Thursday 18 July 2019

Visitors and the finals


Any visit from a grandchild is always welcome.  A week long visit is even more so.

Justine and Aiden have now gone home and the house seems quiet without the sounds of an 8 year old in constant motion.  

I arrived early at the airport to meet them so took a little drive to get a pic of Whangarei Harbour.  The tide was out and my phone doesn't take the best photos but better than nothing.  The good news is I think my camera is working again.  You'd think I'd know, wouldn't you?  We'll have to see if the "fix" works.

While Aiden was here the rugby team my son coaches played in their grand finals.  Aiden is a very enthusiastic rugby supporter and thoroughly enjoyed himself.  We all did actually.  Especially as Dan's team won.  We were sitting in the grandstand on the opposite side of the field and I was keeping an eye on my son, he's usually quite a relaxed, laid back character,  but I could tell from his body language how nervous he was.  That's him on the far right in the photo below, sitting, arms folded and looking tense.  


We waited after the game by the tunnel where the players return to the dressing rooms to cheer the players and congratulate them on their win.  All the players had gone and still there was no sign of Dan.  I guessed he would be talking to someone and sure enough he was having his moment of glory being interviewed by someone.  My daughter got this shot when he finally appeared and his three man cheer squad welcomed him.  

Image may contain: 1 person, standing, shoes, basketball court and outdoor
I think the original quote by Fred R Barnard is,
"A picture is worth ten thousand words." 

It felt quite different watching rugby from a grandstand rather than being so close to the play on the sideline at our local field.



The weather has been iffey but one fine day Aiden and I paid a visit to the lodge and had a little walk in the bush to the Confidence Course.  One of the members of the trust that owns the lodge has mowed the long, long grass on either side of the access road.  It looks quite different.


It's been a while since a school stayed at the lodge, summer seems to be the time for most school camps.  The last lot of students to stay built some terrific bivouacs and were so proud of them they couldn't stand to follow the correct procedure of returning the materials they had used to the forest floor.  



Aiden inside one of the bivouacs


Balancing act at the Confidence Course


Waiting for the children to return

I'm loving living on a hill.  Foggy mornings are so much more enjoyable.





My daughter and I enjoyed a catch up with her long time friend, Kat, in the Town Basin.  29 years ago when they first met I would have been wondering what they were plotting if I'd seen them  chatting and laughing like this.  They had some great time together, those two.

8 comments:

  1. It sounds like some great visits you've had, and congratulations to your son and his team!

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  2. It's all win win today. Camera working and the rugby sorted. A bonus is that I can read the post. Brilliant.

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  3. Well, I think your camera photos are terrific. And well done to your son and the team! His pic says it all and more! :)

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  4. Congrats to your son! Sounds like you have been having some great visits.

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  5. 'Confidence' courses would probably have to have eight different health and safety approvals here in the UK nowadays. When I was young we just broke something and accepted that it was our fault for not being able to walk along a log. Now there has to be someone to blame and sue. I wonder what would happen if Harry fell out of his parent's tree these days. As it was they just told him to be more careful and took him to hospital to have a plaster cast put on his broken arm. The Uppity Downities with mist and some bush thrown in. Nostalgia!

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  6. Lovely to have your grandchildren visiting for a week Pauline. All super photos too. Thanks so much for sharing :)

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I love to know who's visiting. Leave me a sign!