Hi,
Another lovely day in Wellington. We haven't had a run of good weather like this for ages. It is a little windy though but I am not complaining. The sunflower seedlings are taking a beating from the wind. I'd better thibnk carefully about where they get planted in the garden to try and get sun, but respite from the wind.
Last night we popped around for dinner at Ma and Dad's place and wee Toby decided he missed us too much. So he came back home with us to sleep at home. We finished the stairwell painting - we just need to varnish the handrail and put it back up. Cool!
This morning we dropped off Toby with Ma and got a call at 8.45am asking where Toby's shoes were. Oops. Toby has to walk around the supermarket with Ma with barefeet. Heheheheh.
We might be able to leave a little earlier than usual from work if we're lucky. The drive into town was so quiet. Most people must already be away on holiday. I think I might take annual leave on Christmas Eve next year. There is always so much to do.
So, the blog might be quiet for a while over the holidays. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a lovely New Year. Some of you I will see, but some of you are overseas and I miss you at this time of year more than usual. Getting together with family and friends is marvellous over Christmas.
Love you lots,
Angela
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Dec 23
Hi,
Another pleasant evening spent painting the stairwell. It now has a second coat and we have returned the planks to Ian (Andrew's cousin). We only have a wee bit at the bottom (where we can reach without scaffolding) to get done.
Yesterday I caught the bus home with some packages as I had the start of a migraine. It really came to nowt although I do have a slightly woolly head this morning. We then drove to Grandy and Gramps' house to find them all well. Toby is exceeedingly happy with his holiday at Camp Richardson. He got to go to Lollipop Playland yesterday and has the Kirks Christmas windows to look at today, and Planet 51 with Grandy (a new movie). No wonder Mum said he played a game yesterday that meant he was Grandy's child, and Mum and Dad were his Aunty and Uncle. Hhhmmmmmm. Should I be concerned? :-)
Tonight we'll finish off the bottom of the stairwell (it should be very quick) and then tidy up the house in preparation for Christmas Day.
The weather is so nice here in Wellington. No wind at all last night. When we left home at 6pm there were people packing their car and trailer for a big expedition for summer holidays at the bottom of Norwich St. They were still going at 7pm when we returned. And going strong at 9.30pm when Mike took the planks back. But gone by 10pm. We're hoping it wasn't much longer than the 3.5 hour marathon we witnessed. It was like watching an army exercise. Mother marshalling the equipment gathering, a mountain of gear on the front lawn, a gaping trailer, father and children scurrying around.
As the radio people said this morning - it is Christmas Eve's eve today! Woo hoo!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Another pleasant evening spent painting the stairwell. It now has a second coat and we have returned the planks to Ian (Andrew's cousin). We only have a wee bit at the bottom (where we can reach without scaffolding) to get done.
Yesterday I caught the bus home with some packages as I had the start of a migraine. It really came to nowt although I do have a slightly woolly head this morning. We then drove to Grandy and Gramps' house to find them all well. Toby is exceeedingly happy with his holiday at Camp Richardson. He got to go to Lollipop Playland yesterday and has the Kirks Christmas windows to look at today, and Planet 51 with Grandy (a new movie). No wonder Mum said he played a game yesterday that meant he was Grandy's child, and Mum and Dad were his Aunty and Uncle. Hhhmmmmmm. Should I be concerned? :-)
Tonight we'll finish off the bottom of the stairwell (it should be very quick) and then tidy up the house in preparation for Christmas Day.
The weather is so nice here in Wellington. No wind at all last night. When we left home at 6pm there were people packing their car and trailer for a big expedition for summer holidays at the bottom of Norwich St. They were still going at 7pm when we returned. And going strong at 9.30pm when Mike took the planks back. But gone by 10pm. We're hoping it wasn't much longer than the 3.5 hour marathon we witnessed. It was like watching an army exercise. Mother marshalling the equipment gathering, a mountain of gear on the front lawn, a gaping trailer, father and children scurrying around.
As the radio people said this morning - it is Christmas Eve's eve today! Woo hoo!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Dec 22
Hi,
I am very confused. As I wrote down Dec 22, it said to me "Christmas is only 3 days away" but my brain isn't saying it is that close. It seems to have snuck up on me. It's all hurtling towards Christmas morning, gathering momentum.
However, despite all that, we got the first coat of paint on the stairwell last night. We had dinner at Grandy and Gramps' house and then Toby asked to sleep the night. That was perfect for us to get the painting done. And another coat tonight might see it all finished. After work today we'll ride home, collect our car (and some clothes for Toby if he wants to stay another night), collect a head of broccoli from the garden (they have come up mighty fine and they are ready to eat!), have dinner in Ngaio and then come home and finish the painting in the stairwell. With or without Toby.
Of course, that will leave the painting in the hallway to do - Mike has decided it needs another coat, and to go a wee bit lighter. So, still not finished up on the top story. But pretty close. Mike's mother laid some lino down in the downstairs toilet while she was here (our toilet leaked and ruined our already-unsightly cork tiles) and it looks pretty good. That makes it quite habitable down there now too.
We had the sparky in last week, so we need to move the television downstairs and sort out the TV room, the green room and Toby's room. Phew! Lucky we have a holiday soon.
So, a busy week in store. Work has a few things on so that is keeping me occupied during the day.
So, have a great day!
Love,
Angela
I am very confused. As I wrote down Dec 22, it said to me "Christmas is only 3 days away" but my brain isn't saying it is that close. It seems to have snuck up on me. It's all hurtling towards Christmas morning, gathering momentum.
However, despite all that, we got the first coat of paint on the stairwell last night. We had dinner at Grandy and Gramps' house and then Toby asked to sleep the night. That was perfect for us to get the painting done. And another coat tonight might see it all finished. After work today we'll ride home, collect our car (and some clothes for Toby if he wants to stay another night), collect a head of broccoli from the garden (they have come up mighty fine and they are ready to eat!), have dinner in Ngaio and then come home and finish the painting in the stairwell. With or without Toby.
Of course, that will leave the painting in the hallway to do - Mike has decided it needs another coat, and to go a wee bit lighter. So, still not finished up on the top story. But pretty close. Mike's mother laid some lino down in the downstairs toilet while she was here (our toilet leaked and ruined our already-unsightly cork tiles) and it looks pretty good. That makes it quite habitable down there now too.
We had the sparky in last week, so we need to move the television downstairs and sort out the TV room, the green room and Toby's room. Phew! Lucky we have a holiday soon.
So, a busy week in store. Work has a few things on so that is keeping me occupied during the day.
So, have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Monday, December 21, 2009
Good morning on Mon, Dec 21
Hi,
What a lovely, relaxing weekend. It isn't often we have absolutely nothing scheduled on a weekend. We lazily got up late on Saturday (well, I did and Toby did) and made breakfast. Then the Tabors rang and suggested Lollipops Playland for the boys. Mike was all enthusiastic for DIY (painting and stuff) so he thought the idea of Toby being away for a few hours was great so he could get stuck in.
At the last moment I decided to go with the Tabors (well, Aidan only as Josh had something on) so we sat and drank tea while the boys ran off lots of energy. We hadn't chatted for a while, so my book never even got out of my bag.
After Lollipops, Mike had arrived after buying all the DIY stuff we need, so we went to a cafe on the Petone beach. It was very good but the name escapes me. It is over the top of a rowing club near the jetty. The food was pretty good and the reason for going, the churros with chocolate dipping sauce, was worth it! Yum!
We got back home and chilled for a bit until Kara arrived for dinner (spag bol from Mike) and stayed for a while. We offered to drive her home so she got merry. We watched a movie and then drove her home. It was still very windy. The wind at her place was strong.
Sunday was another lazy start. Mike drove Kara's car home and when he got back, I collected Ma for some shopping out at Harvey Norman and Queensgate. We got the last wee bits pretty much done. Not much to go now. Just groceries really. We had our first BBQ of the summer last night. Yum!
Ma entertained Sally and Andrew on Saturday night and that went well too. I think that covers the major points from the weekend. The rest of the week looks good for the weather here. Fingers crossed.
Christmas is gathering speed and approaching fast! Mike's parents are set to arrive for a fleeting Christmas here now. That is good news. Here Christmas Eve and away a few days later. But very good to see there here!
Have a great week leading up to Christmas.
Love,
Angela
What a lovely, relaxing weekend. It isn't often we have absolutely nothing scheduled on a weekend. We lazily got up late on Saturday (well, I did and Toby did) and made breakfast. Then the Tabors rang and suggested Lollipops Playland for the boys. Mike was all enthusiastic for DIY (painting and stuff) so he thought the idea of Toby being away for a few hours was great so he could get stuck in.
At the last moment I decided to go with the Tabors (well, Aidan only as Josh had something on) so we sat and drank tea while the boys ran off lots of energy. We hadn't chatted for a while, so my book never even got out of my bag.
After Lollipops, Mike had arrived after buying all the DIY stuff we need, so we went to a cafe on the Petone beach. It was very good but the name escapes me. It is over the top of a rowing club near the jetty. The food was pretty good and the reason for going, the churros with chocolate dipping sauce, was worth it! Yum!
We got back home and chilled for a bit until Kara arrived for dinner (spag bol from Mike) and stayed for a while. We offered to drive her home so she got merry. We watched a movie and then drove her home. It was still very windy. The wind at her place was strong.
Sunday was another lazy start. Mike drove Kara's car home and when he got back, I collected Ma for some shopping out at Harvey Norman and Queensgate. We got the last wee bits pretty much done. Not much to go now. Just groceries really. We had our first BBQ of the summer last night. Yum!
Ma entertained Sally and Andrew on Saturday night and that went well too. I think that covers the major points from the weekend. The rest of the week looks good for the weather here. Fingers crossed.
Christmas is gathering speed and approaching fast! Mike's parents are set to arrive for a fleeting Christmas here now. That is good news. Here Christmas Eve and away a few days later. But very good to see there here!
Have a great week leading up to Christmas.
Love,
Angela
Good morning - 4 sleeps til Christmas
Angela's just got back from her breakfast so I'll try to get the blog entry in before her this m0rning. Or maybe we'll both post at the same time - you'll get two takes on the same thing! If there's any difference, then I'm right and she's wrong.
We had a pretty good weekend with nothing pressing and urgent to do for the first time in weeks. We were planning on bike riding on Saturday but it was a bit breezy so instead, we went to Lollipops Playland with his friends Duncan & Emerson instead. Angela & Toby went off with them, I had some messages to do so I drove about buying paint and collecting cheese and so on, before I made it out to meet them. Everyone had lots of fun - Toby & his friends running about and all the parents drinking coffee and chatting. Then I we headed to the Jetty Cafe on the Petone beachfront for a late lunch and their famous Churros - yummy 'unrolled donuts' with frangelico chocolate dipping sauce. Mmmm-mm!!!
Kara came around that evening and it was great to catch up with her. I put together a Spag Bol that was pretty good if I say so myself, especially with no Tomato Paste in the cupboard which meant I had to improvise (and reduce the sauce for 40 mins). Then we had wine and cheese (Kara's Bella Italia cheese and our famous Fromager Des Clarines from Truffle) and watched ... some of a movie before we called it a day.
Sunday we all slept in - we had to go and wake Toby at 9am!! Very unusual. A nice quiet day where we were supposed to paint the stairwell but didn't. First job was to drop back Kara's car, I headed out to her place in Seatoun and then rode the No 14 bus from end to end - from Kilburnie near the airport all the way to Wilton - meaning I had a 15min walk back home. Then Angela took her mum to Harvey Norman in the afternoon, which I took to mean a quick 1hr trip into town to see her Dad, but was actually an all-afternoon marathon at Lower Hutt. So I lounged about waiting for her to come home and help me with the painting, which was absolutely fantastic - nothing done but no guilt. Oh well. Painting the stairwell is an evening job now. We'll see if we can't knock it off before Christmas.
We had a pretty good weekend with nothing pressing and urgent to do for the first time in weeks. We were planning on bike riding on Saturday but it was a bit breezy so instead, we went to Lollipops Playland with his friends Duncan & Emerson instead. Angela & Toby went off with them, I had some messages to do so I drove about buying paint and collecting cheese and so on, before I made it out to meet them. Everyone had lots of fun - Toby & his friends running about and all the parents drinking coffee and chatting. Then I we headed to the Jetty Cafe on the Petone beachfront for a late lunch and their famous Churros - yummy 'unrolled donuts' with frangelico chocolate dipping sauce. Mmmm-mm!!!
Kara came around that evening and it was great to catch up with her. I put together a Spag Bol that was pretty good if I say so myself, especially with no Tomato Paste in the cupboard which meant I had to improvise (and reduce the sauce for 40 mins). Then we had wine and cheese (Kara's Bella Italia cheese and our famous Fromager Des Clarines from Truffle) and watched ... some of a movie before we called it a day.
Sunday we all slept in - we had to go and wake Toby at 9am!! Very unusual. A nice quiet day where we were supposed to paint the stairwell but didn't. First job was to drop back Kara's car, I headed out to her place in Seatoun and then rode the No 14 bus from end to end - from Kilburnie near the airport all the way to Wilton - meaning I had a 15min walk back home. Then Angela took her mum to Harvey Norman in the afternoon, which I took to mean a quick 1hr trip into town to see her Dad, but was actually an all-afternoon marathon at Lower Hutt. So I lounged about waiting for her to come home and help me with the painting, which was absolutely fantastic - nothing done but no guilt. Oh well. Painting the stairwell is an evening job now. We'll see if we can't knock it off before Christmas.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Good morning on Fri, Dec 18
Hi,
Toby's last day of school. I'm riding home at midday to collect him at 12.30pm. We'll pick up my mother and Mike's mother and head to the airport to drop Mike's mother off. Then we might find a cafe to celebrate the end of school. I was hoping to go swimming at a beach, but the weather is very gusty. So it might not work out that way.
We talked to some more architects last night and it is possible that we might ask these people to go to the next step. We'll see if we like the houses they send us of ones they have done lately. They made us feel quietly confident about it.
The spag bol was quite a hit, the Kittos will be pleased to know. Toby asked for two lots of mince on his spaghetti. Munched his way through the first lot and asked for seconds. So, I declare his misadventure with spag bol a thing of the past. Heheheheheh.
Roll on the weekend. No swimming. So we really have nothing on. However, we have said yes to entertaining Kara on Saturday night and yes to a possible bike ride on the Hutt River trail somewhere. Cool!
Oh - I forgot to mention Toby got his school report and he made us very proud. They categorise many, many areas into three labels: needs improvement, average and excels. Now, the real terms are something fancy that means everything sounds fine. But it boils down to that in reality. Toby got either average or excels in everything! Reading and independent work are his forte. He is in Year 3 next year and we think he has Mrs Mahoney again (his first year teacher) but we got a confusing note in his backpack yesterday saying parents have been in touch and something weird is happening. Not 100% sure what. Toby's Room 12 might be Room 7. Not sure why. Not sure about teachers. Maybe some parents know more about the geography of the school and Room 12 is situated far from the other rooms of that year. That is my first thought. Hence the change to Room 7 (which, in my wee sheltered world of assumptions based solely on conjecture on my part, means it is closer to the other Year 2/3 room). So my guess is, Toby will be in Room 7 with Mrs Mahoney and it'll be close-ish to the other Year 2/3 class.
Have a marvellous weekend. See you for the short but very exciting week next week.
Love,
Angela
Toby's last day of school. I'm riding home at midday to collect him at 12.30pm. We'll pick up my mother and Mike's mother and head to the airport to drop Mike's mother off. Then we might find a cafe to celebrate the end of school. I was hoping to go swimming at a beach, but the weather is very gusty. So it might not work out that way.
We talked to some more architects last night and it is possible that we might ask these people to go to the next step. We'll see if we like the houses they send us of ones they have done lately. They made us feel quietly confident about it.
The spag bol was quite a hit, the Kittos will be pleased to know. Toby asked for two lots of mince on his spaghetti. Munched his way through the first lot and asked for seconds. So, I declare his misadventure with spag bol a thing of the past. Heheheheheh.
Roll on the weekend. No swimming. So we really have nothing on. However, we have said yes to entertaining Kara on Saturday night and yes to a possible bike ride on the Hutt River trail somewhere. Cool!
Oh - I forgot to mention Toby got his school report and he made us very proud. They categorise many, many areas into three labels: needs improvement, average and excels. Now, the real terms are something fancy that means everything sounds fine. But it boils down to that in reality. Toby got either average or excels in everything! Reading and independent work are his forte. He is in Year 3 next year and we think he has Mrs Mahoney again (his first year teacher) but we got a confusing note in his backpack yesterday saying parents have been in touch and something weird is happening. Not 100% sure what. Toby's Room 12 might be Room 7. Not sure why. Not sure about teachers. Maybe some parents know more about the geography of the school and Room 12 is situated far from the other rooms of that year. That is my first thought. Hence the change to Room 7 (which, in my wee sheltered world of assumptions based solely on conjecture on my part, means it is closer to the other Year 2/3 room). So my guess is, Toby will be in Room 7 with Mrs Mahoney and it'll be close-ish to the other Year 2/3 class.
Have a marvellous weekend. See you for the short but very exciting week next week.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Dec 17
Hi,
What an absolutely beautiful day here in Wellington. No wind, so hot last night we had to open the bedroom window. Just a normal summer day. How pleasant. Our ride down the hill was fantastic! Fast, warm, sunny. Shame I got a migraine halfway down but fortunately I got to work before the visual aura obscured some cars! Heheheheh. The visual disturbance is almost gone now.
Last night was the last karate night for the year. Toby's class was normal but held in the school playground. But the Dragon's class after that was a "traditional" end of year water fight. Toby had his super soakers and defended the access he was given to cover admirably. He was wet and cold after it all, but he had a ball. They also provided a bit of a snack and cake. Then we went to collect Hell Pizza for dinner and Toby ate heaps of that too.
Finally to bed and he went to bed very well after bouncing on the trampoline for 5 minutes. The weather was lovely last night too.
Tonight we meet the last architect in our series of chats. Let's see what that holds. Ma - feel free to collect wee Toby and take him to the library if you like. Otherwise he'll probably be bored listening to us chat away. But no worries. He did fine on Tuesday.
I have mince out for spag bol tonight. Yummo! We haven't had that for a while. Sllluuurrrrrpppp.
I have a half day tomorrow and will collect wee Toby from school at 12.30. Then we can drop Nana off at the airport and perhaps enjoy some sun. Ma - do you want to come with us?
