Long week

It's been a long week this - very emotional and stressful.

The RWC is on and when there's a game in Wellington, I spend time collecting boys. One will finish about 30mins after the game does and hopefully get a train home but I still have to fetch him at the station so in total about an hour or so after the game finishes. The other finishes about three hours after the game and there are generally no trains then so I have to drive in there to fetch him usually between 1am and 2am in the morning - of course I go in my pjs!

Ross and I put our names down to play in a bowls competition yesterday but no one told us it was ALL day and maybe Sunday and we had to take lunch! Well, neither of us did too well and by the end of the day I was cold and very tired. I was very pleased when they said we didn't have to go back today! And then I went to bed at 7.30pm - it was bliss!

Daylight Saving has started and I hope that will make a difference as we have more daylight hours

My Mom bought me this cyclamen plant to thank me for everything I do for her.. It has lots of new flowers budding and when it dies I'll plant it outside the front door.

Two weeks to go until the school holidays and then I have lots to do. I want to get into every cupboard in this house and clear out everything I don't use. I also have to sell my dinning room suite (square eight seater oak with a sideboard) as I have to rearrange my house for my mom to move in. I am a bit sad about it as it was my pride and joy when I bought it over 22 years ago. And when I look at the cost of new dining rooms suites I'm astounded! I have a vision of what I want my house to look like when I'm finished but it's going to take hard work to get it there.

I also have to sell my Honda Odyssey which I also love but it's pointless having two cars and the Honda is the more expensive to run.

And then I will have to go through my house with A and sort through what each of us will keep. And that will be hard

Oh

and did I mention I love my new camera? All the photos in the last two posts are from my new camera. It was so easy to carry into the rugby as I didn't take a handbag and it's compact size meant it could hang around my neck very easily. And when I uploaded my photos, I did not have to rotate the portrait-style photos - it happened automatically!

I love my new camera!

Carlucci Land

In June I bought some vouchers to for mini golf at Carlucci Land - an 18 hole mini golf course created from recycled materials. There is lots of recycled art works in the grounds too. So creative!

Three kiwis on a branch

Looking back down - there were lots of people there today

The golf ball comes through a chute and round the tree in this wire meshing to land on the green

My boys waiting to play

Some art work with some pretty yellow flowers behind

A scorpion

A fountain

Close up of the fountain with the boys sitting half way up

Metal flowers

A crocodile

An elephant?

It was good to get out into the open air and enjoy some time as a family

South Africa vs Fiji

Last year when the RWC tickets went on sale, I was determined to buy tickets to get involved in the atmosphere. AT 9am the day the sales opened, I was online to buy the cheapest tickets I could! $66 for adult tickets and $34 for children - I bought two adult and one child's ticket. My students asked me what game I'd bought tickets for and I had to go back to check - it just happened to be SA vs Fiji. Come earlier this year and my tickets were delivered to me. Later on, I realised that I was the only one going to the rugby. Then they phoned me from the RWC office to tell me that my D-category tickets were impaired viewing seats and I was being upgraded to category A tickets at no extra cost! Now who to take? I took my colleague from work and one of the students that I each - she was so excited! Anyway, we had a great evening and here is my colleague and I waiting to go in

The Springboks and the Fijians walk onto the field

At some point during the game

More rugby

A conversion

One idiot was evicted as he was picking a fight with anyone and everyone; and one poor old man lost his footing and cut his head open very badly but apart from that there were no other incidents.

We had a fantastic time! After the game, we met Colin and went down town to find somewhere to have a drink before catching the train home. On the train coming home, Colin realised that he had lost his cell phone and he thought it was on the platform. We got into my car and drove to town and there was the phone on the tracks! It had bounced onto the concrete platform and then into the tracks and was still working! The staff at the station were great and as soon as the train left they got his phone for him

It was a fantastic night and I was not bored at all!

