Pigeon hole action

Sometimes weird little things happen in my life. Like once I found a bunch of flowers on my mailbox - no note, no nothing - I just thought they may have got left there by mistake - but, maybe not! Today I received a parcel in my pigeon hole at work, I was kinda excited cause how often do you get something nice, or something not worth throwing the in the nearest available bin in your pigeon hole? In my experience of pigeon hole action at both schools, there is usually nothing worth keeping. There have been some notable exceptions. For example, the pigeon hole fairy who once left a small chocolate bar in everyone's pigeon hole at Wainui, and the secret Easter bunny at East but more often than not all you get is junk. Anyway, back to the parcel - I was on my way to class when I noticed it sitting innocently in my pigeon hole, but of course I delayed my journey to educate the minds of our future to open the mystery parcel. I needed to see what it was and who it was from (they had mysteriously left their name off the back of the parcel even though it was sent through the post) After finding some scissors to open those tricky pre-paid plastic parcels from post shop (oh the alliteration!) I found inside some rather nice stockings with a little note on it saying "Fflur, you'll look stunning in these, maybe catch you sometime :)" NO NAME!!!! FREAK ALERT!
So many questions here for my over analysing mind - 1. who sends something without their name? Not really endearing, only creepy. 2. how presumptuous to think I will look stunning in them, note to weirdo, I will not be wearing them! 3. "maybe catch you sometime?" - catch me and kill me? or catch up? if you want us to catch up here is a little tip for you - put your name on the parcel, can hardly catch someone I don't know. 4. putting a smiley face at the end of a message without a name does not make me think kind thoughts toward you, in fact it is just even that much more creepy.
All said and done, next time I get a parcel in my pigeon hole I won't be so excited, in fact I may not even open it.

Keeping promises

Tomorrow morning I will be getting up very early. Not just very early for a Sunday (which would be about 8:30 or 9) No, I am planning on getting up at just after 5!!! In my world, this is actually night and getting up at this time is like going for a poo in someone's house that you have only just met - it's just not done. Any how because I am such a good mother, my complete horror at getting up at such an ungodly hour is outweighed by a promise I made to Bennett many years back, and it has been a promise that I have been putting off for too long - to take him to the dawn service.
I always take Bennett down to the cenotaph because he likes to put his poppy on the tomb of the unknown soldier and write in the visitors book about how his great grandfather went to war. This year I showed him the information you can find online about my great uncles who died in the war, he now wants to put two poppies on the tomb for them. I remember when I was a young teenager and I viewed everything passionately, but very black and white. When I saw the world this way I thought it was ridiculous that we had ANZAC day because war was pointless, stupid and not something we should celebrate (which is what I thought we were doing) Although I basically still hold the same view on war I think it is very important that we remember, and instill in our younger generation to remember, those who did go to war. My grandfather never spoke about the war, never. The pain he must have carried about what he saw and did is something I can never imagine. The pain he felt at losing a brother, and a brother in law and countless friends is not something I can imagine, nor something we should forget. Tomorrow when they play the Last Post I know I will have a tear in my eye (I always do at that song) but I will be thinking of them and all the other young people that went to war and came back changed people or didn't come back at all.

School life

I have been back at school for 3 days, and even though I was sick for some of those days and am feeling really tired after sleeping badly last night, I have to say they have been really enjoyable days. I have had some really interesting and thought provoking conversations with my year 12 English class about change - is it positive?, why don't we like it?, is it important?, and other in depth stuff that they talk about and I nod my head and say "good point (insert girls name here - probably something like Madison or Isabelle)"
I have also been doing a Melodrama unit with my Year 11 Drama class, these girls are quite possibly THE cutest class ever! I love them, they do everything I ask and give it 110 percent. This means I have loads of fun every day with them. Today I spent quite a bit of time giving feedback on how to move as a stock character and it was totally enjoyable - giving feedback fun? what planet have I landed on?
I have also started teaching dance, or movement as I like to call it, to my Year 9 and 10 classes - It is the most fun I have had since I last got drunk - except you don't get a hangover! When the girls performed their 'holiday' dance scenes they had created I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt - they were so much fun.
I love that I love my job right now, I love that I am about to head off to see the Year 13 Drama class perform their monologues tonight, and I love that I get to share it, even if it is not something anyone wants to listen to.

Blog? What blog?

Unfortunately I am not as skilled as Richard in the blogging world (as he so enjoys pointing out) and I can not seem to blog when I am away or sick. Who am I kidding, I could probably do it while I am sick, away or inflicted with any other problem as I am a woman and can apparently multitask. However, at the moment my life is a little dull - no dates, no cooking, no child related stories - I am suffering from blog-block (for some reason that sounds a little gross to me, is it too close to bog?) I thought instead of posting things about trees being cut down next door, or pictures of toilets being the proud owner of multiple toilet rolls I would just let you know I have absolutely nothing interesting to say - I know Richard, when do I?

