Orange You Glad Its Not Too Harsh an Autumn

The citrus season is starting, I'm still wearing shorts every day and according to the locals we are into late autumn. The shorter days and occasional cooler nights (12 - 14 C) remind me of Canada in August. We all went kayaking today and water off our beach was still warm enough to swim. Miss B was rolling off her boat several times.

Andrew

Yes, we have some bananas.

 

Ribbon Dancer

A little long, but I thought I would use it as a test.
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Happy Birthday Big Girl!

 

Kindy Graduation

Here is Miss A on her Birthday. Last day of Kindy. She starts school after the holidays. Mommy is proud and weepy. 

Princess A and Two Loyal Servants

 

At Last, I'm a Soccer Mum!

Miss B finally agreed to join soccer and she loves it! She has practice once a week and games are on Saturday morning at 8:25 am in Whangarei. Where will this madness end? 

Gala Day, March 18

The Home and School Committee (PAC) hosted a Gala Day at the Primary School March 18. This is a major fundraiser for the H&S. It was a terrific day with entertainment, activities for the kids and arts and crafts for sale. A few unfortunates were placed under arrest and incarcerated. In order to raise money for their bail they agreed to participate in certain undignified activities such as parading around with clown make-up on. This is the principal of the school, carefully guarded by a local member of the police force. 

Gala Art

 

A Star is Born

Two lessons under her belt and Miss B is performing tap dance in public. Misses B and A started dance lessons in early March. The weekly 30 minute class is half tap and half ballet. Brenna felt she was catching on quickly so she chose to join the performance group at the Gala Day. 

Tribe Mirh Imah

We were honored to have the Belly Dancing troupe I train with entertain us at the Gala Day. I haven't learned enough of the dances to perform in public. Maybe next year. 

Eggcellent!

Miss B enjoyed her school's swim sports day in March. Here she is in an egg race. She placed second in backstroke and third in freestyle. The school, like most NZ schools has its own pool. The children swim everyday possible in terms 4 and 1 (November to April). 

Here is the scene:

Kathleen is off chairing her first home and school committee meeting. I have the girls (all three). After the requisite negotiations of five more minutes on the computer for complete cooperation getting ready for bed I have just flossed number two’s teeth and helped her brush. The parental brushing was a chore as she had supposedly brushed for 2 minutes but spent the entire two minutes talking with the brush hanging out of her mouth; poor brushing, worse diction. So I asked her to go pee and the tearful shouted response was "wwhhyyyy are you allllwaysss asking meeeeee to do everything twice...I juuuuuust wennnnt peeeeeee". Now the expression 'just' is relative so I gently but firmly insisted. Through the tears Miss A had just hoisting her royal personage onto the throne when I asked her if she went pee since I flossed her teeth (which actually was just five minutes earlier). "Yessssssss, sniffle whine! " "Ok", I responded "you don't have to go". But I neeeeed to go! End of conversation.

Andrew

The Adventure Continues: Pearl

Ooops, I was away from blogging far longer than I intended. However we are back and still having a terrific time here. Our latest excitement is over puppy Pearl. We picked her up yesterday and couldn't be more pleased with our choice. Pearl is a third generation labradoodle (labxpoodle). She is eight weeks old and already seems like part of the family.
It is autumn now but still lovely weather. I managed to get a couple of loads of laundry dry out on the line today so I'm happy. 

Another Sunset

This one was taken from the deck of our new house. 

My Visitors From Canada...

We had a terrific time in March when a longtime friend of mine, her son and her neighbor visited for two weeks. They managed to see more of New Zealand than I have seen in my six months here. They also brought supplies for us, including a case of KD, a litre of maple syrup and a litre of Heinz ketch-up. Guess who influenced that list.

...And They Brought Food!

The girls just couldn't get enough time with this young man from Canada. He like insects just as much as they do. They had lots in common. They are seated around our dining room table in our new home. 

House of the Queen of the Maori

When Andrew had a work trip to Hamilton in February, we tagged along. Our motel was actually situated in a little village just outside of Hamilton. The village is steeped in Maori history and features this house that once was a home to the "Maori Queen". I love the mix of European and Maori style and architecture.

Hamilton Gardens in February

This intriguing sculpture is near the entrance to the Hamilton Gardens. The sculpture looks like a large throw but is made of what appear to be rocks somehow strung together on metal rods. Very intriguing.
The gardens are a significant attraction in Hamilton. One surprise was there was no entry fee. They are very pleasant to walk through and the girls thought it was well worth it. I was a bit critical of some of the gardens, but then, I wasn't paying for them. 

Alana's Favorite Garden: Indian

Miss A liked the orange flowers here. The white tile looked lovely but was hot! 

Miss B's Favorite Garden: Italian

We had a delightlful morning exploring all the gardens, chasing ducks and so on. 

Electric Girl

The Hamilton Museum included a science and technology display with lot of hands on activities for the littlies. 

One Monkey

The kids play area was as big a hit as the animals. 

My Favorite Zoo Animal

We had just turned a corner on the path through the Hamilton zoo and we were delighted to discover the giraffe enclosure and a lovely view of the hills in the background. 

Much Ado About Nothing

This white rhinos were an interesting feature at the Hamilton zoo. The three on the left were ready to take on the one on the right, but after much snorting and stomping they all decided it was just to hot to bother about.