Eire Rules

New home for new beginnings.

2009-12-14T23:09:00.000Z

I have moved. Yep new name blog for my new experiences, because as Malcolm pointed out, this blog has served its purpose and my new journey has begun. So, I do have a new blog address and if you would like it please email me at natsrule at live.ie (and yes it should be @ but hoping this avoids junk mail) as the new one is a little more anonymous. I am not sure if Malcolm plans to keep this blog up and if not I think it will be deleted in the next month or so as I have exported the current contents to my new place, pop over and visit!

Look what the wind blew in!

2009-11-19T22:51:00.004Z

I am sitting on the couch looking at the tip that is my lounge. If I needed a reminder that it is 'my week' with the kids a quick peek into my living area is all the verification I need. Like the seasons can be identified so can my weeks. When the girls are here it is like a messy breezy autumn day and books, shoes, bags and clothes look suspiciously like they have been blown in by a mighty wind. I think that must be the case, surely two girls cannot create such havoc? And then I see that more has been added, a scarf, gloves, hat, coat, handbag and the daily Metro...was that really me? Then the tales of the day get told, dinner gets eaten and I kinda forget about the state of things.
So yes, I have a week of chaos and this is followed by zen like peace and tranquility and a tidy house. I think it is the best of both worlds, just as the peace and quiet gets to much the bags, shoes and laughter return.
All this talk of wind, it must be because it was SO very blustery today. I walked out of the apartment to a wall of rain and wind which immediately picked a fight with my polka dot pink umbrella, turning her inside out and destroying a couple of joints. Somehow I manage to flip it back to normal but the poor thing is destroyed. I will continue to attempt to keep my head dry under its flailing skeleton for a while, after all it cost me £20! In all fairness though, the wind was so strong this morning that it actually even snatched my beanie off my head in some sort of cheeky game and I was sent running down the street after it..grr. I have to say I would prefer the wind WITHOUT the rain!
But I cannot complain because there is something very energising being blown about in such mad conditions. The weird thing is that it is not that cold, I was out at 22h00 collecting the kids from a school play they were watching and it was 14 degrees!
Tomorrow night I am playing in a hockey match, I really really hope the weather has settled by then!

Musings

2009-11-04T22:30:00.002Z

A few lessons I learned this past
week...

Don't lose the lid for the milk bottle in a confined space. Yep, the recycling bins are inconveniently placed in the car park basement. This is very handy for regular motor vehicle users, but as a staunch supporter of the local bus corridor my car does not get to stretch its wheels very often. On a Wednesday however it has a little outing to the hockey club which also means a visit to the recycling bins. Now as the bins are near the exit and I am always in a rush I put all the recycling in my car and empty out on my way to the exit. Tonight the lid popped off the empty milk bottle in my car, the bottle that has been empty and in the warm apartment since Monday. LOVELY.

I can play hockey for 2 and a half hours on a cold, damp windy night. I went down to hockey to practice with the Vets at 19h30 and we ended up playing a match against the thirds. After that I was rearing to go home but Mandy and I decided to stay for the thirds and fourths practice so hockey continued until 22h00. Considering I only got home from work at 19h00 I was pretty pleased with myself.

Focus Ireland is a fabulous charity. Last week a whole bunch of us from work volunteered to paint a house and clean up a garden for the charity. It was a fabulous experience and was made very memorable when our 6 foot something MD managed to put his knee through the €1800 glass top hob while painting the kitchen. The thought running through everyone's mind? Thank goodness it wasn't me. Anyhow, the charity does great work in Ireland and I think what they do benefits all of us so thanks muchly.

To swine flu or not to swine flu..

2009-11-03T18:49:00.002Z

I have swine flu. I am eating like an oink. I am not sure what it is but what I see must go into my mouth, croissants, pastries, ice lollies, cashew nuts, pizza, bananas...i could go on but I think you understand my predicament. It did not help much when Kirstin taught me the fine art of drinking tea through a twix, yes astonishingly it does work, unfortunately you need a LOT of twix to get through a cup of tea! Of course with all the input I then have to ensure a certain amount of output and so I found myself walking home in blizzard like conditions in the dark, to ensure that the Twix does not find its way to my ass, especially because the pastries already have.

Now Jess did have the H1N1 virus - and that would have been rather handy to contract. With H1N1 you CANT eat, I reckon they call it s-w-i-n-e flu to reduce the street cred's of the marvelous side effect of the virus. If everyone knew that you could lose up to 3 kg's (ask Jess) not many people would be buying anti bacterial wipes now would they? Of course I kept a safe distance from Jess, using my polo neck jersey as a barrier - she was not impressed but in all fairness I had not discovered the merits of swine flu at that stage. In all seriousness though, I did NOT actually want o get sick, shame Jess really was not well but I must point out that considering how contagious it it meant to be, none of us got sick.

Sweet and Sour

2009-10-21T19:41:00.002+01:00

Sitting in my car at the traffic lights, and notice that through the darkened window of the BMW x5 in front of me little hands are waving. Of course who can resist waving back at friendly children and so I smile and wave, not that I can see much but the small hands through the windows! Next thing there is a notebook but I can't read it, I use the international sign language for 'I can't see what that says' and the notebook is shoved against the window with the word SWEET in big bold letters and it hits me. The game my children used to play when they were little, if the driver smiled and waved they were sweet....and yes a grumpy unmoving person was sour! Wow time sure does fly, now my children are as tall as me, gone are the little hands and rosy cheeks peeping up from the back seat. SOB!!!

Am I back?

2009-10-19T19:51:00.003+01:00

Oh boy, I really do battle to find time to blog, in fact it is so bad that I was going to delete this monologue of my life but my girls begged me not to. Instead I closed it for a while, invitation only without inviting anyone. Sorry. I am not sure I am back, no promises that I am actually going to start spewing out irrelevant stories again.
Life has had some interesting turns, no internet at home for a week at a time, weird! The girls spent 10 days with Malcolm while his folks visited from SA, very odd for me, I missed them a lot but it was also quite a new experience not having to rush home after work every day, not feeling bad tearing off to hockey practice on a Wednesday etc.
Overall life is still good and I am still playing hockey, have had my first Vets festival committee meeting and have made some fabulous new friends, lost a few old ones and realised how lucky I am to have such strong unwavering friends in my life. My favourite saying "some people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime" has never been more relevant.
Back? If not on my blog then in my life you betcha!

When the sun shines in Ireland...

2009-09-13T19:45:00.001+01:00

It is heaven on earth. I am sure I have said it all before but amuse me, won't you? There really is something special that happens on this green isle when the sun shines. The traffic jams to Brittas Bay are horrendous, so don't do that, instead head out for a walk up the Dublin mountain and sit on the rocks overlooking the sea and the land below. On your walk up every person who passes you by will nod and smile and say hello, hi, hey or some form of greeting they particularly like. You will pass people with dogs, people bending over the hedgerows filling pales with black berries (wish I could say big fat blackberries but they are not genetically modified up there) and marvel at the way the light filters through the forest bits of your walk. Or get up early and head for the beach or go further afield to Wexford if you like....just DO NOT stay home and do the chores!
I reckon that in SA we get so used to our fabulous weather that we take it for granted, here a sunny day is a gift, a thing to enjoy and boy oh boy we do.

Bagless

2009-09-04T22:27:00.003+01:00

Engrossed in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on the bus this morning and my phone rings and I am rudely yanked from Hedeberg Island in Sweden as I hear the panic stricken voice of my youngest....
She got off the bus and left her school bag behind, a rather ingenious way of avoiding the dog ate my homework excuse, only the bag was a brand new Roxy one and she was not a very happy young lass.
I sprung into action, luckily Jess had her bus ticket so the number on the top right corner helped dispatch contact the driver who confirmed that Kirstin's bag was on his bus.
The fact that I had done this all before for my eldest ensured a sleek operation, only this time I had to go to Donnybrook garage to collect the abandoned bag. Last time we just met the bus on its return loop, very handy that was! BUT having said that I felt a true sense of belonging when I hopped in the car and headed for the Donnybrook garage this eve without my sat nav! Silver linings on every cloud.

Forms of torture

2009-09-03T22:19:00.002+01:00

Hockey season has started again, I did play summer hockey and had a fabulous time, scoring three goals per match towards the end of our short season and feeling like a real pro, okay an IMPROVER is more accurate, but hey this is my story!
That is until I ventured out on a cold and wet Wednesday night and reality came tap tapping. I am not very good at the drills, in fact I wanted to lift a corner of the astro turf and hide. The weird thing is that once we started playing, unfortunately only after 1 hour and 15 minutes of humiliation, I was actually quite good. I thoroughly enjoyed getting soaking wet and having rivers of water running into my eyes, slippery grip on the hockey stick and soggy shoes. It somehow added to the satisfaction of going out there and getting some exercise!

After all that running around I decided that a more gentle approach to exercise was a good follow on and so S and I took her Scottish terrier for a walk up Kilmashogue, a poorly timed walk it has to be said. We met at 7h30 and began our ascent with Alfie happily leading the way. At 8h15 we decided to turn around and head back as the evenings have shortened alarmingly and we found ourselves stumbling back in near darkness towards the end of our descent! Of course we had Alfie for protection and S and I did not feel the need to speed walk, or jog on our way back to the cars, at least we got to appreciate the sights of lit up Dublin spread peacefully below us. I think form now on our mountain walks will have to take place on the weekends and when the urge of an evening walk attacks, we will prowl the streets of suburbia instead.

New Beginnings

2009-09-03T21:57:00.002+01:00

This post has been postponed and put off for a very long time but I guess I have to bite the bullet and get it over and done with. I think I have not been blogging because things are so different now and even though all the important people in my life know about this, it is still a very awkward topic that will hit a nerve with loved ones. I also do not want to upset anyone with posts, but I guess at the end of the day reading what I write is a personal choice.

Simply put I asked Malcolm for a separation and after a year I moved out into my own apartment and started a very new and foreign journey. The girls have been absolutely fantastic and although I am sure it is difficult for them they have settled well and are very encouraging and supportive.
I am not going to say much else about it, as it is obviously very personal but perhaps after getting this out the way I can return to blogging with some enthusiasm, instead of treating a hobby I used to enjoy as a duty and a chore.

Eureka! Ikea.

2009-08-04T22:15:00.003+01:00

Armed with bottles of mixed cordial, CD's and the promise of lots to look at, the girls and I made our way along the M50 to the new Ikea in Ballymum. We were happy enough to wait in the long queues to get into the car park, in fact we had decided that it would be part of the whole experience, and at least I knew I would not get 'Are we there yet?' because they would actually be looking at Ikea while stuck in the car!
The amount of QT we ended up getting would make speed dating on telly look slow, it took us a horrifyingly quick 10 minutes before we were in a parking space slamming the doors. Oh well.
The store is massive, I heard on the radio that it is either the size or Croke Park..or twice the size, considering 80 000 people fit into Croke to watch Bono and the gang...that makes Ikea rather humongous.
We meandered around upstairs in the show area - they even have a 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartment fully kitted out in Ikea, pretty cool.
Lunch was a mere recession busting €10.70 although admittedly the order was 3 fries, smoked salmon, brown bread, 2 juices and a coffee (free refills on drinks) but still!!!!
All in all it was a great day out and we will definitely be going back for mattresses (if my Internet research can unearth some good feedback), book cases and anything else we might need in the near future, oh and maybe, just maybe LUNCH!

Get on your boots...

2009-07-26T21:33:00.002+01:00

And walk down to Croke park for the final night of the U2 concert! We are lucky enough to have FOUR tickets for Monday night in our little paws. Getting the tickets was....interesting. See we really, really wanted to go, so we logged on to Ticket Master using all three computers, feeling very very clever...until we discovered that when Ticket Masters website sees multiple log ons from the same IP address you can't get tickets! Needless to say we had a highly annoyed Mr Rule and a very sheepish Mrs Rule...it had been my idea to attack from three fronts after all. So...we missed out.

Of course when Bono heard what had happened, and that the RULES had missed out on tickets he said that he simply could not perform in Dublin without us being able to experience the magic and so it transpired that a third date was added to the Dublin tour. Now this is all top secret, Dubliners think that it is because he likes playing to his home crowd. In reality he had to sell another 59996 or so tickets or it would not have been financially viable for the band...

