tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69310897961837004192012-01-17T14:21:46.548+13:00Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.comBlogger1501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-54364865230622806612010-09-05T12:45:00.004+12:002010-09-05T13:41:01.872+12:00

Saturday morning at 4.35am we were shaken out of bed with an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale.It was pitch black as we gathered the kids up out of bed and guided them into the dining room under the table.This whole time the house shook and rolled - it seemed to go on forever. We knew it was big and realised as soon as we felt the first jolt that "this was the big one".We stayed

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-716655720947388602010-09-02T21:58:00.011+12:002010-09-02T22:50:23.346+12:00

The boys turned 15 on the 3rd August and the next day Toby sat his car learner licence and 3 weeks later Tom did. Now we have 3 Learner drivers in the house and I can no longer go anywhere in my car on my own - they all want to drive! Oh joy! Katie is almost ready to go for her restricted licence anyway, she just has to pin her Dad down for some more lessons - 1 a week on a Sunday just isn't

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-44467921228408952622010-07-02T21:12:00.007+12:002010-09-02T21:58:04.919+12:00

On a very cold and wet Tuesday we had a massive hail storm and Possum went missing. The cold weather that followed meant that when he didn't come home overnight we thought the worst as inside was where all cats should be in the bitter cold. Alas poor possum had been hit by a car in a street behind the houses behind us and was laying on the grass verge. He must have been scared either by the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-11907416281980872382010-06-02T21:12:00.005+12:002010-09-02T21:45:39.127+12:00

Rugby, Mud, Cold wet mornings, Mud, Rugby!Tobe and Tom to his rightTobeTobeBoth boys in there somewhere following a game against a touring Australian team in the school holidays.Tobe there leaning on Tom on the flank

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-9580126932929122512010-05-02T19:13:00.000+12:002010-09-02T21:32:13.550+12:00

Katie turned 18 this month and instead of a party, and thanks to the generosity of my sister Caroline, the 3 of us went to Sydney for 5 nights to see the sights and have a cocktail at Darling Harbour.The day we arrived - having lunch at the QVB.What a fabulous trip. The weather was fantastic and we shopped, ate and walked until we were back on the plane home.Bianca, Katie and Rosemary. On the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-43856046904732425962010-04-12T21:41:00.003+12:002010-04-12T22:06:21.365+12:00

Work in progressTobe and Al are building a grass kart. This is the first step on Tobe's journey to get into motor racing. You've got to have a dream and you have to believe it will come true and he wants to race cars and this is where he will start. (gee I guess it's in the blood!)They are building it up from a frame they purchased and adding all the extras that I can't remember without Toby

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-66817638275354320632010-04-10T21:29:00.002+12:002010-04-12T21:40:29.044+12:00

Toby and Tom playing in the U15 Sevens tournament today. 4 games, 7 minutes each way made for a very tired team and the realisation that we aren't really fit enough for the new season!Tobe

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-58845690559702612422010-03-11T21:16:00.000+13:002010-04-12T21:18:29.817+12:00

Just had to capture this busy little Bee on a Sunflower!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-70038177356432942582010-03-10T21:12:00.002+13:002010-04-12T21:16:16.625+12:00

My friend Jann, her sister and brother-in-law, and I went to the Town Hall to the Tom Jones concert. It was a great evening, we had awesome seats close to the stage and sang our hearts out and danced til our feet were sore! The man has still got it at 70!Me, Jann and YvonneTom

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-19190523751937768312010-03-01T20:26:00.002+13:002010-04-12T21:11:28.681+12:00

My Mother Eileen travelled to Australia for 7 days on a pilgrimage to Alice Springs and a journey on the Ghan railway.Father Kevin from her parish received a monetary gift from the parishioners on the occasion of his 50th year of ordination. It was his dream to travel on The Ghan, so he wanted to spend his gift on that. A group of 11 parishioners and himself went to Sydney for a night,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-21274669839857330812010-02-27T20:01:00.002+13:002010-04-12T20:24:20.268+12:00

Al and our friend Steve have talked for 2 years about going on a road trip to the West Coast.Steve goes out on his motorbike every weekend and Al being busy with motor racing just never seemed to be able to commit to a date. I told them at Christmas that they were going on the last weekend of February!They set off at 9am on the Saturday and stopped at Greymouth for lunch, and then at Punakaiki

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-49177217885492771522010-02-22T23:16:00.005+13:002010-04-12T20:25:47.967+12:00

At the weekend Al and I took Katie out to Pegasus, which is about 20 minutes north of Christchurch, for the dragon boat regatta.Her boyfriend Jack was racing with his school team so she spent the day with him and his family and Al and I watched the racing from from a bridge at the finish line.It was quite exciting and Jack's team won the event, so all their hard training over the past months

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-33311085691735683772010-02-14T17:38:00.002+13:002010-04-12T20:25:32.566+12:00

Katie has met a boy! Yes a month ago they had their first date and they had a picnic in a playground. Katie was up the top of a slide and there was a plank missing in the platform. She accidently stepped in the gap and fell and made a real mess of her leg. So after some first aid by Jack and his Mum, and me when she got home we managed to keep the pain away but not the massive hematoma that

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-82811858531891282352010-02-08T19:48:00.005+13:002010-04-12T20:26:05.194+12:00

