She's Back!

My mother-in-law, Monika, has now been on the psych ward since Monday night. Yesterday, her third morning, she woke up and was suddenly herself again! She said to someone, "I know that I'm in the hospital, but how did I get here?" What an amazing thing it is to lose most of four days!
We went to see her after work and marvelled at the colour that has returned to her face and the fact that she's here with us again. She, in turn, marvelled at all the events that transpired without her. It was a very happy and emotional reunion.
What does the future hold? We're not sure, but it looks like she'll stay in the hospital at least through early next week. The doctor wants to stabilize her electrolytes and make sure the medication is right this time. There is also some concern about the shaking in her hands and sometimes even her mouth as she speaks.
We are so grateful for all the support and prayers. In particular, I would like to thank you, Southern Ange, for rallying your family as we've gone through this trying time. And it seems that I have a number of yet unseen southern friends who have also been praying for Monika. What a wonder it is, this world that has shrunk with the internet, and this large family of faith that reaches out in love and care across the hemispheres. Thank you all!

For real this time...?

I think Autumn has finally decided to grace Down Under with its presence, for real this time! The sun no longer rises at 5am, and the birds now conduct their morning ablutions outside our window, at a more respectable hour. And although today has been fine and clear, the early morning temperatures are definitely on the cool. At 9am this morning, it was a chilly 18 degs C ! Brrrrr. You in the Great White North may snigger! I guess it’s all relative…when the country has had months and months of temperatures in the high 20’s, anything below 20 degs feels like Goose Bump weather! I feel I may not be in shorts and T-shirt for many more weeks...and those beautiful autumnal colours are slowly starting to appear in our flora.

Yesterday, I decided that it was time to blow the cobwebs off our gas fireplace and give it, the first trial run for the year. I flipped all the right knobs, pumped the gas, and pressed all the right buttons…..the pilot light came on (a good sign!), but nothing was firing! I had a sinking feeling as I remembered the number of times we had had to bring the fireplace repairman out to look at this fireplace last year. Feeling dedicated to the cause and somewhat fired up (if you’ll excuse the pun), I phoned the fireplace company ready to show them my ‘firm hand’ if need be. After a relatively brief conversation with the receptionist (who suggested that I turn the switch to “on”!), we now have heat!

Missed Photos

It's been a long time since I last posted. Spring Break ended. School started again. And the sun, with its usual timing, began to shine. Japanese plum trees are starting to show their pink blossoms all over the city. And I missed taking some photos.
Here is the photo I didn't take on Monday at 9am when I was at the doctor's office with my sweet mother-in-law, waiting to be seen. See her face, drawn from lack of sleep and set in sadness from depression. Notice her clothes; despite how she felt, she made sure to put on a skirt and her favorite wool coat.
Here's the photo I didn't take in the hospital emergency room after the family doctor recommended we go there next. Look at all the other people waiting patiently, despite all their injuries and illnesses. See how my mother-in-law (Monika) has her head on my shoulder and is clutching my hand as she quietly talks. If photos had sound, you would hear what she is saying and would wonder, as I did, what it all meant.
Here's the photo I didn't take at 1:15 as we then waited in the Minor Injuries Treatment Unit. There, in the background, are some of the same patients we saw before in the ER. The woman in the foreground is the nurse asking Monika why she has come to the hospital, and you can see Monika staring at her with her mouth firmly closed. This doesn't please the nurse - notice her expression as she tells her that she must speak if she wants treatment.
The last photo that I didn't take is in the common room on the psych ward at 5:40 as we waited an hour and a half for a bed to be ready. See the blue pyjamas that Monika is wearing and the intense expression on her face as she stares into my eyes and tells me that it is utterly urgent. You can see some other patients sitting at the table looking sad and desolate.
48 hours later, I am getting ready to go to the hospital and visit Monika. I know that she is not doing any better and am prepared to see the sadness and hear the desperation in her voice. Despite everything, I feel like I shared something special and intimate with her when we waited together for so many hours.

Conquering the Mount

This morning's group of intrepid walkers

Bovine views

100% fresh organic NZ cow pattie

(no colourings, no additives, no preservatives)

Downhill all the way to the cafe for morningsies!

From our home to yours

A magnificent sunset tonight.

At day's end....you continue to be in our thoughts & prayers.

The road travelled

Thinking of you all...

No greater proof!

For the person

who asked for photographic proof on our blog,

that I am utilising my study time wisely...