So yes, tomorrow night we are taking two very lucky teenage girls and four very, very expensive tickets (that is ANOTHER ticket master disaster involving panic and the option - Best seats available, and had NOTHING to do with me this time) to the 360 degree tour with The Script opening...who just so happens to be a band we really enjoy too. Lucky, lucky US.

Don't tell Jess...

2009-07-26T21:25:00.003+01:00

Jess churned out yet another masterpiece, this time for Carla, who is doing her babies room in a Winnie the Pooh theme, she has been on summer holidays and was in the mood for a bit of culture, Joe (Carla's husband) reckons she should go into business! Of course I agree, in fact I have a poet and an artist so I should set up shop with both of them - Jess can illustrate Kirstin's poems....oh and I will just bake the cupcakes for the tea room...

Fairy cake magic

2009-07-26T21:00:00.005+01:00

This morning I got up and started baking for my friends baby shower. When sleepy head Jess came downstairs at 10h30 she was very disappointed to discover that I had already baked and decorated a dozen cupcakes and made a milk tart.

So of course I had to make another batch, this time substituting half the milk for orange flower water to try something different. Luckily Kirstin wanted to prepare the batter so besides my little tweak she actually did all the work!

I had made cream cheese frosting for the first batch so this time I made vienna cream frosting, again using the orange flower water instead of milk. We used the food colouring very carefully as we wanted pale pastel colours and the results were not half bad. I demonstrated the icing technique using the yellow on four cupcakes clamouring for some decoration and accessories and then the girls each got to dress up four cupcakes too. I think the results were fabulous...and not only did they look good dressed up in such finery, they tasted fantastic too!

Get a Hair cut and get a Real job!

2009-07-24T08:13:00.003+01:00

Yesterday D at work turned around to another D and told her "to get a haircut and get a real job". We all laughed at his comment and then he told us it was the name of a song...so here it is, I think it is funny, not sure this is his best effort, maybe it is, I had no idea who he was and I had not heard the song but I read the lyrics at work yesterday and decided it could be a fun Friday song, Happy weekend everyone!!!!!

ONCE - Falling Slowly

2009-07-11T22:59:00.004+01:00

The girls and I have just finished watching an indie movie called "Once" and this is the feature song, in fact the song won an Oscar although not without some controversy. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The song was nominated at the 50th Grammy Awards for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media; it lost to "Love You I Do" from Dreamgirls.[4]
The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on 24 February 2008, ahead of the choral gospel song "Raise It Up" from August Rush and three songs from the modern Disney musical Enchanted.[3] The song's win marked the fourth year in a row that the Oscar winner had not been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. For some time, the song's eligibility for an Oscar was in dispute, because it had been performed and recorded prior to the release of Once[3] The Academy ruled that because the song had been composed for the movie, and the prior public exposure during the long period that the movie took to produce had been minimal, it remained eligible.[2] The Academy had ruled likewise on a similar controversy involving 2004 Best Original Song nominee "In the Deep".

I loved the song when I first heard it, and although the movie was a low budget one, the girls and I thoroughly enjoyed the 'humanness' (is that a word?) of it and the fact that it is all set in Dublin and we have walked so many of the streets that appear in the film. Enjoy!

And I have to share another one with you...I had not heard it until I saw the movie, but WOW, the kids and I just looked at each other and got covered in goose bumps, her voice is so full of emotion. If you would like to know more about the movie here is a link to Wikipedia, copy and paste it (don't you just love it?) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)

Fostering

2009-07-11T15:45:00.003+01:00

When I was introduced to Tippin I had to lie on the lounge floor to get a look at the black and white mother of two hiding under my sofa. The sight of anyone at the glass doors to the lounge sent her into a small hissing fit or a mad dash for the security beneath the furniture. A week later this blog post is being interrupted by her stretching out across the computer desk talking to me begging for a scratch. She has certainly made herself at home and we can here her all day talking and meowing all over the house.
Her two little boys Davey and Oliver have three very capable mothers, two of whom have realised that raising kittens is very hard work. Unfortunately there are downsides to kitten fostering.
The biggest hurdle? The litter box. The cats are not allowed outside so when we got the cats we also got litter trays and cat grit. WELL. It stinks, unbelievably and to make matters worse we cannot leave windows open for fear of escape. Of course I have to open them a crack and we remove what we can and flush but I have never seen anyone empty the room as quickly as Tippin can after a visit to the red tray in the corner! And yes we do change the litter...frequently.
We also spend a lot of time sweeping or vacuuming up litter as she is a very enthusiastic digger - I guess even she knows that she needs to bury that awful smell as quickly as possible!
Kittens are very busy little things and I have even had to remove them from the dining room table! At least puppies cannot claw their way up to places animals are not meant to be. Of course when I walk into the lounge and see one curled up on top of the Sky box (it is warm) and the other sleeping under the coffee table it is kinda nice! But they certainly are a handful and a good lesson for the kids. Yikes, Tippin is back on the desk demanding attention...as nice as this is I think I will risk being called heartless and admit that 7 weeks of cats will be long enough, and yes for the kids too!

Jason Marz - I'm Yours

2009-07-10T07:53:00.002+01:00

At last a Friday song again, and this happens to be one of those cheerful ditty's. Whenever it comes on the radio Jess enthusiastically twists the volume button and we all enjoy.

2009-07-07T07:39:00.002+01:00

Wednesday was market day in Port Pollensa and I wanted to have a look and see what they had, so even though we woke up to magnificent blue skies and decided that the beach was the place to be, we set off for the market first. I loved it, so many stalls selling so many things, clothes, jewellery, nuts and dried fruit, fresh fruit and vegetables, barrels of olives and more. Jess and I both found lovely pieces of jewellery and then I chose some olives and we got some fresh fruit and vegetables for the apartment. By 11h30 we were done and on our way to join Don and Maura who had gone straight to the beach earlier in the morning, it was Maura’s last day with us and they had more records to smash with the bat and ball, they got to an absurd 4 digit number – apparently it was a very good bat and ball set!
We spent the entire day at the beach, finally leaving at 17h30, Maura had to get ready to leave and Malcolm made a salad for us all to snack on because we were planning on going for dinner when he and Don got back from the airport at around 21h00. Jess had choice of restaurant and she had chosen Dakota – American style, looked a lot like the Spur steak houses to me! She had also specifically booked a table on the ‘island’ right next to the water, which was a fabulous location but the wind was a bit chilly and considering the kids and I had waited an hour for the table there was no way that we were settling for a more sheltered spot! Of course we were waiting for Malcolm and Don too, so we had no choice BUT to wait…but still! We did not really mind waiting anyway, people watching was fascinating and it was great to sit and chat in such a relaxed way. Passing the time!
Thursday was same again, except the kids bought blow up tubes from a shop and spent a lot of time bobbing in the sea. Don and Malcolm played bat and ball and I soaked up sun and read my book. We all went for an early dinner to Simbad – Kristin’s choice, when she had spotted macaroni cheese on their menu her decision was made. Malcolm and I had the paella which was much too salty, and for me to say that is BAD!!! Kirstin had an amazing macaroni cheese; we all declared it the dish of the night. After dinner Malcolm made yet another trip to the airport to drop Don off, shame he had been having so much fun he did not want to leave! The girls and I strolled into town and got ice cream cones and slowly made our way back to the apartment.

Memorable OJ...

2009-07-05T12:34:00.000+01:00

Tuesday was another cloudy beginning. We decided to take a drive to a town called Deiá because I had discovered it in my book, "1000 places to see before you die" (or die trying) and a friend of Maura's had also recommended it. We had hired a Peugeot 206 so fitting the six of us would be challenging, but it was a mere 40 km's away so we knew it would be a short drive with a big pay off, if reading the description in my book was anything to go by!

We headed off in a cheerful fashion but arrived in Deiá weary, hot, nauseous and bothered. Our journey was through the mountains, absolutely spectacular but as the roads were narrow and unbelievably serpentine so it had taken us over two hours!

"The road is long, with many a windy turns..............."

We did stop at a viewing spot and drank in the view, sadly the pictures do not do it justice. There was a little shop carved into the wall of the mountain and a Spanish lady stood and pressed oranges, selling the freshly squeezed juice to tired and thirsty travelers. Kirstin and I sat on the wall and sipped our juice - and proclaimed it the most memorable orange juice we have (and possible would ever) ever drunk. Slightly refreshed we continued on our journey - still believing that our destination was JUST around the corner. Little did we know that our stop was around the half way mark!

We walked around the little village and finally settled on a spot for a snack and a drink and referred to the map to find a route home that did not involve more mountains. We discovered that we could head back towards Palma and then take the motorway back to Port Pollensa, a long way around in mileage but we KNEW that there was NO way we could face those winding roads twice in one day! Our decision made we all squashed and folded our way back into the car and headed home, arriving back in Port Pollensa a mere one hour later!

Plotting our next move on the map!

By the time we got back it was about 17h00 but the sun was shining and it was so hot that we all headed down to the beach for a swim. Don and Maura also had their faithful bat and ball and attempted to break their record of 260 without missing...it was fascinating watching them, they find their rhythm and then it is back and forth for AGES..

Dinner was the usual long slow walk and Don made the decision and we had dinner at a place called Totts, offering a 3 course meal including a glass of wine, beer, soda or sangria for €15 per person.

Beach holiday beginnings

2009-07-03T07:59:00.009+01:00

Sunday morning we woke to a familiar sight...clouds. I didn't care, it was warm and dry and we were on holiday! The coffee I had bought the night before was revolting; I do not think that the lime scale in the kettle helped so the kids and I wondered down to find a spot for breaky. Malcolm headed off to the airport to collect Donovan and Maura and the girls and I sat in the heat and soaked up the peace of the island. The spot we chose for our breakfast was across the road from the beach so the view was amazing. The girls ordered fresh orange and that is exactly what they got - the Spanish know how to serve up fresh juice.

After breakfast all the shops were begging for little miss shopaholics attention (that would be Jess by the way) and so we wondered around poking our noses into interesting spots and before we knew it Malcolm was back from the airport with two hungry bodies, so it was back to a restaurant to feed the travelers. We ended up at a place called Simbad and the owner was so friendly and the cafe' con leche (coffee with milk) was a huge improvement on the poison back at the apartment so we elected it the coffee spot for the week.

By the end of breakfast the clouds had dissipated and we went back to the apartment and changed into beach gear and headed down to the sand, warm sea and sun. Kirstin did not like swimming in the sea, she hated not knowing what was below, but when the whole gang headed out to the buoy she swallowed her fear and went along with everyone. I watched them from the shore, after lying in the sun the warm sea felt cold and I was rather hesitant getting in and before I knew it their heads were bobbing very far away; by the time I swam out to join them they were turning back! We all floated around in the gentle swell enjoying the experience of the extra buoyancy because of the salty water. Our surroundings were breathtaking, the beach was perfect and we knew that this would be a fabulous beach holiday.

Later in the evening we headed toward the port for dinner, there were so many restaurants to choose from and Maura suggested that every night a different person could pick a place, we all thought it was a great idea and gave her first choice and so it was that we all found ourselves eating pizzas and salads at a corner Italian place that boasted the best pizzas in Pollensa. I find the bases of the pizzas strange, it is more like a pastry then a dough, very thin crust and very little tomato base. It was a delicious pizza, just not what I am accustomed too. After dinner we strolled around for a while and got ice cream cones for everyone and then headed back to the apartment. Our first full day on holiday had been fabulous!

Let's start at the very beginning...

