It's late on Sunday night. Asleep is where my sensible says I ought to be, but here I am instead.

Lately has been a series of buses, working out work, cold days, gorgeous skies, podcasts and too much complaining.

I've been complaining incessantly about the weather - regardless of what it was doing - and how cold I feel all the time. I think it's not so much that Auckland is colder than Melbourne - or Castlemaine, for that matter - because it's pretty bloody cold over there too. I think it's that we Aucklanders don't keep our interior spaces as warm. I've noticed the house is colder, public transport air conditioning is set lower, offices are cooler.

Our house in Newstead was always toasty warm, the trains and trams cosy, and the heaters cranked up in offices. We just seem to have 'less' comfortable temperatures here. So from now on, we're just going to take all that as a 'given' and not complain about it anymore. Also not going to complain about any 'ghosts of managers past' either.

Because things are what they are, and it's time to build a bridge and just get over it.

Reading Challenge

Early in June I read a few blogs on reading. In particular, reading a lot more and finishing more books. I got all excited and decided I could really benefit from starting to read an hour per day. With a few things going on (and not going on) in my life, I didn't get a good bite into the routine I was looking to form. The book I was reading at the time is still half done on my Kindle.

I'm still very keen to develop the habit, so am kickstarting myself again, with a determination to finish the book I'm reading: The Element by Sir Ken Robinson, this week.

Some good news though, others of you did get a grip on the habit and I've heard a few have started really chewing through your book-logs. Good on you!

Hanging Out

People ask me why I came home. Why Michelle? Why now? What made you make that decision? I tell them the reason, that I miss my kids. I've missed 5 years of being here for the ordinary things. Sure, we've kept in touch, talked on the phone, on the computer, via Facebook and email. But it's the ordinary connections I was aching for, and completely terrified that if I left it much longer, I'd never be the habit of my children as they'd grow used to me not being there.

That is why I came home and, honestly, it's the only reason. I missed my children, plain and simple.

So days like yesterday are a treasure for me. David (my youngest, if you don't know) and I decided to brunch before going to the Museum. I picked him up from the flat he shares with his brother Simon, and Simon's girl friend Melissa. David navigated as I'm still getting my sense of Auckland layout back and have trouble remember where anything is. We drove to a cafe on Dominion Road called Cearal Killa.

Shortly after being seated, we spotted Simon and Melissa across the road coming out of a second hand furniture place. While David and I fumbled about decided whether to yell out or to phone, they came through the doors of the cafe and joined us for breakfast. Well, they'd already eaten, but had another round of hot drinks while Dave and I put away the delicious breakfasts we'd ordered.

After a fairly leisurely breakfast, we left Simon and Melissa to their day and carried on to the Museum.

The Auckland Museum has had a major redevelopment and upgrade since the last time I was there. It's really quite amazing to enter from the rear of the building into the huge new atrium. We were greeted immediately upon entering the building and directed to one of the two information/payment desks. There we learned that there was a talk by David Lloyd whose photography "Flick of the tail" had received a Specially Commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (2011) and graces the cover of the competition portfolio.

We also booked a guided tour of the Museum. Sometimes it's just great to be a tourist in your own town. The tour was really great. I would highly recommend it as we saw parts of the Museum we usually dismissed on our way to our usual haunts and habits.

We ended up back at his flat for fish and chips, and watching tv with Simon when he got home too.

Today Amy and I went make-up shopping.

Anyhoo - to be able to spend time just hanging out with the kids like this is exactly why I came home.

Look at the time!

Gosh darn it, it's past midnight and I have to get up for a 7:10am bus. I could happily toodle around talking to you all night but each minute I spend awake right now adds to the lead in my head when I try to get up in the morning.

PS: I was in bed at 9:30pm but, as usual, time has escaped me!

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