This is winter?

Friday 31st July: Today was a strange day. First, it was 14 degrees at breakfast and quickly warmed up as the nor'wester thundered in. It reached a high of about 19 degrees with beautiful sun - very odd for the middle of winter!
First thing we went to meet a man about kitchens. He turned out to come from Liverpool! From there we drove to Steve's surgery to leave the car with him, and popped the boys in to the surgery for them all to have their seasonal flu jabs since the government made them free for all a couple of weeks ago. We walked to the supermarket for some bread for lunch and then walked home. By now it was 11am and the first load of washing was dry so I hung out the second lot and put the bedding in the machine. The boys did some maths while the washing was going, then we took the bedding with us to the new house. It is MUCH more windy out there and it sounded like a train as it rumbled down the valley. The bedding just about stayed on the line and dried very quickly.
The boys and I spent the rest of the day stripping wallpaper. Steve called in from lunch and we enjoyed toasties sitting on the deck. We found a cabbage and fed it to the goat and ewe who were happy to eat form our hands.
We came home for tea - toad in the hole followed by ice-cream. The boys went of to bed and Steve went off to the house to fix the blocked drain and do some more wallpaper stripping. We had a quote today for the wallpaper to be stripped - over $2600!! So we're going to do that bit ourselves!
The photo is of the mailbox at the kitchen man's house. In NZ the post is left in a mailbox at the end of the drive, and people often have an individual design or adapt basic ones to suit them.

Ripping fun

Thursday 30th July: Today it was about 5 degrees outside when we woke up, and was sunny with a high of about 15 degrees with gusty winds.
First thing we went to Playcentre and the boys greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work on the woodwork bench with drills, hammers and screwdrivers. From there we drove to Oamaru for their swimming lessons. They did really well and Jonathan was delighted that he has moved up to the same group as his older brothers.
On the drive home we stopped for a wide load to pass. It was a small house on the move. We have heard that they move whole houses here but never seen it happening. Unfortunately although I had the camera in the car I couldn't grab it quickly enough to take a picture.
We drove to friend to drop off milk we had got at the supermarket and then on to our new house for half an hour. We stripped some wallpaper and fed the goat some hay and then had to scoot home to cook tea. We had pasta and tuna followed by a self-saucing chocolate cake. Jeanette arrived at 6 to look after the boys while I went to TKD and until Steve got in from work. She had them busy doing a 300 piece jigsaw of the world map.
TKD went well and Steve had a couple of calls during the evening. The flu has started to rear its ugly head here in Waimate.
The photo is of the boys and a pile of wallpaper they have pulled of in one of the bedrooms.

Let's throw some money at the house

Tuesday 29th July: Another sunny day after a crispy start. We got through our schooling in the morning and had homemade pumpkin soup for lunch.
Steve came home for lunch as usual so once we had the car we went off to the house. We had double glazing, heating and decorating tradespeople visit in the afternoon to give quotes, while the boys filled up the wheelbarrow with bits of wood from down the garden.
From there we drove to deliver Peter and Jonathan to Keas, and Edward and I used the hour to return the DVD, return library books and pick up some shopping.
Home for pasta bolognese and banana cake for tea.
The photo is of Jonathan in the playground just before Keas.

Here there and everywhere

Tuesday 28th July: A thick frost again this morning. Thick clouds rolled down the hills and so the sun couldn't come through so it was still only 2 degrees mid-morning. Later on the sun came out and brightened everything and everyone up.
Steve went off to work and we got on with some learning. At 10 o'clock the boys had their piano lessons then we nipped home to bake the bread rolls. At 12 noon I had an appointment with an accountant and the boys kept themselves completely quiet and occupied at my feet for the hour I was there.
As a reward we popped in to the video rental shop to choose something to watch in movie night tonight.
Once home we had a quick lunch then Jeanette our neighbour came round and did some painting with the boys while I went to a meeting about the future of sporting clubs in the Waimate area. When I returned home I took the boys and Jeanette out to the house for half an hour to check the animals and show Jeanette round. The electric fence had a problem with it which Steve went out to fix after work.
We had meatballs and chocolate slice for tea and then cuddled up to watch 'Bolt' which was great but needed a lot of explaining to the boys as we went along.
The photo is of today's sunrise from the back door.

