HGBK Family Blog

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-05T19:39:00.016+13:00

Harry's Year 6 Graduation

2011-12-13T09:59:00.005+13:00

Last night Harry had his Year 6 graduation at Elm Park School and he received commendations for cultural activities and service to school. There was a ceremony for around 100 students followed by very proper two course dinner afterwards. Of course it was Harry's second evening meal - not that you would ever know by the way he scoffed it all down. A very exciting evening indeed!

Harry's Cultural Concert

2011-12-02T21:50:00.004+13:00

Last night was our the last time we had one of our little darlings performing in the annual Cultural Concert at Elm Park School. Next year Harry will be at his new school so it is the end of an era ... It seemed fitting that Harry had two special roles last night. First up he performed the haka with his class. Later, the last act of the night was the whole school singing 'The World in Union' and Harry was one of only two students with a solo part - this was a real highlight for us!

Georgia managed to catch up with some old friends and Santa turned up as usual. A good night was had by all.

Georgia's 13th birthday

2011-11-11T16:02:00.004+13:00

The last Friday of the October school holidays was Georgia's 13th birthday. Her main present was a keyboard as she has started piano lessons again and a break for a few years. We also got her some bright organe headphone to plug into the keyboard!!!!

At Georgia's request we had bought tickets for the four of us to go to the Rugby World Cup Bronze Final game that night. Once the teams were known (Australia vs Wales) we visited every Warehouse and $2 Shop we could but had no luck finding any Wales gear to wear on the night.

We ended up with some red face paint and a few red bits and pieces. It was an adventure getting there on the train and bus then walking in with the crowd but it was an incredible atmosphere. I guess there were some Australian supporters there somewhere but we couldn't see or hear them!!!

Harry @ Camp

2011-11-11T15:51:00.004+13:00

Last week Harry and Karl headed off for a school camp on the North Shore. It was only for three days and two nights but one of them was Karl's 49th birthday!!!! Harry had the time of his life and Karl even participated in the father skit for the Talent Show!!!

Harry's Favourite Game

2011-10-01T11:48:00.006+13:00

Art Show

2011-08-22T16:43:00.002+12:00

Next week there's an Art Show at school and the kids will be walking down a runway displaying the art pieces they have made. Harry's class have been making skateboards and today the official photos were taken!

Speech and Drama Competitions

2011-08-22T16:06:00.003+12:00

What a marathon weekend but worth it I think! It's only been two terms since Georgia started Speech and Drama classes so we had no idea what to expect. Georgia was entered into a half dozen different events although we didn't expect to get any placings as most of the participants were experienced competitors and this was Georgia's first time.

We were very excited when Georgia was placed third for Mime and third for Duologue (pairs performing an extract).

Mime Report: Cleaning up a mess

You establish character and situation clearly and effectively. Nice touches of humour. Watch object permanence - we need to see exactly where your equipment comes from and what happens to it. Aim to end firmly. A well shaped, imaginative exploration of the theme. Promising work. 82/100 = 3rd

Duologue Report: Food

Appropriate costumes which reflect the differences between the characters. Nice interaction between the two characters. A pleasing energy here. You recover well from prompt. Comedy of situation clearly conveyed. Inventive movements. Firmly ended. Entertaining! 84/100 = 3rd

Palmy Trip

2011-07-27T14:48:00.004+12:00

Glorious fluffy snow on the drive from Palmerston North to Auckland yesterday ...

Karl cooking dinner wearing a head lamp during a power cut ...
A visit to the very cold and windy 'Wind Farm' ...

A farm visit with Nathan ...

Dinner at the Genghis Khan for Anne's birthday ...

Harry's 11th Birthday Part 2

2011-07-27T14:34:00.003+12:00

Dinner at Orbit Restaurant in the Sky Tower ...

Happy 11th Birthday Harry!!!

2011-07-17T10:55:00.007+12:00

Six kids, two adults and eight hours at a cold and wet Rainbow's End - sound like fun? Actually it was!!!! The weather was really good until mid afternoon when it cooled right down and we had a few minutes of heavy rain. The 6th kid was Georgia but she wouldn't go in the photos! That was yesterday.

Today is the actual birthday and Harry had fun opening his presents after negotiating with us last night to wake us at 7:15am! Some Lego, a drum and a few other bits and pieces from Mum and Dad, The Twits from Georgia, some Cars 2 Lego from Elaine and Barbara, cash from Ruth and Mike, cash from Mrs A, a worm farm from Briana and a few vouchers from some friends.

So today he wants to go on a shopping spree and then tonight we're off to the Sky Tower for dinner!

Go Georgia!

2011-07-05T17:58:00.002+12:00

Woo hoo! Georgia played Goal Shoot for the first time EVER at netball tonight and guess what? She got seven goals and her team won 8-7. We are all amazed but the only thing is that both parents missed the game. It was the only netball game we have missed all season - typical! No photos sorry.

Georgia's Year 8 Social

2011-07-01T21:02:00.002+12:00

Georgia is at her Year 8 (Form 2) Social tonight. There is only one social held every year. She was excited about going but even more excited about getting her hair cut and straightened!

Lauren's last day

2011-07-01T20:57:00.003+12:00

Last week we said goodbye to Lauren. She's been looking after Georgia and Harry for 2 1/2 years and now she's off to Italy to do some nannying for a lucky family. We'll miss you Lauren!

The Monster Mash a la Palmerston North

2011-04-04T18:41:00.003+12:00

Karl and Harry playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii at Xmas in Palmerston North!

Gliding On ....

2011-03-30T20:42:00.004+13:00

Today Georgia headed off for a school trip to the Auckland Gliding Club for her very first gliding experience! Although she apparently didn't enjoy being towed up she soon got over it and sat back to enjoy the ride! When I asked Georgia what impressed her the most she said all the fields looked like tiny backyards while the houses, roads and cars looked like models. Predictably she has launched an intense campaign for a family gliding experience in the near future ...

