This is ridiculous

How long since I've posted... too long obviously.

I've bought a pub.

The Claddagh Irish Pub. Its lovely.

Hard work tho.

Long hours.

No sun for me.

Starting to feel/look like a vampire.

I never realised how many weird people hang out in pubs, or how many normal people go to the pub by themselves to hang out.

I have a picture of my folks on the top shelf with the whisky.

Dad would like that i think.

Im being random.

Time to go.

heck! has it been that long?

Well, not that i have a lot of time right now, but, to catch up on the gos...
We decided to get rid of one of our three shops as it was not going so well, bad timing opening just before the down turn of the economy. Luckily we were able to sell the lease and move the remaining stock into our other gift shop which is just down the road. This has been a blessing as we now get two days off a week and it is absolute bliss! the feeling of contentment and complete relaxation on that second day is a life saver. Not to mention all the extra work we are getting done around the place... including regular house work. I actually want to clean the house now and don't feel as if its a chore. lovely.
Our pups are both lame in one each of their back legs, so lots of money spent later we have grumpy dogs and expensive dog food. They are grumpy because we cant run them regularly. They need rest, much to their disgust. oh well, at least they have yummy food now... much to our disgust.
The days are warmer, the Bulbs are in bloom and the sneezing has started. Awesome. I love Spring.

Life is Infinitely Stranger Than the Mind Can Invent.

I didn't get the eye surgery... nor contacts, but instead stuck with the same glasses and old prescription for now as life took a sharp turn to the unexpected and a few things had to be put on the back burner.



In August last year, mum was rushed to hospital with severe back pain, which, in the weeks following, turned out to be end stage lung cancer. She died in October after a determined but unsuccessful battle.

It sucks.

What else can i say.

I'm gutted.

A lady came into my shop today with her friend helping her. The lady had cancer and was struggling with the day out, so I took my chair out from around the counter and offered it to her. She sat for about five minutes before her friend finished browsing and led her away. I was hard pressed not to close the shop and have a good bawl.

That was hard.

The bad memories are fading, but its little things like that lady coming in that bring it all back to a certain extent and you have to compose yourself and hurriedly think of some good times to make you smile. I think of JJ's kiddies. They are all so gorgeous and mum just loved them with everything she had.

So I think of mum dancing with Beth and pulling those silly faces while she wiggled around, or William having a big snuggle with her and Joey just delighting in that weird noise she made when she tickled him. It all makes me smile and able to move forward.

But today, I think that now, while I'm alone, (doesn't happen a lot) I will indulge in the grumps and have a little cry, because that works too.



I am okay tho. Its all just part of life.

the eyes have it.

So after fifteen years (Jaesus Mary and Joseph!) of wearing eye glasses I decided to look into other options. So i sent away for an educational DVD on laser eye surgery and also popped along to the optometrist for some free trial contacts.
I have had past experience in contacts. About four years ago i trialed some, but to my dismay they sucked arse.
I have an astigmatism on top of shortsightedness, so my contacts had to be weighted to settle correctly, but, they had to settle after every time I blinked and this took half a second or so which is really too long to have fuzzy vision and of causes you to blink again and so on and so on... needless to say i ditched the idea and went back to glasses.
Technology hath changed rapidly tho (as we all know and fear as we get older) and so I am taking up the challenge once again with the contacts.
Its been five days so far.
it feels like there is an eyelash in my left eye and my peripheral vision is blurry in my right. but I have two more types of contacts to try before I give up and bite the horrendous cost bullet of laser surgery (noting every time I write 'laser' I am saying it out loud in Dr Evil speak).
Ive a couple of friends with bung eyes worse than I and who have different experiences with the laser surgery, both saying its worth it... we shall see (pun intended).

Lapsed blogger...

Thanks to a beautiful lady I was reminded that my Blog was not entirely up to date.
I do think of things to write about and have even made lists of titles... long since been lost in the void with all of those socks...

