taking advantage of the fine weather

Yesterday was such a fun family day...the Botanic Gardens for most of the day, followed by a quick rest, dinner at the local pub, and chocolate from the dairy. From start to finish Quincy was nothing but pleasant. Just a real good day.

It was the tail end of the Spring Festival at the Botanic Gardens and they were holding the national tree climbing competition. Never knew there was such a thing. There were several different events based on speed, strength, and agility.

Those climbers were seriously skilled and pretty cool to watch.

They had tree climbing for kids too. Initially Quincy observed carefully, but then at the end of the day as we were leaving the park, he surprised us by giving it a go.

Mt. Everest, here he comes.

Earlier in the week, Quincy and I went with some friends and saw the tulips. Glad we did, because they were a bit sad by yesterday. I don't think they appreciated the 160 mm of rain the other day.

Naturally, Quincy had to introduce Papa to the ducklings we discovered last time.

We paid a visit to the conservatory too, where the tapoles and lily pads were a big hit. Actually, I'm not really sure if they were tadpoles, but we'll just say they were.

Jeremy was keen to head to the top and have a look at the weather station and the planetarium, so up we climbed. And climbed.

The boy couldn't get enough of "the big gun," which incidentally is pointed pretty much straight at our house.

Then a picnic lunch, a long play on the very cool and very crowded playground, and a quick stop to feed the overfed ducks.

As we headed down, our animal lover took us on safari through Africa, Australia, and South America where we came across crocodiles, leopard tortoises, black mamba snakes, monitor lizards, wombats, platypuses, echidnas, tiger snakes, and emerald tree snakes.

What an adventure.

flying fox

I try not to make too many comparisons between NZ and the US. Both countries have great things to offer. There are pros and cons to living here and there.

That said, the playgrounds in NZ are better. They just are. Hands down.

Pinch me. I must be dreaming.

The weather forecast for the next TEN days is SUNNY with only light winds. I'm sure it'll change, but it's been a long time since we've had day after day of a bright yellow sun forecasted. And I think it's safe to say that everyone in Wellington is smiling.

Yesterday we had 24 hours of constant rain. It was unrelenting. About 160mm fell.

We didn't step foot outside. And I'm pretty sure Quincy was within an inch of me all day long, asking questions. It was unrelenting.

The sunshine, 17C day today was a welcome relief, for sure. It was time for summer clothes and an ice cream in the village. And my sidekick agreed.

Let me backtrack a bit...When I told the boy he could choose an ice cream at the dairy, he replied, "I'd prefer a chocolate car." You see, he absolutely loves these beautifully wrapped mini gourmet ($1.40) chocolate cars and tries to smooth talk one out of us whenever possible. I warned him that I'd be getting an ice cream, which would take a lot longer to eat than a gone-in-two-bites car. But he didn't waver. He chose a silver one. And I chose a triple chocolate Trumpet.

In the time it took me to unwrap my ice cream, his car had vanished. And this is what happened next...

Once his treat was finished he looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said, "Actually, I'd prefer an ice cream, Mama."

How could I not share?

tulips + ducklings => the arrival of spring

We met some friends today at the Botanic Gardens for a "Senses Walk". Most of it was aimed at school-aged children, but our three-year-olds still enjoyed sniffing and touching their way around the gardens, getting a tiny taste of what it might be like to be blind.

In the rose garden we came across these little cuties, a sure and welcome sign of spring.

Quincy wanted so much to take one home.

Growing up our neighbours had Daisy Duck, who made my old paddling pool home before moving on to their in-ground pool. So, yes, it's possible. But sorry, Buddy, I think two middle-aged dogs and Harold, your pet spider,* are all the animals we can handle at the moment.

*For about two weeks Q developed a fear of insects, mainly bees, ants, and spiders. Then one day he decided he wasn't scared anymore. He lovingly named a spider he found outside Harold. Now Harold is a bit of a magic spider, as he is able to regularly change appearance. In fact, every spider found in and around our house, dead or alive, is somehow Harold. Amazing really.

how i spent my morning...

while Quincy was at Playcentre...

I could've used those precious few hours* to clean the house. I could've prepared dinner. I could've done some major organizing in closets, the garage, and in my craft room. I could've listed some furniture on Trade Me. I could've caught up on (gasp) 5 months of Project 365.

