Jordy TV Time

A big part of my weekend now is to link up with Jordy and his Mum & Dad through the wee web camera and of course I want to be able to share this with my family here. Last weekend it was with the Buckleys way down South and today I took my tech gear over to Andy Bay so Celia & Margaret could catch wee Jordy "live"
Pre set up David sends a text ..."Jordy TV time???" and then when we're all set another text comes through..."go" and then if all's well we get to see wee darling looking adorable and moving his wee limbs all about. It's really fun.
But, here in NZ the Broadband isn't so good and the reception can sometimes be a bit hit & miss. We really need John Keyes to quit sorting out world finance problems in Peru and get back here and sort out our Broadband problems so all the kiwi Grandma's can catch up with their whanau who are scattered about the world. Priority - I'm sure you'll agree!
Today's link was a no goer. We did manage to have a little glimpse of Jordy in his new play walker but mainly Singapore could see us and all we could manage was a blank screen. Disappointing, but we managed to have good conversations and even hear wee Jordie making cute noises. And of course there's always Dora's wonderful blog site to go to.

Visiting Finnie Part 2

To celebrate my visit we had dinner guests for tea. Finnie's little friends, the Mushabelly Family had heard all about Judy's Roast Chicken and had been anticipating an invitation to Alice Street eagerly. I must say, they have impicable table manners and were the bestest of guests!

Because there were so many of us we had to have two sittings


And one of us just had to wait for all the sittings to be all finished!

This morning we had a lovely walk through Invercargill's best attraction - Queens Gardens. It was especially beautiful in the light drizzle. Millie enjoyed it too and now that she is much older and wiser we can even take a stroll through the duck pond and Old Milly just has fleeting memories of the olden days when we would be struggling with her not to jump in for a good old chase.

Then it was back home in time for "Jordy T.V." It was really great to have Finnnie & Co link up with wee Jordy. And I'm sure it won't be too long before Finn & Jordy have their own wee chat room.
So, a truly lovely weekend.

Happy 8th Birthday Darling Finnie xxx

Visiting Finnie

Travelling down to Invercargil last night reminded me of Singapore's heat...it was a very very warm 28 degrees which is so unusual at this time year. In fact, let's face it...any time of year here! Everyone else must've been barbecueing as for most of the way I seemed to have the road to myself. So with Pheonix Foundation playing loudly and vast views of the lushness that is Southland the trip went well.
Finnie was out on the road waiting for me and I can't believe how much he's grown in the last few months. He just LOVES his new Levi T Shirt that D&D & Jordy sent him for 8th Birthday. It really is THE BOMB! ( that's the new lingo for Really Cool!)

We awoke this morning and were SO excited to still be experiencing the heat wave so started organising ourselves for a picnic at Riverton. Smoked salmon & cream cheese sandwiches went into the chiller...and of course the traditional egg sammies...togs were found....towels....sunscreen...beach chairs, two wee boys with their favourite MushaBelly companions, Auntie, Mummy & Daddy and of course Magnificant Millie were all packed into the car and off we set on our journey.

Well...here's a question from Quiz Master Judy... What usually happens when you plan a Picnic in November??...You guessed it...the brilliant morning sunshine disappeared, the wind came up but we did the kiwi thing and just enjoyed it anyway. Here we are at the lovely Riverton Barbecue area...check out the 4 star facility!

And it is SO lovely to be with Family again.


And look...this place is so child friendly it even has a nappy changing room!

How Amazing Is This!

Here is a snapshot I took of my beautiful Son & Grandson from all these thousand of miles away!
David & Dora sent me video camera so we can have Jordy TV together and I can take my very own photos of him. How Incredible.
Yesterday I watched him waving his wee hands and legs around on the playmat and sitting up on the couch. He is so alert for a wee bub and looks so adorable. I can't believe how much he is changing everday. Jordy TV is definately going to be something to look forward to and I'm sure it won't be too long before I can read him wee stories.

It has been a beautiful 23 degrees here today - very blue bright & still.
My Sunday walking legs took me to Woodhaugh Gardens and I couldn't resist showing Jordy the swings that he can use when he comes over!

Jordy, see how there's all different sizes so it won't matter how little or how big you are, there'll always be a swing just for you!

We can stroll a little bit further to feed the ducks. Here they just love little children throwing them bits of stale bread. Being Singaporean, you probably won't have developed a taste for bread, so you won't mind sharing your bread with the ducks at all!

Then, if there's still time before afternoon nap time we can wonder along the Leith Valley and there's a track that will take us right through to Ross Creek. That's real bushy and quite lovely and of course it's got a great name!
After a big walk like this we can reward ourselves with icecream from the Woodhaugh Diary. Mummy & Daddy will tell you that our icecream is the best in the whole wide world.

Surf's Up.

Jordy, see this white stuff....it's called SURF, and it's real fun. You run into the freezing cold of the Pacific Ocean, and you squeal really loudly, and then you run back onto the sand and then you do it all again...and again...and again! Your wee cousins have done this when they were here in Dunedin for your Mummy & Daddy's wedding. I can't wait for you to try this out too. The louder you squeal, the more fun it is.
Your Uncle Nick does big boy stuff with this white stuff...that's called SURFING. He'll be sure to show you how to do this when you're a big boy.

This is one end of our beach .....

And this is the other end. It is very very beautiful and I love walking along from one end to the other in all weathers. This morning was a "corker" ( that's a word we use here for something good ) It's Labour Weekend ( that's a day to celebrate work & all the workers get a holiday - well except those that work in shops, for some reason they have to be at work cos people love shopping and they like to go shopping on a holiday weekend ) See how there's no people in the picture? Well, they're all shopping! Not me! I'm at the beach!

When you reach one end there's a lot of wee water pools and sometimes you can see wee crabs. They're not big enough to catch for Grandpa Ukelele's favourite Chilli Crab dish though so I just sit for awhile watching them. You're just going to LOVE this place Jordy, and guess what! Every day at the beach ends with a Fish & Chip Picnic....ahhh, now Fish & Chips...that's another story....

My Backyard Part 2

This wee Rhodie really is in my backyard! David bought me this one when I first moved into Dalmeny ( and Nick bought me a white one, but it's finished flowering now ) The little bush is taking awhile to grow but it's very pretty and by the time Jordy's tree climbing age, it'll be just the right size for him!

My Backyard!

Last night the hailstorms were beating against the window and it seemed it might be another indoors day today but the morning was turning into a beautiful spring day so thought it a good chance to have a wee wonder through the top part of the Gardens where, if the hailstorm hadn't ruined them, the Rhodadendrams and Azaelas would be at their best. I am very lucky as it's a only a short 10 minutes away from my house and the walk up to the top is always beautiful

Sure enough, when I reached the top, the colours were breathtaking, the whole scene looking a little like a monet painting.
Once again, there was no one else about....( what do other people do on Sunday mornings! )

I've been wondering these gardens now for half a century.... Mum used to take us sometimes to feed the ducks and one of my earliest memories was Dad taking Judy & I on the bus to the Gardens one day to show us that our wee budgie was very happy in his new home with all his friends at the bird sanctury! We had left the cage door open for too long and were very upset that he was lost.
As a teenager I enjoyed biking here from South Dunedin and then when the boys were wee this was one of my favourite places to take them. And it's really nice to be in a place where youv'e been able to watch the trees grow slowly. I remember when the Azaeala Garden was first planted out and now it's world renoun.

And now when I walk the top way home I pass Nick's Castle On The Hill, looking very grand indeed standing in the sunshine. Maybe one day soon, after my Sunday walk, I'll pop in and he'll have lunch on the table for his old Ma!