FISH, ART, SLEEPOVERS & MORE!

There is nothing like an impromptu day at the beach - this time Waiake beach with Sharron & Wayne & family - the cricket and rugby balls came out and Daniel learnt to catch and throw with his Dad.

After the beach, it was decided to go back to Sharron and Wayne's for a swim  - all the kids had to do was to dare Sharron once and in she jumps in her clothes! Check out the "kids":

Nicola has taken up mosaic art for her focus at school this term. I think she should now go into business - she has made some beautiful pieces of art that now adorn my garden - check these out...

Yes, you are not seeing things, the picture on the bottom right is my Christmas lily (which, with this great weather has blossomed in May!)


Dan had his much awaited sleepover at Lezanne's for a weekend  - he had a great time as usual . Lezanne put together this cool collage:

One bright sunny afternoon, I get a random phone call from Lezanne - 
"Do you want some fish?" she says. 
Without hesitation it is a resounding yes from me, there is nothing like the taste of fresh fish. 
LIttle did I know what was coming next - I find out it is WHOLE fish - Snapper and Kahawai freshly caught that day from Andre's fishing trip which was swimming one day, and at my house the next - can't get fresher than that!
I did not know quite what to expect when I opened my door the next morning - I found a chilly bin filled with about ten fish. Thankfully Andre had taken the heads and guts off them already!
After researching (google was my friend), I donned my apron and disposable gloves, took a deep breath and gingerly grabbed the first fish and set to work. 

Filleting fish - not on my bucket list of things to accomplish but nonetheless an experience I can now chalk up and something very handy to have up my sleeve if I ever get marooned on a desert island (as long as I have someone to catch the fish, a very sharp knife and some fire to cook it!).
The results? Well, by the end of it I proudly rang Lezanne to boast about being the fastest fish filleter in the west! I am now quietly confident with my new skill which is handy to have, considering the previous weekend we had been to the boat show and Todd bought Cameron a fishing rod as he is keen to do some fishing - so now I can fillet and cook, Todd and Cameron can learn a new skill (in fishing) and bring me home some fish for dinner!


Over the past few months, since Nicola's first "official" horse riding lesson, we thought the volunteer work she gained on a Saturday helping out at an equestrian centre would die a natural death, but to her credit she is still mad keen and gets herself up and organised very early every Saturday morning to go to her "job", the job she loves more than anything on earth at the moment...the one with the horses. She has even convinced Leandri to go horse-riding which is no mean feat considering before Leandri got on the horse for the first time, she couldn't even bring herself to touch the horse!!! 

Anything horsey, and Nicola is in...even if it means a picture of a horse on a piece of clothing!

As daylight saving has ended, and autumn is drawing to a close- it has been enjoyable watching the seasons roll slowly from one to the next . (Much more pronounced in Auckland than Wellington). I have decided after experiencing a couple of Auckland autumn's, I quite like this season! 

A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN FOUR MONTHS OR SO.

This year Cameron has joined Nicola at AJHS - Nicola enjoys his company of walking to school together and the house is totally quiet as all three are gone by 8am!

Cameron has started the school year off well after receiving a "tech angel" of the year award last year for all his help with the computers in class, this year he has been put in an extension class at AJHS for all his subjects - he has come a long way from not knowing his basic facts at Eastern Hutt!

We had Julie & Danielle here for wee holiday in January – it was fun taking them to great outlets found in Albany and Long bay beach and the kids spent hours going from the hot spa to the cold blow-up pool and back again whilst Julie and I enjoyed a wine and chat!

I had a relaxing and fun birthday this year. Once Todd got home from work, he organised us (at my request of where to go) to have a simple picnic on the beach, so we ended up at Browns bay - I even got a birthday cake which we laughed our heads off about as Todd managed to spill it upside down in the bark of a tree as he was handing it over to me - couldnt have decorated it better if he tried - a bark-decorated chocolate cake.

