Phoenix city

What a game! Tonight the Phoenix played the Newcastle Jets and we absolutely smashed them 3 - 0. We took our friend's daughter K along (kids free night) and what a good luck charm she turned out to be!

Keeper Glen Moss was an absolute wonder in the first half (we're gonna miss him next season when he joins Melbourne) and we scored our three goals in the second half. Newcastle were, as usual, feisty and rude. Last time we played them - they were awarded two red cards! Read the full story about tonight's game here.


Sadly, I am back to work tomorrow. I've had a week and a half off work (though I've been on call for a bit of that) and I've really enjoyed doing nothing. I don't even feel guilty about the lack of stuff I got done, or the state of our spare room!

I discovered something nifty today - iGoogle! I noticed it on Scone's laptop.. so I came home and designed my own. (I even used the same header as Scone - it is light during the day and dark at night - how cool is that!?!) D tells me that its been around forever and that I am so slooow, but you know what? I don't care - I like nifty things. You can add all kinds of fun to it - I've got: calendar, calculator, WW points calculator, email, 1-day, grab a seat.... the list goes on!

What I also like is this amusing and poignant article by Michael Laws. I have to agree. There is so much doom & gloom around and for what? Wouldn't you rather be happy - we have a lot to be happy about!

I also read today that Wellington is "NZ's top spot for families". If only D and I could actually afford to have kids, I could agree! We're stuck in that space of wanting to have kids sometime in the next wee while (isn't that vague!) but also wanting to buy a house and knowing that our chances of getting both in the near future aren't high. I know that the traditional plan is that you buy a house and then have babies. But with house prices so much higher than they were thirty years ago, is this still the path to follow? I mean, my ovaries won't last forever!

It is two minutes to tomorrow, so I really have to get to bed...

xxxM

how long has it been?

Yeah - I've neglected this blog for ages.... you know what.. I'm not even gonna go there. Lots has happened since my last post in April (?!) and I couldn't begin to cover it all.

In 1o points:

1. We lost many of our furkids. We are now down to three permanent residents. However, that said, we've just taken on a foster - pregnant female (was) ... so we currently have Shi (mummy) and her ten darling 5 week old babies. They are separated now (rats become sexually mature at 5-6 weeks, so we separate a bit before 5 weeks to be safe). We're trying to adopt out as many as we can - but I think we'll keep a couple + mum.

2. D and I went for a trip (in Sept!) to visit my brother in Perth. We had an awesome time, and also saw the Phoenix play (read: horribly lose) while we were there.

spooky pic of my bro @ Freemantle prison on a night tour!

the beautiful Combo

It certainly gave D and I inspiration to do a whole lot more "real" travel when work and finances allow!

I promise I didn't make him carry the bags alll the time!!

3. I got a new job... or perhaps two new jobs since I last posted. I'm still within the same company, but I've now moved to IT. Which is amusing for some, as I'm not exactly an IT guru. I'm doing ok - and really enjoying the change. There are some big changes afoot in my company - so its an exciting time to be involved.

4. I'm still Guiding.. its been a full on year and I'm really proud of our girls. We've been on two camps this year and have achieved so much! We awarded four senior Guide awards and our unit has grown from 20 at the start of the year to 35! This is awesome - go Girl Guides! Its especially cool because this year we celebrated 100 years of Guiding!

5. D and I have the camping bug I think! We've been slowly acquiring gear so that we can go away camping on our own! Our car getting broken into and all my camping gear getting stolen didn't help matters - but we're getting there. We've got leave in Feb next year, so hope to go away and "rough it" for a week.

6. The whole weight-loss thing isn't going so well right now... I was really good, but I rolled right off the wagon! Back on I jump - I'm back at the gym and trying to eat well - December is the worst (yet best) month!!

7. I've still been baking up a storm and have had some great success with new cupcake variations. I'd like to get into the habit of baking a new thing once a week... so I can take pretty pictures and feed my work-mates!

chilli-choc cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing


birthday cake I made for a colleague's daughter

8. I've bought D a couple of cook books (I know, I know, gifts for him that are really for me!) and we're trying to cook two new things a week. Its been fantastic and we feel all chef-y! I definitely need to make/find us some funky aprons to style us right.

borscht (beetroot soup)

sweet potato frittata

9. I removed my 101 list... it was big! and long! I think I need a shorter list - both in term and number of items. I haven't deleted the list - I still want to work on it - but it was daunting and made me not visit my blog. So watch this space for my new short term goals!

