smelly plants and 'smelly' people

Yesterday me and my sister took our children to see the devil's tongue. The devil's tongue is a flower that only flowers approximately once every decade, and as if that is not enough to make it special and make you want to go and see it, it also smells like decaying bodies, yummy! I thought the boys would like to go for the ewww factor and I am just a curious wee lass and needed no extra encouragement to go. This is what the flower looked like:



Now I know there are a few flowers in this picture, but considering we were at the Botanical Gardens what can you expect? It is the big purply one that looks like the devil's tongue, or what the devil's tongue might look like if he actually existed. (sorry I did have a better picture but I can't seem to rotate it up the right way to put on the blog) It was smelly and entertaining. However, this was not the bit of the day that really stuck in my mind. At the Botanical Garden Cafe I experienced the worst ever customer service, it was so bad I was forced to write and send my first ever complaint letter. I am not usually one to complain but never before have I been yelled at to place an order, or told to pick up my food and move out the way after paying. What happened to the customer is always right? or even good manners? Please and Thank you would not go amiss. After dealing with the world's worst customer service representative we went on to have a fine afternoon, fest your eyes on our fun if you please. Thank you for reading my blog. (see it's easy!)


Bennett tiptoed through the tulips



and slid down the slide (never too old for playground fun, I still enjoy swinging on a swing)



Mucked around with his cousins



Found true love



and generally just behaved like a kid, as he should.

Hello Teenager

Yesterday Bennett turned 13. It has felt like he has been a teen for quite sometime to me because his hormones would just not wait for the 18th of September to be officially recognised. Although his hormones and his teenage self have made themselves at home for quite sometime, yesterday it was official - I was now the mother of a teenager. This strangely didn't make me feel really old, or sad that my baby had grown up, I have been through these emotions already. It actually made me feel really close to him and full of love for him. I wonder if this feeling of closeness is just me trying desperately to hang on to him before he grows up so much that he moves away and only come to visit me when he has run out of food in his flat, wants money, wants to do his washing, or wants all three things at once.
Yesterday we did the things Bennett loves to do - we ate chocolate, had cake, watched rugby on TV and live, we had pizza and his friend stayed the night so they could stay up late playing computer games. I am so glad the things he loves doing are still things I can be involved in and do not involve girls - this will be the next hellish stage.

rhythm is a dancer

This year I have become a dance teacher. I LOVE to dance, I always have, but teaching dance is a whole other beast (as I usually enjoy dancing the most when I am drunk, and teaching drunk is not advised)
I LOVE teaching dance. In particular I LOVE teaching dance to my wonderful, amazing, creative, unique and fabulous Year 10 Dance and Drama class. (is that enough adjectives to explain how much I love them?) Give these girls a piece of music, some equipment to play the music on and an hour of class time and they will astound you with their focus, creativity and total willingness to give anything a go. Sure there are a few that struggle but I have never once heard one of them complain.
Today during period four all of the Year 9 and 10's came and watched the three Year 10 Dance and Drama classes perform their cultural dances. At the end of period four not only was I bursting with pride at their amazingness, but they were also beaming.
Some days it is really hard being a teacher, and some days it is the best job in the world. This week I have had the pleasure of not only watching my classes perform but also the year 12 and 13 classes and it has been an absolute joy. But a big shout out must go to my year 10 class for making me love teaching dance and making me love my job today.

Check out our website to see some of the cool stuff that has been happening for the arts festival:
http://www.wegc.school.nz/

This sounds like an advertisement for my school, I apologise.

Turning 34

the 15th of September sounds like a really great date for a birthday I think. It may be because this has been the date of my birthday for the last 34 years....34 YEARS!!!!! That sounds like a lot of years to me. I realise in as little as 5 years time this will sound young to me, and that when I am as old as Richard or TSB then 34 will sound practically in utero. But right now, in this present moment it sounds positively ancient. I suspect some of this has to do with the fact that I am single and my eggs are shriveling up at a rate of knots, even as I type these very words they are collapsing and dying...I often imagine my eggs as little cartoon like creatures with eyes, and little arms and legs and they are walking around on little crutches because although I am not hurtling toward my old age, they are. This thought sometimes makes me sad because I never imagined that I would only have one child, I always liked the idea of a big, extended family. These are the thoughts that often haunt me at birthday time because I see the time running out. But on the plus side, I have a job I love, a son I adore and my life is pretty darn good. So tomorrow instead of walking to parliament for the strike, or lying in my bed crying over my elderly eggs I will be going out for lunch with friends and buying myself something frivolous and pretty because it is better to be aging that to be dead.

interviews and zombies

I have an interview at school this morning - I really hate interviews as my mind goes blank when I am there. I wish my mind would go blank the night before the interview so I could get a good nights sleep. I dreamt about the interview twice last night and both times I had not finished getting dressed and my hair was still dripping wet from the shower. The second dream ended with me chasing zombies and killing them by continuously shooting water into their mouths - premonition?

A blog about nothing

Under Richard's fine tutelage I have decided to write a post about nothing in particular. When writing about nothing it is hard to find the place to start, but I have read many posts by Richard (of RBB) and this given me some considerable grounding on writing about nothing. I awoke early to the sound of a cat screeching at my door (not Fluffy of RBB) but Lokie (of TCC) This is not how I like to start my Sunday mornings as I am sure Richard can understand. Bennett being the unconditional cat lover got up to feed Lokie and I decided since I was awake that I would continue my reading of everything Bryson. I am not sure why I started reading Bill Bryson and I am especially unsure as to why I continue to do so, he does not write the type of book I generally enjoy but I do enjoy his dry sense of humour and the feeling that I have acquired some new information when I have finished reading. At present I am reading his book on Shakespeare. Because I am a lover of the Bard I am finding this my most enjoyable read yet, even though I do already know much of the information from my time as a student at Victoria University.
I am somewhat bored of writing about nothing now, as I am sure you are of reading it, so I shall finish my peppermint tea and Vogels toast and thrust myself out into the world - which seems quite delightfully spring like today. Tomorrow I am off to enjoy all things Pacifica, where I will not only get to see the East poly girls perform but will also get to see the the Wainui Poly group perform - there must be a blog about something in that experience...

Being absent

Sometimes I need to go AWOL. I need moments where I disconnect from things otherwise I either get bored or feel overwhelmed. This characteristic doesn't work well when you are in a relationship - guess that is why I am single. It seems it doesn't work well when you have a blog either, its like being in a relationship, people pester you to engage again.