Blossoms
stop tomorrow from stealing all my time.
and here i am still waiting though i still
have my doubts.

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    Friday, January 30

    Week in review

    So...I am actually exhausted. Isaac has a work leaving dinner tonight and I am declining attending due to tiredness. It's been quite a full on week. Mainly due to having to organise a raffle for today at work - which was a GREAT success by the way. We raised $394 for our sponsored kids! It means that we don't have to run another raffle for another three months! Whoop!

    It kinda got dumped on my desk this week and I was told that we were pretty much out of previously raised money. In true Press organisational style! All good though, we rallied and managed to put together two hampers plus a guys prize pack and a womens prize pack (including Redken hair products, L'oreal mineral make up, Bobbi Brown lip gloss and Clinique eye shadow - yes I really wanted to win that one!)

    Incredible huh!

    That, work in general and the new "baby" makes life quite involved at the moment. Neither Isaac nor I have ever had a cat before. And a kitten is very different to a puppy! He's very affectionate though - hates being shut away when we're at work (but he's getting used to it now!) - and he's learning not to climb up us anymore! The backs of both our hands are covered in kitty scratches though!

    So yes, following on from J&J's wedding and all the stuff we had to do then - it was quite full on! I'm glad it's the weekend!

    Speaking of the wedding:


    The Church filling up

    The Bride - awww!

    The Kiss!

    Watching the races at the Showgate

    That's me!!!

    Entrance of the Mr & Mrs


    Mmm...cake!

    Our slightly overexposed table (in terms of lighting!)

    Me and Melsie

    Wedding finery!

    So yes, was a good night and good times! Just such a busy day what with the making pure chocolate truffles for the afternoon tea (yummy!) and setting up the reception venue after the ceremony!

    No wonder this week has been exhausting!

    Wednesday, January 28

    New Baby


    Mr Squirrel is a mischief maker...this is why I've been busy!

    Friday, January 23

    Busy!

    Argh! What a week!!! The wedding tomorrow and then church on Sunday will top it off nicely methinks!

    Shall update when things settle down a little. I don't think I was this busy when MY wedding was coming up - but that may have had something to do with the fact that I had a week off work!

    Wednesday, January 14

    I am a perfectly responsible human being

    I am working on the design for the wedding thank you cards. It needs to be done...and I quite like doing it. Don't like it when people keep "reminding" me to send thank you cards. As though we weren't ALWAYS intending on sending thank you cards.

    I love them but REALLY. I am not a child and am perfectly responsible (mostly!).

    I just dislike it when every form of communication contains a reminder to send thank you cards to overseas people.

    I'm GETTING to it!!! *sigh*

    Monday, January 12

    A belated introduction...


    Mr Fishie!!!

    We got him a couple of days after we got back from honeymoon because we had this bowl - one of many - that had been part of the table centerpieces at the wedding and we thought it would make an awesome fish bowl.

    And it does!!! Unfortunately kitting out Mr Fishie's bowl cost close to $50 - including the price of Mr Fishie! Glad we don't have a tank!!! He is very cute - probably about the size of my thumb and he may be a teensie bit bigger than when we first got him but I can't be sure...


    A closer look...

    When we first got him he was uber-depressed...probably because he had come from a giant tank with lots of friends to our fish bowl. He would just sit in the part of the tank that faced the window and stare at his reflection in the glass. We never even saw him eat!!!

    Thankfully I think we are past the critical stage in his development. He is much more active and even eats in public. He must not be bullimic. Hurrah!

    I personally think he has just forgotten that he used to have friends....

    Anyway, he is a good fish as fish go. Doesn't complain too much about bowl cleaning which is a plus!!!

    Friday, January 9

    *sigh*

    Well...all good things must come to an end I guess. I have to go back to work on Monday - which means we are leaving Ohau tomorrow morning :P

    I really, really don't want to!!! *sob*

    Although right now I'm in a lot of pain. So I'd probably sob over having to move off the couch. We went mountain biking today. Hard core!!!

    Weather when we started out...see that little trail up the hill? THAT'S where we were heading!

    It was so lucky that I've been doing 3km around the village pretty much daily since we've been here. I think if I'd done no exercise at all I'd have been in A LOT of trouble...lol. As it was it was pretty intense. Lots of hills and pretty rough terrain.


    Geeky husband lol

    Our intrepid leader - excepting he is behind other people

    Isaac doesn't really like biking - well, he never used to. He's more of a runner. But I basically never run because I don't like the impact. (Possibly because I don't have proper running shoes!) Anyway, am hoping to talk him into getting bikes because that will actually mean that I will possibly be inspired to get some exercise when NOT on holiday.


    Me all hot and sweaty - awesome :P

    I have not the ability or stamina to make it up this hill. But if you peer closely you will see the intrepid leader make his way up!

