Tuesday Morning

After the Snow White production we saw today (NZ Playhouse) at South School, Caoimhe came home and constructed some of the characters to send to the actors. Originally the letter was going to be a rather emotionally charged one with Caoimhe's dismay at Snow White not looking like she should and she was going to draw SW to show them what she should actually look like, (am working on precluding the precocity! hence a nice letter instead).
From L to R - Dopey, Magic Mirror, The Queen, Snow White, Grumpy.
And a photo taken on our way out to the show:

Sunday

Today Timo and Jeremy are preparing oak logs to be impregnated with shiitake spores. yum, yum and yum. can't wait, (it's going to take some time before we are harvesting shiitake though, maybe next autumn 2013 or did they say this autumn?).

Today is also the first day of the Kiwi Conservation Club Kereru Count. We have already spotted 2 and flagged it on the map.

Lennox and Caoimhe eating tortilla around the fire.

Reading with Rui. Helping Rui with with her English and reading too :).

Lennox helping make sourdough.

Timo fresh back from a kayak with Fleur and Valentin.

Tortillas cooked on the hotplate bbq outside. Sometimes it's as if it cannot get any better than this!

Timo cooking his.

Catch up

It has been a very busy and full time lately but all truly great and progressive nonetheless. We have had many different visitors coming and going, lots of activity going on outside where the property has been expanded in surprising ways and many new things have been created, it really does feel so much bigger than under an acre. We have been eating like kings including enjoying eating produce from the garden every day and trying out new cooking methods, ie, a delicious manuka smoked tarakihi yesterday all done in a pan over the gas hob. I have been quite busy including growing this baby who is due to arrive into our world in just over a month! And I have been organising a National SPACE training weekend to be held in Westport over a weekend in May (can see why event management is a career) and applying for funding for that which seems like we will get. Have also arranged for Sarah the Scientist to come to our house for a day in May and this will involve other local home educated people. Lennox has been an absolute delight and is growing and learning in new ways, Timo is entering a new phase of responsibility and Caoimhe read her first book out loud today by herself (nb, she has taught herself to read as Timo is also doing). It was a basic version of Snow White. Apart from Timo (the boy who has never washed his hair :) we have also all had nits!! On top of it now, but what a trial combing every morning and night (am not using pesticide on our hair). No idea how we got them in the first place... we don't go to school!

Caoimhe helping Tim the Grassman sweep off his truck after delivering a great load of fresh sweet-smelling grass. Tim comes most days with a load and the gardens have been transformed! I will have to document it soon.


Jeremy tries out a 4hp outboard motor on the boat and it worked pretty well, it may be the one we buy. Big, huge, massive thank you to Prue for sponsoring the purchase of an outboard motor, it is the greatest thing and will be of so much beneficial use especially for fishing and potentially new mode of transport to work :) etc,etc. Thank you so much! Will have to get some better pictures of it also, or the next one we try and stick with.