November 2009 Archives

Ooh, the joys of a weekend of having absolutely no plans whatsoever, especially after a month of social, 40th birthday type celebrations and a 14th wedding anniversary which were all lovely but, ya know, sometimes a gal needs her bed.

This weekend went a little bit like this, which, come to think of it, seems fairly busy:

I....

• spent six hours gardening, including weed-eating galore and mucking out the garden by the back-door (which had a suspicious, man-sized flat patch at one end due, apparently, to a certain spaced-out hippy missing the french door to the right of it during my birthday party).
  
• attended a barbecue over at the Beige Shed as Bruvinlaw's parents were up for the day/night to see Niece T's ballet recital - salad out of Lil'Sis' garden, new potatoes, lamb loin chops, sausages in bread, rump steak, rounded off by brandy snaps, profiteroles with lemon curd and whipped cream! Delish.
• slept in till 9.30 this morning due to the six hours in the garden the day before and a few glasses of Scrumpy last night, missing most of the All-Blacks/France game but managing to rouse myself for the Other Harf's fry-up.
• played for hours on my PC with our all new broadband internet connection. Yes, Vodafone admitted they never should have sold us the previous modem, which would never have delivered broadband, and we got a nice big chunky refund from them and a voucher to upgrade to the new modem stick. YouTube and iTunes did very well out of me today!
• spent at least an hour in the garden taking photos of all the new flowers turning out for the spring weather, then photos of Miss 9.2 for her "Do a Good Deed" school project (making toys for the kittens at the Whangarei SPCA, bless).
• And now? Anticipating home-made pizza for dinner, Mucking In on telly at 7pm and an early night.
  

I don't bleat on about work, 'cos lord only knows that can come back and bit you in the butt big time, but today I feel compelled to compile this wee list.

1. What's with all that coughing and not covering your mouth? Did your mother never teach you that it spreads germs? I hate to see the state of your keyboard under a microscope.
2. Capital letters in an email is shouting. HA!
3. Hey you! Wipe the bench! Acres of spilt sugar granules don't miraculously disappear.
4. When the sign on the microwave asks you to Please Cover Your Food, that's what the sign actually means. Duh.
5. Half an hour telephone conversations with your mother in an open plan office? Lovely for you but, not so much for everybody else.
6. Just 'cos you smoke doesn't mean ten more extra breaks than non-smokers.
7. Yes! Talk really, really loud on the phone! We really enjoy listening to you too! Almost as much as that inane chit-chit to your neighbour about your son's bowel movements.
8. Bolting at the door at pre-cise-ly at 4.47pm on the dot, everyday, does not endear you to your workmates.
9. Yes, interesting how you're all aggro in your emails, but smile at me and chat away in the lunchroom like butter wouldn't melt.
10. Enough of the Really! Colourful! Loud! HUGE Fonts! and Graphics! in your group Social Club emails. You're giving me a headache.

So, yeah, that was the party bit of me turning 40.

You know, I'm a bit melancholy about it being over and done with, because you don't have your own special party every year and I had such a great time I wish I could reply it like a favourite DVD. Replay it over and over again.

The effort that all my family and friends put into their costumes, the music (the dancing! Especially to Canned Heat's "Goin' Up the Country" - a song that can only be appreciated fully while dancing to it in a muslin katfan with a crocheted vest) - just having straight out, good FUN with people I really care about.

But what I do still have to look forward to is a weekend away to celebrate my real, proper birthday (on Sunday) this coming weekend with the Other Harf. Location unknown, all very hush-hush and on the QT, but I am so looking forward to it - just as much as I did my party.

Almost fully recovered from last night..it was a complete blast! Everyone made a great effort with their costumes and we danced and drank and laughed and said "Peace, man" a lot.

Photos tomorrow, when I can find where I put my camera...

I've been scanning in posters from a couple of books I got out of the library - "Woodstock - Peace, Music and Memories" and "I Want to Take You Highgter - The Psychedelic Era 1965-1969" to put up in the garage for tonight's party.

This one's my favourite.

Groovy!

Here's the booty from today's lunchbreak "Mission Accessorise" - bangles, necklaces, incense (patchouli flavour, naturally), embroidered shoulder bags (one each for me and Miss 9.2), scarfs, ankle chains (complete with tiny bells), toerings and a gorgeous little skirt for Miss 9.2 which, fashion being as it is, she can wear after the event.

Sorted!

One outfit, sorted.

I’m channelling Jen-ny, in that scene where she gets on the bus to go to Washington DC and leaves Forrest behind…

 

It was a blur of a weekend, over in the blink of an eye and so wonderful to spend time with my lovely friend J and her husband S, fresh off the plane from Peterborough, England.

We talked on the verandah over cups of tea and glasses of wine, we took them along to the neighbourhood bonfire/Guy Fawkes gathering on Saturday night (and even helped out pushing Dad's ute when it got stuck in the mud, again) and yesterday it was a full Other Harf fry-up followed by a stroll along Langs Beach, lunch at Waipu's world famous in Waipu Pizza Barn, a visit to the Waipu Musuem, all rounded off with more wine and a barbie on the verandah.