Going, going, gone

Monday 27th July: Today was a frosty start then bright and sunny but cool out of the sun. Steve spent the morning at the house demolishing the wobbly end of one of the outbuildings, and arrived home covered in dust. Meanwhile the boys and I were busy with schooling. This week we are looking at the brain, synonyms and counting in French, and we have a new hymn to sing along to and draw pictures about.
After lunch we all headed off to the house. The boys were busy shifting the rotten wood from the old garage on to the fire; I started taking the kitchen apart; our friend Ralph came out and drenched the goat and sheep; and Steve was busy wielding a chainsaw and destroying anything in his path.
Home for a quick tea then Edward went off to Cubs and Steve went with him as parent helper for the week.
The photos show the demise of the right end of the garage.

More house

Sunday 26th July: Another bright and sunny day after a sharp frost. The Waimate Aero Club had invited any members of the public to join them on their Dawn Raid. This seemed to be a variety of planes (about 20) coming from all over NZ doing touch-and-go manoeuvres and dropping 'bombs' of water on targets. All sounds very juvenile to me, so Steve and Greg had a great time! They then went off to fly their model planes off a public (but quiet) road outside Waimate.
Meanwhile the boys went to Sunday School and I picked up some food for lunch then we all went off to the new house to get some more tasks done. We were joined by Greg and Anna + 2 and Sharon and Gordon +3 and the children got busy collecting wood and pine cones while we concentrated on the house and immediately around it. Steve and Greg explored the water leak problem and then discovered a broken waste pipe under the ground so they got distracted solving that. The solution seemed to involve hiding the problem with a few bags of cement we found in the garage, but I'm sure there was more to it than that!
At the end of our time of the house a plumber came over and quickly solved the water inlet leak while the boys and I went home to get tea organised. We had duck I had been cooking in the slow cooker all day.
The photo shows the juxtaposition of the spa (good) and the concrete block building blocking any view from it (bad). I'm just looking for someone to lend me a sledgehammer....

Our new house

Saturday 25th July: Today was bright and sunny. We went to our new house at 9am and worked all day there. There was lots of rubbish left so we created and lit a bonfire and kept adding to it through the day; we moved the goat to an area that was overgrown; we made friends with the ewe and lamb; measured up the kitchen; investigated a leaking water pipe; cleared up flower borders of plastic bags; moved wood and woodchip; took down one wall of the garage; took down curtains; put up a small greenhouse; tidied up the stable; connected the water pipes to fill the water troughs; connected up the electric fence, and many other things. We enjoyed beautiful views of the hills and the sea all day and enjoyed the complete peace and quiet.
When the sun dropped behind the hills it suddenly got cold so we returned to town and got fish'n'chips for tea.
The photos are of the house and garden.

New house

Friday 24th July: From a very busy day to a very frustrating one. The boys and I got on with some schooling in the morning, learning about blood cells and immunity to illness. They also drew beautiful drawings to illustrate a children's hymn we have been learning this week.
From lunchtime we were waiting to hear when we could collect the keys for the house we were buying but the previous owners took ages to pack and leave and the real estate agent didn't keep in touch with what was happening.
FINALLY we got a key to the house after 7pm! We were really cross but also upset that the boys wouldn't get to see the house today and we couldn't get the electric fences set up for the animals this late in the evening. But when we drove over to the house we found they were still there, still packing up stuff! Of course it was dark by now, and being way out of town there are no lights around and it was pitch dark. We spent an hour checking everything and then returned home and made plans for what we would try to get done tomorrow. Lucky we weren't intending to move in today!
Today I was planning a photo of the house for the blog and so I hadn't taken any other, so I'm afraid there's no photo today...

