HANGING OUT THE LAUNDRY

I loved this!   Christchurch is really rather quirky nowadays with all the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Driving along, we spotted this sight, so incongruous in amongst the rubble....

obviously some kind of art statement!

SOLD MY CAR, AND #1's

So, the GSR was sold....

mixed feelings.... but at least the money is in hand!!

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Mike got a #1

which caused a bit of excitement in our otherwise normal life...

It's all grown now...

things are back to normal!

But I liked it!

SCOTT ENGINEERING PRIZE

The conversation went like this:

Heath (one day after school in casual, nonchalant tones): Mum, have you ever been to a prizegiving at school?

Me: Hmmmm (thinking long and hard, mind stretching faaaar back into the recesses of time), No, I don't THINK so.... I'd have to have longer to think about this.....

Heath: Would you like to go to one?

Me:   That would be fun.   Why?   Have you won a prize or something?

Heath:   (More nonchalant than ever)... Yeah, Year 12 Engineering Prize!

Me:  What?????  This is awesome!   Picked him up and swung him around, for joy  (not really! He's taller than me now!)

WITH BRIAN AND DOROTHY

Fiona and I went up with Dad and Marilyn to Aunty Peggy's funeral in Tauranga.
We flew to Auckland (leaving home at 4.30am!) and down from there. Brian (Marilyns brother) and Dorothy met us and they prepared the most lovely breakfast, very welcome. We drove down to the funeral, then back where again Brian and Dot had prepared a banquet for dinner!  We finally got home again to Chch at 10.30pm! Long day!

MARSHALL DAY

My cousin Lesley, had her daughter over from the Coast to stay a few days, so they asked me out to get to know little Peter!

Michelle and Peter

Lesley and Aunty Ann; Felicity and Michelle

Nearby in Rangiora is Mum's brother and wife. Both unwell, 

but when I popped in, gave me such a warm welcome.

Uncle Denne

Aunty Maureen

Precious pair!!

Passing through Woodend, I popped in on a dear old friend, Mary. 

LABOUR WEEKEND: PACKING UP A LIFE

The time comes, I suppose, for everyone.   Mike's mum, Estelle, was too unwell to live at home any longer, and she had moved to Green Gables Rest Home.  

Mike, Heath and I, along with Paul, Marianne and their sons, and Sharee, Tempany and Levi all drove to Nelson Labour Weekend and packed her house up.

Mixed emotions of sadness and tears from time to time.... lots of memories unearthed again to be shared, told, laughed at, as we found old reminders from over the years..... and a real sense of 'togetherness' as we all shared this time together.  We all stayed in the house, and that was fun in itself!

Pictures of the weekend....

Mike.......

Marianne and Sharee in the kitchen

 Graham, our old friend, popped in (visiting Nelson from Wellington)

Paul talking to the hospice woman - she would organise to collect all the family did not want to keep.

Heath and Seb

Levi

Sharee had to bring her little family as they were so new!

A struggle for Heath not to take one home!

Tempany doing some wrapping

Oh dear, how do we tackle this one!

 Levi

Sharee is having a break in her assigned bedroom!   

Still much to go....

Marianne and Tempany sorting.... and sorting.... and sorting.....

but still smiling!

Seb, Heath and Levi - they slept in the lounge.

Sunday morning, went to Irma and Kayden's.

Here is Mike and Paul with a friend they grew up from childhood!  Pam.

Kayden and Irma

Back at Nan's - what's in the ceiling?

Time for us all to part. 

Job finished.

This was SAD!   

I couldn't stop taking photos as we were all organising to leave, knowing we would never be back, 

and we had had such a lot of memories from this place. 

Next door neighbours and also neighbour Ruth all came to say Goodbye.

Levi and Sharee - ready for the long drive to Ashburton

Gorgeous pic of the four cousins.

Levi, Heath, Tempany and Seb

So cute! Marianne unearthed  a box of old dolls and many dolls clothes.

One doll was Estelles, when she was a child and the clothes were so so gorgeous from that era!

Others were dolls she had collected up for her granddaughters over the years!

We took them into the rest home to share about them!

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GAVE A SPEECH!

OCTOBER 2012


English Language Partners, whom I work for in a voluntary capacity, invited me in to give a talk to their latest class on what it is like teaching a migrant, and I answered various questions they all asked.