The beans get watered

Monday 30th November: Cold and rainy all day. High of 11 degrees.
In the morning Steve went off to Timaru to look for a second car for us and Mum and Dad set off on the next stage of their adventure. In the meantime the boys and I were schooling, and kept the logburner alight all day to keep us warm.
We started our Advent Study today. We did this last year and really enjoyed it, and the boys were really informed about and prepared for Christmas when we got to it. Some kind homeschool mum in the US prepared it, and made it free to access for anyone that wants to use it, so that's even better! We also started a week's activities around the "Cat in the Hat" story, did some maths and some computer studies.
After lunch the boys did some computer games and car racing while I cooked tea. Steve returned from his car hunt and I took Peter and Jonathan to gymnastics. When we got back Edward was having tea, and I fed the lambs and then rushed him down to Cubs. I picked up some shopping, drove home and read bedtime stories to Jonathan and Peter and returned to collect Edward from Cubs. He received three badges this evening so I sewed them on once he had gone to bed.
Steve and I watched the film "Inside Man" while I did some knitting.
The photo is of Peter mid-somersault off a trampette at gym today.

Beans in the garden

Sunday 29th November: Cool but dry until drizzle at tea-time. The boys and I went to Sunday School while Steve went flying and Mum and Dad went shopping.
We were all home in time for toasties for lunch.
In the afternoon we were all busy in the garden, catching up with what we didn't get to do in the drizzle yesterday. Dad set up a frame for my runner beans to grow up, and the beans were very pleased to get out of their crowded pot.
I spent a couple of hours with the rotary hoe digging over the ground I did a month or so ago, plus another area Mum weeded ahead of me. I weeded the peas and potato areas and cut down the silver beet that had grown taller than me. The photo shows how tidy the vegetable plot is looking today. The goat, sheep and chickens enjoyed eating the weedings.
Greg and Anna and their boys popped round for an hour later on in the afternoon.
We had homemade sausages for tea followed by banana chocolate teabread and custard.
After tea Steve lit the bonfire and we collected handfuls of leaves and twigs from round the garden to put on it.

Drizzle and more drizzle

Saturday 28th November: Cold and drizzly all day. The first thing we did was light the logburner to warm the house.
The boys spent the morning playing car racing games on the Game Cube with Steve; Mum and Dad did some planning for their next trip, and I did some studying for my Plant Science module, learning about roots of plants.
In the afternoon the weather improved a little and we got out into the garden to get some jobs done. Our neighbour Allen popped round in his tractor and cut the tops of the grass in a couple of our paddocks (see photo).
Mum and Dad enjoyed feeding the lambs now that there is no chase and catch involved (see photo). Steve continued cutting the large tree into slices with his chainsaw and I planted some more seeds.
For tea we had roast lamb and chocolate chip shortbread (again - the boys keep requesting it).
None of the hens laid an egg today, and Bobby hasn't laid for nearly a week now.

Piano exam

Friday 27th November: Today started chilly and was still cool (about 12 degrees) at lunchtime. Then suddenly in the afternoon the temperature soared to 26 degrees in a very short time and we were out and about in totally the wrong clothes!
Schooling went well. The boys drew treasure maps, and we finished off learning about Moses. We had an early lunch then went into town for Edward's Preliminary piano exam at 1pm. He came out quite content with how he done. To celebrate his effort we went to the Rainbow Dairy for a drink and cake, and popped in and collected Jeanette on the way to join us. From there we bought some scraps of material to make shepherd costumes, went to the Post Shop and bank, the library and supermarket.
When we arrived home at 3.45pm Mum and Dad had returned from their latest adventure. The boys played outside while Mum and Dad unpacked and I cooked the dinner. Tonight was baked trout from Lake Aviemore with rice and salad, followed by rum'n'raisin chocolate pudding.
Edward's piano teacher Ruth rang to say he had scored 93 out of 100, which she was over the moon with, and so were we.
After the boys had gone to bed Steve did some more work cutting the big tree trunk in the front garden with the chainsaw, and called us out to see a very colourful sunset.

