I. and I had fish'n'chips for tea on Sunday night - a treat we thoughts we hadn't had them for ages. We haven't been well since! Not sick enough to call it food poisoning but definitely unwell. They were quite greasy so I didn't very much so I. is worse than me. Maybe they used old oil or something but we are a bit miserable. I really wasn't up to dealing with the latest dramas at the shop yesterday but unfortunately there was no way of avoiding it even when I went on to work afterwards. People's emotional stuff is so draining especially when they are unable to listen to a different point of view.

grizzly4 - 2012-11-27 07:20:00

Hope the both of you are starting to feel better grizzly. What a shame. Every now and then I feel like something in the takeaway line and then wish I had not!!!!! Mind you there are some really good places and some awful places around. I have just picked up J rom preschool. He is now asleep. I managed to take my car to the testing station for a warrant. Needs back brakes bleed. Then I drove that home and took the Volvo down and got a warrant for that. The testing station people wanted to know f I was going back again today. Cheeky buggers. I have booked my car into get sorted and now I am going to have lunch. All this talk of food is making me hungry. Yes unfortunately there are a lot of people with tunnel vision. They don't even consider another option and they personalize every little thing. Chin up girl.

Edited by makerealbany at 12:34 pm, Tue 27 Nov

makerealbany - 2012-11-27 12:33:00

woohoo I love the edit option had 2 dumb spelling errors.Sometimes my fingers and brain clash a bit ha ha.

makerealbany - 2012-11-27 12:36:00

I put it down to my brain thinking faster than my finger (note singular) can type. LOL.

grizzly4 - 2012-11-27 20:10:00

Women's Group is making Christmas decorations today out of lovely coloured foam sheets. Specifically a Santa and a few wee stockings to hang on the tree. I'm having lots of fun finding activities for the kid's programmes too online at favecraft. You've got too have a look, they have so many ideas.

grizzly4 - 2012-11-28 07:19:00

I miss the womans group, really looking forward to working with Grizzly on Saturday at the shop,have been so busy at work and working all hours so will be really nice.

Edited by suzy59nz at 8:15 pm, Wed 28 Nov

suzy59nz - 2012-11-28 20:15:00

Lincraft opens at Eastgate on Thursday, that will be great, might go on Saturday and have a look.

suzy59nz - 2012-11-28 20:17:00

Which means I won't have to run crafty errands for programme supervisors anymore. Mind you I will be making regular visits on my own behalf to their other storte on my side of town.I drove the boss and myself to Dick Smith at the Palms yesterday. I drove so she wouldn't park underneath the carpark. Trouble was only park I could get to wait for her was opposite the library and just under the carpark. Took one look at the cracks and pieces of concrete missing and had to wait for her out of the car under open air. Couldn't catch my breath otherwise. I was a bit brassed off that she didn't mention thats where she was planning on going (had other errands first) as I would have stayed at work, it didn't take 2 off us anyway. She was being sneaky to prove I could do it.

grizzly4 - 2012-11-29 07:31:00

Well that was not very nice of her grizzly. Amateur psychologists are a pain in the neck. I most likely would have driven slowly around the block a few times . No way would I have parked under there. You were very brave. I had a good day out yesterday and went shopping with my daughter today. This cough of mine is hanging in there darn it. Wake up at night coughing. Have you still got your cough grizzly?. Got my car fixed today only cost $120 and my daughter organized it and paid for it. Got my warrant as well. So I am a happy girl lol. Cooked a gingerale 4 ingredients cake yesterday morning and it is not bad at all.

makerealbany - 2012-11-29 20:18:00

Hi suzy you sound really busy in your new job.

makerealbany - 2012-11-29 20:19:00

makerealbany wrote:

Hi suzy you sound really busy in your new job.

Yes very busy, think i am too old lol., I park on the very top floor of the Palms, safe as houses Grizzly, promise you ....

suzy59nz - 2012-11-29 21:09:00

I'm glad you feel safe, Suzy. And yes, makerealbany, I still have my cough. Its been a bit more than 6 years now!!!
I had the day off work yesterday for Chrisco to be delivered so made some ginger crunch and a rhubarb pie. yum yum.

