"Mammy, You're The Best!"

It's been a complete hectic crazy day today, and my little princess has been just that, a princess. We had so much to do today and she has helped amazingly.

It's Fathers Day here on Sunday so of course I needed to organise something for that (see posts at the weekend for an update!). So it was trawling the shops this morning trying to find someone who could help me with what I needed.

Then we had swimming lessons. I did promise Bethany we would have lunch at a cafe (she gets very excited by this) but due to the amount of time it took at the shops we couldn't, she was great though and just told me not to worry and she would be happy to do it later!

Swimming was excellent, she really got into it, did everything she was asked and for the first time she swam under the water by herself (normally holds the teachers hand) to get the fish from the bottom. So very proud of my little girl and she was very proud of herself too.

The Hip Hop lessons have now moved to a Friday so it meant we had some time between the two lessons, but not a lot, so we had to eat quickly. It wasn't the only option but it was the quickest and we went and had some 'filth'...McDonald's!

Off to dance class and its a 25 minute drive, the drive is a gorgeous one though with the drive going all the way around on the coastal road and coming out in a gorgeous little place called Eastbourne.

Bethany again, was amazing at dance and showed the other kids how to do it. I even joined in and played games with them which the other mothers whispered about, but heck, I may be British but reserved I am not!

We were driving back when I just had the sudden urge to stop at the beach. Bethy was most excited to find out she was going to get herself an ice-cream! We had a beautiful walk along the beach and had such a laugh at the crazy ducks and seagulls that live side by side at the ocean. The temperature reached 16 today and people were swimming in the ocean, stunning.

All my gorgeous little girl said to me was (when I thanked her for being good today, and I told her I loved her) "mammy you're the best".

With tears in my eyes I hugged my girl tighter than I have ever before, a beautiful moment and a beautiful proud day.

Kiwi Buddies

Bethany has been attending Kindergarten now since April and in that time she has made some solid friendships with some gorgeous little characters. There are 3 friends in which she has bonded with really well and there is nothing that can melt your heart like seeing two children run towards each other and cuddle in excitement as all these guys do.

Of course there is a perk for me too, being in that I have made new friends too in their lovely mummys!

The first friendship Bethany made at the Kindi was with a little girl called Beth, such a beautiful little girl who has the most amazing red hair. They get on really well together with Beth being older and leading the way. Madi is Beth's little sister and the 3 all together make an adorable little group.

Next is Bethany's strongest friendship at Kindi, and its with Alexander. They are literally in child love with each other, and can just stand there for ages looking at each other before deciding what to do! Alexander has such a gorgeous nature and 'looks after' Bethany. The Kindi annual photos have been taken and these two are glued together on them!

The latest friendship Bethany has made is with Megan, they have played together for so long now at Kindi that Bethany knows nearly everything about her. Megan now comes to play at our house every Monday and Thursday morning, which of course Bethany just loves. Megan has many words of wisdom for Bethany and they have so much in common.

Of course we all know these friendships will change over and over again, but until then I am going to appreciate the fact my girl is a popular little soul. The smile on her face when she is with her beautiful little friends is something she will maybe remember, but its something I will always remember.

The Warm Up

Getting ready for next week and our lunch time ride outs, Mark and I ventured out for half an hour as a kind of warm up. Bearing in mind my lack of fitness, living on a hill and not ridden a non-motorbike in several years, I can honestly say it was a shock to the system.

It took a few minutes to adjust to the riding position, and contemplate handing the bike back and quitting. But I soldiered on regardless! Mark on the other had took it in his stride and rode ahead.

I managed to ride up one bank, but had to concede to another two, before finding a great bit of downhill to get some speed up.

The track was probably quite easy, but being in a state of great unfitness meant it wasn't that enjoyable. Still, at least the view was stunning.

I did learn something though, and that is: I should probably re-kindle my mountain biking away from mountains, and on some flat!

Moving House, Literally

Funny New Zealand houses!! (click picture to make bigger)

Taking In Some History

Sunday was another beautiful day, temperatures reaching 16 in the city meant it was just perfect. Sundays are meant to be one of those days where you are meant to take your time, so with a lazy morning we headed off for a walk on the afternoon.

We decided to go to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, which is next to the Botanical Gardens. There are sadly no roses on display at this time of year but the walk here is still stunning. You can walk through the rose gardens and into the Begonia House. It has lush tropical and semi-tropical plants including begonias and orchids. There are also spectacular seasonal displays, and a lily pond.

Normally we would call for an ice cream but the cafe here is being revamped for the summer, poor Bethany was not pleased!!

The walk then takes you to the Bolton Street Memorial Park. Its hard to describe the pure beauty of this old grave yard. The history here is just phenomenal.

In 1851 following some controversy, the ‘town cemetery' was split into three sectarian areas known as Bolton Street Cemetery (for Church of England burials), Sydney Street Cemetery (the public one for “non-conformists”) and the Jewish Cemetery. Honestly, if you want to read just how steeped in amazing history is this place is, you can here.

We stopped off first to take in the sight of Richard Seddon's grave. Now this isn't any normal grave, he was the longest serving prime minister of New Zealand, and regarded by some as one of the best political leaders ever, one who certainly shaped New Zealand the way it is today.

The walk then drops down past the Jewish graves on one side and the 'town' graves on the other. The scene is very serene and its interesting how 'sad' the trees are here. The view of the city behind the gravestones is an amazing sight.

