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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hi, I'm Elle. I'm based in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm the mother of two young adults, the wife of an entrepreneurial gamer and the Queen of Unfinished Projects. This blog will contain poems, short stories, possibly photos and book reviews if you're lucky, and my thoughts on a variety of topics. Hope you enjoy it. |
| 1. Describe your favorite season using all five of your senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. I love summer. I live in a country where we have a relatively mild climate but we also have a fantastic array of outdoor experiences available. Clean beaches, parks, farmland, bush walks, islands, fishing, etc. Winter and spring in New Zealand tend to be very wet, so summer and autumn are the seasons to be outdoors. There are only two things I don't like about summer - the itchy painful burn of sunburn, which happens far too often here because we have a hole in the ozone layer above us, and the heat at night when you're trying to sleep and it's hot and sticky and you just want to sleep but it's too damn hot... Ugh. Most houses in New Zealand don't have air conditioning, but we do have a pedestal fan in our bedroom for summer to try and take the edge off when we're sleeping. I love that summer is salad season too. My favourite salad is fresh ripe tomato (but firm, not too soft!), crisp cucumber and lush avocado, cubed and tossed together with a sprinkle of freshly ground salt and pepper, and a squirt of tart lemon juice. Yum! Nothing smells quite the same as ripe tomato. Whenever I smell one, I instantly crave tomatoes on toast.  If we're lucky, we'll get to go fishing and then we'll have fresh snapper, crumbed and pan fried. That sizzle is so mouth watering. Speaking of sizzles, I love a good barbecue too. Our barbecue is probably what Americans would call a grill.I love to go to the beach, and swim in the sea. We don't do it nearly enough considering that we have so many clean beaches within easy driving distance. I love the roar of the surf that we get on the west coast beaches and the way the black sand sparkles in the sand, but those are best for photography, not for swimming or picnics. The black sand gets so hot you can literally burn the soles of your feet on it, and the surf can often be dangerous for swimmers. We also swim between the flags (in the designated safe zones where lifeguards are on duty) but it's not ideal. The east coast beaches with their golden sand and gentle waves are much better for swimming. The ones in Auckland are much more mild than the ones I grew up with up north, but never mind. Still good. There's nothing so refreshing as a swim when you're feeling hot and sticky, and that cool water just feels amazing. 2. Write a Spring/Summer Bucket List. Ooh, yes! What do I want to do this spring and summer?  Go the Goat Island marine reserve and take some photos. I have an underwater camera now (albeit not a fancy one) so I could try that out. Do a bush walk. Been too long since I did one. Go back to Shakespear Park with my dad and see if he can spot a North Island robin for me to photograph. He's seen them there twice now, and I've never seen one! Go to the Spooks and Sparks fireworks display. I love Guy Fawkes, and this is the biggest public fireworks display in New Zealand, plus they do it to pop/rock music! It's so awesome. We go every year, and we've bought tickets for this year too. Go fishing. We used to have a boat but it's more economical to pay to go on a charter when we want to go fishing. We usually catch snapper which is good for eating.3. Do you write with music playing in the background? If so what kind of music inspires you? Feel free to share a song with us. If you don't why not? Unless I'm at work, I almost always have music playing in the background. If I'm write prose I usually listen to classical music and film scores. Film scores are awesome for prose writing because they evoke emotions and images but without telling you what's happening. If I'm writing poetry or blog posts, I tend to just have a mix, which is usually classic rock/pop. Sometimes random words jump out at me and end up in my poems, other times it's just background noise. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] This song is off the Die Hard with a Vengeance soundtrack, but it's a variation of the old 'The Saints Come Marching In' tune. I really like it, and I like the way it seems to build atmosphere. 4. Write a letter to your favorite day of the week. What is special about the day? Dear Saturday, I love you the most because I don't get woken up at some ridiculous hour of the morning (unless the kitties are feeling particularly cruel and rambunctious) and I can sleep in until my body is ready to wake. Even better, I know I can do the same thing the next day because tomorrow is a day off too! You're also my favourite day of the week for socialising because it doesn't matter if we stay out late. Thanks Saturday!  Love, Elle5. Tell us all about where you work. I work for a forensic accounting firm. They do some normal accounting, but they specialise in legal cases where one company is suing another, or where couples are separating and need to divide assets equally (or fairly which is not always the same thing). It still amazes me that all my fulltime jobs have been in industries where numbers are super important - insurance, financial advice/planning/investment and accounting. I suck at maths! 