2009-06-28T22:06:00.003+01:00

Hola! Where do I begin? The flight was FULL and left on time. Jess and Kirstin managed to get seats next to each other but Malcolm and I were scatterlings of Ryanair - he upfront and me near the tail. I got a middle seat, between two guys from USA on their way to Palma to celebrate a 40th birthday party. We had a great flight, J the 6'1" guy was really nervous of flying which was highly amusing because he is a pilot - well in training and only in little planes! By the end of the flight I had been invited to join the 40th birthday party celebrations - with 91 guests I guess another bod is no big deal!
We landed 30 minutes early - half an hour extra holiday I cheered, little did we know the inefficiency that is Palma airport meant that the 30 minutes were spent waiting for stairs for the plane! Ah well. No amend that too...another 3o minutes wasted waiting for our luggage - I think Palma owe me an hour.
Next was the car hire and that really peed me off. We had to go to a central meeting point and find a person in a yellow shirt. It felt a little like the Amazing Race- which incidentally I have discovered I would SUCK at. Then we had to go outside and look out for a mini bus that said Centurio (or something close to that) on its side and we would be whisked off to the car hire place 5 minutes from the airport. Sadly we are not as pushy as most of the other families utilizing the car hire service so we miss out on 2 busses (they only hold 6 people – you do the math when faced with mostly FAMILIES) and by the time we get to the car hire place it is 18h45 – and we landed at 17h00!!!
Next is the drive to Pollensa – uneventful besides driving on the WRONG side of the road!
We missed the grocery store by a minute – as I ran in they turned the lights out….right now I hate my Mallorca holiday!
Finding our apartment is slightly challenging – the garmin is not doing her job, but only because it does not recognize the street name we input. The restaurants are overflowing with happy patrons as we drive around aimlessly and my stomach is beginning to remind me that I have not eaten since 13h00. This annoys me because by the time we find our apartment the places will all be closed – it is now close to 22h00…an open Spar! Wahoo – milk, wine, bread, ham, cheese and coffee – sorted!
Stroke of luck! Malcolm asks a woman if she knows where our street is and it turns out we are only a block away, this is superb news and if I had a tail it would be wagging furiously. Once we locate the apartment complex the next trick is finding our door “E” with a key tacked to it. The hunt is over after about 5 minutes with Kirstin triumphantly holding the coveted key. We had also spotted a really great restaurant around the corner that was still open, so after dumping our luggage and Dublin clothes (jeans) we legged it down to dinner.
The restaurant was great, across the road from the sea (of course we soon realized that these are a dime a dozen) and we sat and ate al fresco. I decided to have fish, Dorado was part of the 3 course menu on offer and Malcolm said it was a fabulous game fish. I think a Dorado is a different fish altogether in Mallorca because there was no way the little guy winking up at me from my plate was a game fish – and yes eyeballing me because it was WHOLE!!! Game fish meant a nice fillet or a steak in my mind, not a teeth to tail on my plate affair so I ate it with caution and yes to be honest…long teeth, but I did eat it. Of course I also did leave a fair bit on my plate so there was no way I was missing out on my third course and when they mentioned crème caramel that definitely sealed my calorie counting fate. It was also a spring board to many more dinners ending in something sweet - a habit I do not often indulge in, the constricta style jeans I am wearing today have reminded me of my bad holiday eating habits - ah well.

Hoooo Boy!

2009-06-16T21:06:00.003+01:00

Wow, it has been a while - I just feel like I have nothing interesting to say on my blog..but then I think, did I ever?
Work has been hectic, we have been short staffed for ages so it has been challenging but a new staff member joined a couple of weeks ago. She is still in training and I feel sorry for her because it has been slow going as we still have to do all the usual work and try and teach her!
On Saturday we fly to Majorca/Mallorca (depending on who you are talking to!) for a week of sea, sand and sun and we are looking forward to it immensely. We are staying in a self catering apartment which looks really nice, Malcolm booked our holiday this year so I am just going with the flow. It feels really strange as I am usually the one doing all the organising but now that I am working I do not have as much time on my hands, Malcolm did for a while but now work has got very busy for him too as he is running with a finance project.

Kirstin and Jess are now young ladies, and make me very proud, Kirstin is almost as tall as I am and although she still enjoys her go kart is definitely more of a GIRL. Gone are the days when she did not brush her hair before leaving the house, invariably with a chocolate moustache!
A trip to the mall is not like it used to be, outfits need to be co-ordinated, make up applied (mascara only for Kirstin - have given up saying no) and hair fiddled with. Jess writes her last state exam tomorrow and then the summer holidays begin, although Kirstin has been enjoying her summer holiday since the end of May! Jess has been home when not writing exams and I think she adopted the holiday spirit so I am not sure how keen she is to see her Junior Cert results in September! We have had some fabulous weather and it is really awesome to have daylight until after 22h00...summer in SA may be longer but enjoying daylight for 5 hours after work is brilliant, albeit short-lived!
Now I am afraid it is time to do a bit of cleaning, got home and baked peanut butter chocolate chip biscuits with the kids...kitchen needs my help!

Love Actually..

2009-06-13T18:03:00.001+01:00

A song from one of my favouite movies...especially because Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are fabulous!!

Flora mini marathon - Done and dusted

2009-06-01T18:00:00.002+01:00

I did it! Finished the Flora Mini marathon! Before I even began the marathon I had to walk 1.5 km's to my luas stop which was teaming with women in running gear, man paradise!

When I got into Stephens Green I decided to visit the ladies, avoiding porta loos being my primary reason. I battled to get into the shopping centre because of all the people and once I made it up 2 flights of stairs and saw the queue for the ladies I made a hasty exit. I guess 40 000 women clog up a mall with ease...

I walked down Baggott street to the meeting point and nipped into Burger King - no queue for the ladies there! I met up with two of my colleagues and we made our way to the starting point. Interesting!

If you could see the sights I saw! The shoes some wore, would cause the feet to roar! (Sounds a bit like Dr Seuss there) Okay seriously then...for a 10km mini (I know) marathon may I present you with the image of a woman in HEELS - yes I promise it is true. Women walking in skirts, jeans, women looking ready for a night out after the leisurely 10km stroll. Well at least it helped pass the agonising 35 minute wait in the sweltering sun! Katie and I had a good gawk and an even better giggle. And then we were off! I was VERY nervous as Katie had been training and I did not want to get left behind because her husband was looking after my purse and phone (Kirstin did not want me to leave home without a lifeline...for her) so I mentally prepared myself for hell..."When you get that stitch, keep going, when your calf muscles are screaming, keep running, when you can hardly breathe, keep breathing, etcetera" and then I surprised ME. I could jog the course, I discovered that the reason I can only make it around the block is because I start too fast! I run instead of jog. I had a marvellous time! I confess to being very relieved in the beginning because with 40 000 women we actually could not jog but then things began to open up and Katie began to move...and I kept up! In fact I think I could have jogged more than we did! It was extremely hot so we decided to take it easy and did some walking but in truth I wanted to keep practicing my new found ability to JOG!!! Of course being sprayed with water by firemen along the route gave all us ladies that little bit of extra reserve energy required to push on through! I now have my first mini marathon medal and plan to start a little collection I think!

After the marathon I caught the luas home, jam packed full of other sweaty smelly women! In fact I hoped I could make it all the way to Windy Arbour for the odour! I got home (another 1.5km walk I MUST point out) and the first thing I said to Kirstin as she opened the door was "Do I smell?" She sniffed the air rather carefully, came in for a closer whiff and confidently said no. "How about under my pits" I asked lifting my hand to the heavens. She backed away slowly but I really did need to check... and so the poor child came in for a cautious sniff again and a relieved (and surprised) look crossed her face as she declared me smelly free. Perhaps I need to work a little harder next year??

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Bliss

2009-06-01T08:21:00.003+01:00

I cannot begin to describe the fabulous feelings that are welling up inside me and all because we are enjoying our fourth day in a row of pure blue skies and marvelous rays of sunshine; according to google this pattern is set to continue until Wednesday, perhaps longer but our home page only give a 3 day forecast.
To attempt putting into words how beautiful Dublin is when the sunshine is difficult, but I think I have raved about it in varying degrees in previous posts.

We have a park across the road from work and on Friday Alan, Artur, Demi and myself all bought sandwiches and went and found a beautiful spot on the grass amongst hundreds of other like minded people and ate our lunch. We soaked up the sun and the atmosphere, appreciating the beautiful day that we had been given.
After work we all headed to Diceys beer garden and I enjoyed a shandy with my team, soaking up the sun again! It was amazing standing there in my short sleeved shirt and skirt, watching people in summery gear streaming into the garden, all the more cheerful because we were looking ahead to the 3 day weekend!

Malcolm was enjoying a sports and social event at The Kingston Hotel near his work and they also sat outside enjoying the first days of summer. Sadly he spent a lot of the beautiful Saturday with a wee thumping in his head but on Sunday he got to enjoy another fab day outdoors playing cricket. This morning he heads off for Mullingar to play cricket again, this time on a private estate, yep some guy with a little bit of money has a cricket ground in his garden where games are played, apparently it is a lovely setting...I bet! Maybe Malcolm will take some pictures today and I can post them on here at a later date.

For now I am off to enjoy another fantastic morning, and a small matter of an unprepared for mini marathon....

Run Natalie Run...

2009-05-30T21:43:00.002+01:00

Or walk! I am taking part in the Flora women's mini marathon on Monday. It is the largest women's race of its kind in the world. Wow. I tried to do a bit of training, walked home from work a couple of times and attempted (poorly) a run around Marley Park. I THINK I managed 1.5 km's....and walked the rest. Two hockey tournaments in May have to have helped right?

This morning I spent a very pleasant morning with Katie, we went to the R.D.S and collected our race numbers and then wondered around sampling all the things on offer. They had a Wi Fit section and I had my weight and BMI checked...my BMI was in the ideal range - woohoo!!! I did a whole lot of little tests and eventually my fit age was revealed...32! Happy little camper moi!!!

Perhaps a 32 year old version of me will manage a jog? Worst case scenario...a scenic walk around Dublin at 15h00 on Monday, and at least we raised money for our charity through work! I will actually try to jog a lot of the course, wish me luck!

The LATE Friday song

2009-05-30T09:50:00.001+01:00

What can I say, last night at Dicey's this song played and I thought, oh I like...good Friday song - I know it is Saturday but I heard it on Friday!

IT'S BAAACK

2009-05-21T22:28:00.003+01:00

Wow all hands on deck for a crazy weekend at Three Rock and lots of hockey. I am beginning to question my enthusiasm of being on the committee...so much to do and so little time! Who am I kidding? I love the rush! Tomorrow my day begins in a Desperate Housewives type fashion with a trip to the hairdresser for an overdue highlight session and after that the fun begins, programmes to be collected, envelopes to be stuffed, food to be bought, glasses to be collected and somewhere in between I have to get myself semi glammed up for our Friday evening get together - guess that means I should go and put myself to bed, was hoping to find a Friday song as I have been neglecting that but what's another week eh?

Calm before the next storm...

2009-05-17T17:27:00.002+01:00

A glass of wine, a joint of beef in the oven, football and the sound of pages turning in the background. Welcome to Sunday in my home today. The page turning is my eldest preparing for junior cert, the football, we duh ... and the glass of wine? Well just a glass of wine really, but it does create a warm fuzzy glow as an added bonus.
Weekends as a working mum are very different to what I am accustomed to, but I have found my rhythm, Saturday is cleaning (oh OKAY...unless something more appealing rares its head) and Sunday at some stage is the hunting and gathering for the week ahead. To this end I have to just say...I L-O-V-E Aldi. My budget remains intact and generally I even have a little left over grocery money at the end of the month, how great is that! I have also discovered frozen mashed potato (in three varieties) which is fab for the working mom, and today I am testing out the Maris Piper roast potatoes...we will see. My potato ricer has not been forgotten I hasten to add, just not as utilised as in the past!
Blissful weekend it may be, but I do have to confess that I am also really looking forward to next weekend. TRR Vets hockey festival time of year again and as my family have learnt....I'm here, but not really ( a stop over for a change of clothes and spot of beautifying) as most of the weekend (OK...all of the weekend) is spent playing hockey and then evenings socialising. This year I am on the organising committee so a bit more work will have to be done, but hopefully it will just add to the buzz of the whole weekend.
Sadly it flies by so quickly, this morning I woke up thinking ... "This time last week I was in Black Pool" and in some ways it already feels so long ago! I guess I just have to make every minute count and then hold onto the memories I create for as long as possible! (The wine talking???)
Wow, this afternoon really is peaceful, wet and cloudy, lots of rain but feeling so content.

James how could you?

2009-05-16T18:02:00.004+01:00

A while ago I went and bought a new hand beater, this is a rather necessary appliance in my kitchen even though it does not get as much action as it once did. I popped into House of Fraser and was rather amused to see that James Martin has added his smiling face to the boxes on the Wahl products. The price was very similar to all the others so I decided to get it - even though I did not know the brand, James had me convinced that it would be a long lived kitchen appliance.
WRONG.
Sadly it lost the battle with the brownie mix and died a slow and agonising death (well it SOUNDED painful) while trying to beat the batter. Wimp! Sadly I have seen a few more appliances with his name, but I am not going to be tricked into buying another Wahl product by one of my favourite TV chefs.
I guess buying quality only applies to the actual ingredients when cooking with James.