Mummy sitting down??!!

Thursday 26th November: Today was sunny and pleasantly warm. Much nicer to spend time outside today.
In the morning we did some more pirate study - looking at designing their own pirate flag. We all managed an extra lap in our running, too, which was encouraging.
In the afternoon I did some watering and weeding and then Gael and Maddie popped round for a chat and a cuppa. The boys were busy making their Hot Wheels track on the deck steps.
For tea we had homemade sausages followed by rock cakes.
The photos are of me FINALLY getting to sit in the garden bench Allan and Jeanette made for my birthday, some flowers I discovered when I was sitting on it, and the three monkeys on their bikes.

Big birds and sprinkly hoses

Wednesday 25th November: Another very hot day, up to 30 degrees again.
We did some more pirates today, and the boys drew their pirate captains and gave them a name. Edward called his Bob-Henry-Thomas the 6th-Shiver-me-timbers-1B428-Pyjama King. School in England told me he lacked imagination!
We all managed another 5 laps of the paddock. While we were there a large bird flew down and sat on one of the boundary posts for while - I managed to get the camera and photograph it before it flew off.
After lunch I set up a hose to water the vegetables and printed off some notices I had typed for the Keas. We have reduced the lambs' bottles from 3 a day to 2, cutting out the lunchtime one. This means that every time they see me after about 2pm they bleat and cry and shout at me!
We dropped Edward off at Ruth's house to practice his piano pieces and drove on to Keas. This week the children were making truffles and practising some songs and a play - all for a trip organised for next week to the old people's home and hospital in Waimate. We collected Edward from Jeanette, who had walked him to her house after his piano lesson, and came home for tea - salmon and pasta followed by chocolate chip shortbread.
After the boys had gone to bed the setting sun was intense as it began to disappear behind the hills. It cast amazing lighting on the view from our kitchen window, which had water sprinklers going to help the grass grow for grazing dairy cows.

Strawberries - yum

Tuesday 24th November: Steve returned to work today, not fully recovered but keen to get back and knowing how much paperwork will have accrued during his time off.
We had a full morning of schooling - more pirates. Today the boys designed their own pirate ships. We also managed to walk/run 5 laps each in the 5 minutes.
In the afternoon I did some work in the garden, clearing a patch that we have seen some strawberries hiding in. I also connected up some hoses to water fruit trees on our front border. Jeanette came round for a cuppa and a chat and said lots of nice things about what we have done in the garden since she last visited - comments like this do help when the list of "to-do" jobs seems endless.
In the evening I had a meeting with the other Kea Leaders to plan for the camp next month.
The photo is of our strawberry patch next to the deck. The strawberries are ripening now but have been spotted by the birds and are being nibbled, so I need to try to sort out some netting while there's still some left!

Shiver me timbers

Monday 23rd November: Today was very hot, 30 degrees again in the afternoon. Steve still wasn't very well but found plenty of jobs to keep himself busy.
Today was the start of yet another school term for us. We started with piano lessons and from there met our friend Sharon at the Knox Church to make a plan on the church for the Christmas play the children are doing next month.
By the time we got home about 11am it was getting hot. This week in school we are looking at pirates, and we are also starting a daily walk/run now that we don't walk around town like we used to. This week we walk/run in the paddock for 5 minutes, and record the number of "laps" we do (each lap is just over 100m).
After lunch there was plenty of time for maths and car racing, and Steve miraculously ran out of jobs to do at this moment and came to 'help' with the car racing!
I took Peter and Jonathan to gymnastics, calling in to the recycling depot on the way. When we returned home Edward and Steve had baked a bacon, egg and mushroom dinner. I took Edward in to Cubs and got some shopping on the way home. It was still 26 degrees at 6pm, but by the time I collected Edward at 7.15pm the wind had switched to a southerly again and it was 12 degrees!
The photo is of a ram in a neighbour's paddock - Edward took it from the car window on the way home from Cubs.