Thomas and Toby Feb 2010Toby and Thomas Feb 2009.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-72707557176578014812010-02-05T12:17:00.002+13:002010-02-08T19:48:35.146+13:00

Ok so I haven't posted in a while. You know, when you are in charge of a website all day at work, (and love doing it mind you) and come home you really don't feel like being in charge of a blog too. But after all the comments from near and far about how "it's been a long time since you updated the blog" I figured people actually like looking and reading about us. (not that I doubted that Ayden

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-11607087282858318262010-01-31T12:16:00.010+13:002010-02-08T20:11:03.838+13:00

January = summer = holiday = Nelson!Well actually it started in Nelson for a couple of nights with my sister then we drove over to Mapua and set up camp at the "Mapua Leisurepark" for 10 days. Glorious weather and fabulous campsite. Big thank you to Al's mate Andrew for lending us the van for the trip. With the Pajero gone we don't have a tow vehicle for our camping trailer. I'm sure the van

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-18933403984505843462009-12-31T12:15:00.003+13:002010-02-08T18:12:07.834+13:00

Merry Christmas it was and looked like this....................Our Christmas tree Christmas morning.Breakfast at our house. The traditional Croissants and berries and cream! Yummy.Christmas roast lunch at our house with Nana.Dessert! Katie made the trifle and it was Yummy. Just like Aunty Lines, seeing as how she taught Katie to make it, it's not surprising!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-29689134689191015592009-12-05T17:38:00.008+13:002010-02-08T18:11:54.206+13:00

Remember in August we gave Toby a booklet that revealed to him that he was going to Sydney with Al in December to watch the V8 Supercars? Well here they are in Sydney. It was Al's birthday present too.Sydney Harbour BridgeSydney Opera HouseThe harbour bridge and Opera house from the other side of the harbourThe Centrepoint TowerEco Cab!Dinner at China Town! I'm sure they must have ordered for

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-57426886913240429912009-11-30T12:15:00.003+13:002010-02-08T18:11:37.878+13:00

November looked something like this.......Jane, Al's big sister, turned 50 on November 5th. We went to dinner at his Mum's place along with Jane, her husband Pete and son Brad. Happy Birthday Jane!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-42005963725294521282009-10-31T12:11:00.004+13:002010-02-08T20:17:15.206+13:00

Ok so the rest of October was like this................Labour weekend 2009 - 25th October.Big empty space at side of garden shed, that seemed to be the collection point for all manner of junk. Al and Tobe cleared the space and started to build me a planter box for veges....Putting in the 'recess' which gives me space to get to the back and middle of the plants for weeding/cultivating without

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-89914863102386668102009-10-14T12:56:00.002+13:002009-10-14T13:07:12.849+13:00

I forgot to mention that when Katie and I went to Picton in August, Rochelle took us to her Blenheim hair salon and Rachel there chemically straightened Katie's hair, (like a perm but in reverse) and cut her a whole new style.Katie has very, very curly hair which when she tried to do anything with it, other than the tie back in a pony tail thing, it went 'boofy'. She has some GHD straigteners

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-73155871337102299662009-10-06T13:43:00.004+13:002009-10-14T13:58:51.534+13:00

School holidays, and what better place to celebrate my Birthday than Nelson!We went out to the Grape Escape restaurant for brunch with Line. That more or less did us in the way of food for the day.Al and the kids drove back to Christchurch that afternoon. I went out for dinner with Line, Ged and Nath and then flew back home the next day.A few days away from normality is just what you need

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-4682224954776341502009-10-05T14:07:00.004+13:002009-10-14T14:13:28.223+13:00

Here is Toby with one of the Llama's that are in a paddock out the back of the Grape Escape. They are really friendly but we were all scared that one them was going to spit. Toby had an unfortunate experience with that when camping a few years ago so we are all a bit wary! The other photo was taken while sitting on a log on the beach at Rabbit Island. We stopped there for an hour to collect

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-72479208948906813682009-10-05T13:59:00.002+13:002009-10-14T14:07:29.756+13:00

Thomas loves animals and being at Aunty Line's in Nelson lets him be at one with the minds of the mammals. Oh and the chooks, they aren't mammals of course!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-28300195836803203542009-10-01T14:13:00.002+13:002009-10-14T14:19:31.733+13:00

Katie has been studying hard for her Learner's permit to drive. While in Nelson she sat the test without telling anyone, only Aunty Line and I knew. She passed and was issued with her licence to learn!Al took her out a couple of times down to the quarry not far from Line's for her first ever time behind the wheel. She enjoyed it. It will be a while before she gets out on the road. Much more

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-80093299929165764172009-09-29T22:23:00.007+13:002009-09-29T23:19:35.097+13:00

Our friend Guy works out at the airport at a special clothing distribution warehouse for Americans travelling to the South Pole - Antarctica. Americans all wear Red and Black clothing, this is how they distinguish one country from another. NZr's wear Blue.Today he invited Al, Thomas and Toby to go out and have a look round as the season has opened and up to 3 flights a week leave for Antarctica

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-67243912854777757822009-09-26T23:21:00.007+12:002009-09-29T23:59:19.253+13:00

Tonight we went to Al's sister's 50th Birthday party............. and yes.......... we dressed up! AGAIN. I know, but I think this is the last time for a while. I guess 5 times in as many weeks is a bit much, but you know the saying 'it never rains but it pours' well I probably won't be dressing up again for a long time. Besides, I enjoy it.JaneIt was a 70's theme so it was a lot of fun