Eastern Promise

2009-05-11T18:07:00.006+01:00

I sat in the lounge area of reception yesterday morning after checking out with a heavy heart, but that was a good thing because the reason for my gloominess was the end of an absolutely awesome weekend!
Black Pool Fylde Fillies Hockey Festival did NOT disappoint. In fact if anything it was even better than last year because some of the faces were now familiar and it was great to catch up with people from a year ago. I left having met even more people and 2010 will no doubt be another great reunion! See I am already planning to attend next year.
Paula has a wicked sense of humour and to this end I was made team captain for the weekend, just goes to show the spirit in which we play…i.e. not very seriously!

Besides forgetting the name of the team we were playing while doing a ‘Three Cheers’ all went fairly smoothly, although I did not do much and elected Fiona as my mouthpiece because she is very good at encouraging everyone!
I did manage to sustain a few injuries; my beautifully swollen foot has done my injury proud! When it first happened and I was hobbling about I felt like a bit of a hypochondriac but now I am vindicated and have proudly showed off my bruises and scrapes – a wonderful astro burn on my left arm also generates a suitable wince to all who see it!
On Saturday night we all dressed up in the same outfits, and I must say it was pretty cool dancing in the turquoise circle that made up the Dolly Mixtures.
As usual all the teams rose to the challenge and some of the outfits were absolutely amazing.

After all the dancing a whole bunch of us ended up curled up on chairs and couches chatting until after 04h00 and then we all felt satisfied that we had met the magic hour and now had bragging rights for Sunday morning as to how little sleep we needed. Pulling off a win in the first game of the day on Sunday, was the highlight of our hockey games, especially as we had to get up earlier to get to the pitches!
Sunday evening was a repeat of last year with a visit into Black Pool to watch Funny Girls which did not disappoint. Afterwards we walked over to a bar called Roxy’s were the music drew us all on to the dance floor and we had a fantastic time.
More chatting ensued back at the hotel and another early morning bed time was the result! Somehow we still managed to make breakfast before the 10h00 cut off and then as the sun was shining and the whole sky was painted blue we even had a walk on the beach.

Black Pool here I come AGAIN

2009-05-06T23:30:00.002+01:00

Wow I cannot believe a year has passed me by and I am off to Black Pool for the hockey tournament. This year the dinner on Saturday night is Eastern Promise - our outfits are...actually you can see the pictures when I get back!
It has been a manic week, Monday being a public holiday has thrown me off a bit and I found myself madly grocery shopping and getting bits for tour on Tuesday night.
Wednesday night (tonight) we proudly watched as Jess was presented with her award for Artist of the year 2009 at her school.
Tomorrow night we will be looking for a school in East Glendalough to enjoy seeing our youngest in action on stage and then somewhere in between I need to pack -WHY am I blogging? I have to go and pack!!!! Sorry folks but airport at 09h45 on Friday so adios!!!

Busy little bees

2009-05-06T23:10:00.004+01:00

Friday - Lost the plot in Marks and Spencer - tatty teddy (blue nose bear as I fondly call him) pink dressing gown and slippers proved too darn irresistible and THEN I saw the most beautiful embroidered pajamas and then and then and then...€75 later I made a hasty exit hoping that the fact that the gifts were for my husbands SISTER'S baby would be a good enough defense.
Evening spent with family in front of the TV with Pizza Hut pizza, popcorn, Ben and Jerrys newest flavour - Chocolate Macadamia and DVD's.....ahhhhhhhh.

Saturday & Sunday - Spent the entire day up at the hockey club volunteering during the Irish Hockey League finals. Jess and Kirstin joined me and ended up pitching in too - Kirstin gleefully took up parking attendant duties as it required the use of walkie talkies - over and out!
On Saturday evening we had drinks at the club and a taxi home...car left in car park - on the bright side it was a fabulous spot for Sunday when Kirstin and I reported back for duty after I had done some necessary house work and a pleasant stroll up to the club. Sunday night was more wine...but only one glass and then home for a spot of couch surfing.

Monday - Bank holiday wooohooo!!! Went to Dundrum with Jess and replenished my work wardrobe with a couple of things. Jess ordered some jeans and then made a lunch stop - food was not fabulous but the setting is pretty cool - basically a HUGE glass wall and I am sure on a sunny day it must be fabulous.
Next on the list was a mad dash into town to meet Don and Maura, Maura is working in Dublin for two weeks and we wanted to say a quick hello to Donovan before his flight back to London. We went to a place called Lemon Jelly where Jess Kirstin and I had pancakes - I could make better but they were not bad...and the others had bagels, Malcolm said his was amazing..to me the name Lemon Jelly evokes imagery of fantastic pancakes and all good gooey sweet things, but what do I know? Don left to catch his plane and the rest of us had a little wander around the shops and then called it a day as the kids had to get everything ready for school!

The Vase

2009-04-30T18:17:00.004+01:00

When we were living in New York we invited a couple to our home for dinner after having enjoyed an evening at their place. They arrived and the wife handed over a box from Pottery Barn, not the usual bottle of wine, chocolates or flowers but a beautiful frosted red/brown vase.
For some reason I am affected every time I see that vase. What is it about it? I have no idea, the bearer of the gift is a lovely person but we have no contact, in fact that dinner was the last time I ever saw them.
But something happens inside me when I see that flower receptacle...a lifting of my spirit, a tug deep inside. It is peaking out from the top of my kitchen cupboard in one of the pictures I put on my blog and even there in the picture it caught my eye. I am not a hoarder or a gatherer, am not over sentimental about THINGS but I cannot bear the though of ever losing that vase. Weird.

Showers that don't make you wet

2009-04-27T20:35:00.004+01:00

We have a mini baby boom going on with our SA friends, yep two of my fellow Africans in Dublin are pregnant, a baby boom because our circle is kinda small, and if you count it in couples the percentage is high :)

Anyway!

I decided to throw Kelly a small intimate baby shower to celebrate the coming of their bouncy boy or girl. A brunch was my choice for the late morning gathering and a very surprised Kelly walked in to find smiling familiar faces.
Hours before I had been manically mixing spooning and pressing out muffins and scones while Jessica and Carla went about blowing up balloons and hanging banners.

I had managed to make a makeshift (okay, okay) wash line and hung some baby clothes from it in the lounge and once Carla, Jess and Kirstin had completed the look with pink, blue and cream balloons, changed all the items on the mantle piece for fluffy toys and it looked very much like it was supposed to!
Everyone brought along something tasty to add to the groaning table and much fun ensued.

I had asked everyone to bring pictures from their baby days and we had great fun asking Kelly to guess...
I also bought safety pins and Lisa managed to collect the most safety pins from people who said the "word that was not allowed to be said" - B-A-B-Y.
We also all had a go with a pair of scissors and a ball of string to guess the circumference of Kellys bump!
Lisa brought pin the dummy on the baby which was also loads of fun and a fabulous idea.

For once we did not allow the kids to hijack the lounge but we STILL managed to sit around in the open area by the kitchen! Now guess what we were talking about here....

Kirstin wrote a poem...in about 20 minutes and here it is:

Babies bring excitement and joy

Will it be a baby girl or baby boy?

Picking out a high chair, stroller and crib

Then baby bottles, dummies and bib.

Dirty fingers, crayoned walls,

Shouting and screaming in the malls.

Fairies, princesses dinosaurs and more

T Rex, fairy tales and folk lore.

Cowboys and Indians boys will play,

In the sunshine every day.

Crowns and fairy princess dress

for the girls with very little mess.

Little fingers, little toes

What it will be nobody knows.

SMILE - Lily Allen

2009-04-24T07:48:00.002+01:00

Friday again - and I kick the weeekend off with a 7 a side hockey tournament tonight! Last night the Vets festival committee members got together for a meeting and the three of us ended business at 22h00 and then sat around talking until midnight, it was fabulous. Good springboard to the coming weekend!

Corridor Duty!

2009-04-22T17:03:00.002+01:00

Corridor duty is not all bad. It gives you lots of time to reflect…on when last the carpet you are sitting on was vacuumed! We were there to do a job though - keep the battle of the sexes lines well defined by the patterned carpet running along the hotel wing we were in, girls rooms on one side and boys all opposite.
There was only one small unfortunate incident where I got caught up in a prank…but after that I behaved. Yep, it all started innocently enough, I noticed two girls entering a boy’s room with a key card and went to investigate. The boys whose room they were in had hidden their shoes and it was payback time. I stood helplessly by as they began to dismantle their beds! Of course I had to tell them that there were better ways to do things, soap on the toothbrush being one of my personal favourites. Unfortunately I got caught up in the moment and next thing the boys were trying to get into the room and I was hidden in the bathroom where of course I was discovered, the boys got a rather big fright to see me there, oh dear not a very good example, but extremely funny…
After that little hiccup I took my task more seriously and settled down to carpet scrutiny with the other four on my ‘team’.
We decided to let the kids all sit in the corridor and socialise as it was the easiest way to keep an eye on EVERYBODY. Sadly this did not work out very well and a very angry night manager came upstairs to find 29 kids, linen pillows and five adults hanging out in the corridor, OOPS. Unfortunately ONE of the rooms on our floor was occupied – typical. After that everyone was sent to their own rooms and we continued supervision from the corridor and played lie dice. I discovered that I am NOT very good at it. I also learned to play backgammon and think that perhaps adding another board game to our alarmingly big collection may be necessary.
At 02h00 three people went to bed, and I was NOT one of them. Dave and I heard the kids trying to peak under the door (looking for feet) and I hatched a cruel and evil plan...we left shoes outside every noisy room. I guess as a mother of two girls my instinct to keep things in order was too strong. and we prowled the corridor, listening out for stirring and sneaking about noises. At one point I went into one of the girls room just in time to here a thump on the window. I went and flung it open, peeped outside, looked left and right and discovered why the rooms had quietened down - they were all hanging out their windows for flow of conversation purposes! At first they mistook me for one of their own so it was very difficult keeping the laugh out of my voice as I roared for all of them to get into their rooms and go to bed. Somehow I managed though because 5 heads disappeared at alarming speed.
Next we confiscated the handset from the phones as every couple of minutes our hopeful 'it has been quiet for a while' would be shattered by the ringing of a phone in some or other room.
Finally it got quiet - 03h00.... Dave and I lay in the corridor on our pillows and he slowly drifted off to sleep and then I heard a cell phone alarm! I jumped up and stood at the door of the room and listened carefully, some rustling and then silence. I hid around the corner and took in the sight of Dave gently snoring in the corridor with telephone headsets strewn about and had a fit of the giggles. At 04h15 I woke Dave and we finally got to spend a little time in our rooms for some well earned shut eye. In the morning the kids discovered all the shoes and were absolutely flabbergasted that we had such foresight - the cheek of them! They actually commented that they did not think we were clever enough to come up with a low down dirty trick like that!
They forget....that once upon a long time ago I was one of THEM.

LAST weekend re-visited

2009-04-20T21:23:00.004+01:00

I never finished telling you about my hockey weekend, so a quick run down of the highlights. We spent A LOT of time at the club. Every morning started with breakfast at 10h00 and then it was a day of hockey for the kids, a lot of sweet buying and water carrying by me and a lot of encouragement - they all thought my psoitive thinking was MAD...but humoured me anyway and went from an apalling loss in the first game to a very proud draw in the second - and afterwards they told me how the positive thinking had really helped them, let that be a lesson! 15 year old girls agreeing with an adult - I kid you not.

Slowly but surely I got to know some of them, it was rather daunting I have to say, especially as I did not know ANY of them and they did not know me!

On Saturday night there was a dance, which finally ended at midnight and all the kids trailed off with their families. We walked back to our hotel and came across a bar with tables outside and sat down for a drink. We soon discovered (the gay credit card sign above the door was our biggest clue) that we were at a gay bar and had some very interesting conversations with a very funny guy! Of course it was so pleasant that we had a second round of drinks before finally deciding that bed was probably a wise option due to the fact that we would be faced with 29 U16 year olds again in the morning, a very sobering thought!

Fast forward to Sunday night...we all stayed in a HORRIBLE town (sorry if you live there!) and as it is my policy to find the positive in every situation it is this: the best thing about the town is that I can cross it off a list of "Where I would like to live!"

