Every Child Should Have This Opportunity

It's amazing how one can fall behind with so many things when one has a really really busy weekend.  Which is what I've just been fortunate enough to have. I was going to say that the highlight was playing association croquet matches and playing as well as I have ever played and thoroughly enjoying every minute (well, perhaps not if I missed a roquet but that would be a fleeting moment). Or doing something simple after dinner on Sunday evening when Wendy and Martin took me to the Globe Theatrette (which I'm ashamed to say I'd never been to) to see Short Term 12 (a low-budget very emotional and ultimately uplifting film) whilst drinking a glass of excellent shiraz in superb comfort.

The highlight wasn't any of that though.  It was going to see Catriona swimming in her school swimming gala.  Catriona is fortunate to have what I would wish for every child in the world: the chance of a superb education at a school most children in the world cannot even dream of because they could not conceive of there being such a school. Woodford House is one of New Zealand's leading girls' schools.  It is a day and boarding school (Catriona is a weekly boarder and loves it) set in acres of greenery.  I think if I had been a girl and gone to Woodford even I might have enjoyed school. (As it was I was fortunate enough to have had as good an education as was available in Liverpool and I disliked almost every minute of it).

The organisation of the 77 races was a precision clockwork event such as I have never seen before.  The parents (and grandparents!) were there supporting their children (and seeing and being seen and taking the opportunity to chat to teachers and other parents informally).

The swimming pool is set in a deep natural amphitheatre.  Catriona's school house is dressed in blue.

Catriona in blue cap just about to start her race

and, by a short hand, winning it. 

Thankful Thursday: A Day Out With Catriona

Catriona goes back to school next week.  She is a weekly boarder but will not get home for the first two weekends.   I thought it was about time we had another day out together.  Coincidentally her Mum had to go into the practice today so when I asked Catriona last night if she would like to go and see The Book Thief today she was very happy to do so.  So at 9am we set off to play a couple of games of croquet (Thursday is a club day).  Then Catriona suggested lunch at The Groove Kitchen.  This is a place that I pass almost daily and yet have never been into.  I have been missing a lot.  The service and lunch was good and having looked on Trip Advisor I see that I have been missing far more than I realised.  I shall be back.

"If I make silly faces you won't put it on your blog!"  - Got that one wrong didn't you Catriona?

A large milk shake whilst waiting for lunch (taken with my phone in less-than-perfect light).

Coincidentally we met friends at the cinema and watched The Book Thief.  I had tried to read the book on the strong recommendation of a lady at croquet.  I struggled and never got very far.  One of the friends with whom we watched it this afternoon said that the film was better than the book.  I do not think that there was a dry eye in the cinema by the time it had finished. 

Of course there was the mandatory sitting in the sun having an ice cream on the way home.

The day ended at 11.30 at night when Wendy and Martin, Jamie and Catriona eventually made their way from The Cottage up the drive to bed (or for Wendy and Martin to pack for their trip to Wellington after their last patient this afternoon).

How could one be anything other than very thankful for such a wonderful day?

Studies of Catriona in the Evening Light

Why Am I Here?

No.  This is not a question relating to esoteric wondering about our existence on this planet.  It is simply about why I am here in New Zealand.  It is a question asked by several people arising out of my recent posts.

Catriona aged 4 (2005)

In 2005 (a very difficult time in my life) long-time friends Wendy and Martin who had moved to New Zealand some years previously had repeatedly invited me to visit.  On the spur of the moment one day I accepted the invitation and went on what I expected to be the holiday of my lifetime staying with The Family and touring New Zealand for 6 weeks.  [At that time my cancer was rearing it's head again].

In New Zealand when a child reaches his or her fifth birthday he (or she) graduates from Pre-School and starts attending Junior School on the day after the birthday. When I first visited The Family, Catriona was just four.  I promised to return for the ‘graduation’ on her fifth birthday. I’m not quite sure why but I decided on the spur of the moment when I was booking the plane that I would stay for six months: the whole of the UK's winter.  In September 2006 I set out for what was to be one of the most wonderful and life-changing things that I have ever done.  I have never regretted a single moment.

Now Catriona is a young lady and a weekly boarder at one of New Zealand's premier girls schools and loving every minute of it.  Not yet having any grandchildren it has been a wonderful privilege to watch the children in my adopted family grow from year to year and, in particular, to watch Catriona, to whom I made the original promise which brought me back here, blossom.

Of course it's not all about one person or even about The Family although without them I would not have come in the first place nor returned year after year.  I have made many dear and important friends here in New Zealand and also have the sport which has dominated my life more than any other sport since I gave up fencing and being a fencing coach.  In fact, truth be told, they are the only two sports that I have ever really enjoyed.

[The two recent photos of Catriona are taken from her Facebook page.]

Grandfather For a Day

I had Catriona, The Family's eleven year old daughter, for the day today.

