Bea

So, hi! It's been a while. How are you? Boy, do I have some stories to tell you.

I'm glad to be back, can't wait to hear from you.

liz

Happy endings make the best photos

Break out the champagne, it's been 365 days since you were first subjected Bea. To celebrate, I'm working in my p.j.'s ALL DAY. 

***

In other news, Barbara over at JoBart has tagged me in what is likely one of the more enjoyable meme's I have encountered. Her favourite photo is such a beautiful one that you should really go over to see it.

Like most who have been tagged in this task, I've found it hard to find a favourite photo that I really like but came up with this one:

I love this photo because of how long it took us to get here. This is my wonderful brother, if you couldn't tell by the alarmingly similar genetic material, and it was taken the night before his wedding. 

Now, I'm not one to force others to show me theirs, so I'm going to buck the trend and NOT tag any of you to show your favourite photo. Those sirens you are hearing are the BLOGGING POLICE who are now coming to get me.

BUT, if you have a favourite photo and are planning to show it on your blog (or already have done so), all I ask you to do is to leave a comment with a link to your blog and your favourite photo.

I need some new reading material, so I'd love to read what you've been up to lately!

Life List - a good excuse to ignore resolutions

I'm crap at resolutions, how about you? After 2 weeks (plus!) of eating what ever looks good, drinking what ever is given, staying up and sleeping in late, anyone would feel like a little more clean living would do them some good. This is how I suspect New Years Resolutions were born. 

And then it's days (hours?, minutes?, weeks?) later that resolutions look hard. You're back at work, kids are at school, and life carries on in its' usual busy manner. Sticking to resolutions then? Pretty hard.

(As an aside: I once spent a Christmas season so full of merry Christmas drinks, that I resolved to stay sober for 6 weeks of the New Year. I made it 5 weeks and 6 days, which I was pretty proud of.)

I think this is why I love the Life List so much more. It's about long-term things, things you want to do but you'll do when you find the time, motivation and opportunity to do so. It's not about putting them off, but it is about not cramming them into the first few weeks of the new year.

New things on my list so far?

- Own a house in my own name

- Own a pair of diamond earrings (small!)

- Do a (tandem) skydive

Ok, so it's not many. But it's something I need to think about. That, and the fact that my life list looks barely touched. While I can cross the first one off my list, I have some work to do. The challenge for me is twofold:

1. Start crossing things off the list

2. Keeping building the list - because 23 seems like a short life list

What I love about the interwebs is the instant support you can get for Life List items. Friends who support you in new ventures, recent accomplishments, and life's little surprises. Let's do that here too, k?

What's come up on your Life List recently? I'd like to know, if only because I think I might like to try that too!

Happy 2010 everyone! Here's to a GREAT new year!

Life List - launch my own business

Remember how I talked about wanting my own business? And how it was meant to be launched by November 1st 2009? Well, believe it or not, I'm about as ready as I'll ever bet.

Ladies, I present to you:

                                  

(you can click on the logo to get to the new site!)

The Baby Room is an online store for fertility products such as pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, and ttc friendly lubricants. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. I figured since I have spent so much of my own money on fertility products, it was the least I could do to get good products at good prices and share the deal. And voila, The Baby Room was born! (get it? see what I did there? CLEVER)

I'm nervous and hopeful. The site is beta (if that's the term) in that it's a rougher version than I would like, but it will have to do the job until I can afford better upgrades.

So, if you're ttc, or know someone who is, and living in New Zealand won't you pass the word? I'd be ever so grateful!

A Kiwi Christmas Day

Is it ok that this is mainly photos? I'm hot, the deck is calling, and I think the photos say more than I can about our Christmas Day spent on the beach.

Yes, that's right. It's beach, beach, beach. Can I tell you how much I enjoyed reading my book on the beach, getting too hot, jumping in the sea for a quick snorkel and a cool off, and then returning to my towel to dry off in the sun? THIS MUCH. It's not family, but it's a good second-best.

