By the way, I know I am new at this but geez...I really feel like I am talking to myself. Is this the way it is? Am I really boring? I can talk about what its like to have my best friend get it on with my ex...would that get you talking to me?? Honestly, that would be great, cos she ain't talking to me...hey, he's MY ex..she knew that, right? And I am soooo over it....

When I wake up in the morning, my "baby" will be years old.

She is so excited I have almost forgetten how sick I was 10 years ago, how scared I was that we would both die, that maybe her dad wouldn't get to us both in time. Thank gawd for modern times eh?

We all made it.

Am listening to Bob Dylan, his "Modern Times" album and its stirrin stuff. Maybe "gulping" stuff but I have cheap red wine and one shouldnt gulp that!!

I have returned from the 'naki. Went toHawera and had a peek at the meat processing plant here plus the HUGE Fonterra dairy plant. the scariest thing was climbing the Water Tower. Honestly, I really thought that I had got over my "thing" about heights. No. I do have pix of me clinging to the Towers' innards but they ain't for publication. get your thrills elsewhere. I am sure I don't look that terified anyway. No. I don't. Not at all.

Next week.....

Rain rain go away, there's enough on my lawn today!!

Yesterday I took my camera out for a stroll. I found the sculpture made from remnants of the Twin Towers, it is on display near the Fire Station house. I really liked the shapes of the nails.

Oh, and the sun has just come out. Hooray!!

Ah, now there's a sight for sore eyes! The Kirkcaldie and Stains buidling in Wellington, with the SALE sign out!!! Of all weeks to be in Welly, the week of Kirk's sale? Oh joy, what luck indeed. I prowled, I poked, I prodded, I elbowed my way to the bins (which in itself can be more bruising than an All Blacks scrum - something I have yet to have the ecstacy of trying).

This was Kirk's as I remembered it and I savoured every jolt, shove and foot-stamping! I left the place in a daze, liberally sprayed with Estee Lauder's "Pleasures" and sashayed to Leuven for a wine (and a whine) with my trusted friend Pixie. What a treat that place is. Greeted by an energetically friendly woman who anticipated our every thirst, I didn't want to catch my flight home. So, I dilly-dallied on the way, we ate frites with mayonnaise and had another Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc until finally, facing the facts, I got a taxi and went to the airport (yes a bit "perky" from the grape juice). Flew home. It was a lovely day.

Look what I found. Took this photo in November last year when we had a weekend away in Blenheim. It rained heaps and there was a lot of flooding. The top of a wooden fence post is on the left of the cross. I later found out more about that cross and who it stands for and I will tell you if you ask me, but what does this photo say to you?

Kakanui Beach, looking back towards Oamaru.

Oh but it is cold here. I think we have had the home fires burning for days on end. School holidays and I had a week off. Fun-tastic time with my 2 gals, we went to visit their Gran. It rained all the time and I got a cold.

Do you see those Wax Eyes? they are surely the chubbiest in the South Island if not Australasia courtesy of my mum and her pet roll and bread feeding. They love the sugar water she makes for them. This container was almost empty by the time we came back from our 1 hour trip to the beach!! The beach is only about 250 metres from Gran's house. It is wonderful to be so close, at night you can hear the waves grumbling up the beach and day break brings the gulls skitting about their breakfast. Big sigh.

I have been out and about! I went to Kaikoura, then drove inland to Hanmer, then over to Greymouth via the glittering Lewis Pass. I hung my head out of the car window and breathed in the coal-dust air of Reefton, overly nostalgic for when I lived Coast-side.

The road home was sunny and cold, peppered with gleaming icicles at Arthur's Pass and snow on the side of the road. I love this time of year too!

We got visited by an old ginger cat two days ago. He was very skinny, old and probably sick. He was so grateful for attention, we loved him and kept him warm at night but thismorning we woke up and he didn't. RIP GingerBoy.