Because it saw the bottom of the Ocean! 

Can you believe it?!

We actually did zip zilcho nada all weekend! Meaning that we didnt have to be somewhere by a specific time!

 

I taught Saturday morn and mum took the kids to dancing, she kept them until after 2pm! So Cj and I did some basic skills test revision and sorted out the washing.

Then Sunday, CJ and I were going down to Mass, but we realised it was the wrong week for the meeting, just before we left. SO instead Darcy and I went to Mum and Dads and took our washing down (cause still dont have machine fixed) and then I realised I hadnt done my Uncles birthday present that my aunty asked for (all his stuff scrapbooked from his election campaign) So we all headed down to Harvey Norman and I went and printed off the photos, then we went to maccas for lunch and play then we came home and kids played in front yard whilst Mark and I fixed wheel on side gate.

Now to try and tidy up. *sigh* 

 

Yesterday was the 27th July. 27.07.07. The numbers seem pretty lucky, but not really...

 

On a happy note, it was Mark's mums 65th birthday yesterday. She is currently overseas with her sister on a holiday. So yesterday morning we wrote a msg to her wishing her a happy birthday.

 

Today is Ceilidh's friend Miss L's 9th birthday, we went out to dinner with them at the Catho last night.

 

Later on yesterday morning I get a phone call to say Mark's come off the bike. Not his fault, oil slick on the road. He spent 12 hours in Lpool hospital and came home last night all banged up, but they dont think anything is broken. The bike - well, I had it towed to the bike shop and he can deal with it - I dont care!

 

Then last night I heard through MUm that Daniel's (Casey's husband) grandfather died. Daniel and Casey live in an apatment 2 floors up from Oskar. He has been sick for a while and Birgit (Dans mum) has been visiting every day. Well yesterday Dan was home (his RDO), Dan's sister was dropping the kids off with Casey to look after cause she had an appointment and Dan's mum had popped in to see Oskar. Melanie (Dans sister) went down stairs and suddenly screamed out because Oskar had collapsed. He died at home. But he died with his family around him. So as sad as it is, I am so glad that it happened with his family with him.

Love to you Daniel and Casey

xoxox 

This was funny!! Had to cut it out and scan it!

 

 

 

OK, so we've had go kaput in the last 3 months  - the hot water service, the washing machine, the little tv, the dryer, half the lights in the house and the air conditioner. Now it's the car - one month out of warranty and a bearing has collapsed. It is so rare that they virtually never see it. Aren't able to even look at the car until next Wednesday. Will have to get the part from Japan, god knows what it will cost or when we'll have the car back. *sigh*

Oh - and we've got an $8500 tax bill each - from selling the flat.

 

Off to see the priest tonight about Ceilidh's reconciliation. Apparently now it's a 2 year couse they have to do! Start soon and then confession during lent 2008, then 2 more 6 week courses and Communiion and Confirmation together at Pentecost 2009! Plus she has to keep a religious journal and we have to go regularily to mass (of course). Lets hope those 3 years at William Carey have helped the God Girl! 

 I hate working Mondays at any time, but especially today. Im tired from the competition and the fact that I haven't finished HP and I am SICK with not being able to pick it up.

I wanna have a sickie - but I can't because Mondays are casual days and I dont get paid if I dont go.........

 

WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice. First, email it to them, and then sit back and smile!



Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.


Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were.  So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT.  In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.  Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. 
 

Remember i wrote a few months ago about Ceilidh and Connor dancing at a nursing home for a lady's 106th birthday. Well, Ive just been sent a thankyou card and photos from the Nursing Home. It is such a beautiful card and the photos are so lovely. So I scanned them and here they are.

 

Thanks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows

 

What is known about the plot

Rowling completed the book while staying at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh in January 2007, and left a signed statement on a marble bust of Hermes in her room which read: "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11 January 2007".^[30] She has stated that the final volume relates very closely to the previous book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, so much so that the two books are "almost as though they are two halves of the same novel."^[31] Prior to completing the manuscript, Rowling stated that she could not change the ending of the book, even if she wanted to. "These books have been plotted for such a long time, and for six books now, that they're all leading a certain direction. So, I really can't."^[13]

Unresolved plot elements from previous books

• Harry will return to the home of his Muggle relatives, the Dursleys (whose cooperation has been requested by Albus Dumbledore), during the school holiday. The magical protection Dumbledore arranged, which requires Harry to have a home with them, is set to expire on his upcoming birthday, when he comes of age.^HBP Ch.4

• Harry plans to visit the remains of his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger plan on accompanying him on this trip.^HBP Ch.30

• Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour plan on getting married in August. Several of the main characters have been invited.^HBP Ch.30

• Bill Weasley has been bitten by a werewolf (Fenrir Greyback); however, Fenrir was not fully transformed (he was not bitten on the day of a full moon), and we have yet to see the full effect of the bite. So far it has been said that Bill has merely developed a taste for steak cooked very rare.

