Halfway Through January / Happy Birthday Jonnie
Hello Dear Diary.
It's been ages sorry, I haven't been motivated to write because I've always been doing something or being busy with something.
I'll recap what we've done over the last month, which isn't really that much. The weather over the "Summer" holidays was utterly terrible, just rain rain and rain. Something like the first 14 days of 2023 were all days where it rained apparently.
It's Thursday morning as I type this, though I'm sure by the time I actually copy it out of VIM and paste it into my Diary it'll be later than that.
We painted the Pool Shed. I say painted, I mean stained. Stained the poolshed black. It looks really good now, it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb in your eyesight, so it blends into the garden much more. I really like it. It was harder to paint than we thought it would be, because it was bare/raw timber it really soaked up the stain. You were lashing big gobs of stain onto it, but your brush would be dry straight away so you'd have to lash more paint onto it again. Once we'd done the first coat, the second coat went on much easier. And it really needed a second coat, it looked thin without it.
We really wanted to get the Pergola done too, but of course the weather was just utter garbage the whole time, we were lucky enough to have two days to get the pool shed done.
For New Year's Eve we went up to Holly and Adrian's. We had a great night, Wellington Cheese was there, George who we hung out with ~10+ years ago in Auckland was there. Everyone's kids played all night and had a great time. It was the first time we've let the kids stay up to midnight to really see in the New Year, vs tell them at 9pm it's New Year and then packing them off to bed. They were of course utterly zonked and exhausted but they had a great time with lots of other kids to play with. We saw the fireworks too, Holly and Adrian's place is a great vantage point to see fireworks when they're set off over the city.
Oh dear, it's now Sunday. That's how far I got with that entry! Happy Birthday to John Harman for today. Dad's health has been giving him grief, still in pain ffrom his operation at the start of December.
Peter came and got the kids today and took them to the movies (with Joseph and Isla). Seems like it went better than last time Sarah took them and Beth pissed herslef in her frog costume. Giant mess everywhere Sarah said, she had to ask the cinema for help to mop it up. Ugh. So this time we both strongly reminded Beth that she had to GO TO THE TOILET if she felt like she needed to go. Anyway, went fine. While they were at the movies, Sarah and I got breakfast in Ahurir and then went for a round of Mini PuttPutt. I won by a single stroke, but I think Sarah played better because she got TWO hole-in-one's, I got zero.
Yesterday morning was Beach Training for Theo. He did his usual thing, I don't want to go, I'm tired blah blah. Took him anyway and he loved it. They did a litlte run first of all, then did some basic traning in the water. Then a tug-of-war with a couple of ropes and then the best bit, some wrestling! When it was Theo's turn I have to admit I didn't think he'd do that well, but he knocked out two opponants before the third one got the better of him. He loved it! After we had a sausage at the sausage sizzle, before quickly heading to the pool place to get the water tested. The pool went (very slightly) Green again during the week which I didn't fully understand why, there was still Chorine in the pool. Turns out even with Chorine in the pool you can stil get Algae growth if it's warm enough and the Ph isn't properly balanced, which it wasn't. I'll get the hang on it one day, it's just my test strips are a bit shit because they were telling me my Ph was OK but the proper pool place showed that in fact it was a bit high. Anyway it's all sorted again now, nice and blue and ready for a swim.
Last weekend we took Theo to the skate park. Sarah suggested it to him and we wern't sure he'd want to go, but he loved it! We knew he was really enjoying himself when we said it's time to go for Icecream and Theo said "If we go for Icecream does that mean I have to give up this skateboard?". The instructor had him trying to do Ollies n all sorts.
Other things I can think we've done over the School Holidays - took the kids for a walk up Otatera Pa. It wasn't a great day, but we got up and along and back down again just before the rain kicked in. As usual the kids started out really grizzling and making a huge deal of it, but then they actually quited enjoyed the walk once we got into it (and they certainly enjoyed the down walk more than the up walk)
Beth's cheerleading has kicked off again, last weekend she did 3 days of choreography training, learning the new routines now that she's in the Elite squad. It's great she still loves it, she still bounces all around the house doing cartwheels and backflips onto the couch and all sorts.
Oh we had to go and get her a Chromebook for school too. Found it on special at Harvey Norman for $360 and then fark it, the Mum at the party Sarah dropped Beth off at yesterday pointed out she'd found the same laptop on PBTech for $255! Damnit! Still it's a decent little Chromebook, it's waterproof and drop proof. Not that we're going to tell Beth that, she has to think it's super fragile so she looks after it properly.
Beth started her first little business a couple of weeks ago "Cuddles and Care" dog walking and dog playing services. Sarah posted on the Jervoistown Residents Facebook group and we didn't have any interest at first, but a week later a couple who live on the same streed invited Beth down to met their dog George. Geroge is a lovely big white Lab x Retriever who's very calm and mellow. Both Beth and Theo have played with him twice now for ~30 minutes, which earns $5. Someone (Sarah) is always watching to make sure nothing bad happens. Biscuit's not great with him, that's because Biscuit is freakin' bonkers though.
I just got back from a little 5k run and poor Biscuit - it was too hot for him. He started to break down, sitting in the grass and not moving. I had to walk the last KM so that I didn't leave him behind. I took water and give him a big drink at the halfway mark but it wasn't enough, the heat was too hot for him poor dog. Anyway, won't do that to him again.
The kids have been having lots of fun with the Nintendo Switch. They're playing it at the moment as I sit and type this, Mario Kart is the best game by far. They're always racing and having fun. The dance game is cool too, but they don't play that anywhere near as much as Mario Kart.
While Sarah's working they've been going to the Beyond the Bell program, or one day they went and make cakes at a cake making thing. Really nice cakes too I gotta say.
I'm getting Matt from Bo's Mow's to come and do the back section. It's too hard to keep up with, it grows so quickly with all this rain and takes too long to get out there and pushmower it/whippersnipper it. I just can't be arsed. So for $100 he's going to do that.
Right I'm going to publish this story, and then try really hard to publish more often so I can put more details in. But everyone's happy and well. Oh Theo had a follow up hearing test and it showed his hearing hasn't gotten and different (no better, no worse). And we've reliased Beth really does need her glasses, especially for Mario Kart etc when she's on the couch, she finds it much easier to play.
Tim