Fish

The children's new fishing rods were christened on Saturday. And they had success! Isabelle caught one (which escaped off the wharf back to the water). Aidan caught two, with one returned to the ocean and one making it home.



Naturally it was far smaller than the one Isabelle had caught.



Small though it was, it was cooked on the barbie (it's wrapped in tinfoil).



And it was enjoyed by all who had a taste!

Sunday

(Passably) interesting things about my day:

• I ate wasabi cheese. This was very good - the wasabi gave it zing without being overpowering.
• I went to the Bordeaux Bakery with Isabelle. I had my usual conundrum when ordering French food. Do I a) order using proper pronunciation (and risk seeming wanky?), b) order using the French words with Kiwi pronunciation, c) point and grunt? I chose d) translate (approximately) into English and point and grunt. So rather than pain au chocolat et mille feuille we had chocolate bread and custard square. Not that I could have any of the custard square.
• I hung out three loads of washing, shivering in the howling gale. It sort of got dry.
• Brendon found more daffodils in the empty section next door and brought them into the house to bring some lovely spring cheer.
• Isabelle and Aidan played peacefully all afternoon, constructing a train track between their rooms.
• I am eating energy chocolate. It doesn't appear to be working.
  

Harvest

In our pasta last night - home-grown broccoli. Delicious, bright green and fresh as can be!

Visit to Christchurch

Some photos from our recent visit to Christchurch:

- Picking apples in the autumn sun.
- Playdough creations: "sheep" by Grandad, "rainbow", "volcano" and "earth" by Isabelle. (Note the Anzac biscuits cooling in the background).
- Playdought creations: "rainbow" and "rainbow earth" by Aidan
- A llama sensing the opportunity for some food.
- Isabelle and Aunty Loulou feeding a kunekune pig.

Harvest

Here is our tomato harvest.

(Yes, that's the lot!)

Bang!

"There are valid socio-cultural reasons for children to engage in gun play"

- someone on a Playcentre website

Aidan comes over to me. He is wearing a backpack. Inside is his toy rifle and a stick. He looks at me and says, very seriously:

"This is my gun. I am going to take my gun into those hills [he indicates with his hands to the hills visible from our deck] and shoot an animal. Then I will take my sword and cut it in half. Then I will bring home its meat".

Just like Daddy. (Except for the sword bit. I expect butchering animals is far less poetic in practice).

Berry hunt

Last weekend we had our annual blueberry hunt in Upper Hutt. There weren't many berries there yet, but we managed to get a small paper bag full. The children enjoyed the picking. On the way back we checked out the swimming hole. Aidan loved throwing stones into the deep water. He particularly liked throwing multiple small stones at ones - disconnecting, scattering, trajectories again!

The highlight, however, was the much anticipated icecream at the end (plus a snack for all from the Mexican cafe that operates next to the blueberry shop).

Grocery van

Oh the joy of our internet grocery shopping arriving!

First we hear the van pull up as we eat our lunch outside, picnic-style. Is it them?

Wait.....listen for the doors to open....the sound of footsteps coming down the path....

"It's them Mummy! They're here!" yells Aidan as I go to open the gate.

Treasures bundled in plastic get dropped off into our kitchen.

"Mummy, they've got drawings on their arms!" Aidan observes. Loudly.

In the time it takes me to close the gate, the bags are inspected and the objects of most desire located.

"Blues Clues! Blues Clues!"

The Blues Clues dairy food six pack is swiftly labelled (three "A"s, three "I"s, one mark on each flavour) and one distributed to each pair of eager hands.

Fish!

Now here's something worth recording!

One kahawai, freshly caught and had for dinner last night along with our home-grown potatoes.

There's even some left over in the freezer - enough for a fish curry.