Violet chastised me!

I haven't posted for sooooo long! Again! You know, I think about it every day; something happens and I think "Ooh, I must blog about that", but it never happens. I'm such a procrastinator.

FIRSTLY - thanks to T. and C4, I have been getting some giggles out of Little Britain. Definitely not something Americans would "get", I'm sure, but it's hilarious... kind of like a modern-day The Goodies, if my childhood memories serve me correctly. I clicked on the character guide and was disappointed to not find "Carol `Computer Says No' Beer... that's her answer to everything - "computer says no" in a wonderful monotone. GOD how I want to use that line on the front desk!!!!! But Anne is there - she's my second favourite. So New Zealanders - it's on C4, Tuesday, 9.30pm. Puhleeeeese watch it!

My dear, dear friend/ex-workmate/ex-neighbour came done at the weekend - it's always so wonderful to see her and her whanau. Bizarrely though, when we're together, it feels like she never left and things are always as comfortable as they always were; she's that kind of person. I adore her.

I made T. and the `mos watch the ORIGINAL "When a Stranger Calls" on Saturday. I've always loved this movie, even with the crap filler-stuff in the middle; the beginning and the end are legendary. I'm sort of curious to see the 2006 remake, but I'm not sure.

I think that'll do to ease me back into the blogging - if I keep going, I'll run out of stuff for the rest of the week!!

Keep cool til after school.

The weekend's antics

The biggest news is that the Oldest is now in a womanly way... and she's only ten!! We had a Woman's Day on Monday and went clothes/shoe shopping, had morning tea at a posh cafe and I bought her her first pounamu... I was going to wait until she was thirteen, but this seems appropriate. She's dying to wear it, but she has to wait til the local kaumatua bless it for her.

I got a dreadful shock later on on Monday afternoon - I was sitting outside enjoying the sun with the GF and the neighbour and a couple of children running around. Except the Smallest. She was apparently riffling through my bedside drawers, as she came out outside saying "Mu-uum, what's this?" She was merrily waggling my vibrator around. I was out of my lounger faster than God, mumbling something about it being a funny sort of torch.

She said she'd been looking for batteries.

Blonde comment of the week

The Smallest: "Mum, Mum - I can't see!"

Upon turning around in the car, I saw she had a bucket on her head.

I made that.

I've been away... sorry.

To try and put it delicately, my lunar cycle had a dampening effect on my mood toward the end of the month, so I spent a few days in the MH ward. I wrote while I was in there; some excerpts written here are from my observing the other patients, so I have to edit it heavily (which is why it will appear broken, or in little parts). Otherwise it's just my semi-reflective ponderings.

"- The person who intrigues me most is the scariest-looking one here. He looks like a black Bin Laden with his beard. He sits all scrunched up in his heavy coat and his beanie. He stoically nurses his cigarette, whilst coughing his guts out the whole time. I watch his mouth moving and I imagine him chanting little mantras to himself. He looks terrifying, but he has this unnerving vulnerability about him that - incredibly - makes one want to hold him.

- I painted today. I am overjoyed at what I created, because I didn't think I had it in me anymore. D. instantly recognised the black hole in the middle as my own.

- You can find beauty everywhere you look here. Not in things.. in people. Beauty of the human spirit. I watch young S. offer G. his arm to lean on whilst she walked her arthritic hips down the hall. I saw unshed tears in G.'s eyes when I gave her my Women's Bible to keep. What held no importance to me anymore, became a gift that touched her deeply.

- How bizarre that I am going to miss these people. It only took them five days to show me you can find the grace of humanity in the strangest places. Without even trying."

Tena koutou

I "graduated" from my Stage 1 Te Reo course on Friday. It was really informal and lovely; they gave us a yummy morning tea, a certificate and an opportunity to stand up and say our mihi, which I did. Your mihi is an introduction of yourself to others with some information about your family, etc.

Tena koutou katoa, ko Wicked taku ingoa. Ko Te Ati Awa te iwi, ko Whanganui-a-Tara te rohe. Ko Rimutaka te maunga, ko Awakairangi te awa. Ko Shirley raua ko Paul aku matua, kua mate raua. Ko Oldest raua ko Smallest aku tamahine. Ko T. taku hoa rangatira. No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. (Pardon the lack of macrons!)

So I'm really hoping our powers-that-be will let us do the second stage course... they funded the first, for which I'm astoundingly grateful.

Our bellydancing girls did a little show for a local retirement village on Sunday night; they seemed to really enjoy it.

Oh - and Tina & I came out of the closet to our workmates AND my kids on Friday.

MAN, I hate that!

Thanks to Martha and her bloody annoying (cos I don't get any work done), but totally irrestistible links, I am now officially Grumpy At Work. I clicked on her "face recognition" link, because I wanted to know which famous person looks like me (not the other way around, of course).

I uploaded a photo, and clicked "Recognise Me" and was faced with registering details and stuff before I could see who the famous person was. Man, I hate that!

THEN, after registering, I clicked "Recognise Me" again, I was presented with a blank screen where the famous person's face should be - we don't have Flash Player at work. Man, I hate that!

Now I have to wait til I get home and Maaaaaan, I Hate That.

You don't REALLY have annoying links, Wanda. It's just that now the anticipation is killing me. :)

Why I had children

Every now and then, they come up with real doozies, like the time her father and I asked the Oldest how high she could count - she looked very thoughtful, then raised her hand to shoulder-level and said "about that high."

I was picking the Youngest up from daycare yesterday and we were sitting on the floor putting her shoes on. She was moaning and leaning to one side, "Owww, Mum, my bum hurts, owwww... maybe there's something up there." Ever helpful, I replied "Maybe it's poos, babe." She pondered this for a second then agreed, "Yes, I think I AM a little bit complicated."

Why why, K.Y.?

I am a bad blogger. Bad bad bad. But here I am, back again.

I have been watching way too much television of late, but every now and then, the wee box throws out a doozy. I was watching a wonderfully romantic ad on Sky for a selection of grab-your-tissue movies they will be playing for your enjoyment on Valentine's Day. It was a beautiful ad - it made me sigh wistfully... until I saw that the movies were "romantically brought to you by K.Y." KILLED IT!

I'm a bit perturbed by T's propensity for violent Playstation games. I didn't think she was a particularly bloodthirsty girl (and she doesn't get the chance to indulge when the kiddies are home) and she knows I object on principle to shoot-em-up games, but she was quite vehement in her justification - "But they're Nazis, babe!" What could I say?