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
What an absolutely beautiful day here in Wellington. No wind, so hot last night we had to open the bedroom window. Just a normal summer day. How pleasant. Our ride down the hill was fantastic! Fast, warm, sunny. Shame I got a migraine halfway down but fortunately I got to work before the visual aura obscured some cars! Heheheheh. The visual disturbance is almost gone now.
Last night was the last karate night for the year. Toby's class was normal but held in the school playground. But the Dragon's class after that was a "traditional" end of year water fight. Toby had his super soakers and defended the access he was given to cover admirably. He was wet and cold after it all, but he had a ball. They also provided a bit of a snack and cake. Then we went to collect Hell Pizza for dinner and Toby ate heaps of that too.
Finally to bed and he went to bed very well after bouncing on the trampoline for 5 minutes. The weather was lovely last night too.
Tonight we meet the last architect in our series of chats. Let's see what that holds. Ma - feel free to collect wee Toby and take him to the library if you like. Otherwise he'll probably be bored listening to us chat away. But no worries. He did fine on Tuesday.
I have mince out for spag bol tonight. Yummo! We haven't had that for a while. Sllluuurrrrrpppp.
I have a half day tomorrow and will collect wee Toby from school at 12.30. Then we can drop Nana off at the airport and perhaps enjoy some sun. Ma - do you want to come with us?
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Dec 16
Hi,
Another odd evening in the Gilbert household. But I am chuffed to say I beat Mike home for our 1730 appointment. He decided to take the bus to get home on time and I rode home. Mike was nowhere to be seen when I got in and he was a good 10 minutes after me. Slow route 22. Heheheheh.
Anyhow, the appointment with the architect went on for a while and we tossed ideas back and forth. Even after she had gone, it stimulated a lot of discussion between us. However, Mike and I went for a walk to Andy's place to get the key and learn about their cats. We're feeding them over the Christmas break and Karen and Scott will stay there as well. But the walk meant we had a good chat about the house.
When we got back, Mike was drawing ideas out on paper. It was a lot of fun. Mike's mother was worried it'd keep us up all night but I was asleep in seconds.
Toby slept well last night after being ignored due to the meeting. He ate his way through the sausage casserole as it is a meal he really loves. Today is tennis day and karate day. The last karate day for the year (oh - should we cancel that payment too Mike?) is a water pistol fight. I must find his togs when I get home.
Ma and Pa, are you popping over for dinner? Mike's mother may be around but we'll find out later on I guess for sure.
Also, Queensgate is open till 10pm on Friday night. So if any of you fancy a shopping expedition (Vivienne, Sally?), Ma and I will wander out there for tea on Friday around 6pm.
That's about it. I need a nice, big bup of tea.
Have a marvellous day!
Love,
Angela
Another odd evening in the Gilbert household. But I am chuffed to say I beat Mike home for our 1730 appointment. He decided to take the bus to get home on time and I rode home. Mike was nowhere to be seen when I got in and he was a good 10 minutes after me. Slow route 22. Heheheheh.
Anyhow, the appointment with the architect went on for a while and we tossed ideas back and forth. Even after she had gone, it stimulated a lot of discussion between us. However, Mike and I went for a walk to Andy's place to get the key and learn about their cats. We're feeding them over the Christmas break and Karen and Scott will stay there as well. But the walk meant we had a good chat about the house.
When we got back, Mike was drawing ideas out on paper. It was a lot of fun. Mike's mother was worried it'd keep us up all night but I was asleep in seconds.
Toby slept well last night after being ignored due to the meeting. He ate his way through the sausage casserole as it is a meal he really loves. Today is tennis day and karate day. The last karate day for the year (oh - should we cancel that payment too Mike?) is a water pistol fight. I must find his togs when I get home.
Ma and Pa, are you popping over for dinner? Mike's mother may be around but we'll find out later on I guess for sure.
Also, Queensgate is open till 10pm on Friday night. So if any of you fancy a shopping expedition (Vivienne, Sally?), Ma and I will wander out there for tea on Friday around 6pm.
That's about it. I need a nice, big bup of tea.
Have a marvellous day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Dec 15
Hi,
We had a weird evening really. We decided to have Nandos for dinner in Johnsonville because we needed to collect the builders planks from Ian (Andrew's cousin) to start painting the stairwell and Ian lives out that way. Then after we got them, we drove back home via four houses showcasing one of the architects we're considering. I think Toby thought it was a very odd evening. But then again, he seems to expect oddness from his parents.
Today we meet another architect at home to discuss ideas. That is after work, so we'll all be heading home to check out this person's ideas. And I think we have another one lined up on Thursday. So it'll be very exciting.
I'm meeting my mother for lunch today to get some shopping done. A few more wee things. The weather is nippier than I expected and the ride in took a wee while to get me warm. It is supposed to clear during the day so I expect Mum and I will be wandering around in nicer conditions.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
We had a weird evening really. We decided to have Nandos for dinner in Johnsonville because we needed to collect the builders planks from Ian (Andrew's cousin) to start painting the stairwell and Ian lives out that way. Then after we got them, we drove back home via four houses showcasing one of the architects we're considering. I think Toby thought it was a very odd evening. But then again, he seems to expect oddness from his parents.
Today we meet another architect at home to discuss ideas. That is after work, so we'll all be heading home to check out this person's ideas. And I think we have another one lined up on Thursday. So it'll be very exciting.
I'm meeting my mother for lunch today to get some shopping done. A few more wee things. The weather is nippier than I expected and the ride in took a wee while to get me warm. It is supposed to clear during the day so I expect Mum and I will be wandering around in nicer conditions.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Monday, December 14, 2009
Good morning on Mon, Dec 14
Hi,
I know you're all keen to hear about the birthday weekend so we may as well get stuck into the details. Friday night at the tennis went well. Toby liked being a parent teacher beside me. He is now an "Improver" rather than a beginner. However, he is very hit and miss (horrible pun!). I ended up with no children at once stage near 6.45pm, so I told the organiser I was heading home for Toby's birthday party. Good timing too as Mike just arrived with dinner and Sally and Andrew arrived then too. Vivienne and John and Benjamin arrived as the food was getting dished out so we all sat down and enjoyed the Indian takeaways. John broke into a sweat at one stage and I blame the very hot fish dish (that was supposed to be medium).
Toby got to open many presents, with the remote controlled Ferrari scoring well, and the magic trick cloth being a highlight. Not long after that, we were off to bed to have a good sleep to be super ready for the big day on Saturday.
Saturday dawned with wild weather. Windy and the light rain was being hurled at the windows. More like June weather than December weather. But not cold. Toby and I got ready to go swimming for the last day for the year. We dropped off to the supermarket to get a wee box of chocolates for Toby's swim instructor and he was chuffed to note he was the only kids in his class to give the instructor a wee present. He swam very well, once he concentrated. It's hard to swim on your birthday and listen to instructions!
As we were leaving the pool to find a change room, Mike rang to say his car battery was flat and we needed to hoon to the venue in Newtown first because he had to wait for the AA. Oh dear. And that wasn't the limit of his adventurous morning filled with woe. The beautiful cake he iced lovingly had sweated off all the icing. He had to go into damage control and retrieve the situation. And he did it admirably.
So Toby and I pulled into the Junglerama carpark at 11.30am on the dot. Not too bad when we were climbing out of the pool 35 minutes before in the Hutt Valley! Everything kicked off and went smoothly. The food arrived at 12.05pm and we ended up one child place short (we had 13 children and I had counted 12). But when we went up to the staff to ask for an extra place, they said they wouldn't charge us. Sssshhhh. The staff were very nice. Especially when I went back for an icepack when some troubled child bit two of our children very hard.
Mike's cake was very successful and every last piece was consumed before we left Junglerama. It has been re-iced that morning after the disaster and I could hardly tell. Amazing. Toby loved it. It was shaped like his toy called Monskey.
Toby had a ball - I could tell. He was hardly visible as he played and played. He stripped off to his singlet very early on. He did look dashing in his new shirt, but it got the flick. Never mind.
Then back home with 6 other children (well, 5 initially, but the 6th one turned up a bit later). The weather had come right and the children played inside and out. Mike's mother arrived from Dunedin and my parents came as well for another birthday bash. Toby loved his presents from my parents. He got a guitar like mine so we're going to be a mini-band. We're going to play Michael Finnegan. Over and over. Till our fingers bleed.
The kids all slept in the lounge and chilled out after dinner with a movie (Space Chimps) and Toby had chosen well as all the kids were completely absorbed in it from start to end. Then they were very good going to sleep with hardly any intervention by Mike required.
Next morning was early - 6am start as the kids all woke up. Wally arrived early because he was all alone, having just dropped Lesley and Hannah off. But by 10am, all the kids were gone and we had the house to ourselves. We had a relaxing Sunday and Mike got the wardrobe ready for the sparky arriving this week. We want a plug in there for the TV and computer.
So, now it's back to work and ready for the next two weeks before the Christmas break. Cool!
Have a great week. Hope your weekend went well.
Love,
Angela
I know you're all keen to hear about the birthday weekend so we may as well get stuck into the details. Friday night at the tennis went well. Toby liked being a parent teacher beside me. He is now an "Improver" rather than a beginner. However, he is very hit and miss (horrible pun!). I ended up with no children at once stage near 6.45pm, so I told the organiser I was heading home for Toby's birthday party. Good timing too as Mike just arrived with dinner and Sally and Andrew arrived then too. Vivienne and John and Benjamin arrived as the food was getting dished out so we all sat down and enjoyed the Indian takeaways. John broke into a sweat at one stage and I blame the very hot fish dish (that was supposed to be medium).
Toby got to open many presents, with the remote controlled Ferrari scoring well, and the magic trick cloth being a highlight. Not long after that, we were off to bed to have a good sleep to be super ready for the big day on Saturday.
Saturday dawned with wild weather. Windy and the light rain was being hurled at the windows. More like June weather than December weather. But not cold. Toby and I got ready to go swimming for the last day for the year. We dropped off to the supermarket to get a wee box of chocolates for Toby's swim instructor and he was chuffed to note he was the only kids in his class to give the instructor a wee present. He swam very well, once he concentrated. It's hard to swim on your birthday and listen to instructions!
As we were leaving the pool to find a change room, Mike rang to say his car battery was flat and we needed to hoon to the venue in Newtown first because he had to wait for the AA. Oh dear. And that wasn't the limit of his adventurous morning filled with woe. The beautiful cake he iced lovingly had sweated off all the icing. He had to go into damage control and retrieve the situation. And he did it admirably.
So Toby and I pulled into the Junglerama carpark at 11.30am on the dot. Not too bad when we were climbing out of the pool 35 minutes before in the Hutt Valley! Everything kicked off and went smoothly. The food arrived at 12.05pm and we ended up one child place short (we had 13 children and I had counted 12). But when we went up to the staff to ask for an extra place, they said they wouldn't charge us. Sssshhhh. The staff were very nice. Especially when I went back for an icepack when some troubled child bit two of our children very hard.
Mike's cake was very successful and every last piece was consumed before we left Junglerama. It has been re-iced that morning after the disaster and I could hardly tell. Amazing. Toby loved it. It was shaped like his toy called Monskey.
Toby had a ball - I could tell. He was hardly visible as he played and played. He stripped off to his singlet very early on. He did look dashing in his new shirt, but it got the flick. Never mind.
Then back home with 6 other children (well, 5 initially, but the 6th one turned up a bit later). The weather had come right and the children played inside and out. Mike's mother arrived from Dunedin and my parents came as well for another birthday bash. Toby loved his presents from my parents. He got a guitar like mine so we're going to be a mini-band. We're going to play Michael Finnegan. Over and over. Till our fingers bleed.
The kids all slept in the lounge and chilled out after dinner with a movie (Space Chimps) and Toby had chosen well as all the kids were completely absorbed in it from start to end. Then they were very good going to sleep with hardly any intervention by Mike required.
Next morning was early - 6am start as the kids all woke up. Wally arrived early because he was all alone, having just dropped Lesley and Hannah off. But by 10am, all the kids were gone and we had the house to ourselves. We had a relaxing Sunday and Mike got the wardrobe ready for the sparky arriving this week. We want a plug in there for the TV and computer.
So, now it's back to work and ready for the next two weeks before the Christmas break. Cool!
Have a great week. Hope your weekend went well.
Love,
Angela
Friday, December 11, 2009
Good morning on Fri, Dec 11
Hi,
Happy birthday to wee Toby for tomorrow (and tonight - how does he get three parties???). Yesterday was our big work Christmas party and it was very good. Mike was pleased to get to use my two free drinks voucher and bring me the free lemonades. It was getting to 5pm and Mike was saying he'd kick on for another 2 hours when Dad rang and told me Ma needed me. Turns out our neighbour had driven out of her driveway and into Mum and Dad's car. The two doors on the driver's side are pushed in a bit. The driver's door doesn't actually open anymore. But Mum was ok and Toby was ok about it all. Neither of them were in the car at the time.
Anyhow, it meant Mike came home with me. But we ate a yummy meal Mum cooked and we got stuck into the cake making in a big way. We have done the loot bags and the cake is 99% done and looks fantastic. Stay tuned for a photo of it in a day or two. Now we just need everything to go without a hitch and it'll all be over. Tonight is family event number 1, featuring the Lewises and the Gilbert/Bichans. Mike is keen on Indian takeways. I have tennis club duties, but the state of the current weather in Wellington may make that committment moot.
Then tomorrow is swimming and straight to the venue for friends event number 2. We are there from 11.30am to about 2pm with the tent booked from 12- 1pm. After this, we'll be heading home with 6 other children to stay for a sleepover. Toby has chosen the DVD they will watch (Space Chimps) and I am hoping they will all sleep in sleeping bags on the floor of the lounge.
Dinner will be family event number 3, with my parents and Mike's mother (who turns up at 1630). We need to feed the masses, so I am envisaging cheerios, sausage rolls, party pies and a fruit platter.
Phew! Fingers crossed this goes well.
Have a great weekend. Stay dry if you're in Wellington!
Love,
Angela
Happy birthday to wee Toby for tomorrow (and tonight - how does he get three parties???). Yesterday was our big work Christmas party and it was very good. Mike was pleased to get to use my two free drinks voucher and bring me the free lemonades. It was getting to 5pm and Mike was saying he'd kick on for another 2 hours when Dad rang and told me Ma needed me. Turns out our neighbour had driven out of her driveway and into Mum and Dad's car. The two doors on the driver's side are pushed in a bit. The driver's door doesn't actually open anymore. But Mum was ok and Toby was ok about it all. Neither of them were in the car at the time.
Anyhow, it meant Mike came home with me. But we ate a yummy meal Mum cooked and we got stuck into the cake making in a big way. We have done the loot bags and the cake is 99% done and looks fantastic. Stay tuned for a photo of it in a day or two. Now we just need everything to go without a hitch and it'll all be over. Tonight is family event number 1, featuring the Lewises and the Gilbert/Bichans. Mike is keen on Indian takeways. I have tennis club duties, but the state of the current weather in Wellington may make that committment moot.
Then tomorrow is swimming and straight to the venue for friends event number 2. We are there from 11.30am to about 2pm with the tent booked from 12- 1pm. After this, we'll be heading home with 6 other children to stay for a sleepover. Toby has chosen the DVD they will watch (Space Chimps) and I am hoping they will all sleep in sleeping bags on the floor of the lounge.
Dinner will be family event number 3, with my parents and Mike's mother (who turns up at 1630). We need to feed the masses, so I am envisaging cheerios, sausage rolls, party pies and a fruit platter.
Phew! Fingers crossed this goes well.
Have a great weekend. Stay dry if you're in Wellington!
Love,
Angela
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Dec 10
Hi,
I took the bus in this morning because it's our big work Christmas party this afternoon. The logistics of coming and going from the venue to get my bike and gear is too much compared to stepping out of the hotel and walking onto a bus. But Ma will collect Toby anyway, just in case. I hate relying on public transport to collect Toby and we have to pay money if we're late.
We are booked into a house in St Arnaud for New Years. Dec 30, 31 and Jan 1. We can probably stay a little longer too as the next people aren't in until Jan 7 or something. So now we need to book the ferry crossing (fingers crossed there). We can do a tramp into Lakehead Hut with Tyler and Karen while we're there instead of the tramp tp Paua Hut. Lakehead is lovely and it is supposed to be 3 hours there (although Toby managed to make it much longer on the way in when we did it with him - but he only took about 3.5 back, so who knows). I have no idea about this house and its condition. There is only one way to find out. It does sound like a normal house though. We shall see. I am getting a guest brochure mailed out to me so that might prove somewhat illuminating.
We baked cakes last night to make Toby's birthday cake for Saturday. Tonight is where we ice it. Gulp! I can't help thinking of the times Karen and I made Toby's and Tyler's cakes for various birthdays in Australia. They were usually long, giggly affairs where the final outcome was barely recognisable compared to the picture in the infamous Women's Weekly Kids Birthday Cakes book!
Karate was funny last night. Toby was in one of those moods - along with most of the children. Next week is the last one for the year and they have a traditional water fight. So, towel and water pistols are required for next week. Dad is digging out the water pistols at his house today. Heheheheh.
What else? I am sure there is something else, but I can't recall it right now. Toby is booked into his new swimming class next year (Penguins, and at the same time of 10.30). When I told him about Tyler's acting lessons next year he decided he wanted to do it too. Although he wants to do it with Tyler in Sydney. Oh dear. So I might be investigating that drama class for children here in Upper Hutt yet.
I'm going to call it quits now. The plan of typing my flow of consciousness in the hope that niggling forgotten item will surface is only resulting in a blethering blog about waffle. Bit like a conversation with me in person, really.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
I took the bus in this morning because it's our big work Christmas party this afternoon. The logistics of coming and going from the venue to get my bike and gear is too much compared to stepping out of the hotel and walking onto a bus. But Ma will collect Toby anyway, just in case. I hate relying on public transport to collect Toby and we have to pay money if we're late.
We are booked into a house in St Arnaud for New Years. Dec 30, 31 and Jan 1. We can probably stay a little longer too as the next people aren't in until Jan 7 or something. So now we need to book the ferry crossing (fingers crossed there). We can do a tramp into Lakehead Hut with Tyler and Karen while we're there instead of the tramp tp Paua Hut. Lakehead is lovely and it is supposed to be 3 hours there (although Toby managed to make it much longer on the way in when we did it with him - but he only took about 3.5 back, so who knows). I have no idea about this house and its condition. There is only one way to find out. It does sound like a normal house though. We shall see. I am getting a guest brochure mailed out to me so that might prove somewhat illuminating.
