WILL HAVE A FULL HOUSE BY THE END OF THE DAY

Easter.  A time for family gatherings.


And in this house it's no different.


Today we are expecting Kelly and Rena for a few days, and Bex too.


Tomorrow we are having Stew's sister Khady  and Lacy arriving for dinner too.


So, it will be a full house. 


Sadly, Amanda, Andrew and kids won't be here.  They have prior plans.


Not that the boys can be here while Steve is here anyway.  (long story, not gunna go there).


So, we will have a lovely weekend, I will no doubt get stressed out and crabby... I invariably do.


It's the MESS I can't bear for long.  Things out of place.  Things all over the place.  It just gets under my skin.
Nothing I can do about it.  It's just something I can't control.  


I love having visitors.  And I love it when they go so I can tidy my house!  I'm a pain.  For everyone!  But mostly, for myself.


Is it a problem that I can't stand mess?
Anyone like me?


I'm quite sure my aversion to mess is due to my upbringing!  My parents were not exactly tidy!  My Dad was the worst though.  He never, ever threw away a newspaper, JUST in case he needed to find something in the classifieds again.  And he was always dumping bits of machinery, chainsaws and the like on the pool table or couch in the family room... where they could stay for YEARS.  One time he bought a PINK BATHTUB in an auction,  because he thought it might look good 'somewhere'.... but it sat on the couch for about 10 years... and got filled with chainsaw blades, newspapers, socks, you name it!  


He was a bit of a magpie.  If he thought he might be able to use it 'one day' he would buy it.  One time he saw a Holden Commodore on the side of the road for sale.   Well he already had a Holden Commodore, so he bought the 2nd one cos ONE DAY he might just need the motor from it.  


He went to the pub in Tokoroa and had a few drinks with his mates.
Next day a bloke arrives at our house, dumps an aluminium dinghy on the front lawn and drives away in me Mother's car!
Apparently Dad had swapped Mum's car for the dinghy... cos he wanted a dinghy!
Mum was a bit cross, and kinda screamed at me Dad "What the hell!  Am I supposed to ROW to the bloody supermarket am I?"   .... it was rather funny!
Needless to say, Dad bought her a better car within days.  


Actually, he had a lot of cars.  And bulldozers.  And machinery. All over the place.  We had to move out of town to a 30 acre block of land... cos he couldn't park a bulldozer on the front lawn in town.

ABOVE:  My Dad's idea of 'Garden Art'. One of these was EXCELLENT for levelling the front 'lawn'.  Mum asked him to trim the silver dollar tree, so he just bowled it over!   Sorted.


So.. our home was a bit... chaotic. I have only scrapped the tip of the iceberg with just how chaotic it was!


Hence my aversion to mess. Inside and out.  


It is going to be a nice day today.  I am sure of it.  My pills should kick in fairly quickly, so the hot flushes will dissipate.  My mood will get better.  I will stop being quite so miserable.  Yaaaaa.


ONWARD!...
Hee hee... finally Teddy got ZAPPED!  He's been so naughty lately that I put the anit-bark collar back on him.  But he hasn't done much barking cos he just KNOWS what will happen.
Well that was, until this morning.


We were all upstairs when someone knocked on the front door... and Teddy went ballistic like he does, next thing we hear... Teddy screeching in PAIN!  And he ran upstairs and jumped up on Stew and shut up pronto!  He got zapped finally!  I know it sounds mean, but it had to be done.  His behaviour is diabolical, he barks at everything and anything.


Oh and who was knocking on our door first thing this morning?  Bex.  She's here for Easter.


Because it is such an amazingly beautiful day, we went for a walk in The Botanic Gardens... along with hundreds of other people...

 ABOVE:  see, glorious day!  Got very hot though...

ABOVE:  The dogs got very hot too... so we found some water for them to drink...

ABOVE:  Coco didn't want to drink it though, she wanted to lie down in it.  She literally dive bombed into it! So cute.

ABOVE:  funny how we often run into wedding parties!  This lot had been getting their photos taken down by the little lakes.  Was funny to see the bride in bare feet with her dress hoicked up!


Home again now and it's almost time to prepare dinner.  It's Spaghetti Bologniese tonight.  YUM.


End of Day:  Kelly and Rena arrived... and just in time for dinner.  Which was really nice.  I do a mean Spag Bog. 
ON TRACK:  I'd like to say YES... but I'm off to play Foo (card game) and enjoy a wee tipple or two.
nite nite.