grizzly4 - 2012-11-30 07:31:00

That does sound yummy grizzly. I hope I do not have this cough for 6 years. Omg how do you put up with it. At the beach babysitting hope it is a nice day as we have veges to plant and my grandson wants to go to the beach park lol. He also has cocky biscuits he wants to bake. T alk about being organized. Lol

makerealbany - 2012-12-01 08:13:00

Cocky biscuits?
Worked hard at work yesterday - such a long day but did start off with the first community morning tea for the season. Today I worked with suzy in the shop, so nice catching up but we worked like dogs there, too. Came home with major headache for a family afternoon: yep you guessed it B4 and L5 helped me decorate the trip while the rest watched. Grrrrr.... so much for the CHristmas spirit. The good news is DIL was accepted into Midwifery studies starting end of January. So exciting, although it will all hands on deck helping them out financially for the next 3 years. But...... yippee!

grizzly4 - 2012-12-01 19:24:00

Wow it was hot yesterday! 30 degrees in the end and no breeze for most of it. Phew! I could only potter outside in the garden for a short period at a time but could only stay inside for a while as well. LOL.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-03 07:19:00

i was inside the mall for the whole day so missed it :( cold wind today

suzy59nz - 2012-12-03 16:02:00

Can you believe, suzy, after getting the sign fixed at the shop finally now someone has removed the whole street sign!!!!!! That sign is giving us a sign that we shouldn't have got it, methinks! LOL.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-04 07:15:00

What? the whole sign has gone?how on earth did that happen? giving us a sign about something anyway

suzy59nz - 2012-12-04 15:27:00

Will it has been all go at home. Glad I am up at my daughters tonight. After mowing lawns and getting pots and plants out of the way for my SIL to. Get yet another digger in I am exhausted. I just hope he doesn't veer off the chosen path he said he would take. He took down yet another fence and I am nervous so best that I am out of there.

makerealbany - 2012-12-04 21:40:00

Men and machines! I'd be there supervising. I mentioned to I. that i wanted to trim the hydrangea under the kitchen window before he took a run to the dump with a bag of green waste. Ever helpful he decided to do it for me!!!!!! Needless to say it won't be flowering this summer. And he was standing on my hostas to do it!!!!!!!!!! Sigh.
A little stressed about theomen's group end of year lunch today as I'm not sure exactly how many plan on turning up and I'm having to use a completely unknown bus company. Watch this space. LOL.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-05 07:22:00

I must admit I dread going home tonight. I will be out there with a torch lol. You simply cannot trust many men in gardens. They are lethal. Hope the bus works out ok.

makerealbany - 2012-12-05 20:00:00

The bus was great, the restaurant was great, one of the best end of year outings we've had. Everyone gave positive feedback to the driver and the chef. It was so hot though, another 30 degree day.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-06 07:20:00

Last day of trhe week thank goodness. Barely slept last night for coughing. The shop has their 2nd day at Barrington Mall today and we also have 2 more visits to rest homes today, I am doing one of them this morning. We have done 3 others during the week as well. It's getting really hard to juggle all of this with work but sales are quite slow at the shop itself, not at all like the weeks before Christmas a few years ago. I've heard other businesses are finding it slower as well but it's a real worry considering the rent costs down here now.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-07 07:11:00

What a day yesterday. Tornado was seen by. My SIL just across the water from our house. My son and his family live 5 mins away and escaped damage.MY Dil could not get home forages. Because of closed roads and my darn grandchildren were yapping on the phones so she was stressed. My son is in Wellington so he was out of the loop. My nephew manages a farm in Hamurana in the Bay of Plenty near Rotorua and he was on the news last night. He was flung from one end of the place to the other end. Lots of damage there. Horses flung around. Mum and all the family were ringing us then we were all ringing my nephew. Today I feel very relieved
Babysitting the 2 and nearly 5 year old tonight and tomorrow night and hoping for no more storms.

makerealbany - 2012-12-07 22:01:00

oooooooooooo i saw him on the news, so lucky him and the horses were ok

suzy59nz - 2012-12-08 15:13:00

Yes he was driving my sis nuts because he wouldn't, have a check up was too worried about his horses including the one he landed on. That horse is very treasured. My Bil spent the day trying to mend fences with my nephew to keep all the livestock safe. Had a good day today with everyone all maxing out up here.

makerealbany - 2012-12-09 00:33:00

Whoop whoop parents are home and Nana is off duty. So need time out lol

makerealbany - 2012-12-09 12:11:00

Just finished packing up 9 Chrissy boxes. They smell so good. I had to make another 30 bath bombs tonight and 6 jars of bath salts. Mum rang and she gave all hers to my sisters and they want more lol. I also have fruit and Cointreau soaking for my Gardies Christmas cakes. I give it a stir when I pass. Had it soaking for a day now. Well better get to bed have a list a mile long to start tomorrow.

