Sunday Birthday

Today, we attended the birthday party of our best friends' daughter, at a commercial indoor adventure playground. It was nice...and a bit sad, as Jamie kept on asking for me to buy him a toy, and I felt I should refuse (they were rubbish!). However, I saw my friend getting lollies out of a machine for his little girl, so I decided to try & get Jamie a toy, too - this was one of those machines with the grabber, that you have to use, to pick up the Toy...I prayed before I put the money in, and on my second attempt, I got a Scooby Doo toy for Jamie!!! I'd never seen ANYONE successfully lift a toy, out of one of those machines before!!! Jamie was very pleased with his "Fire Department Scooby Doo".

Saturday Visitors

Well Saturday was interesting; my family came to visit, from my hometown, Dunedin... aka "the Edinburgh of the South." My mother, one of my sisters, my oldest brother (he turns 60 next year) and his spouse all turned up; it was nice to see them all. They brought Christmas presents for all of us; & cakes, pikelets, biscuits, and presents for the kids. I had a game of Pool with my brother; that was a rare treat! :)

When will you Die....?

Out of curiosity, I checked out the Death Clock website, where they tell you your specific date of Death, as long as you don't get murdered, run over, or pop your clogs in a nuclear holocaust ::)

According to the site, I'm due to "check out" on Thursday, January 7th, 2055, making me 93 when I shuffle off this mortal coil. Anybody else wanna share their time of leaving "This Spaceship Earth"....?

Junebug

Well, today wasn't that flash; it was just OK. However, I did buy a ticket for the movie, Click, for next Monday...I bought it with a can og Spaghetti....does anyone else have this kind of thing, where you live?? It happens once a year here; there's a selection of just two movies, which you can get into buy presenting a can of any tinned food.

Last night, I went to the movie Junebug; it was fascinating...it's one of those "when two worlds collide" sort of films. The main characters are a young-ish couple, George & Madeleine; George is a Chicago lawyer from a southern redneck background; while Madeleine is an Art Gallery owner, and the daughter of a British Diplomat. In North Carolina, Madeleine meets George's parents, the quiet Eugene & the slightly hostile Peg. Eugene sees the couple as being worthy of his respect - "He loves her. She loves him," he states. Peg is less complimentary. "She's got nice hands, I'll give her thay-at," she quips. The other two main characters in the family, are the sullen Johnny, and his bubbly, heavily-pregnant wife, Ashley. "If the baby's a boy, I'm calling him Johnny," she gushes. "And if it's a girl, I'm calling her Junebug." As you do..... ::) Amy Adams, who played dippy Ashley, has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance. *** For about the 5th time since I've been going to the movies here in Timaru, I was the only one in the theatre... my wife assures me there's nothing wrong with my aftershave, so it must be sheer coincidence...you may make bad jokes, if you wish...

Two Churches are enough for Nev

On Sunday morning, we all trooped off to our fave Presbyterian Church, St.Stephens in Gleniti; I was on the Sound Desk, and there I often get little visits from Zoe & Ben.....it all went well with the Sound yesterday morn; the lady doing the readings got it just right (often, the readers don't direct their gobs towards the mike). There was a visitor, & I asked why he was there....he piped up, "I'm just checking out different Churches," he said. Later on, before he left the building, I collared him & said, "If you're still looking at churches, check out St.Peters Anglican Church, at the end of Otipua Road".....he looked a bit surprised, & said he would. :)

That night, I headed off to St.Peters, & got settled in to listen to one of Chris's fabulous sermons.....I got about 28 prayer cushions & leant up against them, took my boots off, & listened in..... :D)

Weekend

On Saturday, two of Jamie's friends came 'round, Ke-Arn & Kalm....the two boys are obviously good mates, as Kalm's mum dropped them off, and Ke-Arn's mum picked them up.....it interests me, the many names about these days, that I never saw until the last couple of years - reminds me of the American pursuit of Individualism.....

Also, the boys' visit reminded me how times have changed - when I was a wee lad, I would walk home from school - and if I wanted to play with a schoolmate at his/her house, we would just go there, & I would ring home to tell them what I was up to. These days, Jamie gets picked up from school in our cars - well, after all, it IS 2.5 miles to his school, a lot of the way along State Highway 1.

Recorded 6 more Goon Shows onto normal CD-R last night; though I think I recorded 1 that I already have....poos & weease!

Duck Crossing

I was stopped at the traffic lights, outside the KFC in Ashbury the other day, when a Mother Duck & six Ducklings waddled across the road...I couldn't believe it; I thought, "Are they gonna make it? I hope they make it safely across," and they DID! All 6 of them! The last duckling made it, jumped up onto the sidewalk, & ran off after its Mum & its sibs! Fantastic! :D)

Insanity Prevention

In the News today, it was reported that George Michael smokes cannibis, "to stay sane." In a temporary sense, I hang out the washing, to stop going mad....two loads this morning....it kept me out of the madness of breakfast time @ our place ;)

....what do you lot do to stop going bananas? Anyone?

