Wednesday 30 April

Didn't get up quite so early today. I woke around 5.30am then dozed off again. Vaguely recall Boar leaving for work, then I must have dozed off again.

Woke up and got up about 8.30am. Locket had asked to be woken at 9am as she wanted to get ready to meet Nikki at the mall at 12noon. I had Gwen arriving with some books around 10am.

Coffee & toast helped me wake properly :) Got dressed, put away the fold-out bed, and applied the lotion to Pa's back.

Woke Locket & Brains, as T was coming to see Brains.

Frosty text to ask me to check her bank balance. Fi text to ask if she could come for a coffee. When it turned out she had to go by 11.30am I said come over now anyway. I didn't think Gwen would mind. Moneypenny text to say she'd rung Chris, the property manager. I briefly replied as by then Fi and T had arrived.

Brains and T went down to the shops. Not long after Gwen arrived.

Coffee time, so I made plunger coffee! And then an instant one for Pa. Fi and Gwen chatted happily about Auckland while I was getting coffee.

There were three Abbey books, and various other ones, some of Shakespeare's plays, The Illiad and a few Charlotte Bronte books. I gave Gwen $20 for the lot.

Gwen went about 10.30am. Fi stayed a bit longer and left soon after 11am as she was meeting someone for lunch. T went with her. Their days are packed so they can see as many people as possible before they head off on Saturday.

Locket headed off to the mall to spend time with Nikki. I got her to drop off a library book that was overdue.

I checked bank balances etc. Be watching the pennies this week! Well, any week, but more so this week.

Checked emails too. And the tracking of the SCEE materials. Which were in Auckland, waiting for me to pay the tax. So I made a call to TNT on the 0800 number. Got put through to the right department. Got sent an email with the amount. Called back, gave my credit card details, sorted! Checked a bit later and it's been released from customs and is “In transit”. Quicker than waiting for an invoice to arrive by snail mail! Hopefully the PACEs will arrive in the next few days.

There was a listing on Harvest for four ACE books. I looked and two were the ones I need for Locket. A Dog of Flanders and Miracle At Camp Friendship. I requested them and pretty quickly got an email back saying they were mine.

Brains has started reading The Illiad. Will be interesting to see how he goes with it.

I popped into the bank to make a deposit. Pa had some things he needed to be taken to Levi so I dropped them off on my way to Tawa, where I returned another overdue book to the library there.

While I was out C replied to a text saying she had some of the Score Keys I needed. I said I could go and look, but funds were low so I couldn't pay today. Also that if she needed to pack etc. no worries. She's going to Auckland tomorrow. I found my list when I got home but didn't hear from her.

I came home and had a bite to eat and a cuppa while I did some online banking. I also updated my notebook records of what I'm paying off on the Visa.

Picked up Pa around 4.30pm. Was prepared to go and get Locket at 5pm but she decided to walk home. She also got some bread, butter and a dozen eggs.

I updated the last couple of days on my blog. I'd figured out what to have for tea. When Boar got home I got it started. Sliced the leftover potatoes and cooked them in the oven with some eggs and a sliced tomato. Also cooked cauliflower and made a cheese sauce. Plus some carrots and a parsnip. There was enough and everyone liked it :)

Boar arrived home with two windows he's made. One for the lounge and one for the dining room. Both the windows in situ already have cracked panes of glass and the frames are rotting. It will be nice to have new ones.

Locket and Brains have both been doing some of the Italic Handwriting book. Locket decided to finish Book C before she continues with Book D. Brains started in with Book D.

I'm going to chase them to bed soon. They're taking photos on their phones. . .at almost 11pm!

Brains has to be up reasonably early as Isaak and Nicholas are coming over tomorrow. We've run out of internet time so they won't be able to do that tomorrow!

Anyway time I settled down and turned off the computer.