Hi there!!

2011-03-29T19:58:00.001+13:00

Hello there, you haven't ever seen me post on this blog I don't think but I just wanted to be the person who posted the HGBK family blog's 100th Post! :P yay!!

Unfortunately the HTML code istn't working so this isn't animated...

So well... bye!

P.S You might not ever hear from me again until the 1000th post

Harry's first trip to the Orthodontist!

2011-03-28T13:35:00.004+13:00

Friday was Harry's turn to go along to the Orthodontist and get sorted for a top plate. We were a little worried about how he would react to all the xrays, photos, moulds etc but he was fabulous! Georgia was the photo journalist on the job .... Will do an update in a few weeks once the plate has been fitted - that could be another cup of tea entirely!

A weekend in Roto-vegas!

2011-01-31T06:52:00.018+13:00

We left after Karl finished work on Friday afternoon and arrived in Rotorua about 7:30pm. Checking-in to our Atsala Apartments was interesting as it turns out it's just a house that has been split up into four separate "apartments". The owner, Ian, is an unusual man and proceeded to lecture the kids about how to behave in life! If we wanted to use Sky we had to ring him in his apartment downstairs and ask him to turn it on and request the channel as he had the decoder! The furnishing were very tired and not tasteful and all for the cheap price of $245 per night! We decided we wouldn't let it ruin our weekend so went out for a nice meal at Lone Star before heading to bed.

Unfortunately that was the night the heavens opened and it rained continuously. In the morning there was a lot of flooding around Rotorua including inside our own apartments! The ceiling in the lounge leaked and dripped all night long. We had a pot underneath it but still there was a huge soggy patch in the carpet and bulges in the wallpaper that were filled with water! We rang Ian several times that morning leaving message and went down to the office a few times but there was no sign of him. In the end we packed up our stuff and went straight into the Information Office where the lovely people there found us a fantastic apartment at Quest and negotiated a discount to make up for our bad experience so far! It turns out Ian and Atsala Apartments are well known in the hospitality world of Rotorua and they laughed when Georgia called him a nutter!

We decided we had earned a yummy breakfast after all that and I had been dying for an excuse to go back to Fat Dog - it was just as good as I remembered! Georgia had fat pancakes, waffles for Karl, mini puppy breakfast for Harry and good old Eggs Benedict for me! It was a relief to check into the much more run of the mill apartment at Quest but we didn't hang around for long.

First on our list for the day was the gondola and luge and it turns out it has changed quite a bit up there since Karl and I last visited Easter 1990! We bought a 10 trip ticket for the luge and thought it would be heaps but in reality we probably would have used up double that easily. The chair lift taking you back up the hill after the luge was a real highlight although somewhat scary for one of us not mentioning any names!

Paradise Valley was next on our list and we made it just in time to see feeding time for the lions. "Stand back or you will be sprayed with blood!" We also got to pat the seven month old lion cub Emma in her cage. Her fur looks cute and fluffly but it's surprising how course it is when you touch her. We walked around the remainder of the park feeding the various animals including alpacas, goats, ducks, geese, turkeys, trout etc.

With both the luge and Paradise Valley ticked off we made our way to Mini Golf and Segway rides. The flooding was problem here so only one of the courses was open and the Segway track was still completely immersed! After one round of golf we made the decision to come back Sunday and see if the Segway track was open again.

By now it was 5:30pm and we'd had no lunch so an early dinner was at the top of our minds! Karl chose Macs Steakhouse (big surprise) and we all had very nice steak meals. The kids also had a chocolate dessert each - I didn't bother ordering a dessert as I thought there was no chance they would get through it all but boy was I wrong. Chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and fresh cream - all scraped clean off the plate! We got back to our apartment in time for a spa and (chilly) dip in the pool.

Sunday morning rolled around all too quickly! We checked out and first on the list for our final day was breakfast at Fat Dog again before returning to the Segway rides. The track was still completely flooded out but the kids were allowed to ride up and down the grass on the road instead much to Harry's relief.

By this stage we were on a roll:

Visit tourist attraction.
Hand over the contents of your wallet.
Have fun ride/activity.
Find money in another part of your wallet to buy photo of said ride/activity.

So continuing in this tradition the kids did the Zorb ride which involves wearing your togs and riding down a hill inside an inflatable ball with water inside! We managed to resist buying the ridiculously priced photos but only because they were mainly out of focus!

Almost right next door is Agroadventures where the kids were allowed to choose three rides each. Both did the Shweeb and Agrojet (twice on that for Harry) and Georgia also did the Free Fall.

Our final event for the day was the sheep show at the Agrodome and Harry was the star! He volunteered to go on stage with some other kids to milk a cow (yes, it really was sold as a sheep show). Unfortunately Harry was last in the line so the host had a treat in store for him!

Host (from Palmerston North): "Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate Harry?"

Harry: "Chocolate"

Host: "Come here then" - takes Harry to back of cow and lifts the tail.

Harry: speechless, look of shock and horror on his face!!!!

After all that he did still get to milk the cow and was presented with a Certificate of Udderance!

After a Kapiti ice-cream each we were on the road heading home. Our kitten Jaguar was alive and well when we got back although the house looked a little worse for wear ....

Ronnie and Santa!

2010-12-20T17:51:00.002+13:00

Newspaper article about the Chopper Challenge

2010-12-07T19:59:00.002+13:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/4405602/Elm-Park-students-get-a-dazzling-ride-to-school#share

New House

2010-12-06T19:37:00.005+13:00

In case you haven't heard - we've finally bought a new house! Well new to us anyway! It's in Onehunga, about two minutes walk from where we are renting and it is going to require major amounts of work after we move in!