Cool, grey and drizzly

Sunday 22nd November: Cool, grey and drizzly. Today's high was about 12 degrees! Steve was a little improved from his virus and got up for the afternoon.
In the morning I took the boys to Sunday School and they started practising for the Christmas play. Home for lunch, then the boys did some computer maths and car racing while I did some work on my plant science course.
We had roast pork for dinner and Edward made flapjack and custard for pudding. After tea we had a break-through with Felicity's feeding. For the first time she was tempted to come to the bottle and feed rather than having to be chased and caught. Let's hope that continues....
The photo is of the flowers I cut today from the chives in the herb garden I have been rearing.

What happened to the weather?

Saturday 21st November: What changeable weather! It started grey and dull and we were very surprised to find it was already 21 degrees at 8am. It turned sunny in the morning and was 30 degrees by lunchtime. Then the wind swung round to a southerly (straight from Penguin Land) and a couple of hours later it was dull, drizzly and 13 degrees! As dusk came, the fog rolled down the hill and was approaching the house as it got dark.
Today was Waimate A & P Show, a big event in the Waimate calendar. Steve was poorly and spent the day in bed. I took the boys to the Show, which was in Kitchener Park, on the outskirts of town. There were sheep, cow, goat, chicken, etc. competitions, horse-riding competitions, sheep dog trials, a fairground, pet sheep, food stalls, tractors to buy and so much more. There were two things we enjoyed watching most of all. The first was full-size bulldozers and excavators doing skilled tasks, scored by judges. One was a bulldozer with a ring of metal attached to its bucket that was playing a game of buzz wire (see photo).
I treated the boys to a go on a ride of their choice. Jonathan chose to go on the bouncy slide in the shape of a sinking Titanic, but then hated it and wouldn't go back on again. Peter and Edward chose to drive little jeeps around a ring, and had great fun.
The last thing we watched was a Young Farmers contest. Each team had three children. First they had to pour water in a tube to float a ball to the top; this ball was swapped for 2 eggs which had to be babysat for the rest of the activities, with a time penalty if either was broken; from there they had to whip cream until thick enough to decorate a cake; walk to the other end of the course with everyone's feet on two ski-like boards; put together a 5-bar gate following written instructions; under a scramble net; all three in a wool sack to jump back to the start location; "bob" one apple each from a trough of water; wind in an electric fence, and finally, eat the cake they decorated earlier! It was very funny to watch.
We were back home for lunch and then it cooled down suddenly. My friend Bronwyn came round in the afternoon with her daughter and we spent a nice couple of hours together.
For tea we had marinated chicken drumsticks, rice and salad, followed by ginger crunch and cream. Edward cooked the rice, heated the beans and prepared the salad.
The boys aren't great fans of vegetables so I started an "auction" during the meal. I auctioned pieces of salad in exchange for time playing their favourite car game. Suddenly there was an increase in fresh vegetable consumption and Edward even asked if we could do it again! The boys played their car games before bed, then we fed the lambs.
Steve finally crawled out of bed late afternoon and managed some tea but still has the nasty virus.

So so hot

Friday 20th November: Hot and sunny. A high today of 30 degrees. Steve home off sick from work, and not really much better yet.
The boys and I headed of early to piano lessons in town then popped into the shops for some more milk powder for the lambs and some fresh food for us.
We got home late morning and the boys wanted to d some more maths on the computer to earn time for a car racing game on the Game Cube. As it was so hot out this seemed like a good idea. This meant I had a short while sitting down doing some cross-stitch while the sun dried the washing on the line and the boys were busy.
For tea we had homemade sausages followed by mocha mousse. Edward peeled the potatoes for the mash and made the pudding, which was divine.
In the afternoon the nor'wester had blown through but after tea it was calmer outside but still very hot. Edward went and sat in the lambs' pen and was playing quietly with his new battleships game, and it was lovely to see both lambs work their way up close enough for him to pet them. Shirley was very interested in the handset, and the photo shows her trying to set her ship's co-ordinates!
Just after this we heard a loud buzzing noise and saw a swarm of bees moving over our heads and across the road and out of sight.

