Back to school

As delightful as they may appear, I am ready to send them back to school.

School photos

With Miss Ruby heading off to intermediate school next year, this will be the last sibling school photo we get for a while.

What treasures!

What sort of mother...

... sends her child on camp in New Zealand without a raincoat? The answer, of course, is a busy, stressed one. I have my fingers crossed for a week of sunny skies – so you think I'd better start praying to Hughie?

Ruby was all smiles when she boarded the bus. She's off to Waitomo for a week of adventures including caving, abseiling and generally just roughing it. I might have been just a little bit hurt when she declared at the dinner table the night before departure, that she wouldn't miss any of us. She did go on to say that she might be happy to see us when she gets back though – I hope so. I know I'll be glad to see her.

What a production!

Last week was the girls' school production of Vaudeville! Here are some snap shots...

The year 6 girls "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" dance was a great hit!

Eadie's class did "Singing in the Rain".

Whilst Ava's did "Give a Little Love" from the movie Bugsy Malone.

Then Ruby's class did their number which was, oh, I seem to have forgotten, but it was all good!

World Cup fever

Once again I am about a week behind events. I have good intentions of blogging but life just seems to get in the way.

The RWC kicked off last Friday with a "Bang!", closely followed by a "Booo!". The booo was mostly due to transport issues which left some would-be spectators stranded resulting in them missing the opening ceremony – not happy Jan. Let's face it, it's not like the organisers haven't had enough time to plan for it!

Steve went along to the opening ceremony which was followed by the somewhat dull NZ vs Tonga game. The girls and I joined hundreds on the top of Mt Eden to view what was referred to as "the best fire works display NZ has ever seen!". It was nice but Eadie summed it up nicely with "If that's the best fire works NZ has ever had, they haven't seen much.".

Waiting for fireworks!

Finally...

The excitement still reigns though, and it is contagious. We have shown our allegiance to the Wallabies, (I can't believe some of you had to ask!) and are wearing our hearts on our sleeves.

Some of the year 6 kids at school painted some Ruggers which are displayed along the school fence line. Ruby did the USA Rugger.

Choir girl

Last night Ruby performed with a massed choir in the Town Hall. The performance was part of the APPA (Auckland Primary Principals' Association) Festival of Music. The school choir put in hours of practice including several practices throughout the year with other participating schools.


The choir began with the New Zealand national anthem sung in both Maori and English – it gave me goose bumps!

School photos

I just love the idea of a sibling photo. I remember having them taken when I was at school. And, the up side is you don't have to buy three lots of school photos to get one of each child. Of course, it is hard to get everyone looking their best in one shot!

For the curious, here are the individual ones...

A work of art

Last Friday night MENPS held their bi-annual Art Auction. In addition to the individual canvases each child completed, each class did a combined piece which went under silent auction. Then there were the professional pieces. It most entertaining on what people were willing to pay for them after a few drinks. All in all, it was a good fundraiser for the school.

Ava's class art work. Each animal is made up of itsy, bitsy pieces of paper.


Eadie's class art work. You can see the inspiration from Hundertwasser can't you?


Ruby's class art work. Each kid in the class created their own stamp then it was assembled in the form of a letter. I did lend a hand in putting this piece together.

Netball tournament

My daughter, the netball star! Ruby was all smiles at the end of a big day of netball.


Year 5 and 6 netballers from several Auckland schools gathered together for a day of fun. Finishing a triumphant third, Mt Eden Force put in a superb effort. If you saw how they played at the start of the season you'd understand my enthusiasm. Well done girls!

Player of the week!

OK, I've been told I'm slackening off again with the posts. A couple of weeks back Ruby was awarded the title of "Player of the Week". MENPS Force has yet to win a game but not even the pouring rain will dampen their spirits.


I am embarrassed to say that I may have overdone the yelling from the side line last week. I promise to be better behaved this week Ruby. It's just so exciting to watch!

Back into the routine

Clean uniforms. Matching socks. Packed lunch boxes. It's back to school.

I got up bright and early on Tuesday morning (which takes quite some effort I might add) to ensure I was organised and calm for the first day of a new school year. It wasn't quite the smooth start I was hoping (praying) for but I am always quick to remind myself that things could always be worse. Having been to hell and back when my delightful middle child started prep, I truly know how bad things can get.

To top things off, the girls started swimming lessons that afternoon. It was a bit of a rush but we managed to get to the pool just in time for the first lesson. I paid the fees for the term ($300+) only to have the delightful middle child announce that she wasn't getting in the pool when it was her turn. After some coaxing, bribe offers and a few threats, I had to resign to the fact that, short of me throwing her in, she wasn't getting wet today. I took a deep breath and only hope that it will be a different story next week.

Today was the second day at school and I have to say I was very pleased with how things went this morning. Everyone was very helpful at getting organised and we managed to get to school at 8.30 which Ruby was really impressed with. Hopefully things are on their way up.

Missing you

The kids and I have been in NZ for almost five weeks now. Steve's been here for much longer of course. The pangs of homesickness are starting of affect us girls. The kids are really missing their friends, chickens, school and teachers. They are making new friends here and settling in to school but they've come to realise it's not just a holiday. I know when Ruby gets upset it must be tough as she is always the brave one. The photo above was taken on their first day of school. I managed to get one shot before the battery on my camera died! They look cute don't they? I am so proud of them. It's been such a big adjustment (for all of us).