I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

Well at long last I am back.

5 Weeks ago I had major surgery and so have been laying very low since. Today I almost feel normal, but on the other hand far from it. A few hours up out of bed and I am looking to return there. Give me another few weeks and I will be back to my 100 mile an hour self maybe, or return at half speed realising that going that fast is not really necessary or important to get through your day!.

We have beeen very lucky to have had the help and support of some wonderful friends and family over the past few weeks who have brought meals, hung washing, ironed and visited. The meals were a godsend, and for the first few weeks Al didn't have to cook one meal! Thank you all!

My sister Caroline came down from Nelson for my 2nd week home from hosptial when the kids were all back at school and ran the house. We all loved having her here running the show! My eldest sister Christine continues to drop round with lunch for me and fruit and veges she picks up from her organic grocer for us all, and in the early days, lots of organic dried fruit to help things move at the other end! My sister Catherine calls in for a cuppa and a visit and my Mother brings me sushi for lunch once a week and an evening meal for the family.

Next to all this, I have some very wonderful friends who have been bringing meals over and transporting me to appointments, along with catching up on the ironing and other household tasks that means Al has a bit less to do. I've also had a lot of support from friends from afar that continually check in to see how I am progressing, thank goodness for text messaging!

The kids have taken on extra tasks round the place to lessen the load on Al and are so good at getting their own lunches each morning that I will not take that task back on when I am back to normal! They even bake!

But most of all, Al has been an absolutely wonderful caregiver to me and been excellent at running the household as well as our business. He hasn't complained about sharing the bed with 12 pillows so that I can get comfortable, or ironing, or grocery shopping or making lunches, or serving me meals on a tray in bed every night since my return home. He is just wonderful!

Anyway here are some of the happenings in our life over the past month or more in pictures! Enjoy.

We had a holiday at my Sister's in Nelson the week before my operation so I was nice and rested to aid with my recovery. Thank goodness, because I would hate to think what the recovery would have been like had I been tired and stressed! LOL





The boys mowing the hay.














Thomas cooking on the new BBQ.














BBQ dinner on a Summer evening.













Out for dinner for our wedding anniversary at El Taverna. It was a VERY hot night!











Line and me on that HOT night! We had to go outside to try and cool off.















Al and Me on our 21st Wedding Anniversary.













Toby trying his skateboard tricks after a lesson from Matt.












Sunset over Nelson.















Toby and his Mazda Rotor Sandcastle! Hmmmm, his father's son!












My friend Chrissy and Me.













The boys first day at High School. Burnside High School, population 2600! They are loving it.


















Hamish who works for us and Krystal got married, a very hot 33 degree day.











Abbie came to visit, she is my great-neice. Here she is with Katie, and Katie's friends Hannah and Katya.











Al hired a digger to level the area at the front of the house that he is going to put lawn down on.