Well, here's what I've been doing...

...the last few days. Finished today actually at around 1pm and I totally have the runs now, I don't mind telling you blog friends, cause I'm totally not used to so much physical activity. This took 2 days to apply.... that's quite slow. Still, they were happy with it. The principal was really happy with it and I've been invited to the opening on Wednesday. Principal? I hear you say? Yes, it was a brand new school gym I was signwriting.

And the quotes themselves are so inspirational! My favourites are "Your past does not determine your future" - Sarah Ulmer, and "A winner is a loser who never gives up" - Wayne Bennett... (I especially like that one).

Flags!

These photos don't do the atmosphere of the World Cup justice. In fact, these photos are so poor I've taken the liberty of circling the things I'm trying to show you. "Things" being FLAGS. Flags, flags, everywhere flags. And we are a good 40 minutes from the stadium, but they are on every other car. I wish I could have got some of the funny ones, like massive flags on poles stuck to the back of cars, or flags taped all over the sides of cars, but it's a bit dangerous taking photos while you drive... not that I didn't try though. 

My car also sports a wee flag... All Blacks of course...

And on a completely rugby-free topic... baking! Looky at what Catherine made tonight... no recipe! She's been doing that alot lately and I've decided to let her go for and just clean up the mess afterwards. "NO FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF", yup, that is my new moto... it works pretty well.

 And these are some cupcakes I made on Saturday. I saw the tutorial on You Tube, and I was gunning to give it a go!

The Datsun's back!

The Datsun's back from the paint shop! yipee! I had to go in there almost every day for the last 3 weeks damn them. But it's back now, so I don't have to worry about them any more. Tomorrow I'll be looking to get it's warrant and start looking for a place to get the bumpers done. I'll be getting a written quote this time, with a time frame written on it! Watch this space!

and cupcakes too!

Catherine has had here cousin stay the night Friday, which is a big step for us, and it may be a permanent fixture now, an even bigger step! If you know me, I'm a bit people-shy, but the two have been getting on like a house on fire, and cuzzi also participated in Faithbox, as you can see from the photo, Catherine is modelling beautiful exquisite purple fabric, or without the use of your imagination, a newspaper frock. (Cuzzi had a photo shoot too, but for obvious reasons I wont put her on my blog)And it's really to my advantage to look after cuzzy for a day a week... coz looky what I made today! Usually a pipe dream until now that I could ever do something like this without Catherine interfering, or that I'd even have the energy being Catherines primary source of companionship on the weekends.
Just have to try to keep my composure a bit more in front of cuzzy so I don't look like the immature 32 year old I can be sometimes!

Me and Sunny Bill

Well, Sunny Bill Williams has been doing alright at the World Cup as an All Black. He used to play Rugby League (yes, there's a significant difference), but swapped to Union to play for the elite All Blacks. He's also trying his hand at boxing too. He's an allrounder.

Even more so, because last night I joined the Doyle Academy of Irish Dancing and he was there!! yep, dancing around. We competed with spring 23's and I gave him a run for his money.

Man I love my dreams sometimes!!

This World Cup is having an effect on me!

Easy peasy Vinaigrette

I gave Luarna of restless fingers some chives for her lovely garden a while ago. Apparently she has an abundance of them now and isn't sure whether that's good or not! Well, I LOVE chives, and here's one of my favourite things to make with them. (ps. I'm loving this new spell check in blogger!!)

QUICK AND EASY VINAIGRETTE :

-Handful of chives

-4 Tablespoons of olive oil (or plain oil)

- 1 Tblsp of sugar

- 1 1/2 Tblsp of balsamic vinegar (or normal vinegar)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Step one: Chop chop chop the chives

Step two: Put everything into a jar and shake shake shake

Step three: Add this to plain veges (like cauliflour), or is a nice way to make plain pasta yummy. (and much healthier than cheese sauce).

Flip, the learning curve continues. My uncle got me to type out a contract and get the panelbeater to sign it. (Refer to last post, he's had my Datsun for a year now....). Anyhow, he did. It says to have the car ready by Friday. But he's so manipulative, he crossed it out and wrote "approx 18th". (which is Monday.... approximately). Well, my uncle's coaching me. He's told me to go visit every day untill then and keep asking questions... "what's been done? How come that cars been done and not mine?" "What are you doing on it today?" "I thought you told me yesterday that such and such w ould be done". In short, get them to the point where they think "what a horrible woman! lets just get this car out of here!" and then I've won, apparently. I guess that was my problem. I'm looking for friends in all the wrong places. I didn't want them to think I'm horrible! But I can't tell you the number of times I've been taken advantage of because I don't want to be horrible. But since I saw how he reacted when I pulled out the form, I can see he's not as docile as he seems... he seems to know the ins and outs. He kind of cajoles you into accepting his terms and makes you feel stink if you stick up for yourself.... well, not if your a massive Polynesian man. There cars are done straight away... only if your a lone woman turning up by yourself.

Slowly but surely (hopefully).

Well, my Uncle's been helping me out.... again. "You're good at this Janet" he says.(As in, good at getting myself into trouble) "You need to go and study small contract law at a nightclass somewhere". What did I get myself into? Well, I've had this Datsun of mine in the panelbeaters for a year now.

I thought I would have it back in a week.

Every few weeks I've been going in. 'It'll be ready in 2-3 weeks" they tell me. I leave it a while. Nothing done to it and they tell me the same thing again. And I can't take it out because I've already paid $2200 for it.

Now, it's been winter, so I actually haven't minded having it in a nice dry workshop. But a few weeks ago I decided I wanted it for the summer. So off I went to Citizens Advice Bureau... a service we have to get free advice on things like this. She told me to tell him to have it ready in 2 weeks or I'll be off to the small claims court. Well, I told her I had an uncle who could ring him up, and she said, yes, try that first.

So my Uncle rings him up and he tells him it'll be ready in a week.

Well, it wasn't. He told me some line that it would be painted on Friday and it would take the weekend to harden. Well, the photos show how much was done this morning. Only partly painted, and my uncle said hes treating me like an imbecile because I told him I'm painting my van at the moment so I know the paint is touch dry in 5 minutes, and ready to sand in 80mins. My uncle says I need to speak up about stuff like that and let him know I'm not an idiot.

Anyhow. My uncles advice is to visit him every day and apply a bit of pressure. So even though its a bit embarrassing , that's what I'll be doing. And I'm going to have to be strong, because hes asking me for about $500 more, even though I've already paid him $400 more than he quoted.

Time to stop being the world's biggest doormat I think.

Hairdresser logo.

Still chugging away at my van, panel by panel...

...and been working on a logo for a friend. I like no. 2 the best.

All Blacks Skills - Part 1 - Tricks at Training

The World Cup this Friday people! Me and Catherine have been practicing our haka so we can do it along with the ABs...

yay!

The Haka

Well, the Rugby World Cup is coming to NZ and it's getting exciting. Driving around you see flags on cars everywhere... especially the Tongan flag for some reason, including one car where they were sitting at the lights holding the flag out the window with their hand lol.

Well, here's some Kiwi-pride... the New Zealand All Black Haka. We start this at the beginning of every Test match (international matches). It's a Maori war dance. We've been doing since the early1900's I think. Don't quote me on that... but for a while anyhow. Some people think it has violent connotations.... well go take a jump! We're not actually gonna kill you. We're gonna play rugby. (We may be slaughtering you on the score board...but that's another story)

GO THE MIGHTY MEN IN BLACK!