    So yes, two hours (approximately) there and back. 8kms total...but felt a LOT harder than that, probably because we weren't on the flat. Parts were very windy and rainy. My Columbia outer served me quite well when we were waiting for the really fit ones to make it up the hill and back.

    However, it really fined up for the ride back :)

    So yes, sore and holidays are over. Much sadness! But I'll sleep well tonight!!!

    Tuesday, January 6

    All artistic-like

    So being on holiday is good for the soul (I totally didn't mean to get all preachy in the last post...btw - Elinor has responded and she pities me...good thing I care fairly little about her opinion! Really I pity her for her narrow minded-ness.) I have finally had a bit of a chance to play around with photoshop with recent photos :)


    Candle in a bar that we ate at in Queenstown. I think it's called Brazz???

    Lillies in the Queenstown botanical gardens

    The gateway to Narnia...

    Pretty roses :)

    Thistles out the back at Ohau

    Glenorchy

    Queenstown was fun :) Good-ish weather and we had a gorgeous little apartment to ourselves which was quite self sufficient really. We were only there two days but it was a pretty good way to unwind.

    So yes, am having fun "playing" and am actually quite pleased with the results of what I've played with. Shall have to do more as long as this holiday lasts! SO not looking forward to going back to work :P

    Something I dislike...Palestine & Israel take two

    Actually, not just dislike - more like really, really abhor. When people who don't even know who you are attack you for your opinion.

    Not only that - when they are too cowardly to do it in a public forum and so they privately send psuedo-scathing private messages to one's facebook account.

    I'm sorry, but you are doing nothing to change my opinion or gain my respect. So long ago that I can't even remember how long ago it was...2007 as it turns out....I blogged about Palestine and Israel. Probably in response to some act of aggression that was happening at the time. Now, I don't claim to be an expert on the situation over there. In fact - I am probably anything but. However, I don't think it is possible for us to assign blame all over the place - especially when people's lives are being taken without their permission. Especially when childrens lives are at stake.

    There are people all over the place who believe firmly in what they believe. The Palestinians and the Israelis both believe that they are entitled to the land of the Gaza strip. (Like I said, not an expert - correct me if I'm wrong!) But there are people involved here too. People who are losing their lives and families being torn apart - on both sides.

    I am not - and I really want to stress this - not picking sides. All I am saying is that there is a point where enough is enough. Where compromise is always going to be the best option. This is one of those occasions. Yes, Elinor, Israel did give that land in Gaza to the Palestinians. You say "stupidly" and perhaps that may or may not be right. But that land originally belonged to the peoples in that area - the arabs who you claimed attacked Israel when they were still trying to get recognition as a "people".

    So how can you say that these people are not a nation? Are not people but terrorists? Are all Palestinians terrorists? Israel have their own military that has caused it's fair share of terror. And if I remember correctly (5th form history is a long time ago now!) that land never originally belonged to Israel. They took it from other nations. Is it really a surprise when those people want their land back?

    I'll admit that I am not there. I don't fully understand - and possibly will never fully understand. But don't you dare lecture me on my opinion. I'm not opposed to learning - but not when you seek to force your opinion on me. I have the right to study all sources of information and make a reasoned judgment. And I don't need you to judge me for that.

    You say New Zealand would respond in the same way if a neighbouring country was attacking them? Yes, perhaps. (Although with our pathetic lack of air force we'd probably lose...hmm...) But this is more than just one nations greed and want. This is about hurts - real or imagined - that have gone back years and years and years. People who can't let go, who continue to hurt the innocent people around them and who have very little regard for human life if it doesn't suit their agenda. And that is on both sides.

    So thank you for sharing your side of the story. But don't you think you might be the tiniest bit biased? After all, these people are in your country, attacking your family. And to you the loss of life on the other side is deserved because, hell, they did it first! But is that really the right attitude? If your attitude is the same as the majority of the Israelis (and I pray that it's not!) then I doubt we will ever see any resoultion to the middle east conflict in my lifetime, if ever. On some level people need to learn to forgive and to let go. They need to time to heal and rebuild their lives.

    Your attitude won't let that happen because you see them as beneath you. They don't deserve to live but you do? They don't deserve a home, a land, a place that they belong - but you do?

    Think about that...

    Thursday, January 1

    Ringing in the New Year

    They say pictures speak louder than words. We rung in 2009 with cocktails - what else???


    Me, Jen & the lovely Mrs Kelly back from honeymoon!

    Yes, cocktails in champagne flutes is a TERRIBLE faux pas...but that was all that was there! A Mocolada - yummy!


    Mmm...cake! The icing was an invention and it was YUMMY (and obviously good for us!)


    Jem ponders his next amazing cocktail creation...

    So, it's 2009 - yay! Going to Queenstown tomorrow!!!

    Regnum: (lat.)1. kingly government, royal authority, kingship, royalty 2. In gen., dominion, sovereignty, rule, authority. // Advenio: vēnī, ventus, īre, to come to, reach, arrive at

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