Rushing here and there

Thursday 23rd July: Oh, what a busy day! We dropped the boys off at Playcentre and Anna kindly kept an eye on them while Steve and I drove out to our house-to-be to do an inspection that the conditions in the contract have been completed. Not everything had been done et but we have been assured it will be done by tomorrow. That took about an hour then I dropped Steve off to work and then joined the boys. Half an hour later we met up with two other homeschool children and I drove all 5 down to Oamaru to go swimming. The boys had their lesson while Maddie and Elkan swam lengths in the big pool and then they all played for another hour.
We drove home and dropped Maddie and Elkan home and the boys stayed to play while I had a cuppa and a chat with the parents.
We didn't get home until after 5 and had just cooked tea when Steve got called out.
The photo is the sunset we enjoyed from the front of the house this evening.

Another good drying day

Wednesday 22nd July: Mild and sunny again. After last evening's storm today was quiet and another great day to get the washing dry. Today's high was about 13 degrees.
We schooled in the morning and then at the end of the morning filled a box with dry sand and some grain for the hens to dig and scratch in. Once all the grain was eaten they got busy flicking the sand through their feathers to clean themselves. They always enjoy scratching and bathing in the sand and dust. All three hens snuggled up together and had a snooze after all that excitement, and I managed to creep out and take some photos before they were disturbed.
In the afternoon we walked to town for more milk and yet another visit to the library and on our return the boys took to doing more chalk drawings on the concrete in the back garden. Before tea there was time to clipper their hair and then after tea we enjoyed movie night - Robots had them in giggles.

Warm and stormy

Tuesday 21st July: Today began with an amazing sunrise sky, then a nor'wester came in so temperatures rose to 17 degrees (!) with sun all day (great to dry the washing) but then just after dark an enormous storm arrived with thunder, heavy rain that flooded the gutters, and hailstones.
Steve returned to work and the boys and I got on with some schooling. One of our topics this week is blood and circulation, and we also enjoyed starting to learn a song called "If I were a butterfly". At lunchtime we walked into town to meet the solicitor to sign the papers for the house, then home for lunch. After lunch we walked back into town and changed library books and got some milk at the supermarket.
The boys played in the garden when we got home and then I made a curry and ginger biscuits for tea. The boys went off to bed as Steve got home from work and I went out to a gym club meeting.
The photo is of the Boer War memorial in town, which is dedicated to the one Waimatian that died there, an Alfred Whitney. Our new house is in Whitneys Road, named after him, so I wanted the boys to visit this memorial and understand this.

Hot pools and home

Monday 20th July: Sunny and cool. The icy patches in the campsite have still not melted, but the views are still spectacular, no matter how many times we visit Tekapo. The first photo is the view of the lake from the shore below where we were parked in the motorhome. We collected lots more pine cones in calf meal sacks, ready to sell when we return to Waimate. We lazed away the morning in the hot pools next to the campsite. Although the skies were blue the skifield was closed for 2 days to give the staff a break after a busy 2 weeks of the school holidays. Relaxing in the hot water, looking over the mountains, we didn't care! The coolest pool is 36.5 degrees, and the other 38 degrees, but the air temperature was sub-zero. At lunchtime we drove to the top of Mount John which looms over the hot pools, to the observatories. The boys and I visited here at Easter but now there was snow on the hills and mountains and you can see for ever. We cooked up some burgers and left at 2.30pm to drive home, which took just over 2 hours.
A quick tea and then we delivered Edward to Cubs and unpacked the motorhome. Then of course the evening ended with Desperate Housewives and the final Spooks of the series.

More skiing!

