Running to Stand Still - U2

Wonderful friends

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

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

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...

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)

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)

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!

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...

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

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

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!

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...