Will this winter please end

Another wet Waikato winter's day and oh my it is cold!! I have been putting off lighting the fire as I am hoping that AD has remembered to go to Riverlea to get some new wood.

I have had an office day at home today and must say that it has been DELICIOUS to have the house to myself!! Marg wanted me to spend some time updating the web site - you can see it here.

The B&B polls have closed with a final 38 submissions. They have been sent to their Majesties and now all we can do is wait for the answer... will it be Matt and BJ, Liz and Roger or Us. We are feeling very positive but are prepared for not being successful. At the end of the day their majesties will make the choice that they think is the best one for the Barony and if it isn't us, then that is in the best interests of the Barony. C'est la Vie!

Festival of St John 2008

Another wonderful event up the mountain!! The veiw from Pirongia on sunday Morning

On Saturday it rained and rained, but it was all just fine, everyone sat around inside talking and playing games and doing stuff.

Matt and BJ's attitude went a long way to making me feel a lot more at ease about the Baronial race so that was good!! At the feast we all started to get a little silly... well we did and Matt and BJ did!!


Eric (Matthew) and Louis (Willie)

Sunday, after the fog lifted, it was clear and beautiful - most of the day... I made 3 spoons!

The kids were all very touchy - due to not getting to bed until around 11ish - we all lost track of time and only really remembered them when they started causing trouble.

Despite being really tired Willie did really well on Sunday - we only had to have one very gentle

discussion about how being tired affects his behaviour!

What a challenge

I am very proud of myself today!!

We have spent the last 2 days handling a very tricky issue at work. And to my complete surprise I have handled it very well. I have had the praise of my boss and one of my supervisors - although I am the first to admit that I have spent the last 2 days flying by the seat of my pants!!

All the issues I have been having with my team over the past 2 weeks...because it's the middle of winter, because they are tired, because we have bee working under strain or just because it's been ages since they had a good bitch at or about me and each other... have paled in comparison and once again they demonstrate that when the chips are really down they are there for each other.

The whole crisis came to a close with the news that Lou had a baby girl just after lunch today, I went to visit, had a cuddle and looked down at wee Niamh, who gurgled and grunted in that amazing newborn way, but stopped when she heard my voice. If I did not know any better I would swear that the edges of her mouth curled. I came away with that warm feeling of... every thing is going to be alright and the world is ready for the little girl who has just joined us.

AND you know what... I have not thought about the whole B&B thing for 2 days!!

The polling forms came out today!!

Miss Impatience!!

Yes, I am impatient!! As you know we - AD and I - are standing for B&B - that is Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn for those of you who do not follow our lives!

This has been in our minds since someone said to us 3 years ago.."you guys should think about being the next B&B" ... "WHAT?...US??"

But the thought was then planted. It was not the last time it was mentioned and so the thought grew.

When Cicilia and Inigo announced that they were stepping down, we had one last very hard and serious think about what we had to offer the Barony and decided to go for it.

a) We love life in the SCA - we don't want to stop and we want more people to love it as much as us
b) People and what matters to them... matters to us. With encouragement, appreciation and validation, individuals and the Barony will continue to grow and flourish
c) We are good together, we work well together and off set each others idiosyncrasies. Between us we have a keen interest in most areas of the SCA
d) We are from Cluain... I know that this shouldn't matter, but although we are perfectly comfortable and at home in both the City and the Canton - there are alot of folks in Cluain who do not feel this way and do feel that they are not truly a part of the Barony, I have even heard some to refer to Fulk as "our local Baron" - this is not good. Having a B&B from Cluain may go part of the way to healing this issue.(and we are a better option than the other candidates from Cluain!!)

There are many other smaller reasons but this is most probably the crux of it.

SO where does this leave us now....

The nominations are closed - 3 couples standing
Polling forms are not ready yet
Polling closes in 2 weeks
We hear some time after that
Invest in 10 weeks

I am inpatient...I hate waiting... I just want to know...
Is it us?? Is it another B&B who I could happily live with?? or is it someone who I will have to work hard at learning to live with before September 13th??

Time will tell...I hate waiting

Winter, Wet and Windy

It is the very worst of Waikato Winter days, It is wet, dark, bleak and cold. I want to stay in my pyjama's all day, make a hot water bottle and snuggle up under a blanket watching old movies - BUT we have to go to the neighbours 1 yr old birthday party, and Willie is at his most annoying - which most probably has something to do with the fact that we woke us up at 6:00 yelling that he was hungry, he didn't want to stay at Grandma's, this was the worst day of his life and we were idiots!!
On the up side.. Willie's Ben 10 Monopoly game turned up in the mail (down side.. we have to play Ben 10 Monopoly this afternoon) and I have nearly finished sewing up AD's new woolen tunic and can start on the decoration this evening and it is still a whole week before St Johns!!

Life is just fine!

Let's start this again...

Another new blog and still what I said in my original blog this is still "a place where a mother can ramble on about her family at will".

We still live in Te Kowhai - a small village outside of Hamilton, NZ. Willie, now 6, goes to Te Kowhai Primary 4 days a week and trundles into town to go to one-day school once a week. AD has been my most devoted househusband and primary caregiver since Willie started school and is about to go to Hamilton University to do his teacher training. I am now the Manager of Jack and jill Educare, where I manage about 14-16 staff members, who keep me constantly on my toes. Just when I think I can relax, they throw me another curve ball.

We are still involved in Medieval recreation and are members of the SCA. We reside in the Canton of Cluain, in the Barony of Ildhafn, in the Kingdom of Lochac. We are currently standing for Baron and Baroness of Ildhafn and are waiting none to paitiently for the outcome - which will hopefully be announced in 3-4 weeks, any longer than that and I think I may just go mad!!

So as well as ramblings about how amazing my son is, what my husband is up to now and how frustrating my staff are - you will likely read alot about the SCA as it is the core of all that we do - just about!! So be warned!! And enjoy it if this is your thing!!