makerealbany - 2012-12-10 00:37:00

Wow I watched the news story about your nephew too. I am so pleased he and the horses are ok. I really feel for the families affected by the tornado. There seems to be something awful happen every Christmas isn't there?
Family day Saturday was spent at the park in the platyground and yesterday was a day knitting trying to get a jersey finished for the shop. Another nightmare week ahead that even includes B7 and L5 staying over tomorrow night as parents have their end of year dinner.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-10 07:09:00

Omg grizzly it must be so hard babysitting during the week when you have to work. Yes something always happens at Christmas. Had a productive day today and I have just finished my daughter's as well as my own ironing. Little E is coming tomorrow so while her mummy is shopping I can measure her dresses and cardi I have made her for Christmas. I have all my decorations and lights up and my cottage is very festive.

makerealbany - 2012-12-10 23:39:00

Tonight will be fine I think, I have planned an easy tea. Tomorrow morning might be a different story LOL! And I have to make their lunches! And allow half an hour travelling time to get to school on time. Boy, it's going to be an early start and a late finish with the last Patch meeting for the year after work. It's my last fortnightly grocery shop today and I'm going to do that as soon as supermarket opens this morning as I don't want to that with 2 boys in tow.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-11 07:18:00

Don't blame you grizzly. Lol. I have my 2 and 3 year old grandsons all day tomorrow. We are going to the Xmas party at Mainly Music and then coming straight home. No stopping anywhere else ha ha. I will be running as it is. Had little 10month old E today and she wanted me to carry her everywhere. The moment I put her down she screamed and I do mean sccccccreamed. She is always with her mummy and it was day time lol. I had a sit down when the other grandchildren arrived. She was as happy as then. Little treasure. My Dil ran around Xmas shopping and she said the mall was packed. Some of the stores she went to weren't pram friendly anyway. Cooked the 2 Christmas cakes tonight. Well put them in at 3 done by 6.30. E's cardi fits but I need to shorten dresses. Had to stitch up a stocking for K who is staying tonight. Just finished that and now need to cut out a dress for M. Tea time I am parched.

makerealbany - 2012-12-11 20:30:00

There is no break for you at all. LOL. The jacket I started sewing for myself nearly 6 weeks ago is still waiting for me on the kitchen table. Just no spare minutes. Had a bad night coughing last night, was worried I would wake the boys. On the run to get them ready for school and me to the doctors by 9.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-12 06:57:00

Yay, last meeting for the year last night and at least ended the year on a friendly note. Last day for the programme based on our main site today and they are going to the movies so it will be a quiet afternoon for me. Our other programme is finishing tomorrow but doing a 5 hour programme. Shudder. One more week of office work and cleaning up then off for a month. Can't wait. 8 sleeps to go!!!!!!

grizzly4 - 2012-12-13 07:22:00

Ha ha you sound like M she has 2 sleeps to go to her Under the Sea Birthday party. Cooked her cake today as well as Chocolate Brownies and biscuits in star shapes. A is going to decorate and ice tomorrow. I have just finished altering K's Pirate costume as he is a very small 3. I am now going to soak my aching feet and do my nails. It will be another early start tomorrow and visitors are arriving for the weekend. I managed to wash my very dirty car today. After the digger was here it was awful.

makerealbany - 2012-12-13 22:45:00

That sounds like a fun party theme!

grizzly4 - 2012-12-14 07:36:00

Yay it's the weekend and I'm making open steak sandwiches for family for tea!

grizzly4 - 2012-12-15 10:37:00

Well that was a bit of a flop. The steak I used was prepacked from Meadow Fresh and came with the Chrisco order. It tasted a bit different and my daughter refused to eat hers and she eventually put me off mine as well. The apple danish I served with cream for afters had sultanas in it which neither daughter or DIL will eat. I searched the packet before defrosting it to check for a mention sultanas and thought I was safe. Mind you there was only one in my slice! One of those days, I guess, especially when I. decided last minute to go to speedway. Normally I wouldn't mind an evening to myself but I couldn't work the new home theatyre system he bought so couldn't play a DVD and was stuck with miserable choices on t.v. He didn't get home till midnight so it was a long day. Sigh. Did a lot of knitting done. LOL.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-16 09:25:00

we went to see the Christmas lights in Shands Road, well worth the drive out there, just lovely, so that was my Saturday evening.

