Happy Birthday

Decorating the cake - Amy's own design!

Visitors

We had our first visitors from England since we got back. Just like buses though, you wait for ages then two turn up together. Linda and Colin who are University friends and I hadn't seen for many years until last April, were on their penultimate night in the country.

Penny and Alex  on the other hand who'd last been here for Amy's first birthday were over here for much longer, but just happened to be here that day. Luckily they were able to stay an extra night to catch up.

Back Home

 We finally arrived back around mid-day on 29th December, 19 and a half months after we left. The house was in reasonable condition considering. Here we are on New Year's day, cooling off. From the state of the grass, the summer has been a lot better here than in

Auckland. In fact since we've been back we've had only one day of any appreciable rain, but only the sprinkler has managed to green the grass up again.

Amy has started pre-school two days a week. Here she is about to leave for her first day. She loves it. She'd really started wanting to interact with other kids.

After almost three weeks, we finally ventured as far as central Christchurch to see what progress had been made. Most of the barriers are down - apart from the building sites, but most of the work has been on demolition. This is Cathedral square and a view you never used to

get. All the buildings on the north side have gone. No big loss as they were mostly 1970's concrete monstrosities. Shame about Bailies Bar though The trams are finally back running, but the centre is almost unrecognisable from four years ago. Here we are having a quiet coffee in what was once the throbbing heart of a bustling city.

Some things hardly change though. Time for a picnic lunch in Hagley Park. A few bites snatched between playing in the great playground and paddling pool, on yet another scorching Canterbury day.

Heading Home at Last

On Boxing day, we finally pointed the van south and set off for the 1200 km journey home via Tauranga. Here we are on the morning of 27th in Mount Maunganui with Adele, Lucy, Annabel and Matthew King.

Crossing the ditch - well actually still in Wellington Harbour at this point. An evening crossing, hoping a tired girl will have a sleep. Sadly she didn't until we were an hour into the south island and parked up for the night.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning with friends and family - Poppa, Teddy, Larry and Bruno.

Santa wasn't sure where we were going to be waking up on Christmas day so he hedged his bets and left presents at Poppa's house, and at Auntie Emma, Uncle Robert and Auntie Debbie's place, and lots of them, so we were opening them for most of the day.

Christmas lunch in her new tent, in the lounge!

 I'm sure there's something else in the bottom of this bag I just can't quite reach it.

Who needs presents, this is a great bag. Nana seems slightly less impressed.

With Uncle Robert, Auntie Marta, Mihai (boyfriend of cousin Lena?) and Uncle Peter, and a loaded water pistol. I sometimes wonder about Santa's choice of presents.

Christmas Eve

We visited Mel and Wayne just south of Auckland overnight on 23rd. Donna used to work with Mel in Rangiora. Here is Amy saying goodbye to her new best friend Luca, who's about a year older. She's starting to get a lot more social. His little brother Nico was a bit too young though.

Getting ready for Santa - sprinkling reindeer dust on the lawn, and a drink and a mince pie for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolf too.

Merry Christmas to all our viewers

Santa baby, just slip a Sable under the tree for me;
Been an awful good girl, Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight

-  written by J. Javits, P. Springer, T. Springer.

Christmas is coming

Birkenhead Santa Parade. Waiting for the start, all glittered up.

Amy's favourite - Peppa Pig. Well maybe second favourite for the time being at least.

The man himself.

Decorating the tree .... and Amy!

Auckland

 

We've been back in New Zealand for almost two months and we're itching to get back home now. We're here in Auckland until Boxing Day, staying with Poppa or Grandad Smith. Here we are on the deck, on a rare sunny day. Summer here has been atrocious so far.

A rare outing to the beach  - Long Bay, the last suburb heading north out of Auckland. Pohutakawa trees in bloom.

North to Auckland

First night - Mohaka River, Napier to Taupo Road.




 Lake Taupo

Time for counting sheep

Bee-hive yourself

Huka falls

Babychino, Hamilton

Back home - almost

Back in New Zealand at least. After five weeks where the mercury hardly dropped below 20c day or night, we arrived in Christchurch to 15c and rain. It warmed up the following day, though and after a couple of nights with Brenda and Brian we set off north - this is Kaikoura, on the way.

We made it to Donna's mum's in two days, in time for the weather to take a turn for the worse. We've hardly been warm since. Here we are rugged up for an afternoon nap, although she's on the verge of giving them up we think, as she hasn't had one for the last four days.

Back to looking for indoor distractions, and a big box of toys was waiting at Nana's, but the box is just as attractive a proposition as they toys. We have of course ventured out to the playground a few times, and the (indoor) swimming pool once. Yesterday we went to a local school fete, where in a most rare display of inactivity Amy managed to sit still for long enough to get her face painted!

Back in Brisbane

 We had to dog sit for Donna's cousin Kylie for a couple of days. It had it's compensations!

South Bank, Brisbane, bougainvillea tunnel. Beach in the city and the best water park ever - according to Amy.

Coolangatta Beach, Gold Coast, with Surfers Paradise on the Horizon

Back at Auntie Lesley's.