All is well with Mrs. P and Me!

People have been asking about Mrs. P and how she is getting on now that I have moved away. It's very sweet of you all to ask and I wanted to let you know that she is doing quite well! She misses having us here and I know she especially misses the the girls (and the cat). Mrs P has been promising me a nice sunset ever since we first moved here in December 2005. This was the one... we got to see it just before we moved away. It was stunning. Below with the tail of the cruise ship heading off...

I am still working with Mrs. P from 8:30am - 1:30pm every day except Tuesdays. I have weekends off to spend with the girls. Brian is now working away in Tokoroa on a contract that could last up to 12 months so he stays there in a motel Mon-Sat. He comes home Saturday evenings and leaves again Monday mornings. We don't get to see much of him, but it's a sacrifice we all need to make since I'm not making much of an income at the moment. This past week he was home a few nights because he was needed up at the farm to do some work there - so he's not a complete stranger!

Mrs. P has 5 other carers besides myself, three of us come each day. I'm here in the mornings, another carer comes from 3 - 8pm, and another one comes at 8pm - 8am to stay the night. Everyone seems very nice and Mrs. P hasn't complained much about any of them. I think she is getting more attention and conversation which is good. We just need to work on some more consistency and everything will be perfect!

I have finally bitten the bullet and joined the gym! It's been 3 years since I've had proper exercise and enough was enough. I got a great deal on a gym membership and I can take the girls with me - and they can do all of the classes for free! That was the clincher. They will keep me motivated, and it will give us something to do. I'm already feeling the difference and it's only been a week.

The weather has changed overnight - just like in Canada when September arrives. We seem to be in our Autumn season now. The nights have cooled off (last night we lit our first fire in our potbelly stove!), the mornings are crisp and you don't want to get out of bed, and you don't know what on earth to wear in the morning! The rain has come and it's been raining on and off all week. I couldn't get my washing in off the line for days!

I love this time of year. It feels like a time for new beginnings. I love the crisp clean air and although we won't have a true "fall" here with maple leaves crunching under our feet - I still enjoy the knowledge that it's time to slow down and hibernate a little.

Last weekend Brian and I had a massive clean up in the garden. We pruned and divided plants, replanted and tore out heaps! We had a heaping trailer full to take to the dump. It was a big, dirty job but felt very rewarding afterwards. Things look much tidier now and it helps to get that job done so that I can start focusing on the clinic. I have ordered my signs - they are done on huge slabs of Macrocarpa wood (a type of wood down under which is beautiful). I will hang out out at the front of the house which will be seen from the street (I'll take photos when they arrive). It will say "Magic Hands Massage Clinic" with a set of Natalya's hands (I'm stealing that idea from Michelle but don't tell her!) and my name. It will look great. I will have two other signs done which will help guide people to the back where the clinic is located.

Brian prepared the garage yesterday so that he can start the framing for the new waiting area. I'm looking forward to getting that done. I can't wait to start advertising. I've already got a list of people waiting to get in - but I don't want to start until things are done properly and professionally. I'm worried that it's going to take off like wild fire and I won't know what hit me. I'm lucky that Brian is working away so that I can focus all of my free time (what I have of it anyway) on work in the evenings and on Saturdays.

I love my job. It's the most peaceful thing you can do - giving a massage is just as relaxing as getting one - when I am in the right frame of mind. I have my music going, the room is tranquil, the energy is good and my hands start moving like a dance. I forgot how much I loved it.

Once I get 20 regular patients I am going to install a hot tub. My patients can have a soak before and after their massage and they won't be given a time limit like most commercial clinics. I'm going to have Brian install an outdoor shower so that they can rinse off. It's going to be a huge draw. That's something I couldn't imagine having back home in Canada - but it's a real possibility here.

And here are some more recent visitors to our garden. They "appeared" last week. Sadly I had to save a few from the cats - and who will never get a chance to fly - but I hope they are happy enough living in our bushes. Poor things. What do you suppose the most humane thing to do would be???