• It is unclear what will happen to Hogwarts after the attack on the school at the end of Half-Blood Prince, but Harry has said he will leave school to continue his battle against Voldemort. If the school reopens, replacements will be required for Severus Snape (Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor and head of Slytherin house) and possibly Minerva McGonagall (Transfiguration instructor, head of Gryffindor house and deputy Headmistress) in the event that she becomes Headmistress.^{HBP Ch.29 HBP Ch.30}

• Wormtail owes Harry a life debt that has not yet been repaid.

• Harry must destroy all of Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes before Voldemort can be defeated. Dumbledore believed there were a total of six, and that two so far have been destroyed (the Gaunt ring and Riddle's diary).

• There is no explanation at the end of Half-Blood Prince as to the true identity of the mysterious "R.A.B.", who claimed to have stolen one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, a locket, with the intent to destroy it, while replacing it with a fake locket, later recovered by Harry and Dumbledore.^HBP Ch.28 Rowling said Regulus Black was "a fine guess" for R.A.B.'s identity in an interview.^[32]

• The true loyalty and motivations of Severus Snape have been unclear throughout the series. At different points in the series, Snape's actions have either conflicted with his stated intentions or with his previous actions. Because of the contradictions in his behavior, Snape remains a potential wild card. This is in contrast to the other main characters who have very clearly chosen allegiances.

• It has not been explained why, when Dumbledore heard that Voldemort had used Harry's blood to resurrect himself, Harry sees a "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes. ^GF Ch.36 Rowling has said that this is still "enormously significant".^[33]

• Since the first book, Harry has shown the ability to speak Parseltongue - the language of snakes. It is speculated at various points in the series that his acquisition of this skill was one of the many by-products of Lord Voldemort's attempt on his life when he was a child. However, the ability could also have been inherited. Given that Salazar Slytherin prized this ability in his top students, including Voldemort, it raises the question about a deeper relationship or similarity beteween Harry, his parents, and Voldemort.

• No one was credited with performing the magic involved with the spectacular flaming raising of the white marble tomb of Dumbledore. Whether or not this is significant taken along with Scrimgeour's hasty assertion a few plot moments later that "He's gone... not even Dumbledore can return from the—" creates a slight opening to hopeful speculation. However, J.K. Rowling has repeatedly quashed theories that state Dumbledore is alive.

Hints from Rowling

• Rowling drafted the last chapter of the book several years ago to give herself an ending to work towards. The chapter contains details of what happens to the surviving characters:

This is the thing that I was very dubious about showing you... this is the final chapter of book seven. This is really where I wrap everything up, it's the epilogue. And I basically say what happens to everyone after they leave school - those who survive - because there are deaths - more deaths coming. It was a way of saying to myself, 'Well, you will get it, you will get to book seven one day. And then you'll need this!' So I'd just like to remind all the children I know who come around my house and start sneaking into cupboards that it's not there anymore - I don't keep it at home anymore for very, very, very obvious reasons. So there it is.^[34]

• Rowling has stated that there will be no Quidditch matches in Deathly Hallows.^[35]

• J. K. Rowling said in 2001 that Harry might get another pet at some point.^[36] Although Buckbeak may have filled this role (Harry obtained possession of the Hippogriff after the death of Sirius Black, albeit under Hagrid's care), she also hinted that Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, might have another role.^[37]

• We will learn something very important about Lily:

Now, the important thing about Harry's mother - the really, really significant thing - you're going to find out in two parts. You'll find out a lot more about her in book five, or you'll find out something very significant about her in book five, and you'll find out something incredibly important about her in book seven.

