lantern festival

After a busy day at the beach celebrating Ben's 2nd birthday and trying not to look at Dan Carter, we decided to cap it off by visiting the lantern festival. Jonty had been in bed all day with a cold and chest thing and Nic was asleep early but we hauled him out of bed to go. He slept in the car and just as we woke him the festival was officially opened and cacophany of loud fire crackers were let off. It took Nic about an hour to get over that so he was a bit scared the whole time. However, he was won over by the lovely lanterns and all the activity. There were thousands of people there and it was great to see so many families out on a warm balmy night...a rare event this summer. We loved it. We ran in to some library people I knew and also Alex, Pete and the boys and saw Steph and Andy on the restaurant tram as it went by which was a real hoot. It was a lovely interlude out in to the real world on a Saturday night and it was great to feel part of the city and something fun.

Veiw from the Town Hall looking across to Victoria Square with the Victoria towers building in the background

Nicholas a bit pensive...an unusual state for him

One of the many lovely displays

Playing with Dan Carter

I looked down at the beach today and saw a gorgeous body. Perfection! He was walking in to the water and that was it really. Then when we went down later to the beach he was there playing Petanque and it was Dan Carter (All Black extrodinaire). He was there minding his own business chatting to his girl and having a relaxing time. Everyone was looking at them but after a while they stopped. It was fun watching people recognising him. Errol came down from his batch and chatted and then played petanque too. Nice thing to do. Must be lonely and weird having people look at you all the time. I snuck this photo and felt really guilty and his girlfriend saw so that wasn't cool but no harm done I hope.

Anyway, that All Blacks conditioning camp really worked. Dan is very 'conditioned'

that beach again

We have been really making the most of the last of the summer warmth. The weather has been so hot and the water so warm that we just can't help ourselves. The garden is dry and neglected and the ironing pile just keeps growing but we have all winter to attend to those things. Nic and Jonty have been getting out and about on the hot afternoons, generally to the beach but with a few side trips on the way. My week has been punctuated by a screamingly sore back so I have had to just stand all day and didn't get to play on the beach. Pretty crap for me but still some nice images to share.

Came upon a lovely (short) wedding the other day. The groom was super short and they seemed very nervous and young. Still, lovely to look at and nice vibe on the very busy beach.

birthday season

Nic's birthday week extravaganza is drawing to a close with the delivery of a lovely cake to pre-school this morning being the last activity to perform. He has had a fab time. Turning 4 has been great for him. What a difference between the toys and interests of a 4 year old to those of a 3 year old. He has never been a big 'boys toys' kid but now he is starting to get an interest in all things boy. His major gift from us was his first two wheel bike...with no trainer wheels. It is teeny and he loves it. I am guessing there is a lot of falling off to come but I think he will get there. He is a quietly determined child but not necessarily a fast learner physically. He will get there.

We had a fabulous day at the bach with his friends on Sunday and a family dinner last night. We have Ben's second at Taylors on Saturday and Olivia's 4th was the weekend before last. Nicholas loves his cousins so it is great to have all these parties during the last of long summer.

took this snap on the way home last night

before and after

Check out our paint job. What a difference. What a slum our house was. Lovely new weatherboards and ingenious shingles made by my dad.

Gorgeous!

Back to the beach

Well, I said I wasn't going to just bang on about beaches but I just can't help it. Last Sunday was an amazing day at Taylors. The water was calm and there was no wind. It was just like Totaranui and the water was warmer. We took the kayak and invited Paulette and Jonty to join us. My folks turned up too. What an amazing day...we were there for hours and had to drag ourselves home at tea time. It was also 'K' day too...major surf life saving event so all of Jonty's family were around the place too. We all spent hours in the water and barely had time to stop for lunch.

Here are some pics...

It has been a whole year...

since I started this little blog and checking in to a few months it looks like I have had a pretty good year. It was always meant to be a blog celebrating the good things in my life, reminding myself and sharing with others the happy, fun and inspirational. Having had some very flat and hard months I have always found something to celebrate or enjoy during those times. Having the blog has reminded me to look around.