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-30565669795988173662009-09-25T23:06:00.003+12:002009-09-29T23:19:23.371+13:00

This week was 'Book Week' at school and today was book character dress up day. I went as 'Cat in the Hat'. In the afternoon I went down to the junior school and read them a story. It was lovely to see all their costumes and their attentive faces as I read. Can't see my 14 and 17 year olds sitting while I read a story any more. How fast they grow!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-45459873312440139992009-09-24T23:49:00.005+12:002009-10-14T12:55:50.878+13:00

Yes, he is in Beijing - China - and behind him is the 'Birds Nest Stadium' that was built for the Olympics. Line sent this photo to us to show Toby that Ayden was visiting the stadium that he had built the replica of last year. Ayden has popped over to China, from Japan, for a short holiday. Hi Ayden! xxx

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-78116089868093317502009-09-21T22:02:00.004+12:002009-09-29T22:21:46.757+13:00

Tonight was the boys last night at Scouts.Connor and Toby with their hole dug and placing their lighting layerTheir group went out to Rimu Park - 8 minutes west of their scout hall - and had a group cookout. They were in 4 groups, and each dug a rectangular hole in order to build their fire to cook their dinner.Thomas' group with their fire burningToby's group with their fire burningThe 4 fires

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-31206073102251503172009-09-19T21:29:00.001+12:002009-09-29T21:55:24.227+13:00

Tonight we headed over to Jann and Steves for a sundown cocktail dinner party.Yip, dressup again! Compulsory Hawaiian shirt and lei.The cocktails were just magnificent, but were more like smoothies, all blended up in the blender with just about more fruit than tequila. (yeah right!)We had a great dinner, great company and danced away to the music of Rod Stewart. What a blast!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-31667645653786056222009-09-15T12:34:00.006+12:002009-09-15T13:19:45.091+12:00

Christchurch Airport is undergoing some major redevelopment.The new Air Traffic Control Tower has just been completed and is operational as of today. "New Zealand's newest control tower has been officially opened in Christchurch. The $6 million project is the first to be completed as part of a new airport expansion set to be ready for the thousands expected for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. At 13

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-7761140416609942792009-09-13T12:19:00.003+12:002009-09-15T12:49:39.118+12:00

Al went up to help transport the boys back from scout camp, and they all stopped at Castle Hill on the way back for a climb on the boulders.The area has 100's of rock formations/boulders and is quite an amazing sight. This is where some of the filming of the movie "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was done.Below the boys are on top of one of the formations.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-38195964194699075332009-09-12T12:50:00.005+12:002009-09-15T13:14:43.611+12:00

Toby, asleep in his bivvie with 4 other scouts, was awoken to a "rustle, rustle, rip" sound.He shook Connor, who was asleep next to him and said, "Connor, I think something is out there"Connor groaned and mumbled his distaste at being shaken and told him to go back to sleep."rustle, sniff, rip, scuffle scuffle........... snigger??""Connor" Toby loudly whispered, "there is something out there""Go

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-37666526909661997702009-09-12T11:36:00.006+12:002009-09-15T12:19:16.774+12:00

Today the boys headed up to Craigeburn which is about an hour west of Christchurch, for an overnight camp and hike with their Scout Group.They were a small group, just Toby, Thomas, 3 other scouts - Connor, William and Hamish and the leaders Julie and Peter.They were the only ones in the area for the night, and the leaders pitched their tent and the boys made a bivvie, laid their goundsheets and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-45595709902693362082009-09-10T22:41:00.008+12:002009-09-15T14:11:08.401+12:00

Tonight I went to watch the Showcase Concert at the boys High School. Thomas is in the Male Voice Choir and they performed 2 pieces.Thomas 2nd from left as he arrived on stage, then the front row arrived and I never saw him again as the boy in front blocked my view. Oh well, I knew he was there!The song I have added the video clip to below is a Samoan church song/prayer celebrating their

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-68671299172627481152009-09-06T17:20:00.004+12:002009-09-15T11:36:12.945+12:00

Thomas has aspirations to join the NZ Airforce when he leaves school, he wants to fly planes... really fast planes. I told him we don't have any of them in NZ anymore........ well we do but they are wrapped up in bubblewrap somewhere and stored as an historic reminder of when we did have a fleet of fighter planes in our Airforce!Anyway, enough of the sarcasm, I can't knock the kid for having a

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-57423179376028979342009-09-01T17:14:00.005+12:002009-09-08T17:28:21.486+12:00

They're in my dam garden scratching and spreading dirt everywhere! That is where the birdies is! And the 2 cats are lazing in the sun with one eye open keeping an eye on them.Happy Spring NZ, and Happy Autumn Ireland!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-17733697980524507912009-08-29T15:04:00.003+12:002009-09-08T17:20:31.201+12:00

Dolly Parton!We had a work function out at a winery in the country, it was a barn dance. Everyone wore denim jeans, checked shirts, a bit of straw in their mouth and cowboy hats. Not me, I hired a costume and went at Dolly Parton. Being shy and all I thought it would break the ice. (Ha - me shy????? Never!!!!) It was a lot of fun, we had great food and learnt a bit of line dancing too. My

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-8529595433226036282009-08-22T15:22:00.000+12:002009-09-08T17:27:43.009+12:00

