March Photos

Reuben's review

We have just finished reading our family book. It is called Millions. It is a great book to read. It is about two boys who get a big bag of money, which has been stolen. One of the boys gives the money to the poor and the other tries to spend it. In the end the boy, who wanted to give the money to the poor, burnt the money but his dad, brother and friend had kept a little bit of the money and they used it to build wells in Nigeria.
My favourite bit was where they were playing Subbuteo and one of the boys who was obsessed with saints, used a model of the saint to defend the goal, and said that his team had prayed to `St Francis’. Caitlin liked the bit where they said ‘Speke Snowdrome’s quality’ with a heavy Liverpudlian accent.

We are going to read “Wolf Brother” next!

By Reuben

No new computer yet but...

I am still awaiting the arrival of my new computer so am having to use Anton's computer to write this.

I have a small dog asleep at my feet ( drugged by a vaccination I think) and bread is rising in the airing cupboard.

Update

Today I was supposed to post about Barbara's visit, complete with photos. I has been really lovely having her here, showing her the sights and sounds of NZ.

Unfortunately, the family spent last night at A&E and today my computer is kaput, though I'm not sure which is more worrying. After we dropped Barbara at the airport, I started feeling nauseous with stomach cramps. Everyone else went out on the jetski and I moaned on the sofa for a couple of hours before major projectile vomiting! Caitlin was so concerned she forced daddy to ring the doctors who sent us to A&E. We were there a total of four hours, including blood tests, intravenous morphine and a drip of stuff to stop the vomiting. They think I may have a gallstone, or kidney stone though I am convinced it is food poisoning, a bad mussell or something.

So news of Granny's visit will follow though the photos may take a while.

Now back to bed.

A busy week

After the trip to the bird sanctuary on Tiri Tiri Matangi we have a had a busy week. Claire and Graham came over for a night on their two month trip over from the UK. Their photographs of Stewart Island ( did I spell that right?) and Wakatane are beautiful. Makes me want to go and explore some of the place we are living. It was lovely to see them and show them our home. Given the wonders they have seen on their travels, it was nice to see their response to our little piece of paradise. Not sure Roo was so impressed, given that Graham broke his gun (from the $3 dollar shop so hardly a big deal). Graham was however made to make up for it by play fighting with Reuben for hours!! Reuben really loves having men around.

The next day we had Jess and Cameron for the day. Most of it was spent with a hosepipe on the trampoline as the Council had stuck a water quality warning on the beach. The four kids get on so well. It is so easy when they are around as they all look after each other and unlike some of their friends there is very little falling out.

Then on Saturday Anton went off to be in a VW commercial, courtesy of his "Background talent' job. We had the onorous task of walking Storm the Newfoundland, whilst Debs and Chris were in Taupo, crashing his bike!! Storm is a gem, so well behaved and placid. I walked her alone in the evening, off the lead and she was a joy to be with. We even paddled in the stream. Well she did, I just got bitten by mozzies!


It was Anniversary Weekend in Auckland, so a bit of a bank holiday. We did Titirangi market and Bethells, which just gets better every time we visit. I have found a blog with a list of the 1001 books you must read before you die. I found I have only read 74 out of them so I have a current aim of getting to 100, starting with Casino Royale ( which Caitlin has now purloined!)

We have now got Granny staying for a week and a half, a long way to come for a short visit. It really is lovely to see her. It just seems strange seeing her in a different place. The children are absolutely beside themselves that she is here. They have hardly been sleeping over the last few nights. Roo is desperate to show her his forward flips on the trampoline and Caitlin just wants lots of cuddles and attention. They have already been swimming in the creek.

Bird Island

CAITLIN WRITES:
I had a great day today but it was a weird one. I spent the day with my teacher IN THE HOLIDAYS-not that I mind that of course. We went to an island called Tiritiri Matangi, where we are going on a school trip next term. I got a preview! We got up really early and picked up Miss W from her house. Then we drove to Gulf Harbour.
I learned lots about different birds and the walk was great. I saw a tui, saddleback, north shore robin ( which is blue), a whitehead, a bell bird and a stitchbird. Me and Reuben were the only kids who volunteered to turn on the water trough and fill it!
Before we went we stopped at the beach for an hour to search in rockpools.

I had a great day but now I'm exhausted and a bit pink.








REUBEN WRITES:
I remember when a large bird came and scared mommy. It was a takahe called Greg. He steals lunches and underwear! They found a bird in a toilet and thought it was female so they called her LOU LOU. But it was a boy so they changed its name to LOU! Mommy got a new t shirt with lots and lots of penguins on it. (She likes penguins)
Caitlin said we got up RRRREEEEEAAAALLLY early but I usually get up at that time anyway and do stuff.
We went to this beach with loads of life in it. We collected different shells from it. I got six and Caitlin got lots. In the rockpools there were loads of starfish, loads of crabs, loads of sea snails, loads of sea urchins and the crabs were always nesting in different places and sometimes when we flipped rocks over we could see the whole family scuttling around. Caitlin thought she found a hairy crab!
The ferry was huge. I wanted a boungy thingy ( to translate: an insect made of wire) but mommy said no because she is mean!

A strange thing was we always sat at the back of the ferry but I'm OK with that!


The kittens have been a bit naughty. We have put them back in their room so they can learn to use their litter trays again properly and learn to use their scratching post, because they have been weeing and pooing all over the place. Mommy thinks they are a bit lonely when we go out during the day.

Mommy is a bit sad too because her camera has broken.

I had lots of cookie at lunch because I had TWO moderately big pieces and Caitlin only had ONE big piece!