today

Completely unrelated picture from perfect weekend in Ngawi recently

Today I have not gone swimming (again!), but am about to paint skirting boards. Yesterday I painted a room, twice. Half spanish white, boring I guess, but looks great with the fireplace and the need-to-be-done-again stripped timber windowframes and the if-only -I-could-afford-to-get-them-polished floorboards. It's a lovely room. Today it will have gleaming white skirting boards, and I'll rehang the cream curtains.


Currently it's my bedroom, but by the end of the day it will be the studio. Music studio. I'm swapping rooms with youngest, who currently resides down stairs in a room just big enough for my queen sized bed.

So youngest is going to move in upstairs, with the drum kit, keyboards, a mixer of very large proportions loaned by the boyfriend, numerous electronic devices which connect to laptops which are completely beyond me but make nice music, two or possibly three guitars and room for a piano which is much desired. He might just squeeze his bed in there too, and a chair from the lounge. His brother is hatching a plan to buy a tv for them to hook up the Wii. I shall have to ban the consumption of food in there, or they may never come out. They say they will have friends around for musical sundays, and apparently we really need some better speakers. And a piano (which may have been mentioned once or a hundred and twelve times recently).

I'm also stripping the wallpaper in my new room. Sealer coat should go on the ancient plaster today. It's going to be light and bright with dusky blue curtains (on sale! at spotlight!) and it will be a bit pretty. Unlike any other spot in this house. Cos it will be all mine. Although the boyfriend and Kitty will be allowed to visit.

Because really, youngest is a musical genius, and his big brother isn't too shabby either. Eddie is a finalist in these awards. Yesterday I took him to be interviewed and record a track for the very formal awards ceremony in a couple of weeks time.

This way I'll get my lounge back. And I'll get a double wardrobe and a pretty, private space. And really, how cool would it have been if your parents had given you a perfect space to pursue your favourite thing when you were a teenager?

points...

On the beach - Hoi An, Vietnam June 2011

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  My food blogging friend back in Wellington for a few days from far away suggests we meet in a cafe. "What's good near you" she asks. I work out that I have eaten out three times since I came home from Vietnam in June. One Vietnamese restaurant on the Tory/Vivian Street corner (it was good, I'll have to go find it's name). The Tinakori Bistro, in a private room with a set menu. Seriously good, greatly enhanced by the company and the superb wine. And Hede, in Cuba Street. Gone a little upmarket with its prices and it's new plywood backed menu sans pictures. Not as good as it used to be, and not as busy either. Shall search out better Japanese option. I don't even go out for coffee much, but have a favourite Mojo in Bond Street, where the owner knows my name, mostly cos of the wine I've drunk there on Friday evenings, but not so much this year. There have been the occasional fish and chip picnics, and some thai takeaways. I'm not counting room service salads in Auckland hotels. They do not count. I buy my lunch maybe once a month. Maybe.




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  Said food blogging friend will now have big grin on her face. I'd suggested Thunderbird in Featherston Street, but I stood her up. Stayed home with my cough and my sneezes. I met someone there a coupla months ago. (another friend from far away!) I liked it. But I drank peppermint tea. Do you eat out? Am I just weird?




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  I like to cook. My favourite cooking happens on Wed (for my boyfriend/partner/significant other what on earth shall I call him?), and on Sunday, slow food usually, for the teenagers. Usually more to my taste than to theirs.



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  I went to Cambodia and Vietnam in June. Oh my! It was heaven. I had the best time. Yes I should blog it. I should.


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  I turned 50 in September. Hooray! I had a birthday party. The last time I did that I was 33.



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  I have grown 6 asparagus spears from my 5 new plants in their brand new bed. It's going to be a great harvest next year.



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  I spent a weekend in Christchurch recently. It was a sobering kindof visit. The roads! The rubble! The displaced persons! The empty houses! The rest of us just have no idea. We must keep on being supportive and strive to understand the difficulties they face, even though it's not headline news any more.



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  I am on the public hospital waiting list to have my gall bladder removed. The anticipated 6 months of waiting are up in January. I expect I won't hear from them til Feb or March, don't you? Nah, it doesn't hurt too much, but I've lost 4 or 5 kilos. When it does it's becos I ate something I shouldn't have (though I didn't think tonites chicken noodle soup would give me a pain - blah!)



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  I made a quilt. my only one for the year. and a dress. I should blog them too.


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  I'm home alone...it's very rare these days. I have complete control of the tv and the laptop. I'll probably go to bed early, cos there's nothing on tv.


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  So, what's new with you??




The formatting has gone nutso, and my laptop has developed a black line across the bottom third of the screen. yes, I'm definitely going to bed early....