We baked cakes last night to make Toby's birthday cake for Saturday. Tonight is where we ice it. Gulp! I can't help thinking of the times Karen and I made Toby's and Tyler's cakes for various birthdays in Australia. They were usually long, giggly affairs where the final outcome was barely recognisable compared to the picture in the infamous Women's Weekly Kids Birthday Cakes book!
Karate was funny last night. Toby was in one of those moods - along with most of the children. Next week is the last one for the year and they have a traditional water fight. So, towel and water pistols are required for next week. Dad is digging out the water pistols at his house today. Heheheheh.
What else? I am sure there is something else, but I can't recall it right now. Toby is booked into his new swimming class next year (Penguins, and at the same time of 10.30). When I told him about Tyler's acting lessons next year he decided he wanted to do it too. Although he wants to do it with Tyler in Sydney. Oh dear. So I might be investigating that drama class for children here in Upper Hutt yet.
I'm going to call it quits now. The plan of typing my flow of consciousness in the hope that niggling forgotten item will surface is only resulting in a blethering blog about waffle. Bit like a conversation with me in person, really.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are - by Mike
Take no notice of Angela - Toby and I thought the movie was absolutely superb. Probably the best movie adaptation of a book ever. It's very rare to have such high expectations going into a movie - and then have all of them met and then some.
The whole feeling of the movie was exactly like the book only more so.
"But for me, the Wild Things aren't filled with human frailities. They just want to have fun and Max wants to have authority."
But the movie had to do something different to the book, otherwise there'd be no real point in making it. And if they just did their wild thing rumpus and then Max went home, it would only have been an hour long. Anyway, if you read between the lines of the book, what went on in the movie is probably what went on in the book (they just didn't show it).
But I'm not going to say what they did do, because that would be giving things away.
The whole feeling of the movie was exactly like the book only more so.
"But for me, the Wild Things aren't filled with human frailities. They just want to have fun and Max wants to have authority."
But the movie had to do something different to the book, otherwise there'd be no real point in making it. And if they just did their wild thing rumpus and then Max went home, it would only have been an hour long. Anyway, if you read between the lines of the book, what went on in the movie is probably what went on in the book (they just didn't show it).
But I'm not going to say what they did do, because that would be giving things away.
Good morning on Wed, Dec 9
Hi,
Decemeber is also flying past just like the other months of the year and Toby's birthday is creeping up on us. Not to mention Christmas soon after that. It all can't come soon enough for Toby - he is very excited.
Last night we went out to see Where the Wild Things Are. Toby and Mike loved it. Toby was enthralled with this movie and made insightful comments about it. But, for me, it missed the spot. The movie was very good and the director captured things well. I especially liked the ending where Max and his mother never talk. Other directors would have put "I love you" in and ruined it. But Sendak's book would have done it all without words, and so did Spike. It was superb. But for me, the Wild Things aren't filled with human frailities. They just want to have fun and Max wants to have authority. But Max realises there is more to life than having fun and bossing people around and wants to go home. These Wild Things have complex personalities. Too complex.
Anyhow - it was a fantastic night and a good adaption of a book to a movie. Toby crashed into bed and was asleep in an instant.
It is tennis and karate night - second last of each for the year. Toby's Christmas and birthday presents are in the green room downstairs so my parents can collect them and hide them in the car boot to wrap them up. Ma came into town yesterday at lunch time and we went shopping. There were so many packages I had to leave them at work as I couldn't get them home on the bike.
Tomorrow is another work Christmas party - the biggie. It is an afternoon thing, but I might ask Ma if she can collect wee Toby from school just in case I get delayed. I'll be on the bus and it'll be close to 6pm. So I'd rather have Ma step in and safely collect Toby is she can.
Phew. We have to bake the cake tonight for Toby's party. And ice it tomorrow night. Oh dear. It should be entertaining for me and Mike.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Decemeber is also flying past just like the other months of the year and Toby's birthday is creeping up on us. Not to mention Christmas soon after that. It all can't come soon enough for Toby - he is very excited.
Last night we went out to see Where the Wild Things Are. Toby and Mike loved it. Toby was enthralled with this movie and made insightful comments about it. But, for me, it missed the spot. The movie was very good and the director captured things well. I especially liked the ending where Max and his mother never talk. Other directors would have put "I love you" in and ruined it. But Sendak's book would have done it all without words, and so did Spike. It was superb. But for me, the Wild Things aren't filled with human frailities. They just want to have fun and Max wants to have authority. But Max realises there is more to life than having fun and bossing people around and wants to go home. These Wild Things have complex personalities. Too complex.
Anyhow - it was a fantastic night and a good adaption of a book to a movie. Toby crashed into bed and was asleep in an instant.
It is tennis and karate night - second last of each for the year. Toby's Christmas and birthday presents are in the green room downstairs so my parents can collect them and hide them in the car boot to wrap them up. Ma came into town yesterday at lunch time and we went shopping. There were so many packages I had to leave them at work as I couldn't get them home on the bike.
Tomorrow is another work Christmas party - the biggie. It is an afternoon thing, but I might ask Ma if she can collect wee Toby from school just in case I get delayed. I'll be on the bus and it'll be close to 6pm. So I'd rather have Ma step in and safely collect Toby is she can.
Phew. We have to bake the cake tonight for Toby's party. And ice it tomorrow night. Oh dear. It should be entertaining for me and Mike.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Dec 8
Hi,
What a lovely morning. Keas went well last night and it was the last one for the year. We meet again in February. It was such a lovely night the keas all ran around outside like mad things. But the Kea leaders were invested during the evening when we managed to gather them all together in one spot. I now have my own scarf and woggle (as does Mike).
Tonight I'll ride home like the wind (after meeting Ma around lunch time) and collect Toby and drive back into town for Where the Wild Things Are. I can't wait!
That's about it for now. Busy at work and have another Christmas party this Thursday afternoon. Phew!
Love,
Angela
What a lovely morning. Keas went well last night and it was the last one for the year. We meet again in February. It was such a lovely night the keas all ran around outside like mad things. But the Kea leaders were invested during the evening when we managed to gather them all together in one spot. I now have my own scarf and woggle (as does Mike).
Tonight I'll ride home like the wind (after meeting Ma around lunch time) and collect Toby and drive back into town for Where the Wild Things Are. I can't wait!
That's about it for now. Busy at work and have another Christmas party this Thursday afternoon. Phew!
Love,
Angela
Monday, December 7, 2009
Good morning on Mon, Dec 7
Hi,
We had a wonderful weekend full of excitement and romance. Ahhhhh. Isn't it lovely? First up was our IT Christmas party. The food at work was superb with a Mexican theme and yummy salsa to eat with corn chips. We also did our Christmas present game and we got plenty of loot for Toby to fill up his stocking. The pub was... very pubby. But we had a wee quiz round and it was good to catch up with people and their Christmas plans.
Wee Toby stayed with Grandy and Gramps on Friday night but he might have been missing our company a little more than usual. However, bright and early Saturday morning we popped around to collect him and head out to the swimming pool. It was assessment day. And, Toby swam like a machine and the instructor never even asked for a second opinion from another assessor. Toby is now a penguin and will be swimming lengths of the pool next term/year. We were so proud of him.
From there we went straight to the NZTE Kids Christmas party organised admirably by Carol from work. Toby had a ball and I saw one of the funniest things I'll see all year. Mike dressed up as Santa to hand out the present. Some of the wee kids may have been fooled but we knew Toby would see right through it. So we has prepped him to play it cool. Sure enough, Toby let out a big exclamation of "Look! Here's Santa". Right on cue, like the good actor we asked him to be.
But, the funny event was about to unfold. Or, should I say, undo? As Mike was halfway through the present giving, he leant out to hand a present to a child, and his Santa pants fell right down. I missed it, but caught the action afterwards as Santa "Ho ho ho'ed" his way through trying to pull up his pants without falling into a giggling mass on the floor. I laughed so much.
Turns out Mike has missed the drawstring on the trousers when he got dressed. Lucky he stuffed that cushion up his jersey and it also didn't fall out. A Santa giving birth in front of the children may have scarred them permanently.
After the party, we went back to Queensgate for the Santa photo we get every year. Toby looks very handsome in it. I did a little more Christmas shopping before heading home to get Toby ready for his sleepover at Christine and John's place. Dropping him off there was a little fraught as he decided he didn't want to stay there. But Christine understood completely and diverted him easily. We drove into town and checked in to the Intercontinental and got ready for dinner. We walked down to Siem Riep and had a lovely meal before going to watch the Time Traveller's Wife in the Gold Lounge. Mike loved the movie adaptation of the book and I thought it was quite good too.
Back to the hotel and asleep by midnight. But this was my third midnight sleep in a row and I was pretty tired when we woke up on Sunday morning.
We met Christine, Tom and Toby at the Thorndon Fair and wandered around there for a while before heading home where I fell into a coma for a few hours. But once I woke up I felt ok and we cooked up some yummy Indian food for dinner and Mike went and got Ma. They opened a 1999 bottle of red wine and said it was pretty good! It was the Villa Maria $41 bottle. So it was probably the pick of the bunch of 1999 bottles we have left.
So, it was a grand weekend. Tenth anniversary celebrated. Toby passed swimming (it only took 18 months or so). Thorndon Fair visited.
Wee Tyler had her party yesterday so I hope that went well. I am sure I'll hear about that later on. Now, our week ahead is to prepare for Toby's party. Should be ok. Presents and cake remain to sort out.
Love,
Angela
We had a wonderful weekend full of excitement and romance. Ahhhhh. Isn't it lovely? First up was our IT Christmas party. The food at work was superb with a Mexican theme and yummy salsa to eat with corn chips. We also did our Christmas present game and we got plenty of loot for Toby to fill up his stocking. The pub was... very pubby. But we had a wee quiz round and it was good to catch up with people and their Christmas plans.
Wee Toby stayed with Grandy and Gramps on Friday night but he might have been missing our company a little more than usual. However, bright and early Saturday morning we popped around to collect him and head out to the swimming pool. It was assessment day. And, Toby swam like a machine and the instructor never even asked for a second opinion from another assessor. Toby is now a penguin and will be swimming lengths of the pool next term/year. We were so proud of him.
From there we went straight to the NZTE Kids Christmas party organised admirably by Carol from work. Toby had a ball and I saw one of the funniest things I'll see all year. Mike dressed up as Santa to hand out the present. Some of the wee kids may have been fooled but we knew Toby would see right through it. So we has prepped him to play it cool. Sure enough, Toby let out a big exclamation of "Look! Here's Santa". Right on cue, like the good actor we asked him to be.
But, the funny event was about to unfold. Or, should I say, undo? As Mike was halfway through the present giving, he leant out to hand a present to a child, and his Santa pants fell right down. I missed it, but caught the action afterwards as Santa "Ho ho ho'ed" his way through trying to pull up his pants without falling into a giggling mass on the floor. I laughed so much.
Turns out Mike has missed the drawstring on the trousers when he got dressed. Lucky he stuffed that cushion up his jersey and it also didn't fall out. A Santa giving birth in front of the children may have scarred them permanently.
After the party, we went back to Queensgate for the Santa photo we get every year. Toby looks very handsome in it. I did a little more Christmas shopping before heading home to get Toby ready for his sleepover at Christine and John's place. Dropping him off there was a little fraught as he decided he didn't want to stay there. But Christine understood completely and diverted him easily. We drove into town and checked in to the Intercontinental and got ready for dinner. We walked down to Siem Riep and had a lovely meal before going to watch the Time Traveller's Wife in the Gold Lounge. Mike loved the movie adaptation of the book and I thought it was quite good too.
Back to the hotel and asleep by midnight. But this was my third midnight sleep in a row and I was pretty tired when we woke up on Sunday morning.
We met Christine, Tom and Toby at the Thorndon Fair and wandered around there for a while before heading home where I fell into a coma for a few hours. But once I woke up I felt ok and we cooked up some yummy Indian food for dinner and Mike went and got Ma. They opened a 1999 bottle of red wine and said it was pretty good! It was the Villa Maria $41 bottle. So it was probably the pick of the bunch of 1999 bottles we have left.
So, it was a grand weekend. Tenth anniversary celebrated. Toby passed swimming (it only took 18 months or so). Thorndon Fair visited.
Wee Tyler had her party yesterday so I hope that went well. I am sure I'll hear about that later on. Now, our week ahead is to prepare for Toby's party. Should be ok. Presents and cake remain to sort out.
Love,
Angela
Friday, December 4, 2009
Good morning on Fri, Dec 4
Hi,
It's wee Tyler's birthday today. She was born pretty close to midnight, so she's definitely 6 by now. :-) What a wee tot she was. Hard work for her Mummy (and quite scary for Daddy too I bet!).
We had a great evening last night. I was fed a home-made burger as soon as I stepped in the door. Mike had a half day and took Toby to the orthodontist and then to get a haircut. Toby got an x-ray of his mouth and it appears he has all his adult teeth in his head. Even wisdom teeth already. We have to take him back when he's twelve to check on crowding issues.
Today I had Toby drop-off duty and Toby went dressed head to toe in green. He is in the Tui House at school and it is House Day. He has fruit (watermelon and rock melon) to share for lunch with the hordes in an ice cream container.
Mum will collect wee Toby from school today. His overnight bag is inside the front door (Ma - can you grab the clean pair of jeans on the couch and put them in too for his Santa photo shoot tomorrow after swimming?). It is very exciting. Toby has a sleepover tonight and tomorrow night at Grandy and Gramps' place because we have our IT Christmas party tonight and our wedding anniversary celebrations tomorrow night. Ooooooooooooo.
Tomorrow we also have the NZTE Kids Christmas Party to attend at Lollipops. Toby is keen on that. Aaaahhhh. Mike has to dress up as Santa because we have found no takers for the job. I'd best take the camera along, eh? If anyone wants to volunteer now, let me know.
Have a great weekend. happy birthday Tyler.
Love,
Angela
It's wee Tyler's birthday today. She was born pretty close to midnight, so she's definitely 6 by now. :-) What a wee tot she was. Hard work for her Mummy (and quite scary for Daddy too I bet!).
We had a great evening last night. I was fed a home-made burger as soon as I stepped in the door. Mike had a half day and took Toby to the orthodontist and then to get a haircut. Toby got an x-ray of his mouth and it appears he has all his adult teeth in his head. Even wisdom teeth already. We have to take him back when he's twelve to check on crowding issues.
Today I had Toby drop-off duty and Toby went dressed head to toe in green. He is in the Tui House at school and it is House Day. He has fruit (watermelon and rock melon) to share for lunch with the hordes in an ice cream container.
Mum will collect wee Toby from school today. His overnight bag is inside the front door (Ma - can you grab the clean pair of jeans on the couch and put them in too for his Santa photo shoot tomorrow after swimming?). It is very exciting. Toby has a sleepover tonight and tomorrow night at Grandy and Gramps' place because we have our IT Christmas party tonight and our wedding anniversary celebrations tomorrow night. Ooooooooooooo.
Tomorrow we also have the NZTE Kids Christmas Party to attend at Lollipops. Toby is keen on that. Aaaahhhh. Mike has to dress up as Santa because we have found no takers for the job. I'd best take the camera along, eh? If anyone wants to volunteer now, let me know.
Have a great weekend. happy birthday Tyler.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Dec 3
Hi,
Can anyone explain to me how a short week (I had Monday off) can feel like 5 days by the time Thursday rolls around? I am sure it is Friday today.
Anyhow, Toby passed his grading last night with a good, solid performance. He made a few mistakes but must have hidden it well from the examiner (he did have to grade 10 children after all, whereas Toby's parents only watched one child!!). He concentrated well, and tried his best. But if he wants to make the yellow belt grading in March next year, he'll have to practise a lot more. We are very proud of him.
Well, at least we are past that hurdle. Now, if only he does as well at swimming this Saturday. Wee Tyler (and it is her birthday tomorrow - Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Tyler!) passed her assessment this term. So I am hoping that bodes well for Toby. Toby has been in this class for years! The next class actually teaches them to swim (I can see the next class while Toby has his lesson) so I am hoping we can move into that soon. Fingers crossed.
Mike has a half day at work today (he has the afternoon off) and will collect Toby for the orthodontist and then a haircut. I must try and find a Santa photo place for Toby this weekend or next.
Ma and Dad were both sick last night so they didn't come around. I'd be surprised if Dad went into work. I hope they get better soon.
That's about it.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Can anyone explain to me how a short week (I had Monday off) can feel like 5 days by the time Thursday rolls around? I am sure it is Friday today.
Anyhow, Toby passed his grading last night with a good, solid performance. He made a few mistakes but must have hidden it well from the examiner (he did have to grade 10 children after all, whereas Toby's parents only watched one child!!). He concentrated well, and tried his best. But if he wants to make the yellow belt grading in March next year, he'll have to practise a lot more. We are very proud of him.
Well, at least we are past that hurdle. Now, if only he does as well at swimming this Saturday. Wee Tyler (and it is her birthday tomorrow - Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Tyler!) passed her assessment this term. So I am hoping that bodes well for Toby. Toby has been in this class for years! The next class actually teaches them to swim (I can see the next class while Toby has his lesson) so I am hoping we can move into that soon. Fingers crossed.
Mike has a half day at work today (he has the afternoon off) and will collect Toby for the orthodontist and then a haircut. I must try and find a Santa photo place for Toby this weekend or next.
Ma and Dad were both sick last night so they didn't come around. I'd be surprised if Dad went into work. I hope they get better soon.
That's about it.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Dec 2
Hi,
I seem to be living is a state of perpetual confusion at the moment. There is so much going on around me and I am sure we're going to miss something. Yikes. I apologise in advance if I have missed something. So long as it's not Toby's birthday or our tenth wedding anniversary, I should be able to recover the situation.
Speaking of which, we'll have a family party for Toby on Friday night (for Sally and Andrew and maybe Vivienne and John) and another one on the Saturday night after his party on Saturday afternoon. He's going to expect three parties every year now. Oh dear, what have I done? Heheheheh.
And all going well, Mike and I will be out celebrating 10 years of marriage this Saturday night. Woo hoo! I'd best sort out something, don't you think?
So, no time for chit chat. I have things to do. Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
I seem to be living is a state of perpetual confusion at the moment. There is so much going on around me and I am sure we're going to miss something. Yikes. I apologise in advance if I have missed something. So long as it's not Toby's birthday or our tenth wedding anniversary, I should be able to recover the situation.
Speaking of which, we'll have a family party for Toby on Friday night (for Sally and Andrew and maybe Vivienne and John) and another one on the Saturday night after his party on Saturday afternoon. He's going to expect three parties every year now. Oh dear, what have I done? Heheheheh.
