Sunrise at the beach

Reach up for the sunrise

Put your hands into the big sky

You can touch the sunrise

Feel the new day enter your life

- Duran Duran ("Reach up for the Sunrise")

Une Soiree Magnifique

After school on Friday, the last day of the term, we met my parents for dinner at a wonderful French restaurant to celebrate Mum's birthday. As you know, I love all things French, and food is no exception! I especially enjoyed hearing the kitchen staff speaking French to each other behind the counter.
It seems that some occasions are simply magical, and this was one of them. Maybe it was the place - this is the special restaurant where I last had dinner with Southern Ange last November, and said goodbye until who-knows-when. It could be that the four of us were simply happy to be together, and the fabulous food and wine made it even happier. Or, it might be that Spring Break had officially begun!!! Que les vacances commencent!
*It really irks me to leave out accents, but I can't seem to add them...
**You may have noticed that although we ate French food, the wine was from BC. It was great!

Here today, away tomorrow....

Auckland

Typical rolling green hills en route to most places in New Zealand

Sweet Baby

Don't you think babies have the greatest hands?
My friend Jessica, whom I have known since she was her mother's pregnancy, and who was my teaching partner last year, became a mummy just three weeks ago. She brought the tiny boy in to school today (maybe now the grade four girls will leave me alone!) for us to duly admire, and admire, we did! I have to say that my gargantuan sons were never this small. Really.
Most of my grade threes commented in amazement on his tiny fingers and fingernails, and this was what I kept staring at, too. When my Little Bear was born, I thought that his hands were like stars.
Just wait, Jessica. this sweet baby will turn into a teenager, too!

Pond Life

At the pond....actually, a stream.

Cicada skins....crunchy!

Monarch Butterfly and Cicada skins

L and some of the classes from school are learning about water care and pond life. They tested the water quality, temperature, pH level, and had lots of fun trying to identify all sorts of weird and wonderful squiggly, wriggly, waterborne critters. Having seen how abundant the wildlife is with each scoop of water, I am exceedingly grateful for filtration systems and water that has been "dealt with" before it ends up in my cuppa! Sleep last night was punctuated with dreams of bloodworms, waterboatmen, skimmers, water snails, dragonfly nymphs, eels, other interestingly configured things with boggly eyes and thousands of legs, and lots of mud...

Flattos

OK - what fruit is shaped like a donut, has the crunch of an apple, tastes like a peach, and fits into kids' lunchboxes with ease?

Why, the Flatto of course!

Call me ignorant....but I'd never heard of these fruit. Apparently, Flattos have been around for donkey's years, but have only recently made it into Kiwifruitland. Time for a flatto.....

Impromptu Party

Whew! My report cards are finished and life can begin again. I took Little Joe to the airport at an ungodly hour yesterday morning, and he is now completing his first full day in Costa Rica with his class. I was planning to come home today and flake out. Maybe I would start making my next photo-a-day book. Or should I clean up my extremely messy house? The greatest thing was that there was a choice, and whatever I chose to do, it would be relaxing!
Until...
Little Bear came to me after school and asked if we could drive two of his friends home. To our house. I was mortified to think of them seeing my house in its current condition, but at some point in my reportcard-induced delerium, I had apparently told him that he could have some friends over. Little did I know that four more friends were also on their way! So much for my quiet evening. The kids played Settlers of Catan in the living room and then devoured three huge Costco pizzas. Their laughter and talk filled the whole house and I was smiling! Despite my initial embarrassment, it was so nice to have a houseful of great kids.
It turns out that they had come particularly to say goodbye to Little Bear, as he also leaves for Costa Rica tomorrow evening. Just imagine: two boys away, Big Bear at work, and peace for me next week at home!!
And I promise to clean the house!

School Camp

Exhausted water slider

Er...oooops...whose child was that?!
(one of the many casualties from the overhead Flying Fox !)

Waingaro Hot Springs

Alright guys....who knows how to reverse...?

A marvellous time was had at school camp. And the stories keep flowing....

On picking flowers....

"Teachers who inspire, know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers." ~Author Unknown

Saw this quote and thought I'd share it with a wonderful teacher who has dealt with a few thorny ones! Happy Report Writing!

Snowmobiling Tragedy

My brother, Tim, loves snowmobiling as far off the beaten path as possible. In February, he was near Keystone Mountain, in the area of Revelstoke BC, when an avalanche was triggered right above him. Amazingly, he was able to get out of its path with one second to spare thanks to one little switch he had left turned on. However, one of the men in his group was buried. They were able to locate him with his beacon and dig him out, roughly 8 feet below the snow and his snowmobile. Sadly, after 2 1/2 hours of CPR and mouth to mouth, they know that he was gone. Many tears were shed and the exhausted group had a 2 hour ride ahead of them in the dark in order to get out of the area. I am so thankful that Tim came home to his family that night. If he hadn't been listening to the many little cautions he experienced that day, which I am certain were the voice of God, there would have been two bodies in the snow.