Traction engine

Thursday 19th November: Warm and sunny again. Steve was feeling really yucky this morning but headed off to work as he's the only doctor at the surgery today. The boys and I were going to Timaru, but stopped on the way at our friend Guy's farm. He was getting his traction engine ready to drive to Oamaru for a festival over the weekend. This drive of 30 miles usually takes him 5 hours!!! He was busy filling the water tanks and making final preparations to leave.
We carried on to Timaru and discovered there was a big sale at Farmers (rather like BHS) so we did some impromptu Christmas shopping and the boys bought Hot Wheels cars with their pocket money from egg and pine cone sales.
We were back home for a late lunch and Steve arrived shortly after us, sent home because he was too poorly to continue working today.
The boys and I spent the afternoon doing jobs in and out of the house - there's always so much to do. For tea we had meatballs and rum'n'raisin chocolate pudding. Edward made the meatballs and helped make the pudding, which at tea-time was voted one of the best they've ever had.
In the evening I went to a meeting of Scout, Cub and Kea Leaders, planning the camp next month. I wasn't expecting to be able to make it, but as Steve was home I now had a babysitter.
The photo is of Guy and his traction engine.

Time for some tidy up

Wednesday 18th November: Cold, drizzly and miserable. Mum and Dad went off on their next travels this morning - this time they're going north to Hanmer Springs, maybe to Kaikoura, in to Christchurch at the weekend, then to Akaroa and back to Waimate at the end of next week.
As it was yucky weather we took the opportunity to do some tidying and more unpacking. I rearranged Edward's room and know that he wil be good about keeping it tidy. I sorted some of the stuff in the room Peter and Jonathan share and know it will be a complete mess again within the hour!
The lambs are feeding really well now - Felicity gulps down the same volume as Shirley now, but still does not want to come up and be petted like Shirley.
We headed to the recycling park on the way to Keas. Tonight at Keas the children had to sort hundreds and thousands into colour groups using twezers, then got to decorate biscuits with icing and the hundreds and thousands. Peter and Jonathan presented to the other Keas what they have done for their Healthy Kea badge.
For dinner we had chilli and rice and scones for pudding. Edward learnt how to cook the rice.
The photo is of Jonathan playing with a balloon after Keas.

Local history and local beach

Tuesday 17th November: Warm and sunny. Steve returned to work today but was feeling a virus coming on before he even saw the first patient.
Mum and I helped Peter and Jonathan finish off their work for one of the Kea badges ready for tomorrow's meeting.
In the past week we've noticed a couple of sprrows in the henhouse when we've gone to feed them, and seem to be feeding more than just the three hens. Over the weekend Mum and Dad spent some time sparrow-proofing the henhouse, so I was surprised this morning to find 8 sparrows and a blackbird in there, and no food left! All the local wild birds will be producing high quality eggs this season!
Mum, Dad, the boys and I headed into Waimate to visit the bank and then walk a little of the local history. There are many plaques around town commemorating various historical facts, and the boys were kept busy looking for the next one along the way.
In the afternoon we went to Hook Beach and had a nice walk along the stony beach. When we turned to walk back, we saw a seal had come on land and we were able to get quite close to it. We collected driftwood on the way back, and Edward chose a "favourite" stone from the 190 million there to choose from.
This week Edward needs to help prepare meals towards his Cub's Cook badge. Tonight we had roast lamb and Jamaica ginger cake with homemade ice-cream. Edward helped by peeling the potatoes and peeling and slicing the carrots. I have other tasks in mind as the week goes on.
In the evening Steve and I went to the AGM of the local Scout organisation and Steve has taken on the role of looking after an uniform needs, so no doubt I'll be doing the bulk of that!
All day long we had heard what sounded like a radio playing in the paddock next door and it was still going when we got back at dusk so we decided to investigate. It turned out not to be coming form next door, but from the top of the next rise, about quarter of a mile away. One of our neighbours likes to have the radio on while she gardens, but I don't think she realised the sound would travel so far!
The photo is of the paint shop at the end of Queen Street. Its plaque tells us that it is the oldest paint shop in New Zealand - there has been a paint shop on that site continuously since 1909, and as it is 100 years there is a nice historical display of 100 years of painting in the window.