To top off my birthday, my "angel" Sharron took me out for a lovely birthday long lunch in Makatana - like Thelma and Louise, riding in Sharron's convertible with the top down to the Ascension wine estate  - just lovely. On the way home we stopped at Warkworth for coffee along the river in an idyllic setting.

After Cameron's tennis lesson one day we found yet another great north shore beach- Mairangi bay beach, so in the next weekend we went exploring and had a relaxing pizza and coke on the beach amidst the seagulls. Had to laugh at the photo bottom right - only in Auckland can you be at the beach in the warmth having a picnic and there is a passing shower of rain - look at these organised people with their umbrellas for the beach!

To celebrate both Suz's and my birthday, I took a short trip down to Kapiti to catch up with Suz and family.

I have started doing 3 full days at a pharmacy closeby which is working out fantastically - loving the busyness and variety of the place. It is a balancing/juggling act with busy family life, but it is working out ok in the grand scheme of things.

We are so enjoying the lovely autumn weather and getting out and about - one weekend in April we had a look round the quaint Greenhithe village and stopped at a local cafe where Daniel had no problem at all feeding himself a huge iced-chocolate with cream on top! 

Fabulous setting in a garden. This time Nicola less loose with the camera taking some gorgeous photos!

We spent the long Easter weekend at Maraetai - a fantastic place right on the beachfront and have to say it was like an extended summer as the weather was gorgeous. I have been having fun with the ipad installing new apps - one of these was a video editing app which makes movies so had fun playing with this and making a movie of our wee break away:

One fine Sunday afternoon we enjoyed an Auckland Harbour cruise on the Ted Ashby Yacht - terrific timing had us pass under the Harbour bridge whilst someone was bungy jumping from it! Not for the fainthearted, was terrifying enough just watching them jump! The kids got turns to lend a helping hand to put the sails up and down.

Nicola and I have been regular Mystic netball supporters at their home games...here's hoping they make the  trans-tasman finals, can't wait to see the new move "the Harrison Hoist" at the next game- check out the two spectators in the crowd below:

I had the offer to play in an outdoor netball team this season...trouble is, we are all older experienced players that have not lost our competitive streak! We completed the grading games and ended up in Senior 2 playing hour long games! Fact is, we are so competitive that we are winning too much so far, and are contemplating rigging a couple of losses so we don't advance further up another grade! So far, the autumn weather has been fantastic so it has been enjoyable playing in sunny warm weather.


School holidays came upon us very fast where lots of entertainment followed. We managed to meet up with "favourite Jo" and took her to the iceskating rink. Jo and I stayed in the warmth of the cafe whilst Cameron and Nicola braved ice-skating for the first time. It was chilly in there!
Daniel got to have more swimming lessons and Nicola had a horse explosion week with horsecamp and pony club.As part of Nicola's birthday present, she got to tick off one item on her bucket list - yes, just turning 13 and already has a bucket list! We took her to Takapuna beach where she had a surprise jetskiing ride with Todd. The school holidays zoomed by in no time at all. 

Nicola and Gaby with Gaby's horse, Tui on a ribbon day at Rosedale Pony Club.

Nicola was treated to a birthday jaunt across the tasman to the Gold Coast to celebrate her 13th birthday.
Before we left, the celebrations started early with some pressies. Since mostly being clothes, she decided to get up on the modelling runway for us.

Then Todd decided to join in the act....

The sunny Gold Coast did not disappoint, a great Mum and daughter trip away, special times together as Nicola turned from a tween to a teen! 

In May, Todd organised a night out in Auckland city at the Skycity casino hotel and to see the Jersey Boys Stage show - just fantastic.

The middle of May heralded Mother's day where I got thoroughly spoilt with a squishy, smoochy baby pink fluffy dressing gown, a high tea fancy plate and Jersey Boys CD. A lovely Mother's Day High tea naturally entailed..