We all went for a walk and some very strange guy followed us for a while, I stayed back with the boys and kept telling them not to turn around, it was just encouraging weirdo...of course boys being boys...but finally we caught up to the rest of our group and Dr Strange sloped off in a different direction.

After our walk the kids went back to causing mayhem and the adults met on the hotel terrace for a sundowner before dinner. At 20h00 all the kids came up to the restaurant and we had a buffet style meal leaning towards kids favourites...29 vs 5 we did not say a word especially as it was all very edible!

And then the fun began! And I think it should be a post unto itself...

First time for EVERYTHING

2009-04-20T12:58:00.002+01:00

So the concert then. The girls and I caught the bus in and walked along the Liffy which was fabulous as we were blessed with blue skies and mild temperatures. Jess and Kirstin put pink sparkly eye shadow on to celebrate the occasion and we all wore comfortable shoes – standing makes this a necessity in my book. I wore my runners and hoped that I would not embarrass my girls. Little did I know that I actually would embarrass them in a way I would not even have imagined.
The opening act was Ray Gun and they were okay but I had been feeling kind of strange all day and after their performance I started feeling a little nauseous – no they were not that bad! I told the girls I was thinking of heading to the back but they did not want me to go so I stayed put. Five minutes later they regretted my company, I felt light headed, put my chin on Jessica’s shoulder and promptly fainted. Typical! The first time I EVER faint is at the 02 packed full of people. I came too and wondered why Kirstin was screaming MOM and in tears, jeez I felt sooo bad, they were terrified. I promptly stood up, confused and somebody handed me their coke which I gratefully accepted. I assured the kids that I was okay and then sat myself down on the floor…eeuuww…and drank my coke. I stayed down for 15 minutes and then took a deep breath and got back up. Luckily that was the end of that nonsense and P!NK came on and everything was right with their world once more. The very first song that she sang was actually the song Jess posted on my blog so that was pretty cool. Watching my children loose themselves in the moment was an awesome experience –they ABSOLUTELY loved every millisecond of the concert and it was unbelievably brilliant, P!nk sure knows how to put on a show. I have been to a few concerts now and I have never experienced anything like it. For all my Face Book friends, the pictures are uploaded – and here is a sampling for the blog too!

P!NK

2009-04-19T15:31:00.004+01:00

I am going to the O2 to see PINK tonight with the girls, we can't wait!

Jess chose the song for the blog...obviously one of her favourites off the Funhouse album...hope I am not the bad influence....

Yes Man

2009-04-17T23:29:00.003+01:00

I know it is only April BUT the funniest movie so far this year is Yes Man. We have just finished watching it and it is laugh out loud funny. Not since Dumb and Dumber...okay and Wedding Crashers have I laughed so much...now the worst thing is to get a rave review for a movie, watch it and not find it funny....so I hope that does not happen after my gushing optimism...but I think Jim Carry is on top form.
Yes it may not all be clever funny but it is good for a laugh..and a few sit up and "maybe we should do that" moments too!

Humble Beginnings

2009-04-17T16:42:00.004+01:00

The weekend did NOT get off to a very good start…I couldn’t fall asleep on Thursday night and at 02h15 a very frustrated me got out of bed and dressed for the day in my new white hoodie and tracksuit (not white!) pants. I often marvel at ladies dressed to the nines for flying – comfort is king for me. I made a bee line for the kettle and passed the time chatting to Malcolm, he had been out with work mates and had not made it to bed.
I collected a few people and headed to the airport and arrived on time at 04h00. It was actually really cool because Malcolm had booked the car into the parking opposite the terminal and as you drive up it registers the number plate and the fact that parking has been paid for online and the boom opens automatically, perfect for such an early start. All the kids had been instructed to wear their white hoodies so it was easy to keep the group together and Aer Lingus saw us all and herded us off in small groups and got us checked in quickly which was fabulous.
Security was a piece of cake - I had checked my hand luggage size bag so liquids were not a problem for once.
I tried to sleep on the plane but it was impossible and it is only a 90 minute flight. We were greeted by the U16 Holland coach who had hired a bus for our trip up to the club and on the way we stopped at a hockey shop called Hockey Republic where we drank coffee while the kids played around, called their parents begging for some or other fancy stick etcetera!
After that it was off to the club where all the kids had a two hour fun training session and I finally had a couple of zzz’s on the couch, well actually old train seats – pretty funky.
The weather was fabulous and I made the most of the rays by donning shorts and T-shirt for maximum ray absorption.
All the meals were organised by the club, so we had sandwiches and fruit for lunch and pasta bolognaise for dinner. By 21h30 we finally left the club and made our way on foot to our hotel (about 2km's away) trailing our bags behind us. We were all exhausted but decided that we HAD to go out and have a drink together and so we dashed upstairs freshened up and met in the lobby 10 minutes later. We went to a pub and had a couple of rounds of drinks before admitting defeat and sleep walking back to the hotel to our very comfortable beds.

Running to Stand Still - U2

2009-04-14T20:01:00.000+01:00

Wonderful friends

2009-04-09T08:02:00.002+01:00

Last night we played our hockey game with the Vets men. We mixed it all up and I played froward, which I have not done in AGES. I was rather trepidacious as I have got rather comfortable at the back and the men are good and I am not sure they suffer fools gladly on the hockey pitch! That is why I have to make extra effort in the kitchen - like Nigella's rice pilaf with the curry Wendy made instead of stock standard boiled rice! I digress.
Left wing was my position last night and by some miracle the ball managed to find me while I was in the D and I scored TWO goals. I also got hit in the chest with the ball - really hard! The good thing is that I realised that it is less painful than I had imagined getting hit would be. After the game Bruce made a joke that I had been taking performance enhancing drugs, of course I was pleased with that comment because I certainly have come a long way since my first mixed game with them!
My friend Hillary also told me that she has freed up her morning so that we can walk up the Great Sugar Loaf today with the girls as she would love to meet them and I was really touched by that. Looks like the Sugar Loaf may not happen because rain is threatening but nothing is stopping us from the coffee and scones at Avoca anyway! I really have been so fortunate there are so many wonderful people in my life, here and back in South Africa. Lucky me.

Things I am grateful for today

2009-04-08T17:44:00.002+01:00

The budget is the budget. Everybody is complaining BUT how can I? Yes I have to pay more, but that is because I have a JOB. I do think that justice needs to be served and assets need to be seized BUT I have decided to keep looking on the bright side, like the cocktail I had last week.... a sunny disposition!

First - My children, I am so enjoying that wake up cuddle and being here with them while they are on holiday

Second - Sheena. I was having my usual self doubt about this silly little blog, a total of 10 visitors today - and I would not mind except that none of them were NOT from home...sniff.
I sat here looking at my blog and just thought how much easier it would be to go onto my dashboard and hit delete. No more stress. Then I got an email from Sheena asking for my blog address...I am a strong believer in signs so enough said.

Third - Sunny skies and a 15 degree reading from my car, in a t-shirt right now!

Fourth - My self indulgent day, a pedicure and french paint - love looking at my toes in my brightly striped slip slops.

Fifth - My new fabric softener...I have just washed my new hoodie and cannot wait to pull it over my head and take a deep breath through my nose!

Sixth - Hockey game tonight against the men's Vets team and a dinner afterwards.

And last but by no means least a great weather forecast for our trip - 20 degrees on Friday!!!! Saturday it drops by 2 but that is still fantastic....I am soooooo excited!!!!!!

To new experiences

2009-04-07T21:41:00.002+01:00

And onward and upward we go. This weekend I am off to keep a watchful eye over the U16 hockey teams - tonight was the final meeting with the parents and players and I am now VERY excited at what lies ahead. I have my own white embroidered tour hockey hoodie and I am READY. The tournament is very well organised, we all meet at the club for breakfast every morning and get fed lunch and dinner there too. On Friday night Emma and I are off to explore the city because the kids all go and stay with host families. I am not sure about Saturday night as yet, I believe the hockey club hosts a disco and I am guessing we have to ensure that our charges keep themselves.... well to themselves! But they do go home with host families again after that.
On Sunday night we all get bussed to a hotel and that is where the guarding takes on a more serious note, we do corridor duty...ALL NIGHT...in shifts. Monday we are off to a Disney type theme park and then it is on a coach bus back to the airport for our flight home.

STILL on about that ride...

2009-04-07T21:27:00.002+01:00

Where was I? Saturday morning....I think! Firstly downloaded photo's onto the memory stick so that I could print photo's for the frame. Then it was Dundrum for a new hand beater - saving THAT story for another day and some baby clothes for the newest addition to the family - our niece. I got the pictures printed, cannot remember the last time I held actual photographs in my hand! Rose and I met at Butler's for a coffee and then it was home to finish off the picture frame for Sido and to make brownies.
Jess, Sido and Kirstin walked down the road to one of our favourite breakfast places to give Sido an Irish breakfast on her last day. When they got back we presented her with the frame...she was so thrilled she cried! I was so very glad that I had gone to the effort, it was worth it.
People started arriving at 2 and then at 2h45 I had to drive Sido up to school to catch the coach that was taking the Spanish students to the airport. It was all very emotional and the kids all waved the bus off and then it was a mad dash back home to a crowd of friends for my birthday hamburger braai (BBQ).
It was a great afternoon, lots of nice prezzies, great company and food...and wine..and we finally wrapped up at around 22h00 which also meant a good night's sleep! I woke up on Sunday and lay there thinking back on one of the craziest weeks I can remember and feeling rather sad that it was finally time to face facts....my birthday is well and truly over for another whole year....

It has been one hell of a ride (Part 3)

2009-04-07T10:51:00.002+01:00

The rest of the week passed in a bit of a blur. I do remember driving out to Dunnes 20 minutes away at 21h00 on Monday evening, looking for a pair of wellies that Jess all of a sudden HAD to have for a farm trip on Tuesday. I came back victorious with a fairly funky pair of white wellies with scrawls and birds in black -I may have to photograph them...
Tuesday was another round of late nights, movies if I recall. Wednesday.....all I remember about Wednesday is that I was rolling out mini meatballs to be dropped into tomato sauce at 21hoo and we only ate dinner at 22h00. Oh...and Kirstin went to a friend to do a project, I collected her at 20h00 and she had been fed (baked ham, mashed potatoes and veggies) and looked after, but when she got home and saw the meatballs she opted for a second dinner!
Thursday morning and my head was reeling. I was supposed to go the the Cirque de Soleil with work, I had booked it last year before I knew that we would have Sido staying. Jessica was feeling wretched as she was going out on Friday evening with all the Spanish students and it was my birthday. I was feeling guilty because I had a hockey match on Friday night and so while walking to work with the sun shining down on me I made a decision. No Cirque de Soleil for me, a dinner to celebrate my birthday with my family would be far more enjoyable.
When I got to work I told Alan my plans and gave my ticket to Shelley. Alan suggested I go to Thunder Road Cafe in Temple Bar as it was fun and hip and the kids would love it.
It was terrific, the kids each had a mocktail, I had a couple of cocktails - Sunny disposition was lovely...bonus for me was that my birthday was now stretching over THREE days.
Friday morning i was presented with an array of lovely gifts and then it was a mad rush to get to work on time!
I took a batch of brownies into work - which got demolished and the compliments were almost embarrassing (thanks Nigella) - and got taken out for lunch by my boss, along with 2 other ladies who also had their birthdays in the same week! We were given an extra 30 minutes and it was amazing how nice, long and lazy the lunch seemed!
On Friday evening I went to play hockey and then we all went for a quick celebratory drink. I surprised Malcolm by getting home at 22h00 and a good thing it was too. He had a lot to do and I assisted him for a while making hamburger patties until he booted me out of the kitchen with a nice cold glass of wine!

It has been one hell of a ride- Part 2 (THE birthday)

2009-04-06T11:32:00.005+01:00

Kirstin turned 13, wow where has the time gone? She is now a bona fide teenager although the characteristics of the metamorphosis have been making themselves present for a little while now. The little girl who would rather die then upset her parents has certainly almost disappeared. We are now faced with defiant glares, fisted hands and flaring nostrils followed by stomping to the bedroom, screaming into a pillow and then a little later slinking downstairs to hug and make it all better. Gotta love it. We started off with gifts, Kirstin is crazy for Twilight so many of her gifts revolved around that theme, the first book (she has the rest, but had not been able to get the first one) a poster, a CD and a voucher for HMV for when the DVD comes out, a jewelery hanging whatchamacallit and some clothes.

