HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL

Happy birthday my sweet!!! Feels very strange not being with you on your birthday.......feels very very wrong. But knowing that you are off in the africna jungle camping and having fun makes me feel better. I will probably go downtown today and do a lap of Kirks so it feels a little more like you are here. Dale sends big love and says to always sleep with your arms outstretched so that you won't fit in a lions mouth.

Love you - have a ball!!!!!

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Dearest long lost sister!

Now listen here! You haven't popped into this blog for weeks now! Was it the last photo of Donna gone wayward in the Aussie outback that has frightened you away?

Well the election last weekend did not provide me the government I wanted. Mind you, a 4th term for any party is almost unheard of. As dispaoointing and concerning as teh change in government has been, Helen has certainly influenced those right wing replacements into moving considerably more left. Let's hope it's not just a duck and weave.

Summer on it's way and once we get through the tyoical spring '4 seasons in one day' weather I am looking fwd to a few weeks off over xmas. Fishing, sewing, reading, lazing, trail bike riding and general irresponsibility.

Will be thinking of you in the snow in London as we enjoy xmas in paradise! ;)

When do you leave South Africa for London?

Missing you

xxxxxxxxx from us all

(oh - have loaded some misc pics for you)

Smelly Hippie

It's official: your youngest sister is a hippie.

Wanaka & Queenstown

Dale has just had a conference in Qtown so we pottered about there catching up with friends last weekend...you forget how truly awe inspiring the scenery is!

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Really necessary???

The 45k stretch of Kapiti beach is now open to nudists! All of it!
Says the council: "Simply being nude in public if we try and control that then that's a breach of freedom of expression and that means the whole bylaw would not be in line with the Bill of Rights Act which we have to be basically," says Anne Molyneux of the Kapiti Coast District Council.
Family First has slammed the decision calling it crazy.
"I think at the end of the day we actually need to draw a line in the sand and we need to say that nudity is not acceptable where you've got families, where you've got children," says Bob McCoskrie, Family First national director.
McCoskrie says the rights of "nudists to hang loose should not be at the expense of families feeling embarrassed or offended".
And it seems he is not alone. Many locals are not in complete agreement with their council .
"A little bit of the beach would be ok, but to have the whole beach open like that is just pushing it a bit I think for young'uns," says a local.
The draft bylaw goes out for community reaction this month. It'll be up to the public to draw their line in the sand.

PERSONALLY I WOULDN’T WANT TO RISK BEING FACED BY SOME OLD DUDES STRETCHED BITS FLAPPING IN THE WIND EVERYTIME I PENED MY EYS. Gross.

Maori Kisses

Chocolate Maoris? Nope..but I have found Maori kisses...

Maori kisses
3:12PM Wednesday August 22, 2007By Amanda Laird
Maori kisses. Photo / Babiche Martens
Melt-in-the-mouth chocolate biscuits with a sweet cream filling
Makes 30 small biscuits joined together
100g butter125g sugar2 eggs2 cups plain flour2 tsp baking powder2 Tbs cocoa powder1/2 cup dates, finely chopped1/2 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped150g dark chocolate
FILLING
125g icing sugar, sifted1 Tbs softened butter1 Tbs sherry3 drops vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cream butter and sugar until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.
2. Sift the dry ingredients, mix in the dates and walnuts. Spoon teaspoonfuls on to greased or baking paper lined trays and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
3. To make the filling, mix the icing sugar with the butter until smooth then add the sherry and vanilla.
4. Gently melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small bowl over simmering water - stir until smooth. Dip half of the biscuits in the chocolate, then let cool.

RIP Nippy xxx

Remember Nippy the really cool Gibbon from the zoo that Dale and I always raved about? Had his own cage by the zookeeprs tea room and would let you scratch his back? Well he died last week...very sad. He was over 60! Oldest captive Gibbon in the world. Here he is eating an iceblock.

Local news

Well you may have heard we had some major rain a few weeks ago. Remeber that bloody awful flat Darren & I lived in on Devon St? Well the house next door almost fell off the hill with a slip. Check out the pics. And I've added one of the hospital as it looks now, really coming along now and not looking to bad. The main steps come out right behind the bus stop so I'm guessing the bus stop will move? The construction office guy with all the pot plants etc has gone but of course the 'SPUC or whatever he is dude' still sits outside all day (well when feels like it).

Coromandel ST!

Mon 18 Aug

Another beautiful day here today but I got a text from Mum about 945am saying she had just come in from the garden and there was still hail on the lawn from the night before! She may be going mad?
Cal asked to move home a couple of weeks ago. Mum said he'd been kicked out of where he was living because he wasn't going to school anymore. He's actually quit..with no job. Fool. I let him come back...stupid me. After a few nights and with him making no efforts to help out, he stays out and doesn't come home or contact for 2 days and nights. I'm at witts end but finally locate him. He thinks I over reacted. I dont know what more to say, I'm at a loss. I don't understand why he does this over and over again. He's staying elsewhere and says hes going on the living independantly benefit or whtever it is. Great - His grandmother and everyone else should work thoer arse off because he's too lazy and selfish to do anything. I even did his cv and told him I would get him a job at tradestaff but no....too much hard work for him. To be honest, I'm heartbroken. And he has the nerve to tell me all I'm intersted in is child support!!! I've never HAD child support, I dont qualify! It makes me so angry.
Sorry, ranting. Dale is having his knee op on the 2nd. I have a charity star auction for owrk in 2 weeks. Nothing to wear, all my night wear is skanky!!!! ;)
What's the fruit like there? Whats the water like? Stuff the gym treadmill...just walk everywhere...go the weights!!!!
Miss you
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PS - Dale says "Hi Kazza, hows school...good I hope, we're all good but Tanzi misses you".
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ORIENTAL BAY 17 AUG 08

Well it’s mid August and we’re well on our way to spring. Woke up to a beautiful mild day so took a walk with Tanzi down to Oriental Parade. Took Maddy along with us in her pram (remember – Guppy’s little one from our wedding).

I’ve attached a few pics. The Golden Bay sand is still looking good and I wished we’d packed some lunch for the beach. Was tempted to stop for a coffee but only the Parade Café had room and we both know the service there is CRAP!

Welcome Home Karen

Karen, welcome to your link to home.

I'll be endeavouring to keep this current so you can keep up with all the changes back home and get your Wellington fix!

Miss you and love you, Maree xxxx