Today Katie and I headed up to Picton for the weekend to stay with my friend Rochelle. I took my mother along for the ride too, and she stayed the weekend with Rochelle's Mum, as they too were friends when we lived in Picton. Picton is 4 hours drive North of here, and is at the top of the South Island of NZ.It was a spur of the moment thing and those trips are always the most fun!We spent most of

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-6303540594257337872009-08-12T20:40:00.001+12:002009-08-14T20:49:48.813+12:00

The social club at the school where I work, decided that no staff member was allowed to wear black today. They had a colourful morning tea, with rainbow icing on little cakes, cheese cakes with coloured jellies on top, colourful sweets and numerous other things, and some sparkling red grape juice in glasses with coloured straws. It was fabulous.It was a "no doom and gloom day". Gee that was

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-1881648614476569392009-08-09T20:20:00.003+12:002009-08-14T20:38:48.714+12:00

Today Thomas went out with his mates Robbie, Jack and Michael to do a bit of rowing on the Avon River. Robbie's Mum Sue took them.We went out for a walk round the botanical gardens as it was a such a lovely sunny day.We saw Thomas and Robbie in their Canoes on the river and took some photos.Al took Katie and Toby on a big walk round the perimeter of the park and I bought a coffee and walked along

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-51226294455067314392009-08-03T20:05:00.001+12:002009-08-14T20:39:07.780+12:00

Today the boys are 14. Wow time flies!We went out to a Vietnamese restaurant for tea and had a lovely meal. We chose a banquet as it was too hard agreeing on what dishes to get so we just let the waiter choose and we all shared.Thomas got a PSP for his birthday and a new TV for his room and Toby got tickets to the V8 supercar finals in Sydney, Australia in December. He was very excited at his

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-5264544026405864742009-08-02T19:56:00.003+12:002009-08-14T20:05:35.044+12:00

Today Katie and i went along to the Addington Racecourse to see the pet expo. Here is Katie with a Llama, they are very beautiful!Katya's dog Max was in a show wearing 'dog clothes' and looked very cute.There were lots of dogs and cats, and birds and rats and businesses that sold every manner of thing you could ever imagine for your pet.... and more!We had a lovely afternoon.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-27120180423910885832009-07-26T22:08:00.001+12:002009-07-28T22:37:28.864+12:00

Today our rugby club had a Gala Day to gather our rugby community together for a fun day out and raising some funds for our club.I organised our team to bring bags of jaffas and a donation of money. I put all the jaffas in a jar and we charged $1 to guess the total. There were 1498 in the jar and a young girl guessed within 2 of that total! I changed all the money collected into 10cent coins and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-49492204525992756082009-07-19T22:52:00.002+12:002009-07-20T23:07:53.350+12:00

This afternoon Al took the kids out to the Waimak River for a blat on the new motorbike he bought for the kids a few weeks back. He wanted them to learn to ride a bike with gears, just like he did when he was a boy. Actually I got my Motorbike licence the day I turned 15! That was my first mode of transport.TobyIt was the boys 2nd time out there but Katie's first. So she just rode slowly

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-88761247854999344292009-07-18T15:04:00.006+12:002009-07-20T16:57:16.592+12:00

Tonight Katie went to her Year 12 (Form 6) formal.Here is a closeup of her hair!Me, Thomas, Toby, Katie and AlAl's family - Jane, Katie, His Mum Helen and AlMy family - My Mother Eileen, Cath, Katie, Me & Chrissy.Katie's partner Samuel, Katie, his Mum Jann & Dad Steve. Jann did Katie's makeup for her.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-27090409927743093932009-07-09T22:39:00.006+12:002009-07-20T23:30:32.568+12:00

Today Thomas went away with his friend Jack and his Dad Malcolm on an overnight tramp to The Pinnacles Hut. It was a beautiful clear sunny day, they checked the weather forecast and all was good.They drove an hour and a half to the car park and headed off up the hills on a 3 1/2 hour tramp to the hut they would spend the night in.Jack and Thomas - (these boys are very big "Red Hot Chili Peppers"

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-8651811288530527962009-06-27T18:26:00.003+12:002009-07-20T18:31:07.712+12:00

Tonight Al took the boys and their friend Connor along to their first All Blacks test match.Wyatt Crockett was making his debut (you remember him from a previous post) and the boys had a banner to hold up for the cameras shouting out to Brad Thorn and Wyatt Crockett - both Burnside Rugby Club boys. The club said if they got on the TV they would shout the boys free drinks. At the end of the game

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-90414162824070692112009-06-20T22:59:00.005+12:002009-07-20T18:16:48.465+12:00

Welcome to Winter! What a cold and wet and very muddy game this was. The opposition were a lot bigger than us and while we put up a fight, we didn't win the game. Here is Toby side stepping the opposition. This boy wrapped himself round Thomas and didn't let go after he offloaded this ball, the boy just wouldn't let go! He wished he had though after Thomas flung him into the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-77636424325947108782009-06-11T15:10:00.009+12:002009-07-20T18:08:40.316+12:00

Today Thomas and Al headed off to the airport and away for 2 nights together in Queenstown.Once a year the boys get to take off for a few days with Al for some one on one time. (Last year Toby went to the V8 Supercars in Hamilton)They had a fabulous time, crammed just about everything you can possibly do into 2 1/2 days and 2 nights.They ended up bringing a rental car home because the airport was