So, to amend...Since March I have...
Worked a lot. We have opened another store (this means three) in Parnell, called Mila, which is a mix of letters from Mainly Mirrors and Mint (the other two), and which sounded euphonious and didnt mean anything nasty like slutty pants or arse face. A Lady came into the shop last week and said that Mila actually translates to Darling in Croatian... nice if true as there is a local Parnell rag called The Darling.
Also, I have turned 33. Not as big a deal as 30, but makes me feel like margarine(middle age spread ha ha). had dinner with the whanau which was perfect, but will be having a "tirtytree and a tird" party later on in the year.
What else... oh yeah, got to go to Waiheke a couple weeks ago. during a "weather bomb" which is the medias beat up name for a storm (to get ratings). The weather was shitty, but we got the primo place to have a bach on Oneroha beach. It was one of the oldest buildings on the waterfront, being a small two bedroom cottage. If anyone wants to stay there, go to; gotowaiheke.co.nz its on a menu on the right hand side 'oneroa beachfront cottage'. so worth it.
In other news, mum is in hospital at the moment, waiting on some test results on a biopsy she had on a lump the doctors found on her back. We really dont know whats going on until we get the results, we (JJ and I) are keeping our feelings in check until we hear... should be any day now. If you would like to keep updated on mums status and send her a message of support go to crazykathy.wordpress.com.

I have done more things... but my mind is else where at the moment so forgive me.
I do promise to blog more. Ive missed rambling.

Go Kiwis in china!

love to all

sheesh!

So this list I made of subject headings for this blog went by the wayside and so I will have to use my memory...



Failing that...



Its March. Its started to get dark earlier, but Daylight savings doesn't end until April 6 (i just found out) which I actually think is too late. I know! I should be stoked to have light in the evenings till April, but it doesn't fit with the weather patterns.

Now is a good time. Its getting cooler, its raining more often and the cicada's are full on in the evenings.

Anyway, on to other things..

I purchased a Xtrainer the other month (November) so I could keep my cardio up and maybe that would inspire my to do some free weights and yoga... so now I'm learning ballroom dancing.

This is a fun form of exercise and I'm keen to continue through from the basics to gold class. Sweet. I'm still determined to jump on the Xtrainer three times a week... I'm looking at it right now, all alone in the dark of the spare room... tomorrow.



Right, moving on...

Here's an O for Awesome photo I took while I was waiting at the lights. The freaky spotlight effect is all natural, just one of those moments and amazing wonders of nature that blow my mind and humble me completely.

Happy New Year Already!

So another year has wizzed by in a blink of an eye and again I found myself being just as slack in writing this blog. I have made a list of chapters to write, yet looking at this list now I feel like I cant be bothered. Why? Because we have had the best weather this Christmas holidays that we have experienced in years and I feel the pull of the garden. So, being breif, (and promising to update on the first rainy day) I say, have been eating like ive just discovered taste buds and have been downing the champers like a recovering Alcoholic behind a cupboard door. Sweet.

Been to the beach, been walking around town as tourists, up a few volcanic cones and slept in! hoorah!

Enjoy the photo of my fav spot up the road. manukau harbour. New Years Eve.

Talk soon.

For Carl

Visit banglebangle.co.uk for all of your bangley needs.

link provided stage door right... under "some things"...

Beautiful Day at Oraki Basin

Hmmm, that's weird...

As we pulled up to an intersection opposite one of the local parks in our suburb, we noticed a bus parked in the playground.
That's weird we said in unison.
Turns out that the driver lost control of the bus doing a routine u-turn, took out half a tree, a couple of parking stumps, a fence, and a swing set.
Its school holidays to boot, so the driver is damned lucky he didnt hit anyone.
No sight of that in the local rag tho. An english tourist who got kicked out of the ChCh casino for showing too much of her tits made the front page. (photo in outfit included)
Coz thats what we all want to read about up hear in the north island.
Yep.

Chapter one: Tankles

So I managed to only read one chapter of The Joy Luck Club on the flight over, spending more time fiddling around with my personal screen and watching classics like Lady and the Tramp and a surprising comedy wild Hogs... surprising as it was actually funny and really enjoyable. That was the first half of the flight. The second leg was bad. A crappy old plane, sat in the last seat in the tail (not good for nervous fliers, IE; me) NO personal screen and in the isle... actually that was the saving grace as I downed around 3 litres of water and needed to frequent the ladies. So. Not much sleep as having the last seat in the plane means that the rest of the passengers who need to use the facilities or just a stretch, would use my chair as a lean. Holding on while they ran on the spot or hummed and swayed to themselves (and me). One man was the straw and got landed with my best scowl and swift elbow recline onto his fingers.
Flights over, Joe met us at Heathrow and generously drove us back to his flat, making himself late for work the naughty boy (but we love you for it mate). Stuff dumped, showers had, we took off to explore Ealing. Lovely actually. The sun was shining so we bought ourselves coffee and mint tea (for me) and sat in the park... where as I rolled up my jeans to inflict people with the pain of seeing my lily whites I noticed that they were more like tree trunks than stems. Jesus Mary and Joseph I exclaimed, I am surprised that I can walk considering I cant actually make out a trace of ankle! Mikes were also slightly swollen, but I took the cake, well actually it looked as tho I had taken 20 cakes and devoured them daily. It took the weekend for my ankles to return and sleeping on camping mattresses on the floor really helped straighten the kinks out. By the Monday we were roaring to go, feeling very refreshed and tall. We both considered getting a firmer mattress when we got home... thanks again Joe and Sharn, your hospitality is second to none, you are both ACE!