10. I finally gave in to Facebook - so if you know me in real life - look me up! I hear its cool to have lots of friends. I've even uploaded some photos.....

That my dears, is it for tonight!

x x xM

tired and burnt

Well two guide camps later, I can cross off item 32 - Go camping and stay in a tent. I am VERY sunburnt (can't understand why - I lathered on the sunblock) and very tired. But we all had a great time! We got a wee bit of rain the first camp weekend, and then this weekend it was gloriously hot (thus the sunburn). I learned lots of new things about camping with Guides and really enjoyed hanging out with the girls.

Life has been a bit chaotic lately with things very busy at work, all the camping preparation and just general busyness. D has a bit of a cold, but managed to play cricket this weekend and go to the Phoenix game. (I was at camp - so D took his brother). The Phoenix drew with Sydney FC - one all. A wee bit of a disappointing finish as it was 1 - nil to us until 92 minutes - when Sydney were a awarded a penalty shot. That said, a draw is better than a loss!!

We received a package from our favourite online ratty store this weekend also. Full of new hammocks for the crew once we have finished their new cage....(not quite sure when we will have that done...). The Ratclub store has a fantastic range of rat related supplies, including an awesome range of bedding and hammocks. Its fantastic not having to visit a pet store!!

I'm off to spray my burns with after sun stuff and head to bed.. early start tomorrow....

M

labour weekend

Labour weekend seems to traditionally be a weekend of crap weather. Well not this year! Its been absolutely gorgeous. And now that summer is on the way and we've turned our clocks forward, it is 6pm and still sunny as. I love it! Roll on summer!!

I haven't posted for a wee while for a few reasons. Firstly, I got struck down with the flu and it was horrible horrible. I was very tired, grouchy, and snotty. I also started my new job (at the same time as getting the flu) so I have been very busy busy at work. I also now go to Guides twice a week, once to my training unit and once to my permanent unit. Still, no excuse not to blog. And especially no excuse to ignore my 101 list. It will be April 2010 before I know it and I really really wanna complete this list.

So for the tiny amount of people who actually read my blog, apologies. Lots of updates to come :)

Another birthday has been and gone so a bit belated:

Happy Birthday Ron aka Father-in-Law!

We went to the in-laws on Saturday for lunch and cake. D and I made a train cake!! I've always wanted to make one. Sadly, I didn't get any really good photos of the cake. It turned out HUGE at 1 metre long. D and I had a blast making it and Ron seemed to really like it. I'm sure they will be eating cake for a week! I think next time we make this, we might just do the engine!

Each carriage has different cargo. One has mini marshmallows, one has fruit jellies, and one has oreo 'wheels'. Our niece Abby loved it.

Ron is really into model trains and the family put together to get him some new trains for his railway track.

It seems D and I have become the birthday cake makers of the family. Its D's sisters birthday next so we have a special cake in store for her!





After the birthday celebrations we visited my dad and his family. Dad cooked a lovely roast beef (which admittedly I didn't eat much of - too full of cake!). D and I watched 'Toy Story 2' with our cute little nephews Latrell and Lazereth.

D and I in our Phoenix gears

D and I being the staunch Phoenix supporters that we are, headed off to the game last night against the Central Coast Mariners. Unfortunately it was a loss, but still a really good game. The Mariners are at the top of the table and we definitely game them a run for their money. It was one all at full time and then the Mariners scored a second goal in overtime. I have my reservations about the yellow card happy ref and his decisions (or lack of). At the end of the day, it was the Phoenix's defence that let us down. One of the goals was literally walked in by the Mariners' player. All that said, they are our team and we love them. (And Perth lost this weekend so we aren't bottom of the table!!).

gorgeous weather for the football

It has been a weekend of football, D and I headed to our nearby park and kicked a ball around for an hour or so in the sun today. We really enjoyed ourselves and plan to do it on a regular basis. D is playing his indoor football game at the moment (I'm supposed to be preparing dinner...)

