Soggy moods and bright lights

It's been raining...a lot!

And we've been engrossed in netball. Every weekend for the last ten weeks. My girls are obsessed with the sport and so every Saturday we head to two different sets of courts, no matter what the weather, to watch the girls teams.

Luckily the sun has now decided to appear and we have been out and about enjoying the light.

A trip to Paraparaumu allowed us to enjoy a stunning sunset.

We were not the only ones enjoying the light disappear behind Kapiti Island.

There was no wind which is very unusual for Wellington!

A brief taste of summer!

The kids have stopped sleeping. We have intermittent and frequent tears over nothing. They are unable to concentrate on anything for longer than ten minutes. Therefore it must be nearly Christmas!

I am sure I was not like this as a kid. Although my parents assure me I was. My girls have dark circles under their eyes and have this vacant look about them. They are so excited about Christmas and our subsequent holiday on the South Island they are barely holding it together. I must say I am also pretty excited myself!

Thankfully we have lots to distract us at this time of year. We had a brief taste of summer with two days where the sun came out uninterrupted and the temperatures reached the mid twenties. It was gorgeous! The girls finished school at mid day on Tuesday and a group of us headed down to the beach and spent the afternoon soaking up the sun, sea and a lot of sand.

This gorgeous beach is unbelievably at the bottom of our road. We can walk there. Yes, I do know just how lucky we are!

A friend of mine has returned to the UK for Christmas and I just received an email describing how shocked he was to have to compete with the crowds in the local Waitrose just to buy a loaf of bread. He assumed it was just due to the nearness of Christmas but was told that this was just normal. Shops over here do get crowded at Christmas and I was shocked to actually have to hunt for a parking space this weekend at the local mall. But it is nothing like the manic rush and crowds I used to have to deal with in the shopping malls of the south east of England.

Christmas over here is still about the presents (don't want to give anyone an idealist view of Christmas in NZ - it is still the consumerist celebration it is elsewhere) but it is also about beaches, camping, road trips, tramping and being out enjoying the sun. Christmas dinners are planned but are lighter and less important that making sure you have packed the snorkel and  boogie board in the back of the car for the afternoon trip to the beach.

Unfortunately the last couple of days have seen a return to the drab rainy weather you often get at this time of year. The air is warm and muggy but the clouds are dark and grey and emit the drizzly misty rain that can inexplicably make you really wet in a very short period of time.

The sea is also not looking very inviting.

However I am optimistic that the good summer weather will return for Christmas and we will get to enjoy the beach on Christmas day. We are so lucky to live in the beautiful Porirua.

Windy weather photography.

Apparently having to stop every few minutes to take a photo is a bit annoying.

Well my other half has had to put up with this for quite a few years now. You'd think he would be used to it.

I wanted to take some pictures of the sea this morning as we have reached the time of year when Wellington lives up to its windy city reputation. The following pictures are the result of a very breezy walk along the seafront this morning. I was accompanied by much moaning and lots of impatient sighs every time I paused - so the results are not quite what I hoped for.

I think the pictures still convey just how cold and breezy it was this morning. So I guess I can understand some of the moaning.

Even the seagulls were having trouble in the wind.

Still lots of people about braving the elements, and the odd Oyster Catcher.

Lot's of these birds as well. I have no idea what they're called.

A trip to Cafe Vella cheered everyone up. Great food and a good selection of songs on their playlists.

Great sausage rolls!

Also want their teapots. Something else I am going to keep an eye out for in the charity shops.

Winter Sun and Scottish Songs

It has been a beautiful day today. Clear blue sky's and bright sunshine encouraged us to head out towards the Kapiti coast. We took the girls to Queen Elizabeth Park for a splash in the sea.

Apparently this is a piece of expressive modern art depicting mans constant struggle against nature! Whatever it is A and J thoroughly enjoyed constructing it.

The Lindale Farm has re-opened for business this weekend so we decided to have a look. The pigs and rabbits were extremely popular with the girls but I have a very soft spot for the donkeys and Shetlands!

Hungry, cheeky goats.

The Paraparamou Scottish Pipe band were performing at Lindale and did a particularly good version of "Over the sea to Skye". I still find it weird to see so many Scottish traditions so far from Scotland but it is a good indication of the amount of Scottish immigration there has been to New Zealand and the cultural impact it has had.

In Praise of Fluffies!

One of the best things about New Zealand for kids is the invention of the Fluffy. This is a drink that you can get in most of the cafes and coffee shops in Wellington. It consists of frothy milk in a cup and saucer and is often drizzled with chocolate sauce or powder. It also comes accompanied by two or three marshmallows in our local cafe, this makes it irresistible to the girls. Its so popular with my youngest I can use it as a bribe to get her to help Mummy do the shopping (which is normally absolute torture!). This Sunday prior to our walk on the beach we warmed up with Fluffies and coffee first.

It was a bit of a grey day but the views on Paraparamou beach were still stunning.

Despite the grey weather the girls loved paddling and searching for shells.

The Brunt women.

Lots of birds!

We were followed by a lot of gulls and I was quite surprised that my camera managed to get this shot.