Remember that crazy September?...

Well that month was a bit mad to say the least.

• My darling sister came from Melbourne to us for a long weekend.  It was her birthday and a perfect way to kick off Spring.  She celebrated more than once too!  It was fantastic to introduce her to some of our Auckland friends.  Sister Fox was our first guest.  Poor thing the first night on our the airbed wasn't great..the darn thing went flat!  So a new airbed was hastily brought. 

Auckland weather was appalling.  I think we had one afternoon of sunshine the whole time.  We had a lovely lunch at a nearby cafe where cheeky little sparrows tried to get close to our lunch.  The hot pools were visited; it rained.  Takapuna beach visited; it rained.  Wanted to go to Piha; it poured so we didn't.  That darn rain kinda put a bit of a spanner in the works.  We had a great meal out at the Lone Star; she got a T-shirt (and it rained lol!)

• Mum was diagnosed with cancer and the ground fell out from underneath us.  So grateful my sister was here when Mum and Dad called.  She stayed longer and it helped us both find our feet and breath again.  Enough of that here now.  Today is great day but oh how I wished we all lived in one city/place.
• Mr Fox's sweet cousin and her Fiance got married.  Much of Mr Fox's family gathered in Auckland for the event.  His sister stayed with us (she had travelled all the way from Istanbul).  It was a lovely wedding.  The groom's family is Russian so it was wonderful to see some Russian traditions on the day.   What a wonderful way to end such a trying month.
• Spring arrived! 

Happy Birthday sis

Me and my gorgeous sister xx

The month we moved into our new house........

On the tenth of August we moved into our first house. It was so much fun. We were bit overwhelmed looking back! Too tired from banks, lawyers, finance terminology, packing up the old house had left us a little frazzled. The offers of help from our friends was appreciated and we got everything shifted in one day.

The house feels like 'us' now. All the furniture is in, almost all of the cat pee smell is out! We have our pictures on the walls and have had guests come and go. Being homeowners is such a thrill! I have wee excited moments often when it hits me that this wee bit of land and building is really all ours.

After cleaning up a bit we had the official Housewarming party...it probably was a bit early as we weren't completely unpacked and the house was far from clean but I am so glad we did only 2 weeks after we moved in. It helped make it feel real and there isn't many better things in life than having mates over for a catch up. We were made to feel very loved and the warm feelings still buzz when I think about it.

The 'to do' list keeps growing of course and we have ticked a few off the list.

1. Fix the missing tiles on the roof.  Builder booked to come in the next few weeks, lets hope he turns up
2. Evict squatter/squatters from ceiling space.  Pest man set trap yesterday afternoon. One possum evicted...just not sure if he had any mates up there?
3. Build raised garden beds for vegetables.  Got the pallets ready....just need to get a few tools and some soil.
4. Redo Bathroom, Kitchen, Laundry and Toilet floor.  Not until the funds are in the bank!
5. Window locks. I nstalled by the DIY man in training....so awesome.
6. Cup hooks in the kitchen.  Also installed by DIY Fox. Love them.
7. Remove cat pee smell.  Work in progress; walls in kitchen/lounge have been washed, carpets cleaned and spot treated.  Candles burning frequently, windows open all the time...even when it's freezing!

That is the start of the list so far.  The best bits about having a wee house so far have been the freedom to change things as we wish, dreaming up plans, opening our house to guests, Friday night drinks....and having a  darling cat.  Lol we are a little head over heels for this little bundle of fur.  We just adored her when we lived at our past apartment and the landlords so very kindly asked us to take her.  This little cat is the sweetest ever and is such a joy to have in our home.  Lily is the icing on the cake. 

Love those cup hooks

Lovely cross-stitch by my clever mum.  That wee mouse in the cheese is from my Nana and is one of my most treasured possessions.

New hanging basket

Can't wait to be adding more memories into these four walls. 

July doings......

July.......