Back to the real world again

Monday 16th November: It was cold overnight, and very quiet at the camp as everyone else had gone home the previous afternoon or evening.
Steve did some more fishing in the morning but didn't catch anything. At 11am we were packed up and headed back to Waimate.
We were home for a late lunch. Mum and Dad had been looking after the animals over the weekend. Shirley the older lamb is now much more confident and keen to get her bottle of milk, but Felicity the little one hasn't fed all weekend.
I took Peter and Jonathan off to gymnastics and Peter was assessed for his first gymnastic badge, which he passed. We rushed home and Edward was busy eating his tea which Mum had kindly prepared. I drove back into town with Edward to Cubs and home again.
Dad and I returned to collect Edward later to find he had become separated from the Cubs earlier in the evening and was cold and wet when they found him later, so it was a while before he was settled enough to go off to bed.
The photo is of duck and ducklings on the lake.

More lake time

Sunday 15th November: Today's weather was breezy but much calmer than yesterday. It was sunny too, but chilly in the wind.
We had pancakes and maple syrup for tea, which was very yummy.
Steve was busy all morning, or so he told me. Whenever I saw him he was sitting in a chair on the side of the lake doing very little. Fishing, he calls it. I thought he might like a book to help pass the time but apparently he wouldn't be able to read a book AND watch the rod at the same time - something about multi-tasking......
Anyway, he caught a Tesco-size fish (1 pound in weight, the sort we'd buy for tea in England) and a more reasonable size (3 and a half pound).
The boys were happy spending the morning riding their bikes, reading books, making origami shapes and so on. I enjoyed reading some more and doing some cross-stitch.
After lunch we walked further along the side of the lake to see our friends Greg and Anna who were due up with their two boys and caravan this weekend, but couldn't find them. We weren't sure if they hadn't come, had come and gone home early, or had camped in a different place.
In the evening we had chicken and pasta and triple chocolate muffins for pudding.
Steve went fishing again through the evening and caught two more good-sized fish.
The photos show Steve being "busy", comparing the Tesco-sized fish with the ones we have got used to here, and a tree on the campsite with huge pine cones growing on it.

Off to Lake Aviemore

Saturday 14th November: We poodled around in the morning and finally got round to packing up the motorhome. We were finally ready to leave about lunchtime, then drove to Lake Aviemore. The boys had brought along their bikes and were keen to go on the bike jumps they had enjoyed last year.
There was one family we knew there and the boys soon made friends with other kids with bikes. This left Steve to go fishing and me to read a book. Bliss! While Steve was fishing the wind became stronger and was coming in strong gusts. One of them blew so hard we laid down flat on the ground and protected our head as the large tree blocking most of the wind came apart and the branches flew over us and landed in the lake behind us. Incredible! Steve caught a good size fish and then smoked it for tea, so I didn't have to cook either.
Before long it was getting dark and cooling down and it was time to settle down for the night.
The photos are a view of the lake from where Steve was fishing, him with dinner, and a patch of lupins growing around where the caravans and tents are camped.