Check out the photos below. We don't actually move in until around 19 January so these are the photos with the belongings of the current owners. Some of the work we hope to do over time includes:

a new kitchen
adding on another living area
moving the garage to make room for the new room!
moving the cute ex-water tank that has been converted into a small shed!
adding a gate at the end of the property (look for the trellis) so we have our own entrance to the park/reserve that is behind us!

Will keep you posted with photos as we tick off a few jobs in the next few months ...

Georgia's Latest Masterpieces

2010-11-30T18:52:00.002+13:00

Clay work by Georgia

"Farmer and Sheep"

"Dog"

Harry's Helicopter Ride

2010-11-29T17:22:00.002+13:00

After lots of excitement and anticipation over the weekend Harry finally got to ride on the Auckland Rescue Helicopter this morning!

Merry Xmas 2010

2010-11-28T17:26:00.005+13:00

I couldn't believe it when Georgia agreed to be in the Santa photo this year in return for a chocolate from Santa's elf! Takes after her father ...

Monte Cecilia School Fair

2010-11-27T18:00:00.004+13:00

Harry persuaded us all to go along to the Monte Cecilia School Fair in Hillsborough today. The Water Walkers were the big hit of the day!

Chopper Challenge

2010-11-26T15:34:00.004+13:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored Harry for the Chopper Challenge in the last few weeks. He raised $220 and came third in the whole school which means he has won a ride on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter on Monday morning!!!! Expect more photos after that .....

Georgia @ Dentist!

2010-11-18T22:24:00.005+13:00

First trip to the orthodontist this week - lots of photos, x-rays, moulds etc taken. I never realised it was going to be so entertaining and couldn't resist a few future 21st photos! Of course, it was only funny until they told me how much all the work is going to cost over the next few years ....

Mattress Slide!

2010-11-06T09:25:00.003+13:00

Here's the main event:

And here are the bloopers ....

and ....

Happy 12th Birthday Georiga

2010-10-31T21:32:00.005+13:00

New mobile phone, movies to see The Last Airbender, dinner at Lone Star and a day at Rainbow's End. Yep, Georgia's 12th birthday was action packed!!!

Wearable Art Fashion Show

2010-09-20T12:43:00.003+12:00

Harry took part in a Wearable Art Fashion Show on Friday. Here is a transcript of the host read as Harry headed out to the catwalk:

"Harry has entitled his costume ‘The Paradise Star’ because it represents his concern for the beaches of New Zealand. Harry is most proud of the message on his shirt. So take a look when he comes past."

Check out the movie clip below - it's less than a minute long!

Harry's choir performance

2010-09-12T20:22:00.004+12:00

On 1st and 2nd September Harry performed with the Elm Park School choir at the local music festival along with choirs from other primary and intermediate schools. We were so proud when the the Elm Park School choir sang 'Africa'. Check out the video below but you'll have to excuse the shaking as Harry sings his solo 'do do wah' in the chorus - I could hardly see through the tears! Harry is 3rd from the left in the second to front row - just to the right of the teacher.

Grandma went into hospital on the Tuesday and couldn't come along so Harry did a repeat performance of 'I have a dream' at the hospital for her on Friday afternoon.

An interview with Karl in Chicago

2010-07-26T19:55:00.002+12:00

Click on the link to hear an interview with Karl in Chicago last week. Warning: the topic is work related and about the new strategy for Plant and Food!

School Assembly

2010-07-02T12:48:00.003+12:00

At assembly today Harry was given an award for personal presentation (ie wearing the correct uniform to a high standard all term) and also performed in the choir!

Karl's World Famous Cheese Sauce

2010-05-30T08:25:00.004+12:00

Made especially for Norma!

Making a difference

2010-05-21T19:29:00.001+12:00

The two little darlings are registered to do the 40 hour famine this weekend - with a twist. Harry is going to try and not eat for 20 hours (version for younger kids) while Georgia is going to try and not talk for 40 hours!!!!! I'm not sure who is going to have the most difficulty!!! We started at 6pm tonight. If you think you could sponsor them for a few dollars please go to the links below - it's pretty straight forward. They are aiming for $37 each and are pretty close already. Thanks!!!!

Georgia: http://www.famine.org.nz/lixy
Harry: http://www.famine.org.nz/harry2000

Harry @ netball practice

2010-05-19T13:55:00.005+12:00

Lunchtime netball practice for Harry today. He's very enthusiastic but still has a few rules to learn ....

Harry singing Hot 'n Cold

2010-04-29T20:23:00.005+12:00

Out for a spin

2010-03-28T08:26:00.004+13:00

Yesterday, Leonie and I went for a spin at Pukekohe! It turns out that racing around a track in a mini at 200kph can give you motion sickness!

Ohope Beach

2010-01-29T09:39:00.011+13:00

On 14 January we headed off to a rental house at Ohope Beach for a week and what a time we had! The weather was pretty fabulous and we were staying across the road from the (very quiet) beach, a mere 2 minute walk away. Every morning was spent at the beach, sometimes the afternoon too, and the kids filled in many hours burying each other, making sand castles, body boarding etc. In between we visited the corn maze, went strawberry picking, swimming at the Whakatane aquatic centre, ate a lot of BBQ food and caught a few sightings of Moko the dolphin! On our last night the heavens opened and the rain started, it still hadn't stopped when we left about 10am the next day but we were happy!

Harry and Holly

First day at Baradene College

2010-01-29T09:26:00.005+13:00

Georgia had an orientation afternoon at her new school this week - meet the teacher and find your classroom sort of thing. She was a bit nervous although wouldn't admit it and it must be scary not knowing anyone. Still the thing she was worried about the most was the uniform - it was a very hot and humid day and she has to wear the long, lined black skirt and the lined black blazer! She was still complaining about the uniform when she got home but was a lot happier having met her teacher, seen the classroom etc. When asked what her classroom was like she announced with disgust, "We have spinning chairs but there isn't even one computer!" Oh dear ....