We then pass the Public Cemetery Sexton's Cottage which was built of timber in 1857 and demolished in 1908. It was occupied by David Robertson, and his family for 30 years of his life, and then remained the home for his widow for the following twenty years of her life. Its brick outline can be seen on the upper lawn. Due to development though the view from here takes a dramatic change as the Highway now splits the memorial park. A step in the right direction for this amazing area I am not so sure.

After enjoying a stroll through history we hit the local garage and grabbed some ice creams. We laid back outside the parliament buildings in the sunshine and enjoyed some amazing family time.

We have so much to learn about where we live, the history and the culture, it amazes me how much we learn everyday, and we cant wait to see what we learn next.

Starry Starry Nights

We've spent many a night sat out on the decking, drinking wine and looking up at the stars. The sheer amount of stars visible on a clear night is way more than I have ever seen before. And it's not just the amount of stars that is awesome, it's the different constellations that you can see too.

The following is the best picture of Comet McNaught we actually got!

With the laptop outside, we spent nights looking at star maps on the BBC website, trying to identify the stars and planets above us. If only we had the stuff we have now!

If you're like us and you use Google Earth to find your way around, you'll know about the new version! Google Earth now has the option to flip your view, and instead of looking down at your house, you can look up at the skies above it.

So after upgrading recently we tried it out. Here's the skies above us now.

At The Office

It's not very often that my Daddy has to work on a weekend, but today he did, so I went too whilst my mammy had a sleep.

Here I am getting ready to go with a big bag filled with treats and things to do.

I said 'excuse me' to the taski driver and he said I was the politest 3 year old he had ever met. We had a great conversation on the way to my daddy's work, he told me all about his taski.

At daddy's office I played on the PC (I can do this by myself now) and I coloured some pictures. Then I watered the plants, just like I did last time.

Then if that wasn't enough excitement, one of daddy's work friends brought in his little girl who was called Hayley (but I just called her 'my friend') and we played together, it was so much fun.

I had a great morning with my daddy at his work, I asked if I could go next week too but daddy said 'not if I can help it'...not sure what he means!!!

What Do You Do After Work?

At least once a week we make sure that when Michael finishes work we head out to the beach. We are totally over spoilt by the beaches here and so we always try to go to different locations each time. Tonight Michael finished at 4pm and after a quick clothes change we headed off to Princess Bay.

It really is a stunning little sandy beach with the most dramatic rocks, we spent Christmas Day here and its definitely one of our most favourite places.

However at the moment there is a lot of controversy based on the fact there is currently plans to build a 'Super Aquarium' at Te Raekaihau Point, which is right next to Princess Bay. Right on this gorgeous little spot 'they' intend to change the face of this area and drag in the tourists.

If you check out this website you can see exactly what the plans are. We are definitely all for the new Aquarium but NOT at this location. There must be a million places to put this and to be honest this isn't the place. It's a long way from the city and main tourism is brought to this area for the surf or the jaw dropping scenery. We really feel it's a mistake at this point and could ruin a beautiful area and really destroy the happiness of locals.

So after yet another discussion on the area we continued to enjoy our time here. Well that was until I slipped on some rocks and not only pulled my back, cut open my hands, ended up with a wet bottom and shoes and also badly hurt my knee!! Flippin' heck!!

We had a lovely time as always (well apart from the fall!), gorgeous family time, beautiful scenery and a with the spray of freedom in the air we felt right at home...

Bad Blood

I am O neg, and it is as much needed here as it is in the UK. As I had given blood in the UK it was only natural that I should want to do it here.

But no. I am not allowed.

At first my only information was from the NZ blood website was this:

Can I donate blood if I have lived in the UK?
If you lived in the UK, France or the Republic of Ireland for a total of six months or more between 1980 and 1996 then unfortunately you will be permanently deferred from donating blood in New Zealand.

With utter disbelief at what I was seeing I needed to contact someone to ask: why?

It was explained to me that there could be a slight chance we are infected with CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease).

Yep, BSE, or Mad Cow Disease as we more formally know it.

To be honest I am totally appalled by this and feel like I am some type of walking disease. After a bit of research it seems Canada, USA, France and Australia have the same restrictions, and even in the UK you are exempt from giving blood if you have had a blood transfusion since 1980 based on the above.

Yet still I cannot comprehend that people will die because of this. Yes this is a very real and active disease that has and continues to affect people, but let me ask you this...

If you were dying, and the only choices you had was to die, as there was no blood, or receive blood from a British donor - which would you chose?

Surely people should be at least given the choice, as I know what I would do.

And you know that it raises new issues now that if you are British and you have a child here, that child would not be allowed to accept your blood should they need it.

How on earth can anyone consent to or comprehend what could be the purposeful death of a child all for the sake of a choice of blood?

Magical Moments In Makara

Today we went to Makara Beach, we have been so many times (with our parents too) and know that despite having no sand it's still just as gorgeous and very special.

It's located 40 minutes drive from downtown Wellington, and the cliff top walk above Makara Beach provides spectacular views of Cook Strait, the Tasman Sea, Kaikoura Ranges and Mana and Kapiti Islands.

Seeped in history the route not only passes the old gun emplacements which mark the position of Fort Opau, which was garrisoned by 100 soldiers during World War II, but it also passes the site of a Māori pa, which is a Māori settlement area.

We enjoyed a beautiful walk alongside the ocean, listening to the waves and watching the huge amount of bird life, the rock formations and the stunning little rock pools are always worth a visit.

We had a great time throwing rocks into the sea and challenging each other to throw further. Naturally of course Bethany won everytime!

We stoppped off on the way back at the Makara Cafe and Bethany indulged in some chips whilst we sipped our drinks whilst looking out to sea.

Another weekend down but its another one of learning, happiness and laughter as a family of 3.