July is all about birthdays in this house, Mr Fox and I, my mum, Mr Fox's sister and so on.  It is usually cold and wet so all these birthdays bring about some cheer in the middle of winter.

• We celebrated Mr Fox's birthday at Satya with friends.  A truly scrumptious cake was made by two sweet friends. Yum.
•  Our friends' beautiful baby girl turned one and we headed out to the Waiwera Hot Pools for the afternoon.  I can't believe that delightful wee girl is already a year old.  Gosh time really does fly. 
• My lovely friend Sammy and her husband welcomed a gorgeous little girl into the world in early July. It was so very special to hold darling baby in my arms later in the month. 
• We celebrated my birthday at my favorite Thai resturant. 
•  Megan and Matt were up from Wellington that month too and so a midwinter Christmas celebration was had at Sulin and Greg's.  The house was decorated with festive ornaments, I loved the snowflakes that had been handmade and had hidden shapes in them...hehe robots.  It was so fantastic to have a room full of friends and a cosy fire in the corner.
• Much of our spare time was spent at the banks or lawyers trying to sort out everything for the purchase of our new wee home. 
• Die Die Die came to town and it was such a fun gig. 
• I spent two weeks down south.  Finally did the train from  Christchurch to Greymouth.  Amazing.  My parents and I had such a great trip.  I do love me a good train ride!  It always nice to spend to time at home too, even in the winter.  We managed a trip to beach, a few walks and lots of catching up.  It went so very fast.

Oh those mountains!

Over the viaduct

A beautiful day for a train trip

After the train trip we met up with my sweet sister in Dunedin.   We popped into to see my grandparents as my Pop had just had major hip surgery.  He looked very tired but was happy to see us.  Now he is able to go outside using a couple of sticks and no longer has to put up with agonising pain. 

Although the weather was pretty awful but we made the most of all being together, we had a walk at Bluff (very brief as we got a bit wet except Sister Fox who stayed in the car..sensibly!).  Drove to Colac Bay where there was a small crowd...we didn't know what the fuss was about but later learnt there was a baby Southern Right Whale and mother just off shore...oops!  We did see a pod of whales from further round the coast which was soo exciting!

The fire was stoked at our little place in Riverton to chase away the winter coldness.  It was a cosy afternoon inside.  Spider webs on the deck were sparkling in the sunshine.  So gorgeous but tricky to photograph.  Later in the week the weather improved enough for an afternoon at Frasers Beach. Got a crash course in Thermette lighting.  We trawled the beach for rubbish, Mum and Dad do this every time we go to the beach; it is both surprising and sad to gather so much plastic from a small stretch of beach.  The moon was soo big that afternoon.

Spider diamonds

Thermette 101

Ready for tea/coffee

Cuppa time

Bliss at the beach

Rubbish from the beach

Finding the bright moments...

So things have been quiet round here and this is why; my darling Mum has cancer.   We didn't see that coming and our family has only just started to get over the shock of it all.   I am not blogging this here for sympathy or for want of advice but rather just to help make it seem less incomprehensible...less abstract perhaps.

I can't wrap my head around the concept that MY Mum is fighting this.  My Mum who is clever, funny, artistic, bubbly, health conscious and so much more wonderful than I can ever say.  It is so weird.  So awful.  Just how do you process something like this?  But I guess you do and I am so grateful that she is still here and still perfectly Mum.

Our family has always been very close and out of all this mess we have stuck even closer.  My sister has been a tower of strength, organisation and compassion.  Dad has been so tough, funny and thoughtful.  Mum has been bloody fantastic, she just keeps on as normal as possible while still managing to make people feel loved and happy in that special way she does.  I am flying home tomorrow for a week and I can't wait. 47 days after we found out I will get to squeeze my parents close and tight.

Mum and Dad have been taking each day as it comes and keeping positive. I am following their lead and so far so good.  They are both good at appreciating the good things happen each day so even though my world has been turned upside down life goes on and I do my best to notice those bright sparkly moments.

Lovely sunshine on the washing line. Woohoo a real washing line.