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-87790676930300355742009-06-05T18:17:00.005+12:002009-07-20T18:25:37.455+12:00

We woke at 5am today to a loud crash and the sound of our 4WD alarm going off. We got out of bed and ran outside to find a man had crashed into my vehicle parked on the side of the road. It seems he had fallen asleep at the wheel on his way home from a friend's house. He was only a few hundred metres from his home 2 streets away! Ours was the only vehicle on the side of the straight stretch

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-73965017426080715432009-06-01T17:32:00.004+12:002009-06-01T17:46:25.659+12:00

Yesterday the new seasons All Black squad was named to play France and Italy on tour here later this month. Included in this was new cap Wyatt Crockett who has played rugby through the ranks for the same club that the boys belong to - Burnside.Here is Thomas and Toby with Loosehead Prop - Wyatt Crockett - at our clubrooms today. The club had a bit of a celebration for Wyatt to show him our

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-55205561057719573192009-05-30T17:14:00.004+12:002009-06-01T17:32:31.603+12:00

Katie is taking Food Technology as a subject at school this year. As part of the course they travel into town to the Christchurch Polytech every Friday for practical experience in all apsects of the hospitality industry. Friday nights she brings home a sample of what they have 'cooked' that day. She has learnt some Barrista skills and also how to set a table for fine dining and how to fold

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-85915633148975582222009-05-29T17:01:00.003+12:002009-06-01T17:05:42.738+12:00

Tonight Al went out to fly a Boeing 737, well actually in a simulator.We gave him a voucher for his birthday to do it and he finally got around to it.He sat in the pilot seat and he had an instructor as his co-pilot.The boys sat in 2 seats behind them.He "flew" the plane to Queenstown, following the actual course that planes take and landed on a simulation of the actual runway. They all really

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-68005322919382671712009-05-25T23:25:00.003+12:002009-05-25T23:31:01.484+12:00

Today my nephew Nathan is 27. Last night we met him at a restaurant not far from his home for a lovely roast meal. The waitress brought him out a wee bowl of icecream with a lit candle in it for his birthday! To save him the embarrassment we didn't sing, he just blew it out with our best wishes going his way. His Mum and Dad are Line and Ged in Nelson, and they had asked us to take a present

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-46013408610574217462009-05-24T23:31:00.000+12:002009-05-25T23:42:15.299+12:00

Thomas had science homework at the weekend. He had to do an experiment. Great, he thought, excitement in the kitchen!He had to make a cup of very strong tea and cool it.In 4 glasses he had to put one of the following in each - Dishwashing powder, floor cleaner, lemon juice and vinegar.He had to add 30 mls of cold tea to each and watch and record what happened.Ok, so what did happen?Not a hell

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-40987870898367855092009-05-16T23:01:00.001+12:002009-05-25T23:13:57.604+12:00

Today I handed out the team jackets that I arranged to be made for the boys rugby team. We managed to get 4 sponsors to pay for the jackets, so there was no cost for the boys. They all have their name or nickname printed across the bottom at the back. They were all very pleased to have a warm jacket for the winter ahead.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-48326644014271570642009-05-09T23:53:00.004+12:002009-05-16T00:02:45.713+12:00

Today the boys played a Sumner team and won 63 - 12. This was the first round of their championship competition.Thomas is here on the far left waiting for the ball to be passed to him, and Toby is behind him next on the right.They hold the challenge shield for the start of the season and every game they play from now on means the shield goes up for grabs. If they win the game - they retain the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-37013281867829314792009-05-02T23:39:00.004+12:002009-05-15T23:53:25.018+12:00

Happy 17th Birthday to Katie!Today Katie turned 17 and for the first time in her life there was no "party".My sister Caroline and her hubby Ged came down from Nelson on Business and stayed with us and we all went out for dinner, with my Mother included. (unfortunately Thomas was sick all day so he stayed at home)It was a lovely day and Katie was spoilt by everyone despite not having a party.I

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-44867040912476760862009-04-27T00:03:00.002+12:002009-05-16T00:21:50.380+12:00

For the past 8 months Wendy and Nicola - 7 year old twins from Witton le Wear in Northern England - have been living next door to us with their parents while their Dad is on Sabatical Leave. They even brought their dog Scooby with them!The girls have been a breath of fresh air to our neighbourhood with their inquisitive and confident personalities.Katie spent a lot of time with them and they

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-32335500121308166872009-04-25T00:22:00.003+12:002009-05-16T00:39:59.855+12:00

Today Zac, Nicole and Jodie spent the day with Katie on their way back to Motueka from a road trip they did to Dunedin.They went to a couple of malls shopping and then I picked them up late afternoon and brought them home here for a fish and chip tea.What great bunch of young people they are, and what a lot of laughs they all had.When tea was over I took them all over the New Brighton which is on

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-75558327806466540292009-04-19T16:22:00.004+12:002009-04-21T16:48:05.799+12:00

This afternoon Thomas and I headed into the Arts Centre in Town to attand a Jazz Festival. It was $5 admission for the open air concert that had 6 live bands. It was the final event in a week long Jazz Festival in our city.We watched the final 2 performances of the day, 'Naomi Fergusson' and 'The Stu Buchanan Quintet'. Just fantastic.The Arts Centre is a beautiful setting, and is home to some

