Our Emily Week

Tuesday was a quiet day spent mostly at home.


There were many workmen about. There were the painters painting, the tiler tiling, and the builder making shelves and doing odds and ends outside.


I kept an appointment at the doctors to get my 'Fit to Travel' letter. Having seem me a couple of times previously he could see that my condition was stable apart from the fact that I had put on some weight.


At the end of the morning we did go out to Pak n' Save. I dropped grandma and Emily off at the little play area in the school playground.


In the afternoon we set off for Madill's Farm Park twice. After getting to the park we turned around to go home to find her second doll. Then we returned were she played happily without any dolls. Doh!


At 5.15 I was summoned to set off and collect Zoe from her play scheme.


Irene and me had a chill out time before joining Sally to watch the second part of another Harry Potter movie.


On Wednesday there was only the painters in. I drove grandma and Emily off to the Kiwi Valley Farm where Emily enjoyed feeding the animals, riding on a pony, charging through the maze, riding on the trailer behind the tractor and  exploring the cave. She did not much care for the chickens.

It became showery as we left the farm and seems to have set in for the day.


On the way home we stopped at a Mitre10 store for lunch. I could swear that they are a Kiwi branch of B and Q apart for having a wider range of barbecue stuff, a play area and a good cafe. Before and after our lunch Emily made good use of the play area. There was a surfboard on springs on which Emily did a good impression of a surfer. We all had pancakes which were larger for the adults, had pieces of banana and covered in syrup. The adult ones also had slices of bacon which Emily enjoyed.


Sally was home, doing office work, when we got back. Emily played happily and I did some more work on my painting.


In the evening we went of to our friends, Stefan and Debbie. The food had moved up a notch. There was rice with stew and we finished off with custard pie. The conversation about church life was so interesting that we left quite late and sneaked back in the house so as not to disturb the family.


While we were with them they told us about a man who had approached them at their Noah's Ark stand in Auckland City Square. He was dressed smart-casual and claimed to be a born again Christian. He told them a sad tail about being unemployed, but was now working, but needed $300 to get him through to his first pay check. They offered to help if he gave them his email address to arrange to contact them. When the Kitshoffs got home they told their student daughter. She asked if the man had said that he had been a dock worker. It turned out the same man had been telling the same story in the University. It did not come has a surprise to find the email address was phoney.


Thursday started with the sudden descent on us of a builder and a plumber. Mum happened to be downstairs when the work men arrived to move shelving and a hot water tank from a cupboard. This meant rapidly emptying the cupboard. So, by the time Irene appeared the settee was covered in piles of towels and other cloths.


We left the workmen to get on with the work. I drove Irene and Emily to MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology). I am now so used to driving through the city and out on the M16 that I did not need a SATNav. 


Having paid our entrance fee we started by a tram ride. The tram takes passenger from the main MOTAT site to the aviation site. Just before we arrived I noticed a rainbow. We have seen so few rainbows here despite the fact that there can often be a mix of rain and sun. Sally says that they are not uncommon. The picture shows a very  low bow, almost flat along the horizon.

There was little of interest to Emily on the aviation site so we were soon boarding a tram back to the main site. Emily spent a total of 5 hours at MOTAT. There was a 70's mini which had been rebuilt to look life a fire engine. It did a two minute circuit of a part of the site pulling two open carriages. Much of the time was taken up with this ride.


She also enjoyed the 00 gauge railway; predicting were it would go and happily running ahead to stand waiting for the train to come. She spent time climbing on to the engine and waited patiently for a turn on the catapult. 

Waiting for the Tram's Departure

Young Engineer

Waiting for the Grandparent's Coffees

Ahead of the Train.

The viaduct is a scale model of one in the middle of North Island.

We crossed it for real the last time we came.

Fire Engine Ride

Catapult

"Hello Grandma"

When we got back we found that Emily's room had been painted and just needed curtains and furniture before the Clark family could get back to normal sleeping arrangements. This could happen on Friday.