And all going well, Mike and I will be out celebrating 10 years of marriage this Saturday night. Woo hoo! I'd best sort out something, don't you think?
So, no time for chit chat. I have things to do. Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Good afternoon on Tues, Dec 1
Hi,
It's the first day of summer - and wet, wet, wet here.
My mother and I had a wonderful weekend sampling the delights that Golden Bay has to offer. It all started on Thursday evening where I had booked in a haircut meaning that Mike had to start Gilbert Logistics a day earlier than anticipated. I think of Gilbert Logistics as an organisation involved in making mountains out of molehills. If Gilbert Logistics can make an easy task difficult, they will find it. Send us all your easy, straight-forwards jobs and we guarantee to put a spanner in the works. You have a plan that only has 3 permutations? That's not nearly enough. Send us your details and we'll supply you with 5 free permutations at no extra cost. In fact, we are so good at it, we can almost guarantee a permutation or two, WITHOUT knowing your plans at all.
Mike actually had a tight leash on the Gilbert Logistics machine and kept the plan on a well-executed course. We met up at the library and ate Burger Wisconsin in the brilliant sunshine with the O'Reillys. I had already packed for the weekend so there was no rush in that regard. Lucky for us, because I had spanner item number one waiting. I had decided to attend the First Karori Scout Annual General Meeting for the evening. It was supposed to last one hour, but took two! Mike had Toby under control and I went off to represent the Keas at the AGM. When I got home Mike and I read until past midnight. What were we thinking?
Friday morning I was up earlier than usual because Mum was driving to collect me at 6.40am in time for the ferry check-in at 7am. I drove down to the dock and we got on nice and quick. We got seats in front of the TV and we were pleasantly surprised to see they have updated their movie list for the summer crowds. We watched two newish movies - 17 Again and Race to Witch Mountain. It filled in the time. Mike told us off for not getting out to enjoy the scenery and I guess I am guilty of taking it for granted through the sounds.
We drove off the ferry at about 11.30am and headed up Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock. Mum kept Oooohhing and Aaahhhing with every curve when she got a glimpse of the views down the sounds. We drove non-stop to Nelson where we wandered around the main street for 30 minutes giving our legs a good stretch. Then we picked up a few items at the supermarket and headed over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay. The hill went up and up for ages and a steep plunge down into the valley on the other side. I wasn't going to be heading back and forth over that hill as I had entertained notions of doing. We found our accommodation
at the Pohara Top Ten Holiday Camp very easily and our wee cabin was 3m from the sandy beach. Perfect. Mum stretched out on the bed and fell into a coma. I read one of several books I had along for the weekend and watched the wind whipping up the waves outside.
We wandered out to the Penguin Cafe for dinner - I ordered steamed mussels and Mum ordered Thai fish cakes. There was a little confusion over the food and I got my mussels as a main after Mum finished her entree fish cakes. I blame Ma talking to the waitress about Scotland. The wee lass had spent two years in
the Shetland Islands and actually thought Mum was English. Heheheheheh. I guess her mellowed accent bears little resemblance to the accent they use in the Shetlands.
After dinner we booked into Sans Souci for the next night. Sally had recommended it from her holiday here about 18 months earlier. Ma tried to get into the Sunday night bookings as they were serving veal on that night, but they were full. So, Saturday evening it was, and their slow-cooked steak. We went back to the cabin and it was my turn to fall into a coma. The rain started but I never heard a thing. Slept like a log until morning. Pleasant.
Saturday morning was a lazy start to the day. The rain and wind didn't do much for us, and we were waiting for the weather to improve after lunch as the forecasters had predicted. Guess what? They were right. We went out into Takaka to explore the shops and found them all shutting. They aren't open very late at the weekends. We managed to get into a few of them and Mum loved some of the art work on display. After that we drove back past Pohara out to the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. The coastal road was very, very pretty.
Back to our wee cabin and we got ready for Sans Souci and wandered around there just before 7pm. The other guests started arriving then too. We then had the slow-cooked steak and it was one of the best meals I have ever had, and certainly the best in a long time. The steak was on a bed of risotto with salad all around (including marigold petals - nice colour). Yummy bacon, yummy mushrooms, yummy nuts, yummy apple. It all tasted so good. Thank you for that one, Sally! Not one speck was left on my plate. Mum left a bit on hers so I got to nibble more as we waited for dessert. Mum ordered Chocolate and Almond torte with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis. It was superb. I was happy Mum couldn't eat all that. During the meal, the weather got better and better. The wind died away and blue skies shone brightly through the polonia tree in the courtyard. The French doors were open all evening and the dining was a great experience.
Anyhow, another source of excitement at Sans Souci was the composting toilets. Sally had made sure I knew about them. So despite not needing a wee in the slightest, I told Mum I was off to investigate them. I went into the shared toilets, found an empty louvered door and lifted the wooden lid. What a treat. No smell at all. A big bucket of peaty sawdust to cover whatever you have done and wash up outside in the nice shared bathroom. Very pleasant. I went back to the dining table and told Mum she had to experience it for herself. With misgivings, I watched my confused mother try and find a toilet. But when she got back, she declared the toilets great and would use one over a normal toilet. She didn't just say there was no smell, she said she liked the smell!
When I was up with Mum while she sorted out the bill, I spotted the names of some other diners. Kittos! Imagine! Well, Mum didn't imagine. Off she went, hunting them down and chatted to them for ages. So, ask her for the life history of this New Zealand branch of the Kitto clan.
After dinner we walked up and down the beach at dusk, waiting for any penguins to come ashore. No sign of any. But Ma and I had fun sitting on driftwood logs watching the beautiful sea lap up against the shore with moonlight glistening on the wee waves. Back home for another deep sleep.
Sunday dawned - well, a lot earlier than I saw it. But, by the time I pulled back the curtains for a look, I could tell it was a cracker day. I got dressed into shorts and a t-shirt and wandered down to the Penguin Cafe for the rugby. Go the All Blacks! Ate bacon and eggs and shouted encouragement at the team. Marvellous. Ma turned up about 20 mins from the end and ordered whitebait fritter sandwiches. She had a taste and I got to finish them. Yummo! They were absolutely beautiful.
Off to explore Pupu Springs (or Waikoropupu I think) and I have to say, this was a highlight for me. What a spectacular sight. The water colour was amazing and I hope I never forget it. Apparently, these springs are the largest freshwater springs in Australasia and the clearest freshwater springs in the world! What a claim to fame there! Mum and I walked around the boardwalk reading the informative signs and enjoying the surroundings. The sunny day no doubt gave the springs an even better visual impact. But I can't wait to take Mike there so he can see it.
Back to the cabin to relax in the sun and read. What a pleasant afternoon.
Monday morning was back to rain. Heavy rain. So we packed up and left for the drive back to the ferry. We went right through to close to Blenheim to the Wairau River winery where Mum found two white wines to her liking. She bought two bottles and we ate a muffin and drove the rest of the way into Picton. We
were early so we poked our noses into Picton town centre and then joined the queue for the ferry. There was a 90 minute delay getting away for some reason and we also had to pick up a lifeboat on the way (they had abandoned it during drills earlier that day). Mum went out to see the scenery and I also popped out from time to time (the same movies were on!). The misty weather gave it a haunting feel.
Back into Wellington in time for the going-to-bed routine. I caught up with the news from Mike and Toby from the weekend. Toby swam well and assessment is this Saturday coming. Yikes! Mike says he swam like a machine. Good on him! Sally got back ok from the work meeting in Manila but I have yet to hear in detail about that! Dad was a bit sick yesterday and went home to pine/wait for Ma. Poor Dad.
So, back into the routine already. But a short week for me! Hooray!
Love,
Angela
It's the first day of summer - and wet, wet, wet here.
My mother and I had a wonderful weekend sampling the delights that Golden Bay has to offer. It all started on Thursday evening where I had booked in a haircut meaning that Mike had to start Gilbert Logistics a day earlier than anticipated. I think of Gilbert Logistics as an organisation involved in making mountains out of molehills. If Gilbert Logistics can make an easy task difficult, they will find it. Send us all your easy, straight-forwards jobs and we guarantee to put a spanner in the works. You have a plan that only has 3 permutations? That's not nearly enough. Send us your details and we'll supply you with 5 free permutations at no extra cost. In fact, we are so good at it, we can almost guarantee a permutation or two, WITHOUT knowing your plans at all.
Mike actually had a tight leash on the Gilbert Logistics machine and kept the plan on a well-executed course. We met up at the library and ate Burger Wisconsin in the brilliant sunshine with the O'Reillys. I had already packed for the weekend so there was no rush in that regard. Lucky for us, because I had spanner item number one waiting. I had decided to attend the First Karori Scout Annual General Meeting for the evening. It was supposed to last one hour, but took two! Mike had Toby under control and I went off to represent the Keas at the AGM. When I got home Mike and I read until past midnight. What were we thinking?
Friday morning I was up earlier than usual because Mum was driving to collect me at 6.40am in time for the ferry check-in at 7am. I drove down to the dock and we got on nice and quick. We got seats in front of the TV and we were pleasantly surprised to see they have updated their movie list for the summer crowds. We watched two newish movies - 17 Again and Race to Witch Mountain. It filled in the time. Mike told us off for not getting out to enjoy the scenery and I guess I am guilty of taking it for granted through the sounds.
We drove off the ferry at about 11.30am and headed up Queen Charlotte Drive to Havelock. Mum kept Oooohhing and Aaahhhing with every curve when she got a glimpse of the views down the sounds. We drove non-stop to Nelson where we wandered around the main street for 30 minutes giving our legs a good stretch. Then we picked up a few items at the supermarket and headed over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay. The hill went up and up for ages and a steep plunge down into the valley on the other side. I wasn't going to be heading back and forth over that hill as I had entertained notions of doing. We found our accommodation
at the Pohara Top Ten Holiday Camp very easily and our wee cabin was 3m from the sandy beach. Perfect. Mum stretched out on the bed and fell into a coma. I read one of several books I had along for the weekend and watched the wind whipping up the waves outside.
We wandered out to the Penguin Cafe for dinner - I ordered steamed mussels and Mum ordered Thai fish cakes. There was a little confusion over the food and I got my mussels as a main after Mum finished her entree fish cakes. I blame Ma talking to the waitress about Scotland. The wee lass had spent two years in
the Shetland Islands and actually thought Mum was English. Heheheheheh. I guess her mellowed accent bears little resemblance to the accent they use in the Shetlands.
After dinner we booked into Sans Souci for the next night. Sally had recommended it from her holiday here about 18 months earlier. Ma tried to get into the Sunday night bookings as they were serving veal on that night, but they were full. So, Saturday evening it was, and their slow-cooked steak. We went back to the cabin and it was my turn to fall into a coma. The rain started but I never heard a thing. Slept like a log until morning. Pleasant.
Saturday morning was a lazy start to the day. The rain and wind didn't do much for us, and we were waiting for the weather to improve after lunch as the forecasters had predicted. Guess what? They were right. We went out into Takaka to explore the shops and found them all shutting. They aren't open very late at the weekends. We managed to get into a few of them and Mum loved some of the art work on display. After that we drove back past Pohara out to the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. The coastal road was very, very pretty.
Back to our wee cabin and we got ready for Sans Souci and wandered around there just before 7pm. The other guests started arriving then too. We then had the slow-cooked steak and it was one of the best meals I have ever had, and certainly the best in a long time. The steak was on a bed of risotto with salad all around (including marigold petals - nice colour). Yummy bacon, yummy mushrooms, yummy nuts, yummy apple. It all tasted so good. Thank you for that one, Sally! Not one speck was left on my plate. Mum left a bit on hers so I got to nibble more as we waited for dessert. Mum ordered Chocolate and Almond torte with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis. It was superb. I was happy Mum couldn't eat all that. During the meal, the weather got better and better. The wind died away and blue skies shone brightly through the polonia tree in the courtyard. The French doors were open all evening and the dining was a great experience.
Anyhow, another source of excitement at Sans Souci was the composting toilets. Sally had made sure I knew about them. So despite not needing a wee in the slightest, I told Mum I was off to investigate them. I went into the shared toilets, found an empty louvered door and lifted the wooden lid. What a treat. No smell at all. A big bucket of peaty sawdust to cover whatever you have done and wash up outside in the nice shared bathroom. Very pleasant. I went back to the dining table and told Mum she had to experience it for herself. With misgivings, I watched my confused mother try and find a toilet. But when she got back, she declared the toilets great and would use one over a normal toilet. She didn't just say there was no smell, she said she liked the smell!
When I was up with Mum while she sorted out the bill, I spotted the names of some other diners. Kittos! Imagine! Well, Mum didn't imagine. Off she went, hunting them down and chatted to them for ages. So, ask her for the life history of this New Zealand branch of the Kitto clan.
After dinner we walked up and down the beach at dusk, waiting for any penguins to come ashore. No sign of any. But Ma and I had fun sitting on driftwood logs watching the beautiful sea lap up against the shore with moonlight glistening on the wee waves. Back home for another deep sleep.
Sunday dawned - well, a lot earlier than I saw it. But, by the time I pulled back the curtains for a look, I could tell it was a cracker day. I got dressed into shorts and a t-shirt and wandered down to the Penguin Cafe for the rugby. Go the All Blacks! Ate bacon and eggs and shouted encouragement at the team. Marvellous. Ma turned up about 20 mins from the end and ordered whitebait fritter sandwiches. She had a taste and I got to finish them. Yummo! They were absolutely beautiful.
Off to explore Pupu Springs (or Waikoropupu I think) and I have to say, this was a highlight for me. What a spectacular sight. The water colour was amazing and I hope I never forget it. Apparently, these springs are the largest freshwater springs in Australasia and the clearest freshwater springs in the world! What a claim to fame there! Mum and I walked around the boardwalk reading the informative signs and enjoying the surroundings. The sunny day no doubt gave the springs an even better visual impact. But I can't wait to take Mike there so he can see it.
Back to the cabin to relax in the sun and read. What a pleasant afternoon.
Monday morning was back to rain. Heavy rain. So we packed up and left for the drive back to the ferry. We went right through to close to Blenheim to the Wairau River winery where Mum found two white wines to her liking. She bought two bottles and we ate a muffin and drove the rest of the way into Picton. We
were early so we poked our noses into Picton town centre and then joined the queue for the ferry. There was a 90 minute delay getting away for some reason and we also had to pick up a lifeboat on the way (they had abandoned it during drills earlier that day). Mum went out to see the scenery and I also popped out from time to time (the same movies were on!). The misty weather gave it a haunting feel.
Back into Wellington in time for the going-to-bed routine. I caught up with the news from Mike and Toby from the weekend. Toby swam well and assessment is this Saturday coming. Yikes! Mike says he swam like a machine. Good on him! Sally got back ok from the work meeting in Manila but I have yet to hear in detail about that! Dad was a bit sick yesterday and went home to pine/wait for Ma. Poor Dad.
So, back into the routine already. But a short week for me! Hooray!
Love,
Angela
Monday, November 30, 2009
Good morning on Monday 30 November, 2009
[Another old blog entry that was never published. It's all in note form so that's probably why! This was an action packed weekend with Mike and Toby home alone.]
Friday night - Toby played tennis and did well. But going up the hill at school, he ran ahead of me and didn't wait at the gum tree like we agreed! I lost him totally. He wasn't at school. Wasn't at home. Wasn't en route. Then I got a call from Fiona our neighbour, and there he was, at their dinner party, getting stuck into their hors d'oeuvres. He'd done well in going to their place when he discovered that we were separated, but not so well to get lost in the first place. I was cross and relieved at the same time.
Saturday - call to say Wainui cancelled for today. Swimming (Toby did well). Crazy Bones. Home to veg. Call from Christine - there for din. Toby a little impolite but ok. Banged together labels for her, for her Elderflower Cordial that she wants to sell at markets.
Sunday - Watched 'Ben 10 Alien Swarm', the brand-new Ben 10 live action movie. It was pretty good I thought. Aborted mission for Wainui. Off to Toby's school room end-of-year picnic, at his friend Jack's amazing house. A back garden big enough for 20 kids and their family to picnic in, and 270 degree views of Wellington harbour, and an inset trampoline that was a great hit with all the children. Afterwards, dropped Toby at Sampsons to give me 90 minutes alone time - got more done than whole rest of weekend. Sampsons inspired pizza for dinner. Relatively early night.
Monday morning - Toby came to see me at his normal waking up time (0620) and promptly fell asleep again til I woke him at 0740. Had to make more pizza cos no bread - pizza for lunch! All went well until he realised that he had no monskeys print-out - actually he did!! - so we were running late in the end. Got to my bus stop and found that in the confusion I had no wallet - so I had to go back for it! So I was very late.
Friday night - Toby played tennis and did well. But going up the hill at school, he ran ahead of me and didn't wait at the gum tree like we agreed! I lost him totally. He wasn't at school. Wasn't at home. Wasn't en route. Then I got a call from Fiona our neighbour, and there he was, at their dinner party, getting stuck into their hors d'oeuvres. He'd done well in going to their place when he discovered that we were separated, but not so well to get lost in the first place. I was cross and relieved at the same time.
Saturday - call to say Wainui cancelled for today. Swimming (Toby did well). Crazy Bones. Home to veg. Call from Christine - there for din. Toby a little impolite but ok. Banged together labels for her, for her Elderflower Cordial that she wants to sell at markets.
Sunday - Watched 'Ben 10 Alien Swarm', the brand-new Ben 10 live action movie. It was pretty good I thought. Aborted mission for Wainui. Off to Toby's school room end-of-year picnic, at his friend Jack's amazing house. A back garden big enough for 20 kids and their family to picnic in, and 270 degree views of Wellington harbour, and an inset trampoline that was a great hit with all the children. Afterwards, dropped Toby at Sampsons to give me 90 minutes alone time - got more done than whole rest of weekend. Sampsons inspired pizza for dinner. Relatively early night.
Monday morning - Toby came to see me at his normal waking up time (0620) and promptly fell asleep again til I woke him at 0740. Had to make more pizza cos no bread - pizza for lunch! All went well until he realised that he had no monskeys print-out - actually he did!! - so we were running late in the end. Got to my bus stop and found that in the confusion I had no wallet - so I had to go back for it! So I was very late.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Ben 10 Alien Swarm - first review
Toby and I just watched Cartoon Network's new live-action move, Ben 10: Alien Swarm. This is what Toby had to say about it.
Alien Swarm was okay, not great but not bad either. I liked Race against Time more. It was longer and better. The were using their powers more, and I liked it when they met the other plumbers too. Alien Swarm was too hard to see, because it was dark all the time.The best bit was when Ben had the new alien - nanotech or something. I liked it at the start because of how it slowly changed ben into the new alien.
