Clocks changed today

Posted on Sun 18 March 2007 at 08:28

The clocks changed today so summer is officially over.  It was on the 1st of March but this seems to seal it with resounding finality.  I see a difference already.  Well, that was quite a stupid statement - EVERYBODY sees a difference as it is now dark an hour earlier!  For me, it is quite sad in a low key kinda way.  No serious depression, gnashing of teeth and beating of breast (although there would be plenty room for that!).  I hate the winter. I reckon I suffer a wee bit from Seasonal Affective Disorder but I have never gone for tests, self diagnosis is a wonderful thing! To be fair, I think nearly all of us to some degree miss the sun and warmth over the winter.  I always maintain I was put on God's green earth to lie in the sun - where is my focus now?!  What's my motivation luvvie?.  And I have asked the question of several of my Kiwi colleagues: "what breaks winter up?"   Nothing.  Zip.  Nada.  Big fat zilch.  In Britain, we have Xmas and New Year to look forward to but here, they are long gone and not even back in sight on the horizon. Not even Hallowe'en and Guy Fawkes.  The hammock will have to come down soon but I haven't given up on it entirely yet.  It isn't that cold yet - let me go and check..............16 C at 7.45pm isn't too bad really.  Apparently the winters here are milder.  We will get a lot of rain and fog in Hamilton but as long as it doesn't snow I don't really care.  I have probably already told you this but I don't recall.  Whe we were in Egypt last July, Steve and I were at the pointy bit of the boat.  OK, I know it is the prow really.  The sun was scorching and as the boat was 'knotting' along quite merrily, there was a fair wind too.  It was just so hot and wonderful.  I said to Steve "We have to remember this when we are wrist deep in snow, defrosting the car".  I then remembered there IS no snow (usually!) in Hamilton so that was a huge feeling of satisfaction.  Not to worry, roll on the solstice.  I am assuming that will be the same but in reverse?  Fiona - a little help please!!  So come June 22nd, we should be looking at the days drawing out again?  Can't wait!

It probably sounds like the love affair with NZ is over but in actual fact the honeymoon is still ongoing.  I was just posting on the forum about how people have been taking their extra garden produce into work to share.  The offerings so far:  yellow mini tomatoes; jam; cucumber; courgettes and 'chilli jam'.  The last is a home recipie with chilli, tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic and tastes like chutney.  Very nice.  I have also been promised a jar of gerkhins.  The ward seems to have a good feel at the moment, a real team spirit. 

I forget what I did post...........

we hired a rug-doctor carpet cleaner last weekend as I wasn't happy with the smell in Melissa's room.  It cleaned all the carpets up beautifully and certainly cured the smell.  I wanted that job doing since we moved in so that is one thing more done.  Steve finally put her shelf up so it is now a horse display unit. 

I finally got round to writing, printing and posting my redirections so that is a huge bonus.  The only thing along those lines I need to do is write to my old job and send them some photos etc.  Funny, they always say keep in touch but never actually let you know how they are doing.............

Poppy kitty is in the bad books.  Melissa was just about crying laughing as she told us this one.  She found Poppy on the vanity unit in the bathroom trying all the toothbrushes for size!!!  I can just imagine the little bitch, like something out of sodding Goldilocks!  "Daddy B's toothbrush was too big, Mummy B's toothbrush was too soft and Baby B's toothbrush was just right!".  The worst of it was, it happened late in the evening.  There was very little I could do about replacing them at that time of night.  The best I could do was boil them for a while in bleach, boil them for a while without bleach, then they went in the microwave!  Probably cleaner than they have been since they came out of the packet!  But there is a sneaking thought at the back of my mind - how long had she been doing THAT for?!!

I parked the car under an oak tree at work today - won't do that again in a hurry!  When I came out, there was a strong wind blowing, to the accompaniment of a full orchestral drum section by the sound of it.  That was the acorns falling off the trees and making different sounds for the different types of car they landed on!!  Well funny,  but I didn't dare to look for dints!

Melissa went for a try-out as a "pony-trainee" on Saturday.  She was there from 8.30 am until her lesson at 12, catching ponies, groom, tacking up etc.  She enjoyed it thoroughly.  But there was no grown-up about when she was finished so she doesn't actually know what the verdict was: is she in or not?  We will try phoning later in the week to find out.  So fingers crossed around the world to help Melissa.