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-87316350215422879802009-04-18T16:04:00.004+12:002009-04-21T16:22:08.007+12:00

Today we had our second pre season game of rugby. We have one more game this Saturday then next weekend we have a grading game, then 9th May is the start of the competition proper.The boys are playing U14 which is the first year of full rules rugby - lifting in lineouts, 40 minutes each half etc. The grades below introduce a step to full rules each year until U14. For example from U12 you can

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-36695300399583171042009-04-12T15:34:00.003+12:002009-04-21T16:04:22.615+12:00

One of my favourite things about the West Coast is that you see the sun set over the ocean. When there is no cloud that is! The sun is HUGE as it goes down, but more often than not there is some cloud on the horizon exactly where the sun is going to go down, maybe none to the left and none to the right, but almost always right where it's going to disappear!I did manage to snap some nice photos

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-90755616301205605162009-04-12T15:21:00.005+12:002009-04-21T17:00:09.134+12:00

Today we drove North to Karamea through some very beautiful scenery. It is the furtherest north you can drive on the west coast of the South Island and the end of the road is the start of the Heaphy Track, a 4 day walk which comes out near Collingwood.On our way back we stopped at the processing plant for the Stockton Coal mine, and had a look from the outside.The coal comes in the 'buckets' on

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-48006860573412729012009-04-11T14:57:00.004+12:002009-04-21T15:21:20.929+12:00

This morning we walked down to the main street shops and had a look at some wee market stalls set up on the road side. I bought Katie a necklace from one lady and some lovely Apricot jam from another. Al went to the bookshop and bought the 2nd book in the Twilight series for Thomas to read as he started the first book in the car on the way over Thursday and had only a few pages to go to finish

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-87118502622256075442009-04-09T14:24:00.008+12:002009-04-22T21:15:52.619+12:00

Thursday 9th AprilToday we headed over to Westport for Easter, making the most of the long 4 day weekend.Westport is on the West Coast of the South Island, and about 4 hours drive from Christchurch which is on the East Coast.It is a very beautiful place, with lots of lush native bush everywhere, and some wonderful history from the old coal and gold mining days of the 1800's.We stayed in my sister

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-13280786932901124912009-04-08T16:49:00.004+12:002009-04-08T16:54:11.520+12:00

Today is my eldest sister Christine's birthday. I met her for lunch along with her daughter (my neice) Tenelle, her daughter Abbie and our Mother Eileen. Here she is with her grand daughter Abbie.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-59596480413893811292009-04-06T16:56:00.000+12:002009-04-08T16:57:16.387+12:00

Here was the view up my street tonight as the sun was setting behind me. Just beautiful.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-74570234516397167722009-04-05T16:05:00.000+12:002009-04-08T16:58:53.829+12:00

A long, long time ago the front of our house looked like this. The front lawn was ruined by the moss from the council trees at the roadside and the trees along the edge of the garage were yukky, and that garage door was unpainted.Then we painted the garage door and downpipe and ripped the trees out and the front lawn up.Weekend after weekend Al and the boys tried desperately by hand to dig up

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-35458572380216543352009-03-29T12:54:00.013+13:002009-04-03T12:56:43.274+13:00

Today the boys went on a Scout tramp up to Mt Thomas which is in North Canterbury.All Scouts throughout New Zealand, as part of the National programme, were invited to organise and take part in an overnight tramp at which they would watch the sunset and sunrise.Sunset Sunrise ChallengeWhen:Mar 27 – 29 2009 Where:New Zealand Description:Your hike should take you somewhere you can see the sunset

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-20685354666280820112009-03-22T12:43:00.004+13:002009-04-02T12:54:23.498+13:00

Today was my Mother's 78th Birthday.We took her out for a lovely breakfast to a cafe called Terra Viva which is attached to a beautiful garden centre where you can browse and buy lots of lovely plants and everything and anything for the garden! She had scrambled eggs and salmon on a bagel and I had my favourite - Eggs Benedict with Bacon! Yum!We gave her a year's subscription to a magazine

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-8552698823002732502009-03-17T11:19:00.007+13:002009-03-17T12:15:02.081+13:00

Top of the morning to ya!Today is St Patrick's Day and seeing as how I have a bit of Green Blood in me, thought it fitting to wish you all the luck of the Irish! And especially to the rellies in Ireland who are avid readers of my blog! A little leprechaun tells me your national rugby team is doing rather well at the moment, I wish I could say that about the team I support, (the Crusaders) but

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-10481978593660872682009-03-08T21:20:00.013+13:002009-04-03T00:44:00.078+13:00

This weekend the boys went on an overnight Scout camp for the annual "Kontiki Raft Race".There were 9 scouts from their group, and their leaders Julie and Peter. They stayed the night in tents at a place called Omaka, which is a Scout Camp on the outskirts of Christchurch.They spent yesterday afternoon building their raft themselves down by the lake they were racing on today.The finished product

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-81501202992960757672009-03-04T14:14:00.011+13:002009-03-04T15:07:13.480+13:00

Well at long last I am back.5 Weeks ago I had major surgery and so have been laying very low since. Today I almost feel normal, but on the other hand far from it. A few hours up out of bed and I am looking to return there. Give me another few weeks and I will be back to my 100 mile an hour self maybe, or return at half speed realising that going that fast is not really necessary or important