Role reversal

I know I wouldn't have survived back in the 'olden days'...In this family, it is K who knits (the closest thing I get to knitting needles, are chopsticks!), K who sews (buttons, hems, rips, waistcoats, basically anything he puts his mind to), K who cooks, cleans, irons, and puts bandaids on the kids. And I'm glad my boys are following suit - today, E & L both enjoyed the thrill of using a sewing machine (courtesy of the Grandies, since we definitely have never owned one). I was happy to see them being so domesticated and upskilling for their future spouses....and I think I like being a kept woman!

The eyes have it

Don't you love eyes?

I'm such a sucker for eyes, especially smiley eyes. And I love kids' eyes. They are so expressive, innocent, open, and unguarded. If only we could keep the windows to our souls, clear and transparent all our lives.

The Boys are Back in Town!

Remember that Thin Lizzy song from the seventies?? Well, the boys are both truly back in town.
Little Bear rolled in from Costa Rica late last night, and after sleeping in 'till almost noon today, was ready to eat. I watched him open the fridge and rub his hands with glee. He carefully selected all his favorite ingredients, found most of a baguette, and proceeded to make The Sandwich. I was asked to photograph the masterpiece before he tucked in ("Not me, Mum, the sandwich!") and ate the whole thing. He didn't even offer me a piece!
Its' a good thing I went grocery shopping this morning, now that we have two boys in the house again!
** As a follow up to my moaning and groaning about the weather yesterday, it snowed all morning today!

Vicarious liability!

Mt Maunganui @ the weekend

I love the colours and 'texture' of the ocean

Rush Hour at the Beach!

Ange of the NORTH…..your sunny days are coming! I am sure even the Land of the Great White cannot languish in winter forever…then the onus will be on you to post lots of summery photos so that I can vicariously enjoy your world, as I mosey through our share of grey, wet, and cold! Meanwhile, I’m making hay whilst the sun shines….. translated = posting summer photos whilst I legitimately still can!

I loved the beautiful colour and shape of the grape hyacinths and the cool perspective of the hail photos this morning. Isn’t the contrast and variation from opposite ends of the world, such a wonderful thing? Anyway, I felt like I needed to send you some 'warm' photos to uphold my vicarious responsibility (and to encourage you of "things to come"…..soooon)!

So This is Spring...

I spotted these grape hyacinths in the school garden this morning when I came in to do some work.

Hail on the deck. There was much more still to come!

The first week of Spring. Sounds nice, and there really have been some pleasant moments. However, let me complain for a moment. I want some sun! Warm sun! I'm getting a little tired of hearing about all the great weather Down Under, while here in the Great White North it still feels suspiciously like winter. Some parts of the country are still snowed under, complete with collapsing roofs!

Grrr. This morning I could see slight traces of blue through the grey clouds, but it was short-lived. For most of the morning, the hail pelted down like pouring rain. I had to shut the bedroom window (in its freshly painted frame!) because of the cold! Yet, in the gardens, there are those little moments of happiness (like the grape hyacinths), and some bushes are sporting fresh, tender, green leaves.

I guess that at this point, I'll have to experience the sun vicariously through Southern Ange. And Little Bear will arrive home from Costa Rica tonight, full of tales of heat and humidity, I'm sure. Maybe I'll cozy up to him and feel the warmth!

Those chipped window frames

Ange of the North...after hearing about your expertise with fixing window frames, I wonder if you could just zip over to NZ to help us with our window frames? One night last week, we happened to notice that someone had tried to jemmy open our bedroom windows, possibly with a screwdriver. I was at the other end of the house at about 9pm the night before, when I heard a series of sharp sounding noises. I got up to check my boys to see if they were having some wild, rabbit-chasing dreams in their sleep...but no, they were sleeping peacefully. So I wandered down to our bedroom and turned the light on. This probably gave the person/people on the other side of the window a bit of a fright, I imagine. After I had returned to the lounge, I heard only one other noise (presumably someone disappearing in a hurry!)....the crime investigator who dusted our windows for fingerprints was great to talk with. He looked at the holes and could tell us exactly how many attempts had been made with each gouge mark! Unfortunately, the only fingerprints were the ones we had left ourselves. Still, he did say, that usually fingerprints were left, only once a burglar had managed to lever open the window - needing their hands to climb in! I'm OK with an unlevered window and no fingerprints...

Once you finish all your painting of your window frames, I reckon you should relax.....a nice soak in the tub with a glass of merlot, some Swiss chocolate, a candle or two, and a good book. In fact, why wait till then? The window frames will keep!

