I text daughter to see if she wanted me to go down that night. At first she said no and I breathed a sigh of relief. Then she text back to say could I, as she’d thrown out the cat’s biscuits and got upset.

I hastily ate leftovers in the fridge and headed off, leaving food for Jasmine. Filled the car with petrol at Linton and arrived in Wellington at 8.30pm. Daughter had, by then, composed herself so we watched TV, etc to try to keep her mind off. Younger daughter was due to arrive next day after a photography job she had to do in the morning. I had sent an email to the boss about my dash to Wellington and subsequent missed day of work.

We played with the budgie the next morning, then walked down to the bank and then the supermarket to buy lunch. Younger daughter arrived off the bus after lunch. Then the journey to the vet’s later in the afternoon and a very sad goodbye.  Younger daughter stayed on.

I went to get my car from the car parking building and was in shock at being told it cost $65. Normally I’ve visited at the weekend, left the car overnight and only had to pay up to $30 at most. I nearly cried as I walked down to the ATM to get the cash out. It was rush hour by the time I got on the road home, arriving back home about 7.45pm, in time to have a quick meal and watch “Frozen Planet”.

Back at work today and retrospectively applied for leave. It was an expensive mercy mission – petrol, car parking and a day’s leave I didn’t want to spend as I have little left. But you gotta do these things sometimes and forget the cost.

Feeling tired. My moodiness lately probably stems from the fact my period arrived today, after months of having none. Sigh.

Perhaps it’s all because we haven’t had a decent summer. I’m fed up with the cold wind and forecasts of rain every fucking weekend.

Clock-watching is becoming the norm, sadly.

I got there to find her dithery husband look helplessly at a cash box with about $7 in it. I nearly offered to come back another day but no, I’d told the woman, who obviously hadn’t passed the message onto her husband, and I expected payment ($25.50). After dithering for a while, he said he’d just paid someone who was still in the shop, someone he knew, it seemed. He asked that man for the money back to pay me then asked the guy to mind the shop while he went to the bank. I was browsing in a corner while he was sorting this out and overhead him say “There’s no money coming in and she keeps buying stuff”. Oh dear.

The guy finally paid me – in fact he overpaid me by $1 so he can’t even count.

I don’t expect that shop to stay open for long…

I spent most of Saturday playing Sims 2. I didn’t feel motivated to do anything else. The weather wasn’t great. Sunday was cold and wet in the afternoon. I should have mowed the lawn that morning but was busy trying to get rid of more stuff (a tedious process) and then we went grocery shopping. By the time we came home, the downpours were well and truly set in.

Yesterday morning the sun was shining brightly, unexpectedly as the forecast was for more rain. H made some oaty pancakes with yoghurt and stewed apple with maple syrup. Yum! I headed to Shannon and did some (mostly) window shopping with a workmate. We bought a couple of items of jewellery each and then headed out to Foxton for a ‘ladies’ luncheon’ at another workmate’s place. It was nice in the sun but the wind made it rather cold at times. Lovely limoncello to accompany some pre-lunch snacks. Great company and wonderful fajitas with plenty of avocado and coriander leaves (I LOVE coriander). I had two, followed by some scrumptious plum sponge cake, bubbles and rather nice decaffeinated coffee. All very enjoyable and civilised.

I headed home to mow the lawns before any forecast rain. I got home to see dark clouds hanging overhead yet again. I hurried out and mowed as much as I could before the lawnmower died on me and refused to restart. I do hate lawnmowers. So now I have a long patch waiting for the next attempt, possibly today if that bloody cloud overhead doesn’t decide to let loose. The forecast today shows a bright sun. The forecasters should have someone look out the window and give more accurate readings. It’s bloody cold too. I’m fed up with this miserable weather. I look forward to summer for what seems like 10 months of the year, and I feel cheated not to get one.

H was busy going through lots of junk on the table which she cleared away. Then she vacuumed, while I finished washing the dishes I’d started in the morning but was running late. The house looks much tidier (except for my and H’s bedrooms which were the receptacles of the stuff on the table).

A friend of H’s with boyfriend arrived for dinner, and to return the trestle table they borrowed for a party last week. H made some very yummy fish curry (I bought some fresh fish on the way home) and her own roti which we had with a very hot mango, lime and chilli chutney. It was a real foody day yesterday. I also had a gin and a couple of bottles of beer (so a bit of an alcohol day too). After dinner we introduced H’s friends to the Settlers of Catan. I won the game but they enjoyed it and, no doubt, will want to play it again at some stage. A lovely day overall.

Back to work today but at least it’s a short week. I’m obviously not feeling motivated, yet again, as I’ve found myself checking the clock every five minutes.

This morning was stunning as I drove to work. I just wanted to stop on the way and admire it all – must have been the way the sun was shining on the trunks of young pine trees or the vivid yellowy-greenness to it all. Then I got all maudlin thinking that life is so short to fully appreciate and experience it and many never do.

Got talking to a work mate about hobbies and how they come and go as you’ve got the time and inclination and how the deciding factor is the answer to the question “are you enjoying it?” I decided that I’m not, when it comes to belly dancing lately. It’s all about learning choreography for performances and not about personal enjoyment. We’re supposed to be performing in the Esplanade Open Day and wear our special costumes. My costume is heavy and I don’t feel comfortable dancing in it so a) I’m not doing the performance and b) I may as well sell the costume. Do I really want to continue the classes? I’ll have to see how I feel in two weeks’ time (I’m not going next week).

