"There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be"

1 house point for the 1st person to tell me which tv programme ?

(But not Stan, cos he cheats & looks on t'internet.)

I have felt too guilty to Blog for the last 2 days, as I should have been packing
but tonight I am smug, smug, smug cos I have almost finished.

I plan to move the last of my bits & pieces tomorrow, then clean the cottage prior
to Ma & Pa Smith arriving. They are in Singapore at the mo, 'hello' if you can read this.

They arrive on Friday & the kids are already arguing about who is allowed
to to accompany Michelle to the airport to collect them.

'Why is Alice allowed to go ?'

'Cos you're 10 Harriette, & at intermediate & too old to miss school'

'Unfaaaaaaaaaayer'

The weather has been unbelievably bad over the past few days, I am sorry to
report to the Smiths. I don't know if the news has reached Blighty, but there
have been storms & floods here since Saturday. A place called 'Feilding' has
been declared a 'site of civil emergency' with 100's of poor sods being
evacuated from their flooded houses.

We spent Monday & Tuesday clearing up all the fallen trees at the stud.
Lots of chainsaw, tractor & trailer action, which suited me just fine.

Every time I awake this week, it's to the sound of the rain battering on my roof.
It takes a special kind of nutter to want to work outdoors when it's like this.
(Doesn't it Darsha ?)

The foul weather is my fault.

When I awoke, to my french doors blowing in on Saturday morning at 5am,
I pulled my curtains back inside the room, climbed back under the duvy
& lay there, congratulating myself for not having to go to work in the disgusting
weather.

Needless to say, it was still ongoing, some 3 days later when I did have to work.

Farm news

Eric has been waiting for 3 consecutive fine days so that the contractors can come &
cut the hay. And waiting. And waiting ...

He did his law exams on Monday & Tuesday. He seems quite happy about Tuesday's
exam, less so Monday's. He is training to become a barrister/solicitor so that Michelle
can realise her Kiwi dream of being able to devote more time to the stuff she really likes
doing & not having to let work interfere with her veg plot.

Harriette seems to be enjoying intermediate, despite all the enforced physical activity
(great places these Kiwi schools) She picks up her saxaphone on Monday, causing
many a raised eyebrow at the dinner table, with her Kiwi accent, when she announced

she 'couldn't wait to get her sex'.

(Another Blog entry fails to make it past the job firewall, Hadders)

Alice has entered 2 events in her school swum day tomorrow.

Alice also caused giggles at the dinner table, with her rendition of the theme
tune to 'The Wombles'.

It is only because she has a very angelic face & that she trilled, completely unknowingly

'Wombles of Wimbledon, coming are we'

that she was able to get away with it.

Tonight is my last night at Cedar Lodge & I feel very sad to be leaving.

I don't doubt that The Tanners will be glad to see the back of the smelly,
manual labourer who drifts in & out telling boring neddy stories but they
have covered up very well.

They have even said I can come & visit them when I like.

How does tomorrow night suit you guys ?

Thank you very, very, very much for having me, it's been lovely.

Cx