A busy week

When I was a child growing up summer began in August and lasted until March. We ran around in shorts and sun frocks and by Christmas when our southern cousins arrived for a holiday we had lovely suntans. They didn't. Now I live down south near those
 same cousins and summer is much later arriving :( 

Sometimes by Christmas, like this one, we are still wondering whether summer will arrive at all and whether we will get a suntan.

But family time is still as good as it ever was and that is what really counts.
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So what has my family been up to this week? 

rain beginning at grandson Jack's assembly

First of all Jack had his final assembly for his primary school and parents, grandparents and all the pupils gathered at the appointed hour. Rain had been threatening but we were all ever hopeful the assembly would be over before the rain arrived as it was being held outside. We decided to put our rug and cushions under a tree and took our umbrellas with us, just in case. Well you guessed it, just as proceedings were about to begin the heavens opened and the rain bucketed down. The upshot was that the kids were all herded inside, those who could fit went in with them (small hall) , and people like me went home. So I missed Jack's final assembly.

Caitlin (grand daughter)  and her proud Mum

The next night both my GKB and I had Christmas breakups to go to for different organisations. So we went our separate ways and met up at home again later in the evening.

 I didn't miss the next important event on the calendar though, this was Caitlin's graduation from her Tourism and Travel course, the end of two years hard work. My GKB and I both went and we are so proud of her as she was also nominated for the Integrity and Development Award. It was an interesting graduation with a couple of items from the cultural group - the Pacific Island community lent a lot of colour with several of them graduating as well. We thoroughly enjoyed it all.

Sunday brought a special seasonal church service, Lessons and Carols. Once more we sang several carols we had sung the week before at the Carols in the Park and we listened again to the Christmas story unfolding. A bonus was that people from the congregation who had not been able to attend the park were able to join in the songs with us.

Yesterday my little mother had her 87th birthday. Tonight her youngest grandson is taking her out for a meal, she has been resting all afternoon so she is able to stay out for a while this evening. She is much better than she was but still awaiting a date for her heart op. All of her overseas Christmas and birthday parcels arrived at my place so I took them around yesterday (two boxes full) and she enjoyed opening them and putting her Christmas ones on her decorated hearth to wait for Christmas Day.

And that has brought us up to today. I've taken my little Mother shopping and in the afternoon my GKB and I went and, hopefully, finished our own Christmas shopping. Phew, if I haven't done it now it probably won't happen :)

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And so to end I would like to share a couple of photos of some of the fun things around the neighbourhood. 

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas,

filled with, fun, laughter and love.

Diana

The week just gone...

No, the photo below is not taken in Rotorua at the geysers 

but one day during the week as my GKB

 was heading up the road to pay a couple of bills.

Council workmen had hit a water main while

 digging up the street, for goodness knows what,

 and this was the result. He actually rushed back

 home to get the camera so he could take some shots.

a geyser - not

It looks quite spectacular, as, I think, does my lovely girl below. 

This is Caitlin, our middle grand daughter at her graduation.

She has just finished a years study and could

 leave her course now but has decided to go on

 and do the second year and get the full diploma.

So this was her graduation for the components

 she has already achieved.

Caitlin - middle grand daughter

And below are some of her proud supporters.

Five daughters, four grand daughters, three mothers

 three cousins, two sisters and one great grandmother. 

Which adds up to five ladies believe it or not, not eighteen.

Of course this is just my side of the family, 

her other grandparents were there as well as a couple of other family members. All very proud.

grandmothers, mothers, daughters and cousins

We all had a lovely evening at the Town Hall,

 good food and drinks, non alcoholic as well as alcoholic.

 Lots of photos taken. And I won't tell you 

about the tiki tour I took on the way home. 

Suffice to say what should have taken approximately

 10 minutes took me about 25. I took one wrong turn 

and things went downhill from there, haha. 

 I knew where I was, it just wasn't where I should have been.

food bank collection vehicles

 And that brings us to tonight when we were sitting home 

quietly minding our own business and we heard sirens coming

 down the street and then an ambulance pulled up outside.

But all was well, it was the annual food bank collection 

with the ambulance heralding the arrival of the collectors.

We had forgotten to get anything for it but I managed 

to find some things in the cupboard that we could donate. 

The service clubs man (woman and child) this appeal just before

 Christmas to boost the food bank supplies over the holiday period.

Christmas goodies

And talking of Christmas holidays, 

I have decided to take this week 

off just to do those things I need 

and want to do for and with the family. 

Apart from a lunch date I have on Friday 

that has been organised for a few weeks.

One of the things to do is wrap Christmas presents

 and I need to do this before school finishes

 and little grands start to appear occasionally at the house.

Tomorrow morning is a visit to eldest daughter

 and then some Christmas shopping with little mother.

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joining in this week with:

Blue Monday
and:
roses of inspiration

And that's it for another week.

Happy Christmasing.

Diana