A 'cluster' of scooters

What do you call half a dozen scooters waiting for their boys to come and ride them? A clutch? A group? A pile? A flock? A herd? I don't know but I think a 'cluster' sounds good.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, rather cool and threatening to rain, I went with a couple of other adults and took our Sunday School boys to the 'dinosaur' park for a couple of hours of 'scootering'. Dinosaur refers to the fact that the slide is in the form of a large dinosaur and boy, do the kids love it. Once upon a time there was also a tearooms decked out like Noah's Ark but that is gone now unfortunately, but there are snake swings and a large whale for climbing over as well as other imaginative climbing stuff and of course the skateboard/scooter/bike course.

We started with a bite of lunch, we bought chips to supplement the lunches the boys had brought with them and we were soon joined by the inevitable gulls on the scavenge. I think they probably got as much of the lunch as the boys ate. Then it was off to the scooter track - oh boy. What fun. Round and round, up hill and down hill, jumps and other stuff that only little boys know how to do.  Challenging each other and doing 'sets' and generally showing off. Real male bonding stuff. It was great seeing them all interacting together.

The youngest two got tired before the others and eventually had us pushing  swings and helping them onto climbing equipment. All in all it was a good afternoon though.

Did I say the girls didn't come? They were going to, they arrived at church with their scooters but in the end opted to go to the 'Party in the park' with their parents and do more girly stuff like face painting and balloon animals and other much more genteel activities. No doubt we'll hear all about it next Sunday.                               

 Wishing you all a wonderful week.                                 

Aaachoo! - bless you :(

I woke up yesterday morning to what I thought was just another Summers (?) day. But no. The sky was a little cloudy and the wind was blowing gustily. It was reasonably warm, but not really summer temperatures.

And then I started to sneeze. And the nose ran. And the eyes got itchy. And I sneezed some more. Not pleasant at all. Now this is not uncommon for me for the first week or two of summer, but near the end?  No thank-you, sir. I thought I was going to have to make a trip to the pharmacy for anti-histamines but put it off. Thank goodness. No sneezing or runny nose or itchy eyes today. It had to be something windborne.

 But then, to add insult to injury, a little later in the day Claude decided to climb up on me for a bit of a cuddle and a smoodge.  

Now this is not something he normally does with me, he usually prefers my GKB to sit on.

That wasn't a problem but shortly after he departed I discovered I had come out in big welts on my neck and chin and was hot and itchy where he had been smoodging! Not a pretty sight :(

Allergic reaction! After 10 years I suddenly become allergic to the cat? Poor me, poor Claude! The welts and the burning redness are gone now - thank goodness, again :D) In future he can confine his smoodging to the GKB.

I thought I'd post the recipe for the pavlova we had at Christmas on our dessert table. It's very sugary and sweet and was created and named in honour of the ballerina Pavlova who performed here last century.

(It is a dessert also made in Australia where they say that we stole the recipe from them but we kiwi's know it was originally ours of course - ha ha.)

Anyway, whatever, if you have a sweet tooth, or are male, you will enjoy it.

Pavlova

3 large egg whites

Beat until stiff then add 3 tbsp cold water.

Beat until stiff again.

Add one cup of sugar slowly.

When dissolved add one tsp cornflour, one tsp vinegar,

 one tsp vanilla essence and a pinch of salt.

Beat until peaks form and mixture doesn't tip out of bowl when held upside down.

Spread baking paper on a flat oven tray .

Tip mixture onto tray and mold.

Put into previously heated oven and bake

between 300 - 325 degs. F. for 20 minutes.

 Turn oven off and leave overnight.

Decorate with whipped cream and strawberries

or other fruit or choc chips etc. 

We usually serve it with ice cream and fruit salad but I guess it really just depends on personal taste.

Enjoy!! 

one, two, three - thanks

Like Kim at nannykim's place I have

been following Ann Voskamp's1000 gifts principles,

that is to give thanks for 3 things each day for a year.

I meet a friend for lunch every Monday and

 we share our three things for each day of the previous week

with each other, that way we are accountable.

It is fun.

It is quite surprising to see what our separate

interpretations of each days three things is.

Sometimes we are coming at it from a totally different

perspective, but that makes it all the more interesting.

It is a great place to kick off our prayer time together.

Today the first thing to give thanks for was something in the sky and although this photo was

not taken today it is fairly typical of a Taieri sky

 at this time of the year - summer believe it or not.

As our summer sun is really vicious because of the hole in the ozone layer over us, it is great to sometimes have

some cloud cover. And this year our southern farmers are experiencing drought conditions so if the clouds

are a precursor of rain that is even better.

(As long as it falls at night time :)

Secondly we are to give thanks for one thing from my memory.

Well what can I say, I give thanks for my

childhood memories a wonderful time 

spent in the outdoors with cousins and friends

and in an atmosphere of utter well being. (The 50's)

The photo above is one we took when we were back in

 the ol' hometown last year.

These are the memorial gates from outside my

old primary school. The school buildings are long gone

 but the gates were saved and are now at the entrance to  Dixon Park which has a children's playground and

a creek running through it. A real symbol of my childhood.

