RED

Y'all remember my book club? It is an excellent book club. We are RED club (Reading Eating Drinking). We take it in turns to pick a book and host a get together where we eat, drink and briefly discuss the chosen book. These are the books we've read to date:

Red Dog by Louis De Bernieres (me)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (M-M)

Cocktails Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (Dr SG)

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (Mons)

The Songmaster by Di Morrissey (Fi)

Grieve by Lizzie Wilcock (Beth)

Ours is a small but hard-core group of friends and readers. We are about to get a bit smaller and more hard-core with the departure of (founder-member) Mons, and our next book: Shades of Grey (with thanks to Mrs T). 

Mons arrived in TP shortly after LAFE and what she has managed to pack into 18 months makes us seem like a lazy bunch of stay-at-homes*.

Gratuitous Freya photo

Today we had a farewell lunch for Mons at the hospital. There were tears...

And presents...

Mons will be missed all over town. Personally I'll miss her as a colleague, a fellow RED and a netball team mate. We hope that Mons will fly up for future RED club meets and the Netball Finals, where the currently undefeated KDs are likely to end up!!

Stinky-Roo, honorary RED member.

Awesome RED women (sorry M-M, this was the only photo of the three of you!)

Cahhhhn the Bloooes!!  Team KD: killing it on the court, FO SHIZ!!

* If you'd like another perspective on Tompers, have a quick google of 'Mons does Tom Price', you'll find some great writing, hilarious anecdotes and pretty pictures!

What Esther did next (with added Freya)

Time to get back on the horse and bring y'all up to date.
We have been back in TP for over a month, but what a month, there have been changes...of which more in future posts.
This post is all about E and a few of her recent highlights.
Esther has just been bought by Ashburton United for $3,000,000. This is a record fee for an under-7 player but I think she's worth every cent.

She scores goals you know!

Providing support for her team mate, as is every other player on the pitch! Watching these games is so joyous...and hilarious. I smile loads on Sunday mornings but have to remember to keep my inner "soccer mom" in check...found myself yelling "REF!" last Sunday as some 5 year old kid pulled on the shirt of a United player!

Half-time huddle

Is there a cuter soccer star? Hmm, let me answer my own question: Lucas Neill is a total cutie. So let me re-phrase...Is there a cuter under-7 girl soccer star? Answer: NO!

Esther is a Rainbow Guide, which I think is what they call Brownies these days and has nothing to do with the LBGT community. Last week was her Promise Ceremony, a big deal in Guide-life. She had her promise down pat. I was 100% chuffed, E was 200% chuffed.

Esther's Brown Owl is lovely. I was a Brownie for about 3 weeks, I can't remember my Brown Owl but I recall that Barn Owl and her daughter were a couple of b!$&hes, hence only being a Brownie for 3 weeks.

Proud little Rainbow :)

Already working on her cake-decorating badge!

You were promised a bit of Freya, here she is:

Getting all maternal with Stinky-Roo, the joey that her friend M is raising.