Endless summer

Yesterday, the media was full of articles about the endless summer NZ has been having...After a great Spring, it seems as though we have had non-stop spectacular weather since about October 2007! And the experts tell us that even though the sun is rising later, summer hasn't officially ended...No, it would appear that El Nino is going to give us at least one more large patch of warm, sunny, 'summery' weather before we might be allowed to claim that Autumn is on its way. Hurray - over 4 months of summer and perhaps more to come! The meteorologists also tell us, that the onset of winter is likely to be a very quick one this year, given the prolonged summer. I think the farmers are ready!

I love these photos (taken by E!) - particularly the photo of the one luscious, ripe tomato hanging off the vine and bathed in the setting sun - it speaks to me of the lingering summer, the last days of a memorable season.

Creating

Today was a typical March day: cold, grey, and rainy. Yuck. No gorgeous outdoor photos for me, unlike my Friend in the South! This was a day to create. I began by painting the chipped and sad-looking window frame in our bedroom. I like to start a project that can be finished quickly. However, after the first coat, I realized that this will be a long and drawn-out job. Oil paint cannot be recoated after a couple of hours, and I'll have to resand it, too. That will have to be tomorrow. Oh well. We'll be sharing our room with drop cloths and paint paraphernalia for a few days.

On to happier things! I did complete my January photo-a-day book today. Yay! Now I have seven, with almost two more to make (as of March 31). My year of taking a picture every day began on July 1, and it's now 3/4 through. What will I do? I can't imagine not continuing, but we'll see. I'm sure that I can think of other wonderful projects to occupy my time!

Tomorrow I'm having a couple of friends over and I'll teach them how to make my little books. I love Spring Break!

The Daily Grind!

I thought I should dedicate this blog to The Gals....who look after my daily needs! More particularly, these "Gals" keep me accountable to daily (weekly?) morning exercise up and down 'the mountain'; ensure that I am well fed and well watered (decafe cappucino (double chocolate on top), with chewy fruit slice!); bring me up to date with 'happenings'; and keep me on the straight-and-narrow with much encouragement, support, and substantial irreverent disregard for my various pontifications. Everybody needs friends like these!

And though the speed or number of times we encircle the mountain may vary, or the make up of the group may change, there is one thing that remains certain - these Gals are really good at making sure I have my priorities right! Coffee first......all else follows!!!

Dawn's cloak of colours

Although I can't profess to be up and about sufficiently often at dawn to be classed as a 'morning person', I do love those occasions when I am forced to be awake as the sun itself is struggling to unwrap it's night time blanket. This morning was no exception. With the onset of autumn, our mornings are just beginning to get lighter at a later hour. At 7am, the coolness of the dark meant that my boys were (uncharacteristically) still asleep! In fact, L proved so difficult to rouse that we only just stopped short of putting ice cubes down his pyjamas! Once awake however, lil L commented wistfully that one day he'd like to get up early enough to see the sun rise.....! Yeah right!!! By 8.15am'ish, my boys and I and our guest had walked 3.5kms into the heart of the city and were enjoying the morning bustle of the harbour. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the early morning hum of the city as it cranks into gear, ready for another new day. Maybe I should try another early morning start tomorrow......then again, my bed IS rather comfy!!!!!

Clean Windows!

After three days spent mostly in bed or lounging somewhere, I am officially up and about! Even though my throat is still quite sore, it is Time.

Today, I had lofty ambitions that involved cleaning all manner of things that never seem to get cleaned during the school year. Windows were at the top of the list. Do you ever get condensation running down the kitchen windows when you forget that something is on the stove and it boils unchecked for an inordinate amount of time? After a winter of that and other yukky stuff, I decided that today was the day. I managed to find a squeegee and went to work. How satisfying it was! I even took down the curtains from the patio doors and washed out all the grime from male fingers !

I had to admire the view of the Big Bear studiously working on his current paper with a clean window in front of him (hopefully we'll regain our kitchen/dining room table when he finishes it next week...)!

After the kitchen and dining room windows, it was time for the living room. Isn't it exciting! After removing all the wasp and fly carcasses from the window ledge (how on earth did we get so many??) and dusting the blinds, I washed the large window. And as I finished the last section, I stepped back, right into the tub of dirty water, and dumped it all over the carpet!

I think I'm finished my Spring cleaning now. Where did I put my book?

EASTER

"We must accept finite disappointment,

but never lose infinite hope!"

- Martin Luther King Jnr

I love Easter!

Good Friday

For me