on the beach

I put it down to the hours of fruitless searching online, for somewhere to stay over Easter weekend which is sufficiently holiday-like and didn't require hassle to get to.

There's no other way I can explain why I managed to pay in advance for two nights in a motel just off the main road, at least 30 mins walk from the beach.

It was the kind of place you stay at when you're on the way to somewhere else, rather than the kind of play you stay at for fun.

So we left after just one night, and I didn't even realise that I'd paid in advance for both nights until after we'd stayed that first night, put up with a terrible bed (TLM was in the bedroom on a perfectly good bed, we had a sleepless night on the awful bed with the motion sickness-inducing springs - in the living area), told the manager we were leaving first thing the next morning, wandered around the beach, tried unsuccessfully to get a place closer to the seaside and then finally came home so we could all remedy our respective zombie-like states.

So yeah, I feel a bit ripped off, even though our motel unit was otherwise perfectly nice.

On the upside, we did get to play at the beach, TLM and I collaborated on some fantastic sand drawings (including a satanic sun), and there was plenty of sunshine. Plus, being away made us appreciate our home more and for just a while I stopped wishing my house was such a dump.

It's raining today. Ordinarily I'd hate that, but at the moment I'm glad that our city's water reserves have been boosted (even if just little bit).

An imperfect 12

I don't know why, but I'm only now (after more than 2 years of knitting garments for myself) starting to realise that - although I may be a size 12 around the chest....I must be a size 14 around the armpits.

This means I have to plan adjustments when I knit, in addition to the ones I already do to petite-ize the length of the torso section and super-size the waist area...

Tight armholes, begone!

Seems it never rains in southern North Island...

So we are in the midst of a drought which has hit the whole of the North Island, and even where we live which is normally never short of water.

How liberating to be able to hang your clothes up on the line, knowing for certain that they will be nice and dry when I get back from work (and not damp from an unexpected downpour). How nice it would be if we were barbequing types, because we'd be able to organise an outdoor social event knowing we won't end up shelter in a bus stop instead.

But it's a bit difficult to fully enjoy the beautiful sunny weather, because there's a drought on. That means everyone's garden is brown and dusty (unless they've got one of those rain water tanks, or are organised enough to use pre-shower water or grey water on their gardens).  I feel I should be hoping for lots of rain, so that our farmers and growers don't go out of business (since they are apparently the backbone of the NZ economy).

But - hey! At least our local tourism industry is flourishing, because Kiwi families all over the country can go camping - and not have to pack up after 5 days of "unseasonal" rain and gale force winds.

And we are going away too, for part of the Easter holidays...to the beach!

Sweat-inducing clothes shopping

The boy is a wonderful man, he really is. Today he arranged for TLM to spend most of the day with her beloved cousins so that he could take me shopping.

And when I say "shopping" I mean that he took me to an upmarket department store, chose designer clothing items for me to try on - all of which was new in for autumn (i.e. full retail price), and bought the items he liked on me. (Is that a little bit Pretty Woman?)

This included an eye-wateringly expensive Jane Daniells long sleeve top and a gob-smackingly expensive possum-merino knit jacket (in biker jacket style, but - y'know, tasteful).

I love the jacket and one other item (black cropped jeans with heavy metal bling on the back pockets). And the boy loves the other ones (even if I'm not so sure myself.

But I am very uncomfortable with spending up so large on clothes, even if they are pieces I really like and even if I didn't have to pay for it myself.

And I can't help thinking that that amount of money could have gone toward doing up our decrepit bathroom.

I wonder whether women in TV makeover shows - the ones where you get a big wad of cash to spend on a new wardrobe - ever worry about whether they would have preferred to get the money and put it toward a new bathroom.

Probably not.