side of Auckland. The notification was at nine am. No points for guessing what time kick off was!

And we have curtains, finally, that each recipient agrees on. Rails tomorrow, and by noon I guess I’ll be completely sick of gathering but in the plus side, I’m not sewing!

Have dinner (lasagne) made, library books exchanged (Mase thinks librarians are cool, as she found him some Cars books he now has a hold on), washing done, floors vac’d…I deserve this drink. I do wish I’d had time to catch up with Zeb or go for a walk tho.

Journal to come. I need to catch up on three prompts now, fail!

Journal, day eight

Posted in Journal, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns by

Prompt 8

The snowman walked in the air! Nancy Sinatra wore boots that were made for walking. Your mission today, if you choose to accept it, is to write about the last time you walked in the rain.

‘All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking’
Friedrich Nietzsche

 

2014-07-08 19.34.07

Today. That would be today.

I caught the train again today (it’s around fifteen minutes walk there, and ten on the other end) as I couldn’t be bothered to drive. Well & truly at work before I realised that I’d left my brolly behind, and then a couple of minutes later the tweets start.

Wind Warning. Thunder. Lightening (cue song in my head). Heavy Rain.

Brr. Got home before the worst of it, but I still had to pour the water out of my flats when I got home! But at least I don’t have to wash my face #panda

2014-07-08 19.33.12

something for my english friends 🙂

Excellent news: all my blood tests came back in range, except one which I shan’t worry about. I still have a well functioning liver! Months to go before I have another scan tho. And…yesterday’s step count, which roughly equals 11.1km!

2014-07-07 21.51.07

I haven’t rotated my stitching again this week – I need to go to Ribbon Rose and get some Kreinik and beads so I’ll plod along with Stargazer’s dress. I think she’s looking gorgeous.

2014-07-08 19.14.41

Mase has been practicing his writing; there will be tears when he starts school next term and is told that he can’t write everything in block letters. At least he didn’t include New South Wales in his list of favourite teams, but where are my Bunnies?! Time for bed, little man.

2014-07-08 19.18.42

 

journalling, days five & six

Posted in books, Journal, me by

Playing Catch Up!

Prompt 5
Do you love to lose yourself in a good book? Drama? Detective? Maybe you would rather watch a good film or TV programme instead? Or maybe you just prefer to read the paper with your breakfast. Write about which you prefer.

WRITTEN ON JULY 7TH
Mostly I read, and mostly I’m a book slut. There are lines drawn; I won’t read 50 Shades for example (it won’t float my boat and the grammatical errors I saw in her fan fiction made me want to hurl the laptop at her head) and the Stephen King/Dean Koontz type horror (I like to sleep) but pretty much anything else is fair game. This week I’ve slogged thru The Princes in the Tower (Alison Weir), a couple of trash books (Kitty French, Toni Aleo) and lots of magazines. Now that I am trying to stitch each night I am reading less (and eating less, woo hoo!), but it is still part of my essential everyday routine. I have a couple of eReaders left over from Whitcoulls that awful place I use to work and one goes everywhere with me. Even my youngest knows not to try to take it away from me!
Having said that, there are a few programmes or movies I’ll put the book down for. If they are book-based, they have to be true to the book – I have to be able to visualise the book in my mind and there shouldn’t be any plot gaps (looking at you here, Nora Roberts’ adaptation crew). Current list is:
• Justified – Elmore Leonard. I could listen to Timothy Olivant all day.
• Banshee – not sure if this is book related, but the cast and script are top notch. NSFW so don’t search out on YouTube. You were warned.
• Game of Thrones – George RR Martin. I love how a lot of the detail in the books has translated visually.
• Nashville – pure escapism. Dallas for country music lovers?
• Anything Pixar.
• Anything by Peter Jackson.
• Anything with Mark Whalberg in it.

Prompt 6
Think hard about your day. Tell us about one thing that you do every day.

To paraphrase Fatboy Slim & Calvin Harris – Eat Sleep Read Repeat 

Prompt 7
What can you do with an egg?

I can bake with an egg – ever since childhood an egg (by itself) is a reminder of illness. Today I’ll only eat eggs in baking or a quiche (very, very limited) and won’t touch Bacon & Egg pie. Apparently I do make a very good one, however.

I’m assuming we’re talking chicken + egg here – not the Cadbury type?

journalling, day 4

Posted in Journal, me by
Bethells Tower at Sunset

Bethells Tower at Sunset

Prompt 4
Let’s be real – no dreaming (well, not much!) What would be your perfect day?

WRITTEN ON JULY 6TH

If I had written this on Saturday, I would have said that it was close to my ideal day. Clear weather, kids sport & giggles, time with friends, tea in bed, reading, stitching…

I think I was only really missing the walk at Bethells Beach.

But Sunday was tense and a lot of it was not fun. Not enough sleep for Bran, which makes him loud and grumpy, and flows down thru the family (concussion related). I am angry about a range of things, the house is untidy with laundry piles and I feel that half the household isn’t pulling their weight, which leaves me even angrier. Headphones on & let’s download some books for the reader…

I have a little prompt in my journal which reminds me to Focus On Good Things, a little like Piglet might tell Eeyore. Shame I feel like Rabbit instead. Have another carrot, bitch…

Image taken from http://www.sumantwalter.com/2012/05/bethells-beach-auckland-new-zealand.html of the Surf Livesaving station at Bethells.