6. Write about what you do during one month. Well, I work fulltime, so that takes up a lot of my time. I usually spend my weekends pottering around at home, doing the grocery shopping and sometimes visiting family. If I'm extra lucky, Steve and I might do something (visit a winery, go out for dinner, etc) or there might be something else happening. Tomorrow we're going to the hot pools with my dad and my uncle who is visiting from Australia. I've got a work dinner next month, the Metallica concert, and a cousin visiting from Australia. Actually, my cousin will be the third Australian relative to visit in three months, which is weird because we can go literally years without seeing any of them! 7. Make a reading list and tell us about your reading list. Oh boy. Okay, so... Books I'm reading or have bought and plan to read: Fantasy/Paranormal  Archangel's War by Nalini Singh (3%) (audio book) The Kingmaker Contest by Troy Clem (62%) (review request) Jungle Rapture by M A Jewell (61%) Play of Passion by Nalini Singh (4%) (audio book) Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop Kaidyn's Courage by Diana Waters (review request) The Edinburgh Seer by Alisha Klapheke The Edinburgh Heir by Alisha Klapheke Ravensong by T J Klune Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim One Fell Sweep by Ilona AndrewsM/F Contemporary Imperfectly Criminal by Mary Frame (32%) His Road Home by Anna Richland (58%) Chance by Charlotte Casey (7%) Defending Allye by Susan Stoker (28%) Worth The Fall by Claudia Connor (48%) Austin by Jeannine Colette and Lauren Runow (53%) Journey of the Heart by StephBee  (review request)M/M Contemporary Make Me Soar by K C Mills (46%) To My Future Number 1 Fan by L A Witt (67%) Open Mind by Luna David and Morningstar Ashley (60%) Tempting Tricks by Michelle Windsor (75%) Tempting Secrets by Michelle Windsor (61%) Beautiful Chaos by Riley Hart and Devon McCormick (65%) Try by Ella Frank (64%) What You Make by A M Arthur (47%) Love Me Whole by Nicky James (10%) (audio book)M/F Historical Under the Highlander's Spell by Donna Fletcher (21%) The Proposal by Mary BaloghHuh. I actually didn't realise I was partway through so many, or that I had so many that I'd bought but hadn't read yet. Well, I mean, I have even more than that because my mum has bought a bunch on my Amazon account that I haven't read, but these are ones that I bought or intended to read. They're downloaded on my phone, waiting for me. Sometimes I call it quits on a book that I've started if I just can't see myself going back to it, and then it's a DNF (did not finish). I haven't done that with any of the above yet, but it's a possibility for a few of them. These ones are samples I've downloaded from Amazon. I'm not committed to reading them, but I'm committed to reading the first part of each book to see if I enjoy it and want to buy the book:  Dragon's Heart by Martin Gallagher Not His Kiss To Take by Finn Marlowe Claiming Bite by Silvia Violet Brick's Geeks by R Cayden All Kinds of Tied Down by Mary Calmes Safeword by A J Rose Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson (recommended by Fivesixer  ) Tough Love by Lori Foster (recommended by 💙 Carly: Joan Watson  ) Deep by Kylie Scott (recommended by 💙 Carly: Joan Watson ) Angelfall by Susan Ee (recommended by ~ Aqua ~  ) Bring Me Home For Christmas by Robyn Carr (recommended by 💙 Carly: Joan Watson ) The Troublemaker Next Door by Marie Harte (recommended by 💙 Carly: Joan Watson ) Happy For You by Anyta Sunday (have read others in this series) Until Midnight by Maya Banks (have read others by this author) How To Be A Movie Star by T J Klune (have read others by this author) Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (recommended by Satuawany ) Someone To Love by Mary Balogh (recommended by Satuawany ) Oz by Lily Morton (have read others in this series) Wilde Love by Lucy Lennox (recommended by Cara Dee on BookBub  ) Why We Fight by T J Klune (have read others by this author) - one of the two main Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert A Ferry of Bones and Gold by Hailey Turner Gentleman Wolf by Joanna Chambers (recommended by Anne Barwell on Wordpress ) Last Call in Wonderland by Rob Browatzke (recommended by Lily G Blunt on Wordpress ) No Reprieve by Gail Z Martin Making Faces by Amy Harmon Vicious by L J Shen Happily Ever His by Delancey Stewart Lifted by Love by Bob McCullough The Bodyguard's Prince by Caroline Lee Dangerously Dark by C J Burright (have read others in this series) The Master Will Appear by L A Witt (have read others by this author) Practically Imperfect by Mary Frame (have read others in this series) The Last Wolf by Maria Vale (recommended by Amanda Bouchet on Bookbub ) Mother of Shadows by Meg Anne Unspoken Vow by Eden Finley (have read others in this series) King Me by Lucy Lennox Bloodlines by Denise Carbo The Dragonlords of Xandakar by Macy Babineaux Lucky by Garrett Leigh (recommended by Cara Dee on BookBub ) Raze by Roan Parrish (have read others in this series) Beautifully Decadent by L A Fiore (have read others in this series) A Roll in the Hay by Peter Styles Hosed by Lili Valente (recommended by Sionna at Books In Her Eyes at Wordpress ) Purple Method by Victoria Milne (recommended by Anne Barwell on Wordpress ) Be Loved by Stella Starling (have read others in this series) Sentinel's Dagger by Jessamyn Kingley (have read others in this series) No Pain No Gain by Ari McKay (recommended by Anne Barwell at Wordpress ) Caraval by Stephanie Garber (recommended by Alison in Bookland on Wordpress ) Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher (recommended by In Love and Words on Wordpress ) Kill The Queen by Jennifer Estep (recommended by Amanda Bouchet on BookBub ) The Guardian by A M Mahler Duchess of My Heart by Maya Banks (have read others by this author) SYN Consulting by A G Carothers (recommended by Anne Barwell at Wordpress ) Want You by Jen Frederick Hope Trilogy by Bink Cummings What Remains by Garrett Leigh (have read others by this author) Looking for Trouble by Riley Hart (recommended by Cara Dee on BookBub ) Brush Strokes by Max