Thankful Thursday

The Family had multiple choice options yesterday.  So I donned my Uncle Graham hat and fed the children and friend and then took Catriona to her school drama night in which she was performing.  

This is Catriona's last year at this school before she goes off to boarding school so I will have seen her right through from pre-school to her senior school and never missed a prizegiving nor, so far as I can recall, the annual drama evening.

 

I feel very privileged and very thankful to have had this opportunity in life at a time when I've been able to give more time to it.  It is one of the very few 'if only' things in my life: if only I had made the time from my work to attend all my own children's functions.  Next time......

In the meantime I am very thankful that I've had a second chance.

Splash Planet

Yesterday I took the four children to Splash Planet.  I'd never been before.  I will doubtless go again.  Not because it has lots of things for me to do - for most of the 7 hours we were there I sat in the sun by the 'river' and read and did crosswords although the youngsters did take me for a game of crazy golf at one stage - but because the children thoroughly enjoyed it.  They had, of course, been many times before. 

I think it's the first time I've been tagged- we had passes for everything but you can get passes for just swimming or just this or that.

Although it's very much a local theme park it does provide a good day for the children.  I would have liked to have taken some photos of the slides and water flumes  but I was very reluctant to take my camera out with so many children around although some people were videoing their children quite freely.  It's still not such an issue in New Zealand life is relatively less paranoid than in the UK and US.   I did however photograph David and Fraser and their large pile of floats going round the outside 'river'.  David is the one on the top of the pile.

Young Tearaways!

Youngsters riding quad bikes and trial bikes in the countryside here is NZ is usual and quite common.  But I still find it amusing when a couple of children of one of the neighbours (whose house is completely hidden from me) race around the orchard with apparently considerable skill and at quite a pace considering the youngest is probably only just at school or possibly at pre-school.

The Circus Comes to Napier

Three of the children enrolled for three mornings of circus school. Today they did what I certainly would never have had the courage to do at their ages (or at any age come to that). They gave a public performance at lunchtime in Emerson Street in the centre of Napier. It was wonderful to see how much they tried and how much they enjoyed it.

Wendy and I parked ourselves in ringside seats with coffee

Catriona and four spinning plates

A double act

Fraser upside down as usual

David doing things with sticks: my Dad always stuck his tongue out when he threw a dart

Beautiful but scary

Art on The Beach

When we were at Ahuriri Beach recently the children made a rock stack. They are a popular form of art in this Country.

A Very Long Day

Some days are longer than others. That's just how it is. Yesterday was one of the long ones. Not, you understand, because the number of hours I was awake was any greater than usual. In fact it was considerably less. I was up at 0630 but in bed by a very New Zealand-like 1030 - some time before my usual 0100. And it wasn't just long for me.

Yesterday the children (Jamie no longer counts as a child for this purpose) broke up and it was the Leavers' Assembly which, this year, I decided not to attend. Instead I played a doubles croquet match - part of the Club championship. We lost our match. I was then going to pétanque but something made me turn around and I came home instead. I wonder what made me do that.

I was just finishing lunch when Wendy drew up with the children. She was obviously upset. One of our neighbours - she was 41 years old and with small children - had collapsed and died at the pre-school (across the road from Pukatapu School where the children go) earlier. As so many of the parents were at the Assembly it became a very emotional occasion. By the time they arrived here the children were very subdued. We sat down and had an impromptu lunch and chat.

Such an incident happening to someone so young and so suddenly generates so many emotions and so many thoughts. It was decided that we should not be negative and mope but be thankful for every minute that we do have to enjoy time and, particularly, time with the children. So we just set off to Ahuriri (part of Napier on the coast) and for three hours sat on the beach, played, ate slushies and chips and were thoughtful, a bit teary at moments and very thankful at others.

And that was only half of what happened yesterday. It was an emotionally long day. Waking up seemed a very long time ago.

Jump!

Butter wouldn't.....

No fear

I'm lighter than you!

How do you like being up there then?

I never could do that

A Morning on the Beach

Last Sunday morning David, Fraser, Catriona and I went to Napier. We went to the Sunday Market and had an ice cream (Mr Whippy type! Hooray!). Then we walked along the black volcanic beach. Fraser, as always, managed to be upside down at some point. Then the young members of the group went on a sort of assisted big jump. I suppose that, secretly, I'd rather have like to have a try too. Needless to say Fraser managed to be 'adventurous' in his jumping and was allowed to do summersaults.

For want of a can opener

One of the lovely things about being here is that The Family Geddes is so near. Catriona came down to see me last night at about 7pm. In my experience children, when (with permission) raiding fridges and food stores look for for biscuits, sweets and anything which is not the healthy option. Not so with the Geddes children. They raid the larder for lettuce leaves, carrots and apples. OK so I've never known a biscuit refused but first choice a lettuce leaf?!

A little later Wendy came down with Fraser. We had a blether and perhaps a glass of wine (we have learned to eschew the healthy option) passed our lips. After they had gone I decided to have some dinner.

Frankly food has been at the bottom of my agenda over the last few days since I've had this bug and nothing in the larder came forward as it would have done to Ford Prefect and said "Eat Me". A tasty salad? I have no ability to taste at the moment and a salad is effort. I decided upon soup or a tin of beans. That is until I discovered that one of the necessities which had been overlooked in the kitchen was a tin opener. Guess what I'll be buying today.