Almost September

I'm in Dunedin for a counseling course this week, staying with John and Jenny Roxborogh. John came home today from Malaysia, so we've had a catch up while Jenny was off at choir practice.

The family is coping well without me, talked to them tonight, and they've managed to do nearly all the jobs even if I did take Hannah's hairbrush and the shopping bags away with me. Oops!

A few of my favourite sings

Hannah's favorite song at the moment is from 'The Sound of Music,' - "My Favorite Things."
Zach is singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen. I think Uncle Tim approves.
Janine and Katarina? Hard to tell, they're not big on singing, but they are big on listening to Life FM, the Christian radio station. They share a disdain for the latest boy phenomenon, Justin Booboo or whatever his name is.

We've enjoyed having Bill and Annie with us, and today we went for lunch in Oamaru, with my mum and dad. Mum is just back from a week's sailing in Fiordland, well, sailing and walking, plus a helicopter ride back to Lake Manapouri and a Power Station tour! Wow! Dad is looking pretty green.
We've seen the new horse too, Macs, or Big Jim as they've started calling him. He might be an ex racehorse but he is pretty chunky, and carrying a fair bit of condition. Nice head, chestnut, big winter coat and a pacer. Goes like a rocket mum reckons - well, he used to be a racehorse, so what did you expect?

Visitors

Annie and Bill are visiting with us for some time, during which we celebrate both Chris' and his mum's birthdays. All good! It has been wet and grey since they arrived, but not much colder than Hamilton, apart from today.
I spent Wednesday traveling to Auckland and back to Waimate for 2 key studentsoul meetings, which were both successful. Big thanks to sister Sue who let me stay at her place so I only had to get up at 5 30 instead of 4 am. Yay.
Janine has exams this week, so we haven't seen much of her. Zach is exhausted by rep team practices on Sundays. Hannah had a sleepover Saturday night so we had two very tired children to cope with on Sunday. Just as well we have extra help at the moment - lots of things are being mended!
Katarina should be studying but isn't. Perhaps she gets it all done at school...

August news

Soccer was played in the weekend. Music was practiced. Katarina had an extra service at Craighead on Sunday night. Janine is home as Timaru Girls has a teacher only day today.
Mary-Jane is better (yay) and going to Auckland for a day on Wednesday. Chris's parents arrive on Thursday.
The sun is shining after a weekend of heavy rain - we had a water feature in the front lawn which is never a good look. Sean is currently spraying the roof to kill the moss. The roses have almost all been pruned.
You are now updated...

What's up?

I've been sick with a cold for half the week - bleuck!!!!Sniff. Sniff. Everyone else seems to be OK so far.
Not quite sure what's been happening - Chris took another funeral on Saturday, the children are all busy with school and music and sport. All good.
Hannah's team won this week and Zach's lost. His rep team practices on Sunday afternoon are pretty full on and he was tired at the end of all that.
Katarina baby sat for a new family on Saturday, I think there might have been a rugby game on. Janine and I went to the TBHS production of Sweeny Todd, a dark and dire story involving a barber and pies. Katarina went the night before, Thursday night I think.
Zach bought a computer game on Trademe last week, and has been like a cat on a hot tin roof ever since, waiting for it to arrive. It's coming by courier. Zach asked if they could have delivered it to the wrong address, and I confidently said that wouldn't happen. However, I discovered this morning that a parcel had been delivered to the neighbours but it turned out to be some books that Chris had ordered, not what Zach was after. Still, now I am wondering what has happened. It it isn't here by the time Zach gets home from school, there will be trouble...