Its an uphill battle

This week we went on a school trip. It was to Cook's Cove where Captain Cook took on water, first encountered Maori, and chopped down some trees for the spars of his ships. Its up at Tolaga Bay, just an hour away. The kids went by bus, which is pretty new for them. The walk is only about 3 km, but very uphill, down dale. There was much cheering as they saw that I had made it!! it was fine all day in Gisborne, but as soon as we arrived a misty rain came an lasted all day. the kids were not going to be denied a swim however and the boys stripped down to their bare tops while the girls were in more cumbersome get-ups and they swam in two separate groups.

I headed back quite early, which was just s well as the ground became very slippery as it was mainly clay, and by the time 40 kids had made their way back it was like a luge ride.

Here's me an Alice at the Hole in the Wall. Yes tramping in the skirt.

VC Teaching

Some of you wonder what I am talking about when I say that I am teaching on VC this year. So I've taken some pictures to hopefully enlighten you. My room is long and thin so 2 of my Gisborne girls sit behind me and one next to me. This is not ideal - some of the other VC rooms allow you all to sit in a row. On the other side is the document camera which I use for putting notes up.

Here is a split screen, with our campus on one side and Canterbury on the other. I also teach Taranaki and Southland. The mic is just in front of the door and the campuses can talk to me, but often mute it so I dont hear what they are saying.

The VC is in a cupboard. I understand that it stops the bad TV vibes leaking out. Ours are not connected to the TV, but you can play videos, DVDs and hook up a computer - but only those that are approved.

So really it is like reading the 6 o'clock news. I have to be careful what I wear or it can be mighty distracting when I wear my bright purple top.

Three Score Years

This year we have a round of 60th birthday's. Here we are at Dawn's down at the winery just down the road. Then we have Duncan, and then Robyn - in the picture also, and Sue follows in April as well. All these old friends!! Still, Dawn and Robyn had to wait for me while we went over Kaiti Hill in our training for our trampin April - just 35km around Bank's peninsula. After this lunch for the girls, Duncan and I headed off for Ohiwa where the weather wasn't quite so bad as it was here and missed the spectacle of 15 polo ponies breaking out of the back paddock, racing round our property and onto the road. They had been spooked by the lightening and thunder and broke down the back fence where we join the racecourse.

Back at school and in the settling in phase. Doing four classes this year - double what I did last year.

While the cats away.

What do Granparents do when Mum and Dad dessert their kids for Rythmn and Vines? Here we are on a delightful walk through Hukutaia Domain - Gran of course giving an educational talk on the lacewood tree.

Auntie Heather gets in on the act, showing the kids that only one tree contains the sacred bones of the ancestors of the local iwi.

Two tall straight Kauri trees which shed their skin - just like a crayfish!!

More learning going on!

A cheeky fantail frightened Gran

The sacred bones lie here.

The carvings guard the entrance to the hole in the puriri tree.





The Waterslide

Just great!!! he did it so many times. Good to have a wetsuit as some kids were getting very red thighs.

Grandad shows Millie how to eat prawns. This is one lesson he missed with his own daughter.

Dinner at Honeys in Opotiki was a bit of a laugh!

But we had two very well behaved children despite the long wait and the wrong icecream flavour.

A Slice of Heaven

Here we are back at Ohiwa Same gorgeous view. Weather a mixed bag but usually fine during the day. I have only been for one swim and am happy to announce that the "Lose 10lb in 10 secs" bathing suit performed very creditably in lumpy surf. The same cannot be said for one of my knees so I had to flounder around abit. OOOH, another excitement was the fish. Duncan rang me so I could see it in situ and capture the moment. We wouldn't have kept it had it not been the first of the season, but Duncan filleted it beautifully and we had it with the oils from the dried tomatoes, a little toast and feta. Just entree you understand.

Here's an idea of where Simon and Jackie will be staying for their 3 nights. Not the ideal site as it is close to the ablution Block - just within those three trees. You can see the corner of our caravan, so not too far to come for dinner.

Her's another shot of the tree on S&J site, Jill and Rua are behind the van and our caravan is just behind the solar panels on the Ablution Block.

The Pohutukawa are just fabulous, the tui are singing, but there dont seem to be quite as many migratory birds there yet. Can't wait to get back!!

Backward steps and other Activities

This is Duncan up the coast doing a retinal screening up the coast.

A few steps back in the last few days. Firstly when we went to deliver the wine for the wedding we caught up with the Marinos. Even though we haven't seen them for years, it is like it is just a continuing conversation and we had a great night out.

Then we went to an open home at our first home 480 Palmerston Rd. They had basically reorganised all the rooms, and there was just a little square of lino in the kitchen that I recognised. We had to pretend that we were looking for a rental property

Heather came and stayed for 4 days. We managed a concert, shopping, a beachside walk, a hill walk, morning tea, dinner, strawberry picking, gardening plus some relaxing moments as well.

School is drawing to a close this week with the prizegiving next Wednesday which again I will be the MC for. Christmas shopping nearly done, soon to start on the Ohiwa packing

Beware of the Double Bogey man

Just a little bit of excitement in our lives on Sunday as Duncan was in the 19 man shoot out at golf. It begins with 19 players and one person gets dropped off at each hole. Naturally it takes nearly all day. Duncan had promised to ring when he good knocked out. By 1.00 I thought "the B*****d's forgotten to ring me. By 2.00 I thought maybe ......, and just as I was heading off to the movies at 3, he rang to say he had won the whole lot. And the amazing thing was, he had 6 double bogeys. (Bad news, for you non-golfers) BUT when he had a bad hole, someone else had a worse one, and he hung on until the end, finally having to have a "chip off" with Gray Clapham to clinch the match. The next excitement was opening up the winner's envelope - over $600! I didn't find this out until after returning from the movies - Samson and Delilah, about some aborigine kids (very bleak and sad and hopeless)
I have been in Auckland for 2 days on a course for taking classes on video conference next year. Stayed in the Holiday Inn which was nice. Very stimulating course - but as you can imagine with a pack of teachers pretty full on talking and listening.
On Thursday we head up to Auckland with a cargo of wedding wine. Not long to go now!!