Christmas Eve was spent eating a chippy supper down at the beach and chatting to a lovely Maori man casting his net into the sea and showing the children the fish he'd caught. He gave one to a young couple huddled over an illegal fire BBQ. She had short dreadlocks and he, a big afro and dark sunnies. My kinda people. Different and I like different. Very white and middle class where we live. Not really comfortable with that. Since living here, have discovered NZ isn't as racially aware as it likes us to think. Big divide... but that's another topic.
We walked along the beach then hurried back to the car as the barrier closed at dusk and we didn't fancy the $60 charge to get out again. We greeted the park Warden with a "Merry Christmas" as he made his way down to the beach to check if anyone was still around, rather than just lock them in the car park. Nice bloke. Warned us about the pillocks driving the roads that night... but that's like every night really. Dangers of living on the coastal road.
As we are in the season of light nights (doesn't get dark until 9.30ish) it was after 10pm before the sproglets went to bed and close on midnight by the time we felt safe enough to put up the boinga-boinga. Had to shine the car headlights onto us whilst we errected it. For some reason The Hubster and I found this hilarious and couldn't stop giggling all the time... then we had to test it out.
Santa suit has become a necessity in keeping the belief in Father Christmas alive; two years ago we had a close call with the sproglets and we hope if they wake and see FC in their room, looking all nice and familiar, they'll continue to believe. We fell into bed around 2am, exhausted by the sea air. And trampolining.
Christmas Day
No chance of capturing the sproglets' delight on film as they see that Santa has indeed popped in for a beer and a bite of a pork pie, due to them having to pass through the lounge to get to our bedroom. Unwrapped their stockinged gifts on our bed then went to unwrap the gifts from under the tree.
Christmas Fayre consisted of a fry up for breakfast and then snacking on a family sized pork pie and pickles. Distinct lack of nibbles this year as each time I'd shopped it'd been on a full stomach so didnt' feel the need for crap. Apologised to The Hubster who was craving shortbread. I offered to make some but he didn't want to wait.
No turkey.
No roasties.
No cranberry sauce.
No Christmas Pudding.
No point as we weren't fussed and the sproglets didn't care. Too warm to cook a roast but everyone else seems to do it. Food-wise, a Kiwi Christmas is exactly the same as an English one. Spent the rest of the day trampolining and untagling Barbie dolls and Transformers from the plastic tags that hold them in their boxes. More of a challenge each year that one.
Seasons Greetings everybod. Seasons Greetings.
- urban gypsy [11:02 am] |
Thursday, December 22, 2005
.:. .:.
Oh it's so good not having to get up for the school run in the mornings. I lay there, squinting in the bright morning light utterly determined not to get up when the alarm went off. We wake up to the radio in our home so I lay there, listening to them whittering on and it was bliss... but I had to get up for a pee after about ten minutes or I'd have wet the bed.
So today I have taken them to see Father Christmas and have traditional photo. The Vixen package. Not sure if that's a suitable name for child photographs but the Vixen consisted of two 5x7's and four wallet size for $30 NZD (12 squids). "And what are you hoping I'll bring with me when I pop down your chimney on Christmas morn?" twinkled Santa in his sleigh at the mall. "A Dora the Explorer tent" sang Issy whilst Luke chimed in with "An iPod shuffle." And laughter rang out from somewhere in the crowd. Not. A. Chance.
Came back home to child mind Lex's girls as it's her last day of "Wiping shitty arses and mopping up vomit" as she so poetically put it and hell... she couldn't miss that now, could she? After Christmas she starts her new nursing job in a Private Clinic: 9-5, Mon-Fri. Bliss. As its the holidays and none of us have family living here, we have to help each other out in times of need so rather than them sitting in their dad's office for 3 hours, which had been the original plan, I volunteered. A nine yr old, eight yr old, twin five yr olds and a four yr old. Not easy. No. Not easy.
Made chocolate chip cookies, along with my best friend Betty Crocker. They helped take the edge of it. Bit like temazepan. Only tastier.
- urban gypsy [7:02 pm] |
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
.:. .:.
It's all done. ALL my Christmas gifts are done. Well apart from an Auntie and Uncle of The Hubster's that have asked us to get the children something. And I haven't even started buying food. And if you take into account that this year it's only the children that are getting things and not the adult family, you'd think I'd have accomplished gift buying some time ago. However, I've had to buy the children gifts from everyone overseas and they've given us the money. Everyone that is, except my mum and gran.