Xmas Holiday Last Days

2010-01-05T11:44:00.011+13:00

While in Palmy we stayed with Anne and Nathan and it was the first time Karl and Harry had been to their awesome new house. It was a quiet few days as we were all feeling pretty tired but we managed to squeeze in a few movies - Lovely Bones for Anne and Belinda, Alvin and the Chipmunks for Karl and Harry, Princess and the Frog for Miriam and Georgia. Also managed to catch up with Jennifer and Alastair as well as Ma and Pa briefly. We had a fantastic last day up at Kowhai Park in Wanganui with the rellies. It was only a little windy but very sunny and hot. We had a picnic and the kids were barely sitting for 5 minutes as there was so much to do! We had to drag them away to go home for a BBQ with Anne and Nathan. We left early on Monday morning and arrived in Auckland by 3pm. It was a wonderful two weeks seeing many loved ones but it was sooooo nice to finally sleep in our own beds last night. Now we have to recharge our batteries so we are ready for a week at Ohope Beach later in the month!

Kowhai Park

Xmas Holiday Days 7 to 11

2010-01-05T09:15:00.014+13:00

The weather in Wellington was dreadful when we drove off the ferry - raining and cold like a winter's day. We stopped off in Johnsonville for lunch then headed straight to Paraparaumu Beach, this time to stay for a few days. It was very kind of Alex to give up his room for us, for Rebecca to move out entirely and for Cameron and Sage to share their room with Harry. Georgia and Gabrielle disappeared and we hardly saw either of them for the whole visit. All the kids did a great job of playing with and including Harry which was a joy to see. The days consisted of lots of swimming, eating and drinking with a few other highlights thrown in - a fair at Queen Elizabeth park, kite flying at the beach, a day trip into Wellington (to visit Te Papa, cable car etc) and visiting Jude, Clifton, Morgan and Mikaela in Whitby. We also spent a bit of time rearranging furniture but that's another whole post in itself ... New Year's Eve saw the house sleep the usual four adults but the number of children rose to 13 at last count ... The evening peaked when 12 of the 13 kids jumped in the pool at the stroke of midnight! We left on New Year's Day and headed for Palmerston North.

QEII Park

Hanging out by the pool

New Year's Eve

Xmas Holiday Days 2 to 7

2010-01-05T09:04:00.007+13:00

On the afternoon of Day 2 we headed down to Wellington and hopped on the ferry. Unfortunately it was a choppy crossing! Georgia was absolutely fine, Karl and I were both queasy and green but Harry was worst of all and threw up five times! We managed to fit in a few extras while in Picton besides catching up with Karl's parents - cherry picking, shopping, chocolate factory, swimming at the motel, WW1 airplane museum, mini golf (of course) and fun playing down at the waterfront. Thankfully the return crossing on the 27th was smooth!

Cherry picking at Blenheim:

It was a bit chilly in the motel pool ...

Waterfront

Harry and Grandma

Christmas Day

Ferry crossing back to Wellington

Xmas Holiday Day 1

2010-01-05T08:45:00.005+13:00

We left Auckland about 7:30am on 20 December and headed straight for Paraparaumu Beach. In the house that night we had six adults and 10 kids!

The next morning ...

Cultural Concert 2009

2009-12-19T06:05:00.009+13:00

Every year our schools has a cultural concert (aka Christmas Concert) for parents and families to attend. It's quite a big affair with food stands and visit from santa. It is held on the field and every single child participates with their class and perhaps in other special performances as well eg choir, dance groups, kapa haka etc. This year - for the first time - Harry was in the choir and they were both in the dance group! Georgia signed up for the dance group before she realised they would performing at the cultural concert at the end of the year and she almost chickened out. Harry is always looking for ways to be at the centre of attention!

Angela and Harry

Niamh, Franchesca, Georgia

Choir

Picnic at the park

2009-12-18T21:55:00.005+13:00

Today we had a lovely picnic at Cornwall Park with Elisa and Rosalie. Elisa used to be Harry's therapist and we haven't seen Rosalie since she was just a couple of weeks old. She's very cute and very alert!

Georgia's last disco and last day at primary school!

2009-12-18T21:48:00.004+13:00

The night before the last day of the school year there is a special "by invitation only" disco for Year 5 and 6 students at Elm Park School. It's a big deal, especially for the Year 6s! On the final day the Year 6 students are all given a t-shirt that has been designed especially for that year group and has all their names on it. A good deal of that last day is spent wearing those t-shirts and getting as many autographs as possible from teachers and students. There were lots of tears this year as none of Georgia's friends will be going onto the same school as her next year.

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Georgia and Franchesca

2009-12-18T21:45:00.002+13:00

While I was working in my office yesterday Georgia and Franchesca frolicked in the school pool!

It must be summer!

2009-12-13T14:48:00.005+13:00

Georgia and Harry with friends (and sisters) Niamh and Briana.

S'winter Playdough by Georgia and Bethany

2009-12-12T16:48:00.005+13:00

S'winter is a combination of summer and winter! Bethany made all the winter modelling and I did all the summer ones. The little white blobs on the beach are jandals. The girl in water was surfing when she "wiped out" and that's why the board is upside and she's still attached by the white string! The girl in the sled is sledding in her dress and sunhat! Photos by me!

Our clever girl!

2009-12-12T09:05:00.010+13:00

Thursday night was the Year 6 Graduation evening at Elm Park School. Even though it's only the end of primary school the evening is always fairly formal and quite special. Each child goes up and is presented with their graduating certificate by the principal along with any other awards they have earned throughout the year. For example, service to school, sporting achievements etc.

Following that the Excellence Awards are presented to the top achieving students. Georgia was presented with Excellence Awards for Reading, Writing, Inquiry Learning, Information Technology and Art. None of us knew in advance about Georgia's awards although we were hoping for one and thought it would be reading! There were big smiles and lots of tears all around as her award was read out but Karl still managed to capture the moment on video! I'm having trouble uploading this video but will hopefully sort it out as it's awesome to see!