Miss 'em already. Boohoo!

These baby blackbirds have a comfy nest (complete with a blue piece of paper out of a party popper, I note) nestled in a hydrangea bush down by the pumphouse.

There are strict instructions not tell certain 9 years olds, for fear of overenthusiastic stickybeaking!

After hearing that both Matthew McConaughey and Sean "Puff Daddy" Coombs are turning 40 today, I thought to myself, you know, there's quite a few famous/semi-famous people born in the same year as me. Figures really.

So I Googled it, and here (some of them)  are...

Jennifer Aniston, Wes Andersen, Naveen Andrews, Simon Baker, Marc Anthony, Javier Bardem, Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, David Boreanaz, Gerard Butler (noice!), Mariah Carey, Julie Delpy, Dave Grohl, Josh Hamilton (noice!), Ben Harper, Richard Hammond, P.J.Harvey, Rachel Hunter (gotta give it to the girl from Glenfield), JayZ, Spike Jonze, Jay Kay, Carson Kressley (semi), Jennifer Lopez, Marilyn Manson, Matthew Perry, Jason Priestley, Ellen Pompeo, Paul Rudd, Christian Slater, Gwen Stefani, Christy Turlington, Renee Zellwegger, Catherine Zeta Jones.

I can't believe most of these people are 40! And I am *so* inviting them to my 40th Woodstock-themed birthday extravaganza!

Woot!

In my quest to find a hip, cool and groovy outfit for my impending Woodstock, 1969-themed 40th birthday bash, today I hit the op-shops of Whangarei (along with hairdressers and second-hand book shops, Northland's biggest city has more than its fair share of second-hand clothing shops. I'm not sure what this means...).

Unlike my highly successful quest to kit myself out for my Woodstock, 1969-themed 21st birthday bash in the opshops of New Lynn, West Auckland, circa 1990, I found the op-shops of Whangarei were sadly lacking in paisley, muslin, embroidered, cheesecloth and ethnic garments.

As I browsed rack after rack, flank to flank with old-age pensioners, I came to the conclusion that fashion must go in this 20-25 year old cycle before meeting its ultimate graveyard - the opshop. There were pastels, there were boxy dresses, there were shoulderpads, there were synthetic blouses, there were striped shirts; in fact, everything that screamed 1990.

Ironically, it would seem that I will have to hit the high street to kit myself out. Yep, cheap and cheerful chainstore Glassons was full of paisley maxi-dresses. tie-dyed t-shirts and flowery peasant tops.

Funny that.

• I have a really awful, extremely awkward crick in my neck (I tripped over a section of dismantled bed in the spare bedroom and my head went one way and my shoulder went another) which I have only aggravated by six hours' worth of gardening and now I can only.move.like.my.head.like.a.ro.bot.
• The sunblock was applied for the first time in months yesterday. I smothered myself but still, still I got burnt - this little sliver on the back of my neck. Wah!
• Depressing "book club" novels. I've had it up to 'ere with them. I'm half way through Wally Lamb's much lauded and granted very well written This Much I Know Is True and all I can think is ooooh, how 'bout some laughter? Humour? Fun? Please...? *Puts book down*
  
• On Thursday I purchased a spider plant. It must be decades since I last owned one. Speaking of which why did houseplants go out of fashion? My flat used to be a veritable jungle, circa 1992.
  

• One packet of Arnott's Mint Slices ("made with Pure Mint Oil and Real Chocolate"), purchased Friday, now empty!  Without me even having one! The Other Harf, he knows nut-ting. Miss 9.1, she knows nut-ting. Very suspicious. Very suspicious indeed...
  
• My whole family have costumes for my pending Woodstock Hippy themed birthday party in two weeks time - wigs, muslin caftans, ethnic beads etc, etc. I don't even have a Make Love Not War badge to my name. Yet.
  
• Officially, my favourite homemade pizza is half smoked salmon and brie/half pepperoni and salami with blue cheese, with a sprinkling of red onion, a slice of tomato per slice, fresh oregano, all smothered with mozzarella. The Other Harf liked mine so much he wants me to make it for him next time.
• We have a two metre tall concrete culvert pipe for sale, complete with a large hole in the side, which the Other Harf reckons will sell for hundreds, hundreds of dollars on TradeMe. Me thinks not.
• My darling friends J & S fly in from the UK this Friday! They came last May and loved it so much they just had to come back.This time it's the South Island. Prepare to be *spectacularly* impressed, my friends.
• The Warehouse AND Para Rubber have those really cool Intex swimming pools for sale - you set them up for the summer and can take them down for the winter! And they're big enough for the grownups to use! We want one!
• Our chickens have gone off the lay, again. Some say it's off with their heads and time for the pot, but how could you casserole this? Doesn't she look like one of those pottery egg holders, shaped like a chicken?