Sunday 19th July: Cold and bright. We were up early this morning, in fact up before the sun. Although the sun doesn’t peep over the mountain here until nearly 9 o’clock this time of the year! We were ready to leave the campsite by 9 and on the ski runs, shredding some snow, before 10am. We started on the learner slopes as usual, and after 10 minutes Edward asked me if I’d like to go to the tea bar. I thought this a marvellous time to have a brew but of course he was referring to the T-bar on the faster slopes. We all had a good day skiing and there were fewer people there today so the queues were never longer than 2 or 3 minutes at worst, usually you just skied down, turned and picked up the next lift as it went past. Lunchtime we had hot dogs. Now in NZ a hot dog is something completely different from what we are used to. Here it is some yucky pre-cooked sausage on a lolly stick, covered in batter and deep fried. Of course we had the ole blighty version of a warm Frankfurter sausage in a long roll with or without lashings of ketchup and mustard. After lunch we skied again until 4 o’clock, with no wind and clear blue skies. Steve was skiing like a god (his words, not mine) on the super-doper skis he bought at the end of last year; Edward was enjoying jumps on the terrain park; Peter was enjoying rushing down anywhere and everywhere, on and off piste; Jonathan has been slower to get back into the groove this year but by the end of today was hurtling down the steeper slopes; and I continued to resist the pull of gravity whilst trying to maintain some air of elegance. I must admit I am much more relaxed this year and am amazed that my leg muscles don’t ache at all after 2 days whereas last year they were painful after the first hour each time we went.
We left the skifield a little after 4pm and collected some more pine cones on the way back to the campsite. Steve and I showered and then we ate out for dinner at a pizza and pasta restaurant in Tekapo called Pepes. We had a lovely meal in a relaxed setting and the boys enjoyed their first pizza-not-cooked-at-home.
The photos are of me and our lunchtime kitchen set-up; and Jonathan and Peter after skiing (or ready to rob a bank, in Peter’s case).

Skiing!

Saturday 18th July: It had been cold overnight, especially as we are now in the ‘High Country’ but we were cosy with the heating in the motorhome. The 8 o’clock news told us that Roundhill Skifield was open, so we ate, got dressed and packed the truck and were ready to leave at 9.30. To get to the skifield you drive back through Tekapo and turn left along Lilybank Road and follow a gravel track along the edge of the lake for 25km or so. Then you turn right and climb for 8km to the car park. It is a great skifield for families and all the runs go down into the car park. There is a lift pass ‘ticket office, a ski hire shed and another shed that serves hot drinks. Amazingly, as it is so far from anywhere there are flushing toilets!!! The ski runs are all in the sun all day and today there was no wind and hardly any cloud so it was beautiful. Just the other side of the mountains, between Fairlie and Burke’s Pass, is Dobson Skifield, but this was shut due to high winds, so the weather is very local. The views from everywhere up there are stunning. From the very top there is a view across to Mount Cook, but it was the only thing that had cloud on it today.
We skied from 10.30am until 4pm with a short stop for lunch. Everyone eats on the edge of the ski runs. You just open up the back of your car and set up your pitch there. We take a picnic table and fold-out gas cooker and do burgers and boil a kettle for a cup of tea, then enjoy a packet of choc chippies. The people next to us (also English) got out a gas barbecue and did sausages. The Kiwis had sandwiches, and always comment on what an amazing set-up we have!
On the 45 minute drive back to the campsite we enjoyed our usual post-ski bar of chocolate. Back at the campsite we foraged for more pine cones. Although there has been snow here the pine cones are dry under the trees so we are collecting plenty.
For dinner I cooked a curry and then we enjoyed the rest of the chocolate rum’n’raisin pudding with custard.
The photos are of us at lunch; the ticket office, café and main freeway with T-bar; the view of Lake Tekapo from the bottom of the T-bar; and the view of the sun setting over the lake from our motorhome.

Off to Tekapo

Friday 17th July: Today was bright and not as cold as of late. In the morning we got a bit of schooling done while two people continued to bang about on our roof, and then packed the motorhome. We were ready to leave by midday. We drove north on the SH1 to St Andrews and then turned left on the Pareora Gorge Road. This is a 36km shortcut through farming land. The first 20km is completely flat and the road is straight. There is a sign at one point naming the place as Sockburn and there are a couple of dwellings where the road bends. Just round the corner there is a ford over the road, but if the ford is flooded then there is a rickety wooden bridge you can take as an alternative. I found myself at the point of choice of the flooded road OR the rickety bridge, max gross weight 3500kg. The motorhome is 3500kg unladen! What do you think I did????
Then for 5km the road climbs and twists and then drops again, along the edge of a hill with a magnificent gorge below on the right. The view is spectacular (although I was more interested in keeping the motorhome on the road!). You also meet a few escaped sheep on the road who then gallop along in front of you, even further away from where they’re supposed to be. The first photo is of the view ahead as you leave the gorge.
The road is then flat until the final climb over a hill to a place called Cave. Here I pulled over and made sandwiches for lunch, which we ate as we drove on. Twenty minutes later we were in Fairlie, and stopped to stretch our legs. Fairlie is a pretty small farming service town and we have stayed here several times. It is exactly 100km from home. From here it is 45km through Burkes Pass to Tekapo. There had been a lot of snow recently and the scenery here is stunning. The views are so extensive that the camera can hardly do them justice.
When we arrived in Tekapo we set up camp in the campsite on the edge of Lake Tekapo. The playground here must have one of the best views in the world. The boys played and then collected some pine cones before cooking tea. The boys went off to bed at 8, just before Steve arrived in the truck from work.
Okay, so I went over the rickety bridge. I sat for a while calculating the relative risk and potential damage to the vehicle, and then decided the best way to make a decision was by ‘eeny meeny miney mo’!!