She posted hers. Quite frantic that I've not received anything she sent since my birthday gift arrived; even my birthday cards didn't come. Turns out she's been sending them to 336 instead of 366! Lady at 336, being very honest, sent them back to N.Z. P.O. who've returned them back to the U.K. where you and I know they will never be seen again. I'm angry that mum won't even make a claim to Royal Mail as she just assumes she'll be wasting her time and yes, she probaby is, but to not even try? Pffftttt.
- urban gypsy [7:45 am] |
.:. .:.
"It's the holiday season.. and Santa Claus, is coming to town..."
In my previous post I remarked on what a quiet weekend it'd been last Sat and Sun. Well it had, but I forgot to say that we put up our lovely, real, Christmas Tree.
The second w/e prior to Christmas we go out, en famille, and wander around our local farm trying to find the best tree for our home. Not in his fields you understand, but the ones he has for sale in the yard. This year, not having any local farmyards and the real thing seemingly not in vogue in the warm weather of New Zealand, we didn't even bother to sift through the tat being sold by the roadside. As far as I'm concerned, nothing will ever compete with a real tree for me and boy, this one is fresh.
The act of walking into a huge field, searching for the one that's fat but not too fat, tall - ish, and able to fit in the back of the car and then summoning the summer worker in his vest and shorts, lugging a big chainsaw to chop down the one we'd chosen, was the best and most surreal thing we have done since moving here! lol. We didn't realise it was a pick-your-own farm so next year, I'll definately take the cameral with me. They even had upside-down trees (see their site) and trees aimed at UK expats... marketed like this:
If you originated from the UK and are feeling nostalgic this could be your kind of tree. It has short sharp dark green needles that will pop balloons. When bumped or moved after Christmas it will shed all its needles onto the carpet and for the next two months they will elude the vacuum cleaner. However Christmas thrives on nostalgia and memories.
I had one of those in my first home when I was 18; never again! lol. This was the best £13/$24 USD that we've ever spent! Sure it can be a bit of hassle but it's only a few hours we spend buying and decorating it and then a few hours spent wrestling it out the house on the 12th night. Remind me I said that when I'm whinging about it in a fortnight.
- urban gypsy [7:08 am] |
Saturday, December 17, 2005
.:. .:.
*TUT* I'm getting to be nought but a slack tart wi mi blog... yet another week without a post. So here I am to play catchie-uppie.
Today - took Issy to a children's party in a big, sweaty, indoor play area called Chipmunks and now owed by Wolf 'Another- One-Bites-The-Dust' from 90's Gladiator, not to be confused with the one with Russell Crowe. Then I got defuzzed at the beauticians and enjoyed the peace and quiet not gained at said Chipmunks. Went to mall - sproglets had ice-creams, The Hubster and I a mocha at Starbucks-Charge-Big-Bucks. Bought danish pastries for breakfast in the morn and pizza for dinner. Came home and undid top button on jeans... ahhh.
Friday - lazed about. Still not right due to Tuesday night so soaked in the bathtub and read my new book about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as my eyes are now able to focus.
Thursday - Issy's Christmas Party at Kindy. We took Fairy Bread as piss easy to make and The Hubster filmed her second Nativity play. She led everyone in the singing with the loudest voice and we were suitably proud of her.
Wednesday - passed in a blur. Missed it completely. Might not have even happened this week. Dunno. Can't remember (see below).
Tuesday - OH. Tuesday. Lou, the friend who keeps missing our Girlie Nights Out, decided to make it up by taking me out to dinner at Toby's. After 40 mins of bad service, our drinks finally arrived and we drank. Then we drank some more. And some more and some more and I was sick. When I got home though - not in the restaurant. It is 6 years since I was sick through alcohol. Mind you, we did for German/English relations what no politician ever could and have now put the world to rights.
Sunday and Monday - did nowt. Well nothing I remember anyroad.
Promise not to leave it so long. Promise. Have a lovely weekend y'all.
- urban gypsy [9:11 pm] |
Saturday, December 10, 2005
.:. .:.
The Hubster has gone out for a beer with friends, which was grand at first, but now I'm bored.
