Our mid year Break

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We had the bright idea of taking ALL of the kids to Mount Ruapehu for a mid-year break.  I still can't decide if it was a good or bad idea, but we did have some memorable moments.

Judge for yourself!

Some of the photos are sideways - I just can't get them rotated, and some of the scenery is - well a bit blurred.  And then there's the one's that are cut off - I'm the person in the lime-screen ski suit!  But except for the small problems, use your imaginations and you can see us eating, skiing, arguing and playing, as families do!

(P.S. If you're going to use One True Media, it would be wise to pay the $49 subscription fees, otherwise the photos are a bit skew, blurred or cut off...)

Evil Mother Takes Revenge!

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New Beginnings

Spring has sprung, and it's time for new beginnings!

I've spent two days spring-cleaning. No it has nothing to do with the 'Great New Zealand Spring Clean', and everything to do with the fact that hubby is in SA, and I have no urgent assignment to do this weekend. In other words: I have time!

Also, It is very likely that we will have one more fourteen-year-old living with us pretty soon. We're still waiting to hear the final verdict, but we're hoping we can give her a chance to be part of our happy family.

Today Rae, Kerry (a friend) and I scrubbed the walls, de-webbed the ceiling and rearranged the furniture of the spare room.
We didn't like the decor, so off we trotted to the Warehouse, and spent a pleasant hour or so gathering a smattering of red, white and black items for her new room.There must be few things more satisfying than standing back, after a day of hard work, and being able to see the fruits of your labour. Can't wait to see her face when she sees it!

So, in a short while, a new chapter of our life in New Zealand starts. If she comes, we will be complete, and we can really settle into our life here. If we don't gain the opportunity to bring her home, at least we will be seeing much more of her, and her room will be ready.

Now if Dan comes home in January too, my cup will runneth over!

Legally Loud!

Joe had his 18th birthday yesterday, which means he's legally a grown-up now! (Yes, it's 18 now, and no longer 21!) At 18 he is ready to conquer the world. I must admit, the young man in this slideshow is a different person to the 15 year old that I went to meet at the airport just over 2 years ago, when he first came to New Zealand. He admits that he has a much wider view of the world now, is more tolerant of diversity, and knows that kids from all over the world are fundamentally similar in their thinking. Also, he has become a hard-working and confident young man, who has a clear vision for his future.

The kids that came to the party were such a nice bunch of young people, and although several of them are old enough to drink, they were well behaved - even when tipsy - polite and full of energy. We had a good mix as there were kids from New Zealand, South Africa and a number of Brits, including some exchange students. The party ended with the Bokke playing their fabulous match,and giving the All Blacks a hiding - much to Joe's delight! (This was by 4:30am in the morning - so we old folk didn't get much sleep!) I went to bed long before the match, but heard it all happen - from the rather off-key Nkosi S'kelele at the start of the match to the 'Yes, Bokke' and 'Go Bokke go!' at the end! Yes, and they did slip in 'De La Rey' too!

For the family and friends that couldn't be here with Joe, enjoy the slideshow!

Sensational Singapore!

We were able to spend four days in Singapore. What a fantastic, efficient, vibrant and exciting city to visit! We loved browsing through the many ethnic markets, and were astounded at the cleanliness and size of the cool malls. The food was so cheap, and we were able to buy fantastic, clean and tasty meals at the street vendors, which gave me more money to spend on shopping! (Of course we kept to the meat-free dishes, as some of the dishes were rather suspect. Dishes such as pig kidneys, strange looking sea-animals and funny jellyish deserts were proudly advertised outside each stall.

And of course I have to mention the fruit - freshly squeezed, deliciously sweet, icy cold tropical fruit juice for to quench your thirst in the .

The famous Raffles hotel is famous for it's Long Bar, and the Singapore Sling. We went to have a look, and it felt so colonial and stylish- like stepping into a previous era!




The markets are a mix of colour, noise, smells, and happy, relaxed people milling around. It is so hot, you can only stand 15 minutes or so browsing amongst the bargains, before nipping back into the next cool mall.

We explored the Arab quarters and the Chinese quarters, and next time I will definitely be looking at the famous Orchard Road and get to the Indian quarters. Our hote, The Golden Landmark, was so central, we could get to everything by foot. We ate every night at the street vendors in Bugis Street, for about $2 per meal, accompanied by the most delicious freshly pressed exotic fruit juices, for about $1 each.


I love Singapore - I love the food, the shopping and the retail therapy. Can't wait to go again!