The actors all looked like the cartoon characters, except for Kevin! His hair made him look like a girl!
The bad bits were that it was too short. And everyone was too happy! There were no special effects. Ben only changed into aliens four times, and Gwen hardly used her magic at all. She punched this guy at the end and she was like, Owwwww! Kevin only changed forms about twice.
I liked Ben's new car better than Kevin's old one, because it was more glittery and because it was a Mazda.
Grandpa Max was a bit too evil, especially [spoiler alert!] when he got absorbed by the hive.
I think they should make another move, another sequel. They should battle baby Vilgax - and the more they battle baby Vilgax, the more he grows!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Good morning from me
Angela and Margo are off to Nelson. I think they got away ok, I was still asleep when Angela left - but I've had a txt from her as they left Wellington Harbour so that's got to be a good sign.
Toby has decided to try his hand as an author. He's writing a book right now, he spent last night and this morning working on it. I'll see if I can't post it once it's done. I've seen some of the first cut and there's drama, action and excitement a-plenty. Watch this space!
I needed to pick up Toby yesterday as well - we headed to the local library (with a side trip to Burger Wisconsin) and met Angela, and Tom, John and Christine there. There was much eating, reading and running about on the grass outside the library. They'd just cut the grass so there was plenty of grass clippings getting thrown about and stuffed into inappropriate places.
So Toby and I have a weekend of fun and frivolity planned. Tonight is Friday Night Movie night so we will cuddle up and watch Dumb and Dumber. Then tomorrow, after swimming, we have a camping adventure with the tramping club. We're staying at Camp Wainui, about 40 min from Wellington. It's got plenty of beds and accommodation, but everyone has elected to bring tents and camp. Tramping club people must be like that.
Toby has decided to try his hand as an author. He's writing a book right now, he spent last night and this morning working on it. I'll see if I can't post it once it's done. I've seen some of the first cut and there's drama, action and excitement a-plenty. Watch this space!
I needed to pick up Toby yesterday as well - we headed to the local library (with a side trip to Burger Wisconsin) and met Angela, and Tom, John and Christine there. There was much eating, reading and running about on the grass outside the library. They'd just cut the grass so there was plenty of grass clippings getting thrown about and stuffed into inappropriate places.
So Toby and I have a weekend of fun and frivolity planned. Tonight is Friday Night Movie night so we will cuddle up and watch Dumb and Dumber. Then tomorrow, after swimming, we have a camping adventure with the tramping club. We're staying at Camp Wainui, about 40 min from Wellington. It's got plenty of beds and accommodation, but everyone has elected to bring tents and camp. Tramping club people must be like that.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Nov 26
Hi,
Toby and I had a great night last night with Gramps. Gramps had collected wee Toby from Skids and was ready and waiting for me. Toby was getting stuck into the kiwifruit as his after school snack. They are nice and ripe now in our fruit bowl. We headed off to karate and Toby was as boisterous as usual. Next week is grading week so Mike has to practise well with him over the weekend.
Dad, Toby and I ate fish n chips for dinner from the chippy on Mairangi Road (we have never been to that one). Their chips were good, their fish was very average.
I think Toby might be getting a little sick. Maybe an earache or a cold? Poor wee chap.
I have a haircut after work today and we need to squash in a library visit, dinner, the Karori Scout AGM and Mike has to pack for the weekend camping trip. Woo hoo!
Mike and Ma went to a play last night and Mike says it was very good. He took Ma out for tea afterwards too and they ate hot, spicy Indian food. I hope Mike will blog a bit about it so we can hear more details. I was alseep when he got home and have only vague recollections of his review.
Have a great day.
Love,
Angela
Toby and I had a great night last night with Gramps. Gramps had collected wee Toby from Skids and was ready and waiting for me. Toby was getting stuck into the kiwifruit as his after school snack. They are nice and ripe now in our fruit bowl. We headed off to karate and Toby was as boisterous as usual. Next week is grading week so Mike has to practise well with him over the weekend.
Dad, Toby and I ate fish n chips for dinner from the chippy on Mairangi Road (we have never been to that one). Their chips were good, their fish was very average.
I think Toby might be getting a little sick. Maybe an earache or a cold? Poor wee chap.
I have a haircut after work today and we need to squash in a library visit, dinner, the Karori Scout AGM and Mike has to pack for the weekend camping trip. Woo hoo!
Mike and Ma went to a play last night and Mike says it was very good. He took Ma out for tea afterwards too and they ate hot, spicy Indian food. I hope Mike will blog a bit about it so we can hear more details. I was alseep when he got home and have only vague recollections of his review.
Have a great day.
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Nov 25
Hi,
Oh - I had a lot of fun at the movies last night. The movie was called Julia and Julie and it made me laugh out loud many times. Meryl Streep was great fun as Julia Child. Vivienne dropped me home afterwards (and then dropped Mum home). The Indian food in the Food Court beforehand was yummy and the 30 minutes wandering around Whitcoulls afterwards was marvellous. They have 50% off fiction books at the moment. Our idea of heaven.
Today I hope to get to Kathmandu (the shop - not the capital of Nepal - mind you, I wouldn't mind the latter) and buy some of their sale items. Their sale starts tomorrow but summit members can start today. Yay!
Tennis and karate day and it seems like a lovely day for it. I think the plan is Dad will collect wee Toby from school after tennis and get him ready for karate. Then I'll ride home and (oops - I just remembered I have no bike gear with me) go to karate. Maybe we can have fish n chips or something. Mum is off to a play with Mike and Kara this evening. A play about Charles Darwin. I think they'll all enjoy it.
Time to get stuck in.
Have a great day.
Love,
Angela
Oh - I had a lot of fun at the movies last night. The movie was called Julia and Julie and it made me laugh out loud many times. Meryl Streep was great fun as Julia Child. Vivienne dropped me home afterwards (and then dropped Mum home). The Indian food in the Food Court beforehand was yummy and the 30 minutes wandering around Whitcoulls afterwards was marvellous. They have 50% off fiction books at the moment. Our idea of heaven.
Today I hope to get to Kathmandu (the shop - not the capital of Nepal - mind you, I wouldn't mind the latter) and buy some of their sale items. Their sale starts tomorrow but summit members can start today. Yay!
Tennis and karate day and it seems like a lovely day for it. I think the plan is Dad will collect wee Toby from school after tennis and get him ready for karate. Then I'll ride home and (oops - I just remembered I have no bike gear with me) go to karate. Maybe we can have fish n chips or something. Mum is off to a play with Mike and Kara this evening. A play about Charles Darwin. I think they'll all enjoy it.
Time to get stuck in.
Have a great day.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Nov 24
Hi,
Keas went really well last night. We drew a big picture of a kea and a separate beak, and played "Pin the beak on the kea". Great fun. Toby also introduced the other Keas to Gogo Crazy Bones and they played "Battle". So the time flew by.
We went home and the quiche was cooked (I used the oven timer for the first time and it worked perfectly) so we ate immediately.
Too easy.
I took the bus in this morning as Ma, Vivienne and I are off to see Julie and Julia tonight. And I need to let Ma know that Mike is taking her on a date tomorrow night to see a play on Darwin at Downstage. So she needs to find her way into town instead of cooking something for me, Dad and Toby. Oh, bother! Heheheheh. Maybe we can have fish n chips again! Yummo!
I was on Toby drop-off duty this morning and we had great fun. Then Toby walked me to the bus stop and I ran for the bus as it arrived just as I got to the road. Perfect timing - for Mike! Bit too close for comfort for me.
Have a marvellous day.
Love,
Angela
Keas went really well last night. We drew a big picture of a kea and a separate beak, and played "Pin the beak on the kea". Great fun. Toby also introduced the other Keas to Gogo Crazy Bones and they played "Battle". So the time flew by.
We went home and the quiche was cooked (I used the oven timer for the first time and it worked perfectly) so we ate immediately.
Too easy.
I took the bus in this morning as Ma, Vivienne and I are off to see Julie and Julia tonight. And I need to let Ma know that Mike is taking her on a date tomorrow night to see a play on Darwin at Downstage. So she needs to find her way into town instead of cooking something for me, Dad and Toby. Oh, bother! Heheheheh. Maybe we can have fish n chips again! Yummo!
I was on Toby drop-off duty this morning and we had great fun. Then Toby walked me to the bus stop and I ran for the bus as it arrived just as I got to the road. Perfect timing - for Mike! Bit too close for comfort for me.
Have a marvellous day.
Love,
Angela
Monday, November 23, 2009
Scotland 9 Australia 8
Scene: Saturday morning, chez Gilbert.
Mike: Hey Toby, your team, Scotland, beat Australia!
Toby: Woo hoo!
Mike: Do you want to ring Tyler and tell her?
Toby: Erm, no, I don't want to ring Tyler.
Mike: Why not?
Toby: Because she'll cry and I don't want to make her upset.
Mike: Hey Toby, your team, Scotland, beat Australia!
Toby: Woo hoo!
Mike: Do you want to ring Tyler and tell her?
Toby: Erm, no, I don't want to ring Tyler.
Mike: Why not?
Toby: Because she'll cry and I don't want to make her upset.
Good morning on Mon, Nov 23
Hi,
I think that was our lazy weekend - it was meant to be DIY, but all we did was tidy! But, I am happy with the tidy!
Saturday morning Toby swam very well. The instructor even said "Good effort this week, Toby". Well done, wee boy!
We popped in to see Sally and Andrew's finished bathroom. It is a thing of beauty. Wait till you see it!
We went home and tidied and prepared for a visit from Sarah, Hamish and their son Ryan. Toby loves Ryan's company so a lot of toys came back out (after the tidy).
Then we relaxed for the rest of the day. I set the alarm for 3am and got up to watch the All Blacks play England. Although commentators say it was dour, it wasn't that bad. NZ only ever used 2nd gear and won handily. But the big news was Scotland beating Australia. Australia must be spitting chips!
Sunday was a lazy start. We popped in to see Mum briefly (dropped off stuff from Sydney) and then headed to Kara's place to catch up with her after her 7 week European vacation.
Back home to tea and bed.
Not a bad weekend!
Have a great week.
Love,
Angela
I think that was our lazy weekend - it was meant to be DIY, but all we did was tidy! But, I am happy with the tidy!
Saturday morning Toby swam very well. The instructor even said "Good effort this week, Toby". Well done, wee boy!
We popped in to see Sally and Andrew's finished bathroom. It is a thing of beauty. Wait till you see it!
We went home and tidied and prepared for a visit from Sarah, Hamish and their son Ryan. Toby loves Ryan's company so a lot of toys came back out (after the tidy).
Then we relaxed for the rest of the day. I set the alarm for 3am and got up to watch the All Blacks play England. Although commentators say it was dour, it wasn't that bad. NZ only ever used 2nd gear and won handily. But the big news was Scotland beating Australia. Australia must be spitting chips!
Sunday was a lazy start. We popped in to see Mum briefly (dropped off stuff from Sydney) and then headed to Kara's place to catch up with her after her 7 week European vacation.
Back home to tea and bed.
Not a bad weekend!
Have a great week.
Love,
Angela
Friday, November 20, 2009
Good morning on Fri (hooray), Nov 20
Hi,
It was our last sleepover night last night at Grandy and Gramps' house and Toby and I had fun! What a great week -it was almost like a holiday. Ta Ma and Pa for looking after us so well.
Mike gets back this afternoon - Toby and I can't wait to see him. I might be able to leave a little earlier than usual today due to the late work evening yesterday. So that'll be nice. Especially if the weather stays nice. Tennis club night is tonight so we might wander around for a play.
We have a DIY weekend planned, with swimming, lunch at Sally and Andrew's, shopping and a quick visit to Kara.
Toby may be getting a cold. His eyes are gunked up and his throat is a bit sore. Poor wee chap.
Better get stuck in. The ride was good fun - I saw 50 km/h on my bike speedo! Yeah!
Love,
Angela
It was our last sleepover night last night at Grandy and Gramps' house and Toby and I had fun! What a great week -it was almost like a holiday. Ta Ma and Pa for looking after us so well.
Mike gets back this afternoon - Toby and I can't wait to see him. I might be able to leave a little earlier than usual today due to the late work evening yesterday. So that'll be nice. Especially if the weather stays nice. Tennis club night is tonight so we might wander around for a play.
We have a DIY weekend planned, with swimming, lunch at Sally and Andrew's, shopping and a quick visit to Kara.
Toby may be getting a cold. His eyes are gunked up and his throat is a bit sore. Poor wee chap.
Better get stuck in. The ride was good fun - I saw 50 km/h on my bike speedo! Yeah!
Love,
Angela
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Nov 19
Hi,
Well, apparently there were two earthquakes this morning (under Palmerston North) but I didn't feel a thing. Toby and I had a good morning. We drove home after breakfast and Grandy and Gramps' house and sorted out lives out (I locked Toby in the garage by mistake - but he was doing it on purpose) and scootered off to school. I think Ma is collecting him today because I have a late day at work (software release).
Karate was ok - Toby was very vocal and got "ssshhhh'd" by parents and sensei at one stage. The move he taught them was very tricky. So concentration was difficult for our son.
The ride in was good fun because the roads have dried out after yesterday's deluge. I'll ride home after the release and drive back to Grandy and Gramps' place for the last sleepover this week. Mike arrives back in Wellington after midday tomorrow. Good - I have missed him!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Well, apparently there were two earthquakes this morning (under Palmerston North) but I didn't feel a thing. Toby and I had a good morning. We drove home after breakfast and Grandy and Gramps' house and sorted out lives out (I locked Toby in the garage by mistake - but he was doing it on purpose) and scootered off to school. I think Ma is collecting him today because I have a late day at work (software release).
Karate was ok - Toby was very vocal and got "ssshhhh'd" by parents and sensei at one stage. The move he taught them was very tricky. So concentration was difficult for our son.
The ride in was good fun because the roads have dried out after yesterday's deluge. I'll ride home after the release and drive back to Grandy and Gramps' place for the last sleepover this week. Mike arrives back in Wellington after midday tomorrow. Good - I have missed him!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Hello from Sydney
A quick post from a kiosk at Gartner. The browser is behaving funny - I can't use the cursor keys or the backspace key. Argh! So I just have to type through any typos and ignore them.
It's a shame for you Gramps. I've seen Toby like this before - if he gets grumpy as he wokes up., there's no consoling him. TYou would have had your work cut out for you!
It's been a very very good conference, this. I'm getting brim-filled with ideas and plans and things to do. I'm makng session by session notes, and also making a big list of things I have to do whten I get back.
I had a great time ove rthe weekend with Karen and Scott. I (and we) need to keep seeing Tyler and Abby especially, every few months. They can't be allowed to forget us! They were both very happy to see me, Tyler especially who spent the first day or so attacheed to my leg. It was really sweekt.
Zack and Gianna's birthday party was really fun. It was good to catch up with all Scott's family in one place. they had a bouncy castle and scooby doo and shaggy were there! Shaggy looked a lot like shaggy (but he didn't sound much like shaggy). Scooby Doo earned her money, being in a big velour suit with a big head, for hours and hours, in high-thirty-degree heat. You could hear her panting from time to time. And she needed to be led around because she couldn't see much , plus the added challenge of courious children who found gaps in her suit, and others who tried to take her head off!! Whew.
OK, must off to next session. I've got some more stuff on my computer but we're very connection challenged here. In-room internet is $13 per hour!! Next time I'll make sure I have a reasonable-priced data plan so I can use my laptop & phone to talk out.
It's a shame for you Gramps. I've seen Toby like this before - if he gets grumpy as he wokes up., there's no consoling him. TYou would have had your work cut out for you!
It's been a very very good conference, this. I'm getting brim-filled with ideas and plans and things to do. I'm makng session by session notes, and also making a big list of things I have to do whten I get back.
I had a great time ove rthe weekend with Karen and Scott. I (and we) need to keep seeing Tyler and Abby especially, every few months. They can't be allowed to forget us! They were both very happy to see me, Tyler especially who spent the first day or so attacheed to my leg. It was really sweekt.
Zack and Gianna's birthday party was really fun. It was good to catch up with all Scott's family in one place. they had a bouncy castle and scooby doo and shaggy were there! Shaggy looked a lot like shaggy (but he didn't sound much like shaggy). Scooby Doo earned her money, being in a big velour suit with a big head, for hours and hours, in high-thirty-degree heat. You could hear her panting from time to time. And she needed to be led around because she couldn't see much , plus the added challenge of courious children who found gaps in her suit, and others who tried to take her head off!! Whew.
OK, must off to next session. I've got some more stuff on my computer but we're very connection challenged here. In-room internet is $13 per hour!! Next time I'll make sure I have a reasonable-priced data plan so I can use my laptop & phone to talk out.
Good morning on Wed, Nov 18
Hi,
Where did this weather come from? Wet, wet, wet! But our life with constantly evolving Gilbert plans meant I had to take the car in this morning anyway to get new tyres. So I have been nowhere near my bike this morning. It'd need a snorkel today anyway!
Dad is taking Toby to school. However, Toby woke up with his nose out of joint because I wasn't there. Not sure why. I did cuddle him before I got up but I didn't want to wake him because he chatted for ages when we turned the light out so I wanted him to keep sleeping. I rang when I got to work and tried to console Toby, who was crying that he missed me. Oh dear. Poor Dad.
I'll collect the car and drive to karate (check on Merlot first hopefully). We're having fish 'n' chips for tea. Yum! So I'll take Toby home from karate to Ngaio and Dad will pick up the dinner. Cool!
Time to get stuck into work.
Love,
Angela
Where did this weather come from? Wet, wet, wet! But our life with constantly evolving Gilbert plans meant I had to take the car in this morning anyway to get new tyres. So I have been nowhere near my bike this morning. It'd need a snorkel today anyway!
Dad is taking Toby to school. However, Toby woke up with his nose out of joint because I wasn't there. Not sure why. I did cuddle him before I got up but I didn't want to wake him because he chatted for ages when we turned the light out so I wanted him to keep sleeping. I rang when I got to work and tried to console Toby, who was crying that he missed me. Oh dear. Poor Dad.
I'll collect the car and drive to karate (check on Merlot first hopefully). We're having fish 'n' chips for tea. Yum! So I'll take Toby home from karate to Ngaio and Dad will pick up the dinner. Cool!
