Monday, December 20, 2010

up, up and away in my beautiful balloon.






Last week it was Chloe's last day.  She went home to Carterton and wont be back till February when her course starts. Between us we made a special dinner - got out the good china, a tablecloth  and had a mini celebration. So many things to be pleased about!!  

  • Chloe got into her early childhood course, 
  • Tom successfully completed the semester at Polytech and as soon as we're back from holiday moves into his flat. 
  • And me- well I got through a year of the surprises, challenges and changes all in one piece and surprisingly in good spirits.



Chloe has become quite the baker since she has been here. Ta da - look at the Christmas cake. What a beauty. It's the Allison Holst no fail  Christmas cake.

  When Chloe arrived here I assured her that she was coming to a house where she would have to fend for herself and where she could be certain to be neglected. There would be few domestic pleasures such as a cleaning, washing or cooking service coming her way and as you can see the strategy has worked.  Baking has become a hobby, she can now successfully work the washing machine and I'm pleased to say prepare a meal that is more than tuna on toast.  I am confident that Tom has been similarly prepared and so will excel in flatting life.


Tomorrow we fly to the states to see Rosie and hopefully Doug if he can get out of the UK. Destination L.A - itinerary beyond that is anyone's guess but we are hoping to get to San Francisco, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park among other places.  I am not packed but have our tickets , some US dollars, and our passports ready. 

The neighbor will feed the cat and the oven has had it's once in a lifetime clean.  I cleaned the oven to take my mind off the thought of flying. I think that's why Im procrastinating on the packing.

So here's to hellos and goodbyes and irrational fears!! Have a great Christmas.


Marg

6 comments:

  1. Dear Marg

    Ahhh... and I thought you'd already gone!

    Hope you can send us a parcel or two back, in the form of what... reverse blogging!? Well not really but he's hoping you can keep that camera clicking and post the results here.

    You'll love SF. Just keep in mind that back in the gold mining days the folk who built so many buildings there came to Dunedin. You'll feel at home!

    Cheers

    Donald

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  2. Happy travels! Forget about the flying, it's just a means to an end, and give Rosie a big hug from Us. Have a wonderful, wintery, US time!

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  3. Have a great trip Marg and congratulations on successfully training up a house guest into a house hostess! It's hard to believe there are kids that go flatting who can't cook and do their own washing although if my modelling is anything to go by Benjy certainly won't know the right end of a scrubbing brush.

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  4. Yahoo!! This time tomorrow we will be somewhere in LA together. Wow, can you believe this holiday finally actually came together??

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  5. The cake looks delicious, and I'm sure you were the best of hostesses! Enjoy the States, you are going to some of the most beautiful places. Cheers!

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  6. Now when you said mini celebration I expected to see the mini forks...What an adventure to finish the year on.It will be a wonderful trip. Cleaning the oven should prolong its life, apparently. It's great what having someone else coming into the house prompts us to.

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