Another month, another birthday ....

It’s been a busy few weeks, so I’ve been a bit slack about blogging.
With husband away, and school in full swing, non-work-related computer time has been a bit of a scarce commodity.
Thankfully, K. arrived homely safely on Sunday, after the kids and I had spent a fun day at the Auckland Museum. I’ll blog about that later because in the meantime …
The Little Princess turned 6 yesterday!
The morning started with presents, including some which had travelled all the way from Australia – thanks everyone.
After breakfast of sausages, beans and toast – Missy Moo loves sausages – it was time for school.
She skipped along happily, while I trailed behind, loaded down as I was with a huge pink lolly cake, just as requested, to share with her class.
In the afternoon, a special friend from school came home with her for afternoon birthday tea and a play. There was cupcake decorating, a tea party, and plenty of playing with dollies and ponies – much to C’s disgust (though he quite enjoyed the cupcakes!)
One of our family traditions is for the birthday girl or boy to choose what they would like to have for dinner. Last month, the Little Dude wanted fish and chips – and we had them, fresh off the boat, at the Auckland Fish Market. My choice, last year, was a very memorable meal at Murder Burger, a Ponsonby icon.
H. has more expensive tastes though (hmm, wonder who she takes after?), and chose a "grown-up" restaurant on the Viaduct. The food and view were wonderful – we watched the sun slowly setting over the ocean – but the kids were bored in minutes as they waited for their meals. K. and I found ourselves counting to 10 on more than one occasion as they squabbled, squirmed, and slurped their drinks.
But we all enjoyed our dinner – braised lamb shanks for K., tiger prawn and scallop fettucine for me, terahiki fish goujons and chips for C, and a ham and pineapple pizza – minus the ham – for Missy.
It was back to reality today though, with school again, and a Back To School Bash tonight for the whole family. Apparently, it’s something the school does every year to give parents, teachers, and kids the chance to meet and greet informally.
There will be a fundraising BBQ, bar (!), and sports and swimming for the kids.
Hmm, something tells me we may need the bar after all that!
Only kidding. The teachers are wonderful and the parents we've met are lovely too. Should be fun - as long as it doesn't rain!

Unwrapping presents ..."Look, it's real money Mumma!"

A DS game!

The cake. Doesn't look too pink here, but trust me, it was!

Making cupcakes. Better than baking brownies I guess!

C. made a Clown Cupcake

The proof is in the eating ...

(Mind you, that looks painful!)

Waitangi weekend

It's official - I'm no longer GPS-dependant!
While I still need our trusty sat-nav system to tell me how to get to anywhere new, I am proud to report that I can now find my way to the post office, shops, airport, and our favourite shopping centre without using the GPS.

And on Friday, a public holiday for Waitangi Day here in New Zealand, I took the kids over the bridge to Takapuna for lunch and the beach ... again without needing to be told how to get there.

How awesome is that? (Hey, it's only taken 5 1/2 months!)

Waitangi Day marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, and like Australia's national day, is often celebrated on the beach.

When in Rome (or Auckland), and all that, so we decided to do the same. Thankfully, it was cooller on the beach than at home, thanks to sea breezes and massive trees along the seafront.

Yes, it's been hot here in Auckland - okay not by Queensland standards, but pretty stifling, particularly as our townhouse has no ceiling fans, let alone an air-conditioner.
To escape the heat, on Saturday we went to our favourite shopping centre, St Luke's, to see Hotel For Dogs. Didn't the kids laugh?! And I confess - I'm obviously still a bit Tired and Emotional because I ended up crying in the movie - twice. The kids laughed even harder at that, and C. gleefully annouced to the whole cinema "Hey everyone, my Mum's crying!"
Later we joined some friends at One Tree Hill for a late afternoon picnic.
One Tree Hill is one of Auckland's 48 volcanic peaks, and offers a huge expanse of green parkland and shady trees to picnic under.

The kids loved seeing the cows and sheep grazing nearby, and spent a couple of happy hours climbing trees, throwing balls around, and climbing the hill before rolling back down again.

It was a gorgeous way to spend an afternoon and I can't wait to take K. there.

