daily bread

It has been a tough few days.

It started off pretty good with what looked like child no.3 on the way, but then the very late period arrived with the vengence of an early miscarriage leaving me with disappointed hopes and haywire hormones.

In an effort to cheer myself up we headed off on a family trip to a very cool, slightly edgy end of town that I’ve always wanted to visit. Cool shops and not a chain-store in sight. We had a fun afternoon until the balloon burst with the disapperance of our car.

For 15 awful, awful minutes we thought our car had been stolen. Which is horrendous at the best of times but with 2 small, tired kids, miles from our house, in what is still a strange country, with no money to buy a new one it felt utterly disastrous. I phoned the police, desperately trying to hold it together and I have never been so happy to hear the words ‘Your car has been towed’.  We were ecstatic and practically skipped our way across town on 2 buses to pick up our crappy wee car. In truth, I can’t imagine who else would want it but we are now very, very thankful that we have it.

A strange rollercoaster few days. I’m pretty sad and down still and trying to let that be ok. Roll on Saturday when I escape with some girlfriends to the lovely Rivendell for some R&R.

{ Edit }

Back to The Barn (3rd time this week) this time with JM. The kids were angels and let us sit down and work out a detailed study plan for the next few months. My husband has many, many gifts but managing his time and forward planning aren’t in there, as we discovered our first term here. He graciously lets me plan out his workload and schedule and I love it. We work out a family friendly timetable that gets him tonnes of study time without me losing my mind or putting the kids on e-bay. Everybody’s happy.

Yeah! The end of term! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee

(not that it really makes that much difference, he’ll be right back into studying for spring school on Monday, but at least there will be no more 8am starts)

Still pining after LOST. It’s been on a mid-season break for 3 weeks and I need a fix. This 4th season is definitely the best yet and I have got well and truly sucked in. One more week to wait for the next episode….

Meanwhile, I’ve been celebrating finishing the back of my cardigan, my most adventurous knitting project yet. I have an awful feeling it’s going to turn out looking rare in which case my grandmother will receive it for xmas.

A visit to The Barn with Kerry. The Barn is a recent discovery on campus where we live. It this beautiful, small community centre which has a coffee shop, exercise room and Neighbourhood Living room, the latter being the reason why I go there. A gorgeous, spacious, sunny room with lots of new, funky armchairs, child friendly cushions and stools and plenty of toys.  Parents can go and just hang out with their kids; no charge, no catch. It is always clean and looks like an interior decorator was brought in to design it. Our kids adore it and run around playing with whoever else is there, leaving us in peace to chat.

The only thing that would improve it would be wine on tap…..

2 great things about today:

1. My last day of work. Bittersweet in that I am so glad that I took it on and got so much satisfaction from it, but it is exhausting and intense and uses up all my extrovert energy for a few days leaving me hiding inside to recover. I will look forward to having my Tuesdays back.

2. The Finale of The Biggest Loser. I love this show so much. There is a very redemptive, hopeful quality to it and more than once I have found tears rolling down my cheeks as I have followed these contestants as they battle, literally, for their lives. It was esp good tonight as I watched it with my mates, in my jammies, on their sofa, putting bets on the winner.

Eli is one crazy little dude and he is obsessed with the courtyard outside our window where he sees his brother and his gang play. He makes a valiant attempt at opening the front door himself before banging his nose and scuffling back into the living room in humiliated defeat. We’ve decided it’s a toss up between very grumpy child or dirty clothes and the occasional stone swallowing. Guess what won…

So it’s fun to see him out there, marauding around the courtyard on all fours with the occasional drunken stagger on two legs. He holds court in one of those little red plastic cars and all the older girls come to ooh and aah and he flirts with them over the dashboard. He’s such a funny little ginger dude with a huge appetite for life and people and I’m so glad he’s mine.

St Andrew’s Womens Prayer group. They enfold  you in love and lift you up to the very heart of God.

Thank you Ladies.

First trip to the beach of the year!

Sunshine, bucket and spade and suncream. I smell summer….

Great afternoon watching Elijah discover sand and Caleb build a boat. Then home to steaks on the barbie and a picnic in the courtyard with our lovely neighbours.  You just can not beat a glass of wine in the sunshine.