Changeable weather

Friday 13th (oh dear!) November: Cold and rainy this morning, brightening into a sunny, breezy, cool afternoon.
First thing in the morning we went into town for the boys' piano lessons. While we were there the rain was lashing down outside. From there we went to the library, to the Resource Recovery Park with our recycling, on to the supermarket and post shop and home just before lunch.
After lunch the boys got on with some schooling. Their bible story was the final part of the Joseph story, and they did some typing, maths and english on different computers. They each earned 30 minutes time to play computer games, and Edward went back to do more maths to gain more time.
Mum and Dad returned from their Omarama/Mount Cook/Tekapo/Fairlie trip at 4pm and soon it was time to get some dinner ready. We had beef casserole and flapjack for pudding.
While we were feeding the lambs their tea we spotted the hens who had learnt how to fly on to and off the gate and so were loose on their way out to the front gate! They were soon caught and locked up.
After the boys were in bed we had time to catch up with Mum and Dad about their trip and bake some cakes for the weekend.
The photo is of the boys busy together doing their separate computer work on the old kitchen table now in the front room.

Tractors, art work and tiles

Thursday 12th November: Cool but sunny again. I had a lovely chat on skype with Sue first thing this morning and the boys kept coming to complain their teacher hadn't turned up for school and wondered when she would be turning up! Mind you, when I was ready they didn't want to leave the game they were playing with their cars and track!
Schooling went smoothly and we got lots done. We finished our morning doing finger painting poppies. While we were schooling we noticed out of the window tractors working in the field opposite us. Yesterday the tractor had cut the grass. Today the tractor was rolling the cut grass into long channels and another was collecting it in a large trailer.
After lunch we fed the lambs their second feed of the day. Shirley hangs around after her feed to find out if there is any left in Felicity's bottle that she might get if she looks cute and friendly. Felicity is finally a little more keen to feed and is taking more milk today, and finished each feed with a fat little belly. Both are clearly gaining weight well.
In the afternoon the boys did some work on the computer - touch typing, maths and a computer game as reward.
While they were doing this I started work on a course I enrolled for yesterday - Certificate in Sustainable Growing offered by Otago Polytechnic. Today the module I started was about naming plants.
The boys raced their bikes round the garden while I watered the vege plot and sorted out some more seeds to put in.
For tea the boys made their own pizzas, then we fed the lambs again and it was time for stories and bed.
The photos show the tractors at work in the view from our kitchen window, the boys' art work from last week and this, and Felicity and Shirley.

Sculpting Oamaru stone

Wednesday 11th November: Cool but sunny with high winds all day. We did an hour of schooling then drove down to Oamaru. Edward had an appointment at 11am with an orthodontic surgeon who visits from Dunedin then we popped into a decorating shop and borrowed some ceramic wall tiles to have a look at at home. From there we headed to the swimming pool and the boys had fun playing in the water for an hour while I read a book. On the green outside the swimming pool there were several people working under gazebos sculpting large blocks of Oamaru stone. It wasn't clear if it was a competition or a display but the pieces being shaped were complex and beautifully done.
We went to Subway for lunch and sat along the front window as usual. While we were sat here the traffic warden came along and gave a ticket to the car parked outside where we were sat, taking photos of the car and entering details on her machine. The boys and I discussed what we were seeing and why she was doing what she was. Just after she walked off another customer in Subway walked over and said you can always spot the homeschool mums because they take any and all opportunities to explain things going on around them. She is also a homeschool mum and we had met her back at Easter where she is the owner of the Danseys Pass campsite.
We bought milk and a new shower curtain and returned to Waimate. It was 3pm by the time we got home and the lambs were desperate for their lunchtime milk. As soon as we had fed them it was time to go to Keas. On the way to Keas we followed a man on a moped trailing his golf clubs behind him. Peter tried to take a picture as we overtook. Tonight we made 30 small chocolate muffins and lit candles in them to celebrate 30 years of Keas.
Back home we had tea and the boys went to bed. Steve and I fed the lambs. Shirley now comes up to you for her bottle and stands in front to drink it. Felicity still needs to be caught but for all 3 feeds today she has actively sucked the milk and has had a fat little tummy after the feed even thought she didn't appear to have drunk much.