With Husband away, I didn't attempt the famous Sunday Roast on the weekend, however the kids have been unusually complementary about my cooking this time ... mainly simple meals like bangers and mash, chicken kiev and vegies, and macaroni cheese (meals that even I can't mess up - much!)

Parenting is still tough when K. is away, but maybe there is hope for me yet!

H. on Takapuna Beach, with Rangitoto Island (another volcano) in the background.

My little monkey man

A "fairy home" in the tree

The kids thought this looked like an elephant. Hmm, any other thoughts?

Back to school

Sunday dawned, and with it a return to sole parenting as Husband took flight for work.
While he flew into a cyclone zone, our house quickly turned into one too.
You see, the Little Dude has taken on the mantle of being Man Of The House while Daddy is away very seriously.
So in addition to the usual household detritus of toys, colouring books, paints and discarded food wrappers littering our home, there have been nails and screws and bits of wood as C. put together not one, but two bookshelves for me
Awesome! Now if only I could get him to tidy his room…
In other news, the kids finally went back to school today. Yes, it’s been a long summer holiday, and while we’ve had fun, I think we’re all ready to get back into the routine of school again.
And unlike so many of our Aussie friends, who have apparently spent the past few weeks up to their elbows in contact and name tags, our relaxed Kiwi school staff have told us not to worry about it until this week, when we can pick up everything we need in a tidy little box. No contact or coverings required. Genius!
Their first day back started with a Powhiri, a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony for all the new students, teachers and parents. Many of the women wore colorful skirts or sarongs, and we all took our shoes off for the duration of the ceremony. Afterwards, parents, teachers and school officials greeted each other with a hongi - the rubbing of noses or a Maori kiss.
When it was time for me to go, there were a few tears from the Little Princess, who desperately wanted to come too. But one of her teachers took her by the hand and when I looked back to check, she was skipping alongside her.
Personally, I’ve had the hardest week I think since we moved here. I don’t know if it’s that the excitement of birthdays, Christmas, New Year, and our holiday in Oz has worn off, or a combination of all of them, but I’ve felt a bit flat. Of course, it doesn’t help that husband is away for a few weeks, and my arthritis has obligingly flared up.

It's times like these that the negatives of moving overseas really hits home. With our closest family across the ditch in Australia, together with a network of friends and neighbours, there's really no one I can call on if I need a break, especially when K. is away.

Luckily, we have a long weekend coming up with Waitangi Day on Friday, and Kyle’s boss’s family have asked the kids and I over to their place for fish and chips on Saturday. The rug rats are also twisting my arm to take them to the museum or the movies - or both! Hmm, that will depend if they sleep in their own beds tonight!

Anyway, hopefully I'll soon have booted the blues and be back to normal (well as normal as I'm going to get anyway!)

Can't talk, building. Missy lends a hand.

And below, the finished product (As you can see it was hot work - shirt came off)

A healthy breakfast for the big Grade 2 girl - though: 'It's not as good as Dadda's' she pronounced mournfully.

"Mum, do I really have to stay?"

A bump in the night

It had to happen.
We knew all those stairs would get one of us before long. I’ve had a few near-misses, and the kids have skidded down a few of them here and there, and landed in a heap. But so far, so uninjured.
Until this week.
Missy Moo was having a nightmare and Gallant Husband, who is wrapped around her tiny little finger, decided to bring her downstairs to our bed. When suddenly, he missed a step, and came tumbling down the steepest flight of stairs (yep - the ones above), like so many sacks of sand.
Somehow, he managed to hold on to Missy, who escaped with a scratch on her knee. But because he couldn’t put a hand out to save himself, Husband landed pretty heavily on his hip.
Consequently, he is bruised and battered and incredibly sore. But nothing was broken, and Missy – to her credit – didn’t make a fuss. She was more concerned about Dadda than herself. She’s sweet like that.
It’s funny though, because with my track record, we all expected that I’d be the one to take a tumble first.
Because K. was sore and sorry for himself, it was my turn to cook last night, and for once, the kids didn’t cry when I presented them with a version of a Dadda favourite – Japanese curry. Hey, there is hope for me yet!
And finally, due to popular demand, a return to Wine of the Week. This one’s a natty little number that Husband bought back from a work conference, which apparently involved lots of wine tasting. It went down very nicely with his Sunday roast.