The sun was back

Thursday 16th July: Very cold but the sun came out and warmed the house. The news was full of news of last night's earthquake and its aftershocks. It's the most exciting thing that people have had to talk about for ages! On the tv they showed shop cctv film showing piles of bottles wobbling around and a few even fell off the shelf!
We had more workmen make more attempts to stop the leak in our roof. This couple could work under the name of Bodgit and Scarper. There was a lot of noise, all day, but no tin has yet been replaced so I guess they'll be back tomorrow.
We schooled in the morning, with all the banging and hammering and dropping and sliding noises on the roof above our heads. After lunch we walked into town and visited the library and supermarket and then the boys played in the playground of one of the local schools. As you can see from the picture, old tyres are reused wherever possible.
Tea was meatballs and Smarties cookies.

Shaken but not stirred

Wednesday 15th July: There was no frost this morning because the sky was overcast. But the dark grey clouds stayed all day so it was grey and cold all day, a high of 5 degrees.
We schooled in the morning and got lots done. This week we are learning about the lungs and respiration and it's reassuring when they are easily able to recall relevant facts from topics we did weeks ago.
We had an early lunch then drove to Oamaru. We had discount vouchers for Warehouse and were able to pick up lots of things we need for the new garden at excellent prices - a wheelbarrow, log basket, solar lights and something I've been wanting for ages - a lemon tree. This one even came with 10 nearly-ripe fruits on it. From there we went to the swimming pool. During the school holiday afternoons they have inflatable dinosaurs in the two pools for the children to climb along and slide into the water so the boys tired themselves out doing that until I convinced them they should relax in the hot spa tub!
Across the road from the aquatic centre is a beautiful park, Oamaru Public Gardens. It has many aspects to it, and the photo show the view of one of the bridges over the stream that runs through it.
At 9.30 in the evening we had an unexpected excitement when a 7.8 earthquake shook the South Island. This is the second largest earthquake since white settlers arrived 160 or so years ago and its epicentre was in Fiordland, not far from Te Anau which we visited last month. It's an area of strong rock and almost no population so there was little damage reported. Our house began to sway and made a 'click' sound as it changed direction and swayed back again, for about one minute.

Edward goes climbing

Tuesday 14th July: A thick frost again this morning then a cold but bright day. We went out early for piano lessons so the boys enjoyed sliding and slipping their way along the pavements again. After piano lessons we rushed home and went to the library for story- and craft-time. Once we had picked up some shopping and walked home it was already lunchtime.
After lunch we fitted in some schoolwork. Today the boys did a spelling assessment and scored well. While I cooked tea the boys played with their scalextric.
After tea Steve took Edward to Timaru to the climbing wall and they enjoyed their climbing there. Peter and Jonathan enjoyed a treat of watching some Tom and Jerry cartoons.
The photos are of Edward in the boulder room and at the top of the climbing wall.