Ellen joined us for the day and we all set off to "climb" the Great Sugar Loaf. It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were breathtaking. The walk is surprisingly quick and easy and the kids loved it. The wind was the only horrible thing - it was absolutely icy. After our walk we all headed off to Avoca for lunch and cake, the choice of cakes leaves you reeling but I eventually settled on a passion fruit tart, Malcolm had a berry cheese cake, Jess had a pavlova, Kirstin a Mars Bar rice krispie square, Ellen a rocky road and Sido a pear and almond tart, see what I mean?

After gorging ourselves we had a little wonder around the shop and I found a really nice photo frame for 6 photo's which I decided to buy and fill with photos to give to Sido as a reminder of her Irish holiday with us.

Jessica and Sido had to meet all the other students for ten pin bowling so we dropped them off and headed home. I got stuck into cooking - macaroni cheese with bacon for the birthday dinner (I am not sure Kirstin has ever chosen anything else on her birthday!) a chicken ala king and chilli con carne for the freezer.

All in all we had a great day and Kirstin enjoyed her day thoroughly which is what it was all about!

It has been one hell of a ride - Part 1!

2009-04-06T11:11:00.003+01:00

Where do I BEGIN? At the beginning I guess! On Friday 27 March Kirstin celebrated her upcoming 13th birthday with four of her closest friends. It was a night of dancing, DVD's and much laughing fortified by pizza, curly fries, popcorn and a small array of sugar treats. And of course the cake. The lounge was their domain and I knew not to even frustrate myself with trying to get them to bed at any hour and after spending 2 infuriating hours sorting the birthday girls bedroom out (for our Spanish student to occupy) I collapsed into bed. My only request to all the girls was that they kept the noise levels down and did not wake us which they managed admirably.
The following morning I completed the daunting task I had begun the night before and Kirstin's bedroom was finally fit for human habitation at around 11h00. The rest of the day was spent pottering around the house and re-potting some herb plants and cleaning windows. Much personal satisfaction when I was done and sat back to admire my handiwork for the day as I even managed to tackle the formidable attic too!
At 19h00 we drove up to school to collect Sido and I watched with amusement as the Spanish and Irish children were reunited when the bus dispelled all the visiting kids into the car park.
Of course Sido was very shy and it was awful not being able to chat away as her English is not great. My Spanish on the other hand....well it is non-existent. We had bbq steaks, salad, curly fries and peppercorn sauce for dinner and then I had to get ready for the Ladies hockey dinner. I had told my team that I would pop in for a drink after 21h00, I had figured that the kids would all be settled by then.
Hillary collected me and we went to the D4 hotel in Ballsbridge and what fun we all had! A room full of ladies, a free microphone and music....add to that a few too many alcoholic beverages and you have yourself a makeshift karaoke party with some impressive dance moves from the cheering onlookers. Oh, and a discovery....NOT all Irish people can sing.

Thursday night in pictures...

2009-03-27T07:38:00.005Z

And there it is, the cake of choice this year - I did NOT choose the blue! My hand mixer, James Martin one, died a horrible death when it lost its battle creaming the butter and made an awful sound and collapsed. Luckily it was far enough into the creaming process, and the icing was basically ready. I am just shocked that my fairly new hand mixer could not stand up to the task at hand, especially as its visits to the kitchen counter are fairly infrequent these days.

When you say nothing at all - Ronan Keating

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000Z

Kirstin will be 13 on Sunday, my word time does fly. According to Kirstin this is her ALL time stand out favourite song, so Happy Birthday to my all time favourite YOUNGEST daughter!

Hedgehogs and echidnas

2009-03-22T15:07:00.002Z

So I managed to turn out the cake on time. Friday night was spent baking and decorating and well...he ain't perfect by anybody's stretch of the imagination but he has personality...and Isobel thought he was wonderful and at the end of the day that is all that really counts! Malcolm reckons he looks more like an echidna google it and you will see that he has a very strong case.

Ooops!

2009-03-19T21:27:00.003Z

I forgot to tell you all about St Patricks Day!!!! Firstly we had our first proper teenage parents experience when Jess asked if she could NOT go to the planned BBQ (he he okay braai) and instead made her own way into town with about 10 friends to watch the parade. Yes, when I see the freedom my daughter now has I am even more certain that we did the right thing!
Kirstin, Malcolm and I headed off to Warren and Tracy for our celebrations and when we got there the door had the most adorable welcome "Happy St Patrick's Day African people" which her girls had made - really smile worthy and heart warming stuff - thanks!
Upon entering the house we were greeted with orange, green and white balloons AND curly green and silver shiny streamers strewn about - Tracy really went to town! It was an awesome day, the sun shone the kids all played in the garden and we sat around chatting, drinking wine (okay I was designated driver so I had ginger ale!) and enjoying each others company. We all brought our own meat and a salad contribution and in typical SA fashion by the time we had all eaten the serving table still had enough food to feed us all over again!
At around 18h30 we headed home and collected Jess along the way and then had a quiet evening at home...so quiet in fact that I was in bed by 21h00...

I Want You - Kings of Leon

2009-03-19T21:13:00.002Z

I am so disorientated, it is already Friday! Having a day off on Tuesday has me feeling a little off balance, but I ain't complaining because it certainly feels like the fastest week on record...and it is another busy one. Final hockey game of the season on Saturday (sob!) and then we have the Ireland Wales game to look forward to! In between all of that I have to do some organising - Sido arrives next Saturday and there is a fair bit to do! Oh...and I have a special request - to bake a birthday cake for one hell of a cute little 6 year old...so how could I say no!? But where am i going to find the time??? Oh well let us enjoy the Friday song....it is played A LOT in our house at the moment...enjoy and have a fab weekend. No pictures, but you can always do your own you tube search....

St Patrick

2009-03-16T16:54:00.002Z

Ahh St Paddy's Day is upon us, and tonight shall be my first real Dublin experience of the event. I am heading down to Temple Bar with the sports and social crowd from work, it might just be messy....
Having said that, for once I am actually not in the mood for a big night but I also know myself fairly well so that may still change! For now I am heading to the lunch room where we are being treated to food from Diep Noodle Bar - saliva glands are activated!
Ooooohhh and no work tomorrow!!!! YAY.

Hockey stuff...

2009-03-14T19:33:00.004Z

I think I can safely say that I am a hockey player now. I have had a few very decent games in a row and today I heard one of my teammates bellowing "Natalie is on fire today" and I was, yes even if I say so myself! I enjoy playing in defence, I have made myself very comfortable and I really do manage to to do my part for the team, in fact a couple of times today...well I even impressed me! I even saved a goal from a short corner and did my bit during another one and ran straight at the person receiving the ball, and almost managed to get it too, but did force a panic pass which is also good I guess.
We won the game 3-1 and I was thrilled as it was imperative that we won to keep our place in the league. Sadly next Saturday is our last game of the season, I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone, but at least I do have summer hockey and two tournaments in May to look forward to.
Last year I was still relatively new when we had our home tournament and spent more time off the pitch than on, which I was more than happy to do because I was a weak link so to speak. But I must also admit that I made up my mind there and then that by 2009 tournament I would be playing more and watching less.
This year I think I may actually get a bit more pitch time and will be a lot more useful when I am playing! No matter what I have improved and am very proud of my achievements so far.

Way too early

2009-03-14T19:24:00.002Z

So this morning then...bed was comfortable and the thought of a Saturday lie in utterly appealing. For some daft reason I woke just before 07h00 but it was actually not too bad, as I got to lie there for an hour pretending to have a PROPER lie in before ejecting myself out of bed with considerable force and heading for the shower. Sadly my Saturday morning lie in would be rudely interrupted by an appointment with a hockey match. Yep, off to a game at 10h15 to meet the U16 girls I will be looking after on tour.
I arrived at the school where they were playing and was rather confused by the kits running around the field. We do not play in green and to the best of my knowledge the juniors do not wear purple and yellow, I don't think...
A call in to my friend then - "W do the juniors wear a different colour kit to the seniors?" a hesitant "no" is the response and then.."Sunday Natalie the game is on SUNDAY". Up shot is that I now know where I am going tomorrow, I had time to do my grocery shopping and spend the morning at home with the family. Down side was cancelling the 10h30 movie tickets to see Marley and Me with the girls tomorrow! But as we are always looking for the POSITIVE it was a painless procedure and we are going to a noon show. All is well that ends well.

Crack the Shutters - Snow Patrol

2009-03-12T20:50:00.002Z

I never actually wrote about our first trip to the 02 in Dublin. We went to see Snow Patrol and the venue is amazing - specifically built for enjoying concerts. Eyes Open is my favourite album but I was fully expecting to here all the music from A Hundred Million Suns because it is their latest release and was thrilled because they basically played BOTH albums! Here is one of their newer songs , when they sing the chorus I don't know...it just fills me with a rush of positive visions, opening the shutters and letting the stale out, the fresh in, summer, freedom and all sorts crosses my mind! It is amazing what we can take from music and how much it can affect our mood. Have a super weekend - mine will be filled with hockey, I am going to watch the U16 girls at 10:15 (need to get to know them a bit before our tour) and then I am playing a game in the afternoon - looking forward to another fun-filled weekend in Dublin! Malcolm is also playing hockey on Saturday afternoon, and playing golf on Sunday morning....the guys are finally getting together for a game after much procrastination!

Life is beautiful!

2009-03-11T18:26:00.002Z

I stepped out of my front door this morning and was greeted with the most unbelievable surprise. I did not even need my jacket, the weather was absolutely glorious and the sun was even shining! I walked to work with the feeling that my heart was actually ready to burst- I know that sounds bizarre but I really was that happy, and no I did not sneak a Valium! I don't know it just felt like the day was so full of promise, all the songs on my Ipod were awesome and it felt amazing to be alive.
I got to work and spread the enthusiasm, which was hardly difficult as Dublin and its residents certainly come alive when the weather cooperates as it did today, 15C - have not had temps like that in so many months!
I got my letter confirming my permanency and then I got a text from Wendy confirming the that my services will be required for the U16 tournament over the Easter weekend. Wow, what an utterly fansplendific day!

Permanent fixture

2009-03-09T21:27:00.002Z

Six months ago my head was spinning, back to a full-time job after many years of being at home, (okay besides my half day jobs in 2005 and 2006) and now I have got into the routine of Sunday shopping and early mornings.
It has been a long frustrating and very rewarding journey and today I was made permanent. I feel very privileged to have a job and am really pleased that I am now part of the furniture!

How the weekend REALLY turned out

2009-03-09T10:57:00.001Z

What a weekend! Hockey on Friday night was MAD. Firstly I got lost because the ground is down the tiniest of lanes and my Garmin (sat nav) kept directing me down a road about 100m short of where I really needed to be. To make matters worse my battery on my phone was on its last legs and kept beeping ferociously while I tried to get my bearings, drive and listen to instructions from Margaret. She did much better than poor Molly (the Garmin) and I finally made it albeit 5 minutes late. We started playing with a team of 7 – including our goalie and luckily 1 more person showed up so it was an 8 strong Three Rock team taking on 11 strong Muckross.
I played back, but had to push forward too and after 15 minutes I was exhausted, serves me right for skipping so many hockey practices lately!
We all played brilliantly, including me – I even managed to defend a long corner that came in at waist height and used my stick like a cricket bat to stop it from getting to target, the umpire decided not to blow on the illegal height so I was relieved that my aim was good on that occasion!
After the game we discovered that the clubhouse was closed and stood around in the car park chatting for a while. I got invited to a fundraiser for the U16 hockey tour, a dinner at the club on Saturday night with live music – a good cause so of course I said yes.
On Saturday morning I got up and started cleaning and then had to pause and go and have breakfast with a friend at Howard’s Way, luckily it is a short stroll from home. We had a great chat and delicious breakfast and then it was home again to get stuck into more housework. I had also decided to go up to the club at 15h00 as the men’s first team were playing in a big match and a friend from work was going to be up there. I took jess along and we had a great time, the match was brilliant and we won
4 – 1.
On Saturday evening I found myself helping out in the kitchen, well dishing up salad and cutting bread to be precise, and during all this activity it emerged that Wendy still needed an extra person to chaperone the team on their tour over the Easter weekend. Ever the eager beaver I said that I would happily help out if they were stuck. I am not sure if they will definitely need my services but if they do I will be going on tour (all paid for) to look after a bunch of 15 year olds, should be a blast!