I did pilates the other night (from a DVD) and boy, do my stomach muscles feel it today. I’ve discovered I have some, for a start. Might do more of that tonight.

Looking forward to a three-day weekend and hanging out with mates on the Monday.

I think everything but the dolls house and some Star Trek figures sold.  A bit disappointed about that.  Surely there are Star Trek fans out there who want some old figures in good nick for bugger all.  Some other guy was selling the same thing for much more – whether he sold them or not, of course, is another matter.  I’ve relisted the dolls house and offered the figures to the watchers.

I’m saying goodbye to my Dinky and Corgi cars.  They’re probably worth a lot more than what I got for them but they were not in good condition.  I treasured them but my girls were rough with them and whatever cracks and dings they already had got worse and most of the tyres were missing.  I know you can buy replacement parts, but it was too much effort and they needed a complete strip and repaint so someone else can have that joy.  They’ve been sitting in a cupboard for at least 10 years.

There’s more stuff to sell but I can’t be bothered listing anything yet.  I find this whole selling stuff quite exhausting and frickin’ annoying going to the post office all the time to find out how much stuff costs and what will the item fit in, etc.  Some idiot in the South Island won a bid on something I asked to be picked up so I had to go and find a box big enough and find out how much then tell him and then go back and send the frickin’ thing.  I would have told him to piss off and read the advertisement properly but he’d also won the bid on something I had to send to him anyway.  It’s all a bloody pain in the arse.

Now I’m here to try and install Sims 2, following some instructions that someone else made up after she, too, had had difficulties.  She got it to work, so I’m hoping, beyond hope, that it works.  It’s going to be time consuming though, but what the hell – it’s raining and I can’t be motivated to do anything apart from bag up another pile of books to give away.  I wrote to Electronic Arts about the problem and one person said to give details.  I gave details and some idiot comes back and says to install in the correct order.  I said I did that and the idiot responds with please uninstall and reinstall.  Fucking moron didn’t address any of the specific problems I was having.  Twat.  They don’t give a fuck that their game doesn’t work on Windows 7.  They can keep frickin’ Sims 3, ugly bloody things.

Alright, I think it’s time for a cup of tea.  Obviously got up from the wrong side of the bed, all irritable.  Jasmine appears to be trying to get to a mouse she brought in and lost last night.  Oh joy.

Today I was back at work, so that was the end of the annual 2 week-break.  The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms.  It was hot and sunny and I was overdressed.

Now I feel a bit headachey and tired.  I gave away more items today, delivering some things after work and a woman came to take away the kids’ scooter which hadn’t been used in about 10 years.  Thankfully they’re back in fashion but I didn’t get much for it.

More stuff to send off after tomorrow and more stuff to advertise – mostly on TradeMe.  I don’t think there is much more I can be bothered advertising to give away.   It’ll be books and other stuff which I plan to chuck in the charity bins – from memory anyway.  Who knows.  I”m too tired to think about any of it now.

I started to fill  holes in the wall in the laundry and ripped off a piece of some wallpaper.  It ripped off easily so I ripped the rest off.  It was a horrid orange thing with big white flowers so I’ll be glad to see the back of that and get the walls ready for repainting.

Cleaned up yet another dolls house ready to sell after the current one has.  Stored it in the now virtually empty wardrobe in the newly cleaned bedroom.  Yay.  Somewhere to store stuff, finally.  The Xmas tree fit in there too (previously it had just hung around somewhere, too big to store in a cupboard).  It’s great to find room to put stuff.

Had a builder come round to look at the bath which is sinking and has damaged the wall in said bedroom.  He gave me an estimate of about $3000.  As expected.  The money I spent on buying a new car could have been spent on the bathroom, but never mind.  It’ll be another year of lots of big expenses, by the looks of it.  The sunroom also needs fixing.  So many things need fixing.  I need to win Lotto.

Oh well.  That’s life innit.  It costs heaps to live it, yet when you try to get rid of some stuff you bought, you have to give it away for nothing.  Always the way.

I hit a toe on the metal bed leg of H’s bed while trying to haul the dolls house out of her room this morning.  I’ve been limping everywhere ever since.  It’s coming up black now.

The rain’s started and I still haven’t managed to get outside to deal with the jungle.  Today has gone so quickly – half the weekend virtually over.  Incredible to think that I will now have to rely on two short days at the end of every week to continue my project of decluttering the house and redecorating.  Sigh.

If I had beer I would have a beer round about now.  There’s nothing quite so refreshing.  I just had a ginger beer cordial but it’s too sweet.  Over to water, I guess.

Through all this time off I haven’t got into the garden.  Perhaps tomorrow, I don’t know.  I lack the energy to start anything.  I had another early wake up this morning about 4.30 am and it took me til 6am to get to sleep, only to be woken at about 8am by the lawnmower man who does a pretty average job, I have to say.  I’m considering looking for someone else.

I’m not in the best of moods, perhaps because I’m tired.  I felt irritable at moronic drivers and am now annoyed by an idiot next door who seems to be learning drums but it sounds like a toddler banging constantly without rhythm.

I’m not looking forward to work on Monday.