My next task was to pick up Zoe from the holiday club early so that the girls could have a last hold of the Kindy guinea pigs because the animals were going to passed on to a new, temporary keeper on Friday.


Having had a particularly exhausting day yesterday we decided to take it more easily. Emily occupied herself for most of the morning.


I did some more of my painting. The ferry boat catching the evening sun is now in place.


At about 11.00 we set off for 'Lollipop's' indoor play area. We were there quite some time as Emily was kept busy playing with the other children there. She particularly enjoyed chasing a young Batman around area. There was a brief pause in the proceeding while she eat her hot-dog on a stick. In this country a hot dog can mean a large sausage on a stick.


Back in the house the tiler had gone leaving a few bits of grouting to do.


I had left my paint brushes and paints out and this inspired Emily to do some paint mixing like Granddad. Fortunately Grandma intervened and quickly provided Emily with her own paints and brushes before she could get too far in using mine.


Sally arrived back early to take the guinea pigs to the new temporary keeper and pick up Zoe.


The girls started tea. 


Ian came home with a large canvas print of the very photos that I am laboriously using for a painting. Perhaps I should just sign it and pass it off as my art work.
  
The baby sitter arrived and the four adults went off to a meal in Mission Bay. The first stop was the Belgium Beer Cafe. They carry a huge range of imported beers. We tasted three of them before setting off to the Thai Restaurant.

The Belgium Beer Cafe is above
and the ice-cream parlour beneath

The Thai Restaurant as an authentic feel with the waitresses doing their little bows. The food was very tasty and plentiful. I had the macademia chicken. Sally and me shared a jug of ice cold cider. We sat at the very table that we had sat at three years before, except that this time it was already dark due to it being later in the year.

On the way we were given a letter from our neighbours, Jenny and Francis. The mail was a late Easter card, but added to the greeting was the message, "Wish you were here." As we drove along the sea shore on a warm autumn evening a reply to the message, from a much colder UK, needed very little thought.


On Saturday we got up a little early to see what we could do to help Sally and Ian put the girls' rooms back to normal. It turned out that the best thing was to take them both to 'Lollipops'. The cashier recognised us from yesterday. We sat and had our 'free' drinks while Emily went round and around on the little merry-go-round and Zoe went on the climbing equipment with a new 'friend'.


On the way back we called in for MacDonald's.


The tiler had arrived and we hope that this part of the work will be completed today.


Emily seemed very please with her new room.

Sally is spending the day doing a very thorough 'autumn clean'.

Easter Day and Easter Monday

This is our first Easter Day in New Zealand and it is a long time since children were part of our festivities.

Zoe and Emily were off to an early start. Being Sunday morning it was my shower time, but the girls could not wait and the table had been invaded before I could get my camera up stairs. It was a very exciting time as the girls examined numerous Easter Day treats.

Easter Table

Easter Basket

I'd better give granddad's egg a shake

Zoe's Bunny

Emily's Basket

Breakfast of eggs and sausages

Breakfast consisted of toast soldiers, boiled eggs and sausages. Sally had worked hard to make it a good occasion. The egg hunt followed, but the girls quite enjoyed hiding eggs themselves.

Find the eggs I've hidden

Irene and I went off to the local Presbyterian Church as it was the nearest and best suited our time table. Before Holy Communion, which we attended, there had been a family service involving an Easter egg hunt. The service was the usual joyful Easter one. The main feature of the service which proceeded Communion was to go to the front of the church and collect a flower to add to the large cross which already had some flowers on it.

At the end of the service some of the men carried the cross out of the church to place it on the street in the beautiful blue-sky, Easter Day.

When we got back Sally had prepared a traditional Sunday lunch of chicken and roast potatoes.

Zoe was picked up and taken to a farmland home of a friend that she had known since she was 2 years old.

Later on the 5 of us followed first of all stopping for an ice-creams from the 'Village Co-op' and consumed while sitting on a bench by the beach. The beach was very crowded here and all the way down Tamaki Drive. In fact it took some time to get to the city because of the heavy holiday traffic.