On Sunday Emily arrived with her chef hat, apron and oven glove – TOO cute and we baked a chocolate cake together, well she decorated I did the baking and then she helped clean up – by licking out the icing bowl. I do NOT know how the child was not ill after all the rich icing she ate and she managed a piece of cake later too!
We ended the weekend with Kill Bill 2 (awesome movie, she sure can kick ---) and an early night!

Definitely, Maybe, Possibly

2009-03-06T11:52:00.002Z

Wow, another week has FLOWN by and again I am faced with a weekend full of possibility. The possibility that I will actually get up early, the possibility that I will clean the house and the possibility that I will finally tackle the attic. Isn't it great to know how many possibilities I have!

Tonight I get to run around on the hockey pitch and play a match with my favourite people, the Vets - which usually means a glass of wine and very decent conversation follows.

On Saturday my intentions are to send Malcolm off with the girls to do some school shoe shopping, it is about time he got to enjoy trying to find shoes for Kirstin. What with her narrow mismatched boats it is always charming. While they do that I will put on my sweats, tie up my hair and get stuck into the house...I think!
On Sunday Em is coming over and I get to bake with a 5 year old - has to be chocolate as it is all she eats, as far as cakes go, and then we will take our creation to her house and have a tea party with her mom. What a fab weekend I have coming my way!

The Saturdays - Up

2009-03-05T06:00:00.000Z

For Jess...her favourite song!

Anti-social networking

2009-03-03T17:24:00.004Z

Malcolm sent me an article about social networking sites - Get off Facebook and get a life - I read it and although there is always a place for technology I have to agree that we may just be taking it too far. My favourite eldest daughter spends more time on MSN chatting to her friends than she does in their company. Now I know it is something that teenagers do, but from now on I will be encouraging her to invite her friends over on the weekends, or arrange a place to meet. Hang on, I think I have already done the encouraging bit, perhaps insisting is required? We do still eat together but last night Jess and her lap top joined us at the dinner table - our third child? We made her close it and enjoyed our meal together but as soon as we were done she was back on to see what so and so had said...
On Sunday my youngest favourite daughter had her friend over and the three of them sat at the dining room table on their lap tops playing Sims, healthy - I think not. Guess I had better get a grip.

Friday Photo Challenge

2009-03-03T16:36:00.003Z

EM has set a challenge which sent me scurrying to my old photo album and this is what I discovered, I LOVED mud. Yes there are MORE pictures at different times and scarily often I am covered in mud, as you can see my baby sister is following in my footsteps...if it ain't mud it's nudity, old fashioned briefs and bikinis - signs of a warm climate upbringing I guess!

Happy Birthday Malcolm!

2009-02-27T06:00:00.000Z

Have a fabulous day on Sunday, hope you are ready for your party with Warren tonight.....just remember to keep some energy for Saturday night and Snow Patrol - quite a birthday party you have coming your way....a WHOLE weekend of celebration...hope you can keep up with me!!!!!!! Of course it goes without saying that the Friday song is for you...and the reason I was still sitting at the computer when you got back from soccer on Monday!

The Killers - Mr Brightside

AHHHHHHH

2009-02-26T12:23:00.000Z

Allow yourself confusion as you walk through life. It is your way of sorting things out. It is through confusion that you finally come to clarity.

Good News

2009-02-25T19:50:00.002Z

Okay, enough! I have a friend who is not feeling great. Every time we pick up a paper, switch on the news or have a conversation with somebody we here BAD news. Well I think it is time to stop, negativity is a contagious disease and I do not want to get sick.
So....today then,
I got my atlas - €24 and the price on the jacket? £75 - EXCELLENT NEWS.
This morning on my way to work the sky was full of pastel colours, unbelievably uplifting.
Jessica scored 2 goals in her hockey match.
It was still light at 18h00...and dry.
Of course I could just as easily have decided to focus on the bad things,JUST missed the luas twice(!) but there is even good in that, I got to grab a Metro newspaper for the ride in AND on the way out I got to stand on the sidewalk with my mates and chat for an extra 3 minutes! So you see I have made a CHOICE - I am choosing to take good over bad, so now tell me what GREAT thing happened to you today?

Feeling

2009-02-23T21:55:00.004Z

We are not big celebrators of St Valentine in this house but we did spend some time in front of a music channel observing Westlife's Top 100 songs. No we did not sit through all 100 of them, jeez that would be slit your wrists stuff because there are SO many SAD love songs out there. Sinead O Connor was number 10 or thereabouts - Malcolm said it would be near the top, he really enjoys Sinead O Conor and when I found that I could put the actual video on my blog I decided to share it and if you have the time I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to REALLY watch this music video. She is feeling what she is singing and it is heartbreaking.

Venturing Northwards

2009-02-23T18:33:00.002Z

Yes, we finally did it. We went shopping UP North, this is apparently not something we should be doing - we are supposed to be supporting our own economy but sadly if we did that Jess and Kirstin would not be happy owners of laptop computers. Yes, they saved and saved and finally had enough money to make THE purchase of their lives. While we were up there we added to our dwindling wine collection, the savings are incredible, I paid €4.50 for a Jacobs Creek wine that would set me back €10 in Dublin! Again I know I am supposed to buy local but with a recession on and wine becoming a necessity to get through the stress I HAVE to go north or I can't afford to feed my addiction. I promise to continue buying all perishables in ROI, oh and I will continue to support my local Aldi and Lidl (very Irish stores...okay German) for my weekly groceries - their prices are as good as the north so they can still have most of my business....although I do wonder what the prices of those stores are like in the north.....please remember my post about BUDGET, which by the way I stuck to for the WHOLE month and even treated everyone to a Chinese takeout during the month!

The Intrepid traveler returns

2009-02-23T18:19:00.002Z

For some reason time flies here in the northern hemisphere. This is rather worrying as my 37th birthday looms and let's face it 40 ain't too far away! But then I guess age is just a number and I have to admit that close to 40 I feel NOT. Anyhoo, my point is that last week was one of the slowest weeks I have know thus far, and all because we were missing a limb, well Jess really, but it was LIKE missing a limb. We got awesome emails from her, bubbling with enthusiasm, texts that were cheerful and we did wonder whether she would actually want to return to Mud Island. After all she was dining out at a restaurant every day, enjoying warm sunny days and making new friends. The best is that she loved "her person" or "her people" - yes that is how they ALL refer to their host families, I thought it was so funny when she was telling us the story of her arrival: "My people were waiting for me and when I got off the bus I think I heard my person say there mine is"
The highlight seems to be the disco they all went to on their last night, apparently it was THE best and makes Wes look like a....well I am not sure what, but have a sneaking suspicion that the third year students on the trip to Spain will never be satisfied with a Wes disco again!
Luckily Jess did not fall in love with a Spanish youngster on her trip, and TV in Spanish got rather tiresome so she was actually happy to wing her way back to her family in Dublin. She was so full of beans in the car she spoke non-stop from the airport all the way home and we are all looking forward to meeting S and showing her around Dublin in March/April.

Debriefing

2009-02-20T16:43:00.003Z

My first treasure hunt is over. We started off with pizza in the lunch room, good idea to get the stomach well lined before heading off in search of 6 elusive pubs in Dublin.
Our first clue was a killer, we ran from pub to pub, every time very sure that we had finally cracked it - only to be disappointed. At the fifth stop we asked the barman for help and decided to drown our sorrows and pick up our energy with a Jagger Bomb. Eventually we called in for a clue and discovered that I had been right all along, in fact I had cracked the code within 1 minute but as my pub name knowledge is limited and accent different my suggestion was discarded...The pub was Toners and I had said Tuners....aarrgghh
After that it was easy, but we decided to make a concerted effort to be last and enjoyed our evening of pub hopping immensely. My favourite spot has to be The Gingerman http://www.dublinpubscene.com/thepubs/gingerman.html and I will definitely be visiting it again at some point.
The evening ended back at Toners where there was a live band and a dance floor - yippee! Our team won the prize for best name (stolen from my sister-in-law, her pub quiz name Norfolk Enchants) I got involved in a bit of Jagger Bomb competition (which I won) and then switched to water, which ensured my perky disposition most of the day today, I finally hit the proverbial brick all at about 16h00. Tonight will be a quiet one at home and an early night!

TubThumping (yes really!)

2009-02-20T06:00:00.000Z

Good Timing

2009-02-19T15:44:00.004Z

A very good friend sent this poem to me and I decided it has to be shared....thanks Al.

The Invitation

Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Canadian Teacher and Author

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of rum

2009-02-19T14:36:00.002Z

I am embarking on my first adults only treasure hunt, yes ADULT treasure hunt. Our sports and social committee have decided to send us on a pub treasure hunt tonight and it should be just what the doctor ordered. Yep gloomy February has hit yours truly, and I hate to admit it but down in the dumps I have been. Luckily the stars have aligned and many festivities have been planned for the next couple of weeks.
On Saturday I am meeting a group of friends for coffee, on Saturday afternoon I get to see my eldest daughter again after a whole week. By the way...while on the subject..she is having an ABSOLUTE ball I am so pleased. She loves the family she is staying with and food choice has certainly not been an issue as they own a restaurant! Oh and a hotel, talk about landing with your bum in the butter!
Anyhooooo....next Friday I am DOUBLE booked. I have been invited to a hen party AND we are celebrating Malcolm and Warren's birthday at one of Dublin's watering holes. On Saturday night we are off to see Snow Patrol (YIPPEE - thanks a LOT Paul!!) and Sunday will have to be some sort of bells and whistles as it is Malcolm's birthday....phew.....may the end of my slump begin...yes sirree I feel it already.....

Walk in his shoes

2009-02-16T22:38:00.002Z

Malcolm printed out an article for me to read about a man who emigrated to Canada and finally returned to his homeland, Ireland. I guess it is ironic that I am settled and happy in this country that we chose, a place that we hope will provide our children with better opportunities and a more stable future than the country we left. Read Misery of the returned emigrant here so many of my own thoughts were echoed here and although I still feel we made the right decision as I am happy and definitely feel safer, corruption, worry for our children's futures and mistrust in our government is a worldwide problem.

The running of the bulls?

2009-02-14T20:04:00.002Z

Isn't he a beauty? I promised a picture of my new bull...what do you think?

The Fridge Photo as instructed...

2009-02-13T21:22:00.001Z

English Mum challenged us all to a picture of the innards of our fridge -see hers here - EM's fridge photo and yes I decided to oblige and provide a photo of my own. Sadly mine came out all blurry and now Jess has the camera in Spain, but I love the idea and I am going to post it anyway!

And if you are wondering about the funky arrangement of "things" ABOVE the fridge, that can be another Friday photo, an in focus one next time, so now how about the DOOR of the fridge next Em??

Fine Young Cannibals

2009-02-13T07:51:00.002Z

In the OLD days....when I was YOUNG my little sister was MAD about Roland Gift....remember Trace?

In other AWESOME news, my friend Lizle starts her new job today - so best of luck to you AND I read on another friend (Melissa's) facebook that her scans got the all clear - a long fight bravely fought and won, CONGRATULATIONS. Have a great weekend everyone, with all this fantastic news it can only be good.

Acclimatising...

2009-02-12T18:44:00.002Z

I stepped out of the office today after a hard days work and marvelled at the wonderful balmy evening that greeted me. It is light out when I leave work now, and still light by the time I get home -just! I walked home feeling fantastic and even noticed buds on a lot of the trees, spring .. she is coming! Then it dawned on me, if I was still in good old South Africa I would be moaning as to how cold it was... 8 Celcius, I must be acclimatising!

Slices of life...

2009-02-09T20:32:00.003Z

Remember the new budget I moaned and griped about? Well I am loving it! Yes really. The groceries are comfortably within budget and my entertainment allowance has stretched remarkably well. I even managed to buy an outfit while out shopping with Jess, a real girlie something for a change - I love that leggings are back and got a dark grey pair with a nice dusty lilac dress, makes a change from jeans, don't get me wrong I LOVE my jeans but every now and then it is nice to wear a dress.
I also have an odd sense of power and achievement sticking to my budget, I am even beginning to think that maybe just maybe I can squirrel away some of my entertainment allowance so that I can have extra money for my hockey tour to Blackpool in May.
Of course it is only the first month but considering I thought it was going to be real tough going I am so pleasantly surprised. Taking my own lunch to work every day has helped tremendously!

