Guy Fawkes

Big girl ... drinking.

Hot on the heels of Halloween, along came Guy Fawkes Night.

Yes, Guy Fawkes is another tradition kiwis have taken to with Gusto. You could even buy Fireworks alongside the newspapers and ready-made meals at our local supermarket!

Visions of Fireworks Nights in our Wondai backyard as a little girl (before they were banned) danced in my head. However, Kyle refused to put on a family fireworks display, and with good reason - a family friend lost an eye during a fireworks mishap many years ago.

So we absteined, though the ban didn't mean we missed out entirely. Thanks to our proximity to the park, we were able to watch all sorts of displays as they went off throughout the evening, all from the comfort of home (with all eyes intact).

In other news since our move here, the Little Princess - who previously insisted on having her morning hot chocolate through a plastic lidded cup - has graduated to a grown-up mug. "I'm a big girl now," she says proudly.

And C's reading has progressed in leaps and bounds. Best of all, he's really interested in reading for the first time, and will actually pick up books and try to read them. We're really proud of him.

Sadly, both H. and K. have come down with flu again this week. K. struggled into work, but the little miss is home in the warmth with me. It means I've had to cancel our weekend away to the Coromandel Peninsula, to give them time to recover before another week begins.

Pictures from our neighbourhood


This car is shagadelic baby!

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With no pets of our own, we make do with furry friends around the neighbourhood.

This one lives near school and regularly comes out for a pat and a fuss.