The end of the year and the end of this blog

Thursday 31st December: Hooray, I managed to keep this going for the whole year! I've decided I will print it out and keep as a "diary" for the boys to look back on, but I might need some new ink cartridges before I do that!
Today was sunny and mild, but I was feeling chilly with a yucky cold so I lit a fire in the logburner. Steve went off to work and the boys emerged later than usual and we all had a slow start to the day. Late morning we headed into town to the recycling park then the cycling park!! We also dropped into the library and helped make more space on their shelves and less space in our house, and popped into the supermarket for some bits and bobs.
In the afternoon we all got on with jobs around the garden. Jonathan and I scooped up sheep, goat and chicken poop and started a new compost bin with that, some hay and the solid mass from the pee tea bin. Hopefully there will be some fabulous compost in there to use over the winter. Next we cleared some sticky weeds called cleavers (or Galium aparine - you can tell I'm taking my plant science course seriously when I know the Latin names of the weeds!!) from some flower beds. They had formed a matted blanket over some shrubs like something alien from a horror movie. Still, a few days to dry out and then a trip to the bonfire should slow down their spread. I'm almost tempted to use chemicals on them, but actually hand-weeding them is quite satisfying. Peter and Edward were busy with the wheelbarrow collecting more wood from the land and moving it to the wood shed. Steve was busy building something for his workshop. The chickens were trying to help him, we think, and weren't the least bit perturbed by a circular saw whirring round very near to their necks!!
I took photos of some of the flowers in the garden. They are really beautiful and there are so many of them in different areas. While I had the camera out a fat hedgehog ran across the driveway, but it was under the bushes before I caught up with it to photograph it.
For tea we had homemade sausages and tooth-pulling chocolate pudding and ice-cream.
After the boys went to bed I completed my online plant science module - just need to complete the assessment now (76 pages long!) and Steve watched the film "Gladiator".
A Happy New Year to anyone reading this, and I hoped you have enjoyed our year with us.

BMX Park

Wednesday 30th December: Today was warm and sunny in the morning so I put a summer skirt and sleeveless shirt on, but later it got cold and windy and even rained so I ended up in warm clothes and put the heat pump on!
We had a quiet morning at home and the boys played some computer games. Late in the morning we headed into town and the boys put their bikes in the back of the car to try out the new BMX Park, next to the swimming pool. At the moment it is just a few piles of sand but there are bigger and better plans for its future. While we were there the nice weather left and a wintry shower arrived, so we threw the bikes back in the truck and headed home.
We had a quiet afternoon home but it was windy outside. The boys read books or played with their toys and I did some knitting and some of my plant science module that I haven't been near for a couple of weeks and really want to get finished before the end of the year.
The wind continued to gust strongly all evening - at one point we couldn't hear the tv over the noise of the wind rattling down the logburner chimney the other end of the room!

Baby blackbirds

Tuesday 29th December: In the morning Mum and Dad and packed the car for their latest trip away, this time to the West Coast of the South Island, Land of the Sandfly!!
Steve was back at work and the boys and I stayed home. They were kept occupied with their new toys, books and games from Christmas, and tried out the computer CD-ROM games Father Christmas brought them.
I spent some time in the garden. I'm trying very hard to be as organic as possible in approach, and don't want to use chemicals at all in the vegetable garden and would rather avoid them where possible elsewhere. I have been making some pee tea and this was ready to be spread around and watered in, so that kept me busy for a while. I also transplanted the courgette plants that have suddenly grown, and weeded around the other crops.
In the rose bush outside the spare bedroom window there is a nest with three baby blackbirds. Today we saw they had started to grow feathers, but still have their eyes shut. And beaks open! (see photo).

Race Day

Monday 28th December: When we had arrived yesterday our usual spot we camp at was already taken, so we parked right by the end of the harbour, near the boat ramp. We were woken early today by so many trucks and trailers coming to launch their motorboats, presumably to catch something for breakfast (other than duck itch!).
We had a quiet morning, the boys enjoying taking their bikes to the bike jumps at the camp. Steve prepared the boat to go sailing and we went out on the lake for a sail later in the morning. It was a pretty successful outing compared to some we had last year, and were out for more than 2 hours. It was quite calm and hot and sunny when we went out, but the wind got brisker while we were out.
We got back and had lunch then Steve went to find someone to crew with him in the 3 o'clock race. His boat was the smallest by far, but it's all about taking part, and people complimented him on how much his sailing has improved since last year. The boys and I sat/played on the headland while he was racing. The wind was really brisk by now and Steve got back tired and sunburnt after a couple of hours.
While Steve was derigging the boat I cooked tea, which we ate and then drove back to Waimate, arriving home about 8pm. Mum and Dad had had no trouble withe the animals this time.
We unpacked the motorhome and parked the boat in the top paddock and then enjoyed a quiet evening home.

