out of sight, out of mind

thankfully, i am not feeling that way! (see subject above). i've loved getting emails and comments from you all back in the states! just yesterday, i even received a fantastic package from my friend Stacey, containing 6 books to read and a letter. i was thrilllllllled beyond belief. i plan to start writing letters today, because i havent yet figured out what to do with myself while the kids are at school.

yesterday i had my first day of "work". it went smoothely enough. i cooked sausages for dinner and boy, the stove was a battlefield. hot oil does not belong on my skin. ouch. i should have thought to cover the pan, but i didnt till it was prepared.
while they were at school, i went exploring, walked about 7 minutes down the road to Fisherman's Cove. i took pictures and a video or two ;) and will be sharing them as soon as i get the electric converter/adaptor back from rob, who's borrowing it. the cove was unbelieveable. i shimmied along some rocks along the water and the path soon took me onto a grassy cliff. i could see the ocean and the coastline distantly across the bay. strange birds were nested in canopies of trees which were near my eyelevel, since they were rooted further down the steep cliff banking. a lot of the flowers here are unlike any i've seen. i took pictures of one which looks like it's made of firey bright orange-yellow tissue paper, blossoming from a bush. it's never silent here, and that struck me as i was traversing gentle rolling mounds on the cliff; even birds and insects harmonize with each other and create perpetual background tones. here, it's debatable whether they're actually background noises or not, because the caucauphony of sound sometimes overwhelms even my thoughts.

This morning, i heard small footsteps approaching my room at 6:50am, and soon thereafter saw the silouhette of Rebekah in my doorway. this house is always cold, so i invited her in and within minutes the two boys had joined us. they hid beneath the covers when Mandy approached and the bed must have looked absurdly lumpy to anyone witnessing the scene. it was a nice way to wake up. besides getting the kids to school, i've done very little today. after lunch i plan to take a walk /somewhere/.. who knows where. i've been reading Kissing Adrien, which is one of the books Stacey sent. it's very easy to read and lighthearted so far- witty too- so i'm getting along quickly through it.

i hope i find some friends here soon. i'll likely see Julia this weekend, and tour around auckland.

everything is beautiful here.