summer

 

family + bach + holidays spent swimming at the beach + togs drying = great summer

Cornwall Park

 

 

Last Saturday, while Miss 6 was attending a birthday party at the Cornwall Park kiosk, I kept myself busy with camera in hand, checking out the park itself. The park is centered on a dormant volcanic cone called One Tree Hill which has many geological & historical features. It once had a Maori pa (fortification) built on the cone. 

 

It was a beautifully sunny day and there were plenty of photo opportunities...

the bach sleepout

Before alterations start

Demolition begins

Just back from a long weekend at our bach. Mr B, Sydney and B jnr spent the best part of Friday getting stuck into our new project - renovating part of the garage into a sleepout (which is basically a room conversion into sleeping quarters). We're expecting the builders to start in a fortnights time. I'll keep you all up to date as work progresses.

lest we forget

 

 

 

Photos removed by request

THE ODE

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end, against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

"We will remember them"

guy fawkes night

Like most Kiwi families, we celebrated Guy Fawkes night with an "at home" fireworks display. Most of our neighbourhood was lit up with noisy, colourful fireworks tonight. It was a great time and Miss 5 went to bed feeling terribly excited and exhausted.

winter sun

After a dark & damp start this morning, we were rewarded with a beautifully sunny day. Even the industrial areas in Onehunga look almost pretty.

remembrance






                                                     

THE ODE

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

"We will remember them"

 

butterfly creek

today we visited Butterfly Creek which is located near the Auckland Airport. There was plenty to see - tropical butterflies, fish, farm animals, creepy crawlies and even 2 Australian crocodiles named Goldie & Scar. Exciting and scarey at the same time.

franklin zoo

Today our family visited the Franklin Zoo where we encountered a lot of interesting animals and people. Miss 15 and I had our cameras at the ready and between us took well over 400 photos. Her Nikon D3100 takes much better photos than my Fuji Finepix s9500. Anyway, here's a few of my best shots. I was the only one game enough to hand feed the zebra with the very lovely toothy 'smile'. It's a perfect place to take the family and enjoy a picnic on the zoo grounds.

winter beach

I love the beach, whatever the weather. Our few days at the bach were filled with rain, wind and more rain. On the only fine afternoon, we took a nice long walk along the beach. Apart from the birds and the odd fisherman, the beach was mostly deserted. Then we headed indoors for hot chocolates hmmm.

at hand

as our beautiful South Island city of Christchurch struggles with the terror of a devastating earthquake, there are so many willing hands reaching out to help, rescue, care for, comfort and provide. Our thoughts and prayers for all those who are affected. Take care.

ticky tacky bach

Wikipedia has a humorous definition of the iconic kiwi bach as "something you built yourself, on land you don't own, out of materials you borrowed or stole." I'd like to introduce you to our newly acquired retro bach in the Coromandel complete with a longdrop. It's a very typical 1960s structure with leaks, squeaky floorboards and a mish mash of joinery. Here's a peak at the inside:

it's situated in an isolated spot with a beautiful beach only footsteps away. And there's no denying that it needs work, you might say a lot of work. Getting a new roof on is a priority.

coromandel

an inspired family day trip to Coromandel ( roughly 3 hours drive from Auckland) and then a somewhat challenging 14 km drive on a windy, gravel road through the Coromandel Forest Park to find this beautiful, unspoiled beach.

afternoon

Driving home at 4pm, I glanced up at the sky and saw the warm, radiant afternoon sun nestled in a soft, blanket of white cloud that spread across the sky.  I think that sometimes we're so busy looking ahead or behind, that we forget to look at the now or even look up. Definitely a moment worth capturing!

being aware

In early June 2010, I had my first mammogram as part of the NZ national breastscreening programme. All seemed to go well and I didn't think about it again. Then 3 weeks later, I got a phone call that I needed to go back for further assessments. After an ultrasound and more mammograms, the doctor's opinion was that the area that he'd seen on the mammography was nothing to worry about and recommended that I go back on to the standard screening list (2 yearly cycle).

The next day, another doctor called to ask me to have some biopsies done as he wasn't convinced. So a week later, I had both fine needle aspiration and stereotactic core biopsies performed. The results came back 7 days later, stating that the area showing up on the mammograms was a lesion with areas of radial scarring and lobular carcinoma in situ.

The very next week, I had a hook wire put in and I was in surgery to have the area excised. The surgeon confidently told me that the success rate was 95%. At pre-op, the surgeon breezed into the cubicle with the biggest smile and said "Kia Ora girl..." 

After another anxious week of waiting, the results came back that the lesion was benign but that there were as expected, noted changes of radial scar and lobular carcinoma in situ. These had been successfully removed but because of the increased tendency to grow a cancer in either breast, increased surveillance was recommended. I now need to have yearly mammographic screening. I really believe that early detection gave me the best outcome possible.

This 2 month journey has both frightened and empowered me. I was shaken by the roller coaster speed within which everything was taking place. I'm thankful for the peer review system, where doctors could review my inital & subsequent mammography and recommend the biopsies. Who knows, what 2 years down the track I could have been facing? For now, I'm just glad to be alive! I am changed forever...

Please read the comments attached to this post for updates on this journey.

mountain shadows

we took a nice, leisurely stroll up Mount Wellington this afternoon - enjoying the afternoon sun, making shadows and taking in the views of the city. The Maori name for Mount Wellington is Maungarei, which means "watchful mountain." From 1630 - 1700, the mountain was the site of an important Maori "Pa" (fortress) with about 2000 people living there. By 1820 the fortified pa no longer existed although there is still evidence of the terraces, palisades and food pits today. The mountain is now home to a herd of rather bossy black cows who delight in leaving their cow pats on the trail, which all adds to the fun of going up the mountain!

flowers

Todays photo task was to look at flowers up close. I love the macro setting on the s9500 as I seem to be fascinated with tiny details at the moment. Everything is so much more interesting up close...   

garden

just a quick post to share the first few photos that I've taken using the s9500. These were all taken in our back garden using the automatic setting on the camera and on a slight cloudy, sunny afternoon. I still have to read the manual and learn about all the different settings as well as use a tripod to avoid shakey hands.

Thanks to all who've taken the time to send me an email or leave a comment about the cyber stalkers. I really appreciate your support. I'm going to keep doing what I love.

BSA 1952 motorcycle

a very good friend came to visit with his all original BSA 1952 classic motorcycle. It was a lovely surprise!  even more surprising was my realisation that a classic motorcycle is a thing of beauty. Imagine the miles it has travelled and the many journeys it has made. It also seemed a perfect opportunity for a final photo with my old camera - the new one arrives tomorrow. 

crochet crinoline lady

put gingham and crochet together and the end result is a beautiful supper cloth with crochet edging and a crinoline lady posing at each corner. Without a pattern, it took some trial and error to get the lady to look just as I wanted her to and I'm very happy with the result.

I'm on a bit of a crochet buzz at the moment, so next I'd like to try making this swan doiley. Why? I love working in miniature and the idea of crochet swans with long delicate necks and tiny beaks really appeals to me. For true nanny chic, the finished doiley will be displayed underneath my maidenhair fern.

The bach is booked for the end of year holidays. This year we're heading to Scandrett Bay which is the next bay over from Martins Bay where we usually go and we're staying in the 'Graham Bach'. As you can see, there's a 70s retro theme in the decor and the water is right at the door almost. All my favourite things in the one place! We're still set to visit Samoa later this year too.