When I've got some time I'll type up the transcript of what was read out when her award was presented.

Harry and Santa

2009-12-06T15:05:00.002+13:00

Georgia is too cool for Santa photos these days apparently!

Hair Straightening or Flying Nun?

2009-12-04T20:00:00.002+13:00

BEFORE/DURING

AFTER

Labour Day

2009-10-26T15:46:00.009+13:00

The four of us and Georgia's friend, Bethany, headed off to Sylvia Park this morning. The three kids had a play in the "water walkers" which were a huge hit and caused many laughs. In the afternoon we headed up to the Sky Tower as the weather wasn't so great. As well as great views and afternoon tea in the cafe we also spotted one sky jumper (looking petrified on his way down) and a group of sky walkers (photo below). The kids are now on the playstation and Karl and I are having a well earned drink! All in all a very good day.

Fantastic Achievement!

2009-10-24T07:40:00.003+13:00

This week the principal presented a small group of children, including Georgia, with their certificates for the ICAS English exam administered through the University of New South Wales. The levels of achievement are participate, credit, distinction and high distinction. Georgia' received distinction which puts her in the top 9% of Year 6 students in New Zealand. Normally low key about this sort of thing, Georgia didn't tell me at all but the next morning I found the certificate had been secretly pinned to the wall in my office! We are very proud of her.

Georgia's 11th Birthday

2009-10-24T07:22:00.008+13:00

Last week was Georgia's 11th birthday. Thanks to a "friend's" suggestion (but Karen you know who you are) Georgia had a four hour chocolate themed party at home with a mere 11 girlfriends in attendance! It's Georgia's last year at primary school and because she's heading off to a different school to all her friends next year it was also their last chance to have a bash together!

Luckily for me Elaine and David were staying with us although I'm not sure if they would call it lucky! Once everything was ready, the boys headed out for the afternoon and Elaine stayed to help out which included vacuuming twice during the party! Entertainment included a chocolate fountain (Karen's) with 1kg of chocolate, eating a cake of chocolate game, icing sugar game, the pineapple lump game, watching Twilight and singing to VERY loud music! Elaine and I ended up shutting all the doors in an attempt to block out some of the noise and shut ourselves in the kitchen!

The sickly lunch menu included the usual savouries, chocolate pizza, chocolate fudge and chocolate mousse etc. You get the picture! Karl made both the fudge and the mousse which was a first for him! To top it all off the girls had fun decorating their own cupcakes which were also - you guessed it - chocolate! Thanks to the lovely Leonie for making them! These were put together on a stand and became Georgia's very unique birthday cake!

Finally, at 4pm the girls headed home with their decorated cupcakes and loot bags made by Aunty Elaine! Each bag was decorated with the letter of the girl's first name so there were lots of oohs and ahhhs.

As for presents. There was a dilemma that went on for many weeks but the birthday girl finally decided on an iPod update and it's pretty cool I have to admit! The old iPod shuffle was an 8th birthday present and is apparently completely inadequate for an 11 year old! The new nano takes video so we passed it around a few friends and family to record birthday messages before wrapping it - lots of fun was had! Other gifts from family and friends included cothes, books, money, CDs, gift vouchers etc.

Apologies to those of you who have already seen these photos of Facebook!

The Trip Home

2009-10-07T16:51:00.005+13:00

What a saga! Desert Road, National Park, Napier-Taupo etc closed on Sunday due to snow. They stayed closed on Monday which was the day we were due to leave. Late Tuesday morning everything was still closed so we made the decision to drive back to Auckland via Wanganui and up SH4. David very kindly agreed to come along with us to help out in case we got stranded so off we set. Surprisingly it was a pretty quiet journey for most of the trip. The scenery was beautiful and there was plenty of snow around so we made a few unscheduled stops! We finally made it to Tokoroa for a late lunch around 4ish and then made it back to Auckland at 7:30pm. Poor David caught the 7:25am train back to Palmy today and isn't due to arrive until 5pm.

5 Star Accommodation

2009-10-07T16:46:00.004+13:00

Georgia painting a still life!

"President"

"A***hole"

Georgia and I stayed with Anne and Nathan in their brand new house while we were in Palmy. We were originally staying until Monday but ended up staying a day longer because the central north island was virtually impossible to drive through on Monday! Luckily our hosts were happy to have us a bit longer than planned ...

Uncle Mickey Turns 70

2009-10-07T16:06:00.006+13:00

The original reason I decided to head down to Palmy was for Uncle Mickey's 70th birthday held on Sunday at the Cloverlea for lunch. I think there was around 80 Robinsons there all up - many of whom I haven't seen for too more years than I care to remember. All six of the surviving Robinson siblings were there which was lovely - Mickey, Lila, Eileen, Doreen, Joan and Shirley - along with many of the cousins, some partners and a few of their kids.

Happy 251st Birthday!

2009-10-07T16:03:00.004+13:00

On Saturday we threw a party for the combined birthdays of Ronnie (89), David (64), Kevin (49) and Owen (49). Strictly speaking their birthdays are on the 12th but a good time was had by all. It was a shame that Aunty Marj was still in hospital as it wasn't the same without her.

Straight Hair

2009-10-07T15:57:00.003+13:00

Georgia got her hair trimmed and straightened on Saturday while we were in Palmy. It still hasn't been washed ....

Who has the longest hair now?

Desert Road

2009-10-07T15:53:00.002+13:00

Georgia took these photos on our way down to Palmerston North last Friday.

In Taupo with the Pendlebury's

2009-09-21T21:33:00.004+12:00

Elaine on the iPod and Karl on the DS while the kids play in the park!

Elaine and Georgia at Huka Falls.

Belinda and Harry at Huka Falls.

Belinda and Elaine at Huka Falls.