Hudson Path of Destruction by Cara Dee (have read others by this author) Dominance by Gem Frost Bonds of Desire by Lynda Aicher (have read others by this author) Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher (have read others by this author) Kiss Me Again by Garrett Leigh (recommended by Anne Barwell on Wordpress ) The Doctor's Date by Heidi Cullinan Fire And Obsidian by Andrew Grey (have read others by this author) Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (recommended by Sionna at Books In Her Eyes on Worpress ) Let's Get Textual by Teagan Hunter Gypsy Blood by Kristy Cunning Idol by Kristen Callihan My Warrior Wolves by Krystal Shannan (have read others in this series) Written by Kathryn Moon (recommended by Sionna at Books In Her Eyes at Wordpress ) When Forever Ended by Cara Dee (have read others by this author) Singe by Aly Martinez (have read others by this author) Dark Instincts by Suzanne Wright (have read others in this series) Force of Temptation by Suzanne Wright (have read others in this series) Ren and Della by Pepper Winters Thrive by Aly Martinez (have read others by this author) When They Do by Sara Breaker (review request) LOL by Lucy Lennox (recommended by Cara Dee on BookBub ) A Girl's Guide To Vampires by Katie MacAlister (recommended by Christopher Roy Denton Changing Course by Aly Martinez (have read others in this series) An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry Wrecked and Restless by Bink Cummings Secret Confessions of the Enticing Duchess by Olivia Bennet All Stars Fall by Rachel Van Dyken (have read others by this author) Fire In His Blood by Ruby Dixon Blaize and the Maven by Ellen Bard Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison (have read others in this series) Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet (have read others by this author) Nevernight by Jay Kristoff The Flame by Leonard Cohen Pansies by Alexis Hall The Ranger's Peace by Bree Livingston Dream Warrior by Brenda Trim and Tami Julka A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (have read others by this author) Halloween Werewolf by Kestra Pingree Highland Moonlight by Teresa Reasor All The Broken Pieces by Anise Eden Weight for Love by Jason Collins Mind Tamer by Moriah Densley (have read others by this author) Heat of the Knight by Jackie Ivie (have read others by this author) A Perfect Knight for Love by Jackie Ivie (have read others by this author) Knight Everlasting by Jackie Ivie (have read others by this author) Once Upon A Knight by Jackie Ivie (have read others by this author) Two Weeks Notice by Whitney G Inappropriately Yours by Cara Dee (have read others by this author) My Guardian Gryphon by Krystal Shannan (have read others in this series) My Eternal Soldier by Krystal Shannan (have read others in this series) The King of Threadneedle Street by Moriah Densley (have read others by this author) The Demon's Retribution by Kiersten Fay Make-Believe Proposal by Vivi Holt Sticks and Stones by Susie Tate After the Music by Diana Palmer Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer (have read others by this author) First Year by Rachel E Carter The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty The Redemption of the Lonesome Sheriff by Carol Colyer Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh Dead Wrong by Sylvie Grayson Kissed by a Demon by Hallie Goodway Pestilence by Laura Thalassa Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean (have read others by this author) I Will Always Love You by Kathryn Shay True Light by G Bailey Silverhills by Sandra CoxHa! I knew there was a lot of them.  They're all sitting on my phone waiting for me (and using up the memory on my phone!).8. Make a song list and tell us about your song list. Ooh, fun. I have nine playlists on Youtube and seven on Apple Music. And you thought the books were bad!  I like to choose a playlist depending on my mood and how much energy I want.My favourite playlist is my Ultimate Mixtape playlist on Apple Music, but I'm in the process of creating two on Youtube that I haven't got very far with yet. One is NZ Music and the other is Elle's Rock Playlist. I'll share what I have so far, and if you have any suggestions, let me know? NZ Music  Go Easy - The Venus Project Nothing To Regret - Robinson Don't Give Up - SIX60 Girl Gang - Gin Wigmore Everythings Gonna Be Alright - The Babysitter's Circus Wandering Eye - Fat Freddy's Drop Not Many - Scribe Blind - Tadpole What's The Time Mr Wolf - Southside of BombayElle's Rock Playlist Under Pressure - David Bowie and Queen I Miss The Misery - Halestorm Zombie - Bad Wolves The Sound of Silence - Disturbed Dream On - Aerosmith Enter Sandman - Metallica Hells Bells - ACDC Run Through The Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd Come Together - Gary Clark Jr. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from the Concert For George) Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden Radar Love - Golden Earring 18 and Life - Skid Row9. What are some of your favorite things? Write about them. Hmm, this is a very open ended question. Things as in possessions? I guess that's how I'll interpret the question.  