In the clear light of day

I have been up since 3am. I couldn't sleep the whole night. I tossed and turned about the job. At 4am I started to talk through the options with my somnambulent other half. By daybreak I'd decided I'd have to decline the offer. The bottom line was the hours and the travel time. It would take two lots of public transport to get there and back, turning an eight hour day into a 10 hour day. 8 of these hours would be standing up (the workroom has no chairs). Three nights a week I would get home around 9pm

Reality check, I am no longer 25.

I'm back in the ranks of the unemployed.

Oh my goodness!

I got the job!

Don't tell the Petunia Police, as I was really nervous, and didn't do a very good job of my interview bouquet. BUT the good news is the Boss is a delightful, grace filled lady, who knows I am still wearing my "L" plates, and she is willing to give me my first break.

I'm terrified and need to go and lie down.

Of bugs and blooms

The anonymous virus that has chomped on my intestines for 2 weeks appears to have packed its bags and moved on to pastures new. Thank goodness! I have the strength of a recycled lettuce, which is a pity, as today I have a JOB INTERVIEW!
A very large supermarket in the city has just been refurbished and needs more florists. I haven't done much carnation wresting recently, so I'm not convinced I can get the job.
Watch this space.

Cat in a tree

I don't often get the chance to boast about my friends, but here is one, not the cat, but the chap who caught her on film in Zimbabwe.
He currently lives in the Republic of Georgia. Check out his site for extraordinary photography:

www.geosynchronicity.blogspot.com

Sick Central

I feel sorry for doctors. They have people like me walking into their surgery, pointing at bits of their body and complaining of hurting.
“I feel sick all the time and I have sharp pains here”, “It feels like I have a migraine in my intestines” etc, etc.
Eight days after originally going to the doctor, one course of antibiotics and a plethora of tests later, I still have a migraine in my intestines and constant nausea.
The doctor is just eliminating the obvious first. I am grateful not to have kidney disease or coeliacs or to have a rampant infection in my appendix. But something is up Guv’nor!
Now, in defence of the Doc, the human body is a mysterious, miraculous, extraordinary part of creation, and he has several tomes of anatomy and physiology to flick through in his brain before coming up with a diagnosis.
The one I eventually got was “You have a virus”. So gazillions of my internal bits and pieces are being attacked by an anonymous nasty.
But I would like at this point to inject some perspective. I read something fascinating yesterday in a book on feline health (one of our mogs is under the weather too). A cat boasts 67 million olefactory cells around its body. Meaning I suppose that it can sniff and sense with a large proportion of its body. Now imagine the 67 million were wiped out with a virus. Otto wouldn’t be able to find his supper.
Now there IS a disaster.
Sick as I am, I at least know where the box of cornflakes can be found!

Caption please

Photo taken at a local show farm on the North Island. I'd love to have your captions.

Katz - the other musical

Excuses excuses

At 1.30am this morning, I thought I was being stabbed by a rather sharp set of chopsticks through my navel. Appendicitis?
I staggered to the bathroom, falling over a very surprised and sleepy cat as I groped my way to the ensuite door.
As I have been nauseous for three days and have had back pain (I claim it was the decorating that finished me off), I thought I’d better get checked out with the doctor. He has run blood tests for a whole range of nasties, but suspects a kidney infection.
So, a kitty is my hot water bottle substitute, and I have taken to the sofa. Notes of sympathy very gratefully received. I feel terrible. I now feel totally justified at not attempting the second coat of paint in the kitchen.

Splashing vanilla paint

My better half and I don’t have a lot in common, but one exception is our hatred of decorating.

Our wonderful “new” kitchen was completed nearly nine months ago, and I only bought the paint for the walls three weeks ago. This morning I woke up and decided to bite a bullet.

I’d already sugar soaped the walls and ceiling in April (dragging out the agony). This morning I started at 9.30am with the undercoat. I had finished the first coat by 2.30pm and had time to replace all the furniture and bits by the time my favourite late afternoon TV started.

Now of course, there should be two coats of paint, but after running up and down the ladder for 5 hours, I wasn’t about to restart after a four hour break. The second coat can wait.

Check with me in another nine months.

Wasted trees

Yesterday, in a rare moment on my own (hubby was meeting a friend for lunch), I explored a new development in the city. It is mostly million $ flats, but has a small lane running between adjacent buildings containing million $ coffee shops.

I decided to try one (just for a sandwich). It is modelled on a sophisticated NYC cafe and I was rather impressed by the service and the food. HOWEVER, they had gone a little too far on being accurate on one item of NYC etiquette – the serviettes. Why do I need 4 to eat a sandwich? I am not ham fisted, I am not a clutz. I can manage to eat without dripping bits down my bib! I was suddenly reminded of a diary item I wrote in New York in 2002.

There are more nail bars (manicure parlours) on the Upper West Side than grocery shops. I counted 26 on Broadway alone.

When you buy a take away coffee you are given lots of serviettes. I'm not sure what they are all for.

It is difficult to find a travel agent in New York (I tried for 2 days and gave up - I eventually reconfirmed my flights on a toll- free number).

Ergo (With apologies to all my friends who studied Logic at University).

Americans generally get 2 weeks paid holiday per year. Hence the dearth of travel agents. As they are tired 50 weeks of the year and therefore
stressed, they bite their nails, and have them manicured to "Dangerous Weapon" classification. In order to cope with long hours and shorter holidays, they drink gallons of coffee to keep awake and sane. In order to consume such quantities they have to run in and out of Deli's during the day for takeaway coffees. These are mostly served in foam cups. Sharp nails penetrate these cups and therefore purchaser requires lots of serviettes, to mop up designer shirt/subway seat/Imac computer.

Conclusion. If there were more Travel Agents in New York, fewer serviettes would be required for takeaway coffees.

Pound for Pound

An indignant stamping of the foot has just taken place in the kitchen. I have just realised, two items of food in my pantry cost the same, and they really shouldn’t. They are:

1) 500g Israeli made Halwa (sesame and honey sweet), imported from Israel
2) 500g New Zealand produced butter, made locally.

Go figure! Since moving to NZ four years ago, a 500g block of butter has doubled in price! We pay the same price as export, and our salaries are approximately one third those of someone in the UK.

It’s no wonder my housekeeping money goes NOWHERE. Oh, and lest my northern European friends start telling me I should be using a cheap substitute for butter, trust me, their ain’t such a thing here. Grrrrr

A short biography

Your illiterate father died just before you were born. Your mother who was barely literate remarried quickly and gave birth to three more children and you were sent to be raised by a grandparent. You were withdrawn from school to help run the family’s farm. When you did make it to University, you had no money to support yourself, so you had to work as a domestic servant to other students. Hardly an easy start. Pushed from pillar to post. Not wanted and not supported.

You would think this child would grow into a difficult delinquent, perhaps even drop out of University and generally fail at life.

He grew up to be Sir Isaac Newton.

Makes you think doesn’t it? I wonder what chances a 21st century social worker would have given this lad on their case load?

Kosher cats

Ever so humble

Kiwis are a pretty understated lot. You won’t see them dressing up to go out shopping. Often they don’t dress up to go the theatre or out to dinner.

They aren’t showy either. How is this for modesty? I work next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They have three car parking spaces for the Diplomats.

And today, when I went to dispose of a pile of crushed cardboard in the MFAT basement car park I noticed seven MFAT bicycle parks………………………