Birthday eve excitment

talk about a tightly wound coil! India has be uba-excited all day. The only distraction all day was Holly coming. We babysat for my friend Jenny's daughter Holly. The girls, and Josh kept her very busy until bedtime.

Cake made, just left to ice tomorrow. Salsa and Tzatziki done, shopping in and pizzas done too. so should be plenty of food for our PR party BBQ and birthdays tomorrow.

Molly hair cut

Molly has had her first hair cut this week, just in time as the temp in the sun got up to 38 degrees today, I doubt it will stick around for Christmas, but fingers crossed!!
I have been snowed under at work, as we have had an urgent deadline to get a new section of the GNS Science website live. Alison Pullar, a teacher at Silverstream School spent two terms at GNS compiling information on volcanoes for a kids learning zone and a set of teachers lessons plans and actvity sheets. I spent a hectic few long days getting the majority of it in to webpages and live in time for the huge Pompeii exhibition opening this weekend at Te Papa. I am lucky enough to be going for a special preview evening Tuesday. Work have been very impressed with it, so I guess I deserve that promotion I got last week after all!

Kindy Disco

Saffron was truly the dancing Queen at her kindy disco this week. She danced non stop all night.

GNS Christmas Party

We took time out from camping to bring the girls down to the GNS Christmas party. loads of fun things, petting zoo, climbing wall, bouncy castle, fairground ride, ice creams, races, lolly scrambles and of course Santa!

More camping photos

Thanks Allan for these awesome photos of the weekend camp.

Camping Trip

Wow, what an adventure. A huge thank you to Allan and Catherine for organising a great weekend at Brookfields scout camp. We had loads of fun kayaking, quad biking, roasting marshmallows and having lots of fun. There was also plenty of bush walks to do and the outdoor pool, unheated and cold! but Josh braved it for a quick dip!
Also way too much sun - ouch its going to peel!!!! too little sleep, well it doesn't go dark till gone 9pm and light again by 5am. Even better the rain held off Sunday morning till we got the tents down and all packed away.

Brookfields scout camp was great place for a weekend adventure, VERY basic toilet block with cold running water and proper toilets (no long drops!). Hot showers only if you you light the woodburner for the wetback! So getting home for a shower was lovely! But a lovely bush seting and loads of bird life and amazing un light polluted view of the stars at night. There was also an abseiling wall and climbing wall and a obstacle course as well as the flying fox, kayaks and swimming pool. Not a tuckshop though!(Linnet Clough style)

Josh made friends with Geoff and James and had enjoyed the quad bike rides the best. Mummy loved the kayaking, will need to get the pics from Catherine! India loved the bush walk and flying fox, Saffron loved kayaking with mummy and the flying fox. Daddy just enjoyed helping get the tent up and down with out getting shouted at! LOL!!!

So we are all set for out big south island adventure now!

Bike Pencarrow

Andy and Josh completed the longer 18km round trip to Pencarrow light house this year. It was a glorious day and the sunshine was out. Unfortunately the weather didn't hold for josh's EOTC week at school starting the following day where the school bike ride was reduced to 1 hour return trip and lunch back at school.