First Tooth

OK, not a lot has happened since our last post; however, Madeleine has cut her first tooth so we thought that on its own was worthy of being published on the blog. She was very grizzly and we wondered if she had a virus as her temperature went up and down and she was pretty upset to say the least. All was revealed approximately three days later when a wee white bump protruded from her bottom gum and she wouldn't let anyone go anywhere near it! So, it was an extremely difficult task getting a photo, never mind getting a look in her mouth.

We have been experiencing unbelieveably mild weather of late, 15C again today and hardly any wind. I had short sleeves on today walking the girls to Kindergarten. Our tulips are surfacing in their pots outside the house and some of our bushes (unidentified) are flowering! It is wonderful not to have the fire on all day and worrying if the girls are warm enough during the night. It could get very cold again so, just to be on the safe side, we have ordered and had delivered another load of wood (yes Dad, we got through that gigantic load of wood that you so carefully and beautifully stacked for us in March!). Hopefully this will see us through to Spring at least!

So...what other news? Nick has started working part-time (four days a week) and is now off on Wednesdays which will be a big help for me. The idea is to give Molly some one-on-one time and to give Mummy some time off! We are looking at this being a temporary adjustment, probably until Molly starts morning Kindy when she will be going five full mornings a week. Nick is most happy to be working shorter hours. Of course, this means less money but at the moment we can live with that. Some more photos of the girls. Madeleine can now sit unaided and grabs anything within arms length. She loves her food and has her Mum cooking for her around the clock.

Sitting up on my own

Maddy's first music lesson

Show us your tooth!

Apparently not my God but it took me another chapter to find it out. I did wonder how David knew of my God but we can't go on together with suspicious minds. The good book (no not The Good Book) is Acacia, the latest offering from David. We are both engrosed in it and it is most likely that all the chores will be overlooked until one of us finishes. Luckily M&M have developed this high pitch squeal so they manage to get our attention for eating, bathing etc. What you can't see in this picture is how the foot of the bed is slightly higher than the head. This is due to the weightly literature. Loving your work David. It is always good to go to Durham on your holidays.

New here...

We have finally made it as bloggers! OK Sorley, no pressure but you really do need to get a blog too.

So, to start off our blog, we thought we would provide you with some background on the Pukeko:

"They are birds that are full of character and can provide a lot of amusement for the observer. The white undertail is flirted cheekily with every movement and their high querulous notes run the whole gamut of expression, from curiosity to interrogation to scolding. The naturalist Guthrie Smith maintained that they make great pets and that every country family should rear them."

Another anecdote found on the Web:

"I have come to the conclusion that Pukeko are suicidal. I so often see them on the side of the road, dithering, darting backwards and forwards, looking for an opportunity to cross, only to come back later to see them squashed on the road. They seem to have no road sense at all. However, the ornithologist WRB Oliver had other ideas when he said, “The Pukeko is a bold and fearless bird. It has learned that trains and motorcars are harmless and takes no notice of them.”

There is of course a whole lot more to these birds and if you're really interested, go to this website where you can learn more about our 'clever' pukeko bird: http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/pukeko.html

So...onto some local news from the Armstrongs in Pukerua Bay. Well, we have officially gone wireless and we are wondering why we didn't do this a long time ago: it is so much easier. Now we can tap away to our hearts' content from anywhere in the house. We hope we will become regular bloggers and be in contact with you all more often.

OK, so now Nick wants to use the PC. I have added a couple of photos of the weans for those of you who haven't seen them in a while. Back soon!

Our wee gloved fairy in the sunlight!

Madeleine at six months but thinks she's actually nine months and already wearing size 1 year-old trousers!

and...Santa's little helper!