The Past Week

Well, Monday began with both of us taking the Twins to Mainly Music, where they were clingy, & not as good at participating, as we would hope.....however, the coffee at morning tea time afterwards, was v. good...had a couple of good conversations, too.....& people made some nice comments on my new hairstyle :)

Tuesday started, with my mailbox-watching efforts being rewarded.....a large parcel was there in the box....when I really wasn't expecting one!! I thought I'd had all the parcels I'd get, for a while. It was a tin of home-made biscuits (& a letter), from our best friends, who live in the North Island, about 550 miles from here! YaY!

The rest of the week, I've been experiencing more & more moments, of not feeling all there....I can still function, but I don't feel, well, right. I'm hoping it will pass :(

Mouse Hand

I've perhaps spent too much time, browsing Amazon, Bensonsworld (another online store), eBay, etc...recently....& I've developed an affliction, that I call Mouse Hand.....a bit of a stiff wrist... I can still feel it, minutes after being on the keyboard......

Parcels

I know, I know...I'm obsessed :( .....I got more parcels yesterday; two more DVDs, one Dr.Who & The Worst Week of My Life series 2. So, that makes about five parcels over 5 days, which is not so bad ;)

It was good to read about Peter Kay on Lou's site; I've begun watching his That Peter Kay Thing again, this time with the commentaries on.... very funny, & quite illuminating.

Took Jamie to his friend's birthday party yesterday after school; he was dressed up like a Vampire....complete with black clothes, fangs & cape .....I painted his face, & gelled his hair. He really looked the part!

Thursday - No Hat Trick

Not a sausage in the letter-box today...& letter-boxes around here, are known for their sausages... ;) - so I didn't get to get three parcels in three days; but, oh, tomorrow is another Post Day...& Saturday, too....we're luckier than the land of Oz; they only get mail Mon - Fri....

I saw my friend TV today, we watched the second half of a movie on disc, & had a good chat....all his dogs are fine....

This morning - and evening, too - I've watched LOADS more Green Wing, with commentaries, deleted scenes, & Behind the Scenes features... just Episode 8 to go now...... :) - oh, I liked seeing details about how certain scenes were done - like Dr.Statham being set on fire by Sue White; and Sue White eating raw umbilical cord, & Guy eating rather a lot - before finding out what it is; AND much more detail, about Sue White giving birth to a Lion Cub (Michelle Gomez gets some great scenes, doesn't she?)....oh, and where the little furry fellow came from, etc....bloopers: like, Joanna getting a big banana shoved into her cleavage, by Harriet Schulenberg....and Pippa Heywood "corpsing" (bursting out laughing) when the banana goes in....

Still enjoying listening to The Goon Show; I've listened to 12 - 13 episodes since last Sunday! :o) I'm sure I can here Major Bloodnok's arse explosions in my sleep!!! Very seldom does comedy Stand the Test of Time; The Goon Show has, I think Green Wing just might, too.

That was Wednesday

Well, this morning, the postie (Val) played a trick on me...she pushed my parcel through the letter slot!!! I found the parcel there, looked at it...said summat like, "you're not supposed to be there," and put it in the parcel side...then walked away, came back, said, "Ahh! THAT'S better!" And happily went inside... the contents was "The Power of the Daleks," another rare & expensive Dr.Who book; this time, the source was Amazon.

This morning, I watched Episode 4, Series 2 of Green Wing for the THIRD time - with the second commentary (there was one with "Mac" & "Guy," and the second one with "Caroline" & "Karen") - Tamsin Greig let slip what happens to her character at the end of the series....I was surprised!!! ...but I'm not saying, so don't fret, Ally! ;)

This evening, I made my yummy Dr.Who Cheeseburgers again, but this time with added mustard...yum yum! :)

Dear Readers,

...I won't be online quite so much, in the next week or so (depending on where you live); as I've already used up the month's allocation of broadband, in just three weeks (insert embarrassed smilie).....

Today, I got a couple of parcels in the post; the most exciting, is a book called The Evil of the Daleks; it's one of THE most sought-after Dr Who books around - & I got it for just $23.91 (about 8 Quid). Tonight I browsed eBay, just very briefly, & found just one copy of this book for sale....it's going for 30 Pounds! :o

This morning, I took the Twins Christmas shopping, buying pressies for their Mum....Ben picked up a pair of knickers, & I thought, "yeah, they're nice..." I said, "Ben, give it to Heather" (the sales girl); and he handed it up to her...it was so cute!!