—– J. K. Rowling^[38]

• Rowling has long said that the fact that Harry has "his mother's eyes" is "very important."^[39]

• Severus Snape has been an important and enigmatic character throughout the books, as his true loyalty has always remained unclear. It is to be anticipated that as a surviving major character, his loyalty will be settled in the final confrontation of the book.^[40][41]

Questioner: There’s an important kind of redemptive pattern to Snape.

Rowling: He, um, there’s so much I wish I could say to you, and I can't because it would ruin. I promise you, whoever asked that question, can I just say to you that I'm slightly stunned that you've said that and you'll find out why I'm so stunned if you read Book Seven. That's all I’m going to say.^[38]

• At the Edinburgh book festival, Rowling mentioned that something more would be revealed about Petunia Dursley. Nothing of note occurred in book 6, so this remains to be discovered.^[42]

..there is a little bit more to Aunt Petunia than meets the eye...She is not a squib, although that is a very good guess. Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet.

Rowling repeated this comment at the Radio City charity reading in August 2006.^[43] She clarified by stating that Aunt Petunia will not perform magic.^[44]

• Rowling has said that some non-magical character will perform magic late in life under desperate circumstances.^[45] However, Petunia will not be the one to perform magic (see above).

• Also at Edinburgh, Rita Skeeter was mentioned: "She is loathsome . . . but I can't help admiring her toughness. . . . There is more to come on Rita."^[42]

• On Dolores Umbridge, "It's too much fun to torture her not to have another little bit more before I finish."^[35]

• Rowling has said that Ginny Weasley is quite powerful, that we have seen a taste of that in the past, and we will see it again.^[35]

• Viktor Krum is set for a reappearance.^[46]

• Kreacher, the former Black Family house elf which passed to Harry's ownership with the death of Sirius Black, may make an appearance. Rowling told the filmmakers of Order of the Phoenix to include the character in the movie, because he is "very important", after they had omitted him in a draft of the script.^[47][48]

• Sirius Black's flying motorbike and the two-way mirror he gave Harry will return.^[46] In fact, Rowling has mentioned in one of her FAQs that the two way mirror "will help more than you think." Rowling refused to comment whether Sirius himself might in some way reappear, but she has also said that there was a reason why he had to die.^[49]

• Arthur Weasley's flying car, which was last seen in the Hogwarts forest,^[HP2] will reappear.^[50]

• Rowling refused to comment when asked whether the locked door in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic would feature in the final book.^[51]

• Rowling revealed in a 1999 interview that one of Harry's classmates will become a Hogwarts teacher, though not Harry himself and 'not who you think'. When asked, Rowling also ruled out Ron. This implies that Hogwarts will re-open at some point.^[38]

• In an interview after the completion of the Prisoner of Azkaban film, she commented that director Alfonso Cuarón had "put things in the film that, without knowing it, foreshadow things that are going to happen in the final two books. So I really got goosebumps when I saw a couple of those things, and I thought people are going to look back on the film and think those were put in deliberately as clues."^[52]

• There are indications that at least two of the main characters will die. In a June 2006 interview about the previously-written ending, Rowling stated that:

One character got a reprieve, but I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die...A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil...They go for the main characters...well, I do".^[10]

• When further questioned in June 2006 about authors who kill off their main characters, Rowling said "I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, well, I'm going to kill them off because that means there can be no non-author-written sequels."^[10]

• Rowling clarified that "Dumbledore is definitely dead", when asked by Sir Salman Rushdie and others at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Rowling answered the same question three times, each time with increasing conviction.^[53] However, on the set of the Order of the Phoenix film, she remarked; "Dumbledore's giving me a lot of trouble". When asked "But isn't he dead?" by Daniel Radcliffe, she explained; "Well, yeah, but it's more complex…."^[54]

• When asked what questions she should have been asked, she admitted that "the final book contains a couple of pieces of information that I don't think you could guess at", and declined to explain further.^[43] On 13 September, 2006 she updated her website saying that when she was asked that question, her mind went blank. Since she couldn't make amends, she created a NAQ section of her website, in tribute to the girl who asked the question. In her NAQ section, she states:

Why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak at the time of James' death, given that Dumbledore could make himself invisible without a cloak?

On 29 September 2006, she revealed that Severus Snape was not under the cloak the night of the Potters' death in the Rumours Section of her website.

