Season's Greetings

A big Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my friends and family. Although I caught up with some over the holiday period I was too slack to send out individual Christmas cards or emails this year. So if you're reading this I hope you had a really good Christmas and New Year.

Peter and I drove down to Palmerston North on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas with my best friend Lou. The traffic was surprisingly good. We had a really lovely Christmas Day, with Lou cooking a wonderful lamb roast (which I suspect she is still eating the leftovers from even now, as there was so much!). We all got some good pressies, with Nooboo being very spoilt indeed. Peter being the alpha-geek had the photos up on Flickr within half an hour of all the presents being opened!!!

Boxing Day we drove down to Wellington to catch up with my old friends for a picnic in Days Bay in the afternoon, and with Peter's friends for an evening of pizza, beer and board games. Was looking forward to playing Cranium as I thought it looked quite good, unfortunately it was a bit too easy for us. Perhaps it would be better played drunk! Definitely a good family game though as there's something for all ages.

Next day, being Tuesday, we drove back to Auckland on the commute from hell. Traffic crawled all the way from just north of Plimmerton all the way to Waikanae, taking an hour to travel that distance. And the politicians say Auckland's roads are the problem!

Before we knew it, it was New Years Eve and we had no plans. We had considered going to Gisborne (as neither of us have ever been there) but in the end decided it was just too far to drive. But we didn't just want to sit around the house, as we may not get the chance to go out and celebrate New Years for the next few years. So we ended up at the Copper Room in Takapuna where there was a live band playing and no cover charge. Music was great, atmosphere was great. Didn't dance but we still enjoyed ourselves and saw in the New Year in the traditional way.

Now it's a week into 2006 and Peter's mother Peggy and sister Mardie have arrived from Texas, back to live in NZ. Today we took them to Kelly Tarlton's to see the penguins and sting rays and sharks, followed by a stroll along Mission Bay eating ice cream in the hot sunshine. Can't get more of a Kiwi summer afternoon than that. And followed it up tonight with fish & chips for tea.

I'm now 39 weeks pregnant, so officially less than a week to go although I'm expecting it to go a bit longer. The whole pregnancy has gone really well and I have nothing to complain about. In fact I'm still enjoying it and aren't too uncomfortable (except when lying down) and can't believe it's almost over. Based on other people's stories I was expecting to feel fed up and exhausted by this stage but I don't. Everyone keeps commenting I look really good and very small. I still have heaps of energy (thank you Iron pills!) and apart from some swollen feet haven't really put on any extra weight at all.

Last week Peter and I went out and did a whole lot of shopping, and now have everything we need, at least for the short term. As time goes by we will find we need things we don't have, but at least for now we have all the big important purchases made.

So with the big day drawing close we will be sure to let everyone know the news as soon as there is anything to know. Expect photos to be posted on the web pretty much straight away!