Speaking of food, I only have one bento to post. We've been quiet slack these past weeks and really need to get back into the swing of things. Maybe this week can be the first week of my regular posting of bento! (Item# 87 on my 101 list)

mini meat patties (made+ frozen specially for bento), mini vege fritatta, toast onigiri, cucumber flowers, laughing cow cheese wedge, and wine gum lollies to fill the gap.
lime flavoured jelly, mandarin slices, and tamarillo.
peanuts and raisins, and some durian chips.
citrus herbal tea and an instant miso

M

bento, *yawns* and work

Bento #3
fruit salad with banana, plum, mandarin & raisins (with nutmeg+cinnamon), cheese wedge, haw flakes, mochi & lime jelly
rice with mixed furikake and boiled egg with nori flowers
left over deviled sausages with peas
instant miso and a citrus herbal tea

I've been pretty slack this week, with only one pretty bento. D had a day off sick and I am feeling pretty rundown. Work has been uber busy and I am moving into a new role which is very exciting! I have a lot of work to do before I can finish up where I am. I am really looking forward to the challenges of my new role - I will be quite self sufficient with a varied task list.

I've been meaning to send photos and thank-you cards to everyone that sent us cards and gifts for our wedding. So far, I've only managed two but I am working on more this weekend!! We are so blessed that so many people thought of us.

The Phoenix play Queensland Roar tonight (11pm NZ time) so I am doing my best to stay awake. It is proving difficult and I need to get up reasonably early tomorrow as I have a baby shower for D's brother's partner, which sounds like it is going to be fun. I love looking at cute baby stuff, I was hoping the baby would be born this week so we'd have her to play with! (and yes before you ask - I am extremely clucky but NO I am not having babies anytime soon!!)

Speaking of babies, the furkids have had their issues lately. While the boys are completely moved into the aviary - there is still a lot of scrapping. Also Geisha had a tumour removed last week. She is recovering really well, but I am starting to realise that the bulk of our crew are approaching (and passing) two years.

I'm off to snuggle with my hubby on the couch til the Phoenix play...

M

go the 'nix!!!

Today Wellington Phoenix FC played Perth Glory FC and won!!! Our first home win and it was an awesome game!! Score was 4-1 ! I am still bouncing from the excitement.

We had a bit of rain at the start but the crowd screamed and yelled and kept warm. Perth scored first early in the game while our defense were no where to be seen. The next four goals were ours and the crowd went nuts.

The Yellow Fever crew were going crazy and had their shirts off and swinging around their heads in the last 15min. It must have been FREEZING!!

All in all, a fantastic game - on my feet for most of it as usual!

Go the 'nix!

farewell winter

pretty daffodil in nelson

Once again, I have soo much to update and no time! I guess it is really a good sign as it means I actually have a life!

Nelson was great, it was good to catch up with friends and family. One thing I could not get over was how visually obvious it was that spring had well and truly arrived in Nelson! There were blossoms everywhere, including these daffodils on the side of the road:

There are also magnolia trees planted all over town and they are just beautiful in the spring. I took LOTS of photos of blossomy springness so hopefully I can do a nice big gardeny post soon.

D and I have been very excited about the Wellington Phoenix! (Our brand new local football team!) We have been to 2 of the 3 home games so far with another one this weekend. We both love football and really enjoy jumping up and down screaming our lungs out.

It seems the referees in the series are very bias - the crowd actually booed the refs off the field on Saturday. (which was kind of ironic as it was supposed to be a "fair play" match.)

Hopefully the Phoenix work and play hard and do well this season. The prior NZ teams in the series (the Kingz and the Knights) both sucked big time and never made it further than the bottom of the table. The Phoenix are doing pretty well and there have been some VERY close games.

I have been raving about wanting to make bento lunches for D and I. Well I'm finally doing it!

BENTO #1
boiled egg, sliced cucumber flowers and mini tomatoes
sliced tamarillo, green grapes and a small lime jelly
heart shaped rice onigiri, cheese+ham on sticks, more cucumber flowers and star shaped cheese


BENTO #2
banana+pineapple on sticks and sliced tamarillo
bed of rice with furikake and nori flowers
peanuts, lime jelly, wedge cheese, sliced crab stick, cucumber flowers, boiled egg, corn on cob and some lollies for D. (mine had marshmallows)

Its official, I am addicted to bento-ing. Luckily for my wallet, there aren't many places around NZ (especially wellington) that sell bento boxes and accessories. D is loving it as it is a guaranteed packed lunch each day.

(goodness this is a mammoth post...)

Last but not least, I managed to cross off number 38 on my 101 list. D and I went for a fantastic picnic yesterday. Originally planned as a sunrise breakfast (but we couldn't haul ourselves out of bed) we instead heading up to Raumati Beach. It was a gorgeous day, and felt like Nelson in the summertime.

It was so relaxing and so good to spend such quality time together (with my husband!!). We had a lovely drive up, listening to a special mix CD made for us by Sconey - "music to be in love to".

anyways... bed is calling...

M