Summer, Summer, Summertime

It's 7.50am as I write this now. Michael and Bethany have gone off to do their Saturday morning swim thing leaving me home alone. Normally I would take advantage of this and have a bit of a lie in but on a day like today that's not going to happen!

The 1st of December is officially the start of Summer, yet for the last few weeks, despite the odd rainy day Summer has already started. To wake in the morning and see a cloudless blue sky and have temperatures already at 17 degrees, it really is bliss. If this Summer is going to be anything like last Summer then I know for a fact this will become way of life for us now for many months to come.

Still it is a strange one. Christmas is fast approaching - do I feel festive yet? Nah. I think it will take many years before I can get used to watching our Christmas tree decorations twinkle in the sunshine!

Bethany is as you can imagine so very excited. This year she turns 5 on December 22nd and so has a whole new understanding of what Christmas is about. We will be celebrating her birthday on the 14th December this year so we can try and break the two occasions up, the last few years have proved that trying to mix birthday and Christmas pressies together is just confusing and overwhelming! Funny though that for the rest of her life she will always associate her birthday with the sight of a Christmas tree.

Bethany prepared her list to Santa, it took us nearly an hour to sit down, sound out the words and for her to write them, but she got there in the end. Spelling mistakes and all - she was very proud. We popped it into the post to go to the North Pole and Santa should hopefully send her a letter back soon (thank you New Zealand Post!).

My week has been pretty busy, my social calendar has picked up and I have been getting together with my friends nearly every day, it's been lovely. As you might know Bethany is heading off to a school that most of her Kindy friends are not. It's difficult for Bethany to understand the reasons for this and so we have had a few long fuelled conversations on the reasons why.

I have been (selfishly) reluctant to buddy her up with children at her Kindy that are not going to her school as I can't bare the thought of what happened last time, happening again. So I took on the mission to at least seek out two new friends for Bethany that would be going to her school and make a point of her getting together with them.

Luckily for me the two friends Bethany has bonded with (one a boy and one a girl) have amazing mothers too!! I have had such a wonderful time with them, it's so lovely to meet new people and feel like you have known them forever. So here is Bethany and one of her new friends (who is just the most gorgeous girl with her long blond hair and blue eyes!) - all dressed up and ready for some festive fun.

Playing in the garden is foremost, we have had some of the best fun this week, the bubble machine being the most used and easily entertaining toy we have had in a while!

We have also been privileged to meet some of the most kind hearted, soul warming people. Our good friends Justin and Alina have been totally amazing. We did hit a rough patch recently with some neighbour issues (possibly another post on that another time!) but Justin and Alina have been so supportive. We did in fact feel very alone in our troubles yet they stood by us and gave us the strength to rise above it all. We cannot thank them enough.

We have so much to look forward to over the next month. All the festive parties, decorating our house for our first Christmas in our new home, our first Christmas with Denver, celebrating NZ style with a Christmas Day BBQ, our big New Year camping trip and then the arrival of Lynn (Michael's mam) early January for her second trip here with us.

I am so very excited about it all, and to be honest I'm not too worried about feeling festive. Just being here in NZ, knowing we not only made it but are here enjoying our 3rd Christmas in the blazing sunshine is just crazily awesome enough!!

On Days Like These

26 degrees, muggy, and nothing better to do than go on a garden ramble to see what we can find...

Homeowner Joys

We do adore our home, we fell in love with it when we first saw it, and for our first kiwi home it really isn't bad. Yeah its a little small and we do feel its size (the house is just 92 square metres) but being set on a 926 square metre plot what is lacking inside is definitely made up on the outside.

Today is the 1 year anniversary of when we signed the papers, the day we bought our home - how a year has flown!

The garden here is just amazing, it was the dreamy landscaped setting that won it over for us. 'Low maintenance' was mentioned and we were happy. Here we are 1 year later, very little done and suddenly every weed, every plant and all the landscaping now needs some attention!

The biggest job being the decks, two out the back and one main one at the front of the house. They were green, black and just horrible. We knew they would need some work but had no idea how much!

After 4 weeks, 3 tubs of spray cleaner, many night of tears due to being in such agony from scrubbing on my hands and knees, using a water blaster and Michael doing his back in, we now can be proud! From the photos below you can see the changes!

Back steps (the transformation):

Back deck (being stained after cleaning):

Front Deck (in working progress):
Oh the joys of owning your own home! I would like to say this job has been fun, but I won't!!

Next to tackle, the weeds! But don't worry I won't do a post about that, steady on, one post about the decking is by far enough for now!!

Road Trip

The daily commute to work is made better by the fact it's via motorbike. During the harsher winter months I take advantage of the train, using the 35 minutes each way to read books - something neither myself or Marrisa have had time to do in a few years.

My daily ride is about 28Km's each way and is unfortunately mostly a straight line, anything far from scenic or exciting. This weekend was a perfect opportunity to do anything other than straight lines.

A friend at work recently bought a new bike and suggested we go on a road trip one weekend. I don't generally take much persuasion to go on a bike ride so we made a plan.

The route we chose was Wellington to Napier, then on to Taupo for the night, staying at a cheap motel then coming back via Wanganui and the ParaPara's. Only due to a slight technical hitch did we deviate from the plan!

The following video speaks for itself and the ride was nothing short of awesome. All I'll say to back my comment is this: My battery died at Woodville. With help I managed to bump start the bike and ride towards Pahiatua where it failed completely about 10 metres short of the gates of the Tui Bewery at Mangatainoka. If I'd planned to breakdown there, I wouldn't have been able to do it with as much accuracy as I did with the accidental stop!

Bike For Sale

Ahhh, lets get the picture started, a gorgeously warm sunny day in Wellington City. Oriental Bay teeming with people enjoying the outdoors, children laughing and the usual gusty wind blowing our hair in all directions.

