Surfacing

Do you want to hear about dentists?

I'm a bit over them myself currently, however nice they are. I'm having a lot of work done at the moment and Monday mornings are becoming a bit of a haze as I regain feeling in my face and jaw. My eyelid sensation was knocked off this morning for about an hour (that was interesting) but at least I didn't cry today. Don't ask. Just don't.

Lesley is back. It is indescribably good to know she is HERE. Within cooee. I have missed her so much, even with Skype and regular blog exchanges. She and Dave came for dinner on Saturday night and we talked and talked. It was a late night, a good night.

My sister is back from living in Melbourne too. We have seen each other on the last two weekends and done each other's hair (cut and colour each). Yesterday we went to the gluten-free foods and allergy expo. It was really worthwhile - except our two GF people didn't attend themselves - but we tried everything and had a good time. Her daughter and her have just returned after a 5 week RTW trip for auditions in USA, Europe and NZ - she was well received but unfortunately too short to join the Joffrey or the Canadian Ballet. What a life. One's career predicated not on prodigious talent but the gene pool that made her 5ft 3in. Anyway, it was a confidence boost to have some positive comments, after 4 years of the approval drought that is rampant in her national training establishment. She has returned to commence a teaching position in her old alma mater, and from all accounts has made a very promising start. Good for her.

I have recently read all four Twilight books. They were really great reads, and I'm delighted to have seen the film too, with a great cast. My daughter has also cottoned on to them and there has been a maturation of alliance from Harry Potter and Zac Effron to Robert Pattinson as Edward, whose large sultry photo has now joined the wall art above our girl's new double bed. We're thrilled to see her reading so much, apparently taking it in and finishing books much more easily than ever before, taking her work train journey as a starting point. Change is everywhere!

We have accepted a quote for the bathroom renovation. Gulp. Can't wait to see it finished. Hope I don't have night shift while it is in progress - could get ugly....although the builder is going to plumb an outdoor hot & cold shower for us to use, down the side of the house. Could be fun, and an unexpected bonus. We've decided to get a new bath too, rather than re-using the old one, and the new one is bigger and wider than the current one. Its gonna be soooo good.

If I can find a tame person to build the base for us, the pizza oven will be going ahead too. We've got some big limestone blocks from the new wall that can be used for the base, but they are too big and heavy for us to manage....I'm sure there's a capable young man out there who will be up for this small but heavy job.

The conference was really good, very interesting. Somehow there were only two midwives from our hospital present. Shrug. We heard some inspiring presentations and innovative solutions to long-standing problems, and I left with a bit of hope that things could change and that I could be part of the change. I am forming a clearer understanding of how to position myself to be part of these approaching changes. This of course ties in with my work with the College of Midwives. It was good to be part of a multi-strata, multi-disciplinary audience exchanging information about health systems, and although I wouldn't say it is my central raison d'etre in this field, it is very helpful to understand the bigger picture nationally and internationally. I was reminded that I used to work in this arena in the 1990s and I suddenly felt a return of confidence that came with my memory of 8 years work in this area. How could I have forgotten this grounding? It just shows how thoroughly my focus has changed since I entered as health professional. Wow. SO I have signed up to be part of a network looking at women's and newborns health policy and issues. In my spare time.

Jarryd's quilt is half pieced. Its coming along nicely, Lesley likes it. I aim to have it finished by late April.

I have hardly had time to read any bloglines daily lately, so there are 120+ when I get to it. Gulp! Maybe I should prune my subscriptions...

Planning our trip to Amsterdam, northern Italy and Paris in late June. Sigh :]. Lucky, lucky girl.

A pile of things to get done by then, starting....NOW.

See ya x