Fancy coffee

Monday 13th July: Cold and bright. Our new school term started today so the boys and I schooled in the morning while Steve made phone calls about new kitchens, decorating and other things for the new home. The boys repeated the reading assessment they did back in January and they have all progressed well in the 6 months.
After lunch we walked into town and sorted out our mortgage at the bank. As we left the bank we met our friends Ralph, Annie and June and went for a drink in the cafe. Then it was home to cook tea.
I went out to a Playcentre meeting in the evening. It was a fabulous meeting (Anna, the President, reads my blog!) and it finished just in time for me to get home to watch Desperate Housewives and Spooks on the big tv!
The photo is of Steve's coffee he had at the cafe.

Off to the races

Sunday 12th July: Another frosty start then a day of bright sunshine, rain showers and hail.
In the morning we all kept busy doing our own thing. I stewed some apples from a neighbour to put in the freezer, made bread and pumpkin soup.
At 12 noon Steve 'won' an electric fence on trade-me and then we went out in the car to Waimate Racecourse, on the edge of town. We watched two races and chatted with some people we have not seen in ages. Steve got called out to see another patient and then the weather got worse. The boys and I thought about walking home but realised we had driven through two flooded fords to get to the racecourse and there's no other route home so we stayed and waited for Steve.
In the afternoon I prepared a roast dinner and flapjack and homemade ice-cream and our friend Gordon joined us for dinner and the evening. Gordon is an electrician and in conversation Steve found out he had the bits that go on the end of a cable to allow us to watch tv on our UK set. Our UK tv has sat in the lounge all the time we have been here for us to watch videos and dvds from England, and next to it sits a NZ tv that gets three channels. Now with the dish that has been on the roof all along, and a set-top box our neighbours gave us the other week, we can now watch lots more channels on a bigger screen and without a snowstorm. Watching Spooks tomorrow will be a totally different experience!
The photo shows the finish line at the Waimate Races while the sun was still shining.

Sunset

Saturday 11th July: Bright and sunny most of the day after another frosty start. We were out early to go to a garage sale but had missed all the best bargains when we arrived 5 minutes before the sale began (?). However the boys had enjoyed sliding along the pavements and verges on the way so it wasn't all bad. We walked into town and visited a model vehicle museum which we keep meaning to go in to. It has hundreds of model cars, planes, fire engines, cranes, diggers etc.
We got home to find Steve's friend Ralph and his daughter June had popped in. Steve and Ralph fly aeroplanes together. He also has 40 or so goats so we found out lots about goats, drenching sheep, electric fences and lots of other things that will be useful in our new home.
They stayed for lunch and most of the afternoon and then finally they went flying. The boys and I stayed home and cooked a curry for tea.
The photo is of the sunset from our front door this evening.

Chicken or sparrow?

Friday 10th July: Today started bright but very chilly with a thick frost. We were out before 9am (early for us) and the boys loved skidding and sliding along the frosty pavements and grass verges and then graduated on to fields and grassy slopes! We were on our way to the sports programme they run in the holidays - we usually turn up for the Friday morning session without booking beforehand. Today no-one else turned up, not even the coaches, so presumably numbers were too low for the sessions to run. Pity - I had been looking forward to my first morning to myself since the last school holidays 3 months ago! Instead I had three little helpers at the supermarket, estate agent etc.
Back home the boys played in the garden for a while but it was too chilly so we got on with more of our Charlie workbook, all about the Oompa-Loompahs today.
After lunch the boys played computer games and I did some knitting, then before we knew it it was tea- and bed-time.
The photo is of today's eggs from the hens. Everyone else's hens have stopped laying but ours haven't yet. Last week in all the rain we got two each day, then it returned to 3 when the weather improved. Yesterday we had only one, then today we had these. We thought maybe a sparrow had popped in and left an egg behind, but our neighbours tell us this is probably the last egg of the season for one of our hens and "this is all she had left". Let's see what tomorrow brings....

Lego Olympics

Thursday 9th July: Sunny and bright but chilly out of the sun. This morning we did a bit more work on the boys' Charlie workbooks before walking to the library for storytime. Today the boys made cute little bumblebees in the craft part.
We drove to Timaru and had lunch at Subway, then went across town to the Bluestone school for the finals of the Rotary Lego Olympics. Children aged 7 to 12 competed in teams of three. They were given 10 minutes to produce a model to a given theme. There were also static displays to look at from the Dads' competition last night - they had to make models of an electric drill. On the way out the boys enjoyed playing in the school's playground.
We did some shopping before leaving Timaru - printer cartridges, a small greenhouse and some thermal socks for the boys.
We got home in time for tea and Steve was out for the evening giving a talk at the St Johns training session.
The photos are of the boys in front of some of the Lego models; the amazing playground at Bluestone school; Peter hanging off Edward on the zip wire/flying fox; and another attempt at that rural view I posted a while back, with blue skies this time.