• Asked which five of her characters she would like to invite to dinner, she chose Harry, Hermione and Ron, but then hesitated before choosing her last characters, saying "See... I know who's actually dead," unsure whether she was permitted to invite those who are 'dead'.^[43]

• Responding to the news that Lord Voldemort was voted best villain at the Big Bad Read poll, Rowling commented:

I hope those of you who voted for him in the big bad read enjoy reading about him in book seven, where he finally gets the leg room for which he has been aching all those years in exile.^[55]

• During a July 2007 interview broadcast on the BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Rowling announced that "scar" was no longer the last word in the book. Although long reported and confirmed by Rowling to be the final word of book 7, Rowling went on record as saying that "Scar is quite near the end, but it's not the last word." She refused to say what the last word was.^[56]

• During an interview for the New York Times, Jim Dale claims there is a surprise ending. ^[57]

I have a new phone. Its a Nokia something with numbers and it has GPS! It is very swish!

 

Anyhoo. The other day we were using the GPS. When I first got it, it was set to a mans voice, and on the way over to Peta's bday the other day we had it on in the car and the kids loved it.

However, after I started playing I changed the voice to the womens.

 

On Thursday we were driving over to Linfield for Con's filming. The GPS wanted to send me the Ryde way, I wanted to go via the M5, Tunnel etc. So it kept telling me to turn left and u-turn and all this jazz. CJ just had enough. She said 'MUM! That woman is ANNOYING! THe man would go where you told him to but the woman won't listen!!!!'

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

" I will go then, in spite of you, for I have within my soul

So many loving traits and so many tears

That I will be the river and the boat and the oars"

 

"Beautiful one who holds my life

Captive in your eyes

Who has ravished the spirit

With a gracious smile,

Come succor me

Or else I would die."

 

"sleep overcame them far into the day and the November light was falling grey

through her windows when he woke her to joy again, laughing 'Amis, art thou

asleep? My lyves loy, myn hertes plesance... The world knows all our affairs. It

is tomorrow, and nearly the day after tomorrow, and we have neither eaten, nor

dressed, nor gone to visit Sybilla...’

'I have eaten,' Philippa said.

And then the blue eyes, with gentleness, scanned all her new-made body and came

to rest on her eyes. 'I have begun to eat' said Francis Crawford. 'And I have

begun to slake my thirst. But in you I have found a banquet under the heavens

that will serve me forever.'

 

 

'Tant que je vive, mon cueur ne changera

Pour nulle vivante, tant soit elle bonne ou sage

Forte et puissante, riche de hault lignaige

Mon chois est fait, aultre ne se fera.'

 

For as long as I live, my heart will never vary

For no one else, however fair or good

Brave, resolute or rich, of gentle blood.

My choice is made, and I will have no other.

 

Then he paused and said a little flatly, 'Also, I have been watching

you... I did not mean to hurt you so much.'

'I know,' she said. Sitting perfectly still, her hands laid together in

her silk lap, she let her eyes speak for her and saw his darken,

waiting. She said, 'I though, too, that it would be kinder to let you

think me afflicted with calf-love, or an adolescent devotion, but of

course this is not so.' She heard her own voice tremble and stilled it,

smily with her lips only. 'Before God, you are my soul; and till death

and beyond will remain so.'

She saw him catch his breath. One second passed; then two; then three.

Then he leaned back his hands and, touching the chair, let himself

smoothly into it. He said 'Then you don't know, Philippa, what I am.'

 

p349

.. and then he saw confirmed what only the fire had

heretofore seen: the ceaseless cataract of her tears, pouring and

pouring, without hope of concealment down her young face.

He said, 'Oh God help me', in a voice so low and so tired that

she barely heard it. Then dropping his hands he rose and left her...

... 'Phillipa no,... you were right to ask, and wrong only in your

conjecture. Kate is my friend. That is true. But the

songs were for her daughter. And the passion, for ever.

That is why we’re are parting." The words reached her,

without bring the sense any nearer. He would think

her very slow: even in the middle of the night: even

with undried tears bloating her eyes and her cheeks. She appeared to be

on her feet, facing him. 'But I am her daughter,' Phillipa said.

 

> > 'p352

"The truth is that thy body is free of all shadow.

To soul and brain

from thy abode comes the perfume of Paradise.'