Time to get stuck into work.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Nov 17
Hi,
What a fabulous morning - Dad will be astonished at having a beautiful day on his "weekend". Toby and I rushed off to our house after breakfast and finished his homework (we needed glue and colouring in pens - Ma and Dad didn't have them) and scootered off to school. I rode in after dropping off Toby and had a nice ride.
Ma - do you want to meet me at Borders in town at 11.55am today? I am meeting Sally for a coffee. Vivienne - you can pop in too if you like. I think Dad is collecting wee Toby from Skids today (don't forget his scooter, Dad) so I can work till 1800 to make up for 0900 starts and long lunch breaks.
Keas went well. We planted sunflower seeds and we're going to nurture them and watch them grow over summer. We also lost a soccer ball, but Hannah and Wally found it after Keas so the Tabors will get their ball back. Good on you, Hannah, for not giving up!
Toby and I rushed to Grandy and Gramps' house after Keas and ate yummy macaroni cheese (it was soooooo good) and then went to bed.
Have a marvellous day.
Love,
Angela
What a fabulous morning - Dad will be astonished at having a beautiful day on his "weekend". Toby and I rushed off to our house after breakfast and finished his homework (we needed glue and colouring in pens - Ma and Dad didn't have them) and scootered off to school. I rode in after dropping off Toby and had a nice ride.
Ma - do you want to meet me at Borders in town at 11.55am today? I am meeting Sally for a coffee. Vivienne - you can pop in too if you like. I think Dad is collecting wee Toby from Skids today (don't forget his scooter, Dad) so I can work till 1800 to make up for 0900 starts and long lunch breaks.
Keas went well. We planted sunflower seeds and we're going to nurture them and watch them grow over summer. We also lost a soccer ball, but Hannah and Wally found it after Keas so the Tabors will get their ball back. Good on you, Hannah, for not giving up!
Toby and I rushed to Grandy and Gramps' house after Keas and ate yummy macaroni cheese (it was soooooo good) and then went to bed.
Have a marvellous day.
Love,
Angela
Monday, November 16, 2009
Good morning on Mon, Nov 16
Hi,
Well, Mike has enjoyed two days in Sydney with the Kittos and his conference starts today so he'll be in town now. I am sure he'll have a good time at the conference too.
Toby and I have had fun staying with Grandy and Gramps. So much so, that I think we'll sleep there this week too. Let's see how that works out.
Friday night was work quiz night for me and we had fun. Our team came in 4th place (equal) so we didn't do too badly.
Saturday morning was swimming lessons and we have resorted to bribing Toby to concentrate. Seems to be working quite well. He gets a toy (Gogo Crazy Bones) if he does well. Then we went shopping briefly and had lunch at Queensgate. Back home to relax.
Dad and I were keen to watch the soccer - All Whites playing for a spot in the World Cup. I had a message to run for Sally and Andrew first though, but it did mean the roads were very clear for the trip out to Lower Hutt. The All Whites made it through! Hooray!
Sunday Toby and I went out to the Santa Parade in town. The place was heaving. Dad even rang from work to say never mind bringing the car in. So we took the bus. And the whole of Lambton Quay and Willis St were lined three deep with kids and adults. So Toby pushed in to the front and found himself standing right next to Zoe from his class. He had a great time with her watching the parade. The Ghostbusters were his favourites.
We went back to Grandy and Gramps house to stay the night (and have yummy dinner).
We woke up this morning and got ready and had breakfast. Then we drove home to make sure Merlot was ok and pick up some stuff. I got Toby to brush his teeth and spit into our hedge. As he did this, he reflected upon our antics thus far that morning and said "Today is a funny day, isn't it?". Then we drove to school and waited for ages in the car before finally going to school.
It is Kea day so I drove in in order to collect wee Toby in time for Keas. Phew!
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
Well, Mike has enjoyed two days in Sydney with the Kittos and his conference starts today so he'll be in town now. I am sure he'll have a good time at the conference too.
Toby and I have had fun staying with Grandy and Gramps. So much so, that I think we'll sleep there this week too. Let's see how that works out.
Friday night was work quiz night for me and we had fun. Our team came in 4th place (equal) so we didn't do too badly.
Saturday morning was swimming lessons and we have resorted to bribing Toby to concentrate. Seems to be working quite well. He gets a toy (Gogo Crazy Bones) if he does well. Then we went shopping briefly and had lunch at Queensgate. Back home to relax.
Dad and I were keen to watch the soccer - All Whites playing for a spot in the World Cup. I had a message to run for Sally and Andrew first though, but it did mean the roads were very clear for the trip out to Lower Hutt. The All Whites made it through! Hooray!
Sunday Toby and I went out to the Santa Parade in town. The place was heaving. Dad even rang from work to say never mind bringing the car in. So we took the bus. And the whole of Lambton Quay and Willis St were lined three deep with kids and adults. So Toby pushed in to the front and found himself standing right next to Zoe from his class. He had a great time with her watching the parade. The Ghostbusters were his favourites.
We went back to Grandy and Gramps house to stay the night (and have yummy dinner).
We woke up this morning and got ready and had breakfast. Then we drove home to make sure Merlot was ok and pick up some stuff. I got Toby to brush his teeth and spit into our hedge. As he did this, he reflected upon our antics thus far that morning and said "Today is a funny day, isn't it?". Then we drove to school and waited for ages in the car before finally going to school.
It is Kea day so I drove in in order to collect wee Toby in time for Keas. Phew!
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
Friday, November 13, 2009
Good morning on Fri, Nov 13
Hi,
Is today spooky for some, perhaps? :-) We had a great Thursday evening starting with the Wadestown library where we ate Burger Wisconsin outside whilst chatting to Christine and Tom before grabbing a few more books. Then we were off to visit Kat (she lives on Mairangi above us) from the tramping club. They have a huge rope swing with a lovely view and Toby had a great time. We had a cup of tea and went home to bed.
Mike packed up for his week in Sydney visting Karen and Scott (and the kids) and then attending the Gartner conference. It should be a good week for him.
Tonight is a work quiz night and I am dressing up (against my will) as Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls. Mainly because I wore the same outfit to the last quiz and I can't think of anything else to do. She has tattoos (I have been reliably informed by younger work collegues) so I have asked Toby's permission for a water tattoo from his collection. I will be sporting (pun!) a tattoo of Freddo Frog playing tennis.
Ma will collect wee Toby from Skids and our overnight bag from home. Her watch is attached to the bag handle so it doesn't get left behind. Toby can eat the leftover chicken schnitzel strips in the fridge for a snack. And if Ma fills the cat bowls, she can leave the cat inside. Or fill the bowls outside of the cat is not in. Instructions sorted! We should be back home some time tomorrow anyway.
Toby and I will have a sleepover at Grandy and Gramps' place tonight and maybe even tomorrow night too. There is swimming tomorrow and a Santa Parade in town on Sunday.
I must track down a Santa photo for Toby.
Have a great weekend. Bye Mike!
Love,
Angela
Is today spooky for some, perhaps? :-) We had a great Thursday evening starting with the Wadestown library where we ate Burger Wisconsin outside whilst chatting to Christine and Tom before grabbing a few more books. Then we were off to visit Kat (she lives on Mairangi above us) from the tramping club. They have a huge rope swing with a lovely view and Toby had a great time. We had a cup of tea and went home to bed.
Mike packed up for his week in Sydney visting Karen and Scott (and the kids) and then attending the Gartner conference. It should be a good week for him.
Tonight is a work quiz night and I am dressing up (against my will) as Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls. Mainly because I wore the same outfit to the last quiz and I can't think of anything else to do. She has tattoos (I have been reliably informed by younger work collegues) so I have asked Toby's permission for a water tattoo from his collection. I will be sporting (pun!) a tattoo of Freddo Frog playing tennis.
Ma will collect wee Toby from Skids and our overnight bag from home. Her watch is attached to the bag handle so it doesn't get left behind. Toby can eat the leftover chicken schnitzel strips in the fridge for a snack. And if Ma fills the cat bowls, she can leave the cat inside. Or fill the bowls outside of the cat is not in. Instructions sorted! We should be back home some time tomorrow anyway.
Toby and I will have a sleepover at Grandy and Gramps' place tonight and maybe even tomorrow night too. There is swimming tomorrow and a Santa Parade in town on Sunday.
I must track down a Santa photo for Toby.
Have a great weekend. Bye Mike!
Love,
Angela
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Nov 12
Hi,
What a great morning. I was on Toby drop-off duty as Mike had to take the wee green car in for a service. We had fun playing with gogo's and then one was missing so we had a frantic pace for the last 10 minutes until Toby found it (and was very proud of his finding skills). We scootered to school and I rode in from there and despite the 8.30am ride, it was very easy. My 7am traffic is usually non-existent and I find the 8.30am traffic horrendous. But it was very pleasant this morning.
Last night the karate went well. I need to practise with Toby regularly as he has a grading coming up in two weeks. Ma cooked a scrumptious dinner (chicken schnitzel strips) and left her watch on our window sill (just in case you're wondering, Ma).
Tomorrow Mike heads to Sydney and Toby and I have a sleepover at Grandy and Gramps' house. I have a work quiz so I'll be home late. Good fun!
Ok. Time to get stuck in. Sorry for any spelling mistakes. My blog seems to have lost its spellchecker in the last three days.
Love,
Angela
What a great morning. I was on Toby drop-off duty as Mike had to take the wee green car in for a service. We had fun playing with gogo's and then one was missing so we had a frantic pace for the last 10 minutes until Toby found it (and was very proud of his finding skills). We scootered to school and I rode in from there and despite the 8.30am ride, it was very easy. My 7am traffic is usually non-existent and I find the 8.30am traffic horrendous. But it was very pleasant this morning.
Last night the karate went well. I need to practise with Toby regularly as he has a grading coming up in two weeks. Ma cooked a scrumptious dinner (chicken schnitzel strips) and left her watch on our window sill (just in case you're wondering, Ma).
Tomorrow Mike heads to Sydney and Toby and I have a sleepover at Grandy and Gramps' house. I have a work quiz so I'll be home late. Good fun!
Ok. Time to get stuck in. Sorry for any spelling mistakes. My blog seems to have lost its spellchecker in the last three days.
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Gogo's crazy bones
Toby's latest 'big thing' is Gogo's Crazy Bones - little plastic figures that you collect, trade and play games with. He loves them. But he's very careful with them, so he's torn between taking them to school (and losing them) and leaving them at home (and not playing with them with his friends).So he's hit on the perfect solution. Every morning he draws a quick sketch picture of a Gogo Crazy Bones and takes that to school.
Today he gave me this one to take to work. "Do you have 'News' at work? You can show this picture at 'News'."
I guess this blog is the closest thing I have to 'News' at work! So here is Toby's picture of Lessi, one of his Gogo Crazy Bones.
Good morning on Wed, Nov 11
Hi,
The no computer, no TV Tuesday evenings are going very well. I wish I could extend it to another evening as well. Maybe Thursday too?
Anyhow, we had a good evening together. I cooked up hamburgers as I thought that was Mike's intention with the huge amount of mince nicely defrosted in the fridge. They were yummy. However, Mike meant to use the ready-made hamburger patties in the freezer. Never mind. Mine were yummier!
Toby and Mike had a great time building a fort in the lounge. Fortunately the cushions have all gone back to the correct and proper position. They read one of Toby's library books in the fort and Mike particularly loved the book. Goodbye Mog it was called. It is my turn to read it tonight.
Tennis and karate day today. The weather is supposed to deteriorate to cold southerlies but I had a great ride in. The roads were bone dry and I shot down the hill. It was great fun. As I look out the window though, it does look a little yucky to the south. Perhaps the forecast was accurate.
I spoke briefly to wee Karen last night as she had a fright with Abby's hair. A braid from the Fiji holiday in Abby's hair broke off in a whole piece and gave Karen a huge fright. So they will visit a hair specialist to make sure there is nothing wrong. Abby was absolutely fine according to Karen but I think Karen was rather anxious. So I mentioned my anxiety about Toby's new adult front top tooth. It looks a bit mottled to me. It's been hiding behind the baby tooth for quite a few weeks. Nothing like anxious Mums to wind each other up. I am sure both scenarios will turn out fine.
So, have a marvellous day, wherever you are. I am about to get stuck in once more this morning to my work load. Bit busy.
Love,
Angela
The no computer, no TV Tuesday evenings are going very well. I wish I could extend it to another evening as well. Maybe Thursday too?
Anyhow, we had a good evening together. I cooked up hamburgers as I thought that was Mike's intention with the huge amount of mince nicely defrosted in the fridge. They were yummy. However, Mike meant to use the ready-made hamburger patties in the freezer. Never mind. Mine were yummier!
Toby and Mike had a great time building a fort in the lounge. Fortunately the cushions have all gone back to the correct and proper position. They read one of Toby's library books in the fort and Mike particularly loved the book. Goodbye Mog it was called. It is my turn to read it tonight.
Tennis and karate day today. The weather is supposed to deteriorate to cold southerlies but I had a great ride in. The roads were bone dry and I shot down the hill. It was great fun. As I look out the window though, it does look a little yucky to the south. Perhaps the forecast was accurate.
I spoke briefly to wee Karen last night as she had a fright with Abby's hair. A braid from the Fiji holiday in Abby's hair broke off in a whole piece and gave Karen a huge fright. So they will visit a hair specialist to make sure there is nothing wrong. Abby was absolutely fine according to Karen but I think Karen was rather anxious. So I mentioned my anxiety about Toby's new adult front top tooth. It looks a bit mottled to me. It's been hiding behind the baby tooth for quite a few weeks. Nothing like anxious Mums to wind each other up. I am sure both scenarios will turn out fine.
So, have a marvellous day, wherever you are. I am about to get stuck in once more this morning to my work load. Bit busy.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Nov 10
Hi,
We had great fun celebrating Vivienne's birthday last night at the Flying Burrito Brothers. We need more birthdays so we can have the excuse to go out together more often!
Keas also went well. Mike exerted his authority on the keas schedule and we had roll call and activities and heard stories. Our area leader came in unannounced and I was so happy that it coincided with a quiet activity moment (all the Keas were drawing pictures of the flags of the countries where they were born). Usually frenetic activity is the norm. I am looking forward to next week as we are planting sunflower seeds in wee pots (ta Vivienne for the pots). I must get some potting mix.
I want to try and start Christmas shopping in earnest this week as I don't enjoy doing it at the last moment. Good luck with that idea!
Ok. Time to get stuck in once more.
Love,
Angela
We had great fun celebrating Vivienne's birthday last night at the Flying Burrito Brothers. We need more birthdays so we can have the excuse to go out together more often!
Keas also went well. Mike exerted his authority on the keas schedule and we had roll call and activities and heard stories. Our area leader came in unannounced and I was so happy that it coincided with a quiet activity moment (all the Keas were drawing pictures of the flags of the countries where they were born). Usually frenetic activity is the norm. I am looking forward to next week as we are planting sunflower seeds in wee pots (ta Vivienne for the pots). I must get some potting mix.
I want to try and start Christmas shopping in earnest this week as I don't enjoy doing it at the last moment. Good luck with that idea!
Ok. Time to get stuck in once more.
Love,
Angela
Monday, November 9, 2009
Paua Hut Family tramp
Paua Hut Family trip (Nov 7/8)
The group: Constanza, Christian, Gustave, Deborah, Daniel, Charlotte, Alice, Mike, Angela, Toby, Brennan.
What a wonderful weekend trip to Paua Hut. The weather was superb and we had enthusiastic children that loved the whole experience, helped by having each other as company and fireworks and chocolate snacks. More about that later.
We all met up at the Catchpool carpark on a beautiful Saturday morning at 10.30am. Constanza and Christian had organised this family tramp and had their 2 year old son, Gustave, along for the fun. He was a great wee boy and ran on his wee legs for a good portion on the walk and hopped into his mother's backpack when he needed a break. Deborah was there on her own and Gustave took a shine to her over the course of the weekend - his wee hugs and antics making Deborah laugh often.
Daniel came with his two girls, Charlotte (6) and Alice (4) and the mountain buggy with their stuff in it. The mountain buggy manufacturers would have been proud to see the sterling service this model did in carrying all the gear (a huge Macpac backpack and a huge drysack) for Daniel's family.
Mike and I turned up with one less child than expected (she was sick), but our son Toby (6) had his friend Brennan (8) along as company and they both had a ball. Toby and Brennan carried quite a bit of their stuff in day packs and reduced the load on me and Mike. That left plenty of room for a box of fireworks. Choice!
We left the carpark at 11am (it does take a while to organise children) and started into the forest. The weather was lovely and warm and the shade below the trees was welcome. We made good time to Midway Bridge where we stopped for lunch number 1. The children played trolls under the bridge while we ate lunch. Other walkers seemed hardly fazed by it at all. Lucky for us, eh?
By the time we burst out into the river valley Gustave was asleep on his mother's back so Constanza continued to the hut while we waited for the others. They had taken a short side trip to the old hut 10 minutes from the river (I don't remember the name of it) so we waited for a wee while. The walk down the river valley took almost as long as the track from the carpark. Not too sure how that happened - children, water, mud, stones, drift wood. They are all of great interest to the kids. I caught my son trying to strip off for a swim at one point. I was last at Paua Hut at the start of autumn and I am sure I could see quite a bit of recent scouring from the winter waters as we walked down the river. There was a slip below Paua Hut on the clay cliff bank that wasn't there last time.
We caught up with another trip to Paua Hut - Melissa was leading a medium trip of keen trampers. They pitched their fly not too far from the hut.
Once we were at Paua Hut, Christian declared the water full of wriggly things and promptly boiled up a few kettle loads. Can't be too careful with children's tummies. The kids explored around and played in the hut and on the rope swing while we started dinner. Christian cooked up a storm and we ate paste with tomato and vege sauce. Everyone had a healthy appetite. Mike prepared trifle for dessert and that went down a treat too.
We then waited for the darkness to kick in so we could set off some fireworks. Melissa's group had fireworks as well. They had also started a great campfire so we used that as our base and the kids got stuck in with sparklers. This kept them going for ages until it was truly dark. Then we let off scores of fireworks. Poor wee Gustave took a while to settle in the hut during the fireworks display so his parents missed most of the fun. I hoped there were no hunters stalking anything within cooee of our location. They would not be happy with us.
The kids were late into bed and after the excitement and novelty of it all died down, they all slept very well. The adults stayed up trying to re-design the trip list form to accommodate the extra information family trips require and discussing favourite German and English words. The things you do when there is no television, eh? Turns out that Constanza likes saying the word "photographer" and I like saying the word "Schluessel". We fell into bed and I was comatose almost immediately. Apparently Gustave woke during the night and his parents were concerned he may have woken us up. Not me! Didn't hear a thing all night.
