Trailer Load of Rubbish
On the weekend I hired a trailer from the BP. Theo helped me hook it onto the car, taking care to screw the D-Shackle to the towbar, then checking the lights/indicators with me. The first trailer, the indicators didn't work properly so we had to go back into the BP and get them to swap it over. Theo then helped again hitch it up, check the lights (Yup they work now Daddy! *thumbs up*) and then we drove it home. He then helped me over the next ~3 hours load up about 850kg of rocks, old bits of timber especially from around the pool and the old Walnut tree that used to be in the backyard, broken things from the veggie garden, heaps of old and broken bricks from around the place. He only had two breaks, one a Lemonade break and two a break when he managed to get a bunch of dust in his eyes and Sarah had to help him flush it out. But he kept soldiering on afterwards, even with an irritated eye.
Once we'd loaded it all up, had a little break so Beth and Theo could have a "Banana Smoosh Sandwich" each, we drove off to the tip. I knew the trailer would be heavy, but I could tell straight away driving it out of the drive it was HEAVY. I drove it slowly and carefully to the tip, where I started to unload it. Theo really wanted to help and was actually in tears when I checked him, but it's so dangerous there. People are throwing things, there's massive machines moving around. It's no place for a 7yo. Anyway after I had finally got everything off the trailer into the pit I let Theo out onto the trailer to sweep it out with the broom, which he did a great job of. When we left we got on the weigh bridge and yea, 850Kg of rocks, wood, rubbish etc we threw out. That cost $230 or something insane like that. Next time I'll remember to load up all the rocks and hardfill and take it to the place that lets you dump it for $20 or so. Alas. Doing that would have meant a lot more pissing about time and effort with the trailer too.
Anyway, it was a succesful Sunday really, we got a huge clean up done and things are looking much better around the place.
Theo obviously had a great time too, I knew he'd enjoyed it but this super cute drawing he did in the Birthday card he drew for me really sealed it! That's the car with trailer hitched on the back.
Last week was Shane's funeral. I booked at room at work so I could watch the live stream. I was quite nervous it would be terrible, hard to see and hear, but it was amazing. There were multiple camera angles and the audio was just perfect. So that was nice, even though the circumstances for being there were totally shit. I held it together pretty well until Rebecca read her poem out and that was it, there wasn't a dry eye left anywhere. I'm glad his long suffering is over though, poor fella.
It was my birthday yesterday, 46. I had to put it into the calculator to figure out how old I was, I typed the year I was born and it told me 47 at first and I was sure that wasn't right. Beth and Theo made me lovely cards. I got some very cool presents, the best being an "A-Salt-Gun" which is a gun you load table salt into and shoot and kill flies with it. A very neat idea, I'm already looking foward to Summer so we can get some big flies inside to blast. I also got a Brave T-Shirt, some new socks and a lovely shirt. And some salt for the Assalt Gun.
We went out on Saturday night for my birthday, went to Giant Brewery in Havelock North for a couple of pints, then over to Chan's Chop House for an amazing dinner. A tiny little eatery, but simply amazing food. I mean I really DO NOT like Eggplant but they made Eggplant so tasty I'd happily order it again, unprompted.
Beth was at a sleepover at Emma's house, Theo went to Holly and Adrians, not before having a ride on Joseph's new motorcross bike which he sounds like he really enjoyed. I went and got them Sunday morning from their various places before coming back home and getting stuck into the rubbish with Theo.
Saturday was swimming and then getting the kids ready for their sleepovers. Beth put her new dress on and it's amazing how grown up it made her look.
What else? I'll try and write all the small things I can think of:
Last weekend we went out to the Farmers Market and had a good time there. Not a lot of people, though we were there quite early. Lots of people walking around with babies, we both looked at each other and remembered those days, you've been up for 3 hours already why not go to the farmers market when it opens at 8am. Afterwards we went to the little Lions bookshop that's on the ground and bought a bunch of books for the kids, and a puzzle of a Panda in a forrest. It's a 1000 piece puzzle, it's been sitting on the kitchen table 1/4 finished for the last week...
OH OF COUSRE. Welcome to the World Emmeline Marie Quayle Harman! Born at 7.21pm. I spoke to Jeremy yesterday for my birthday and we mostly talked about Shane's Funeral, but baby Emmaline is doing very well by all accounts. Fletcher is handling things like a champ, though Jeremy did say they'd noticed a little uptick in tanties and being a bit grumpy. To be expected when suddenly you're not the only focus of attention.
I've been doing a lot of early morning work, we're finally out of MDR and can shutdown the two core routers that have been there for ages. Getting up early in the morning to migrate/move things has been a lot of work but it's almost over now.
The kids over the last 2 weeks have only been to about half their school, they were both sick with colds/sniffles. Everyone's back to school now, though Sarah was quite sick/unwell yesterday evening and this morning. I walked the kids up to school, they're doing roadworks rebuilding the carpark at the moment and it's a nightmare for the traffic. Sarah was stuck there for ~30 minutes yesterday, for something that usually takes no more than 5 minutes.
That's it, Diary. I'll try and update you more, but I said that last time and the time before...
Tim