A decade.

It was the 28th of May and a lovely winter morning in Auckland. The sun shone beautifully as I stood on the top step of our house, looking out on the driveway for the last time. The old nuns from across the road were standing chatting to my parents, they had brought three crocheted blankets for my brother, sister and me. "It's cold where you are going!" they said. I didn't think I would use my blanket, but 10 years later I still have it on my bed!
I had already been through the house, trotting after dad as he checked each empty room. It was really boring. I couldn't wait to get on the road. Thankfully we had a boat to catch, so had an excuse to pile into our vehicles and start off down the motorway. I was sitting in the third row of our van with my brother, we had loosened our seat-belts and were jumping up and down in our chairs to the Hungarian March.
By the time we got on the boat it was about 10pm. We sleepily climbed the stairs and traditionally settled down with our sleeping bags in the children's playground. Thankfully there were no other kids there so we could watch black and white cartoons and drift off to sleep in peace.

I woke up at about six the next morning, we had stopped in some puny little town to re-fuel. Mum and some of the boys were in the car behind us, while most of us little kids were huddled up in the van. Strangely enough Dad was the one suffering from sleepiness, while Mum who had been so nervous about driving all night was feeling fine. Yes, it is crazy doing all night trips, especially with a whole bunch of kids. But that is what we do and it works out much better than stopping for the night somewhere. As it was, I had a pretty good nights sleep. Having slept through all those dreaded hilly bits I was very surprised to wake up on the Canterbury plains. I didn't realise everything would be so flat. Thankfully, as we set off again I could look out the window across the fields at the snow covered mountains. It was so beautiful, that picture will stay with me for life. The frost covered ground stretching out until it hit the mountains in the distance. Everything was glowing in the sun that was just peeping over the opposite horizon. "That's nice," I thought, then promptly fell asleep again.
Oh, the joys of being a little kid! I woke up again outside our rental house. It was only 7am, no one in the city seemed to have woken up yet. Dad called the real estate agent but he was in the shower so we had to wait before we could get into the house. We thought that was funny because to us it didn't feel very early. I had never seen frost like that before, so I jumped out of the van and sat on the doorstep to our new house with my other siblings. It was all very exciting. Then I felt the cold. It was tingly and nasty. I decided that I did not like this freezing cold stuff and promptly wished I was back in relatively frost free Auckland.
When the others bustled around the house, depositing our few goods that were brought in the van and trailer, I lay on the dining room floor, shivering under my Nun's blanket. I felt rather sick and useless.

It was the 29th of May and now ten years on I am sitting by the fire feeling very warm. This morning was almost identical to the one on which we arrived at that cold rental house. The ground and trees were all white and shiny. But the thing with frosts is that although they are nasty and cold, frost acts as a herald to a nice, warm, sunny winter day. Things might start off horrible, but in the end it all works out and things get better. I have found that it is the same with moving to a different town.

We named the 29th of May "Ebenezer day" but very rarely celebrate it. However, today it is ten years, (wow!) since we came down. I think we might eat something decadent tonight to celebrate. - (excuse the pun.)

Cake competition.

These are Death Star cakes. Which would you choose?



Compare with the real thing:



Ok, the Death star is round, like the brown one. However, it is also kind of grayish. Note the detail on the grey cake:





If you can't recognise what those cardboard things in the licorice sided trench are you don't qualify to judge. Let me explain from left to right anyway: [in short] Luke, Darth Vader and then Hans in the Millennium Falcon.
In the end the grey cake lost, this was because the creator didn't have the energy to make it actually round. It was more square with slightly mushed edges.

Got any ideas for another competition? Someone suggested doing someones head, however when I said that I would be really tempted to make it look like it was cut off... we changed our minds. Cake is to be eaten and not to be the instigator of nausea.

Ideas? Anyone?...

When I was born and my mother had proclaimed my name as Theresa the midwife remarked, to my parent's surprise "that's a good catholic name." Well, that burst their bubble. I am the fifth child in my family, so I suppose that is another reason why she might have said it. Some people say; "You must be named after Mother Teresa." I have to be frank in my reply; "Umm, no, my parents just thought it was a cool name." Plus it is kind of strange, teemed with a Scottish [protestant] last name.

I love the part in Romeo and Juliet when Juliet says to her imaginary Romeo [but the real one is actually listening!] "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Even though I think it is a beautiful statement, I beg to differ.
To be called any other name [I'm speaking of first names here,] would be just weird. When I was doing the vacuuming today I wondered how I would feel if I was called Jerusha, Jessica, Anna or Elizabeth. Quite frankly I would feel as if I should have old fashioned roses drawn all over my walls. Think about it, how strange would it be to be called by another name? Ok, you wouldn't really know anything different, but still. Think about it.

Or are you the kind of person who wants to change their name to something else? Are you an "Ann-with-an-e" who wants to be called Cordelia? Don't ask for my opinion because I would just say that if you have a hideous name sure, but otherwise it is an insult to the people who named you.
Another thing about my name is the way it is spelt. Theresa, not the ugly Teresa. Please people, spell it right! And when you read my name tag do not say, "The-resa?" or "There's-a-...[something, usually my last name.] Also don't try to sound smart by calling me "Treeza-Green" because it just isn't funny.
Anyone else got preferences or annoying things about the way other people use their name?