In the morning we discovered something else was most definitely up and about during the night - it wasn't just Gustave and Christian. Melissa's pack had a huge hole gnawed into it from a cheeky rat. The muesli proved too enticing for the rats. Her pack was in the lean-to because they were all sleeping under the fly. So, be careful leaving your gear there overnight - perhaps keep your food with you! Melissa will be popping in to get her pack fixed after her next tramp!
My breakfast was leftover yummy pasta (there were a few other takers too). Mike seemed happy polishing off the last of the trifle for his breakfast. No wonder he had energy to burn on the way home. We were all packed up and ready to leave by 10am. There was a light misty rain at times but within 20 minutes from the hut the sun was out and we had a lovely walk back to the car park. The children walked much faster back to the car than they did getting to the hut. We had lunch again at Midway Bridge and there was more troll action happening under the bridge. We popped out into the car park bathed in sunshine and happy with the weekend. What a lot of fun. Toby and Brennan were very happy with their adventure. That is what counts on a
family tramping trip.
The group: Constanza, Christian, Gustave, Deborah, Daniel, Charlotte, Alice, Mike, Angela, Toby, Brennan.
What a wonderful weekend trip to Paua Hut. The weather was superb and we had enthusiastic children that loved the whole experience, helped by having each other as company and fireworks and chocolate snacks. More about that later.
We all met up at the Catchpool carpark on a beautiful Saturday morning at 10.30am. Constanza and Christian had organised this family tramp and had their 2 year old son, Gustave, along for the fun. He was a great wee boy and ran on his wee legs for a good portion on the walk and hopped into his mother's backpack when he needed a break. Deborah was there on her own and Gustave took a shine to her over the course of the weekend - his wee hugs and antics making Deborah laugh often.
Daniel came with his two girls, Charlotte (6) and Alice (4) and the mountain buggy with their stuff in it. The mountain buggy manufacturers would have been proud to see the sterling service this model did in carrying all the gear (a huge Macpac backpack and a huge drysack) for Daniel's family.
Mike and I turned up with one less child than expected (she was sick), but our son Toby (6) had his friend Brennan (8) along as company and they both had a ball. Toby and Brennan carried quite a bit of their stuff in day packs and reduced the load on me and Mike. That left plenty of room for a box of fireworks. Choice!
We left the carpark at 11am (it does take a while to organise children) and started into the forest. The weather was lovely and warm and the shade below the trees was welcome. We made good time to Midway Bridge where we stopped for lunch number 1. The children played trolls under the bridge while we ate lunch. Other walkers seemed hardly fazed by it at all. Lucky for us, eh?
By the time we burst out into the river valley Gustave was asleep on his mother's back so Constanza continued to the hut while we waited for the others. They had taken a short side trip to the old hut 10 minutes from the river (I don't remember the name of it) so we waited for a wee while. The walk down the river valley took almost as long as the track from the carpark. Not too sure how that happened - children, water, mud, stones, drift wood. They are all of great interest to the kids. I caught my son trying to strip off for a swim at one point. I was last at Paua Hut at the start of autumn and I am sure I could see quite a bit of recent scouring from the winter waters as we walked down the river. There was a slip below Paua Hut on the clay cliff bank that wasn't there last time.
We caught up with another trip to Paua Hut - Melissa was leading a medium trip of keen trampers. They pitched their fly not too far from the hut.
Once we were at Paua Hut, Christian declared the water full of wriggly things and promptly boiled up a few kettle loads. Can't be too careful with children's tummies. The kids explored around and played in the hut and on the rope swing while we started dinner. Christian cooked up a storm and we ate paste with tomato and vege sauce. Everyone had a healthy appetite. Mike prepared trifle for dessert and that went down a treat too.
We then waited for the darkness to kick in so we could set off some fireworks. Melissa's group had fireworks as well. They had also started a great campfire so we used that as our base and the kids got stuck in with sparklers. This kept them going for ages until it was truly dark. Then we let off scores of fireworks. Poor wee Gustave took a while to settle in the hut during the fireworks display so his parents missed most of the fun. I hoped there were no hunters stalking anything within cooee of our location. They would not be happy with us.
The kids were late into bed and after the excitement and novelty of it all died down, they all slept very well. The adults stayed up trying to re-design the trip list form to accommodate the extra information family trips require and discussing favourite German and English words. The things you do when there is no television, eh? Turns out that Constanza likes saying the word "photographer" and I like saying the word "Schluessel". We fell into bed and I was comatose almost immediately. Apparently Gustave woke during the night and his parents were concerned he may have woken us up. Not me! Didn't hear a thing all night.
In the morning we discovered something else was most definitely up and about during the night - it wasn't just Gustave and Christian. Melissa's pack had a huge hole gnawed into it from a cheeky rat. The muesli proved too enticing for the rats. Her pack was in the lean-to because they were all sleeping under the fly. So, be careful leaving your gear there overnight - perhaps keep your food with you! Melissa will be popping in to get her pack fixed after her next tramp!
My breakfast was leftover yummy pasta (there were a few other takers too). Mike seemed happy polishing off the last of the trifle for his breakfast. No wonder he had energy to burn on the way home. We were all packed up and ready to leave by 10am. There was a light misty rain at times but within 20 minutes from the hut the sun was out and we had a lovely walk back to the car park. The children walked much faster back to the car than they did getting to the hut. We had lunch again at Midway Bridge and there was more troll action happening under the bridge. We popped out into the car park bathed in sunshine and happy with the weekend. What a lot of fun. Toby and Brennan were very happy with their adventure. That is what counts on a
family tramping trip.
Good morning on Mon, Nov 9
Hi there,
Happy birthday to Vivienne! But, shhhhhhh. Don't let her know we know. ;-)
I was sick on Friday so had the day at home - my mother came over to make sure I was ok. Isn't that nice? We had a good time together and I perked up by about 2pm so I was good for the weekend tramp.
Toby and I had all our plans go awry though for our sleepover at Sally and Andrew's place. We were supposed to take the little green car there. So I grabbed the Mazda car keys and locked the house and we wandered up to the garage. Then I noticed we had no Mazda garage keys on the key chain (there were many keys on it - but nothing useful). So I thought I'd pop back into the house to get the other set of keys. Then I noticed how truly useful this set of car keys really was - no house key either. I looked at Toby. Toby looked at me. Toby said we could take the silver car. No silver car garage key (or car key). Then he said we could walk to Sally's. True. But, no!
So we wandered around the house looking for an open window. We found one and I boosted Toby up to this tiny, high window and he squirmed and wriggled and contorted his wee body through the gap and down the other side to the window ledge. What a hero! he opened the door and we grabbed as many keys as we might need!
Back to the car. Opened the garage. Jumped in, put the roof down (it was a lovely day). Started the car. Or not! Nothing. Just click-click-click.
Back into the house. Contact Sally to say our plans have all gone wrong (Toby's assessment of it all), contact Mike. Mike comes home and we push start the car with me and Toby in it and we're off to Sally and Andrew's. Just a little later.
So, we had a good time there (we both slept in the same single bed - it was not very comfy for me). Mike arrived with Brennan and Maccas for brekkie and we were off. Chelsea was still sick and couldn't come. We walked into Paua Hut taking 4 hours instead of the usual 2. But we did have a mountain buggy full of stuff with us, two wee girls (6 and 4) and a wee lad of about 2. Toby and Brennan loved the walk. The trip was superb! Dinner was great. I got to practise lots of German - I talk really well to 2 year olds.
We set off fireworks after dinner and the kids had a ball. Toby was up very late (as were all the kids) but he slept well and was the last child to wake up. We had breakfast and tidied up and we left to wander back. It didn't take as long to get back to the car and we came out to glorious sunshine after a little rain at the hut (well, you could hardly notice).
We collected the green car from Sally and Andrew's place (thank you for keeping it safe for us) and Mike drove it home enjoying the nice weather. Brennan came to play for a bit longer with Toby at our place and then he went home. We ate spag bol and crashed into bed. What a great weekend.
Kea night tonight. I need to find wee pot plant holders (5 of them) for the Keas to plant out sunflower seeds in their own wee pot (it's an activity this term and we got the sunflower seeds in the mail from my mother!). I think they are learning about "growing" - a key Kea concept. But tonight we'll do a rubbish collage while I sort out the wee pots for next week.
Mike is away this weekend coming to Sydney. And he's away most of the next week. So I'll be busy dropping off and collecting wee Toby. Work will hardly see me. :-)
Have a marvellous week.
Love,
Angela
Happy birthday to Vivienne! But, shhhhhhh. Don't let her know we know. ;-)
I was sick on Friday so had the day at home - my mother came over to make sure I was ok. Isn't that nice? We had a good time together and I perked up by about 2pm so I was good for the weekend tramp.
Toby and I had all our plans go awry though for our sleepover at Sally and Andrew's place. We were supposed to take the little green car there. So I grabbed the Mazda car keys and locked the house and we wandered up to the garage. Then I noticed we had no Mazda garage keys on the key chain (there were many keys on it - but nothing useful). So I thought I'd pop back into the house to get the other set of keys. Then I noticed how truly useful this set of car keys really was - no house key either. I looked at Toby. Toby looked at me. Toby said we could take the silver car. No silver car garage key (or car key). Then he said we could walk to Sally's. True. But, no!
So we wandered around the house looking for an open window. We found one and I boosted Toby up to this tiny, high window and he squirmed and wriggled and contorted his wee body through the gap and down the other side to the window ledge. What a hero! he opened the door and we grabbed as many keys as we might need!
Back to the car. Opened the garage. Jumped in, put the roof down (it was a lovely day). Started the car. Or not! Nothing. Just click-click-click.
Back into the house. Contact Sally to say our plans have all gone wrong (Toby's assessment of it all), contact Mike. Mike comes home and we push start the car with me and Toby in it and we're off to Sally and Andrew's. Just a little later.
So, we had a good time there (we both slept in the same single bed - it was not very comfy for me). Mike arrived with Brennan and Maccas for brekkie and we were off. Chelsea was still sick and couldn't come. We walked into Paua Hut taking 4 hours instead of the usual 2. But we did have a mountain buggy full of stuff with us, two wee girls (6 and 4) and a wee lad of about 2. Toby and Brennan loved the walk. The trip was superb! Dinner was great. I got to practise lots of German - I talk really well to 2 year olds.
We set off fireworks after dinner and the kids had a ball. Toby was up very late (as were all the kids) but he slept well and was the last child to wake up. We had breakfast and tidied up and we left to wander back. It didn't take as long to get back to the car and we came out to glorious sunshine after a little rain at the hut (well, you could hardly notice).
We collected the green car from Sally and Andrew's place (thank you for keeping it safe for us) and Mike drove it home enjoying the nice weather. Brennan came to play for a bit longer with Toby at our place and then he went home. We ate spag bol and crashed into bed. What a great weekend.
Kea night tonight. I need to find wee pot plant holders (5 of them) for the Keas to plant out sunflower seeds in their own wee pot (it's an activity this term and we got the sunflower seeds in the mail from my mother!). I think they are learning about "growing" - a key Kea concept. But tonight we'll do a rubbish collage while I sort out the wee pots for next week.
Mike is away this weekend coming to Sydney. And he's away most of the next week. So I'll be busy dropping off and collecting wee Toby. Work will hardly see me. :-)
Have a marvellous week.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Good morning on Thurs, Nov 5
Hi,
Guy Fawkes Day here in New Zealand and Mike bought some fireworks last night on the way home. With sparklers (I like sparklers).
Karate went well last night - there is another grading in three weeks so Toby is knuckling down. Mum cooked a beautiful dinner (a new dish - chicken with rice baked in the oven) and it was yum! Dad got cream on his apple crumble (the groceries were delivered as we were leaving for karate so dessert was on the menu once again!). It all came together.
The weather is very odd. We seem to have permanent cloud. I don't think it rained - I just think we were enveloped in low cloud. It is supposed to be 18 and sunny later today. Fingers crossed. I enjoyed the ride down the hill but the roads were a little damp from the cloud touching the road. Honest! Heheheheh.
I bought some more tramping socks for Toby on Tuesday but I bought according to age and when I got them back at work for a good look, I realised he has bigger feet than the packet suggests. So I need to exchange them.
I have also got a fancy (very fancy) new cellphone. http://www.vodafone.co.nz/shop/mobileDetails.jsp?skuId=sku5450013&voucherCode=&menuKey=&selectionKey=mobile This is my new phone. I have only just started using it this morning so I am still finding my way. I think I have set it to silent for work. I hate cellphones ringing in the office when people have left them behind. Mike bought it for me. He's angling for a work phone.
So, very exciting times. Off to the Wadestown library after a quick dinner tonight. Spag bol. Toby seems to have gone off it since he returned from Sydney. What did they do to it there? Heheheheheheh.
Love,
Angela
Guy Fawkes Day here in New Zealand and Mike bought some fireworks last night on the way home. With sparklers (I like sparklers).
Karate went well last night - there is another grading in three weeks so Toby is knuckling down. Mum cooked a beautiful dinner (a new dish - chicken with rice baked in the oven) and it was yum! Dad got cream on his apple crumble (the groceries were delivered as we were leaving for karate so dessert was on the menu once again!). It all came together.
The weather is very odd. We seem to have permanent cloud. I don't think it rained - I just think we were enveloped in low cloud. It is supposed to be 18 and sunny later today. Fingers crossed. I enjoyed the ride down the hill but the roads were a little damp from the cloud touching the road. Honest! Heheheheh.
I bought some more tramping socks for Toby on Tuesday but I bought according to age and when I got them back at work for a good look, I realised he has bigger feet than the packet suggests. So I need to exchange them.
I have also got a fancy (very fancy) new cellphone. http://www.vodafone.co.nz/shop/mobileDetails.jsp?skuId=sku5450013&voucherCode=&menuKey=&selectionKey=mobile This is my new phone. I have only just started using it this morning so I am still finding my way. I think I have set it to silent for work. I hate cellphones ringing in the office when people have left them behind. Mike bought it for me. He's angling for a work phone.
So, very exciting times. Off to the Wadestown library after a quick dinner tonight. Spag bol. Toby seems to have gone off it since he returned from Sydney. What did they do to it there? Heheheheheheh.
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Nov 4
Hi,
We had a great Melbourne Cup day. My excitement rustled up a work sweep (got zip) and I went to the TAB to place three bets for me, Mike and Toby (got zip). Could only watch the Cup with no sound (better than the radio feed I found - maybe). But it was great fun.
Rode home after it to collect wee Toby so we were running later than usual all evening. Cooked dinner and went to ride Toby's bike and scooter at school. We played there for ages then home to bed. Action-packed. No TV (but a few minutes on Club Penguin as Toby met Zoe online and chatted on the phone to her). Tuesdays are now no TV (or computers) night.
That's it really. Busy at work. Same as usual. Toby has tennis and karate today. I think Ma and Pa will pop over to collect him and cook up tea for us all. Yum!
Love,
Angela
We had a great Melbourne Cup day. My excitement rustled up a work sweep (got zip) and I went to the TAB to place three bets for me, Mike and Toby (got zip). Could only watch the Cup with no sound (better than the radio feed I found - maybe). But it was great fun.
Rode home after it to collect wee Toby so we were running later than usual all evening. Cooked dinner and went to ride Toby's bike and scooter at school. We played there for ages then home to bed. Action-packed. No TV (but a few minutes on Club Penguin as Toby met Zoe online and chatted on the phone to her). Tuesdays are now no TV (or computers) night.
That's it really. Busy at work. Same as usual. Toby has tennis and karate today. I think Ma and Pa will pop over to collect him and cook up tea for us all. Yum!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Nov 3
Hi,
They tell me it is going to be beautiful here this afternoon but this morning we're in a cloud of fine, fine drizzle. I took the bus in because I took the car home for Keas yesterday while Mike attended the tramping club summer planning session. He is in to lead 4 or 5 trips over the summer. Woo hoo!
Karen said it will be 37C in the part of Sydney she lives in. Wow! Amazing weather. I think I'd melt. I wore a t-shirt all yesterday evening at Keas in a beautiful 14 or 15C evening. 37 would kill me I am sure. Keas was great fun. We read all about the kea bird and Toby told them about the Kea attacking my backpack and showed everyone the hole the kea pecked in my backpack. I must bring it in to get it fixed. Maybe next week after Paua Hut tramping this weekend.
Ok. Time to get stuck in. I'm off to the TAB to place my bets for the Melbourne Cup in a few hours. Toby, Mike and I have picked horses 4, 6 and 10. And I think I have generated enough enthusiasm for a sweep here at work. Alright!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
They tell me it is going to be beautiful here this afternoon but this morning we're in a cloud of fine, fine drizzle. I took the bus in because I took the car home for Keas yesterday while Mike attended the tramping club summer planning session. He is in to lead 4 or 5 trips over the summer. Woo hoo!
Karen said it will be 37C in the part of Sydney she lives in. Wow! Amazing weather. I think I'd melt. I wore a t-shirt all yesterday evening at Keas in a beautiful 14 or 15C evening. 37 would kill me I am sure. Keas was great fun. We read all about the kea bird and Toby told them about the Kea attacking my backpack and showed everyone the hole the kea pecked in my backpack. I must bring it in to get it fixed. Maybe next week after Paua Hut tramping this weekend.
Ok. Time to get stuck in. I'm off to the TAB to place my bets for the Melbourne Cup in a few hours. Toby, Mike and I have picked horses 4, 6 and 10. And I think I have generated enough enthusiasm for a sweep here at work. Alright!
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Monday, November 2, 2009
Good morning on Mon, Nov 2
Hi,
Nov 2nd eh? Must be Jupiter's birthday (our old dog - and I still miss him) today and Melbourne Cup tomorrow. Woo hoo! Better sort out a bet for me, Mike and Toby.
The weekend was great fun and quite busy. We went swimming on Saturday morning and Toby swam very, very well and listened very well. Good on him. After that we went to Sally and Andrew's house to fix their computer (C drive full and emails not coming down due to lack of space) and ride bikes (Toby - well, he rode for about 3 m and decided he wouldn't do it anymore) and have lunch. It was very pleasant.
Then a rush home after Mike made vegetarian lasagne (his best dish!) at Sally and Andrew's place to save time. We dropped Toby off at William's party and dropped the lasagne off at our party then rushed home to pack Toby's overnight bag and sort out a Halloween costume for him. He got a sheet with eyeholes and when Mike dropped off his bag and costume (and William's present), Toby was overjoyed to have his own costume. Better keep that for next year.