Embarking on another year, I am keen to reflect some movement or growth in our life and not just replicate another year of beach and bike adventures. With Nicholas moving in to a new phase of his life, our world will change as we find ways to stimulate him and keep his world increasing.

I am off to the Gold Coast for work this week so there might be some interesting things to report on my return. I know I haven't been doing links and interesting things lately because I have been exhausted and my brain is full. However, after a lovely warm holiday in Able Tasman I am feeling more inspired and refreshed. I hope that is reflected in the pages of the blog.

Not sure what is in store this year but I am looking forward to moving on a bit. Some things I thought I might do
more art projects
more time with my friends whom I love
new experiences with Nicholas
save some money
finish our house improvements

that'll do... hope you will stay tuned

the boy can row!

That Jonty takes a lovely photo

jeepers - it has been so long since I wrote an entry

that I had forgotten my password. It is time for me to move away from my boring lack of Christmas spirit.

So in the spirit of a new year I am going to get my act together and get back to sharing some stories and thinking about more than what is going on in my little universe. Apologies to anyone who might have popped in to see what we are up to and found nothing new for the past month.

Here are some pics

I just love this one of Vanessa. We went to her wedding early January and it was fabulous. Everything about it especially how gorgeous she looked.

And here is Nicholas being a total drama queen. He asked Jonty to take a photo of him getting a supportive hug from me. Not sure why but it was all very serious for him and bloody funny for us. But he does look cute and vulnerable which is not a common thing for him. The really sad thing about this photo is that it was taken on New Years Day in NZ and I had on three layers of clothing to keep warm and a sun hat for the rare moments of glaring sun.

trying to find my christmas spirit

I love Christmas...presents (buying more than anything),the tree, turkey, booze, friends, family, SUN!! Not sure why I am feeling flat this year. Perhaps I should have gone out and got the tree. That is always a fun thing to do. Perhaps I am just too tired. Went to bed at 8.30 last night and slept until 6 which is a looong sleep.

Perhaps it is because of the f******g rain and cold. Anyway, sorry to publish a downer but I just can't help it. I decided very early on not to do that in my blog but it is the best I can do today. I hope my next post is a little more inspiring and interesting.

more ..

Unique photo of the two of us together, if a little truncated
more action

A day at the races

Close to the action

Jonty organised a surprise day out on Sunday...to the Motukarara races! What a great day. We were very early and got ourselves a superb spot on the rail. Nicholas was amazing as he chilled out for about 6 hours with very little child entertainment. Being unprepared I wasn't able to ensure the usual raft of stuff was loaded in the boot but it was still great. We gave Nic the camera at one point which was fun. He was so funny asking all day when he could start 'following' his horse. Had to explain that you follow with your eyes... then when I went off to 'make a bet' he asked if I went home to 'make my bed' and when I he accompanied me to the outdoor tote, he asked if 'we were going to get a pet'...bloody funny.

This woman was amzing..did stunts on Lord of the rings as Liv Tylers stunt double

Jonty and I made a tiny bit of money and managed to end the day a few $'s up and that was after candy floss, a hot dog and a polar ice. Nic didn't like candy floss.

With the race book in my hand and plenty of opportunity to sit in the boot of the car watching the horses warm up, I made some excellent choices. We were surrounded by people we might not ever meet at any of the other activities we do and it was a good laugh. It was a great way to chill out in the month before Christmas.

More pics to follow...Blogger get your act together

Love the NB SP...here are our pics

Getting a good possie and a nice coffee...we weren't at the PieBin, just next door

South New Brighton School Kapa Haka group. Performed later and they were gorgeous

North Beach Surf Club - people we know - Hi Miffie
Looking for SantaHi to Nic from St Nic

Of course the library has a float but the pics didn't upload so will save them for another time. I was a bit tearful when they went past as I miss this stuff and they all looked so cool.

'The Shoes' are back ....what can this mean?

What to do?

U2 - SUPERB!!

