A bad week for wrists - 31/05/04

LOCAL NEWS

The budget was delivered this week, which was another non-event. Lots of supposed help for low income families but I couldn't be bothered figuring it out as we don't qualify as low income. They really muck around with things like tax-relief for working parents paying childcare, which is a big issue because most people have to pay for childcare out of tax-paid earnings

Someone has been lighting cars in East and South Auckland, sometimes six in a night. No obvious pattern, but they must have done over twenty by now. Anyone living in Auckland who wants to claim their car on insurance is heading east with a tin of petrol.

Herc (short for Hercules) the dog (a dog that looked a lot like my dog, Turk) died this week. He was seen in a number of TV commercials including the "bugger" ad.

WORLD NEWS

Drama in Saudi showed us their shock-troop anti-terrorist squad getting gingerly out of a helicopter. The first couple jumped, the rest looked like they needed to be pushed. Glad I am not there.

The Pope is said to be recovering from his brush with the Anti-Christ. Helen Clark seems to have survived the encounter undamaged.

REAL SPORT

Rory had an inter-school soccer tournament on Thursday, he played in goal. Their team drew their first four pool games, lost their last one 0-1. They didn't make it through. The final was between the team we drew 2-2 with and the team we lost to. The winner was the team we drew with, so we actually did pretty well. There were kids from Rory's club team playing in four different school teams.

Rory's water polo team had an easy 11-1 win on Friday night. He scored a hat-trick (two in the third quarter, one in the fourth, was in goal in 1st and off in the second, so not a bad game).

Hannah's team were playing the other Western Springs team in our group. They had their first win the week before so we should have won. We scored early in the first half, and the girls kept saying "we're going to thump them" but they didn't. We nearly conceded a goal once or twice but managed to hold them out, final score 1-0.

Big news this morning is that Hannah's team has been put into Division 1 after the grading, which I am not happy with. They will get thumped all season and it's just not good. I have sent an email to the junior club captain, girls captain, chairman, the lead singer from Echo and the Bunnymen, and Ryan Giggs in the hope they may change their view.

I thought there were dramas last week in soccer, but this week was even worse for Rory's team. They had only 12 players, and Patrick broke his wrist (same bone as Diana did a while back) before the match and Billy got a whack on his knee and was practically carried from the field. They lost 0-2. For some reason, the coach played most of the team out of position for the first half and that set the scene for an upset loss. They are not playing well, as a team, I think Rory is doing okay but not happy with the results. He was really annoyed with Patrick for getting himself hurt.

SPORT

It was a good week for blonde female New Zealand sportspersons. Firstly Sarah Ulmer won her pursuit race at the World Cycling Champs to qualify for the Olympics.

Then the Evers-Swindell sisters did the same at the rowing in Munich.

The North Harbour Netball team beat Southern Sting convincingly in an upset (not sure if there are many blondes in the team).

We lost the cricket. I guess Daniel Vettori isn't blonde enough.

MY SAD LIFE

It's been a busy week. I am sure I will forget something.

The soccer tournament was supposed to be on Tuesday, Brett was going to come along but it was postponed due to dodgy weather. So Brett and I went to the museum. At the front door we watched an English woman try to shred her toddlers by feeding them slowly into the revolving door. I just couldn't stand it, the stupid woman had no idea. I used my umbrella as a barrier to prevent it nearly happening a third time and just managed to stop myself from asking if she had tried feeding them to the lions at the zoo. Brett and I looked at the exhibit of photos by the North Vietnamese during the war, and then wandered around a few other areas. It was a good chance to see Brett, and was a nice change of pace for me.

Hannah made another chocolate pudding on Sunday night. She makes them when Diana does lasagne to use the hot oven. Rory and Hannah cooperated and made Russian fudge the other night.

Rory's feet continue to grow, and are frighteningly close to mine in size.

Hannah's cross country on Friday was postponed to tomorrow. She has two dance exams next week.

We went to the movies yesterday. Hannah and her friend Julia saw a different movie from us, and again Rory and friend sat about ten rows away from us.

We saw Sophie the killer beagle on Saturday. I can barely type, my hands look like they could be used in a leprosy commercial. Cute, but clearly underfed. I don't know how Judy survives, to be honest. I think I am becoming a cat person.

Rory has made zero progress this week on the science project which is due in three weeks. Discovered homework that was due in today, this morning.

I hear Shin has had a high temperature. No mention of Ben's health so I assume he's fine.

Catie broke her wrist on Monday, I think. Didn't get told if she was in fibreglass cast before they left.

Gavin's thumb is recovering well, been back at work two weeks now.

Penny & Craig are away, somewhere vaguely near where Ross & Kath have gone, I think. Port something or thingamy island. North Queensland way, I guess.

Hannah has been funny with me lately, fooling around a lot, very giggly. Ollie continues to cling koala-like to her. Kitty playhouse collapsed on Ollie when Pandora got in the second story. Rory seems to want to fight a lot, said he won the arm-wrestling in his class the other day.

Diana and I waded our way through a walk this morning, it's been wet.