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-31811150052409787002009-01-14T18:18:00.004+13:002009-01-14T18:33:40.234+13:00

While Thomas was away at Scout Camp we redecorated his room as a surprise for him.We bought this house 3 years ago and have been meaning to do it for all this time.The only photo I could find of the old room! I forgot to take a 'before' shot.He had wallpaper on the walls and his curtains were bright blue. He had a blue and white striped duvet cover and Katie's old single bed. (she got our old

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-43030275645077624042009-01-11T00:27:00.007+13:002009-01-14T00:50:12.509+13:00

Today we went out to visit our friends, Judith & Neil, and their children Sophie and Todd at Coalgate. (about a 40 minute drive East of Christchurch)Neil and Millie.Sophie and JudithWe had a great day catching up and enjoyed a lovely BBQ lunch and then on to enjoy tea as well!LunchLunchThomas, Toby and Todd enjoying the sunshine and their lunch.The boys then had a game of cricket on the lawn

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-71747225502031731782009-01-09T23:18:00.001+13:002009-04-03T00:44:14.695+13:00

Thomas's activities included Archery, BMX riding, Flying, Stone Carving, 4 Wheel Drive Excursion, Water Sports, An overnight Bushcraft adventure where they slept out under the stars in the bush, carrying all their gear in packs on their back in the heat! Sillhouette shooting and a full day exploring caves way up high in a canyon.Water Sports dayon the biscuits behind a jet boat.About to go

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-7472401687210147982009-01-09T22:30:00.013+13:002009-04-03T00:44:30.574+13:00

Each scout was given a list with about 20 activities under 3 different headings a few months before they went on camp. They had to choose 5 activities off each list and score them according to preference 1 to 5 in each list. They were allocated 3 of their 5 in each list to participate in over the week. Toby's included an overnight mountain bike adventure, a full day Search and Rescue training,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-59896910949892938302009-01-04T00:13:00.005+13:002009-01-14T00:27:15.242+13:00

My sister Caroline's youngest son Ayden came home to Nelson for Christmas this year from Japan. He had a lovely time relaxing by their pool in the sunshine leaving the winter snow behind in Japan.Here he is with his Mum, Dad & brother Nath.At the end of his visit home in Nelson, he flew to Christchurch at lunchtime. We picked him up and had a lovely catchup and took him for a bit of shopping.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-21909721412173011862009-01-02T22:09:00.004+13:002009-04-03T00:44:46.319+13:00

Today we packed up our lunch and headed to Staveley, which is over an hours drive west of Christchurch to the triennial District Scout Camp.350 Scouts from the Canterbury region, and their leaders, camped for 7 nights together in troops. Our boys had only 12 from their local group going so they joined in with a troop from another division and made one trooop called the Brussle Scouts. They have

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-37105988490544508932008-12-25T21:41:00.001+13:002009-01-13T22:09:26.188+13:00

We had a lovely relaxing day, with a nice brunch of croissants, fresh berries and cream, and pancakes and 'real' Canadian maple syrup. What a treat! At NZ$8 for a small bottle it was savoured, after Christmas we go back to "maple flavoured" syrup!The kids opening their presents, even Sophie got a parcel from Santa, some cat treats!Thomas opening his new flat screen for his computer. Sophie is

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-23647059804331125882008-12-24T22:46:00.006+13:002008-12-24T23:19:52.621+13:00

Well it is Christmas Eve, the lights are a glowing, the presents are under the tree, the kids are excited and still playing outside in the drive.We have just returned home from a lovely evening dinner at our friends' Kathryn and Andy, along with Liz and Grant and all our kids to say Merry Christmas and uttered the usual "Where on an earth has this year gone" mutterings and wished each other a

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-48875705614855645772008-12-18T22:22:00.002+13:002008-12-24T22:46:26.379+13:00

The boys had their leavers assembly today, the final farewell to the end of their 8 years at primary school. They were presented with leavers certificates and then embarked on the tradition of their last walk down the drive of their school.The whole school from 5 year olds right up to the 12 year olds who will be the seniors at the school next year, lined the driveway with blue and white

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-13710981480111621762008-12-16T22:35:00.004+13:002008-12-16T22:46:31.314+13:00

Tonight the boys attended the Senior leavers dance at their school.Toby, Katie & ThomasThe theme was Alice in Wonderland and during a practical session at school a few weeks ago they made some "wearable" art that they could wear to the dance.Toby made his quirky over sized billowy bow tie!Thomas made his top hat, which we stuck fluffy rabbits ears on last night. We borrowed a tuxedo from a friend

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-8201384256108920702008-12-12T22:26:00.003+13:002008-12-16T22:35:05.257+13:00

The boys with their this year's teacher and their awards.The boys had their merit assembly at school today, their last assembly before they break up for the year.Thomas got an award for Academic Excellence and Toby got one for Striving to achieve Personal Best.This is the last year at their school, after 8 years, they are off to High School next year.It is also our family's last association with

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-59579242501755698432008-12-09T22:21:00.004+13:002008-12-09T23:03:45.951+13:00

The purpose of our trip was to attend the Pacific School Games at the AIS in Canberra to watch my friend Kathryn's son Tom compete for New Zealad in track events.Rydges Eagle Hawk - CanberraWe stayed at the Rydges Eagle Hawk Resort which was about 9kms north of the city on the highway. It was a fabulous complex and we enjoyed our stay there, dining in the restaurant most nights. Excellent food

