Is It All In My Head

Girls winning prizes in 2011

Lucia and Madeleine had a fantastic year in many respects, but it was in the classroom that they really excelled.

Madeleine had a big challenge when she started at Dio in February 2011, moving to her third school in just four years, and joining a well established group who had mostly been together for three years already.  It was a big learning curve for her, and it would be fair to say that for a start she floundered and even begged us at times to send her back to her old school. Read more of this post

Sports Days 2011

The girls both had sports days to wrap up their sporting endeavors for the year.  I managed to get a great shot of Lucia mid-jump in the sack race, and a shot of Madeleine in her egg and spoon race.

Lucia sports day 2011

Madeleine sports day, 2011

They have both done incredibly well with swimming in 2011, having lessons every week during school terms, and are both better swimmers than I have ever been.  Madeleine played netball during the winter, and is now going to play Flippa Ball (like junior water polo) in the summer term.  Lucia hasn’t had the opportunity to play a team sport at school so uses up her extra energy leaping around the furniture at home – she likes to jump from couch to armchair to ottoman and back again, in a little circuit that usually drives the rest of us a bit mad, but which she finds hugely satisfying, for some reason.

Chemo and radio

Nearly four months have passed since I blogged, and actually I’m kind of surprised its only that long.  It feels like the last six months of my life didn’t really happen, since I was so pre-occupied with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  Although I’m still doing radio, I’m definitely feeling better than I have for a long time, so I’m going to start getting this blog up to date.  Stand by for more updates.

School Holidays :-)

Today is the first day of the school holidays, so Andrew took one for the team and took the girls to Rainbows End.  They were so excited last night that we were very nervous that the weather was going to rain on their parade, but luckily the rain held off until this evening, and they had a fantastic time.   Madeleine managed to fall over twice and come home with massive plasters on each knee, so Andrew learned his way to the first aid room, and Lucia came home with her face pink with candy floss.

Lucia rode the Pirate Ship 11 times, so obviously doesn’t take after me in the motion-sickness stakes, but decided she is not old enough for the Roller Coaster, so must have got some sensible genes from somewhere.  Madeleine did ride the Roller Coaster once but given the chance to do it again, decided she’d had enough.  They stayed til closing time and had a ball.  Now we’ll just have to weather all the requests for a return visit, til the next school holiday!  More photos after the jump.

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Lucia’s Assembly

Lucia’s class hosted the junior school assembly on Friday and each girl got a turn to speak in front of the school. Lucia had the responsibility
of saying a prayer for pets. She read very confidently, and sounded kind of grown up to me! Andrew was there to capture it for posterity – enjoy!

Lucia also got a special award on the following Monday for playing the violin and singing to the class…see below!

Cornwall Park September 2011

I know I’ve banged on about this before, but I really love Cornwall Park.  Only 10 minutes drive from our house, it’s a huge park in central Auckland that has given the girls many hours of entertainment.  We visited at the weekend, and were a little early for most of the cherry blossoms, but the girls had a great time playing anyway.  The buds are out and turning green at their tips, so we’ll be back soon.

Girls at Cornwall Park

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RWC Opening Night

On Friday 9 September the Rugby World Cup opened in Auckland.  There was a huge public party down at the waterfront, and we decided to jump on a train and join in.  In all honesty, the less said about this experience the better.  The organisers totally underestimated the number of people who would go into the city – and so did we.  So at the first opportunity we escaped and were lucky enough to be able to visit a friend in Parnell to watch the spectacular fireworks display that so many in the city had been looking forward to.

It was fantastic and we were really relieved that we managed to salvage something from the evening.  Actually the girls overall had a good time, partly because they got to go to bed so very very late.   They were allowed to stay up and watch the whole opening game, faithfully chanting “All Blacks All Blacks” to the very end, and are now overnight rugby fanatics. For the next six weeks anyway.  Photos are in reverse order – because the best bit was the last bit.

RWC Opening Night - Fireworks from Parnell

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Spring at Herne Bay

This morning I ventured down a little path to the beach at Herne Bay and found a gorgeous wee bay that I didn’t even know existed.  It was an amazing spring day, warm and sunny and still, and I spent over an hour just sitting in the sun reading my book.  I think I should make it my mission, on days when I’m fit and well, to find new places I’ve never been.  Should be easy, Auckland’s a big city.

Herne Bay morning sun

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Polar Plunge at Mission Bay

Last weekend some mad people decided to run into the sea at Mission Bay, all for a free pie as far as I can see, and a bit of fun (I guess), and co-incidentally we happened to be there at the time.  There was a bit of entertainment (magician making balloon toys, pies for sale etc) so the girls had a good time watching the polar plungers, making a sandcastle, and so on.  Another stunning Auckland day – cold but beautiful.

Sandcastles at Mission Bay

Maddy with balloon snake at Mission Bay

Girls watching Polar Plunge at Mission Bay

Wynyard Quarter – At last, Auckland has a waterfront!

Recently Auckland opened the wonderfully revamped Wynyard Quarter, an area next to the more adult-focussed Viaduct, that was previously not open to the public.  I think its a waterfront that finally does justice to Auckland, the City of Sails.

It has a fantastic playground, complete with paddling pool, basketball area, huge sandpit, loads of places to eat and a big bridge that opens to allow boats to pass through to the Viaduct marina.  The girls have been twice now – once with Andrew on the opening day (this was cold, so they are wearing coats on their ride on the tram), and the second time on a beautifully sunny day with the whole family.

Girls on the tram at Wynyard Quarter

Climbing frame at Wynyard Quarter

More pictures after the jump. Read more of this post