Harry's Poem

2009-09-16T10:22:00.002+12:00

On Monday 14 September Harry brought home the Writer's Award trophy for writing the following sensory poem. Writing is Harry's least favourite time of the day and this is the first time he's ever actually sat down and written his own poem!

I see grey rocks hidden in the dirt
I hear screaming children playing on the playground
I feel green grass on the field tickling me
I smell flowers sweet and swell
I taste the sweet air on my tongue.

We have a new trampoline!

2009-09-16T09:20:00.008+12:00

Photography and cinematography by Georgia and Harry!

Assembly

2009-09-04T14:58:00.006+12:00

Today we had a whole school assembly (around 600 kids) and Harry was chosen as one of the presenters. He was very excited!

Georgia's new glasses

2009-09-03T19:13:00.006+12:00

Which do you prefer?

RED

OR PURPLE?

Harry's Speech

2009-09-02T20:58:00.010+12:00

Birthdays Are Fun
By Harry

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you

Do you like people singing to you? I do!

I believe everyone should have birthday parties. I have three reasons.

You can have lots of fun by doing special things like going to Rainbow's End. Also, you can go to the movies, go swimming or ice skating.

You can have lots of food like cake. I like chips and nuggets and giving goodie bags with treats to give to my friends to take home.

You can invite friends that don't usually come to your home. You also get lots of presents.

For these reasons - having fun, going to special places, having lots of yummy food and spending time with your friends - I believe that everybody should have birthday parties.

Harry's 9th Birthday

2009-07-24T14:16:00.002+12:00

Harry's 9th birthday was at the very end of the school holidays. At his request the four of us spent the day at Rainbow's End and the following day we had a party for his friends - bowling and laser strike. The theme was Mr Men - Harry's current favourite!

My Little ABBA Singstar

2009-07-19T19:06:00.002+12:00

School Holidays

2009-07-10T10:00:00.004+12:00

We're at the half way mark of the school holidays. Harry (at his request) has been on holiday programmes everyday this week including bowling, mini golf & driving range, movies (Ice Age 3), ice skating and Miranda Hot Pools today. He's been having a ball!

Georgia has had a more sedate week - three scrapbooking classes! She does have five birthday parties on during the next week though (including two at Rainbow's End) so she's also not complaining!

One of the parties is Harry's of course. The four of us are going to Rainbow's End on his actual birthday (17 July). The next day he's invited some friends from his class to go for a game of bowling and laser strike.

School Art Exhibition

2009-07-02T15:28:00.002+12:00

Harry's class worked on self portraits including a painting and a clay piece.

Georgia's class worked on canvas paintings based on proverbs. She also participated in a gifted and talented art class and completed a digital tapa cloth!

World Famous in The Dominion Post!

2009-06-22T09:46:00.003+12:00

Last week there was an article about Karl in The Dominion Post!

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/farming/2511092/Harness-science-to-the-plough

Mark Inglis Visit

2009-05-13T18:51:00.007+12:00

We had a special visitor today at Elm Park School. As part of the NZ Post Book Awards, Mark Inglis paid us a visit to talk about his book 'High-tech Legs on Everest', a finalist in the competition.

Mark is an inspirational speaker and had his audience of 250 8-11 years olds mesmerised for more than an hour. The highlight for the kids was when Mark removed one of his prosthetics and showed them his stump!

Questions were varied and included gems such as 'How do you go to the toilet when you're stuck in an ice cave?" and "Will your legs grow back?"

At the end of the session I was lucky enough to spend some time with Mark and give him a lift into town. He's a special person and we were very lucky to get the opportunity to meet him. Good luck at the book awards next week Mark!

Harry's Big Weekend

2009-05-10T19:10:00.001+12:00

Harry is exhausted. Friday night he attended his first ever school disco. He was so excited about going I couldn't persuade him that he wouldn't like it. Dark hall, loads of screaming kids, loud music etc. He went along and enjoyed himself at first but was over it after about an hour. Unfortunately we had to stay til the end as Georgia was also there. He told me the loud music made him feel sick!

Next was a birthday party on Sunday morning. Angela is a girl in Harry's class and she was turning 9. There were 6 girls and Harry! When he walked in the door they all rushed up screaming "Harry" and gave him hugs - it was gorgeous. He had a ball - loads of junk food, a "fun zone" with video games (his favourite was Deal or No Deal) and two games of laser strike. Harry won Mr Trigger Happy and Most Accurate Player!!!

No photos this time sorry - Joe Sing had a few senior moments this weekend!

Let the games begin

2009-05-03T00:19:00.005+12:00

This week Georgia joined her first netball team, had her first practice on Thursday night and played her first game today playing Wing Defence! Of course the morning was freezing cold and pouring with rain ...
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Habour Walk

2009-05-03T00:13:00.003+12:00

Last weekend we all went for a walk along the harbour in Onehunga. It was a bit chilly with the odd spot of rain! Harry was heard to say "Can I go and pick the pretty flowers?" as we walked past the cemetary! He eventually found some plastic daffodils blowing around on the path although we took them over to the cemetary later.

Tree Climbing

2009-04-19T15:13:00.007+12:00

Cameron, Gabrielle and Georgia had a grand time climbing a tree down by the beach.

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Ken, Debbie & the kids

2009-04-19T15:07:00.008+12:00

We headed off to see Ken, Debbie and the kids for three days on Easter Sunday and it was bliss! Heaps of laughs, food, alcohol and happy kids - what more could you want? Georgia and Gabrielle disappeared for the whole three days and we barely saw them. Alex and Cameron were incredible with Harry and patiently played on the Wii with him many times. We even managed to catch up with Rebecca before she headed off on camp for the week.

On Monday we went for a "stroll" which ended up being slightly longer than we anticipated! Georgia ended up on her bottom in the river then walking back to the car sopping wet! You can only imagine the dramas that went with that ...

Tuesday was a slower pace - we headed down to the skate park and playground in the morning then off to Porirua for shopping in the afternoon. Karl cooked rice rissotto for dinner - yum!