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-24839231968741313902008-12-09T21:54:00.008+13:002008-12-09T22:20:40.718+13:00

I have just spent the past 9 days in Australia with a friend and it was fantastic!We were up at 4am, at the airport at 5am, departed at 7am and after putting our clocks back 2 hours arrived in Sydney at 8.30am their time.After checking into our hotel, The Rydges World Square, we hit the shops. The QVB had the most amazing Christmas tree that went from the bottom floor, all the way up to the 3rd

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-75674121139688996302008-11-19T21:38:00.002+13:002008-11-19T21:42:58.611+13:00

Just heading down for a drink!Having 2 toilets for 5 people is so much better than the 1 we had at our old house, but having to wait for the toilet because the cat is in there is just a bit hard to tolerate! Sophie insists on drinking from the toilet bowl even though she has fresh water next to her food bowl, a fresh bowl of water outside under the outdoor furniture and I even leave water in the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-29966669687126677442008-11-15T21:22:00.000+13:002008-11-19T21:37:26.263+13:00

Saturday was another scorcher in Christchurch and Al and Toby spent most of the day clearing the lawn area in front of our house. Toby even moved the letterbox to the other side of our driveway!The council trees planted on the berm in front of the properties in our street are covered in moss and this has consequently got into our lawn and when we sprayed it last season it made it all patchy and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-20800583994378580362008-11-14T21:15:00.001+13:002008-11-19T21:21:49.293+13:00

This week was show week in Christchurch which meant today was a public holiday, (Canterbury Anniversary Day) and we get a long weekend.Katie had 2 friends over this morning and Al dropped them at the A & P show at 9.30am. He went back and picked them up at 3pm and they stayed the night.While they endeavoured to sunblock every inch of exposed skin, poor Vicky forgot her feet and got burnt when

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-60996225626233404842008-11-12T20:52:00.007+13:002009-04-03T00:45:16.572+13:00

All ready to go at 8am.At the weekend the boys went on an overnight tramp with their Scout Group.They left Christchurch at 8.3am and headed an hour inland to Porters Pass and then started their 3 hour tramp into the Benmore Hut.Heading up there somewhere!They slept in tents as the hut up there only has 3 bunks in it and there were 11 in their group.Sleeping quarters!Chilling at the hut.After

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-37772528947243474152008-11-03T20:46:00.004+13:002008-11-03T20:54:42.626+13:00

Well, not quite the Rolling Stone, but the November issue of the NZ Speedsport Magazine!!!!Check it out, on sale now at a bookstore near you!To think that Al's creation might be adorning the bedroom walls of heaps of kiwi kids!

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-81499584127245270942008-11-03T12:43:00.005+13:002008-11-03T20:54:14.297+13:00

Last Wednesday the boys school was supposed to have Athletics day, but it rained so was postponed until Friday.Thomas 2nd in his 100mtr sprint heat.Toby won his 100m sprint heat.100mtr sprint final, Thomas 2nd, Toby 4th (just!)This was the 12th time I have been to watch Athletics day at their primary school, my first one was in 1997 with Katie as a 5 year old! The end of an era for me really

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-47903192106712571712008-10-28T13:14:00.005+13:002008-10-28T13:39:17.174+13:00

Well, Al was away up in Taupo all weekend helping James Parker in his first time racing the Ray White Pro 7 plus Car. He arrived home last night after much drama with their service vehicle blowing a head gasket in Wellington and after absolutely no help from the interislander ferry staff, missed their boat and caught the next one 2 hours later. They managed to crawl off the ferry, store the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-43645921245634973662008-10-23T22:19:00.013+13:002008-10-30T21:32:57.487+13:00

Andrew Grundy (right) celebrating his win with bubbles!(click on photo to enlarge it, proudly showing Al's logo behind Andrew)After 8 days, 51 stages and thousands of kilometres, the car Al spent months and many long and late hours building for Andrew Grundy cruised to the end to win the 2008 Silver Fern Rally of NZ. After a bit of a hiccup yesterday where they nearly cooked the engine after

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-37601456690192338472008-10-21T16:11:00.004+13:002008-10-21T16:40:49.670+13:00

Al & Toby have just headed off to Timaru (1 1/2 hours south of here) to join the rally car at the end of Special Stage 38. They are allowed 1 hour to make any necessary repairs before the cars all go into Parc Ferme overnight.The wheel bearings are noisy and need replacing before anything too major happens, so Al has obtained some new ones and is off down there to replace them.Andrew started the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-66592986959599207202008-10-20T18:23:00.016+13:002008-10-21T10:03:04.976+13:00

The Batman rally carAl has spent months building from scratch is currently in action! If you want to check out its progress in the Silver Fern Rally of NZ go to here .The owner and driver of the car is Andrew Grundy, and it is number 28.So far at the end of Monday -day 5 of 8 - he is leading the rally.The Silver Fern Rally is a Biennial 8 day marathon rally throughout the South Island of New

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6931089796183700419.post-87963772673834565052008-10-09T20:15:00.006+13:002008-10-12T22:20:31.291+13:00

"Everywhere she goes she takes that blasted camera, and all I want to do is sleep........................if I just hide my eyes maybe she will go away........................really really hide my eyes she might go away! Pleeeeeeeeeeease!"

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03604445698577548722noreply@blogger.com1