My wedding ring is three interlocking 'puzzle' rings, one each in yellow gold, rose gold and white gold. It's currently in the shop getting fixed because the rings are very thin and one has snapped, and they're making them all sturdier. When I was engaged, Steve gave me the engagement ring his parents had used, but I didn't like it much, and it didn't fit on my finger alongside my wedding ring (because it pushed my wedding ring up onto my knuckle - I have short fingers). On my birthday in 2014, my mother-in-law gave me her mother's engagement ring. Her father had bought it in 1952, and it was perfect, both in fit and in sentiment. I loved her mother as she were my own grandmother, so the ring is super special to me. I took it to a jeweller who said the three diamonds were older than 1952 and he estimated them as being pre-1930 due to the type of cut. This may mean that the ring was second-hand or that the stones were reset from an older ring. I have some glass plates and bowls that belonged to my maternal grandparents. They date from pre-1954 to the 1960s. We have four paintings - two by my mother, one by Steve's maternal grandfather and one by Steve's maternal grandmother. They were all gifted to us, and we really like them. They hang on the walls in our house (three in the lounge, one in the study). We were gifted a red tablecloth from the Victoria era (somewhere between 1837-1901) that originally belonged to Steve's great-grandmother. We used it at the head table at our wedding. I'm a little bit worried that it's not properly packed away in a way that will conserve it, actually. I should check on it. I have a copy of The Hobbit which was given to me by my uncle when I was a kid. I treasured that book. To me, it wasn't about the story inside, but about the fact that someone else understood how amazing books are, and how much I loved reading. Steve and I also both have copies of Lord of the Rings.10. Write about some writing projects you are working and tell us about them. I really want to start a new novel for NaNoWriMo, but I don't have any good ideas. And prep literally starts tomorrow.  I need to come up a good idea fast. Other than that, I'm working on my blog books, the family recipe book and the family history books. I need to finish the recipe books before I can really work on the family history books, because I can't ask family members for contributions to a second project before finishing the first one. I am doing a mini family history book for a colleague though, and I can finish that. The blog books I'm just pottering away at over time. And of course I'm always blogging. 11. What are your calming rituals? I don't really have rituals per se. If I need to, I talk to Steve. He's really good at helping me gain perspective and figuring out my next move. If it's not something I can actually do anything about, I tend to read. I only read books with happy endings, and I find reading to be relaxing and calming. I'll often listen to music too - I have a 'quiet' playlist for when I'm trying to relax. 12. Do you have a green thumb? Share some gardening tips. Or some gardening mishaps! No, I definitely don't have a green thumb. Pretty much every plant I own dies. We do have a couple of things in the garden that have managed to survive despite us - a rose bush and a camellia. And some feijoa trees and a tamarillo tree. That's about it, I think. No indoor plants as they just die. 13. How do you find balance in your life? Steve and I often balance each other out. I try to make time for family things. I don't do that as often as I probably should, but it's hard with two teenagers who aren't interested in socialising. We all went to the hot pools on Saturday though, along with my dad and uncle, and it was a really nice day. I also try to make time for Steve and I as a couple. Sometimes that means visiting family with him, sometimes it means just going out to dinner just the two of us. And I try to make time for myself - maybe reading or working on my projects. 14. Share 3 ways you practice self-care. 1. I only read books with happy endings. This helps me to stay positive. 2. I try to take time for myself every week - reading, doing photography or working on my projects. 3. I try to stay in touch with people who make me feel good - people like Rhonda  and my friend Beth. They're positive, uplifting people who work hard to make others around them feel good about themselves.15. What are your Cinco de Mayo plans? I don't have any. We don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo in New Zealand. I believe there's actually a 'Mexican Festival' or something on in Auckland, but I don't have any plans to go. If someone else wanted to go with me, I might go, but at this stage, no. 16. What is your favorite Mother’s Day craft or recipe? Um, I'm not aware of any crafts or recipes that are specifically for Mother's Day. But hmm, what do I like to have on Mother's Day? Maybe roast chicken? Both my kids know how to make that, and I do enjoy it. Caitie usually makes me a card. Sometimes we'll sit down and do smashbooking or similar, but not often and not always on Mother's Day. 17. What is the first thing you see in the morning? My messy bedroom? Well, I guess I see Steve first unless he's already got up and left the bedroom. Then I usually check my phone for the time and any messages, and turn off my sleep app. Then I fumble for my glasses and the day goes on from there! 18. Write about a book you recently read that stayed with you after you closed the last page. I really enjoyed Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau. It was such a neat story. The blurb says it's Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts, but to me it felt more like Pokemon for adults who love fantasy. I loved it. The characters live in a world of magical beasts. Not your traditional mythological beasts, but new and interesting beasts. They're categorised by how dangerous they are. Leena is a Charmer, which means that she can tame the beasts to do her will. However, a Charmer's skill decides what level of beast they can tame. Only the very best can tame the most dangerous. Wild beasts live in the same world as the people, but the tamed beasts live in a magical world and can be summoned by the Charmer as required. I liked that there were natural limits to how many beasts a Charmer could summon and for how long, before the Charmer became exhausted. The beasts described in this story ranged from adorably cute to