Nope. That stuff can continue to wait. Besides there were leftover black beans in the fridge.

So instead of tackling things on my growing to-do list, I took a long overdue, relaxing, off-lead walk with the dogs. Just me and the hounds. Like old times. The dogs happily set the pace, instead of a certain curious someone who likes to make lots of pit stops. Don't get me wrong, these two noses on legs make their fair share of stops, but today everything was on their terms for a change.

It's pretty rare these days for the dogs, i.e. the dogs minus their 3-year-old human brother, to be my sole photographic subjects.

After the last post, Kai was keen for me to show off her fancy fetch moves. That girl's got some serious skills.

Did I mention the walk was windy?

Here is the ferry that travels between the North and South Islands. [Quincy is desperate to take our car on it and travel around the South Island picking apples(???).] I love the snow-capped mountains on the South Island in the background.

By 5 o'clock, with the laundry thankfully dry and folded inside, the gorgeous blue sky was replaced by a very rare thunder and lightning storm accompanied by hail. Ahhh, spring in Wellington.

Footnotes & Asides

*Actually, "precious" is an understatement as they only come around once a week.

An aside...In the car on the way to dropping the boy off this morning, he said, "You're dropping me off. And then at the end you'll come back and pick me up. That's what Playcentre is all about." I couldn't help but reply, "Amen, brother!"

three weeks. unexpected and treasured.

A very happy hello. An instant reconnection between nephew and aunt. Countless meals prepared. Two bedrooms painted. House redecorated. Kitchen cabinets scrubbed. A goetta and pancake breakfast courtesy of Jeremy. A few rainy days. Too many lollies eaten. Many readings of Dinotrucks. One game of Sequence Jr played. One trip to the zoo. Lots of giraffe feeding and a very entertaining baboon troop. Five picnics under gloriously blue winter skies. Four visits to three playgrounds. Regular trips to the beach. A wet and windy Beagle Club walk. One computer broken. So much Good Earth tea drunk. Three playdates. One day of shopping. Many trips to Playcentre. One wild Matariki costume party. Frequent solo bushwalks with one close call under a rapidly setting sun. Lots and lots of walking. A bit of singing and dancing at Mainly Music. A Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains marathon. Many many smoothies consumed. Plenty of meaningful conversation. A very sad goodbye.

Three weeks with my sister. Sharing my everyday with her. It went too fast.

(The photo album can be viewed on Flickr.)

fog

Today we awoke covered in a blanket of fog.

Initially we couldn't see past our neighbor's house.

But it gradually lifted throughout the morning,

leaving a lot of low-lying cloud behind.

We wanted to all go down to the beach in the fog, but we didn't get our act together in time. Still Quincy and I had a perfect camera-free morning, throwing rocks in the sea, making stone soup, and playing in and around a washed-up tire. Meanwhile, Jeremy took the dogs on a long walk around the bays.

Note: We already have our Christmas lights up for December 09. I can't believe how organized we are!

stef toming

One more sleep and we can't wait. When I ask Q who is coming tomorrow, he replies, "Stef toming. Airpane. Yiberry. Taygoun." I once mentioned the things we would do while Stef is here and the truly important things stuck. The library & the playground. The priorities of a 21-month-old.

Today was the most perfect weather day imaginable. We hope Wellington keeps it coming while she is here...

Regardless, we will surely have a howling good time.

zookeeper says

Today Quincy took us to the zoo.

He got to feed the giraffes, but the highlight of the day for him had to be "driving" the old zoo Jeep.

The kiwi was cute, but the highlight for me was the baby chimp. Pity about the blurry pics, but I think the cuteness is clear.

The highlight for Jeremy was the well-endowed bat. I don't even need to ask him. I just know. I'll spare you the photo.

As entertaining as the animals were, these signs were, well, hysterical. Now remember, zookeeper says, beware of the bucking zebra.

And on the way home, books about animals, of course.

what a greeting

This is what we came home to after a spontaneous night laughing and feasting on fish 'n chips on the beach with Ollie and fam...

This was no partial rainbow, mind you...

And after sporting hats and gloves over new year's, a glimpse at a much-needed night of summertime fun...