Weather

We had the most amazing weather at lunch time today. It started raining but the rain soon turned into hail which covered the ground making it look like snow again. The school kids were making "ice balls" and throwing them at each other! This is a corner of my garden around 4pm

A closer view

The temperature dropped from 12°C to 4°C in 30 minutes! Wellington also had 200 lightening strikes and the accompanying thunder in that time. The photos above were taken after 4pm so still a fair bit of hail around

RWC

So today is the opening! While I really don't care for the rugby, I think that having the RWC here is a big deal! Today we had mufti day (civvies day) at school and Colin went in his SA shirt and flag. At morning tea he asked me if he could go into town to Te Papa with his friends to meet the SA rugby team. I let him go! He came back buzzing! he got signatures all over his flag and was thrilled.I am supporting the RWC so my shirt has all 20 flags on it! I also made a pink crown that has "The World in Union" printed on it
A photo of Colin with the SA team in the background.

It is 6.20pm here now and I have my glass of Savignon Blanc and I'm waiting for the opening ceremony and our fish and chips for dinner to arrive. I am set for a good evening! Enjoy if you are watching in your part of the world!

What a difference a day makes!

Well, it was a real pity party yesterday and I lost the plot in the middle of the day. I couldn't look at my class I was crying so much. One of my colleagues came and took me out of my classroom and gave me a few minutes breathing space.

I also came home to this beautiful card that Danice had sent me. She is so talented and has a beautiful handwriting too!

I have a cold so decided that I'd stay at home to try to recover both emotionally and from my cold. Yesterday I phoned the hairdresser to get an appointment so my day started well with a hair cut. Then I went into the shops to find Colin an SA flag and to find some bunting for myself. The flag was easy but not the bunting! I finally tracked some down and hopefully I'll get it next week.

I came home and hung my sheets outside in the sunshine and started defrosting my deep freeze. And while that was happening I filed a huge pile of l/os - some of them from 2009! Look at that pile

By then it was time to fetch the cat from the vet and the boys were home.

I definitely feel better today and ready to face next week!

Broken heart

As I walk this land of broken dreams,
I have visions of many things.
Love's happiness is just an illusion,
Filled with sadness and confusion.
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe.
The fruits of love grow all around
But for me they come a tumblin' down.
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger,
I can't stand this pain much longer!
I walk in shadows,
Searching for light.
Cold and alone,
No comfort in sight.
Hoping and praying for someone to care,
Always moving and goin' nowhere.
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find,
Some kind of peace of mind.
Help me..
I'm searching though I don't succeed,
For someone's love, there's a growing need.
Oh, he is lost, there's no place for beginning,
All that's left is an unhappy ending.
Now what becomes of the broken-hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find,
Some kind of peace of mind,
I'll be searching everywhere,
Just to find someone to care.
I'll be looking everyday,
I know I'm gonna find a way.
Nothings gonna stop me now,
I'll find a way somehow.
I'll be searching everywhere...

Fourteen Years

That's how long we've lived in New Zealand. Sorry the photo is so small. Look how little the boys were - they're now great big hulking teenagers who eat everything in sight!

It's also 14 years since Diana died

My new camera

I have been eyeing this one for months - an Olympus XZ-1! And what makes it so special? Well, look at that lens! The i.Zuiko lens is F1.8 at the 28mm equivalent end and it's still a very impressive F2.5 at the 112mm setting. (That last sentence is from dpreview). For me, the beauty is it has no lag! It is 10mp with a 4x optical zoom

This is a photo I took of the proteas on my desk just before 6pm with no flash.

It's a very beautiful camera and I can see myself using it a lot. My other Olympus is also a great camera but they will both have different functions in my life

My Creme Brulee

So what do I do with mine?

Instead of vanilla beans I found this vanilla paste - works even better than beans!

Then I have so far served them a bit warm but I had two left over the other night so put them in the fridge. Oh my word - they are wonderful cold! And if you don't have a blow torch, caramelise the sugar under the grill in an ice bain marie so the custards don't get hot

And then what to do with the left over egg whites? Make meringues of course! My recipe uses three egg whites and one-and-three-quarter cups of castor sugar. But I had four egg whites. Just as well I can do Maths: divide by 3 multiply by 4 and there I had it - 2 and 1/3 cups of sugar - easy!