deadly and freaky. Leena has been exiled from her homeland, where most Charmers live. Someone sends an assassin after her, and when Leena takes control of the situation, she bargains with the assassins. Noc is the leader of the assassins, and he transfers the assassin's oath from the original assassin to himself, then promises Leena that if she can gift him and his friends with a beast each (of a certain level), his men won't hurt her. A Charmer can transfer ownership of a beast to another, even if that person doesn't have the ability to Charm a beast on their own. It is forbidden to transfer a beast in exchange for money though, as that would end up with beasts being transferred to those who wouldn't care for them appropriately. Noc is cursed, and he particularly wants a beast that will be able to remove his curse. Of course, he doesn't tell Leena why he wants a particular beast. He also doesn't tell her that the assassin's oath that he now holds means that if he doesn't kill her, he will die in her stead. He promised that his men wouldn't hurt her, not that he wouldn't. Of course, as they all go on this mission to find and capture the beasts Leena promised his men, they get to know each other better, and things change. However, there's still the matter of the unbreakable assassin's oath, and someone is still trying to kill Leena. On top of all of that, I loved the writing style. So beautifully descriptive. Fog-colored paneled walls were laden with oil paintings in stark white frames, and an impossibly long tarnished platinum table was centered beneath a row of chandeliers. Leena eyed the closest stall and tilted her nose toward the fruitcakes and muffins tossing vanilla and citrus aromas into the air. Every new noise seemed to pull at her attention, and her wide eyes swallowed up the whole street and its occupants. Beyond the train station and crammed cobblestone houses, as if it were the center of all eternity, stood the Violet Castle. I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, it was fun, and it kept me guessing because I couldn't figure out how they were going to overcome the issues. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. 19. Have you ever tried hot yoga? What was your experience? No, I've never tried yoga at all, let alone hot yoga. I really suck at meditational type stuff, and yoga doesn't really interest me. I also don't like saunas or being too hot, so hot yoga is definitely off the list for me! 20. What are you studying in your free time? Share your new knowledge with us. At the moment I'm not studying anything. But charitykountz was talking in the newsfeed about a degree in creative writing, and I thought 'Why have I never thought of doing that?' I don't have a degree in anything, although I have diplomas in insurance and photography. I'd like to have a degree, and creative writing sounds interesting if completely useless in terms of my career... 21. The most disappointed I’ve ever been . . . Off the top of my head, the first thing that comes to mind is when Jayden was caught shoplifting. I really struggled to process that, and to align that with the sweet little boy he'd always been.  22. Do you feel pressured to be perfect? Not anymore. I'm pretty good at accepting myself for who I am now. But when I was younger, yes. I felt pressured to do well at school, to be a 'good girl', to lose weight, to end up in a highly regarded 'professional' career... It took me a long time to let go of those expectations. 23. Share your best photograph and the story behind it. Wow. How do you even decide? Um.... Okay, this one is one of my favourites:  I took that on a family trip up north. I'd booked Steve, the kids and myself on a daytrip on an old fashioned sailing ship, the R Tucker Thompson. Except, I hurt my back just before we went. I was in agony on the car ride there (approx 4-5 hours) and agony on the boat. The kids loved it though. They climbed the rigging and jumped into the water. At one point we went ashore in a little dinghy to this tiny island, and I found a spot on the sand and took photos of Steve and the kids playing in the water. Then I saw bumblebees to my left and I took some photos of them too. I couldn't move, I was stuck in that one spot, but I had my telephoto lens on, and I got that one shot, which was my favourite from the day. It seemed like it made all the agony worthwhile.  24. What is your favorite memory of your mum, or your favorite thing about being a mum? My favourite memories of my mum from when I was a kid are of her baking fruit pies, and giving us kids scraps of pastry so we could make little pies of our with berries and things we picked. Sometimes bacon and egg pies using eggs we'd found on the farm (turkey eggs, duck eggs, etc.). And also of making Christmas cards using coloured felt material that we'd cut out into shapes to form pictures. As an adult, one of my favourite memories of Mum is laughing with her over a book's description of penises as resembling chicken necks. My favourite thing about being a mother? I love listening to my kids laugh. When they're just having so much fun that they're laughing away without any thought to what they look or sound like. I have a great photo of Jayden laughing his head off while having a pillow fight with Steve, and he's literally laughing so hard he can't lift the pillow. Those are my favourite moments. 25. Describe your dream home. Big enough to have a wine cellar and a library! I've always preferred sprawling single-level homes. I like the idea of it being surrounded by bush (native trees) and I'd like an orchard, and there'd have to be a cat or two. Carpet on the floors except in the kitchen (which would have tiles) and the master bedroom would have a walk in wardrobe and an en suite bathroom. At least one fireplace. Ideally, there'd be a fireplace in the lounge and in the master bedroom, that would be awesome. 