Summertime...

Its a week out from Christmas, the sun is streaming, as I still lie in bed at 10.15am with the windows open and one curtain slightly ajar, enough to let the rays in. Such a beautiful blue sky and you can hear the birds chirping. What bliss...my idea of heaven...I wonder if this is what it will be like when I die - constant sun, blue skies, birds chirping and no getting sunburnt and peeling! Just feeling the warmth embrace you, no having to grab a blanket to wrap around yourself to attempt to keep the chills out...this is my favourite time of the year. I don’t cope quite so well as I used to. Until a few years ago, I would be lying out in the sun whenever I could get the chance, going from a pastie white colour to a lovely brown - definitely the remnants of my Maori roots coming out, from my mum. These days while I love the sun, I have to hide away under shelter, even with thoughts of wearing a wide brimmed hat to keep it off my face. God, never ever has that thought ever crossed my mind before. Still surprises me that its breast cancer which has gotten its tentacles into me and not melanoma and still I don’t put sunscreen on anywhere other than my face...maybe this year - its never too late to learn!

I had my first beach outing yesterday with my big girl and a couple of mates from work. We had planned it a few weeks ago and so I had been keenly watching the weather as the days went by hoping like hell it wouldn’t go from roasting hot to a bloody tsunami or something...as it was, it was slightly cooler than the other days but it was good enough and it was a good day. I have been wanting to do a long-ish drive for a little while now, so it was a great test run, especially considering we will be going back to the same place on Christmas Day. It felt great, I enjoyed the drive although getting frustrated with the queue of traffic for the last part of the journey. Today I am suffering a wee bit, feeling pretty achy but thats what painkillers are for and it was totally worth it. Its always nice to take new people to ‘our’ beach - Martins Bay. We have been going there for years and have a lifetime of memories, starting with when David was alive and pre-kid days.  My ideal day at the beach is to just blob, swim, eat and blob again. I have never been one to play beach cricket or touch and so I hope the girls weren’t too bored. There was a Samoan family on the opposite side of us with their volleyball net up. I know one of the girls was itching to go join them and I was trying to encourage her to go but she didn’t. ‘L’ started working with us earlier this year and right from the start there was something about this young lady that I really liked, so we struck up a friendship and I encouraged a friendship between her and my girls whom all got on very well. I am sad to hear that she will be leaving us to go back home to the Gold Coast but I understand her reasons. It comes back to that saying, people come and go from our lives...some stay longer then others, and others flit in and out. I hope this won’t be the last we see of her...I have definitely felt a protectiveness over her in much the same way as to my own girls. She was saying last night that she tells other people I am her second mum (I love that) and I think people at work (the younger ones I mean) are surprised that she has hung out with me. What they probably don’t realise is that either one or both of my girls has been with us!

This week will be a quieter one thank goodness. I have a couple of things to do today, my baby girl has a few mates coming around tonight for a pre-Christmas get together so will get out to pick up a few things for that. I aim to have plenty of rest so I won’t be exhausted for our Friday drinks with people from work. I have no idea who will come round but thats okay. There are no expectations, those who do come round can stay for as long or as little a time as they want. I am looking forward to it. The younger ones may see me in a different light away from work but even if they don’t, thats ok. In the light of summer, shit like that doesn’t make any difference...thats the difference between summer and winter - the state of mind. That might change when I walk in the door tomorrow morning...

Sunday 17th December 2017 - 11.10am