"I don't like crossing Tennyson Street on my own, Graham."  So Catriona this morning when we went into town.  "Well you can always hold my hand if you want to." said I smiling "but you may not want to do that."  "The point is, Graham," came the response "people might think that I was helping you across the street."  

As I couldn't stop laughing we nearly missed the green go man at the traffic lights.

That set the tone for the rest of the day.  Catriona is witty and entertaining company and a joy to be with.  But then I'm not a parent!  As everyone assumed that I was her grandfather, though, I was delighted to take the role on for the rest of our time together today.

 

Imagine a 3D movie of animated characterisations of cavemen called The Croods.  The Dreamworks blurb describes it as a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures -- and their outlook is changed forever.  Does that sound just like my sort of film?  No.  However Catriona thought it would be a good idea to see it (and I certainly wasn't going to be party to her seeing any of the other 4 or 5 films that were showing at the cinema!).  We were the only people in that screening (actually on the way out we did see a young couple hidden on the back row: ah memories).  And you know what?  I thought it was brilliant.  I'd never seen a 3D movie since the days of those red and green paper spectacles you held up in front of your eyes and was mesmerised by the effects.  Catriona dismissed the 3D effects as below average.  We both agreed on the fact that it had been well worth seeing.

Afterwards I took her to play croquet.  She enjoyed that too.

Home for spag bol and another film until Mum and Dad came home from the practice and came down to The Cottage see how we'd got on (and so I fed them too).

I still can't work out what I have done to deserve such a good life these days?

A Christmas Summary

At 1900hrs on Boxing Day the temperature in the shade on my deck was 28℃ (82℉) and, unusually for Hawkes Bay, it was quite humid.   I had every door and window open and there was a slight breeze but thank heaven that by the time it got dark and now that it's near time to hit the hay the aircon is working overtime.

It's been a quiet and very enjoyable Christmas. First breakfast and opening the stockings and presents. Then I came back to The Cottage whilst The Family went for a walk and then we spent the afternoon in the pool.  Dinner and Monopoly (Edinburgh version).  My particular days have not been helped by the fact that I developed a cold on Christmas Eve, snuffled my way through Christmas Day and blew my nose all the way through three large boxes of tissues today.  However I've discovered that if you have a thick head the best thing is a hot afternoon in the pool.  That was Christmas Day afternoon and was the best I felt for the three days.

The simplest presents can be the most interesting

and the most annoying

Doesn't everyone wear Mi Piaci pumps for breakfast (and drink Bucks Fizz).

Playing Piggy in the Middle: and I was expected to catch it that high! It even overshot Catriona by a mile

It took me a bit by surprise when I realised from this photo what a two-tone body I have.

I always know if I've got a cold (which, I'm pleased to say, is a rare occurrence) because I don't usually drink whisky but when I want a whisky mac (whisky and green ginger wine) I know that I have a cold.  I've got through quite a lot the last three evenings!  

Now for bed.

 

My Last Puketapu School Prize-giving

When I first came to New Zealand in 2005 Catriona was at Pre-School (Kindergarten or Nursery School).  On her fifth birthday in 2006 she graduated to Puketapu School and joined her three brothers.  I was here for that.  Her brothers have left for Napier Boys High and, at this moment her oldest brother has left that school and just arrived in Switzerland and started work under the Eiger for his gap year before Uni.  Now aged eleven Catriona leaves Puketapu School in a couple of days (she could actually stay on for another two years but she's going to another school as a weekly boarder).  I will have been to every Puketapu Prize-giving whilst she has been at the school.  Tonight was the last one I will attend and I am proud and thrilled to be able to say that I was there.

I would just say that Puketapu School (of which Wendy is a Trustee) is a wonderful school in its environment, educational and socio-economic contexts.  It makes me realise just how privileged we are to live here.

The school Kapa Haka performance

The grass is banked so you can't see the children and parents in front of me: hundreds attended on a very warm evening.

Three murals, the school band's drums and the School cups

The younger pupils perform a song and dance routine

I don't recall any of my Prep School teachers looking like this

or dressing like this - I could show you my school photos!

These classes made a whole orchestra from instruments they had made: this is just a few.  The performance was awesome.

The school Dux.  Says it all really. (As an aside only, I suspect, in New Zealand would you see affluent children going barefoot to the school prizegiving because it's just a normal thing to do).

This is the traditional reminisce by the Year Eight leavers who tell the world some of the amusing (and embarrassing) things they recall about their teachers and fellow pupils over their years at the school.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm very thankful for a happy and smiling Catriona.

It was because of my promise to Catriona that I would return when she graduated from pre-school to primary school on her fifth birthday that I decided on the spur of the moment when booking my flight to come here for 6 months. I made that promise in 2005.  This year she will be eleven and I will have seen her through to her next school.

Tempus fugit.

Can I Remember?

What I was going to tell you about yesterday?  It was all very clear at one o'clock this morning but by that time bed seemed a better option.  This morning yesterday seems so long ago and much less important.  It was, however, a very Good Day.  