26. Are you a tree hugger? Um... No? I belonged to an environmental group when I was a kid, but that's because I was interested in nature rather than particularly environmentally conscious. I think I'm quite late to the party as far as being environmentally conscious goes. It took me a long time to even start recycling and believing in global warming.  So no, I'm not a tree hugger. I kind of feel guilty about that though. The passion of the 'school strikes for climate' has left me feeling a little ashamed of how little I do.27. When you were nine years old… I was living on a beef farm in a rural community in New Zealand. I was attending a very small school (only three classrooms). I was a tomboy. I loved reading. I played netball. 28. What does your family do on family night? Sometimes we play board games or similar. Trivia quizzes. But the most common thing is to play the song quiz. That's where I play a playlist of songs, and they have to try and guess the name of the song before anyone else. It ends up in hilarious competitiveness usually, with people speed-singing to try and figure out the name of the song quickly. We usually end up laughing. 29. If you could time travel to any year, which one would you visit? I don't know, honestly. I have a passion for family history, so I'd love to go back in time and get a real glimpse of what it was like a previous era. Maybe even the middle ages or something. That'd be pretty cool. 30. Have you ever canned your own fruits or vegetables? Share a memory or recipe. I've 'canned' (but we used jars, not cans) fruit, but never vegetables. My favourite recipe is spiced peaches, although my mum and sister like drunken pears the best. Both make great gifts, so we usually make a batch of each at Christmas time to give to family, friends and neighbours. We make boozy fruit mince too (perfect for making Christmas cake or Christmas mince tarts). Click here for Nigella Lawson's spiced peaches recipe Click here for the drunken pears recipe  . It's on FB, so may or may not load. *shrugs*I have loads of family recipes for preserving fruit and vegetables, and for making homemade wines and things. Would be keen to try some of them one day. I've made feijoa wine before. It was exceedingly sweet and potent! 31. What made you smile this week? I've had a great couple of days actually. On Friday I took photos of protesters doing the school strike for climate, and that enabled me to get my #52frames photo of 'portrait of a stranger' which is a really tough ask normally. I was really happy with the photo I submitted. Then on Saturday we went to the hot pools and met up with Dad and my uncle there. We had a great day, and Dad and Uncle Pip kept making me laugh with the way they niggle at each other like only siblings can do. And then on Sunday I ended up going for a bush walk with Steve, Dad and Dad's girlfriend, and it was really lovely. Then dinner with Mum, and we were having a laugh about the fact that she's not celebrating a birthDAY but rather a birthYEAR this year and it seems like her birthday is never ending! Steve even said happy birthday to her when we left even though her birthday was at the beginning of August. Well, I guess you only turn 70 once. We had a lovely wine there too - Barossa Ink. Will keep a look out for that one again!32. Do you procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your list as fast as you can? Both. I definitely procrastinate. I'm almost a professional procrastinator. But I do love checking things off lists too. Argh, there's got to be a way to be able to do both! 33. Write about your first love — be it a person, place, or thing. I loved the farm we grew up on. My parents moved there before I was one, and we lived there until I was 17. I was really upset when they sold it. It was 330 acres I think, and then they subdivided it and sold all but 30 acres and they built a new house on the remaining 30 acres. I think I was 13 when they did that. It was a beef farm, with a section of native bush, and a shallow creek running through it. If you walked to the farthest end of the property, you were standing on a ridge and could see the Kaipara Harbour. 34. Would you rather swim in the ocean, lake, or swimming pool? I love swimming. Honestly, I'm happy with ocean, lake OR swimming pool, to be honest. I like the luxury of heated pools, although I'm not a huge fan of really warm spa pools because I overheat. I grew up going to the beach and the lake, so these have great memories for me. I guess if I had to choose though, I'd say the ocean. I love the waves. 35. What ingredients make a perfect Saturday? A sleep-in. Making progress on one of my projects. Spending time with friends or family. A good meal. Some laughs. 36. What is the best thing you ever had for dessert? Share the memory or the recipe. Man, I've had a lot of desserts, it's hard to pick one that was the best! One of the yummiest but simplest recipes I've ever made though is Nigella Lawson's instant chocolate mousse . Now I've refined it so I just whip melted chocolate and cream together and it's super simple, so easy, so yum. 37. Do you have a loved one who gave their life while serving their country? No. Both my grandfathers fought in WWII, but both survived. Steve's paternal grandfather fought in WWII and also survived. I've been very lucky. And as far as I know, we haven't had a family member serve since WWII. 38. Do you play a musical instrument? If not, what musical instrument would you love to learn to play? I learned to play the piano as a child and the flute in my teens. But I'd love to learn how to play the guitar. I had plenty of opportunity to learn (my dad was a guitar teacher!) but I never put the effort in. Wish I had now. Would love to be able to just provide my own music. Of course, the next thing is that I'd love to be able to sing! 39. What are your plans for the summer? I'm hoping to be able to take a couple of weeks off work, but have no real plans at this stage. No idea what Jayden will be doing... working hopefully. Caitie will have approx. two months off school, and Steve's dad and stepmum in Australia have invited her to stay for a couple of weeks which will be nice for her. Steve wants to start walking round the park in the evenings again - for stress relief and exercise. But yeah, no major plans at this stage. We might do something in autumn - maybe go to the South Island finally! 