So most of you know i have coeliacs right?! basically means i can't have any gluten ( the stuff that makes bread chewy and moist). i got diagnosed 3 years ago and while it was quite hard at the start, im now resigned to it and actually enjoy a healthier ( in general) eating lifestyle...however... there are certain foods i miss like crazy.

1) Pizza

2) Fresh Bread

3) Custard Square

i just thought i had to live with disgusting gluten free fakes and only smell the real thing....till today.

i went to Filadelphios in Dunedin!  > awwww<
and they make...wait for it.... gluten free pizza that tastes out of this world!!! WOOP WOOP! i ate way too many slices :D

 here's the menu so you see what i mean....

i got me a haircut! The old me versus the new look me....

hmm not sure which i enjoy more ;)

curly vs. straight    

... this is part of a conversation overheard this afternoon between mum and ruby....

( Ruby walks out of the house clutching her new pet, a cute wee black beetle, 2 min later she walks back inside minus the beetle...)

 Ruby: " mum, the bug is dead!"

 Mum: trying to look very sorrowful over the demise of a bug, " oooh i'm sorry! how did it die!?"

 Ruby: " i squashed it with my flower shoe"

Mum: shocked look...

 Ruby: " i didn't want to eat it tho...

   hehehehe

well chums, i am in monowai.
where is monowai?! im not quite sure, somewhere south of fiordland, 40 minutes from TeAnau, 2 hours from home ( and creature comforts) and next to lots of water and mountains.
what is monowai? and why am i here? questions questions people!! monowai to my family means a week of holidays uninterrupted by phone, cell, visitors or appointments. to the children it means a week of eeling late at night, fishing, canoeing, playing with friends in the water ( in winter!!??), food whenever wherever, ugly clothes and no complaints, showers only when forced, and any amount of adventures. for me, it means attempts at sleep ins ( so far a no go as my darling little eliot is a early riser and i share his room), coffee whenever however ( but SOMEBODY forgot the coffee plunger so i languish un-caffeinated) and leisurely walks in the crisp cool wintery days ( 'cept i've been spending the last several days just recovering from my week preparing to come here!). so as you can see, it's been a perfectly maaarvelous idea, its just putting it in action thats the trouble!
 at the moment the kids are all outside playing with the neighbour kids over from TeAnau, all 8 little boys and 2 extra girls, it's fantastic, they disappear for hours and come back completely happy just in time for tea with amazing comments like " and the eel was thiiiis big!!" and " yeah she fell in the water but we pulled her out so she's ok" and " can we eat this dead fish we caught? oh and don't forget to show mum the skinned possum!!". Dad has just come up today and he, mum and the neighbor ladies are all going for a walk to see what the kids are up to now, some mischief no doubt :). wee eliot is lying on the rug next to me and gurgling away at a plastic ring, he has the funniest habit of laughing where he laughs, then sucks air back in real loudly like he's winded... such a crazy sound for a baby to make but oh well, he enjoys it. He has grown so much, can turn onto his tummy by himself now and laughs at any excuse, looks just like frankie ;). And while all the whanau are away busy, i am catching up on some assignments for procedures updates with st.john that have been dreadfully neglected these past couple of days, i flogged the laptop from our neighbor and so far have caught up with methoxyflurane and paracetamol updates..oh joy. nice to have contact with the outside world tho :)
  And i must say that despite being very lacking in modern necessities, this wee cottage is quite the charmer. Imagine a not very picturesque but somewhat homely looking cottage nestled among trees and flax at the edge of very pretty lagoon, now add rolling hills disbursed with large rock formations and bushy clumps of natives scattered over them, then further back behind those hills, add impressive overshadowing mountains tipped with snow and standing craggy and dominating against the clear blue of a winter day, then just when you think the picture is complete, add birds singing, children laughing and splashing, and from the house, a long lazy plume of smoke.
Thats monowai.
And if you creep closer and peer through the windows, you'll see a cozy, messy wee home, with 3 bedrooms containing mismatched comfy bunks and beds, a small kitchen with not a single matching dinnerware set, a oven that only has 2 rings working, and an electric kettle that only works when you sit a pot lid on it, a small lounge with big overstuffed couches and a massive bookshelf full of all kinds of books, the cutest wee potbelly stove you ever saw, a smattering of mismatched chairs, and a dark haired girl in her comfy old trackpants and tshirt, with her hair in a messy ponytail, clicking away on a laptop with a cup of coffee at her left hand and a baby at her feet.
hmnn maybe monowai isn't so bad after all... i have had time to unwind and have a total break, true i have had to eat some weird stuff, but at least its healthy and not takeaways, maybe my body needed a coffee break anyway...and i have read some good books. The kids loved me eeling with them even tho we didn't catch any last night, and having some quality time with the family is nice. enjoying God's creation and relaxing with a beautiful view isn't too hard when you are not on call to the world. i think sometimes it's the way you see it, being positive about the situation God has you in and seeing the benefits instead of moaning and focusing on the negatives. haha, i should've called this post 'Lessons from No-mans Land' :D

  hope you are all having a great time and learning the lessons God has for us in whatever situation we are in. :)

xox ej

  Used my birrthday money and bought a canon ;)
so fun :D

here is my adorable little brother.. i don't care if you think babies are ugly and all look the same, this guy is CUTE! he can hold his head up and smile heaps..and he's only 5 weeks old!

....my new shoes....ahhh

hehe...random 

me n rooby..she is so cute too...holds up two fingers and says ' my name is wooby, my name is free (3) " :P

gurls n curls

awww...                                                                     he's smiiiiling!

the squizzee gurls...anna (13) sophie (8) me, ruby (3)

fun times :)