Don't let it rain on my parade...

Today there was much excitement as it was the Maeva Nui Float Parade.  A celebration of Independence.  The celebrations started at 4am a group making there way around the island, we did not make this particular celebration!  Brendon's work transformed a truck into a vaka. Milly was lucky to have been allowed to leave her mark on the Ministry of Educations float, she made blue hand prints on the vaka the day before. 

There are her hand prints up on the top of the vaka...

George was to ride in the float so we left the house just after nine to meet husband at work.  We did have to stop on the way to buy an island shirt...

I think he looks rather smart!

Josh was not so keen to attend the parade...

Milly was waiting for food... again!

"Yep I'm real happy to be here!"

George managed to stay with the float till about 1.30pm.  Which was rather good as the parade started...

First lot going past, Raro's Marching girls...

Then... it stopped!

Down time...

Then it started again 40 minutes later!

This girl was fun to watch!

The floats were quite wonderful...

Power company

Budget Rental

Police were out in force!

The line of floats

 Milly missed a bit...

ZZzzzz........

Coconut fuel I think...

Even a couple of clowns participated!

Red Cross.... Armed and dangerous!

Some were very colourful...

Husband joined in too...

Island dancing...

"Um which way do we go?"

We had spent 6 hours out in town, we were baked by the time we got home! Brendon was a couple of hours behind us and now he is in his favourite position...

ZZzzzzz........

Much love xox

Salt Dough Creations...

School holidays time and if you want to keep your sanity in our household it's all about keeping the kids busy...

So we made Salt Dough Creations and yep we were still in our PJ's!  Milly was the taster and it must have been okay because she kept sneaking little bits...Eeeew!

Eeeew don't eat it George!

Josh, George and Milly hard at work...

Creations...

Clean up for Milly meant a quick dip!

Hhhmmm, what shall we do tomorrow? Maybe we may attempt to paint all our dough art??!

Why's it black?...

So today was the undressing of my operation site.  t took a wee while for the bandages to come off and as the assistant/nurse was trying every so carefully not to hurt me the doctor turns to me a asks,
"Whys it black?"
I thought to myself and gave a scoff... 'Well actual you are the doctor and I don't f***ing know!' 
I had not at that time seen the wound so I then started to panic.  Although after seeing the site it looks like the last removal scar now has eyes!

Smaller bandaging on now...

It will take another 2-3 weeks to find out the results tissue removed, fingers crossed.  


Hubby was great support he let me lean back on him as they removed the bandaging.  This meant he did not have to watch and see the wound.  He does not do goo, but makes a great support person bless him.  Monday will see the stitches come out, hopefully he is up for another dose! There is no pain that compares (even child birth) to the removal of the hundreds of staples from the previous op, so today was a breeze and I am sure Monday will be the same.


Much love x

A passing in the family...

As we were playing soccer last week sadly there was the passing of husbands jandels... 


The very same ones I had mentioned needed to go in the bin about two months ago!

Aren't they revolting?

As I was wearing them the first one broke, which I would like to add I did try to fix. Husband took them off me and corrected my effort.  Sadly as I was being attacked by a small blond, blue eyed monster the second jandel went closely followed by the first one again!  Needless to say they have now moved on to a better place...

'Am I saddened by their passing...?'

This is the 'Blond, blue eyed monster'.  His crazed attack plan led to the
death of the husbands 'number one' pair of jandels ...

Well a six months life span for a pair of five dollar Kmart jandels is not too bad.  The pair husband replaced them with were $12 from good old Raro Records and they lasted two weeks before coming apart. Yes from the record store you can not only buy local island music but jandels, hats and other random paraphernalia! 


Husband did however mention the other week that I was right...
Havaianas are much better and he should have spent the money the first time on them.  Not that I enjoy saying it, but...

'I did tell him so!'

Much love xo

Raro's Finest...

Monday saw me at the hospital to have a couple of moles checked that have reappeared in the scar of my last melanoma removal site.  As it had grown back half the size from the first operation and a second bigger operation was needed you could understand my need to have these checked!  This meant the doctor admitting me on Wednesday night for surgery on Thursday....

All smiles...

Brendon took me in at 8pm Wednesday night and said to me "at least you will get a good nights sleep and a lie in", meaning George  wouldn't wake me up at 5am when he crawls into bed.  Little did he know how noisy a hospital can be.  I woke at 5.30am and thought about reading my book when a chap started  talking very loudly in Maori... About 10 minutes later, he was still talking, the nurse came in and took my obs and I asked her what was happening? Every morning there is a blessing by a different church to the hospital and the patients.     Which is actually a very lovely sentiment. However after the service is complete there must be the change of staff and the hullabaloo that followed was amazing. Gardeners were outside briefing the day, cleaners disputing cleaning topics, and nurses discussing nurses guff.  If someone wanted someone they just shouted down the corridor until the person replied! It quietened down about an hour later, when Brendon popped back up for a visit and forty winks!

'Yup, I can sleep anywhere, actually I am sleeping right now'!

I was rather surprised when I arrived and I was taken to a private room and shown my bed, I had thought I may be in a shared room.  It looks fairly new and they staff where lovely.  I had been told by people at work to take my own pillow, blanket and towel amongst the normal things you would take to hospital.  I am glad I had been as it was a little chilly at night.  

