New Blog

Annoyingly I have run out of space for free photos on this blog!!! so I have a new one - www.whatmichelledidnext.blogspot.com.... follow kiwi antics there from now on....

Holidays

Nathan came home from working away and we have had a ball...

Here is a picture story (these days i don't have a lot of time for words!)

Elly got dressed up to get Dad from the airport

...and had solids for the first time.

 You will have to turn you head for the vertical pictures...blogger is still being annoying...

Elly is not such a fan of carrot. Banana is best. 

After a well deserved rest we hit the road and headed to Dunedin - In the very south. A new place for me and Nathan had not been since he was a kid...

 On the way Elly had her third meal at a posh cafe - start as you mean to go on....

On the way, I got to see some big rocks which are rather odd. I had seen them in a guide book a while ago and was interested in seeing... they were overrun with tourists - Pah!!! I am used to having this country to (virtually) myself.

We stayed in a castle (naturally)

This was our view from our lovely room...

We dined in the castle with other guests on 2 nights - Elly was so good and the food amazing!!  Here Nathan is amusing her and the other guests...

We went penguin watching!

 Family portrait

Amazing amazing views

Sunset from the room  - Beautiful (turn head!)

Then home again....

Elly attempts more carrot

and then we are off to our boat in the Malborough Sounds

Nathan kindly arranged for this forest to be grown into a heart shape for me (Ok, ok maybe not...)

Half way stop in Kaikoura

Such a beautiful beach (head turn again - the beach looked very dramatic and I got too close to a freak wave) - we saw the odd seal from the car and even the water from the blow hole of a whale (what is the technical name for that?) from the ocean road too!!

All aboard our beautiful boat SS Magoo.  We took Mike and Davina our neighbours - we will be living in their house from July as they are moving abroad and we are going to swop our view for an even better on!!!

....BBQ breakfast (turn head again!)

OMG OMG OMG about 50 or more dolphins were suddenly all around us - swimming around the boat and playing in the spray at the front and sides - coming to say "hi" and jumping all over the place. OMG OMG I was over excited.  These photos do not capture the amazing-ness of the moment!

Taken from the front of the boat (no zoom on any of these pictures!)

We stayed in the same bach as before about 3 hours away from the marina on the Queen Charlotte walking track - Beautiful ferns and plants

Elly liked it

Nathan enjoyed beer

I enjoyed the blue cod Nathan caught!

Next stop New Plymouth as I am joining Nathan "on the job" for a few weeks until the UK trip!....

I am vintage!

I have been looking on ebay religiously as the internet is the only thing I can face/have time to do after a day battling with milk/poo etc.  I suddenly have been inspired by old toys - I am presently bidding on a retro cot activity centre the same one I had (Fisher Price) for Elly.  I loved that thing and can even remeber playing with it when I was a lot older.  Fingers crossed for some ebay success.  However, this has inspired me to find a number of my old favourite toys on ebay.  

I have never forgiven myself for selling "Apple Jack" the my little pony at a car boot sale (at the ambulance station where my dad used to work) to a man for £1 - He thought horses were lucky (he also bought Barbie's horse).... I still have baby Apple Jack bougt for me when I was 5 and my brother born.  It is the Mum Apple Jack which was sold in a cruel 11 years old "I don't need ponies" moment.... Anyway, I couldn't resist a bid on that either.

Portia Porcupine was a gift for my 5th birthday - I am rather tempted by that too..... But this has to stop somewhere.... As for the caravan Richard and I used to play for hours with the Fisher Price Campervan and Caravan.... Alas I can't find the vehicle only the caravan.   I had both of the glow worms - faithful friends after the lights were out to carry on reading and as for the Cheeky Mouse house mine was red with a mouse not a cat but it was a pretty useless plastic box but I have fond memories of it existing!! 

Funnily enough though the toys I most remember are those that were made for me - a toy dolls hospital and a big red house (2D) with a road (3D) that was screwed under my window.... I can't find those on ebay though.

Fingers crossed for Apple Jack and the activity centre!!!

Swallows

There are a group of swallows who have started to sit on the phone lines outside the kitchen.... Migrating perhaps?? Cute!

arty shots from the bach in the marlborough sounds

As well as millions of Elly pics I did also attempt some arty pictures of the bach (holiday home) we stayed in at the weekend
....

still the wrong way - how annoying...

and another head turner...

and another (grrr!)



this is getting annoying now...