The picture above is a representation of the third thanks -

one thing that is ugly-beautiful. This is one of the steam punk sculptures we saw in Oamaru near the end of last year.

 I'm not sure about the beautiful part of it but they sure

were ugly. I think they probably emphasised the beauty of the lovely white Oamaru stone on the buildings round about them.

Well that's it. I'm keen to meet up with my friend on

 Monday so we can share God's gifts with each other

 and have a bit of a giggle.

Goodnight all, and have a good week.

pretty flowers and a snowman

Aren't my flowers pretty? My sister in law picked them for me from her garden just before Christmas and I have just thrown the last of them out this week.

And I have been sooooo gooooood. My Christmas stuff is all packed away for the year. The tree is back in its box and the bins of decorations are back in the man cave somewhere - I leave the putting away of the bins and tree up to my GKB.

 Friday 6th being twelfth night I thought I should make an effort and do it. So after breakfast and doing a little bit of essential housework I got stuck in, and you know what? I enjoyed it! When my GKB arrived home I was on a roll and hadn't even stopped for a coffee. Mind you, these days he gets home in time for a late lunch, so it isn't as bad as it sounds. I packed everything up and then decided I might as well clean the whole room while I was moving furniture about so everything is dusted and polished and shiny and bright. My GKB even luxed (vacuumed, hoovered) the floors for me cos he knows that is the one job I really hate doing.

I do have one Christmas thingy still out though and that is because my little grandboys haven't discovered what it is yet. I think with everyone being outside on Christmas Day they just didn't see it.

The snowman covers a lolly container and is currently filled with mini packets of gummi bears.

 I have had it for years. My own kids loved when it came out but the 2 grandboys haven't had enough Christmases here yet to have discovered what it is - we have turns at hosting on Christmas Day. They will be back from holiday at the end of the week though.

Well my bed is calling so I am going to say goodnight to you all.

Have a great week.

Christmas Day at our place - in pictures

Christmas Day dawned beautiful and sunny and the clan came to our place for a traditional roast Christmas dinner. After sitting out under the gazebo and umbrella for youngest grandchild to give out presents (a family tradition) we went inside to eat and then outside again to enjoy the company and play with the new toys.



the dinner table finally set





some of the clan socialising



what can I find in here?




where did that go?




cheers



more socialising...




while the boys play cricket




preparing the desserts...




...only cold ones this year





deserted table ...











Merry Christmas to one and all

Only a week to go and it will be Christmas Eve. I can't wait.

The Christmas Eve service this year is at 9pm and the Christmas Day one is at 9am,

so  that is easy to remember.

Then it's all on at our place.

The family will all gather here for Christmas Dinner,

a traditional roast meal this year as that is what my GKB has requested

 and what my little mother prefers.

Our Christmas tree is finally up and decorated - I thought

 for while we wouldn't get it up,

life has been so busy.

We had the youth group breakup

and barbecue last night,

cold weather but the kids got out

 and played mini golf while they waited for the

  food and they were happy.

Above is a picture of the tree in the church that

was officially decorated  by the youth but in

reality was done by the leaders with

 one or 2 of the kids helping.

 We think it turned out pretty good.



These two pictures are of the

Christmas tree the Sunday School

kiddies decorated, and the crib

underneath that one of the older ladies

 in the church made for them.

They had a lot of fun doing this,

 did I tell you we have mainly boys in

our Sunday School.

Only 2 (brave) girls.

Tomorrow they put on their tableau during 

 the morning service

and have their breakup and prize giving.

It's going to be a lot of fun, 

we haven't had a real practice yet. 

Both the trees were decorated with love

 and to share with the community.

The Christmas tree in the foyer at my work place.

A lovely way to be greeted as you come in the door

 and the residents like to sit out there and see it too.

I thought it was very pretty.

A final word -  a reminder of the reason for the season.

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." John 3: 16 &17

I wish you all a merry and blessed

Christmas and a very prosperous 2012



Christmas doings

What a busy time of year, I'm finding it hard to fit

 in everything I need to do. I haven't even got my

Christmas tree or any decorations out yet, let alone put anything up. But...

I have got the parcels for Japan all wrapped and in the post and so number one son and his lovely wife  should get them some time this week.

My youngest grandson came with me to post them, he was having time off from school because he hadn't been well and there was a BIG bus trip coming up and he wanted to be well enough for that - of course. He's five.

After we had been to the post office we went for a drink at a 'grown ups' cafe, as opposed to McDonald's or similar. After he picked what he wanted to eat and drink I let him find us a table while I paid up.

He sat very nicely and half way through he said to me very earnestly

"you know Granma, I haven't done this before".

I thought it was a precious moment.

Yesterday we went in to the city to watch the Santa parade, youngest grandson and his sister were on a couple of floats. Their brother was too shy to take part.

The Lego float has Daniel in it, he is the Lego man in the red.

The one below that is a back view of his older sister - trust us to be on the wrong side of the street to see either of them properly, but it was a fun time.

We took my little mother in with us as well and afterwards she told us that was the first Santa Parade she had ever been in to see. Oh dear, I hadn't realised that.

Tonight I shall try to get some Christmas cards done.