Alive and well!

Just to let you all know that I am alive, but really busy so will post about my adventures sooooonnn.......

Phew!

I bought the new Harry Potter book to read on the journey I'm going on in 10 days, but I couldn't resist reading the first chapter... 15hrs later and I have to find another book.
I just couldn't put the damn thing down... actually I did, obviously I did fall asleep for a while and had to work for a few hours, but I dreamt of witches and wizards and wandered around in a daze at work.
I just had to find out what happened. When I was young I used to read books backward because I was so desperate to find out the ending (but always frustrated myself at doing so because in most books the plot always unfolded a few chapters before the end, hence the reading backwards... I know!), but I did learn that to read it from start to finish was more exciting and suspenseful in the end. Yay for me!

Anyhoo,GOOD book.

I might read The Joy Luck Club...

Some new stuff

So I have been fiddling around on facebook.com this week. It is quite cool. found a couple of friends I haven't seen for a few years which was a great surprise.

Its as I said, fiddly, but I'm getting the hang of all the different bits and bobs I can add to my page and it seems secure... Time will tell.


In other news, I went to the new Harry Potter movie, its ace. I will have to see it again tho, coz I went to the 1pm sitting and although anyone with a bit of common sense going in would not take their 3 and 4 year olds, surpriiiise surpriiiise surpriiise, people did. So, through the squealing and crying and "its too loud mummy" every 10minutes, I thought that the movie kept the story line going though they had to sift a little amount out of the very full on book to do so... but will have a better view on it all once it come out on DVD and gets added to my collection. yay.

What our dogs do when the visitors go home...

Wiley Weather

Good Greif!
Thought this rather exciting... as well as a little scared of the behaviour of some people who think its a good idea to look out their window at a twister heading towards them.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/070705/2/szb.html

Happy Birthday Mum & Chris!

Well! Another party at ours and quite frankly it was a cracker!

Justin and I organised and delegated and Mike cooked his little heart out whipping up Paella, Chicken bits, pork ribs, roast veg, garlic bread (which we forgot about), and some mouth watering meatballs in tomato sauce.... oh, and a fruit salad.

J made sure that people brought salads and bread were bought and a lovely Tiramasu turned up as well as a pav (Yay Fe!) a Lemon Tart (Ohmigodt! lemony goodness) an apple strudel and on top of that were two Birthday cakes from The City Cake Company (thanks guys, you rock!).

J also made the traditional Maloney Curry (a curry originally made by mum and then sneakily doctored by dad. He reckoned a curry wasn't a curry unless it made your nose run and eyes water) which out did any previous Maloney Curry as it made Uncle Stevens nose bleed... We laughed and laughed.

We had around 45 people turn up (just family) and although our place isn't huge, it held the crowd comfortably. We all had good ol' gossip and drank and ate and laughed and danced and sang our hearts out. So just the usual ; )

The main thing was that Mum and Chris loved the night which was all I wanted.

Why June?

So my Birthday fell on the Queens Birthday weekend. Which inevitably means that I get four days of Birthday excess. Which I did. Now I feel sick. Having lived a pretty healthy lifestyle since last July, having just four days of eating and drinking, left my stomach heaving and my head thumping and its now Thursday.
This weekend is my niece's birthday and my cousins birthday, while the weekend after that is mum and her partners combined 60th.
There is also Mikes mums Birthday and two other friends before June ends. All up around 8 or nine. (may have forgotten someone). Far to hectic this month... is there a reason for this birthday madness..

June - 9 months =
October.
A particularly cold month in the middle of winter.

Good to be a "Central" Westie?

For all my hearts desire to live closer to the city instead halfway to hicksville, I must say that on a foggy morning, where i live truely takes my breath away.
Opening the curtains this morning I drew breath at the soft blanket of fog that enveloped the street. It just makes the world around a little more peaceful, like walking through the earths light morning doze.
My niece calls fog sleeping clouds. Bless.

Mmmmmmmmmm... cake.

This is my Birthday cake.

(Its chocy on the inside too)

Ha Ha! Suffer in your jocks!