Middle(of)March

Good grief, it's March. March 19th already. We've been having a very busy time here, a good-type busy, lots of same-old same-old busy, and a few bits of extraordinary busy.
I've got so many things I want to write about, but it would take forever and be boring to anyone who isn't actually me. So here's a list of edited highlights from the last who-knows-how-many weeks:

• Mt Victoria fair. The rainiest day this year. We got boots and jackets on and headed down, ate a sausage in bread and looked at stuff. Then we walked home via every puddle between here and Courtenay Place, coming to a heady climax at the vacant site by the alley - acres of mud, hip-deep puddles, funny-looking branches. I even found a bay tree, all gnarled and weird-growing, probably beaten up by all the vehicles on there over the last 15 years;
• dinner at the M-Zs, then the next night at the W-Ds. Both nights we came away with loads of delicious food, as well as the meal itself and the fine, fine company;
• my mum notched up more days of not smoking. Brownies were despatched to P Lane to mark the occasion;
• the M-Ns and Martin came for dinner at our house. Used some of the food booty from my friends to make the best roast I've ever made in my life;
• spent a bit of time with Monique, went to Aunt Daisys in Titahi Bay and had lovely coffee, talked too much about myself, but she still seems to like me;
• Frank-next-door's birthday party. He's just turned three. Sweeney headed straight for Frank's stash of cars and hardly dealt with another human the whole party. Things got raucous after nightfall - there was a lot of booze about the place. Notable for us coming home to have people over for dinner, then heading back to the party after they'd gone home;
• Ruth had told me earlier in the week that she had a cold, so with this in mind, I made a chicken and vegetable soup when the M-Zs and W-Ds came for dinner. Our house is running on fumes at the moment, so another beauty of this was that I had all ingredients on hand already. The W-Ds brought a spectacular apple pie, as well as rice and butter chicken for the kids in case they rejected the soup, and Helen and the M-Zs brought eggplant relish and beautiful plum and chocolate muffins. I had one for my breakfast the next morning. Nothing nicer than chocolate at breakfast, I reckon. And then I biffed some noodles in the leftover soup and we had the rest for dinner the next night. Sweeney slurped his down double-quick and asked for more. Unheard of!! Will definitely do this one again;
• I finished the knitting parts of two more baby kimonos and a pair of slippers. The pattern calls them pocketbook slippers. They're dead sweet, for Lucia across the road. I feel like I've been doing a lot of knitting, but my stash is still vast. I'll put photos up when they're sewn;
• applied for what feels like a million jobs and am eagerly awaiting rejections to match each one. Hurrah to Houghton Valley School for sending me an individualised letter;
• Another splendid dinner experience tonight - cooked some spaghetti with peas and broccoli in the water with it, drained it and dumped it into a bowl with a raw egg and some grated cheese. Stirred for a bit, then we ate it. Sweeney slurped up a mountain of the stuff, including the vege;
• fielded horrible news about lovely people being in hospital. Mum's neighbour's grandson swelled up and sore and only diagnosed after a week or so of pain and freaking out, and my Uncle Roy - Ernie Wise to our Dad's Eric Morecambe - fell down his back steps and is still in hospital after nearly a week. Wee Oliver's on the mend, and Uncle Roy, get better or I'll come up and make you watch Joy Division videos with me. You hated it in 1981, you'll hate it now ... ;
• went to an O'Neill barbecue and watched Sweeney take on all comers in foosball and pool and sticking his hands in the chip bowl. He was frankly terrible at the sporty stuff, being so short and easily over-excited as he is, but being enthusiastic and indulged by his dad, uncle Dom and Grandad O'Neill, he emerged the winner; and
• I cleaned the downstairs ceilings. It took two hours to do it, a hot shower and two days of downward dogs to get my shoulders back under my control. No-one noticed.

Onward!!