We went to our party after that - Christine's great Halloween party. Yummy food, good company. I enjoyed it. Then Mike and I went home and watched The Pianist for a sobering late evening. We had no idea what it was about so to find a good movie about horrible events in Poland was a bit shocking. So when the movie finished at midnight we watched Time Team to stop us thinking about it all. Didn't work. Mike and I both had dreams affected by the movie. I was hunted all night and Mike seemed to be constantly shifting in his dream.
Sunday we went and got wee Toby and Chelsea turned up at our place. We got ready for Kea Day and wandered out to Aotea Lagoon. We had a good day. Toby was so tired after staying up "all night". Our activity was just the right one - not too busy. We had some that loved it. And we sat in the sunshine all day doing almost nothing while the kids ran around like mad things. It was great!
A relaxing evening was had by us as Toby was exhausted. So, all good.
Phew! The ride in was lovely this morning - a strong tail wind. Off to Keas tonight.
:-)
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Nov 2nd eh? Must be Jupiter's birthday (our old dog - and I still miss him) today and Melbourne Cup tomorrow. Woo hoo! Better sort out a bet for me, Mike and Toby.
The weekend was great fun and quite busy. We went swimming on Saturday morning and Toby swam very, very well and listened very well. Good on him. After that we went to Sally and Andrew's house to fix their computer (C drive full and emails not coming down due to lack of space) and ride bikes (Toby - well, he rode for about 3 m and decided he wouldn't do it anymore) and have lunch. It was very pleasant.
Then a rush home after Mike made vegetarian lasagne (his best dish!) at Sally and Andrew's place to save time. We dropped Toby off at William's party and dropped the lasagne off at our party then rushed home to pack Toby's overnight bag and sort out a Halloween costume for him. He got a sheet with eyeholes and when Mike dropped off his bag and costume (and William's present), Toby was overjoyed to have his own costume. Better keep that for next year.
We went to our party after that - Christine's great Halloween party. Yummy food, good company. I enjoyed it. Then Mike and I went home and watched The Pianist for a sobering late evening. We had no idea what it was about so to find a good movie about horrible events in Poland was a bit shocking. So when the movie finished at midnight we watched Time Team to stop us thinking about it all. Didn't work. Mike and I both had dreams affected by the movie. I was hunted all night and Mike seemed to be constantly shifting in his dream.
Sunday we went and got wee Toby and Chelsea turned up at our place. We got ready for Kea Day and wandered out to Aotea Lagoon. We had a good day. Toby was so tired after staying up "all night". Our activity was just the right one - not too busy. We had some that loved it. And we sat in the sunshine all day doing almost nothing while the kids ran around like mad things. It was great!
A relaxing evening was had by us as Toby was exhausted. So, all good.
Phew! The ride in was lovely this morning - a strong tail wind. Off to Keas tonight.
:-)
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Friday, October 30, 2009
Good morning on Fri, Oct 30
Hi,
Wow - next time we chat it'll be November. Amazing. The weather is still a bit cold today and the wind is still a bit strong. but my ride in was fun. I saw 50 km/h on my bike computer coming down the hill as I tucked in behind the handlebars (it was a southerly I was flying down the hill into).
I think the Kittos return from Fiji today. They'll be very relaxed after their break and I hope I hear all about it.
Toby and I have started a new Thursday evening routine where we go to the Wadestown Library. Hopefully we can catch up with wee Tom and Christine regularly then too. That'd be nice. Christine has a new horse called Victor and he is lovely to ride (unlike Georgia who was very skittery - apparently). Perhaps Toby and I might try one day. Or, just feed him carrots!
The weekend is looming (although not fast enough despite the 4 day week) and we have all sorts of plans. Swimming, walking, computer-building, parties, sleepovers, Halloween and National Kea Birthday on Sunday. Phew. I'll need Monday to recover. I must fit in a big grocery shop too as we're plum out of everything! I had to do an emergency dash to Woolies last night to get bread and milk.
We're all good - Toby slept well and only woke when I went to kiss him goodbye this morning. He did shout out during the night but I am not sure why.
Tennis club night tonight. Toby and I will put in an appearance (and maybe grab a sausage from the sausage sizzle).
Love,
Angela
Wow - next time we chat it'll be November. Amazing. The weather is still a bit cold today and the wind is still a bit strong. but my ride in was fun. I saw 50 km/h on my bike computer coming down the hill as I tucked in behind the handlebars (it was a southerly I was flying down the hill into).
I think the Kittos return from Fiji today. They'll be very relaxed after their break and I hope I hear all about it.
Toby and I have started a new Thursday evening routine where we go to the Wadestown Library. Hopefully we can catch up with wee Tom and Christine regularly then too. That'd be nice. Christine has a new horse called Victor and he is lovely to ride (unlike Georgia who was very skittery - apparently). Perhaps Toby and I might try one day. Or, just feed him carrots!
The weekend is looming (although not fast enough despite the 4 day week) and we have all sorts of plans. Swimming, walking, computer-building, parties, sleepovers, Halloween and National Kea Birthday on Sunday. Phew. I'll need Monday to recover. I must fit in a big grocery shop too as we're plum out of everything! I had to do an emergency dash to Woolies last night to get bread and milk.
We're all good - Toby slept well and only woke when I went to kiss him goodbye this morning. He did shout out during the night but I am not sure why.
Tennis club night tonight. Toby and I will put in an appearance (and maybe grab a sausage from the sausage sizzle).
Love,
Angela
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Good afternoon on Thurs, Oct 29
Hi,
Well, it is now way past lunchtime and I remembered I haven't done any of my usual morning things - blogging, checking syncing is working at work. I had Toby drop-off duty and obviously my routine has all gone to ruin. So, blogging in the afternoon now. But I am worried about syncing. If it's broken I'd rather not know at this late stage. Heheheheh.
We had a good evening last night. Mum and Dad collected wee Toby from school and got him ready for karate. Mum cooked up a lovely dinner and we ate (after a wee delay) when Dad and I got back from watching Toby learning some complicated sequence of moves. Phew! If he gets the hang of it, it'll look very cool.
The delay was due to my mother being crippled by her walk in the gardens with Vivienne and Ramble. Heheheheh. She is out of practise so it was very good for her. I hope they go for regular "coffee" walks in the future! Hopefully Mum has stopped hobbling today. Time to get her out again!
Mike came home after tramping club and we fell into a coma. Mike had to be at work by 6am this morning so when the alarm went off at 5am I was very confused. Still, at least I could keep sleeping.
The weather is still cold and windy today. But hopefully we will be getting better weather tomorrow and for the weekend. Bring it on. My garden is a shambles.
Have a great afternoon and evening.
Love,
Angela
Well, it is now way past lunchtime and I remembered I haven't done any of my usual morning things - blogging, checking syncing is working at work. I had Toby drop-off duty and obviously my routine has all gone to ruin. So, blogging in the afternoon now. But I am worried about syncing. If it's broken I'd rather not know at this late stage. Heheheheh.
We had a good evening last night. Mum and Dad collected wee Toby from school and got him ready for karate. Mum cooked up a lovely dinner and we ate (after a wee delay) when Dad and I got back from watching Toby learning some complicated sequence of moves. Phew! If he gets the hang of it, it'll look very cool.
The delay was due to my mother being crippled by her walk in the gardens with Vivienne and Ramble. Heheheheh. She is out of practise so it was very good for her. I hope they go for regular "coffee" walks in the future! Hopefully Mum has stopped hobbling today. Time to get her out again!
Mike came home after tramping club and we fell into a coma. Mike had to be at work by 6am this morning so when the alarm went off at 5am I was very confused. Still, at least I could keep sleeping.
The weather is still cold and windy today. But hopefully we will be getting better weather tomorrow and for the weekend. Bring it on. My garden is a shambles.
Have a great afternoon and evening.
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Good morning on Wed, Oct 28
Hi,
What a glorious morning in Wellington - sandwiched between two cold southerly blasts as tomorrow's forecast is bad. The ride in was perfection itself - no wind, sunny, dry. I wore my sunnies! Hooray!
Last night was fun. Toby was collected by Gramps and taken to the Formula One exhibition at Te Papa. Unfortunately Toby zoomed through the exhibits at Schumacher times and poor Gramps hardly saw a thing. They spent the next few hours at other parts of Te Papa. We found them at closing time and went for dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe. Toby enjoyed his chicken schnitzel (although I do have to say the Blue Bridge ferry chicken schnitzel meal was better and cheaper!) and we all had a great time. Dad drove us all home.
Tonight is karate night. Then Mike is off to tramping club night. Not much else happening. I'll try and sort out the Kea activity for this Sunday.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
What a glorious morning in Wellington - sandwiched between two cold southerly blasts as tomorrow's forecast is bad. The ride in was perfection itself - no wind, sunny, dry. I wore my sunnies! Hooray!
Last night was fun. Toby was collected by Gramps and taken to the Formula One exhibition at Te Papa. Unfortunately Toby zoomed through the exhibits at Schumacher times and poor Gramps hardly saw a thing. They spent the next few hours at other parts of Te Papa. We found them at closing time and went for dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe. Toby enjoyed his chicken schnitzel (although I do have to say the Blue Bridge ferry chicken schnitzel meal was better and cheaper!) and we all had a great time. Dad drove us all home.
Tonight is karate night. Then Mike is off to tramping club night. Not much else happening. I'll try and sort out the Kea activity for this Sunday.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Good morning on Tues, Oct 27
Hi,
A wonderful extra long Labour Day weekend. Mike, Toby and I left on the 9pm ferry on Thursday evening and had the ferry to ourselves (apart from some commercial drivers - there were hardly any normal passengers). We got ourselves a cabin and I read and went to sleep. Great fun! The best way to cross Cook Strait! Mike and Toby watched a movie before coming to sleep. I heard some incoherent story about talking dogs in Hollywood getting dognapped to Mexico. But - I could be wrong.
We drove straight to St Arnaud and Mike slept in the day shelter under the "No overnight camping in this shelter" sign. Apparently sleeping from 1.30am to 7am is not overnighting according to Mike. Toby and I slept in the car. Toby slept well and woke at about 8am. We had breakfast and mucked around chasing ducks (saw a nosey weka too) and sculpting logs of wood before we set off to Lakehead - DOC said it would take us about 3 hours.
We stayed on schedule for the first 30 minutes and then I have no idea where the time went. Toby had a ball poking into every boggy swamp we crossed, and running around on any beach we came to - so I guess that is why it took us the best part of 6 hours to walk there.
We pitched the tent not far from the hut under some trees in a perfect spot - apart from a lot of sandflies. Mike cooked up a storm in our billy - rice with tuna and coconut cream with fresh broccoli and carrots infused with sun-dried tomato oil. Gourmet or what??!! We ate everything.
Our exertions meant we were all asleep by 7.30pm. Then, around 8pm Mike woke saying "Who's that?". Scared me silly. We waited and listened and heard some voices approaching and I thought Mike must have heard that. But - no! It was a cheeky kea that had found our rubbish and was checking out our stuff under our tent fly. I ended up getting up and chasing him around the campsite in the rain with my headtorch on. I am sure I saw a kiwi scuttle away at the edge of the campsite. We could hear kiwi calling during the night. To stop the kea's antics, we had to pull both our packs into the tent and I ended up sleeping scrunched up sideways at the bottom of Mike and Toby. A little uncomfortable.
The next morning was beautiful. We packed a day pack and Toby polished off 6 Weetbix and we walked further up the valley to a swing bridge where we crossed and had lunch. Toby loved the tramping and kept up a constant commentary about anything and everything. When Mike pulled out the chocolate he could see that the kea had got in and nibbled two squares off our block. I groaned because the chocolate had been buried deep in my almost new backpack.
Back to the hut and we saw some families had taken it over and Toby was chuffed. He ran around in bare feet (he never does that) chasing after the other children and had a ball. So much so, that he chose to sleep in the hut with everyone else. I immediately checked out my pack expecting to see ribbons shredded down one side. But the cheeky kea had surgically removed the chocolate using precision pinhole surgery. I have a wee hole halfway down the side. It must have amazing smell to find chocolate under pack and two layers of plastic! Back to Macpac for some mending.
The kea turned up at the same time this evening too but this time our packs were in the hut. He poked his head under the tent flap and I said "Nothing here for you" and he took off. The families all took photos of him when he checked out the new arrivals at the hut and they called him Charlie the Hopper, the Cheeky Chocolate Eater.
Next morning dawned misty but warm after more night rain. But by the time we prised Toby away from the other children (well, they left to tramp out so it made it slightly easier for us) we left and headed back to St Arnaud. We had decided to camp in Nelson for that night so we kept up a good pace (a good Toby pace) and got distracted by hot beaches and clear blue lakes once or twice. Toby stripped down to swim at one beach but the cold water kept him dry! He
sunbathed instead. We got back to St Arnaud at 1pm and ate a pie at the general store after checking out the MX-5 rally cars meeting at the lake and then headed off to Nelson.
The road there was gorgeous and Mike enjoyed the drive. We created Digimon monsters most of the way. Heheheh. Toby likes to create new ones with great powers and cool names. Mike and I have to rack our brains for ideas whereas Toby's monsters seem to flow freely from the depths of his brain.
We found the Tahunanui campground eventually and picked our tent site. We found some food and playground equipment and had a good relaxing evening. Toby slept in his own wee tent and Mike and I slept in ours. Toby did very well.
Next morning we went into town for Maccas and to buy Toby some tramping boots like Josh had on (a boy from the hut - they were all from Nelson so they told us where to buy them). Then we headed off to Picton via Queen Charlotte Drive and caught the ferry back home.
The cat was pleased to see us and we got lots of smooches. Thank you to Vivienne for keeping her bowl full and closing our window we had left open. Ooops.
Back at work int he rain this morning. Toby has a great afternoon with Gramps planned. Gramps has tickets to the Formula One show in Te Papa and will collect Toby at 3pm from the meeting tree at school. Then we'll see everyone for dinner afterwards in town.
Have a great day! I hope your weekend was as good as ours.
Love,
Angela
A wonderful extra long Labour Day weekend. Mike, Toby and I left on the 9pm ferry on Thursday evening and had the ferry to ourselves (apart from some commercial drivers - there were hardly any normal passengers). We got ourselves a cabin and I read and went to sleep. Great fun! The best way to cross Cook Strait! Mike and Toby watched a movie before coming to sleep. I heard some incoherent story about talking dogs in Hollywood getting dognapped to Mexico. But - I could be wrong.
We drove straight to St Arnaud and Mike slept in the day shelter under the "No overnight camping in this shelter" sign. Apparently sleeping from 1.30am to 7am is not overnighting according to Mike. Toby and I slept in the car. Toby slept well and woke at about 8am. We had breakfast and mucked around chasing ducks (saw a nosey weka too) and sculpting logs of wood before we set off to Lakehead - DOC said it would take us about 3 hours.
We stayed on schedule for the first 30 minutes and then I have no idea where the time went. Toby had a ball poking into every boggy swamp we crossed, and running around on any beach we came to - so I guess that is why it took us the best part of 6 hours to walk there.
We pitched the tent not far from the hut under some trees in a perfect spot - apart from a lot of sandflies. Mike cooked up a storm in our billy - rice with tuna and coconut cream with fresh broccoli and carrots infused with sun-dried tomato oil. Gourmet or what??!! We ate everything.
Our exertions meant we were all asleep by 7.30pm. Then, around 8pm Mike woke saying "Who's that?". Scared me silly. We waited and listened and heard some voices approaching and I thought Mike must have heard that. But - no! It was a cheeky kea that had found our rubbish and was checking out our stuff under our tent fly. I ended up getting up and chasing him around the campsite in the rain with my headtorch on. I am sure I saw a kiwi scuttle away at the edge of the campsite. We could hear kiwi calling during the night. To stop the kea's antics, we had to pull both our packs into the tent and I ended up sleeping scrunched up sideways at the bottom of Mike and Toby. A little uncomfortable.
The next morning was beautiful. We packed a day pack and Toby polished off 6 Weetbix and we walked further up the valley to a swing bridge where we crossed and had lunch. Toby loved the tramping and kept up a constant commentary about anything and everything. When Mike pulled out the chocolate he could see that the kea had got in and nibbled two squares off our block. I groaned because the chocolate had been buried deep in my almost new backpack.
Back to the hut and we saw some families had taken it over and Toby was chuffed. He ran around in bare feet (he never does that) chasing after the other children and had a ball. So much so, that he chose to sleep in the hut with everyone else. I immediately checked out my pack expecting to see ribbons shredded down one side. But the cheeky kea had surgically removed the chocolate using precision pinhole surgery. I have a wee hole halfway down the side. It must have amazing smell to find chocolate under pack and two layers of plastic! Back to Macpac for some mending.
The kea turned up at the same time this evening too but this time our packs were in the hut. He poked his head under the tent flap and I said "Nothing here for you" and he took off. The families all took photos of him when he checked out the new arrivals at the hut and they called him Charlie the Hopper, the Cheeky Chocolate Eater.
Next morning dawned misty but warm after more night rain. But by the time we prised Toby away from the other children (well, they left to tramp out so it made it slightly easier for us) we left and headed back to St Arnaud. We had decided to camp in Nelson for that night so we kept up a good pace (a good Toby pace) and got distracted by hot beaches and clear blue lakes once or twice. Toby stripped down to swim at one beach but the cold water kept him dry! He
sunbathed instead. We got back to St Arnaud at 1pm and ate a pie at the general store after checking out the MX-5 rally cars meeting at the lake and then headed off to Nelson.
The road there was gorgeous and Mike enjoyed the drive. We created Digimon monsters most of the way. Heheheh. Toby likes to create new ones with great powers and cool names. Mike and I have to rack our brains for ideas whereas Toby's monsters seem to flow freely from the depths of his brain.
We found the Tahunanui campground eventually and picked our tent site. We found some food and playground equipment and had a good relaxing evening. Toby slept in his own wee tent and Mike and I slept in ours. Toby did very well.
Next morning we went into town for Maccas and to buy Toby some tramping boots like Josh had on (a boy from the hut - they were all from Nelson so they told us where to buy them). Then we headed off to Picton via Queen Charlotte Drive and caught the ferry back home.
The cat was pleased to see us and we got lots of smooches. Thank you to Vivienne for keeping her bowl full and closing our window we had left open. Ooops.
Back at work int he rain this morning. Toby has a great afternoon with Gramps planned. Gramps has tickets to the Formula One show in Te Papa and will collect Toby at 3pm from the meeting tree at school. Then we'll see everyone for dinner afterwards in town.
Have a great day! I hope your weekend was as good as ours.
Love,
Angela
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