Naki here I come

Going back to my Mums is something that brings out mixed feelings for me.
Since pros and cons lists have been on my mind lately this is one for going home.
Pros:
Home cooked meals - ones that have flavour and more than two veges, which is more than I can say for mine (unless you count tomato sauce as a vege)
My Mum - who is the best mum in the world, hands down (fact)
Someone who does my washing - just one of the things that makes her best mum (Don't we all regress a little when we go home?)
My baby - I have been told by Bennett I am not allowed to call him this anymore but surely he will always be my baby, and this is not to his face so it doesn't count
Real fires - I love a real fire, not a gas one or a heater but one that uses real wood, there is something so homey about it

Cons:
Coronation St - my mum is a fan, it does not go missed
The worst shower in the world - I LOVE showers, I can barely start a day without one. My mum's shower is like an old man dribbling on you - unbearable! Baths do not get the day started right
No civilisation - my Mum lives in a town approximately the size of a 50 cent coin. This bores me to tears at times
Being surrounded by people who like to garden, drink wine and do other over 50 activities - there is no one my age at my Mums, I get a little bored with the activities they deem interesting.

That said, nothing beats a little time at home. I love my Mum and the day when I can't go home and complain about the shower will be a very bad/sad one

cons are outweighing the pros

I went on date number two and at this stage I would have to say the con list is getting heavy - "Lets go for a drive guy" has added smoking and baby talk to his list of cons. These both make my skin crawl. He even managed to combine these two by baby talkingly saying "please come out side" while he had a smoke - too which I politely declined and then suggested that it was time to go home. It seems God was not really listening - he was just having a laugh at my expense. What is God trying to make me learn by being single this long? Surely he must realise by now I am not going to learn it? I should add I guess that there were some pros to the night, and I did have a reasonably good time - however, I am fussy and although each one of his cons on their own are not deal breakers - Altogether they all add up to one I think.

The world of dating

I have been on many dates in my time - some bad and some exceptionally, monumentally bad! The date I went on this evening falls into the not so bad category. I have many dating stories that would put most sane people off dating for a long time. But hey, I am the common denominator in these dates so maybe it is actually me that is the problem? Surely not, it must be that I attract freaks. Tonight's date did not seem too freaky - and when I asked him to tell me something that is not good about him (cause I was bored with him telling me all his positive attributes) he did not say anything that was a cop out like "I a workaholic" which is just a positive attribute in disguise - cause what they really mean with this is "I am successful" Him being honest (i presume) about his not so great attributes was somewhat refreshing. It was not until after the coffee date, when he followed me to the bookshop that I started to see the things that got my fussy and over analytical mind working. He only likes to read factual martial arts stuff - okay who am I to judge someones reading habits - I certainly don't want someone who likes all the stuff I like (how I am going to mold them if they are already like me, there is no work for me!) No really I don't want someone who likes all the stuff I like - i think that is boring and won't expand me and my horizons in any way; or keep me guessing, which is what I like. But then toward the end of our time in the book shop when I was just about to go home he saw the dvd 2012 - "that is a great movie" not quite verbatim here but... "it's exactly how it is going to be, in my studies...yada yada...based on fact...yada yada....all the natural disasters we have been having recently..yada yada...."
Oh dear - time to buy Dirty Dancing on dvd and head home to have Patrick Swayze fantasies...Johnny never disappoints.

So I have a date

If you are a keen follower of blog comments you may have come to the realisation that I have a date this week. One wonders if it is all the baking and cooking that I have been doing or the letter I wrote to God a couple of blogs ago - either way it seems they universe has decided I have paid enough dues - or has it?
Tonight I got a text from "the date" it said and I quote "wana go 4 a drive tnite? :)"
Now I don't know this guy all that well, so I don't want to jump to too many conclusions from this but I have been told before I over analyse things and maybe it is true cause here is what I over analysed from this:
1. He is a 31 year old man who uses text speak = Illiterate??
2. He wants to 'take me for a drive' = what am I? 18? why would that be fun?
3. He always uses smiley faces = does he think I won't realise he is being friendly or is he desperately trying to convince me he is a nice guy?
4. He wants to take me for a drive - what does this mean? He thinks I am easy and will put out in the back seat?
The over riding problem I have with this however is that this is not a safe thing for a woman to do - you don't go for a ride with someone you only met briefly a couple of days ago - well I might have when I was younger and more stupid but after 33 years I have managed to learn something.
Who knows, maybe he is a nice guy and maybe I do over analyse - but I think I will just wait for the date to find out :)