Eight is enough

Australia Day? Auckland Anniversary Day? Pah! The real celebration in our household this week, was C’s eighth birthday.
His day started at 5 am, though to give him credit, he grudgingly gave us another hour’s sleep-in before finally dragging us out of bed to watch him open his presents.
Electronic games seemed the order of the day, though he was well-pleased with a watch, clothes, and a long wished-for computer of his own. (It’s K’s old laptop, but still, it’s for his use now – no more begging to ‘have a turn’ on mine when I’m working. Okay, Facebooking or Twittering!)
Because it was a holiday here too, we spent a pleasant morning at Mission Bay, where there was a cool market, delicious food, and gorgeous views of the regatta across the water.
Then it was home to enjoy some of the birthday presents, while H. and I made a cake according to C’s instructions – strawberry flavoured with vanilla icing. To my horror, it came out pretty flat, but the kids loved it and it tasted okay. But clearly, Nigella Lawson is under no threat. (Mind you, I don’t lounge around the kitchen licking my fingers suggestively and making double entrendes about ordinary food like onions and pudding either. “My empty vessels are ready to be loaded” – she purred the other day. Er, she was talking about potato skins.)
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the not-so-little Dude’s birthday
One of our family traditions, is that the birthday boy or girl gets to choose what we have for dinner. C., with his love of Kiwi seafood, chose fish and chips. We found an excellent little place just down the road from us at the Auckland Fish Market.
It was cheap, cheerful, and served up probably the best snapper and chips we’ve ever tasted. Seafood in NZ seems to get better every time we try it!
The phone ran hot all day with well-wishers from afar, and there were even a few emails.
It was a great, but exhausting day and guess what? We get to do it all again in a few weeks when the Little Princess turns 6. Apparently, that’s when she can officially call herself a ‘Big Girl”.

French crepes for breakfast

Can't talk, drinking

Missy not impressed that it's time to leave

Playing his character on his own computer

Making aliens out of gloop

Time to cut the cake

The proof is in the eating ....

We saw food - and ate it!

Our first week back home, has flown by.
I was back to work each morning from the home office, while the kids played and watched telly. It mostly worked out fine, although there were a few moments when I had to feed or water them, admire drawings, or occasionally, break up a brawl.
C. actually asked to go to YMCA Vacation Care for a couple of days, and it worked out well. Apart from playing games like basketball and soccer, they went to mini-golf one day, and the highlight, fishing from the old Mangere Bridge on another.
Husband and I had visions of our Little Dude ending up in the drink, but apparently, he was well behaved, and even caught, gutted, and cooked a fish himself. (And ate it. His verdict: Sweet, a bit salty, and kind of fishy. No surprises there then.) He came home exhausted but happy (and just a little bit stinky!)
H. and I took the opportunity for a little quality girl time on those days, having lunch with K. in the city – one of the benefits of living so close to work – and doing some shopping for the birthday boy, who can you believe it, turns 8 on January 26?
Not content with getting a holiday for his birthday each year because it falls on Australia Day, C. was chuffed to discover he’d get one in Auckland too – due to Auckland Anniversary day.
Speaking of which, it’s a weekend of celebration here, and Husband and I took the opportunity to check out the Auckland Seafood Festival, which we’d been looking forward to for weeks. The festival involves much tasting of fresh New Zealand seafood, plus the wines and beers to accompany it. Plus there are cooking demonstrations, and competitions like fish racing, oyster eating, and kina shucking.
We left the kids happy in the expert care of our French babysitter Jeane, who soon had them making and eating French crepes, washing up, and frolicking in the pool.
The Viaduct was full of strolling entertainers, as well as fabulous yachts and other boats in time for Monday’s Auckland Regatta. The sun was shining, the sea was a gorgeous mirror of green, and the atmosphere was great.
However, at the entry to the seafood festival, we found a seething mass of humanity clamouring to be let in. And the queues weren’t moving.
Realising we’d probably spend half our child-free time queuing in the hot sun, and the other half being jostled and elbowed by the crowds, we decided to abandon the festival idea and find a nice, civilised restaurant instead.
This time, we chose Imperial, which was cool, relaxing and friendly, and had great views of the marina. Apparently, it was the world's first Heineken bar, and is also the first and last place in the Viaduct to see the sun each day.
And as it happened, we got our seafood anyway. After a platter of dips and breads (yummy), Husband enjoyed soft shell crab and Mediterranean risotto, which was to die for. My tastebuds were tantalised by nori-tempura fish and prawns, with a ginger cucumber salad. Oh my goodness, I’ve enjoyed a lot of delicious meals in New Zealand, but this was probably the best ever. It was divine! Husband, who ended up sharing my meal, agreed. Washed down with a glass of - what else? - Heineken, it was certainly a meal to remember and I can't wait to go back.
Today, we took the kids to see Bolt, as an early birthday treat for C. We loved the movie, though I had a squirming little girl on my lap for most of it!

