Out with the old.......

I've commandeered Frank's Terrano for a couple of weeks. Not that i'm really making good use of it, i'm a bit terrified about driving round Wellington. Which is ridiculous, as I'm fine in strange cities and on the open road. It's just that i've never done it here, never needed to. But as I was heading north again so soon for the long awaited return of Chile sis, it's here, parked up at the bottom of my steps.

Stopped in at the cemetery on the way back south on the 30th December to look at Mum's Kauri tree. I don't go up every time I'm back, I don't feel particularly close to her there and I'm not crazy about the bling plaque thing they gave her with a million dollar photo of her embossed on the stonework. But it would have been her 47th birthday so I popped in briefly, made sure the tree hadn't died, felt stink I hadn't brought flowers, and then ate King Prawns in her memory at the farm near Huka Falls. They were her favourite.

I'm thinking temperance and self-direction for 2006. My goal setting workshop for New Years didn't go so well, instead I ended up 4 metres from the ocean at the southern most tip of the North Island with a bottle of bubbly and an extravagant array of food. But i will be sitting down at some stage.

The Bears are newly arrived back. Mrs Bear has had her wedding dress fitting. She is nervous about our trip North because she is even more nervous about driving than me, so i will be driving 700+ kms with her for company, and because I nearly had a crash at Waihi Beach at a round about when her, her sister and Jacob were in the car. I was eating an icecream. Jake said, lucky you didn't put a dent in dads car.