Just hangin' around

Wednesday 8th July: Today began with a thick frost and sub-zero temperatures. The morning was sunny but then it rained mid-afternoon so the washing got an extra rinse.
In the morning the boys chatted with Grandma and Grandad on Skype and showed them the items they had entered for the Winter Show. We did a bit of work on our Charlie and the Choclate Factory workbook before lunch.
After lunch we walked into town and visited the library and supermarket and returned last evening's DVD. Back home the boys did some work on their Cub and Kea badges before tea.
The photo is of the District Council buildings at one end of the main street. The library is the right hand end of the building and the Clock Tower on the left is also the War Memorial.

The sun has got his hat on!

Tuesday 7th July: Hooray, hooray, it was sunny today! In the morning we went to the library for storytime and I borrowed some books on goat- and sheep-keeping! On the way home we went via the post box and on the way spotted a second-hand Hot Wheels track in the window display of another shop.
After lunch we returned to the shop with money from selling their pine cones and bought the car track. We also bought some lavender plants and hired a DVD for movie night. The boys had great fun with their new toy when we got home, while I was busy reading about drenching and worms and blowfly and the like!
Tea was monkfish and salmon pie and then we watched "The Tale of Despereaux" which the boys and I enjoyed greatly. Steve was out at a doctors' meeting.
The photo is of the Know Presbyterian Church, a few minutes walk form our house. This is where the boys go to Sunday School.

Gunn's Bush

Monday 6th July: We had some sunshine this morning which fooled me into doing some washing, which then hung limply on the line and got drizzled on!
We had a quiet start to the day and then walked down to town. We went to the DIY store to look at paint colours and wallpapers; visited the solicitor; found out about electric fences to keep the goat contained(!); looked at carpets, and got some food shopping.
Later in the afternoon we went for a walk in Gunn's Bush. This is a 15 minute drive north of Waimate and is an area of native bush looked after by the Department of Conservation. We have never been here before and were the only visitors. Probably because it was 4 degrees and drizzling. The walk is 3.5kms long and took us an hour. It's great that Jonathan now walks at the same pace as everyone else so we get around so much quicker when we walk now. Parts of the path were gravel and in other places it was deep with moss. Sometimes the bush was thick with a canopy overhead and it was dark, and then the path would come out into a clearing and it was brighter. There is a stream running through the bush and the path follows and criss-crosses it. After all the recent rain the noise from the river was immense.
Tea was curry and rice followed by Anzac biscuits and cream. Then it was our usual Monday viewing of Desperate Housewives and Spooks. As I write this we are watching the men's final of Wimbledon.
The photos are of a view of the mossy path, a close-up of a tree trunk alongside the path, and a view down the valley from a clearing along the way.

What a foul day.

Sunday 5th July: What a foul day. It was cold and rained virtually all day. We didn't go out except to feed the hens! We were going away for a couple of days to go skiing as the skifield opened yesterday, but the pass we need to use is closed due to snow, and so is the skifield so we stayed home.
In the morning Steve and I chatted about kitchens, carpets, paint colours etc. for our new home, while the boys made Lego models and car tracks in the playroom.
It's lovely now that the boys are older that we can all do our own activities at the same time, rather than everything having to be child-centred as it was not so long ago. Edward and Jonathan played a computer game together, Peter was watching motorbike and car racing on the tv, Steve was model building and I was doing some cross-stitch.
We had a roast dinner at tea-time and made some real lemonade, but it was a little sharp! Pudding was a gingerbread and custard.
The photo is of Steve working on his next aeroplane model, the plans on the lounge floor. It's only one day since the Winter Show but his success has spurred him on to get on with next year's entry!