Firstly, I thank my friends who have given me lots of support and encouragement recently. It’s the times when an old friend makes contact, just to wish me well and give me oodles of love, that makes my heart feel warm again. I’ve been missing my friends a lot. I’ve left them behind, and feel that a few of them have left me behind too. I am grateful for those who have been in touch recently and I thank you for being supportive and helpful when I’ve needed you. :)

Mothers Day was a great day for me. The thing I love best about Mothers Day is spending an entire day with my family. It is more about us as a family than just me, although I appreciate the cards that the children make, the yummy breakfast and the extra amount of cuddles. On Mothers Day, I appreciate and am grateful that I am a mother of two beautiful and healthy children. If I ever achieve anything extraordinary, they will be it. “To decide to have a child is to decide to have your heart walking outside your body.” For me, this rings true.

My daughter, ever mature and clever, tells me that she loves me even when I am cross at her, because I love her even when I am cross at her. The secret to being a good parent is not actually a secret, but I know some parents falter drastically in this area: to ensure that your child is continuously aware that you love them unconditionally. I think this is why my children sleep so well, and why they behave so well too. They know that we love them and that the next day may bring a trip to the ‘back door,’ but we will still love them. I’m not sure *how* we make sure our kids feel that way. Perhaps we’re just awesome parents who have that excellent knack of knowing everything. Maybe it’s something simple, like the routine of the day; the time we spend as a family and the fact that Monte and I are really actually rather madly in love.

Rebecca’s hormonal. Obviously she should not blog whilst in this state, but given the choice between marking assignments on the Russian Revolution and blogging, blogging is the large slice of cake that everybody wants to pick from the platter of watercrackers.

We spent Mothers Day with a picnic: cold homemade pizza, sushi and champagne. We settled in a picnic area in the Tahune. It was damp and almost chilly, but a beautiful day. After eating and kicking the ball about with Matthew, our star soccer player, we went for a walk in the forest, stopping to observe fungi and dewdrops. It was a bit slippery on the path of the forest, but it was a pleasant walk.

The HOUSE is doing rather well for itself, despite the massive rainfall we had last week. I would come home from work each day to see the house looking sodden and rather dismal. Monte and Matty have been working hard to finish off some bitsnbobs and we have engaged a small team of builders who will start tomorrow! Unfortunately, they are doing most of the roofing next week when I am working full-time. Monte will have to juggle the duty of looking after children whilst building. I think he will be excellent at this. I am not sure if the children will be excellent at this, however. We might invest in some more outdoor play equipment to keep them occupied. And pray for sunny days.

Other plans are surfacing as we approach this stage of the build. We have decided to move fullsteam ahead with the pergolas and carport, meaning that when we have the roofing and gutters in place, we will collect about 250,000 litres of water each year. Oceans! This is opposed to getting these structures built after the house is complete. Having the extra hands at work will certainly help the process move faster, and we are expecting to be baling in the June school holidays – in two weeks!

Other bitsnbobs happening in the planning process are: building a small “powerhouse;” putting plans in for a workshop/studio/artroom; and enclosing the north pergola to create a sunroom. The first thing we will work on from this list is the “powerhouse. ” It will be a frame construction and will have cram walls (walls wrapped in chickenwire and stuffed with straw and then rendered). The reason we are keen to do this very soon is that we would like to practice using our mortar-sprayer. Plans for a large studio/workshop, and enclosing the north-facing pergola will come in the future. For now we are keen to just finish the house and move in. We’re going to celebrate Christmas in our new home. I can’t wait…