I am lazing in the comfy computer chair swigging diet Coke - caffeine free - out of its one and half litre bottle. Classy eh? Gassy more like. 'Scuse me. *snort* So... what to do, what to do. Mmm. Well, I've managed to offend someone in an expat. forum. They're homesick and asked for advice so I told him to stop phoning 'home' where everyone is happily getting on with their life and not really missing them the same as this couple miss everyone back 'home', stop thinking of the UK as back 'home' and put that effort into making new friends, to which he responded that making new friends wasn't an option as his old friends go back 20yrs or more. WTF? Why bother moving if you don't want to make new friends? Y'know, you'd be surprised how many folk aren't interested in people. I always get the village idiot chatting to me - they seem to pick me out in a crowd of others. Maybe I've got a face for it, I don't know... I'll happily chat away to anyone who speaks with me as I find people interesting rather than annoying and what's five minutes of your time when you might get a new friendship out of it? Anyway, the forum thing just didn't seem to be working for me tonight so I thought I'd blog. But didn't know what about. So here I am just waffling on.
Went to shop for a new pair of Birkenstocks... Heidi Klum has designed a range making them comfy and trendy. And you thought never the twain shall meet? Yeah well I guess they won't in my household. The HK ones are £150 in the UK - deffo out my price range here as the regular ones are twice what they cost in the UK. I just cannot justify spending £80 on something I know to be forty quid in Europe. *sigh* I came home empty handed.
We left it until after 4pm to shop as we thought we'd have to donn body armour and compete with the expected hordes of Christmas shoppers. Parked easily and stolled the muggy streets, noting that some shops actually closed their doors at lunchtime. IT'S TWO WEEKS TO CHRISTMAS!!! "This would be unheard of in Europe," I said to The Hubster, who agreed, but said this way was much more pleasurable. I disagreed as I love all the hustle and bustle in the cold weather but even I'm loathe to cook a turkey on Christmas Day this year. Any ideas for the perfect Christmas summer lunch anyone?
- urban gypsy [8:13 pm] |
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
.:. .:.
Yet another week has flown by since my last post! I don't seem to get time to blog much these days as the weather is good and the children finish soon for Christmas and summer holidays so I am trying to make time for myself before we hit the wall! lol. Thankfully the car only needed the service and passed its WOF which is like the UK MOT, only every 6 months instead of annually. Considering my car is 9 yrs old, I think I did pretty good. I love my car.
Had yet another night out at weekend; a SAHMs Christmas Works Do - lol. Well two of them work but we aren't a stickler for the rules. Started with 8, then 6, then five then four... y'know how it goes. The four of us had a great night which started with a Thai meal, followed by a 70's/80's music club. Got to be careful at our age that no-one asks us if we're out with our daughters or something so this was a good club choice. By 2am tight shoes and alcohol had got the better of us and we wearily tottered home. I guess that's it for this year as folk from the UK are beginning to arrive; Lex has a cousin coming, Hev - her mother and Lou is hosting her flatmate from the early years who wants to propose to his girlfriend. Let's hope she says yes or it could be a tense time in that household!
My littlest sproglet wet her bed last night so I have laundry to do; she forgot to 'go' before bed so we had a rude awakening at 3am. Not good for my beauty sleep and, let's face it, I need all I can get these days. Now she is showered and clean I will take her out for a long overdue haircut and a fluffy, which is a New Zealand thing I think - small cup of hot, steamed milk and marshmallows. She feels grown up like Mummy when we do this sort of thing and I enjoy it too. 'Cept I don't have a fluffy obviously. Need a shot of caffeine otherwise I'd nod off. This is only the second time in two years she has had a night-time accident and I just hope it's a one off and she isn't coming down with a virus or something. That'll be all I need... two years ago, the eldest had Chicken Pox over Christmas and she had them over New Year!
So now to check email and bounce spam. Will try and play catchie-uppie with everyone later.
- urban gypsy [7:59 am] |
ABOUT ME
i am... honest. loyal. selfless. controlling ... hobbies... listening to music. theatre. blog hopping ... reads... chick lit. glossy magazines ... listens to music like... 70's disco. motown. pop ...
WISHES FOR
`new house (in Oz)
`less housework
`new shoes
`less bills
`new knickers
`smooth, tanned, glowing skin
`digital camera
`an iPod nano
Laurice Solomon picture from
Getty Images edited using Adobe Photoshop CS2
Home
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Urban Gypsy
30-odd year old mum of two
England - Saudi Arabia
- New Zealand
words__
When you run so fast to get somewhere
you miss the fun
of getting there.
Life is not a race,
so take it slower,
hear the music before the music is over, take your time and stay happy...
wishes for__
`new house (in Oz)
`less housework
`new shoes
`less bills
`new knickers
`smooth, tanned, glowing skin
`digital camera
`an iPod nano
