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Perfect day - from dawn to dawn. Lovely daughter, superb party. Well done me!

Girls can do.....

I soon will know more about roofing, flashings, spouting, hip joints, windows, more flashings, painting, water systems, septic tanks, etc, etc... Been down to Jedforest this past weekend and there is a bit or work required. The roof seems to have about six different sections, several of which have not been flashed well, or at all, and the spouting seems to have directional issues.

The baby birds (possibly starlings?) seem very comfortable in the verandah ceiling space with the parents staying busy providing worms every 20 -30 minutes the entire weekend

Yaaas, can't wait. Wish I was slightly more proficient in handy skills.

Sparring, huh!

Tonight I got: spat on, sweated on and bled on. I don't mind being kicked, punched, swept, etc - but really - some people need to learn to keep their bodily fluids to themselves. One wee tip would be to shut your damn mouth and a second would be, oh gosh, don't bleed in the dojo - it's not rocket science!

Also, I think my scales are buggered. In three days the scales went 69.7, 69.4 , 67.9 - yeah - I lied last post. 69.7 is sooo close to 70 and that's a round number. And while that is a downward trend, I would be happier if it had happened over three weeks than three days. It's all just bollocks since in three days I have done nothing to deserve those numbers. Sigh. The the jump up will dispirit me - I am such a lame duck at times. AND YES I DO KNOW IT"S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!

And, I love my car. I have just realised that after three months of thinking, "I'm driving a white, Toyota, automatic, blah." I am now thinking, " I like my wee car". I like walking up to it, I like driving it, I like parking it.

Twelve weeks

It is indeed twelve weeks until a family wedding up in Nelson and so what better reason than to embark on a wee fitness and heath spree? I have no karate related goals to chase at the moment. I’m in that lovely 1st kyu space where; I know my entire syllabus, there is no chance of a grading for ohhhhh probably two years, so, while the focus is ofcourse constant improvement and fitness there are no ‘set in concrete’ dates to work to.

So, Nelson, beaches and bikinis seem like good things to focus on. Actually, I think I may be visiting the Bay of Islands the week before the wedding – so even more beaches and bikinis!

Twelve week plan: ramp up cardio, curtail crap food, and be happy. I’ve managed to curb my addiction to mochas and go back to a long black with little trouble (and a dollar saving each time). I’ve almost stopped ‘having’ to eat with my coffee, reduced it to an occasional piece of nougat (umm yum – at Deisoline and Mojo’s – just devine!).

Gym, karate, intend to throw in a swim – just not sure where…maybe after Sunday kata class, or Tuesday general class. Skipping! I’ve made a bet with Jack that I will be able to skip for thirty minutes by Christmas day, yeah – wee bit of work required there too.

I’ll just throw out the number here – much as I dislike sharing this sensitive info – I feel it might (but probably not) encourage me to be vigilant. 69.4 ewwek…

Gym Mon, Tues, Fri morn. Karate Tues, Wed (x2), Thurs (x2), Sunday. Swim – somewhere, Skip, somewhere…Walk a little, eat well, snack well, yada, yada, yada.

Jedforest

Just a quickee...I visited my crib today - It's down at Pounawea at the top end of the Catlins. It's been in my family for 58 years, originating from three railway huts that were joined together. Then a rather ugly extension to the front and back in 1976 gave us an indoor bathroom and a bigger living area.

BUT, as of Monday it is all mine. Was my Grandad's, then my Mum's, then my Dad's and now it's mine...Lot's of work to do, it's been a little neglected over the past ten years.

But it's mine - I actually own a holiday house ;-)

Books on a sunny day

The book club I attend meets monthly on a Sunday afternoon at 3pm. Inevitably these are the most beautiful Sunday afternoons of the month, and I often feel a vague tinge of regret at ‘having’ to go and spend the last two hours of my weekend day talking about books when I could be at home reading one of my own.

It’s odd because once there I rather enjoy it. But since working fulltime I feel the need to hoard every spare second of free time and squeeze out all its goodness – or I don’t quite stay sane.

I usually waste my spring and summer Saturday mornings catching up on sleep (autumn and winter is for watching schoolboy rugby). I feel perpetually sleep deprived – too many early morning gym sessions during the week. By the time I drag myself up and read the newspaper the day is well on its way and it can be 2 or 3pm before I feel inclined to do anything useful – very happy to lounge and read however.

Sunday mornings are gym, kata class and Mass. Home for a latish lunch and then, again, it’s 2pm before I’m ready to go. Go for me being a rather inadequate term for what I actually do – more reading anyone? Housework doesn’t get a look in. I am a sloth and a sloth by nature – luckily my man is my exact opposite. He seems to thrive on maintaining the house in a livable state and attempting to create order out of absolute chaos.

That all said, this weekend I have actually done some real work – haven’t finished it, or have any idea what is going where, but… My dad’s house has finally been cleared out and I have now acquired more armchairs, sofas, wall units, towels and bedding, than a person knows what to do with. I live in hope that with kids going flatting next year they might need some of it. But I’ll probably store it for a year and then dump it…. meanwhile my lounge looks like a 70s junkyard.

Family times

Coffee and catch up with three of my guys. Gosh they are a laugh. Jack spent 5 minutes trying to get from one side of the table to another by sliding under it - he didn't fit - and had us in hysterics moments before this rather solemn shot.

I'm attempting to be arty here - not a previously known quality in my life skill set. I'm attempting to mix up buttons and old earrings, of mums, with dad's valves and things that I don't even know the names of - garage stuff - to create a memory thingee! I'm trying to find a circuit board to mount them all on. I will post when finished. Oh, the house sold in the first week! Meaning that I may now own a crib in Pounawea - to be confirmed.