Monday

A day of looking after the Kids today, in a big way.....oh, and Freddie....you're quite right, with your little comment...something DID go wrong, with the bloggie....I typed one key, & the daft thing posted - er, something&nothing!! ::) I think she's got a rattlesnake in her wonderbra, or something. She's as crazy as a flea-bitten Dalek (but don't tell her I said that, OK?).....but when she's going well, she's lovely...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AT LAST!After watching the Bathurst 1000 (a race for touring cars of 1000km in length, broadcast live from Australia every October) for 7 years without seeing my fave manufacturer in the championship win, it happened yesterday!!! Only FLIPPING FANTASTIC! Ford won the race, in spectacular fashion! :D) OK, I don't expect any comments on this post, as it's mainly members of the fair sex who read my worm tracks ;) - and not many ladies are Petrolheads, by comparison....but, hey...you gotta understand, I was STOKED (in UK English: "chuffed to the bollocks") that the Ford Falcon of Lowndes/Whincup won! Whoooo-HOOOO!

Saturday

Not much of a day, in many respects....got up, did my usual routine of looking out the window @ the Mailbox every 3 mins, looking for parcels - at present, I'm expecting about 10 things in the post....some from eBay, others from various online shops....

Had a headache, most of the day....the highlight of Saturday, was spending some time upstairs with Jamie, playing Pool....it's weird: I managed to forget my headache, all the time I was playing with him...

That Was Friday......

Well, today I learned the meaning of "due care & attention"...but more on that later!

Today I took the kids out to the little town of Temuka, to play at the Domain playground; however, when we arrived, the grass was being mowed...so we went for a wee drive... I took the opportunity (OK, my ulterior motive!) - to pick up some DVDs I'd lent someone, also in Temuka. Good to get them back. :) About 25 mins later, we returned to the Domain, & the Mower & its driver were just leaving, so the kids had a great time!

I also got an email today, letting me know that some books I bought off a guy in the NZ Dr.Who Fan Club, are on their way....

...back to the subject of Due Care & Attention...has anyone else noticed, on these new, modern keyboards, that it's very easy to touch Shift & Ctrl at the same time - thus, messing up the system?!? I did this several times today, before finding that Ctrl & Window keys @ the same time, restores the system......I think.....

This evening, I watched part III of the Russian-German War; the Russkis won. Hope I haven't spoiled it for anybody. ;) (Well, that's what I think Peter Kay would say.....just watching him tonight, too...!!!!!!! hee-hee!)

Tell you sumat foony that 'appened this morning - Jamie was sat there at dining room table, drawing pictures, & he said, "Dad, can you get me a rubber?" I looked around; then walked down to the spare room, dug about in a box for a bit, then came back, went over to the dining room window, looked out (simultaneously scooping up the rubber off the table with me left hand), and passed it to Jamie. "There you go," I said. "Thanks, Dad!" Well, made me chuckle... ;)

Another Thursday

Today, I took the Twins to Daycare, then went to Town with Jamie...I bought this & that (mostly this), got part III of a DVD series about "the Russian Front," got a 24-pack of coca-cola for my personal fridge in the Rumpus Room...deposited some cash into another fan's bank account, in payment for a rare Dr.Who book he's sold me... oh, and I popped into a Bookshop (the only proper one Timaru has) - looking for a real Goon Show CD...& they had one! I was THRILLED! I thought, "I've got more to listen to, now, before sleeptime!" However, it was MP3, so my CD/Clock/Radio wouldn't play it...never mind! It's STILL great value, with TWENTY episodes squeezed onto 2 discs! :D)

Calendar Girls

This morning, I came out to the back door & found my new Calendar on the back doorstep! It's the Alternative WI Calendar 2007; in which the original Calendar Girls - a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women - pose nude for charity, in poses from everyday life; ie, making jam, painting a picture, pouring a cup of tea, singing hymns, practising Tai-Chi in a field, playing the piano, & others...I hardly ever push a barrow on here, but I encourage you all to buy this charming Calendar...& support Leukaemia Research! :) Note : this isn't the same calendar they produced 7 years ago, but a whole new one.... you can buy it online at :
http://www.lrf.org.uk/en/1/calcal.html

Sunday.....

Sunday's highlight was visiting our Russian friends, Sergei & Olena. Recently, Sergei has been very busy digging in the back yard; he wants to add a Laundry & Conservatory to the rear of their house, thus extending the kitchen. Sergei & I have a common interest in WWII; & he just borrowed another of my DVDs about the Russian-German War. I've bought the first two; I think I'll buy the 3rd this week. Sergei has begun brewing Lager; I look forward to trying it in a few weeks.

Before visiting our friends, I went to see a guy I met when we were looking for a cat; his cat was too old for our kids - they would have driven it insane ::) He has some Dr.Who books; I bought 13 off him, so now I only need fifteen more to complete my novelisation collection. :D)

Saturday...

Well, Saturday's highlight was the Games Evening at Church; we met with three other families (might have been more, but it was the middle of the School Hols!). We had a takeaway Tea, and all 5 of us were there for that part...after about 90mins, Margaret took the twins home, and Jamie & I stayed for the Games. For the next 45 mins or so, we played Pictionary. In the last 5 mins of that, Jamie took great pleasure in setting up our game...the Doctor Who Interactive Electronic Board Game!! Possibly its first public outing in NZ! Jamie really enjoyed playing! :)