It was really sad to say goodbye on Wednesday but good to be starting the journey home. Just one more night in Palmy to catch up with everyone then home on Thursday.

Johnston Family Bash

2009-04-19T15:01:00.005+12:00

We had a family get together at Easter and here are the photos to prove it! It was great to catch up with loads of Johnston cousins - some I've not seen in years and some I'd never met before!
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Rosie and Harry go to Kelly Tarlton's!

2009-04-19T14:57:00.001+12:00

Happy Birthday Mum!

2009-04-03T19:23:00.004+13:00

Visitors from Switzerland

2009-04-03T19:10:00.004+13:00

Christian and Annelese (from Switzerland) stayed for a few days in March before heading off for a two and half week holiday around NZ in a rental car. They came back the night before flying out but (long story) ended up missing their flight and staying on for an extra three nights! They are both foodies so much time was spent talking about food, buying food, cooking food, photographing food and eating food! A bit of sightseeing was also squeezed in. It's now over three weeks since they first arrived in the country and we are still working our way through the massive amount of Swiss chocolate they gave us!

A weekend in Taupo

2009-03-16T18:51:00.005+13:00

We headed off for a rare overnight trip on Saturday. Karl's cousin Poppy was visiting from the UK with her kiwi boyfriend and we arranged to meet them at Huka Falls and then onto a cafe later. We also managed to squeeze in the AC Baths, a train ride, playground and Orakei Korako before heading back to Auckland on Sunday night. Upon arriving home Harry was heard to say "I like home best".

Official Library Opening

2009-03-13T19:13:00.009+13:00

Today was the official opening of our school library building (including my new office) and John Key was the man with the scissors! It was a real family affair for us:

Karl was present as a member of the Board of Trustees
Georgia was on the media team
Harry performed in the Kapa Haka
and as for me ....

Not sure what Mum would think of us having our photo taken with a National Party Prime Minister though!

The Haka!

Future camera person?

My name is Harry!

He made me do it Mum!

The Elm Park Media Team

Karl chatting to one of the security guys - spot the ear piece!

Thinker of the Week

2009-03-07T09:41:00.005+13:00

Harry was very proud when he came home yesterday. He had been presented with the 'Thinker of the Week' medal for his class! It's awarded every week to a student in the class who has been working well for the whole week and making smart choices for their behaviour. Harry insisted on having his photo taken wearing the medal proudly!

The Happy Couple

2009-02-15T16:38:00.002+13:00

Rebecca and Simon, newly engaged, are up from Christchurch for the weekend and dropped into see us. We'd love to go down for their engagement party on 28 March but not sure if we can wangle it.

Marae Sleepover

2009-02-14T17:39:00.002+13:00

Thursday night was very exciting for Harry! Karl took him to the Marae at Edgewater College for a sleepover with his class. They got to ask questions about the Marae, sing songs, play stick games and have supper before heading to bed (mattresses on the floor) about 10pm. When asked the next morning if he had a good time, Karl said 'the last kid went to sleep at 12:15am and the first one woke at 5am, we slept on the floor - what do you think?" Not sure if that's a yes or no? After breakfast Karl came home for a shower before heading to work while Harry and his class stayed on until 2:30pm. We were only at home an hour or so before heading back out for Harry to attend Jack's 8th birthday party. Georgia and I went shopping while Harry had an awesome time with swimming, water bombs, pizza and birthday cake! He slept well last night!

Waiwera Hot Pools

2009-02-08T08:11:00.006+13:00

Yesterday we drove up to Waiwera Hot Pools for the day. We packed up the car with a picnic, books, iPods, rugs, togs and towels. It was a stinking hot day and quite humid. We arrived early enough to grab a good spot on the grass with a table and shade. The kids had an awesome day going down the hydro-slides with names like Kids Chute, Black Hole, The Twister, Short and Sharp, Cut Buster, The Squeeze, Bob's Mistake and Speed Slide. Karl and I went down the Short and Sharp with the kids and that was enough for me (2nd photo)! Georgia took great pleasure in telling me that it's a slide for little kids but I think I shot down it 100kph! After that I was happy to spend the rest of the day reading with icy cold drinks on hand. Both kids also spent a bit of time in the pool with the giant movie screen! Just before we left we all had a Rush Munroe's ice-cream - still as good as I remember!

My new office

2009-02-04T22:30:00.005+13:00

After spending years in a shared office that used to be the cloakroom and toilet I am very lucky to have moved into a brand new office with brand new furniture! It's amazing what a difference it makes to the way I feel about going to work in the mornings! My favourites are the "smile" chairs and the jelly bean shaped desk! Georgia's painting has pride of place and gets loads of comments. I even have a big window looking straight into our new library so I can see everyone coming and going!

Harry's Haircut

2009-01-29T19:03:00.003+13:00

Harry had a haircut today ready to start school on morning. He was VERY well behaved and got a lollipop from the hairdresser!

Scrapbooking

2009-01-27T19:44:00.002+13:00

Georgia went to a scrapbook class this morning and covered four books to take to school next week. Awesome! The plan is she will do the remaining books at home tomorrow afternoon ...

Holidays almost at an end

2009-01-26T13:19:00.007+13:00

The holidays are all but over and it's been a real mixture for the kids:

Rainbows End
Waiwera Hot Pools
Movies (Bolt, Madagascar 2, Bedtime Stories)
Devonport
Play dates with friends
Art class
Scrapbooking class (cards, tags, boxes)
Mission Bay (a few times)
Loads of swimming
Mini Golf and Driving Range
Museum
and more ....