 

> > p 337

" I fold thy gentleness within my cloak

Thy flying wit I braid with jewellery,

I span thy courage with my bravest clasp

And sip the sweets of thy integrity.

They think thee fair.

They see not what I see."

 

> > p388

"Strange to sit in her chamber, among the plotting,

the laughter, the fighting, the lovemaking, the dancing, the luxury,

the sycophancy and feel alone and afraid, bereft of judgement and

confidence. Stranger still to remember, with a dull and damnable

irony, that under this roof another human being was alone and

beleaguered, in a sense she has never yet known. And that they could not bring

comfort to one another.'

 

 

 

 

On my little yellow Sigma I had that bumper sticker. It was all wishful thinking for me, unfortunately :(

 

However, Boyo had this Raggs TV filming yesterday. And he was a hit!! The production assistant said they loved him, and not to be surprised to get a phone call for him to come back in again.

 

Apparently he gave very funny explainations of things, and Dumpster liked them so much he would say to Connor 'Connor, now can you turn and face Justin's camera and tell us that answer again!'

 

Con also had them all in stitches because Con was wearing the new hat I bought him and Dumpster asked him how many hats he had at home, Connor said '14' Dumpster said 'well, why aren't you wearing them all' Connor rolled his eyes and said 'I dont have enough heads!' lol

 

BTW - I didnt hear this stuff from Connor, it was the woman who told me all this!

 

 

      

 

OMG.
In NZ you can get your learners at 15. You can then go for your 'restricted' at 15.5. You stay on that for 1 year, however, if you do a 'defensive driving course' then you only stay on 'restricted' for 6months.

 

On 'restricted' the only restriction is a curfew - 11pm - 6am. No speed restrictions, no restrictions on passengers.

I was driven home from the competition by a 15.5year old girl. Hey, she was a good and careful driver but I still WAS NOT comfortable about it!!!!!

Now there are a few things I am keen about.....

 

Firstly - I love this, I just copied this one off the Mugglenet.com website - it is the typical JKR thing to do - she fills the book up with them (as DD does in the Francis books - but THAT is another blog entirely! LOL)

 

The number Mr. Weasley punches into the telephone to get into the Ministry of Magic, 62442, spells "MAGIC" on the phone pad!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok - onto the heavy stuff....

 

Now I have always hated Snape - because you're supposed to - however, I don't believe he is evil. My reasons - Snape gave Dumbledore an 'unbreakable vow' that he would work for the Order. He couldnt have killed D unless it was D who allowed him too. We think that D did ask him to because Hagrid overhears (and doesn't understand) S telling D that he is overworked and maybe he doens't want to go through with it, and D answers that he promised and so he must. Then when it comes down to the time that Snape charges at Dumbledore 'with revulsion and hatred etched on his face' D says to him 'Severus please'. D does not plead for anything... And why did S have 'revulsion on his face?' only the chapter before we see Harry say almost those exact words in his thoughts as he feeds Dumbledore the poison potion so that they could get the horocrux out of the bowl. He hated himself that he had to do this to D because he loves him so much - and ditto this exactly to Snape.

Then when Harry chases Snape down and out of Hogwarts Harry calls him a coward and Snape says 'dont call me COWARD'. At first you dont think much about that - but of course, why does Snape almost 'lose' it over this cry of Harry's?? Because he has just killed his true master because that is what his master wanted. He is anything BUT a coward.

 

Another item I am wondering about....

 

At the end of Half Blood Prince (after D is killed) Harry finds that the locket is a false one and that the note is froM RAB - I reckon the rumours are right and it's Sirius' brother.

 

Also - Why DID Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak? It was given to D by J before he was killed? Hmmmm

 

And there is DEFINATELY a connection between Godric Gryffindor and Godric Hollow (where Harry and his parents are hiding out). Maybe Peta is right and Harry IS the 6th horocrux -  maybe he IS the Gryffindor one....

 

All shall be reveiled in....

 

Now, onto the movie. It opens TOMORROW!! However, I will be taking Kiddlets 1 and 2 to it on Thursday (hoping that Mother Dearest is able to watch Darcy that day) We will go after Connor's filming at North Sydney. They are v excited (and I am too!) They are busy watching all the movies to get ready for the new one. Tomorrow evening they can watch Goblet of Fire - all ready for Thursday and 'Order of the Phoneix!!