Saying that, we finished the day with a bbq with our 'Kiwi family' and a good game of petanque made increasingly difficult by copious amounts of food, drink and laughter.     

 

 
 Hope your holidays are proving to be fun, relaxing and rejuvenating too. Here's to the last days of 2009 :)

mystery package from dad

The only problem with international Christmas presents is that the sender has to identify the contents of the package. My Dad identified this one as 'baking aid'.

Made with extra love on his own lathe, no doubt. 

home again, home again, jiggity jig

Things I love about being back in our home, and about it being summer:

1. The sound of the kids a few doors down as they jump into their pool
2. Seeing my neighbours in the local village, and feeling like I belong
3. The blue BLUE sky above the green GREEN trees that surround our small patch of land*
4. Our deck, and the way it captures the sun
5. The 10 minute walk to the beach
6. Our fantastic neighbours
7. Bird song, all day long
8. A glass of wine on the deck at the end of the day

 

* I said small. As in, I'm sitting on the deck just 3 feet from the door to our house and the trees are at our property boundary. small. but ours. 

 

when you're wrong admit it, when you're right SHUT-UP

This afternoon I was at the local library, trying to use my library card after being away for 6 months. Picked my books, thought of sitting on the deck with a cup of tea in the sun, considered picking up some flowers on the way home. 

The librarian took my books, scanned my card, told me I had overdue fines. In fact, not overdue fines. REPLACEMENT fines. Totaling $109.00. I, being right all the time, asked what books they were and then swore upside and down, inside and out, on my life and yours that I had returned the books before we moved. That I could not possibly have the books, that I am SO diligent about returning books that it was their system that was in error, not me. That's right Mrs. Librarian, THE SYSTEM IS BRINGING ME DOWN. 

Mrs. Librarian called the other branches, got everyone to check their shelves, confirmed that the books had not shown up elsewhere. I got all indignant and said that I wasn't paying for books I didn't have, BECAUSE I'M RIGHT GODDAMMIT. So indignant was I, that I turned and walked out of the library and left my pile of books for them to put away...and my library card.

15 minutes later I was back at the library desk asking for Mrs. Librarian. And I apologised.

Turns out, I did have the books. Whoops!

I don't think that my own ass-y-ness has been more obvious than this. I was so RUDE, so embarrassed about my behaviour. I apologised, looked her in the eye and said that my behaviour was rude and that I was embarrassed and wished that the rest of her afternoon went much better. 

No excuses. Sure, there's a lot going on in my mind lately. But being an ASS to some nice librarian isn't part of my remit. I hate that I did exactly what others have done to me. That would be me that you're scraping from the underneath the pond scum. 

mmmfff i fffed tapp...what, can't understand me? That'd be because I'm stuffing my mouth full of humble pie.

I'd like to thank my mother, my father, the wine industry......

I have to be honest, there are days when blogging is the LAST thing I want to do. When there's too much going on, and I'm struggling to make sense of it, the noise of all that information is deafening and makes writing impossible. 

When I've taken good hard look at what I'm writing, and put some serious effort into posts, and then see my readership drop, I can't help but wonder what I'm doing this for. Sure, it's cathartic. But I'm paying a therapist for that too. 

But then, there are friends that come through. Who say the right thing at the right time. Who are reading while I'm out trying to figure the puzzle of life out.

And then Liberal Granola Girl nominates me for an award. MY FIRST! How cool is she? WAY COOL. Becca, your timing is impeccable.

And with awards, come responsibilities:

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post, which explains The Award.
• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.
• Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Without further hesitation, here are my bloggy nominations:

Jummy at, well, Jummy

Veronica at Sleepless Nights

Alison over at The Workshed

Wanda over at Wanda Harland

and last, but certainly by no means least,

Barbara over at Bsouth

Happy scribbling ladies!!

Moving Day

Ugh. We're moving. Again.

It's these sort of activities that make me wish I was some sort of Genie and could blink my eyes, wiggle my nose and be done with it. 

Hurray for our new home!

Boo for all the boxes!