40. Write about staying quiet when you feel like shouting. I'm non-confrontational, so I generally stay quiet rather than speaking up. One example is when people are getting off the train, and people try to get on at the same time. Dude, have the decency to wait until everyone is off the train before you start barging your way on! Oh, and school kids who make adults stand while they sit. Most of the school kids on the train stand for adults, but there's always one or two inconsiderate little twerps who don't. Grrrr! 41. Write about being insulted. How do you feel? Why do you think the other person insulted you? Hmm, it's not often that I'm actually insulted. When I had my hair cut, Jayden said it was my 'lesbian librarian look' which was NOT meant to be flattering. It didn't really make me feel like I looked awesome, know what I mean? I think he thought he was being funny, but it wasn't really very clever.42. What if you mirror started talking to you? What might the mirror say? I guess it depends greatly on the mirror's personality! Hopefully it would be a kind, generous, supportive mirror that would say uplifting, positive things and encourage me to feel better about myself. That'd be nice!43. Write about coming out of the dark and seeing the light. Man, this could apply to so many things. Most recently, we've started putting two and two together with Jayden's ongoing complaints about his stomach, and started wondering if he's celiac. We've arranged for him to be tested, and are just waiting on the results now. It would explain so much. Huge lifestyle change if he is though. And if he's not, I think they'll have to do further testing. I guess it could be any number of things, and we just need to keep pushing for an answer. 44. Take inspiration from a night sky. Or, write about a time when “the stars aligned” in your horoscope. I don't believe in horoscopes. There's no way you can write something that is right for every single person born in a 30 day period. What bullshit. Of course, they're so vague that most people can see something relevant in them. Just for fun, let's see what mine is today: 'You're in the mood for fashion, flirting, romantic moments and creative partnerships. But - if you sit on the fence and avoid facing relationship responsibilities - then problems are likely.' So I shouldn't avoid relationship responsibilities? And what exactly are my relationship responsibilities, hmm? Steve is pretty stressed at the moment, especially in regards to work and Jayden. I have no clue what to do about Jayden. He's going to get fired. He has no motivation to do any work, and he's just taking the piss. He's constantly calling in sick or going in late. Like I said, will be interesting to hear what the doctor says. Would be good if we could make him feel better and he might have more energy and drive. Seems like a pipe dream though. Man, people were right about teenagers. The teenage years really are the hardest. 45. Write about the power you felt when you told someone yes. Hmmm... The thing that comes to mind is when I accepted the job offer that led to my current job. It was so exciting and such a relief to have that job offer, and once I'd said yes to it, then I could quit my other job and wow, that was such a great feeling. I couldn't do anything until I had another job, because I couldn't afford to be unemployed, so yeah, that was such a good feeling. 46. Write a poem or short story about a diary entry you’ve read or imagined. Looking back, memories that aren't forgotten, just in storage, dusty and neglected. Rifling through them inspires smiles, cringes and daydreams... and sometimes such relief that the past is in the past. 47. The first time you held someone’s hand. Um, I think that would be my friend Alan. For a short while he lived on a farm not too far from ours, and we could walk across the farmland to each other's houses. I was 13 then. Or maybe 12, nearly 13. I was definitely at high school. He liked me, and I liked him but not really as a boyfriend. That is, I wasn't attracted to him, I just liked him as a friend. But at that age, it's so confusing. I'm sure we held hands. And he teased me, saying 'I'm thinking of a four letter word starting with k'. I was so freaking naive I had no idea what he was talking about, which I'm glad of in retrospect, because I didn't want to kiss him! Being oblivious to his intentions was much better! 48. Write a story or journal entry influenced by a photograph. A while back, Dad went to Shakespear Park and saw a rare North Island robin. He took a photo of it on his phone, and I was so jealous. I've never seen one! Then my sister went there with him a couple of weeks ago, and they saw another one or two, and my sister got a great photo using her camera and telephoto lens. Not fair! So when I saw him yesterday and he said he was going there again, I decided I absolutely had to join him. Talk about 'fear of missing out'! I talked Steve into coming with us, saying it was just a 30 minute walk through the bush. Well, two and a half hours later, we'd seen a rare North Island saddleback (which I hadn't been able to photograph) but not a robin. Steve was all '30 minutes my ass!' but he thanked me later for making him go, saying it had been good stress relief for him and he'd enjoyed it. I did get some lovely photos, but no bloody robin!49. Write about waking up. I use a sleep app on my phone. It has a setting so that it monitors your sleep cycles (between light sleep and deep sleep) and then wakes you up when you're in light sleep. So if I need to be out of bed by 6:30am, it'll wake me up any time after 6am when it thinks I'm in light sleep (or already awake). It much less distressing to the body to be woken out of light sleep than out of deep sleep. And because I'm only in light sleep, I use an alarm which is birds tweeting. I don't think they'd be enough to wake me out of deep sleep, but it works. 