Reports report (ie How is Sue progressing on her written reports......)
Just the girls middle pages to do - thank heavens! Nearly there.


Last week we had Sports Day!

A couple of days before, we had a practise which involved the children sorting out their 'attention', 'at ease' and 'left right' etc. It also involved them practising where they march to and sit on the field. Unfortunately I (the teacher) was not listening and marched off with the wrong colour! I just wandered off with the yellows (kowhai) instead of reds (whero). Jeez, I didn't know what the heck was going on!

The day itself dawned bright and sunny and I remembered to wear red - including a jaunty red cap. Our team (red) came last and the teacher/parent/children race (of which I partook) also came last! Never mind!

Had a lovely lesson about NZ birds - got a good conversation and Q and A session etc going with the class - getting well into it we were - when a child put her hand up - "Yes!" I asked, waiting for something very useful/procuctive/relevant etc when what did I get? "Miss, my chair smells!" (whilst graphically demonstrating a loud sniff at seat of said object).

I was gobsmacked! Why on earth would you want to sniff a chair? "Don't sniff it then!" came my short retort. Jeeez.

Well, this Saturday, Team 3 teachers (5 of us) visited Western Springs park in the morning to assess it ready for our forthcoming trip re the topic of birds. It was lovely - a really sunny day and birds galore! Here's a few piccies.



Aren't they cute?!!!

Here's a Down Under black swan!

After this little teacher get together, Kev and I dashed off to the Coromandel (Whangamata) again for a night there - a lovely friend at work has a bach there (pronounced batch) and let us use it for the weekend - isn't she great!?

Got there around 3.30, had a wander, got my boogie board (Kiwi pronunciation buggy board) fixed, had a mooch on the beach, collected shells for my card making, did some food shopping, ate a yummy take-away (kumera fries - pwoarahhhh) and drank a bottle of fizz! Fell asleep on the settee. Lovely day!

Next morning we explored a couple of villages either side of Whangamata and decided we'd like a holiday home here too! I LOVE the Coromandel - it's beautiful! We watched the BIG WAVES and surfers (in their wet suits - too cold today - a bit cloudy). However, we still got sunburned faces!

At 4pm ish it was SADLY time to go home - boooooooo.

We took the long arduous drive back to Auckland via the Coromadel Ranges:

About an hour through those rocks in the distance (note the dead insect remains on the windscreen) - majestic, but tedious (the ranges I mean).

Whew! Well we're home now, I've prepared for school tomorrow, I am now writing my blog and there are fireworks shooting around the house EVERYWHERE! So strange that people celebrate Guy Fawkes day here!

Tara fer nooo!

Off I go to bed - maybe I'll write a few reports first? Nahhh.

See yah.

x Sue

We are now the proud owners of a Kiwi top loading washing machine! It's a Samsung and even plays little tunes when it's done stuff as if to say "clever me!".

Today is a Bank Holiday (Labour Day) and I have been mostly sorting out the pressies I need to send to the UK and making a few cards. I also had the exciting task of going out to the sales to get a tea cosy and oven gloves - however no tea cosy to be found, but we did buy a groovy stripy oven glove.

Another fun TV ad I've seen is all about yoghurt called Fresh and Fruity Splats. Aimed at kids - but is it me or does it not sound disgusting - like diarrhoeia? I've just done a fresh and fruity splat! What a strange name.... Maybe it's me. I really don't know anymore! lol

Anyhoo - here are some photies from our lovely trips to the Coromandel:










The bird sticking out of my head looks good eh?!





Hope you like them - truly beautiful scenery as per usual!

28/10/06

Just got back from friend's birthday dinner - went to a Dutch pancake house - yummy scrummy! But due to slight hangover from last night's dinner with other friends, we unfortunately could not partake of any alcaholic beveridges! Hope you've had a great birthday L!

Well - more boring report writing tomorrow and whatever else may turn up!

See yas all soon!

x Sue

PS Washing machine working well and singing a lot!

I have been here one whole year!

Well - a year and 2 days now to be precise!

Doesn't time fly....

I've seen some beautiful parts of NZ and yet there's just so much more! I want to go to Napier, Nelson, Coromandel (again!) and the South Island and places that I don't even know about!

Roll on summer exploring weather! It is getting warmer, although we've had a bit of a blip recently! I received burns to my neck and face yesterday whilst watching the kids do relays at school and I was wearing a fleece because of the wind! Methinks I need a hat - gonna buy a really cool NZ black leather one today I hope!

Ooooh I can hear the tui in my garden - they sound so funny! Here - follow this link and you can hear one for yourself:

http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/tui.html

Aren't they pretty too?!

21/10/06

Hello again!

Too much to do and no time at all! Testing, assessing and reporting - equals very very extremely boring! Yukky pooey plops.

Anyway - we've been looking at houses - what a surprise I hear you say! We may just end up renting another year - there's no rush and who knows what will be happening in a year's time with son off to uni and hubby getting a new job!

It's a bank holiday weekend and its peeing it down with the odd sunny respite so far! Spring time - shouldn't complain eh?!

Quite warm though.

There' s some fun ads on the TV at the mo - saw the one where a man's nipples grow really long and he does some fun things with them (due to very mouth freshening gum) and it ends with him in a lift, with a very pretty opposite sex person (of course), offering the gum to her with a cheeky laddish grin on his face!

OOooh - have bought a lovely black leather NZ hat - sort of cowboyish! Love it - will stop me neck getting burnt too! Come on sun!

Still can't believe I've been here a whole year! Have noticed the season similarity to last year now - bottle brush red flowers on the trees, blossom on next door's apple tree, birds building nests, lighter evenings and a pink Sky Tower (for breast cancer month).

Last week - I went to the Domain (where the Auckland Museum is) and did a 5 km walk for breast cancer with a bunch of mates. We all wore pink, were given pink glow sticks and pink wrist bands, there were pink fireworks, marshalls wore pink reflective jackets and the floodlights were pink! It was a fun pink evening and a band played pink music whilst we walked and sang pink songs (just kidding)! Anyway I did my bit and received a pink goodie bag with further pink shampoo etc etc pink etc!

Well - am off in a mo to buy a new washing machine due to ours from the UK dying and no spare parts to buy! Will be a true kiwi with a top loader soon! Quite exciting really (or quite sad depending on your view point).

Well - over and out for now - ooh - yes - forgot - PR stickers in our passports are imminent due to the immigration people having taken our money to pay for it all - hold your breath folks!

See ya and take care.

Hi to the nana girls and get e-mailing J!

Sue signing off to buy a kiwi top loader - tara!

x Sue