Netball

Last week Gracie was invited to be in the Year 1 netball team, as they needed an extra player. She played her first game on Saturday, and did a great job. Netball is not a game ideal for five year olds! The no stepping rule, the 3 feet rule, the complicated rules about where each player can and can't go on the court...pretty tricky, when you think about it. The predominant feeling amongst all the players was confusion, and amongst the parents, amusement. Gracie caught on pretty quickly though, and figured out that if you jump up and down a lot with your hands in the air it looks very much as though you know what you're doing.

One Sunday afternoon I took a nap and woke up very late, thinking (in some alarm) that the kids had been extraordinarily quiet and good at entertaining themselves. I went downstairs to find that a couple of ducks had waddled up to our front window. A very substantial part of a loaf of bread was missing and the kids were thrilled with their initiative in giving these ducks some afternoon tea. I was worried that ducks would be falling out of the sky their stomachs bloated with inordinate amounts of bread. However, it seems they survived that first feast, and since then occasionally drop by for some more crusts, to everyone's great delight. We've also had a hedgehog snuffling around out there.

Auckland Museum

We enjoyed the Maori cultural performance at the Auckland Museum very much. We learned quite a bit about Maoritanga. That's Grandma standing beside the tree.

Sky Tower

We finally made the trip to Sky Tower and took a 360 degree look at Auckland. If you look carefully you can see our house from here.

Wainoni Park with Grandad and Grandma

We had a lovely time with Grandma and Grandad at Wainoni Park in Greenhithe. The park features a slide designed with large bottoms in mind.

Cousins

We loved being with our extended family at Pah's funeral. Our girls were thrilled to discover so many little kindred spirits. This clip shows them preparing to pose for a group photo.

Pah's funeral

Pah

On 30th March, 2009, Rich's dad, Robert Keith Hunter passed away. He was a wonderful father, father-in-law and grandfather. We miss him, but are peaceful in the knowledge that we will meet again, and honoured to be a part of his eternal family.