50. Write a poem or journal entry inspired by what you can’t see. Mum recently came back from her trip around the South Island, and I was so jealous! One of the places she went was Church of the Good Shepherd which is on the shores of Lake Tekapo. It's in a dark sky reserve, and is quite famous for being the subject of nighttime photos. I'd love to go there and take a night time photo showing the stars and church. Or even just the stars. Although you can pretty much always see stars at night in NZ, even in the city, so long as there aren't clouds, you see far more in the countryside away from city lights, and then even more in these awesome dark sky reserves. I really do want to go there and photograph stars that I can't even see. Oh, and you know another thing you can't see that I'd like to photograph? The Southern Lights. Aurora Australis. Apparently they're hard to see with the naked eye, but you can photograph them. That'd be wicked cool, and is definitely on my bucket list. 51. Write about a very fragile or delicate object. There is a ring that my grandmother gave my mum to pass on to one of us girls (myself or my sisters) that I ended up with after my grandmother passed away. It looks like it has tiny diamond chips all the way around it, but I took it to a jeweller and they’re actually spinels, which were a kind of old-fashioned ‘fake diamond’. The jeweller said the spinels date the ring to the Victorian era (1837-1901) although the ring itself is worthless. Grandma told Mum that she’d inherited the ring, and if that was the case, it was likely to be from her grandmother who married in 1891. They were poor, so it makes sense that they would have had an inexpensive ring. The jeweller said the ring was very worn and therefore ‘well loved’. One stone was missing when it was given to me and the jeweller said it was not worth repairing. He also said it should not be worn as the ring was fragile and likely to lose more stones. 52. Write about a time when you got stuck in between two parties fighting with each other. Hmm, the only thing that really springs to mind is me trying to mediate between Steve and Jayden. Steve is really struggling with teenage Jayden, and the two of them can barely be in the same room without sniping at each other. They don't understand each other. Steve is trying really hard now, harder than he was before, and I think in some ways that's because I've stepped back a little bit. Before, they'd snap at each other and I'd go and soothe things over. But when I snapped, Steve suddenly took it upon himself to soothe things over. Which is awesome. Makes me wonder if sometimes me playing the mediator and the peacekeeper is the wrong answer and just allows the rift to continue for longer. 53. Write about making mistakes. Well, I've certainly made my share. God, I don't even know which to talk about. As a parent, I hate the idea that you've made mistakes and your children have to suffer for them. It's easier when you pay the consequences of your own mistakes, much harder when someone else is saddled with those consequences. And for some reason, we seem to make the vast majority of our mistakes with Jayden. I guess because he's not great at communicating, plus he's the eldest so we learn from the mistakes we make with him and don't make so many with Caitie. It sucks though. If there were such a thing as a perfect parent, I wish I was it. I sometimes see people raving about how amazing their teenagers are on Facebook, including my cousin, and I hate it. It's so hard, and there's no bloody right answer and yet a whole shitload of wrong answers. It sucks. I'm really not enjoying the teenage years. I liked the earlier years, and I think I'll like spending time with the interesting adults my children will become, but parenting teenagers is so freaking stressful. And ugh, the mistakes. 54. Write about flavors and tastes or a favorite spice of yours. I'm not really a fan of curry, but I do like a bit of heat. I like a bit of chilli, although not too much. I love the summer rolls from Monsoon Poon that come with a spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce, and I love Cajun seasoning. My favourite way to use Cajun seasoning is on a whole baked chicken breast, or added to instant noodles. 55. Write about a phone call you recently received. Hmm, I haven't really received any interesting calls lately. I tried calling Jayden earlier to get him to follow up with his doctor about his blood test results, but he didn't answer. I also texted him about midday and again at 4pm, no response.  I had a look on my phone, and all my recent calls are from family, and all minor calls to confirm arrangements, etc. I think the last non-family call was from the parent of Caitie's friend who joined us at the hot pools on Saturday, so again, was just a quick call to confirm arrangements. I haven't had a call from the correspondence school about Jayden lately, so I guess that's a good thing? Hopefully it means he's handing in the work that he's supposed to hand in. Sorry, not the world's most interesting answer! |
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