Domestic Bliss

It’s been a cracker of a weekend. One of those weekend’s where we got lots done on the domestic chore list, but didn’t feel like we were trying hard. We’re sitting here on Sunday evening feeling very chilled and happy (England winning against France certainly kicked the day off to a good start!). Dan’s tapping away on his laptop, working on a presentation for tomorrow, and I’m here blogging with a cup of Artemis Tranquilli-Tea.

This afternoon we enjoyed the gorgeous company of Greg, Paula and their delightful three children (Greg is one of Dan’s business partners) for a roast dinner this afternoon and the children had fabulous fun in the garden (and ate most of their greens!). Dan and Greg have worked together for going on ten years and we value their friendship tremendously. With all of our family overseas it’s really special for our children to enjoy strong friendships and pseudo-cousin relationships. In the days before parenthood we all used to take-off for frequent ski weekends at Mt Ruapehu and enjoyed a stunning week of skiing together in the South Island (way back in 1998!).

This morning we headed out the door with a real spring in our steps after England’s win. On waking this morning Charlotte dressed herself in an England football top (without knowing the significance of her choice of clothing). She must have been England’s lucky charm. At the local Palmer’s Garden Centre in Miramar (and awesome Chocolate Frog cafe) we were getting mixed looks from the other customers!

We returned home for lunch and to plant some strawberries. Dan enjoyed playing with his ‘man-tools’ whilst the girls raced on the patio.

The garden is looking great (thanks to the deluge of rain these past weeks!). We are really enjoying spending time outdoors in our sheltered hide-away and tending to the herbs and vegetables.

Yesterday we took the girls out for a little jaunt to the local Zoo. We really are lucky to have the Zoo on our doorstep. It’s not like anything we’re used to in England. It’s tiny in comparison, but because of this it’s perfect for young children. In addition, there are never any queues, the staff are super friendly and there are so many wonderful upgrades taking place that it is really exciting to visit and enjoy a chance ‘encounter’ with an animal.

Yesterday Charlotte got up close to a tortoise in the new Zoo’s new ‘Wild Theatre‘ and the baboons and chimps were really wanting to communicate (definitely recognise Charlotte as one of the troop!).

There was also a touch of Spring in the air with a mother duck taking a swim with her eight chicks and an ostrich looked like it was trying to lay a large egg!

We had a wonderful time, as always, and there was no need to juggle for position to get the best view of the animals. The only factor that cut our visit short was the dreadful wind.

In the afternoon, the wind abated a little and Dan took the girls down the local playground, whilst I blitzed the house-work. It was so therapeutic to be able to start and finish a job without interruption. The other day I considered fitting a pedometer to myself as it felt like I’d walked ten kms round the house responding to the the various cries for assistance!

Anyway, it was a great weekend and we’re all set for a good week, with what promises to hold a little more sunshine – yah!