suzy59nz - 2012-12-16 19:42:00

have had a good weekend. M had her birthday party and there were so many lovely little mermaids and pirates running all over the place. We set up a water slide down the paddock and the kids were in and out of their costumes and their togs. Sunblock was slathered on all day. They jumped on the trampoline,swung on the swings,slid down the slides and had a great time. My older granddaughters face painted them and they were all lined up. We had all sorts going on. Lots of food and we all ate too much and I am sure some of the neighbours drank too much as well. We had about 25 children and their parents. Today we went to a local reserve which is a favourite. Overlooking the sea and it has a park for families, a cycle track for kids as well as a cycle track for adults, a dog walk, horse treks, etc. it is 4 mins away and is about 43 hectares. We just relaxed and walked off all the food from yesterday. Ha ha.

makerealbany - 2012-12-16 21:54:00

We went to see some of the lights last night, too suzy! Went to Kaiapou though and tried to find the Glastonbury Dr one but must have been too late. Had a look on the light up website and found a whole cluster of houses to go see in parklands. Might go there tonight.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-17 07:07:00

Nope, didn't do that. Was far too hot to sit in the car. I couldn't touch the steering wheel when I got in my car after working in the shop yesterday morning, luckily I only had to go a bit further down the road to work. This mornings a bit different, I have to say. So many bad things happening in the world! I dread turning on the tv for the news. Mind you I have learned of 2 friends that have been diagnosed with cancer this week as well. Very hard times.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-18 07:06:00

we always do Glastonbury ave Christmas eve, lovely old man does that one, yes i have a list of Parklands ones too.
I agree with you and the news, USA is bad, Fiji, Samoa, and now two bad crashes here, it never ends.

suzy59nz - 2012-12-18 18:36:00

Sometimes it is hard to think about alright. I am trying to be very positive so my grandchildren have a good Christmas as last year was a nightmare. Some of them never even had Christmas dinner because we were all at the hospital. I just have this nagging grind in my stomach that won't settle. Never mind have to ignore fears and keep planning for a great day. It will be busy as we are all going to have breakfast with my daughter because this is the first Christmas without her hubby. She asked us too because she wants to stay at home. Then we are off to the beach 2 streets away. We will all have Christmas dinner here as well. Which means we all have to transport food and all the presents lol. I am up here for the night as she is on the night shift so my bed at home is covered in pressies I have to wrap tomorrow. Got three more to get and I am done. Had visitors with pressies unexpectedly so 3 presents were given. Darn it ha ha. I usually have spare boxes of chocs but boy appropriate this time.

makerealbany - 2012-12-18 21:18:00

Oops I meant not appropriate.

makerealbany - 2012-12-18 21:19:00

My shopping is all done, thank goodness. Our family Christmas Dinner is Christmas Eve as my sister and BIL are joining us from Wellington but will they spend the rest of their time with his family. We just need to potter around the house and garden to do a final tidy up before then. I am so pleased with how the garden is looking, well worth all that work last year. I just need 3 miniature roses for a spot we decided to clear.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-19 07:40:00

Don 't talk about gardening grizzly. I have seedlings to put in the garden and no compost. Sigh. On my way home I will go to the garden centre and get potting soil and compost. I have been so busy all I have managed to do is feed them when I water. They must go in the garden today. My carpet roses are beautiful but the Icebergs are not so prolific this year. Christmas lillies are in flower and so are the Cannas. It is nice having fresh flowers in the house. My sweet peas are a deep purple not a sign of another colour. My jolly watch battery is flat so I have to drop that in. Cannot be without a watch lol

makerealbany - 2012-12-19 08:02:00

Loads of computer problems last night and this morning. Apparently not an internet problem but an issue with our browser settings being changed. When and who by is the mystery. I have spent the last hour with Telecom talking me through settings checks to no avail. Was looking at other tool sites to spot anything (as if I'd know) on my own and then all of a sudden everything came right! The weirdest thing but thank goodness and I hope it stays like that.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-20 08:21:00

Not a great day yesterday, I have to say. Had a call from my very distressed DIL who had received a letter of acceptance for her Midwifery course from Polytech a couple of weeks ago. She has now received her application back with a decline letter, apparently they put the wrong information in her letter and she just missed out on a pass mark on 2 of her subjects. She is heartbroken and so embarrassed as we have all celebrated her success. What a dreadful thing to do! And then I heard about the politicians giving themselves a 1.5 percent rise backdated for 6 months.!!!!!!!! How dare they? Our cost of living increase was only .8 percent this year and as much as I was disappointed that it wasn't going to help cover the increase in our petrol or groceries, it was a rise and I know a lot of people that didn't get one at all. BUT now I hear about our #*%# government thinking they are so much more deserving than the rest of us. I'll bet 'cost of living' doesn't affect them at all. I feel completely betrayed.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-21 07:25:00

Just heard it was 1.9%! I am spewing.

grizzly4 - 2012-12-21 15:02:00