Up, up and away....

***************What a great morning- up and out by 6.30 and by 7.15 it was daylight. We were going to watch Balloons over Waikato which launches over Hamilton. We awere all treated to free breakfast (well the first 2,000 to show up.) While we were munching cereal and muffins the balloons were getting cold inflated and by the time we were finished they switched to hot air for take off. This event happens just before Easter each year and was a very friendly morning out. If you wanted a trip it was $290 but we had to get back for college starting at 8.50 am so we watched the last one take off before we headed back. It was magic to watch the fleet drift over the fields.

Sunday hats

Don't know if you wore a hat to Church today but my Sunday School class all did as we had a game of pass the parcel with hats of 10 nations. The Paddy Irish hat is on the other side of the camera. We were looking at all the nations God loves but (thankfully) we couldn't find a Hey Jimmy hat in the $2 shop. Also when the Koreans see a camera they don't say cheese they say "Kim Chee" which explains the solemn looks!

Auckland Boatshow

The Boatshow came to Auckland and Les was very kindly taken by a good friend Robert who 'shouted him in' as the kiwi's say. They were also able to watch a leg of the Americas Cup taking place. We may be far from the sea and missing all things nautical but a quick look at the prices reassured Les that there are more important things in life - such as - well Jazz to name one. Thankfully there was a live Jazz band next the beer tent so a great afternoon was enjoyed while Fiona did the laundry, the cleaning and got his dinner in the oven. (This is some crazy upside down world...)

Corny but true!

Les has lost almost a stone (or 6 kilometres haha)
he is looking dapper and the snoring is quieter so it's all good as the Kiwis say. His secret diet is corn. Cornflakes for breakfast and a corn cob for lunch plus ordinary dinner at night. Needless to say he doesn't have butter like I do but he is allowed salt. Imagine his delight when a local farmer drove up with a lorry load of corn to give us one afternoon. He was so well recieved by Karen the catering manager that he arrives most afternoons now and Les often has two cobs in a day - and do you know what? The more he eats the more he loses.

Of course he has additional things to eat at this time of year like the watermelons that are on every roadside cart - and NZ lamb on every roadside field.

Visitors arrive

We have had a grand week of visitors... Ruth our neice from Westray was graduating from her time at the YWAM DTS in Auckland and we got to go in loco parentis to her party and had a lovely meal in a cool basement restuarant. She was clearly a star among her team and although sad to leave them all she came back to us for a quiet weekend before heading off to skydive and tour Australia - next stop Zimbabwe.

Four days later Brian and Heather from Orkney arrived and again we were treated to a lovely meal out along with Anne & Ewan Taylor. Needless to say there was much hilarity and Brian kept us laughing over the next 4 days while Heather looked after us all buying treats and rescuing insects before we swatted them. They left yesterday for Wellington and the South Island. So far that is visitors from all 3 Baptist Kirks in Orkney -well done!