In other news the weather is still lousy, the up side is that apparently the worse the winter the better our summer will be, so it is lining up to be a FANTASTIC one at this rate.

Kirstin is back in the nest after a fantastic trip to Spain which involved a lot of socialising, skiing, tours, paella (not eaten) very little sleep (surprise, surprise), a new doll (not sure how she managed to close her suitcase) and a brilliant present for me - a mosaic bull, he really is magnificent. Of course I am stressing about how much of her allowance she spent on the little guy. I think he deserves a spot on the blog....not tonight though!

Jess was thrilled to have her sister back, there was even a slight scuffle between the two of us as to who would greet her at the door (I acted like the adult and let her go first) a proud parenting moment seeing my daughters fling their arms around each other in pure delight...
Jess is on the final stretch of her mocks and I must say she has handled it all very well and the stress has barely been seen, long may it last! On Friday we celebrate the end of the exams and Jess has invited her friends to come over to our place for pizza and to get ready for their night out to Wes....pity Malcolm has spent his entire months allowance...the pub could be a welcome solace from teenage girls getting ready for a night out......

Best news for last then....Jess entered the schools art competition and claimed FIRST prize, she was shocked but thrilled and we are all very proud. If it were not for her friend C she would never even have entered, now that is what I call healthy peer pressure!

STARDUST

2009-02-07T16:00:00.000Z

A magical movie, I was going to post the trailer but then I found this song which also gives a good diea of the movie...

He's Just not that into you!

2009-02-06T19:49:00.001Z

This morning Jessica and I get to have a mom and daughter morning. She is off to Wes - the rugby club not the school - for a Valentine's dance and she needs an outfit, or so she thinks. We decided to make a day of it and are going to do some shopping followed by a movie - lots of big names let's hope it is good, I do know that it will be a real 'chick flick'. Last night we watched Stardust - it was a brilliant movie and we all enjoyed it, I will have to find a clip on YouTube but time is fleeting and we gotta go!

Beggar on a Beach of Gold

2009-02-05T21:22:00.001Z

Okat not quite the upbeat Friday song I was after, but I do like the lyrics...

Winter Wonderland

2009-02-05T21:09:00.002Z

Yes, even through the office windows it was MAGIC. The snow came down in BIG FAT floaty flakes and it was absolutely awesome! What a sight, the walk home on the other hand was anything but, no wellies for me, just runners with breathy bits - enough to cause me to fear the length of time it takes before frost bite sets in -seriously people, I could not feel my toes. There was a bizarre stinging sensation, but semi numb at the same time and I got a little scared...OKAY I am not such an idiot, but it was SERIOUSLY cold. Of course Little Miss Clever had no gloves or hat today but she marched on fearlessly and made it to tell the slushy soppy tale.
In other news, Kirstin made it to Spain, sadly the Dublin airport closed a while later and so the French students missed their departure to Disney Paris, I think Kirstin was patting herself on the back for the Spanish language choice today. She is in her element - we have been told not to text as it is too expensive (who do you think pays the bills?) and she is well impressed with the dinner arrangements so far. They all go off in little groups for dinner and meet up later...party in room 401 (so we were told via EXPENSIVE text) may SOMEONE be looking out for them....that's my girl!

Globe Trotters

2009-02-04T20:18:00.002Z

And she is off! My BABY is winging her way to Spain tomorrow - Madrid to be geographically accurate. Malcolm or I have to be up way before the crack of dawn to deliver her safely to school for a 5 am departure on the bus. We are still waiting for her to decide who the lucky one will be. I had already volunteered my services as I could not imagine NOT taking her as I have always been there waving the bus off for tours, but she burst my little bubble by informing me that she might want her dad dropping her off, now she is in a quandary as to who should take her. Jess prepared a farewell dessert of strawberries and ice cream in a wafer basket and we were chatting about the upcoming trip and she said, "Two years ago who would have thought that we would be off to Europe on a school tour?" Too right....
The packing has been done, chocolate purchased, clothes co ordinated and perfumes selected, my baby is certainly growing up. She is so excited because they are staying in a hotel and she gets to share a room with her friend Ellen. Have fun Kirstin and make lots of fabulous memories to last a life time, oh and PLEASE look after the camera, and try not to stay up too late!

Jessica follows in Kirstin's footsteps in 9 days time, but she is going to Léon Spain. She is a bit more nervous as she is staying with a Spanish family for a week, it should be interesting apparently they have dogs, cats,a horse, squirrels and turtles quite the menagerie, not to mention 3 sisters and 1 brother (part of the menagerie?)...they had better look after her, we get to repay the favour in March/April and our hospitality could go either way.....KIDDING!!!! The kids have exchanged pictures, Jess sent a couple of family ones and we had such a laugh because she emailed Jessica in English and said:
I leave you some pictures of me because of my family just got old.
We had a good giggle, but as Jess says she has probably had a good laugh at some of Jessica's mails too! So Jess, have fun too and live a little, but not too much!!! Make some moments to remember, and yes you can also use the camera!

Snow!!!

2009-02-03T08:06:00.002Z

Finally. After many promising weather reports it really did happen, we got snow. We woke up yesterday morning to a fine white dusting and flurries of stuff coming out of the sky. I opted for my car to get to the luas - reluctantly as I am really battling to shift this Christmas weight and walking to the luas HAS to help somewhat, but I digress. The roads were slippery and the drivers all very sensible, some overly so but Malcolm and I made it to work and back unscathed. A lot of the snow was actually like polystyrene balls, teeny tiny snow balls falling from the sky, and no it was not hail because they were sort of bouncy and soft, not hard. Weird.
This morning most of the evidence has been washed away by rain but our flower bed against the wall has not succumbed to the elements and it is still all pretty and white - so yesterday it really did snow!

The Good Doctor

2009-02-02T21:04:00.004Z

On an on you will hike, And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
And remember that Life’s a great balancing act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

Dr Seuss

Waiting your turn

2009-02-02T20:32:00.002Z

I was standing in line at Aldi on Sunday afternoon and there was a young girl in front of me with a bag of potatoes. The lady in front of her had a trolley full and she told the little lass to go ahead of her. I was really pleased to see that because if I have a load of stuff and the person behind me has one or two items I always let them go ahead of me too.
Enter grumpy old couple.....an elderly lady asked the man behind me (he had 5 things) if she could go ahead of HIM as she only had TWO items and was in a big hurry...he politely declined as he was also trying to make a speedy exit. We had paid and were walking to the car when the woman's husband marched up to the five item man and gave him a severe (and very loud) tongue lashing for not letting his wife go ahead...I was absolutely gob smacked! Obviously the older couple were not in so much of a hurry after all, as they had plenty time to go looking for the unsuspecting man. I was absolutely shocked at their audacity, I would have understood them being a bit upset if he had a trolley full, but he WAS ahead of them and only had three more items than them.

2009-01-31T07:00:00.000Z

And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed!
Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
Dr. Seuss

It's My Life - Bon Jovi

2009-01-29T22:00:00.000Z

Here is one that we all enjoyed shouting out at the top of our lungs at some stage.....have a super weekend people!

To tell or not to tell?????

2009-01-29T21:58:00.002Z

Okay then...work. There have been some changes lately. There is a new position that has opened up, assistant to my boss - deputy team leader if you will, specialist knowledge something or other, I did not pay much attention because I do not have superb knowledge of our processes (a requirement) YET and there are people on my team who are WAY ahead of me in that department. So I was somewhat shocked when I had my one to one today and found that my boss would like me to apply if a certain other person does not. The certain other person has been there for two years and rightly deserves the position but is not sure he wants to take it on. I also got my test results back, and although it was not the 100% I got for my last test (Sanctions) it was a relatively good 78% - and then I found out that my Call Quality Monitoring came in at a whopping 97% - who needs Fridays when so much good news comes on a Thursday!!!

Mmmm maybe I need to read more Seuss!!!

2009-01-29T07:00:00.000Z

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs,
is making a chore for the reader who reads.
Dr. Seuss

Remember:

2009-01-27T20:59:00.001Z

Today you are you, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is youer than you.
Dr. Seuss

A long walk for short legs...

2009-01-27T20:04:00.003Z

I have nothing to say, to be horribly, perfectly honest I am tired of writing this stupid diary. It is one way traffic, I have assurance from friends and family that it is read, and by the comments I do know that this was the case...until December (summer holidays in SA see) and my lack of interest became glaringly obvious (the lack of posts) but sadly I am really not inspired to write.

I keep meaning to do a post about the two wee boys who walk 2 km's from the luas to school - and I DO mean wee, 5 and 7, MAYBE 6 and 8. BREAKS MY HEART. As I am walking to the luas in the mornings they are headed towards my house...and the school not far from there. Seriously, the older brother clutches the little guys hand and keeps him safe, you can just see the responsibility in the set of his young jaw. I am so lucky, can you imagine being that parent with no option but to allow such littlies to make that journey ALONE? I have not seen them since Christmas so now I wonder where on earth they have gone to, maybe they finally get to go to school in a nice warm car...getting dropped off at the door. I hope so I really do.
And yes...I have pointed them out to my children, who get a lift to school with their father and moan if they have to walk the 1 km to the bus stop on the odd occasion that he cannot take them. That sure put a stop to their protesting!

And look at that, another blog post is born...hmmm wasn't all that bad I guess.............

Forever Young Rod Stewart

2009-01-22T06:00:00.000Z

I dedicate this song to my children....as written by Rod Stewart for his. Brilliant lyrics and we can all follow his sentiments to make the world in 2009 a better place!!!

Wire to Wire - Razorlight

2009-01-15T06:00:00.003Z

Love this song! The official video is also awesome, sadly the embedding has been disabled on youtube...but here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDA_I4zQGfM

Pizza Parlour

2009-01-10T17:34:00.007Z

Recession....budget = family time....I have realised we can put a positive spin on our current situation. Starting off with the return of Friday night pizza, and no not the slip out of a box frozen variety, but the I know every ingredient in this pizza HOME MADE concoction. My last dabble with yeast was so long ago that the sachets I found in the kitchen cupboard expired in September last year, funnily enough coinciding with the start of my job.

I popped into Super Valu on my walk home from the luas for the yeast and bread flour - a grocery item I have not noticed on the shelves at Aldi, my new favourite shop in THESE times. I was going to buy the ham, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon too until I saw the prices and realised that a walk to Aldi AFTER my walk home with the dough fixings would be well worth my time and effort.

By the time I got home from all my shopping excursions - by foot, thus saving petrol and being eco friendly, it was already 18h15 and I had not even started the dough! Luckily my ever faithful Magimix was able to assist, as much as I enjoy the kneading process sometimes a girl just has to take advantage of modern conveniences! Another handy little trick I have learned is to aid the rising process...cover the bowl with clingfilm, microwave for 10 seconds and then stand for 10 minutes. Repeat the process 3 times and 30 minutes (yes and 30 seconds to be pedantic) later your dough is ready to be rolled. Nigella Lawson comes through too with a fantastic pizza base recipe in her "How to be a domestic goddess" book.

While the dough was rising the secret weapon was bubbling away on the stove, to make a good pizza fantastic it all starts with the tomato base....according to my family anyway. Toppings are important too but that red sauce is crucial.

I grated cheese, sliced vegetables, drained artichokes and anchovies while Kirstin fried up the bacon into a nice salty crispness. I measured the dough into 4 equal portions and we all set about making our own pizzas. The kids were only interested in the bacon so we decided to let them hog it (ha ha). I had bought little cooked shrimps anyway so I knew that Malcolm would not be too bothered by the bacon. We all set about rolling out our dough and smothering it with the tomato sauce before part baking the strange shaped discs in the oven, Malcolm and I had got greedy and divided our portion of dough again as we wanted 2 different lots of toppings on our pizzas! We learn something every day and the thing I learned was that there is nothing quite like the gathering in the kitchen and preparing tasty and kid friendly food together, oh and there is nothing quite like fresh basil on a pizza....AFTER it has come out of the oven.

And remember, if you decide to go for Jessica's bacon, avocado and basil (she put hers on before baking) put the avo onto the pizza AFTER it has come out of the oven! One more thing....make a bunch of bases, par bake them and have a "Bring your own pizza topping" dinner with friends...recession puh!

The secret is in the sauce....

Four little dough balls...

Busy little bees

Say CHEESE