I managed to keep sight of Sally's car for the whole journey. Their friend's house was set in something of a small holding well off the main roads. 

The Tree House

The Rear of the House

Outdoor dining area with
full size horse statue

Outdoor Food Area

The Goat in the Back Garden

The girls on the trampoline

There was plenty for the girls to do. Zoe and her friend had been playing in a tree-house, but there was a trampoline and plenty of space to run around. We sat under a rustic shelter of the usual corrugated iron variety. There was already a lot of food about and more was arriving. Are hosts were very generous.

Suddenly there was an almighty bang. At first I thought children had pushed something large over, but when we headed for the gate and standing there was a white car, which had just turned off the road. Its windscreen was completely deformed and the front wing smashed in. Nearer the scene there was a red motor bike a metre or so from the side, smashed up and lying on its side.

Irene was quickly on the scene

I had my camera and took a couple
 of shots which I thought might help the
investigation if the vehicles were moved;
which they were

Then came the realisation that there must have been a rider and he was found about 6 metres on the other side of the car not far from the pylon behind. We thought that he was lucky to be alive. The only visible injury was a graze on his hand. His helmet and jacket were badly damaged, but probably contributed to him being alive.

We found out that his name was Sean and he was on his way home from a day out. Our host phoned for an ambulance and was told that they would send the next available one. The break down vehicle had already arrived and it seemed such a long time before help came for the injured man. At the time we did not know how badly injured he was. Sally did a sterling job of supporting the man's head on piece of rolled up cloth. His body was on flat grass, but his head was hanging down a small bank.

As we were talking about whether the police should be notified they arrived. The whole business of rescue and investigation took some time and it was very dark before the car was finally removed. Later in the evening Sean rang from the hospital to tell our host that he had sustained no serious injuries. Earlier Sean told us that he was not insured (being uninsured is legal here) and he was very concerned about his bike which he only bought 3 weeks ago. The lady in the car was not injured at all.


One of the young ladies said that she had been feeling bored. We agreed that next time we ever feel bored we should be pleased that we are. This was not the kind of excitement any of us wanted. 

The party restarted with a barbecue and followed on with the bonfire. It seems that the need to burn a good pile of stuff was a major reason for the party. The children enjoyed the fire, but by now it was getting late for the children so we left and got back about 8 o'clock.

Ian Helping Start the Fire
(Everyone moved back quickly after this shot)

Emily Getting Excited

This gave us time to see the second part of a Harry Potter film in our quest to complete viewing the series.

Easter Monday

We divided in to three groups. Sally and Emily went off to Sky Tower, Ian and Zoe went off to play mini-golf and Irene and I went off to find the Parnell Rose Garden. 


It was just off the Tamaki Drive near the port and was in full colour with a large variety of specimens.

There were two smaller gardens. One was a bushland path with plants having an interesting pattern of leaf scars.

The other garden was after the style of a notable local artist and rose grower.

From the gardens we walked down to Judges Bay. A group which looked to be mainly Maoris had occupied the public barbecue area for a party.

We went on along the bottom of the cliffs to the Parnell Baths.

To reach the chapel we climbed flights of steps to a bridge across to the top of the cliff. From the top we had a different view to our usual one of the main railway line running on earthwork across the mouth of a bay.

The chapel was of particular interest to us as we came across the headstone of a lady who died in 1866 having been an immigrant from Southwell near Nottingham. Another headstone was sadder because the three men had died in their early twenties. One had drowned in the harbour.

After lunch in the local cafe I decided to follow my nose and drove through Parnell and Newmarket until I reached Cornwall Park. It was too busy to park so we headed for Mount Wellington.


We had been to this hill on an earlier trip when some houses were being built in the quarry below. (See earlier blog) The area is now known as Stone Fields. Many building have been completed and the work continues.

I made the ascent to the top and this time walked all around the rim of the crater. There are good views from here.

The ever visible Rangitoto

John 3:16 Ferry leaving Half Moon Bay

After tea we started the next part of the Harry Potter marathon.