Another day at the office

Well, not quite. A couple of weeks ago I went along to Gibbs Farm as part of a team building day at work. Gibbs Farm is the setting for a sculpture collection on a privately owned property overlooking the Kaipara Harbour.

It's a balanced mix of culture and nature. Very cool!

I just loved feeding this guy. I could have watched him use his tongue to strip the leaves off branches all day [sigh].

Although entry to Gibbs Farm is entirely free, it is only open one day a month by prior appointment. It is not open on weekends, public holidays or school holidays – well that does make getting back there kind of tricky, but I am going to try. 

Choir girl (2)

After having seen Ruby perform in the choir at the Town Hall a few times, this year it was Ava's turn.

"Dynamite" was a crowd pleaser. Ava wouldn't let me post the video but let me know if you want to see it.

Santa parade

Last weekend Eadie and Ava took part in the Farmer's Santa Parade. We braved the crowds and stood in the scorching sun to see the Minnie Girls pass by. Sadly the music got mixed up so instead of doing their choreographed dance, they waved and high-fived the crowd. 

After the Minnie Girls, my next favourite thing was watching the Man of Steel fly overhead even if it was because he blocked the sun for a fleeting moment.

Then there were some [Kiwi flavoured] classics.

Sadly I didn't get a photo of the man in the red suit. The girls loved taking part and Ruby said next year she wants to do it too. So I' guess I'll get a photo of him then.

Gnocchi

There has been a bit of talk on the subject of gnocchi. The girls remembered making it with me when they were smaller and I talked about getting a lesson on how to make it from the only expert I know -Nonna. I remember Corina, my cousin Simone and I getting a lesson from her one day, rolling the dough out on her kitchen table. Sadly, it has been a long time since I've made it and I could find the recipe which makes me wonder if I actually wrote it down. I did remember some important steps along the way but of course mine was always going to be different to Nonna's because it's gluten free.

Eadie was really keen to have gnocchi for dinner and keen to help. Ruby and Ava were distracted by the TV which may have been a good thing in hindsight as it allowed Eadie and I to talk and I got to share the secrets I learned from Nonna.

Here's how we did it, captured again, in images (so quicker to get something posted if you just let the photos speak for themselves) (a bit lazy, yes, I know).

Sky high

I took the girls up the sky tower this week. We've been living in Auckland for over three years and I still hadn't been up. Luckily we timed it well in between heavy down pours we've been having all week.

The verdict: Even though the glass panels in the floor were cool, the view is just as good from the top of our lovely Maungawhau (Mt Eden), and a lot less crowded.

Charlton No.5

I have been trying to snap photos of our house that make it look organised and stylish, yet comfortable and lived-in. Unfortunately there are still a couple of boxes lurking about and the walls are fairly bare [we didn't have any wall space in our last house; in this one there's plenty!].

So let the tour begin! Firstly we have the back outside area. We are making good use of it at the moment thanks to an unbelievably good Kiwi summer. Sometimes we even have Sunday BBQs on a Thursday!



Then there's the lounge room and kitchen. The walls are quite blank and the previous owners had lots of artwork so there are hooks everywhere. Steve has utilised some of them by hanging sticks – very creative[?].

This is our front room. I guess you could call it the "sitting room". I'm not sure what to do with it? We don't really use it at the moment. It gets the morning sun in winter so maybe I'll be inspired when it gets a bit cooler.

Upstairs we have the master bedroom complete with reading nook, ensuite and BIG built-in wardrobes. Oh how I love storage!

Pretty things...

The study – looking a bit dishevelled.

Bits and pieces from Ruby's room. Ruby is really developing her own style; she has quite of list of things she needs wants. This room would have been the master bedroom in the original part of the house so it's quite big with good storage.

Eadie's room is very sweet with little bits of Eadie scattered around. Of all three girls, she is the tidiest by far!

It doesn't seem to matter what I do, Ava's room always looks like a bomb has hit it. I'm thinking of getting her a loft bed but Steve thinks that will just give her more floor space to spread the crap stuff [I've been getting in trouble for swearing lately]. What do you think? – about the bed, not the swearing.