I know I have been quiet

I am really not impressed with this winter, we have been sick week after week after week... you get the idea. I did manage to get down to the crisp Christchurch for a couple of days and pretend to be at a conference. The Millenium Hotel in the middle of the city is amazing, for any of you contemplating it I highly recommend it. You walk everywhere and then go back to the hotel and get warm and have a night of luxurious relaxation...

Anyway, getting back to the germ spreaders, oops, children. Here are a couple of photos because I don't know what else to say...

Trampoline photo... finally...

It was going to pour with rain this afternoon, so what do you do? Any sensible mother will tell you, you send the kids outside until they complain about the rain!!!! Anyway, this gave me the perfect opportunity to photograph our new tramp...
We thought we were a bit mad getting a tramp in the middle of a very cold winter, but what is better to warm everyone up? A bit of jumping, chasing, on a trampoline....

I have heard it is good exercise, but don't tell anyone...

The pros and cons of winter

On the one hand you have the bitterly cold winds, icy mornings and treacherous driving conditions.

On the other hand you have the most amazing sunsets the night before a frost, good excuses to stay inside watch movies and cuddle up to loved ones and good chance to have a roast meal, that not only tastes good, but helps to heat the house! (for those of us in the southern hemisphere where central heating is a foreign concept).

Here is a photo taken last night from Pilot Bay looking towards the base of Mount Maunganui. We also went to the main (ocean) beach and saw the most amazing colours on the water and in the sky. The best part of this trip was that it was just me and Z4, sharing some timeout together, she really is fantastic (if I do say so myself!).

All the while, back at the house, little did I know that THIS was happening.

How could he do it to J2 when it is so cold you ask? He said that J2 ASKED to have a haircut, who is the responsible adult in this situation?! Anyway, the deed is done and J2 will now spend the next few weeks getting used to having a hat on 24 hours a day to survive the worst part of winter, the end couple of months.

Here in Godzone and the Bay of Plenty region, we hardly ever get a cold winter, but this year is turning out to be one of them. Snow falling where it hasn't done for the last 30 years etc... Whoever said there was global warming! I just wish our houses were more suited to the cold, as we have a dehumidifier and heater going ALL the time. The kids love the trampoline when it is wet though, great fun to make others fall over and get soaked.

All the best to all New Zealanders living in cold houses, I know our ancestors were pioneers, but does that mean we have to freeze?

Girly time

There is nothing more important to me in raising my beautiful daughter, than being able to take time out to do the things SHE wants to do.

So today, we visited her Nana and then she wanted to go to the beach to take photos.

We live in the most amazing place where the hills and beach are very close, so we took the 10 minute drive to the beach and took photos. Believe me, we should have been wearing snow gear it was THAT COLD!!!!! We only lasted a couple of minutes but it was fun and we kept warm by chasing each other (in other words me chasing her...). Here are photos of Pilot Bay and the Mount main beach...

The photos were taken at sunset...