Busy in the garden

Tuesday 10th November: Sunny but cool in the morning then suddenly very hot after lunch, finally rain overnight. Schooling went really well again and we were all finished by lunchtime. I like Tuesdays because we don't have to go anywhere so we can get on with lots of different tasks. The boys were all busy doing as many "Chance card" tasks so everywhere got swept or hoovered, the bathroom sink was cleaned, towels changed, animals fed etc and I was free to get on with other jobs.
At 2pm I got the lawnmower out and spent nearly an hour cutting the long grass in the top paddock. The hens were running around and Peter and Jonathan had fun riding their bikes around the tracks I was cutting. Next I helped Edward plant some sunflower and cosmos plants in a small patch Mum and Dad had prepared over the weekend. We is going to look after this patch towards his Cubs' Gardening badge.
Tea was pork meatballs - the boys' favourite - and banana gingerbread and cream.
Soon after dinner I was out to a Gym Club Committee meeting which finished late.
The photo is of the vegetable patch.

Nothing special

Monday 9th November: Sunny but a chilly wind. High of about 16 degrees. Steve donned the coveralls and spent the morning strimming weeds. Mum and Dad set off in our motorhome for their first NZ advernture - due back Friday. The boys and I schooled. This week our topic is Remembrance Day and we made some poppy flowers using real poppy seeds in the centre. The rest of schooling went well too so we were finished by lunchtime. All the boys were keen to do some tasks from the "Chance card" box to earn points to swap as special time with Mummy. They all chose to use their 10 minutes showing me computer games they like or racing cars on the Game Cube. Steve materialised when the Game Cube was plugged in, and he was engrossed in racing cars when I took Peter and Jonathan off for gymnastics later.
It wasn't the usual Monday-teatime-rush today as Steve and Edward were eating the tea I had prepared when we got home, Steve was staying as parent help at Cubs and so in the absence of a babysitter I was missing taekwon-do again. I haven't made a single class yet this term but there are a few weeks left so I might get there yet.
In the evening Steve and I sat and watched a film and caught up with what we'd each been doing last week.
The picture is of the new round table I got yesterday, and the old rectangular table as the new computer table in the front room.

Kea Leader training

Sunday 8th November: I was up early to go to a Kea Leader course in Timaru so Mum and Dad were looking after the boys while I was busy. All seemed to go well while I was gone, and Steve returned from his trip to the Tour of Southland which was won by Heath Blackgrove, originally from Waimate. It was his 10th time riding in the race and the first time he had won, and the best bit was he got married an hour after the race finished and the post-race dinner doubled up as his wedding party!
My course in Timaru went well. There were lots of Kea, Cub and Scout leaders from all over the area. The Sea Scout Hall we were in is at the end of the wharf at Caroline Bay (see photo).
After the course I called into a house in Timaru to collect a round table and chairs I had bought in trade me earlier in the day. Amazingly I was able to fit them all in the truck once I had taken the top of the table off the base. It looks great as our new everyday and homeschool table.
The lambs are both calmer every day, and now Shirley will come over for her bottle without needing to be chased and caught which is very helpful because she is getting very heavy.

Compasses round the park

Saturday 7th November: Warm and sunny, a beautiful day. The boys had a lovely time riding their bikes round the garden while I fed the animals and watered the plants. We drove into Waimate and got some shopping at the supermarket, then went to the library again then down to Victoria Park. We took compasses with us and had a successful walk round the park with the boys learning how to take bearings and walk along a bearing. We saw the wallabies and the birds in the aviary, and enjoyed the beautiful flowers and round back to the playground.
Back to the house for toasties for lunch followed by doughnuts from the supermarket. In the afternoon I cut the grass and gave Dad a driving lesson in the motorhome. At tea-time the boys and I headed to the fire station in town for our neighbours' 60th birthday party, while Mum and Dad had the task of feeding the lambs. The boys were superbly behaved at the party and it was a real treat to take them. We left at 8.30pm after some food so it was a late night for the boys.
The photos are from Victoria Park.