I'm turning into a Kiwi!

Well, not only am I becoming a JAFA, but lots of people are telling me that I’m fast becoming a Kiwi too.

Here are the main two reasons:

1 Going to bed really early and getting up early (6am)
2 I’m addicted to Milo

Now, in England, I also got up around 6, but managed to stay up until 10, 11 or 12 no probs (pm I mean!). Here, I’m falling asleep at around 8pm!

Milo is loverly – but probably full of sugar or some other rubbish – although it is put across in advertising as being a healthy drink (so I could well be wrong – but it just tastes too nice to be healthy), taken either hot or cold. It’s basically a brown powder that’s similar to hot chocolate and ovaltine mixed together.

I take mine hot with milk!

The school playground and its surrounds are plastered with hairy little caterpillars at the mo which keep finding their way into my classroom – aided by certain little hands no doubt. One of the children had placed about five of the little mites on a windowsill – “ready to play with later”!

I found one crawling up my trouser legs the other day when I got home! Bloomin things!

Last Monday, I somehow found myself entering the 5 at 6 near my home. This is the running, walking or mixture of both of 5 km at 6pm in the evening.

We started at the pub (O’Hagans) and finished there. I was told it’s a rather casual affair…. Hmm

Well – I got there and saw very seriously dressed runners limbering up and stretching all over the place with numbers attached to their t-shirts or shorts etc. Looked rather ominous to me….

I dutifully paid my $2 and pinned on my number. I also helped myself to a free drink of a strange clear solution.

We all gathered together just past the cinema and the horn sounded. Well – everyone just dashed off!

Luckily I had found a friend and proceeded to walk/jog with her, her young daughter (about 7/8) and another friend’s 6 year old daughter. We ambled along at a steady pace and I finished with rather a red face (from exertion mainly) with a time of around 46 mins (told another friend it took me 21 mins! – mainly because they drove past me towards the end of the race when I was ever so slightly knackered, waving and parping their horn gaily at me – you know who you are – going to a barbie when you should have been dieing with me!)

I finished LAST!

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the run tonight due to rather a long staff meeting – what a shame!

Although – all of the moaning aside – I did actually enjoy it and was slightly miffed I missed it tonight. Hopefully I’ll make it next Monday.

Oh yes – the $2 dollars includes a very welcome soft drink at the bar when you finally stumble in at the end!

This weekend was quite a boring affair really – felt rather like one of Terry Wogan’s TOGs. Went to bed on Friday night at 9pm and 8.30pm on Saturday – what a SADDO!

Managed to stay up until the heady hours of 10pm Sunday night – please don’t faint with shock!

Due to being rather tired, I only managed to get out to the shops for food on Saturday and a pair of school sandals for son on Sunday.

Brown sandals are like gold dust around here. They’d run out of son’s size in Botany, so we tried Howick. They’d run out in the shop in Howick and I rather naively asked when the next lot of sandals would be in?

Was given a rather ‘boy are you stupid look’ and told that’s it until next year! The lady had ordered what she thought she’d need for the new school term and that was that!

We next frantically tried Pakuranga shopping centre – none there. Finally we headed for Manukau City and found a lovely pair in Foot Locker in the sale! Hallelujah.

The weather is now crap and son is in his trousers and black shoes……..

Hopefully, the sun will get its hat on again soon.

The washing machine that I hired for 3 months was taken away from me on Saturday (sob!) - but with a little luck, my UK one should be here very soon.

I hope so - frantically did 5 loads on Saturday morning before machine was taken in order to get as much sorted as possible - but the washing is building up, rearing an ugly head already and beginning to look rather scarey!

Had a call from the shippers today about our container – it’s in Auckland now and will be hurtling its way towards the Bucklands Beach area soon – gulp!

The container man called whilst I was at work (around 5pm) so I missed him – will call back tomorrow. Funny thing is – I called his office earlier (also around 5pm) and was told to call back tomorrow morning. Ships in the night eh!

Am really looking forward to our stuff arriving – but also dreading all the unpacking involved – what with work and everything else going on.

Have put the route that the ship travelled up on a very large world map in the classroom – the kids are really interested in where ‘my ship’ has travelled and whether it has arrived yet!

They now know where England, Holland (aka Netherlands), Germany, Italy, the Suez Canal, Australia and New Zealand are all situated on the map! Have also promised to show them a genuine Dutch clog from Amsterdam – which amazingly they haven’t forgotten about and keep reminding me of!

Tomorrow, we are having to give tests in the morning and there is to be absolutely NO TALKING! Should be very interesting as my class do not seem to understand those two words!
Well – hopefully next weekend I can body board once more in the sun and do some washing!

Bye for now.

X Sue