The House is at the stage where all the alterations are coming to the point where the plasterers, electrician, builder and painters are all there together and there is nowhere to sit or think or eat allthough it's possible to cook and for some to sleep in their own bedrooms!

Even the pool builders have started on their bit of the job:

Martin, Jamie and Fraser are off camping with the Scouts so Wendy, David and Catriona came down for dinner (all prepared and sent down by Wendy to my oven).  After we'd eaten and watched Ice Road Truckers (if you ever get the opportunity it really is worth watching) the youngsters returned to watch DVDs or whatever in the safety of their bedrooms at The House whilst Wendy and I settled down with the cheese to watch The Girl Who Played With Fire - based on the second of the books by Stieg Larsson.  It is in Swedish with subtitles so one cannot even look away for a minute in case one misses an important point.  It's a very intense film and rather unusual in that the 'heroine' is not the most likeable of characters.  I thought I might have nightmares but I didn't and I'll watch the third film in the series very soon.

A piece of trivia for anyone who has seen the film.  The name on Salander's apartment door, V. Kulla, is a reference to Astrid Lindgren's character Pippi Longstocking and her house Villa Villekulla?

Misty was down, of course, and, having been newly shorn looks a fraction of the size she did a few days ago.

Newly shorn Misty and Catriona finishing her desert.

A more hairsuite Misty

After Wendy had returned to The House I decided to experiment with a few night shots.  There was some cloud and the moon was shining so I decided to see what I could do shooting North from the deck of The Cottage with Napier over the hill in front of me.  The result was quite interesting because the orange in the sky which is the result of the lights in Napier was not visible to the human eye (well not to mine anyway).  The visible stars were not very great either because I used a very low ISO and 30 sec exposure.  There's lots of fun to be had with these yet although I've discovered that my camera has severe limitations for nighttime use.

Off To School

Fraser and Catriona off to school

At The Cottage

In truth I've so little to post about that even I, never mind you dear reader, would find interesting.  So I'm struggling.  However I've emptied the camera of the few pictures I've taken over the last day or two when not even a wisp of sunlight has made its way through the clouds here on the East coast of sunny Hawkes Bay - possibly the least sunny part of North Island at the moment.  So here's something to be getting on with.

It was warm enough to have the lid of The Handbag - for those of you who haven't been introduced

Catriona and Comet after Friday Dinner - a typical pose many of you will have seen before

And again

Contentment

Comet and Catriona

That Was The Week That Was

It's been quite a week in many ways.  I'm not going to go into details but I suppose the weather has been a barometer of the week: rain storms, floods, gale force winds and hot sunny days mirroring days of despair and days of hope in everything from the serious (friends' situations) to the inconsequential (my ability to hit a croquet ball properly!). 

Flooding at Rotowhenua Road - it has been right over the road.

Morning mists over the orchards in front of The Cottage

Puddles

Friday evening contentment:  Catriona and Comet after dinner

My Christmas Tree

Those of you who know me (and, I suspect by now those who don't will have realised) also know that I am not a Christmas person and the one and only time I had a Christmas tree was when Friend Who Knows Too Much said she would only bring The Girls (her two wonderful daughters) if I put up a tree.  So I did.  I also put three sets of lights on it (it was a reasonably sized tree) and plenty of decorations.  About half an hour before they were due the first set of lights went out and then the second.  I can't recall if the third managed to survive.  Anyway none of the spare bulbs I had would fit any of the sets on the tree and they were all different from each other so I couldn't even pinch from one to mend another.  So the tree sat there in a shadow of what should have been its glory.  That was the last time.

Actually no.  That's not correct.  The first Christmas I spent in New Zealand Catriona was only just 5.  She made me a tree.  Each year that tree has come out and, with the aid of Blutac, has been on display:

Now that's my kind of tree:  lots of love and memories.

Morning Coffee With Catriona

Wendy, Catriona and I had morning coffee on Emerson Street.  Catriona had a 'fluffy'

An Evening Stroll

On Thursday evening Catriona called to see if I would like to go for a walk with her and Wendy and, of course, Misty.  Yes.  It was a cold but lovely evening and a walk seemed like a very good idea.  It turned into more of a stroll than a walk but it was good fun if of limited exercise value.

Note for those with dial-up or slow broadband:  I have tried to limit the size of these photos whilst using the extra-large setting on Blogger.  There are, however, more photos than usual on this posting.  Please let me know if you have difficulty downloading it.

 I must look these up.  There's a clump down the drive

 

 A happy Catriona

 

 There's water in the lake again

 

 Why do children have the urge to pick animals up all the time?

   Paddling through the pondweed

 

 Keep away from our babies!

   Cormorants on a handy branch

 

 Fallen down a hole

 

 Oh that poo tasted so good!

 

A Paper Wasp in the agapanthus