Sausage sizzle

Sunday 27th December: This morning we were up and getting sorted early (well, earlier than usual on a day off!) and getting the motorhome ready. We drove off to Lake Aviemore. I drove the motorhome with the boys, Steve drove the truck towing the boat, and Mum and Dad drove their hire car. We stopped off at the toilets at Kurow as usual, and the boys had a few minutes playing in the playground here. Just across the road was the Hay Family, who appeared in the blog back at the very beginning of the year (see photo).
We continued on to our usual camping area near the boat ramp at Waitangi, on the east side of Lake Aviemore. Our plan today was to have a sausage sizzle to raise money for the Keas and Cubs activities. We had arranged to borrow a bbq, and were busy immediately, selling sausages, burgers, ice-creams, cold drinks, and muffins. It went really well and people were really encouraging about what we were doing and some gave extra as donations to support us. Many were really keen we go back and do the same thing another day. (see photo)
Mum and Dad left about 6 o'clock and we packed up the bbq and went for a walk around the harbour area. (see photo from the boat ramp).
After the boys went to bed Steve went off fishing. However there was some excitement during the evening when he was called off to a very poorly woman, and was busy trying to help her with the emergency services until very late. He returned to his fishing and has been telling a great tale since about 'the one that got away' - an enormous eel, apparently!

Boxing Day

Saturday 26th December: Hot, muggy and overcast, changing to chilly after lunch. Today we were delighted to find the lambs still in their paddock! They were delighted to get a bottle of warm milk to start the day.
The boys spent the day playing with their toys and reading their new books, especially a new set of Geronimo Stilton ones.
In the morning I watered the vegetables and used the shears to clear the long grass growing in and around the fruit trees on the road side of the garden. After lunch Steve and I went into town to do some shopping for the next couple of days. When we got back it was time to cook another roast turkey dinner. We finished off the turkey, chipolatas, Christmas pudding and cheesecake so there's plenty more room in the fridge now!
After tea Mum and I started baking some muffins for the next few days, punctuated by reading the next two chapters of a very funny book "Ivan the Terrible" to the boys before their bedtime. Later in the evening we watched the film 'Sentinel' and in the commercial breaks packed more stuff into the motorhome.
The photos are of Edward. First he is puzzling over the Rubik's Cube Zoe and Paul bought him for Christmas - he's determined to crack it, but says the clues in the instruction book are very confusing. The second is of Edward taking some of his stuff across to the motorhome. I told him he had three things to take - his bicycle, his helmet, and his car seat from the truck. He obviously decided one trip would work better than three, but then had so much fun balancing the seat on his head he went round and round several times anyway!!

Christmas Day

Friday 25th December: Christmas Day! The boys appeared at 7.01am and checked in with us as agreed, so we could all enjoy them discovering their filled stockings. They were delighted with their gifts from Father Christmas, particularly Jonathan who got the car he made a late request for yesterday. The boys got a lovely note from Father Christmas, and went out the front door, faced north and shouted out thank you to Father Christmas as loudly as they could (our usual routine).
The boys spent the next couple of hours playing with their new cars while we showered, fed the lambs, collected the eggs and let the hens out, chatted to Shirley and Felicity on skype, and had a cup of tea. Then we unwrapped our new game for this year - the Great Moa Hunt - and everyone played it for the hour it took me to get lunch ready.
Christmas lunch was ready at 12 noon. We had a traditional English meal, even though it was now 30 degrees outside and very humid. We had roast turkey, roast potatoes, roasted vegetables, stuffing, chipolatas, cabbage, carrots and sweetcorn, and gravy. Pudding was a mixed English-Kiwi affair - a choice of Christmas pudding or Pavlova!
After lunch, Steve and I "impressed" our guests with some musical arrangements appropriate to the time of the year. I tried playing the piano, accompanied by Steve on the trombone, and we dragged ourselves through a few carols, with my Dad howling with laughter in the background and threatening to put the video of it on you-tube! Before too long we were distracted with a cup of tea and then the boys got busy being parcel delivery boys as we worked our way through the presents.
There was plenty of time to put together and play with toys before tea, which was sardines on toast followed by a choice (or a succession) of mince pies, cheesecake and chocolate mud cake.
After tea we put the air-conditioning on to cool down the boys rooms. It was still uncomfortably hot and humid.
Next we worked together to secure the lambs' enclosure and catch them to move back into the paddock, where they settled down quickly to eat as much grass as they could find. The boys played with their trucks and remote-controlled cars, doing donuts on the gravel drive.
Before long it was time for stories and bed for the boys, and opening a bottle of cool white wine and a box of chocolates for us.
I think the photos are self-explanatory - mostly because my wine is warming up while I type this!!!