Home again after another quick trip up to Auckland. This time I went with Alex and Pete to see U2. We had a perfect time. The concert was truely superb. Being the 4th time I have seen them I was not overwhelmed and amazed but I felt that every minute of the rain and wind was worth it. The clouds parted as they started so there was nothing to detract from the gig. The lighting we sensational and of course the political messages intense. What more would you expect? Bono's voice was velvet, beautiful.

Although we were general admission, we managed to sneak in to the stand and just hung out on the stairs for the entire show. Found ourselves next to the NZ music corporate box. Spent most of the show about 30cm away from Scribe(circled in black in the photo below). He loved opening act and enjoyed the first few songs of U2 until someone lit of the doobies and everything went quiet from there. Their dinner smelt nice. Oscar Kightley and Scribe left at some point not to return. Fiona McDonald was animated when she spoke but was contemplative, appreciative and quite for most of the show. She sucked on a bottle of water. Respect. Alex and Pete were behind me and saw all kinds of other stuff that I missed. Made the night even more interesting. We stood where the pink blob is. See how wet everyone is, well that was us too.

When the lights went down before the show lights flickered in the audience and being a 30 year veteran of outdoor concerts I was impressed with the early arrival of the lighters. About 30 seconds later, I realised it was cell phones...people taking photos. So I got mine out and took some too. Got one of Scribes foot. Nikes. I txt'd for poverty and all that. I was so impressed with all the phones further in to the show.

Well worth the wait and the cost and the rain. Having a ball with Alex and Pete was the icing on the cake.

nic's show pics

One of the many vintage machines that captured my attention. Love these things most of all.Chasing sheep at the end of th day...all I wanted to do was touch one, just one but all 200 started running and running....

Clydesdale

non-beach activity

Yes we do venture inland on occasion and with the recent A and P Show featuring on the Christchurch social calendar, we have had a bit of country lately. Nic had been invited to visit Nicki and Andea's new foal. They like the foal to experience a lot of the things that might upset a horse in its life. So, along with plastic bags and kicking buckets, small, noisey and unpredictable children are desirable. Can't often say that. So we popped out after work the other night to meet the new baby who at 9 days old was stunningly cute. Nic, who had been bursting with excitement all day was a little ho hum but he did do the things required so all was well. We also left behind the red balloon he got at the show as tht is another thing the foal needs to experience. Enjoyed a lovely glass of local Kaituna Valley Pinot Gris and Nic got goosey playing with Cougar the cat. It was a lovely relaxed way to end the day. Everytime I visit Nicki's I think how much I would love to live in the quiet of the country with space and vistas but underneath I know that I need to be nearer to the coast. Mind you, it could be something I have to experience in my life so you never know.

catch up

Firstly, apologies to anyone who makes a regular swing by the blog. My brain has been too full to find space to string together an intelligable entry or two. The last couple of weeks have been an amalgam of beach visits, work - went to Auckland for a few days - Christmas shopping and social events and more. The most disappointing thing has been the super crap weather or rather a lack of consistancy in the weather. I am ready for summer now please.

Jonty and I have become addicted to computer scrabble and it is not pretty. Wont go in to the details but needless to say there has been fierce competition and almost late for work moments. I feel ok about this as I know we will move on from this as we have with all our other computer based addictions.

This could be a hugely long entry but I dont want to bore so will just throw in some highlights and a few pics. We have had a few weekend days at Taylors. We took Olivia one day to give Ruth a bit of break having had two chicken pox children in a row. The children don't seem to notice the cold much. Not often Nic makes a nice face for the camera. Got some lovely pics of Olivia.
The following weekend we were there again with Jonty's family, supporting them as J and R were competing in the TM to Sumner race. Again, another cold day. Both did really well. Nice to have all the visitors at the bach. of all ages with lots of energy and love for the beach.
This will do for this post, Nic is jumping around the room trying to get attention and I really should be making the lunches and getting him dressed so I will find some time to come back later today and write another post. The sun is out!! Long may that last. Have a good day