It was night. It was cold. It was wet. It was in the middle of nowhere, and I would be stuck there for the next hour. That’s what the roadside assistance company said. This wasn’t how holiday homecoming trips were supposed to go. And what made it all worse, was...
It’s fortunate that I have nothing I’m required to do this weekend, because the rolling sound of the ocean tide next to this holiday bach makes me quite unable to do anything. It’s a battle with hypnosis. A struggle to do anything beyond rolling off the front of the...
If I were a food I’d be a marshmallow. I’m soft and easily flattened. (Also white and spongy around the middle, but that’s neither here nor there.) Today I gave a small wave of thanks to a lollipop lady who’d waved me through a lane of road cones. You...
Explaining to a 3-year-old that the budgie is dead, is unpleasant. But explaining that it’s Mummy’s fault because she job-shares with the Grim Reaper, is unnecessary—so at least Timmy doesn’t blame me for anything. Only two days ago, I’d been joking with someone about not being able to keep...
Bases for friendships are irrational. When we were kids our friendships were largely determined by who else lived in our block, but as adults with wider options we like to think our rationale has deeper reaches. It doesn’t. The absurdity of it struck me today when I shared a...
The only way to make someone want something is to take it away. Generally speaking, people are horrible value assessors. When I was in school, I hated it. I suspect that’s normal. But now that I find myself busied with the busy busyness of domestic this and that, and...
Last night, if good for anything, was good for reminding me what living with a newborn is like. Just in case I’ll get nostalgic for it at some later date. I’m pretty sure I won’t, because just seeing a newborn baby—even before it’s made a noise—gives me Post-Traumatic Stress...
There’s a very important difference between yesterday and today. It’s the difference that means that, unlike yesterday, today I feel lethargic, morose, and generally as flat as a pancake. With a tyre track across the middle. The difference: the sun is not shining. It’s ruined everything, just by sleeping...
This blog is half a step above Tumbleweed status. I’ve discovered I’m really not suited to ‘mummy-blogging’, so this needs to be something different. I revolve around my toddler-shaped bombs of entropy on a daily basis, as a matter of necessity — why would I then spend my precious...
In hindsight, it seems obvious that if someone were to fly out a rear windscreen and 70 feet down the road, there may be long-term ramifications. Especially when one landed not on a mattress but on chip-seal. Then was tangled in fallen power lines, on life support for a week,...
We’re moving house. Again. I haven’t lived longer than two years at any one address since I moved out of my parents’ place. And I’ve lived at eleven addresses since then. In mocking poetry, we’re moving our stuff out of this house two years to the day since it...
Yesterday, Mother’s Day, was a good day for me. Even though I had to go to work in the afternoon. At home I enjoyed Mother’s Day perks, and at work I enjoyed my last shift where I can actually feel competent at my job — more on that in...
I miss my little grublet. He’s been with his grandmother for a few days, which I believe has been more of a challenge for me than for him. I had burst into tears before Mum had even left our driveway with him, and the rest of the day was...
In the name of expanding my horizons and getting out of my comfort zone, I did the most nerve-wracking public speaking exercise I think I’ve ever done: I read a story to five kids. My work at the local library usually doesn’t comprise of more than book circulation –...
Is there a post-pregnancy hormone (a full four months on) that I can blame for my wanting to cry over silly things? I can’t blame PMS because those mechanics haven’t even resumed yet, but I’d like there to be some chemical reason, just so I don’t feel so abashed....
My back feels like a lego tower on its way down. I was given a voucher for a free infant chiropractic assessment and adjustment, so in true kiwi tradition I took advantage of a freebie, taking Timmy in. A special is the next best thing to a freebie, so...
At the risk of sounding like a 10-year-old, it wasn’t my fault. My ‘blog more often’ goal for 2012 was dependent on my having the means, and although I had expected a delay in getting phone and internet services after moving to a new house, I hadn’t quite expected...
Boxing Day is the worst metaphorical sugar-low ever. It started even earlier than Boxing Day, this year. The evening of Christmas day had me feeling sad. All the presents were opened, the food was eaten, the guests were departed…and Christmas felt over. Even the tree didn’t seem sparkly anymore....
9 days ago Enraptured with a new enthusiasm for honey and the magical bee, I visited the local Arataki Honey factory. I didn’t anticipate being able to buy comb honey there, as it hadn’t been listed on their website’s product list, but I was resolved to ask where I...
If I channeled Eeyore, I’d bemoan how miserable life is when one has a sore throat and relentless cough. I imagine that would not be an enjoyable read, and even less enjoyable to write. Better to channel Pollyanna, and talk about the much more interesting silver lining I’ve discovered,...
Depending on which unreliable statistic you source, you’ll find a person will move house about 16 times in their lifetime. If that’s to apply to me, I can conclude I’m not going to reach my 30th birthday. For the thirteenth time I’m relocating my life in a mosaic of...