A happy time of meeting with friends and appreciating all that life had to offer that day. Giving the children the freedom to ride their gorgeous little push bikes along the most breath taking environment. Ice creams, seagulls and bare feet...you getting the picture now?

It all started with meeting Stef and Daisy, we had planned to take the girls along Oriental Parade before and enjoy a picnic together on the beach but sadly weather had always been a decider for us. Then finally the opportunity came, the skies were blue and the day gorgeous.

As Stef and I walked and talked the girls rode their bikes. All seemed blissful.

Well all would be if Bethany wasn't yelling at the top of her 'I am so badly done to' voice. It seems that poor little hard done to Bethany doesn't like her bike. She got off, she threw it and a series of tantrums followed. Blissful not so much anymore.

(Yes I took photos of it all...good tantrum photos are hard to come by!).

Despite wanting to sellotape her to her bike and make her ride, it was just easier to push the god damn thing from one end of Oriental Parade to the other, whilst Bethany skipped happily alongside. Daisy was an absolute trooper and enjoyed the ride from beginning to end.

It was all smiles the rest of the afternoon once the bike was removed and we had a lovely picnic on the beach. The girls played on the sand and in the water whilst us ladies got to put the world to rights.

So yeah, there is now a beautiful brand new, one lady owner, only ridden 6 times princess bike going that needs a new home! Any takers?

No idea why Bethany hates her bikes so much. She has never had an issues and never fallen off. We have a photo of her somewhere at my parents on her first ever bike screaming just the same! It's no worry though, all kids are different and I guess this just isn't her thing.

Poor old Santa better get his thinking cap on and come up with a better present this year though!

Let's Smile Kids...

Remember that post I did a while back about things that make you smile?

Random things that totally blow you away and make you so grateful for all you have are captured on photo but they are never big enough moments to waffle on about on the blog, so I decided to put them together as one.

Bethany and Denver have been two very lucky kids recently, both have had some crazy moments, so let me share them with you. This weeks 'smiley moments' are:

Bethany

Being so over excited at the fact she could finally get her paddling pool out and enjoy the sunshine:

Getting to meet Tinkerbell from a Peter Pan production that we went to see with the Kindy:

Eating the first of our home grown strawberries:

Playing with Daddy and the garden hose on another gorgeous sunny day:

Having special one on one time with some of her best buddies:

Denver

Getting a new collar (as he has outgrown his second one!) and looking rather regal:

Being just the most gorgeous cuddly cutest dog ever as he slept next to us on the sofa!:

Excitedly running wild and free on the beach:

Getting up close and personal with his own poo (I'm sorry but why would you want to sit so close to it!!):

And finally being the most flat outstretched dog in the world...:

Awesome kids - don't you just love them!!

Feeling Festive?

UPDATE: The video has now been uploaded! For some reason You Tube are giving me grief with the quality of video. It's not fantastic quality sadly but hopefully you can see beyond that - and to the fun in the sun!!


It's November, it's hot and it's the Santa Parade!

We keep talking about how Christmas comes round earlier each year, here in NZ it's sooner than we can ever get used to. Having to prepare and send all our Christmas gifts to the UK early November to guarantee arrival is complete madness. I was wrapping Christmas pressies before I even had my birthday in October!

Last year the Santa Parade rocked Wellington, the parade is literally one of the best we have ever seen. This year it was even better. With over 60,000 people lining the streets of downtown Wellington we were guaranteed a stunning time. The Tip Top Santa Parade did not disappoint.

We met up with Stef, Rich and Daisy and we watched as the most amazing festive creations passed by. Last year we stood in 22 degrees, this year peaked at 19 degrees - and naughtily we have the sun burn yet again to show for it!

It still takes a while to get used to but we are ready for another Christmas New Zealand style!

Ouchy

Poor little Bethany is having a tough time at the moment, not only is she not in the right head space due to things happening outside her doing, but she has today been in the wars.

One striking difference here in NZ to the UK is the laid back approach to everything. Such comments as 'it'll be right mate' are thrown around to ease situations.

When Bethany joined Kindy I was concerned at various things that I saw. The woodwork bench being the most scary with children being allowed to play with full sized hammers and saws. Just last week we watched a fashion show which was recorded and handed out to parents to watch at home. It was so sweet to see all the girls get dressed up and parade down the 'catwalk', but when the catwalk was a balance beam covered with a loose sheet and the girls toddled off in adult sized heels, we could do nothing be cringe as we watched it.

Today I arrived at Kindy to pick up Bethany, and was greeted by one of the teachers. She informed me that Bethany had cut her hand with a knife whilst preparing the fruit for everyone. I didn't of course make a big deal of it, they assured me it was only slight and Bethany looked fine so off we went. Of course a little miffed that no-one had called me, but I just smiled and took my brave girl home.

Expecting a slight cut under the huge plaster, my mouth fell open when I had to take it off due to a bleed through. Poor Bethany's hand was so badly cut that I had to phone the Doctors for an emergency appointment. She needed some butterfly stitches!

I am trying to be cool about this but I am in fact very annoyed. Bethany is 4 years old and being allowed to use a knife that can cause such damage is terrible. The headteacher wasn't at Kindy today so I spoke with one of the other teachers on the phone about it and sadly nothing was really said to explain what happened, so I will speak to the head next week.

No swimming, no getting her hand wet and no over exertion makes Bethany one unhappy girly. I took her off to the shops to cheer her up and she was allowed to buy a gift for being so brave, but painful tears at bed time tonight was just awful.

There is nothing worse than a Health and Safety freak, someone who just wants to take the fun out of everything. But this time maybe I might need to be one of those as there really was no fun from this at all.