Check out the slideshow on the right (click on it for a better view) for some amazing photos of Tim on some of his trips, and a few taken on the day of the tragedy.

Car Doctor

My poor car... After it began hemorrhaging water on Tuesday, we discovered that it had an acute case of radiatoritus and needed surgery. A radiator transplant was successfully performed and recovery was going well. Then as it ran through the final checks before being released, the water pump suddenly ruptured. Oh, well... at least it was already in the hospital!
When I went to pick it up, I had to wait a while - the mechanic had dropped a tool into the engine cavity and couldn't find it. Just like a surgeon! Wandering aimlessly outside the shop, I looked in vain for something beautiful to take pictures of. Nothing. It was a concrete jungle all around. But, I wondered, is it possible that mechanics find tools and grease beautiful? Hmmm.... So, in honour of all those people who love the smell of tires, like to hang out in auto part shops, and have grease stains on their favorite clothes, here are some "beautiful" photos of Bill's mechanic shop.
By the way, the police car was there to get fixed, too. I thought it looked funny with the SUV up on the hoist right above it. Sort of. Okay, I was bored!

A good vintage

If you like your sauvignon blancs, rieslings, or chardonnays, then you'd do well to stock up on 2008 NZ whites...vintners have declared the long hot conditions as being ideal for harvesting a superlative crop.

Unfortunately, the crop in our garden doesn't usually make it past our feathered consumers...

Life's a beach!

Waihi

Bethels Beach

Hahei

Raglan

Cathedral Cove

2008 will be remembered as the year of the spectacular summer in NZ! We have had the most beautiful weather that I can remember since my childhood - glorious long sunny days and stunningly clear blue skies, pretty much day after day. These halcyon days just serve to highlight the magnificent beaches that surround us in the "Land of the Long White Cloud" or "Aotearoa" (Maori name for NZ). From the rugged West Coast beaches (with their renowned surf and black iron sands) through to the beautiful East Coast beaches (long and flat with gentler waves and fine white sand). Though these photos weren't taken today, they give you a glimpse of the type of summer we've been having, and the pristine beauty of NZ.

To be able to sit or stroll along a beach with few or no people around, and enjoy unspoilt beauty for what it is - that is truly food for the soul!

City of Sails

Today is yet another stunning day in the City of Sails....so named because NZ has more boats per head of capita than any other country in the world...and Auckland has more people and more boats than any other city in NZ

Driving to School

It was pleasant driving to school this morning under a bright sky. First, it wasn't dark like it was at the same time a couple of months ago. Second, the trees that line the road for the first part of my trip are still leafless, but there are little buds showing promise of leaves to come soon. I'm guessing - and hoping - another month or less. Fourth, we had a great view of the mountains as we drove along the freeway. How many cities feature such a beautiful freeway? Last, and probably best, I got to sit in the passenger seat as my carpool partner drove. Life doesn't get any better!

On reflection...

Tell me and I forget.

Show me and I remember.

Involve me and I understand.

(Chinese proverb)

Car troubles

Ange of the North! I've found you just the car to replace your ill mobile!

Back to blue

"...But all the time she was looking for that one beautiful place of her childhood dreams. A place where the sand was even more golden and the waves even more frothy than any other place she'd seen. Where the green hills were greener and the sky so blue you'd think God had only just finished painting it...."

("Achtung! Pavlova" - Stu Duval)

The rain thundered down all night but the morning has dawned clear, blue, and sunny! There is definitely a slight chill in the mornings now though...a foretaste of things to come.

Changing seasons

Yes, autumn is definitely on its way Down Under - I had to put a pair of socks on this evening!!! Lil L looked at your photo of the roaring fire and then looked pointedly at our cold fireplace...I can't bring myself to have the fire on quite yet...it'll mean that summer is truly over then! Lil L had to succumb to wearing a long sleeved shirt instead...

A Bleak Day

Have we reverted back to winter? Maybe we're joining New Zealand in its quest for gloomy days...