Georgia attended art classes at the University of Auckland last week Monday to Thursday. In the mornings they did painting (fruit and veges) and in the after clay work (deer and a bowl). The clay is in for firing so photos will follow later. The fruit and vege painting was done by first drawing and cutting out each item then projecting on an OHP to enlarge and trace. The finished product is amazing and I'm going to hang it in my new office this week!
Last night we headed into Mission Bay - Harry swam in the fountain and in the sea while Georgia did her usual bookworm thing on the picnic rug. We headed home after yummy fish and chips from the Fish Pot Cafe.

This week the kids are off to the holiday programme at our school which won't be too exciting although Georgia is going to a scrapbooking class tomorrow to learn how to cover school books!

Another visit from the tooth fairy

2009-01-11T10:35:00.002+13:00

Harry lost his other top front tooth on 6 January!

Girls Day Out

2009-01-11T09:12:00.014+13:00

On Xmas Day Santa gave Georgia a certificate for a Girls Day Out with mum including lunch, movies and spending money. Georgia chose yesterday for the big day out! The day started with the girls getting ready - girlie clothes, jewellery, make-up and hair straightening!
We left at lunchtime and went straight to Zarbo in Newmarket for lunch. Georgia had the yummy lasagne and mum had a Thai Chicken Cake. We both had coke to drink as Georgia said it was a special day!

We went into Redcurrent, next door to Zarbo and the first purchase of the day was made - a beautiful hand made leather covered sketch book.
After that we headed up to Two Double Seven and into the newly opened Smiggle shop we'd heard about from Ruth. Georgia chose a 'green theme' and picked out some stationery for school including pencil case, pencils, pens, electric eraser and electric pencil sharpener! She also used the touch screen computer to select a Smiggle "skin" for her iPod Shuffle.
Next we headed off to Sylvia Park for more shopping. We had a look around in Borders and purchased the first Gilda Joyce book and some 39 Clues card packs. There was also a stall making wax hand moulds but we ran out of time to do this before the movie. We stocked up with frozen coke, popcorn, ice cream and lollies (Georia said it was a special day) and hurried in to our prime seats for 'Bedtime Stories'.

We both agree it was a fabulous day and we'd love to do it again soon. Georgia thinks it would be a great thing to do every Christmas!

PS The boys had a nice time at the Auckland Museum visiting Sue the T-Rex so don't feel sorry for them!

Great White Shark Dissection

2009-01-08T15:50:00.004+13:00

Today we went along to the Auckland Museum to see the live dissection of a Great White Shark caught accidentally 10 days ago. When we bowled up just after starting time we were amazed to see literally thousands of people already there crowded around the loading bay for the opportunity to see and touch the specimen. Harry and I lined up to touch the shark's skin and teeth but Georgia decided it was too disgusting! Click here to view the two hour movie of the dissection or just check out the clip at around 12-14 minutes to see glimpses of me and Harry waiting to touch the shark ... Harry is wearing a blue cap and green tee-shirt and I'm wearing a white top with sunglasses and my hair pulled back.

Ohope Beach

2009-01-04T11:50:00.005+13:00

We left Auckland about 11am after seeing off Malcolm, Deborah and kids, packing and a visit to the petrol station. A quick stop in Cambridge for lunch and the 'scenic route' via Rotorua meant we arrived at Ohope Beach around 4pm.

The Guppies had rented a lovely house right on the beach at the far end of Ocean Road and we were lucky enough to have the downstairs room off the garage to ourselves with its own bathroom.

We spent three gorgous days at the beach with the kids swimming, boogie boarding, building sandcastles and playing cricket. The adults did some of that as well as copious amounts of reading, drinking, eating and playing '500'. At various stages we also caught up with the Guppie friends - Dena and Jeff (Poo); Sandy and Kevin and kids; Lucy, Alex and George.

It was nice to come home and get rid of all the sand and sleep in our own beds after having visitors in the house for four days and then all sleeping in the same room at the beach! Poor Karl is back to work on Monday!

A few days with friends

2009-01-04T11:41:00.003+13:00

Malcolm, Deborah, Ruth, Bridgid and Sophia arrived from Adelaide on 27 December. We had a fun few days catching up after not seeing them for more than a year since they moved across the ditch. The kids all got on really well and the parents played '500' with Deborah being declared the overall champ! Georgia and Ruth are just 17 days apart in age and ended up dressing the same and calling themselves twins! Harry is one year older than Bridgid and Sophia and he simply adores them!

It was sad to say goodbye on 31 December as the time went so quick but we had to get straight into packing so we could get to Ohope Beach in time to spend New Year's Eve with the Guppies!

Xmas Day 2008

2008-12-26T15:47:00.010+13:00

We had a very quiet Xmas Day - just the four of us at home. Georgia woke up first (at 5:45am) and promptly woke up the rest of us so by 6am we were all in the lounge opening the presents left by Santa. I've uploaded some photos of the kids opening their presents while still in their jim jams!

The "main" present was the Guitar Hero Band for Playstation - it has a guitar, drums and microphone.

Harry made a clay face self portrait at school which he surprised us with on Xmas Day. Karl and I are fighting over who gets to hang in on their office wall!

It was lovely talking on the phone to Miriam, Elaine & Adam, Dee & Bruce, Malcolm and Anne. Also got heaps of Xmas texts from other friends and relatives. Later on we also "skyped" with Elaine and Adam so they could watch the kids using Guitar Hero - loads of laughs!

Lunch was a very quiet affair but nice for a change.

Afterwards Georgia went next door to Bethany's place to play on their new trampoline and ended up staying for dinner. In the end the kids didn't go to bed until 9pm and by then we needed more than a drink or two!

The money the kids received from grandparents, aunts and uncles was burning a hole in their pockets so today (Boxing Day) we braved the crowds and headed into a mall. Harry blew every cent on Lego, DVDs and a Polly Pocket toy. Georgia has only spent a small amount so far (a DVD and silver shoes) as she's trying to persuade Karl and I letting her spend the rest on a mobile phone. Don't fancy her chances ....

We're now looking forward to the arrival of Malcolm, Deborah and girls tomorrow. Should be a good few days!