Post surgery wrap-up

On Tuesday I went into hospital to have bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery and double grommet insertion – my surgeon was going to unblock my sinuses and ears and hopefully end eighteen months of chronic infection. I went to Gillies Hospital, a private hospital in Auckland (which I can highly recommend by the way, the staff are absolutely lovely). Read more of this post

The $9m question: to smack or not to smack

Unbelievable.  This pointless referendum on whether or not smacking children should be criminialised is going to cost $9 million.   Truly, it would be hard to find a bigger waste of money. 

Lets be clear about the background to this. Read more of this post

Ok, now I feel sorry for Melissa Lee

Oh I know she was a total goose and made a mess of the entire Mt Albert election campaign.  She couldn’t stop stuffing her feet in her mouth or digging herself holes.  But at the end, standing there in front of a depressed little crowd giving her concession speech, she looked so miserable it was impossible not to feel a little sympathy. Read more of this post

Rock climbing & Richard Worth

This weekend we took the girls rock climbing.  Madeleine (6) has been before and loves it, she scrambled up with great confidence until she could go no further, then merrily let go of the wall, letting the automatic belay gradually lower her to the floor. Lulu (3) did not have such success.  Her initial confidence crumbled once she saw the actual wall, she cried piteously and even when we helped her up a couple of steps, all she wanted to do was get down.  Unfortunately, however, her stubborn pride didn’t allow her to confess that her rock climbing dream was all over, for the day at least.   Read more of this post

Private or public: the education dilemma

When we moved to Auckland, we were very fussy about where we bought a house.  The main criteria was that it be near a good state primary school.  Less than six months later, we put both our daughters on the waiting list for a private primary and secondary school on the other side of town.  Its an about-face I didn’t expect to make, but somehow I feel like we have no choice. Read more of this post

Winter in the winterless north

This weekend we ventured a bit further north, and spent two nights in the Bay of Islands, a beautiful and historically significant part of New Zealand.  It was the coldest weekend of the year so far, and even in the “winterless north”, it was definitely winter.  We made our escape late Saturday morning, arriving in Paihia mid-afternoon and checking into our rented apartment.  Knackered, I popped out to the local supermarket for some food, plus some pens and a pad of paper, then Andrew and I fortified ourselves with cups of tea and coffee while the girls unleashed their creativity by  drawing, and eventually settled in to watch cartoons.  Read more of this post

Pop culture will eat itself

Poor old Susan Boyle, her 15 minutes of fame has come and eaten her alive.  After her “shock defeat” in Britian’s Got Talent, she has reportedly suffered an emotional breakdown and been admitted to a private clinic to recover.  Hardly anyone can be surprised.  A woman who has lived a completely private and unremarkable life for over 40 years, who is suddenly thrust into worldwide fame and unrelenting media attention, is bound to come apart at the seems at some point.   Read more of this post