http://jillporter.wordpress.com/
My new post on Love and Money. Discussions to have before (preferably, although it's never too late) making a commitment to a relationship.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Goodbye 2009 and almost, hello 2010
Greetings! Kia Ora!
Ok, this is the first blog in the new format. We're really hoping that it is going to be so much easier to follow us! You can even click on the "subscribe" and elect to have it emailed to you!
We are mostly keeping out of the hectic pre- Christmas rush here in Auckland, where of course this time of year also means the summer holidays, end of school until February and summer, so it's even more hectic...and can be hot! Which brings me to the weather....
Summer it really isn't. We have had a few glorious days but much more wind than I remember we used to have here and lots of rain! Despite this Francoise has rarely been stopped from her petanque or tennis playing. She is now a member of the Point Chevalier tennis club and the Herne Bay petanque club.
She is just loving the petanque especially. She plays with some Frenchmen and also some gay people so she's ticking lots of boxes as well as being outside and social. Recntly she played in the NZ Seniors tournament and got as far as the top 16 which was pretty good considering she'd only been playing for 2 months! I keep joking with her that if I'm not the tennis widow I'm the petanque widow! I am so delighted that she has found things which she so enjoys and also that she is making lots of new friends.
As well as that, she goes to French conversation at the local library and also has joined the local U3A, which also meets at the library! She is BUSY! There have been lots of pre Christmas events with potluck lunches and dinners, so it's been all go! Her social life is much busier than mine!!
I am getting back into my business now that I have recovered from my surgery. Interestingly, the past week has seen me get 3 new enquiries and also some interest in me doing some more work with Social Media, which I love (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc). I did a course though a US organisation and can now call myself a Social Media Strategist! I am hoping that together with the Financial Clarity work I can make enough money to stop me having to get a "real" job!! 2010 is looking really bright.
I also had a fantastic long weekend in Christchurch at the end of November. Despite the weather being absolutely wintery I had a wonderful time and caught up with lots of my friends. I went down for my friend Dennis' 60th birthday. He and I shared a house 35 years ago!!
We are not officially taking a vacation as such, but I am hoping to get most of my work finished today so that I only have a few things to deal with until the first week in January. Tomorrow we are going to stay witha friend I did midwifery with a few years ago(!) and whom I haven't seen in the year (!) since I came back here. She lives at Ohope See here We will come back, hopefully having had at least some fine weather, on Tuesday afternoon.
On Christmas Eve we are having some friends here for a BBQ and then on Christmas Day we will go to Mangawhai to our great friends, Jenny and Rex, for Christmas. This is the first year without my Mum so it will be nice to be with good friends doing something completely different. Jenny and Rex have built a new home at Mangawhai Heads which overlooks the Golf Course on one side and out to sea on the other! We will probably stay a night or two with them.
At this stage we have no plans for New Year but will do something.
January is already looking busy. I go to Malaysia in mid January to do some training for Bayer Malaysia. As I leave a good friend of Francoise, Daniele, comes to stay and by the time I get home the two of them will have gone to the South Island for two weeks. When they get back on about the 28th another friend, Simone, arrives form San Francisco. For a week or two I will be the only non Francophone in the house!!
Also before Christmas we will see Diandra, Patrick and Devyn who, at 19 months, is busy with a capital B! We continue to have regular visits with our neighbours and their beautiful little girl Sophia. She is almost 13 months old and she and I have an excellent mutual admiration society going on! We now wave out the window to one another and I'm not sure who enjoys it more, me or Sophia! She is happy enough with us now that Brooke, who is having another baby in June, is able to leave her with us for a few hours, which we just love. It is also great to be able to help them out, when they are so far away from their own family. Photos show the difference birthday cake can make!!
Well our friends I must get on and finish the rest of the stuff on my list!
Francoise and I both wish you every good wish this holiday season and hope that 2010 is a wonderful year for us all.
With our love,
Jill and Francoise
Ok, this is the first blog in the new format. We're really hoping that it is going to be so much easier to follow us! You can even click on the "subscribe" and elect to have it emailed to you!
We are mostly keeping out of the hectic pre- Christmas rush here in Auckland, where of course this time of year also means the summer holidays, end of school until February and summer, so it's even more hectic...and can be hot! Which brings me to the weather....
Summer it really isn't. We have had a few glorious days but much more wind than I remember we used to have here and lots of rain! Despite this Francoise has rarely been stopped from her petanque or tennis playing. She is now a member of the Point Chevalier tennis club and the Herne Bay petanque club.
She is just loving the petanque especially. She plays with some Frenchmen and also some gay people so she's ticking lots of boxes as well as being outside and social. Recntly she played in the NZ Seniors tournament and got as far as the top 16 which was pretty good considering she'd only been playing for 2 months! I keep joking with her that if I'm not the tennis widow I'm the petanque widow! I am so delighted that she has found things which she so enjoys and also that she is making lots of new friends.
As well as that, she goes to French conversation at the local library and also has joined the local U3A, which also meets at the library! She is BUSY! There have been lots of pre Christmas events with potluck lunches and dinners, so it's been all go! Her social life is much busier than mine!!
I am getting back into my business now that I have recovered from my surgery. Interestingly, the past week has seen me get 3 new enquiries and also some interest in me doing some more work with Social Media, which I love (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc). I did a course though a US organisation and can now call myself a Social Media Strategist! I am hoping that together with the Financial Clarity work I can make enough money to stop me having to get a "real" job!! 2010 is looking really bright.
I also had a fantastic long weekend in Christchurch at the end of November. Despite the weather being absolutely wintery I had a wonderful time and caught up with lots of my friends. I went down for my friend Dennis' 60th birthday. He and I shared a house 35 years ago!!
We are not officially taking a vacation as such, but I am hoping to get most of my work finished today so that I only have a few things to deal with until the first week in January. Tomorrow we are going to stay witha friend I did midwifery with a few years ago(!) and whom I haven't seen in the year (!) since I came back here. She lives at Ohope See here We will come back, hopefully having had at least some fine weather, on Tuesday afternoon.
On Christmas Eve we are having some friends here for a BBQ and then on Christmas Day we will go to Mangawhai to our great friends, Jenny and Rex, for Christmas. This is the first year without my Mum so it will be nice to be with good friends doing something completely different. Jenny and Rex have built a new home at Mangawhai Heads which overlooks the Golf Course on one side and out to sea on the other! We will probably stay a night or two with them.
At this stage we have no plans for New Year but will do something.
Also before Christmas we will see Diandra, Patrick and Devyn who, at 19 months, is busy with a capital B! We continue to have regular visits with our neighbours and their beautiful little girl Sophia. She is almost 13 months old and she and I have an excellent mutual admiration society going on! We now wave out the window to one another and I'm not sure who enjoys it more, me or Sophia! She is happy enough with us now that Brooke, who is having another baby in June, is able to leave her with us for a few hours, which we just love. It is also great to be able to help them out, when they are so far away from their own family. Photos show the difference birthday cake can make!!Well our friends I must get on and finish the rest of the stuff on my list!
Francoise and I both wish you every good wish this holiday season and hope that 2010 is a wonderful year for us all.
With our love,
Jill and Francoise
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