And then serve with strawberries, melted chocolate and cream! Yum

And I still have more egg whites left so tomorrow night we will have Baked Alaska

Creme Brulee - a new favourite

We love Creme Brulee but only ever have it when we are out as I always thought it was so hard to make. No more. I found this Alison Holst recipe and while it looks complicated, it's really easy. It is nicer when it has been chilled in the fridge

For 4-6 servings:
2 cups cream (or 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk)
2 vanilla pods (optional)
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/8 tsp (pinch) salt
4-8 tsp caster sugar

Pour the cream (or milk and cream) into a small pot or microwave bowl. Add the vanilla pods (if using) and heat gently until it just boils.

Place the egg yolks, first measure of sugar, vanilla essence and salt in another bowl and whisk together.

Remove the vanilla pods (if used) then pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl and whisk again. (If you did use the vanilla pods, you can split them lengthways, gently scrape out the tiny black seeds and add these to the mixture, too.) Pour the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps, then carefully pour into the four to six ramekins, leaving a few millimetres at the top of each.

Arrange the ramekins in a sponge roll tin or roasting pan and carefully pour in enough hot water to fill to about halfway up the outsides of the ramekins.

Place the tin or pan in a preheated oven and bake at 150degC for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard has just set (it will still appear a little jiggly, but not runny), then remove them from the oven.

Brulees are versatile and can be served while still quite warm in cool weather, or in warmer weather (or if you are working in advance) cool to room temperature or even refrigerate until required. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each ramekin evenly with 1 to 2 teaspoons of caster sugar (the smaller quantity for small ramekins or more for larger ones).

Arrange the ramekins on a tray and place under a very hot grill (3cm to 5cm from the heat) for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar melts and browns. (Alternatively, you can do this with a blowtorch if you have one.) Remove from the heat and let the caramelised sugar cool and harden to form a crisp layer, then serve immediately.

Variations: If you like coffee, try adding 1/4 cup whole roasted coffee beans instead of (or as well as) the vanilla pods. The beans will be removed when the mixture is sieved, but you can add two or three of the collected beans to each ramekin before baking. The just-baked custard has a mild coffee flavour, but this intensifies on standing.

Happy Birthday!

To Ross - 17 years old today. Here he is a few days after he was worn

and my gorgeous teenager

He's been a typical teenager and has been up and down; but we're coming out the other end and developing into a really nice person

22nd August 1992

Thought this was poignant for today but it's not to be. I suppose at least I got nineteen years and two wonderful sons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KLPAMo5QTc

And yes the story is complicated. For now I am single parenting

She

She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye. Celebrate her strength.

Kobi Yamada

I think this is my quote for this year - do you agree? What shall I do to celebrate?

Edit: I am going to WOW on Wednesday night and I have negotiated to buy my camera!

Snow!!

Well, I have no idea when last it snowed in Wellington but if I find out I will update. Update: it last snowed in Wellington 40 years ago! It started at about 4.15pm and it was very very light. We took a few photos and thought it was all over but then it came down quite hard

Colin with a light sprinkling of snow on him

Me with a few flakes in my hair and on my arms

A light dusting on the protea tree

Then it snowed harder. This is with the outside light on and the snow in the light

The Mitsy covered in snow - and this was after the boys had already swept a lot off it

Me outside in the light before it came down really hard and I decided I needed a warm jacket on

Looking over the back garden across the suburb

The branch of the tree that fell down

Braedon (a friend of the boy's) making a snow angel

All three boys having a snow fight

Colin in shorts!

Looking up to the main road

My footprints next to the path to the front door

And the power went out about 20 minutes after it started snowing! I had put a meal into the slow cooker much earlier today so we had a hot meal. The power did come back on just before 6pm

The kids loved it and went to the primary school with some of their friends to play in it. They came home around 6.30pm and headed straight for a warm shower then had dinner.

It was fun but I'm glad it won't last for too long

Scrapping

I have even done some scrapping these holidays! This one is the story of the revolting cocktail we had and uses one of the l/os from Nic Howard's Senz class. This one has the umbrellas, the next one doesn't. Question - with or wothout umbrellas?
Photos of the three of us - Adrian lying on a lounger; Colin with the revolting fishbowl and me with the beautiful lei around my neck. I love this one!

Another one from Nic H's class

And the buses!

I'm very pleased with what I've done and would hope to get some more done but groceries, laundry and marking will get in the way!