It was lunch at the St Luke's foodcourt after that.

Tonight, Husband is doing the traditional Sunday roast, and I'm charged with making a strawberry and banana cake for the birthday boy.
Just another weekend in Auckland!

A glorious Auckland day - if only it was always like this!

Lunch at the Imperial

Breads and dips - mmm

Husband's soft shell crab risotto

Nori-tempura fish, prawns and cucumber and pickled ginger salad - the combination of flavours was divine!

Aussies in ... Australia

The Aussies in Auckland have actually spent most of January OUT of Auckland, after Husband spotted some excellent airfares to Brisbane with Pacific Blue.
Pacific Blue is part of the Virgin Blue group, who we’ve always found fantastic to fly with, so booking the flights was a no-brainer. Virgin staff always seem happier and more helpful than staff at more expensive airlines, and are great with the kids. Once, they took C. up the back of the plane and painted his face, another time they took then baby H. for a walk around the plane while we had our meal.
Pacific Blue staff were just as great, and we made it into Brisbane in time to spend New Year’s Eve with Husband’s family.
The next few days were filled with doing all the things we’ve missed while living in Auckland – eating bugs, demolishing mangoes, over-indulging in Peking Duck at our favourite little restaurant in Darra, playing with pets, and catching up with family and friends, often over a barbecue. The kids knocked themselves out (not literally) playing in friends’ backyards – jumping on trampolines, and playing on swing sets. It made me realise how much they’ve missed having a garden to play in.
Poor hard-working Husband had to fly back to work after a week, but the kids and I stayed on to do the rounds with family, who opened their homes to us (and in some cases, pools and cars as well!) It was fabulous to see them all again.
There were loads of barbecues, and way too much eating and drinking. The kids picked up with their cousins as if they’d never been apart.
But all good things come to an end and we finally boarded the plane back to Auckland.
The kids were pretty good on the flight – I trialled Earplanes, special plugs which are meant to reduce ear discomfort – and they seemed to work. For the first time, H. didn’t cry as we descended into Auckland.
The toughest part was at the airport, where 6 other planes had landed. By then, the kids had had enough, thank you very much, and weren’t impressed at having to queue to get through customs and baggage screening.
Finally, we made it outside where K. was waiting. “Daddy!” the kids screamed and raced towards him where he scooped them up and gave them big hugs.
We knew we were back in Auckland, because, as if on queue, a smiling Asian man took a photo of the reunion. I don’t know why, but Asian people are always grabbing H. and C. for photos, particularly the little princess. Perhaps it is because of her blonde hair?
What was really interesting, was that it felt good to be back. This is only our fifth month in New Zealand, but it was great seeing all the now-familiar sites that were so new to us when we moved here – the volcanos, the green, the parks, and even our local supermarket.
C. summed it up best when he said to Husband: “It’s good to be home Daddy. I even missed you shouting at me!”

Our journey started with a quick bus trip to the airport

Random stranger grabs H. for a photo - so I take one of him!

H. enjoyed Auntie K's pasta so much, she ate the whole lot!

C. is favoured by Nana's notoriously choosy cat, Samantha

Waiting for the train to the Sunshine Coast

Happy cousins enjoy the spa - it's a tough life, but someone has to do it!

More happy cousins

Cubby-house picnic

Breakfast with cousins on Grandma and Pa-pa's deck

Clovelly Estate winery - cheeky!

One of the South Burnett's fabulous wineries

The kids were always well-behaved - not!

Can we take him home with us?

Home at last!