Written on foot, 'Not this one'...  hehe

The morning of the operation after the nurse had been in and noted down all the information they needed I had another nurse in who repeated the same check list and then weighed me. She had a laugh as I was standing on the scales..."wow, I wish!  I am double that", she said and continued to giggle to herself shaking her head and muttering and writing "fifty-two"...  Bless them there is no political correctness here which is a light relief.


As usual the gown and panties where stunning hospital attire...  The view from my room was worth the five hundred dollar bill! You could see right out to sea.

The gown! (not the panties ha ha)

The anesthetist was the next to visit and she too started to giggle when she saw me... (Yes I too was beginning to wonder if 'I' was that funny).  Then as I realised who she was I was having a laugh to!  Turns out I had just meet her on the weekend when she dropped Josh and his broken bike off.  She is the mother of Josh's friend from school! It was lovely to have a familiar face in the operating room and joke about Shortland Street and how unrealistic it is!


Being taken down to the surgical rooms I was very embarrassed to be moved via wheel chaired.  I had to wait while the doctor and nurse had a wee disagreement. He asked for a new skin graft tool to be used on me, she proceeded to say;
   "Have you used it before? "Have you watched the DVD like I told you?" 
   "No", he said.  
They both went off to a supply cupboard and 'had a chat'. The trainee doctor who has been shadowing the surgeon turned to me and said, "You'll be fine"... I then looked up at her and I smiled wondering who looked more anxious me or her?  The next dispute was who was to put the drip needle in.  When the conversation is "well if you tell me what to do I will give it a go" left me even more anxious.  Thankfully the kind anesthetist told her assistant that it was his job to do and if he didn't want to do it, she will!  He did end up doing it an  very painfully it was put in and soon after that I remember nothing until I woke up and Husband was back with the kids...

'eeeh'... 

When I was allowed to head home we slowly headed to the car which was not that far from the hospital doors.  Husband had to rush back to get a sick bag, but alas by the time he got back to me the need for it had passed as the carpark now wore the effects off my operation. I did however feel rather relieved for the cleaner, that I had been 'nil by mouth' for almost 24 hours!   


Today I am awfully glad that the nausea has passed, as must poor old hubby!  He does not cope so well with the gross bits, but he makes a hell of a good nurse and he brews a fantastic cup of tea!  Now to await the results and in seven days reveal what scars are left after the third operation... And what wonderful stories can be made up for children when they ask, "What happened to your leg?"  

What lies beneath? 

On a more serious note:
Remember readers ANY moles, freckles or spots that have changed or look unusual ~ GET THEM CHECKED! Melanoma is a aggressive and dangerous cancer that can be survived if you are skin smart and vigilant.


Much love


A thank you has to go to the hospital staff as it is always nerve-wrecking having  

Ah the joys of island living, you would think there would be no issue of traffic on this 'beautiful' small island.  But this morning as I was heading to work, I almost had a 'head on' with a dude who was doing his warm up stretches.  He not on the side of the road; but almost in the middle of the road! Dressed all in black with his head down, bum up!  Seriously have no idea what some people have run through their minds at times??? This was then followed by me having to follow a man pushing his hand mower down the left lane of the road, talk about Auckland traffic being bad; a lawn mower is very slow!




Yesterday saw a cruise ship in, being a Sunday we were surprised it meant there were some shops open.  As we made our way around the island it was much like a busy motorway in NZ.  So we have decided this may be the new way to travel...

Price yet to be determined...

The grapefruit is coming to the end of the season and we are waiting for the ones at the top of the tree to drop.  George picked up this specimen on the weekend...

Almost the size of his head...

They make great grapefruit juice and now with lemons well under way we are having lovely home made lemonade regularly thanks to husband!


Much love xox

A few tit bits...

George and I were talking this evening here is our conversation; 
"There's no snakes in my roof!" he mentioned.
"No George there are no snakes" I said, "but we must watch out for centipedes..."
"What are centipedes?" he questioned.  As I explained they are long and have lots of legs and hurt if they bite he looked up at me and said "Legs I have two legs, one, two". So the counting began... "two arms, 1, 2, two shoulders 1, 2" then the cheeky bugger turned to me and said...
"two boobs, you have two boobs 1, 2"... 
Aha he is quite right, but may not be the usual body parts I would choose to count!




I am sure I saw 'Sting' the singer today, riding on a bicycle with a cute little basket on the front... Could be wrong?!




Josh and I headed to the movies tonight to see Transformers 3... Very excited as I have yet to experience a Raro movie night!  We are now home earlier then expected and have disappointed husband.  Tickets were sold out so we had dinner and a drink at Trader Jacks.  Always a hit at Trader Jacks the food is great and the view is stunning.  Only husband was very disappointed to see us home so early as he had planned a night in with his new lady... Miss Ukulele.  His new custom made (Rarotongan) uke he just received for his birthday!  He did say to me... "Oh well my love you will have to spend the night in your room!"
Hhmmm.....




I have to question Milly's seeing ability even when she is wearing glasses.  She seems to think I am on television a lot!  A dance group was on today and she kept calling out "Mummm"!, when ever a particular lady came on.

Twin bellies...

Much Love xox