Scott Family Christmas Message 2009

This year we had lots of visitors, went bushwalking, built chicken coops and rabbit hutches, made (and exhibited!) train sets, travelled nationally and internationally, drank a lot of cocktails, ate a lot of wonderful dinners in and out, played a load of board games, and put in a new spa. It was a delight to have Godfrey stay with us during the Antennas course. I had the pleasure of supervising a load of great students, and of watching Bywater and Pirongia turn with the seasons. Circumstance forced me to learn how to milk a sheep. Good thing I am a fast learner. In the bad news department, I broke my elbow and had to have reconstructive surgery. An unexpectedly prominent memory was having a sheep die in my arms. I could do nothing to save her. I knew the very moment she slipped away from me, like a death scene in a movie. This was sad, but inspiring as well. We take care of her lamb.

Kay's big news for 2009 was taking a job at Cambridge Graphics and Print in July. Jonathan complains he now has a half-time housekeeper instead of a full-time one without his saving on her pay, but to Kay it is about having some life outside the home, work colleagues with whom to interact, and getting her own income. Kay is saving it all for travel, taking the family to Australia at Christmas and to California next May. This year Kay also got active online with Facebook and the Lifestyle Block Forum, had profitable fun hatching chicks every month, organised the catering for the school camp, resigned from the school board, took the kids around the South Island, began volunteer proofreading for national publication Lifestyle Block magazine, and provided us with some excellent sheepskin rugs, a load of lamb dinners, and found many ways to cook one heck of a lot of eggs.

Merinda was chosen as a "learning agent" this year. At left she is learning how to fly through the air thirty feet above the ground and whack someone with a baseball bat. This is apparently an important skill for young Kiwis, even the ones who were not once warriors. She was Flavia Gemina for book day, and a chess player against her Dad with some serious chess pieces. She and Alice made a lot of videos. She and Alice wrote, acted, edited and uploaded an Inspector Pompus Mystery to YouTube. Merinda has riding lessons on Wednesdays. Next year Merinda will be attending Berkeley School, along with her "rat pack" of girls, and she is really looking forward to that, and not simply because of the prospect of having an iPod with broadband.

Edwin played computer games, got his phone manner so polished he can organise play dates unaided, played computer games, was Lupus the Beggar for book day, bought new computer games with his own money, read numerous books by himself, helped his Dad exhibit the train set they built, and that he named Squiffy Waterton, at the Hamilton Show, learned to hack computer games all by himself, massaged his Mum's back (see at left), played computer games, rode trains, helped build chicken coops, played computer games, ate lots of Pad Thai, played Lego Star Wars, emptied the dishwasher on odd-numbered days, and played computer games.

You should watch out if you come down the driveway, because I am often on guard there. Come to think of it, naughty chickens have eaten all our cat fud, so if you have any I might let you past.

We had a run-in recently, Kay and I, but I showed her who was the boss, had to tear her garments a bit, but now that is sorted we can get down to business. Kay has sold my eggs and offspring on TradeMe (NZ eBay) for over $1300 this year. Way to go, ho!