Out of the blue (or grey) this morning, our old friend Mrs. Roop appeared unexpectedly in the school office. She is a former teacher who moved to New Brunswick last summer (for you Kiwis, July!). New Brunswick is really and truly the Great White North, complete with snowbanks measuring more than five feet tall. And coincidentally, along with Mrs. Roop came the snow! We were not pleased to see its cold face again (It was, however, a lovely surprise to see Mrs. R!). Fortunately, it didn't stick and later, turned back into rain. But it was a bleak day. Little Joe came home and did his homework in front of the fireplace to warm up.

Yesterday's gone....

View from my desk....sunny day!

Beautiful sunset

Dessert - Valrhona chocolate marquise, pistachio ice cream, black cocoa tuile, balsamic caramel - absolutely DELECTABLE!

(Sorry about the standard of this photo...the ambient low lighting wasn't forgiving on my angle or camera shake!)

What a day it was yesterday....first day of being tied to the desk.....I declined offers of coffee (so sad!), resisted the temptation to join the other girls for our morning walk, worked at my desk but couldn't find enough hours to do all that I wanted to do, chauffeured the kids around the city to their various activities, preparations for K&E to go away on camp, attempted to sort out course admin hassles....then thankfully at day's end, enjoyed a lovely sunset and a wonderful time with girlfriends over coffee and dessert! Ahhhhhh........

In My Kitchen

A Sunday evening kitchen... I made the best dinner tonight. Greek potatoes and marinated Greek pork loin with a simple salad. Mmmmm! The only thing missing was a glass of red. But all these boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the counter - what gives? The little bear had a fund raiser for his trip to Costa Rica (he leaves next week) and the doughnuts arrived today for distribution. I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about Krispy Kreme, but there we are. They seem to have earned some money for the trip.
The best part of having big boys is when they help me. Like tonight in the kitchen. Sometimes things even get cleaned up, despite all the chaos along the way. Parenthood - totally worthwhile!

Mediterranean Momma

WOW! That is such a cool shot....what a good score (for both the photographer and the coyote)! So all those warning signs about coyotes in Vancouver weren't just for the tourists after all......Vancouver IS a wild place!

Nothing wild happens here...so we resorted to enjoying some of the fine things in life! W & M spoilt me yesterday - they went to the markets and got some of my favourite "garlic stuffed olives" and also made me some DELICIOUS homemade pesto!!! Heaven on earth....And I really like the 'luminosity' and glow of virgin olive oil (the taste is pretty good too!).

And the question I ask you is - how many normal people run for their camera the moment they see something that ISN'T even out of the ordinary (um...like food!)?

Mean Streets

Life is dangerous here in the Great White North. Knowing that, though, didn't prevent me from being surprised when I looked out the window this morning (it's still Saturday here) and saw a coyote trotting nonchalantly down my street with a cat in its mouth. Where was it taking the cat? Whose cat was it? And will the owners ever know what happened to their sweet pet? But I have to wonder something else, too: How many normal people run for their camera the moment they see something out of the ordinary?

Pioneer Day

Once each year, I pull on the long dress - the one that I particularly dislike wearing, as it hangs like a sack on me - and walk down the hall to my classroom. It's amazing to hear the older students' comments when they see me. You'd think they were well into their golden age: "Oh, it must be Pioneer Day! I remember that(wistfully). It was so much fun! School was so easy back then..."
It's funny what they remember. I think that for them, what sticks out is the fun they had mixing up corn bread, shaking cream to make butter ("Oh, it took soooooo long to make!), eating them together ("Oooh, gross! Do I have to try it? Mmmmm, can I have some more?"), making cornhusk dolls, and playing games like marbles and pickup sticks. Oh, and of course, they got to dress up for school.
What do I remember? Well, it might be the chaos of 48 grade three students in one room, full of adrenaline and excitement. And their very loudest voices. Could be the constant chorus of "Can you help me tie the knot?" as we make the cornhusk dolls. Possibly it's simultaneously managing both the 48 children and the 15 mums who are helping and need instructions and can't find 8 mixing bowls, and is there any more baking powder?
Today after Pioneer Day, I was exhausted. Could it have been more tiring than all the other Pioneer Days? I'm so glad it's over for another year! But the memory that I'm left with this time, even more than that of the madding crowd, is my happy children taking turns to mix up the corn bread, experiencing something new, simple, and rather exciting. For that, I guess I can wear the dress again.

Quel dommage!

...I was trying to imagine C waxing lyrical in French over his "feves au lard"! Hmmmm. Have to agree with you about the French language - it's one of most beautiful languages - I could listen to it for hours. Tant pis je ne parle pas Français....

I was late to bed last night because I was at my desk....unthinkable! This is truly history in the making. Thought I should return the gesture and send you a picture of my desk....I took the photo during one of my (many) 'breaks'.