Rites of passage!!

When you turn 15 in New Zealand you are able to learn to drive!!!! In the UK it is 17.
Here you sit your learners which is a test then you can drive for at least 6 months with a driver supervisor, then you can sit your restricted, which is a driving test which means you are able to drive, within a set time of the day, on your own (no passengers except drivers). Till you are able to go for your full licence 18 months later (or 12 months if you do an advanced driving course).
So today Key turned 15, he has been waiting for this birthday before we even got to NZ. After school we met him off the school bus and took him into the office. The lady there knows me because I am always in there with my trainees.
Key sat the test, which is now on the computer. I watched, as I always do, to see the green ticks appear on the screen. Key made a few mistakes (you fail on the 4th) and got down to the last two answers. He had got two wrong up to then. Then a red cross on one of the picture questions, then the last question. This was it - get it right you pass - get it wrong you fail. I could see him going between 2 questions. He clicked on one of the options then changed his mind and clicked on the other and went for it. A red cross appeared. He was so upset.
So I paid for him to resit there and then.
He got two wrong and then the green ticks continued and we saw a pass appear on the screen.

We then had to take him out for a quick driving lesson. We went to a quiet country land and let him take the wheel. We have a automatic so at least he wasn't trying to use gears too (that will come when we can buy a manual). I sat in the front seat and we went down the long road (we did meet 2 cars) and he did well.
So all good but next stop the main roads - GULP!!!

Sitting in the booth doing the test

YAY!! Passed on the screen


Putting his L Plates up.

I am not scared - honest

In the hot seat

Actual driving on the road!!

Look at this lovely birthday cake that his sister made him. I know it's pink but we'll call it an Everton cake as they are playing in pink this season. She is really special making this for him.

We wish you a merry christmas............

What??? I hear you all saying but on Saturday 26th JUNE (sorry for only posting now! Been busy) we had Mid Winter Christmas. What??? I hear some of you saying. Mid Winter is when some Kiwi/expats do the Christmas thing as it is winter for us in June and "Chestnuts roasting on a open fire......." & "Walking in a winter wonderland" makes more sense at that time of the year compared to walking around in short when we do our Xmas shopping or my fav is when the deccies fall down as the blue tack melts in the heat!!!LOL.
We went (key stayed at a friends birthday sleep over) to my dear friend Ange and as she has just had a new fire fitted it seem appropriate. She is from the UK too and there where Kiwi friends there also.
She even put a tree up and we all got small gifts for each other!!!
We had a big feed (my nut loaf was a disaster!!) and a chocolate Christmas cake complete with silver fern!!
She had asked me to bring over the Royal Family Christmas Special - the cuppa soup with a twist one. But we couldn't find it anywhere and as we were running late, we had to leave it. But later in the evening Ange shouted me into the family room (where the TV was on) and guess what......... it was actually on the TV (Sky UK TV channel) we laughed so much not because of the show but the irony of it all. Our kiwi friends didn't get all the jokes in the show!!
It was totally surreal and I was thinking Christmas can be bad enough once a year never mind doing it twice, but it was good fun and did feel more like Christmas.
A goodnight was had by all and I did say when we were all leaving, that are we doing it again next week as wasn't that New Year????





Ange and me - notice the wine glasses which has loving being called the spa pool (yes I did have one or several of them!!)

J eating jelly with holly in it


Me and Jim Royal, just like Christmas in UK!!

Cambridge Autumn Festival

Well it is certainly turning into Autumn, the leaves are falling everywhere and with Cambridge being the town of trees, there are quite a lot leaves around.
The evening have turned chilly too (oh how I wished we had a log burner!!)but still when the sun shines it's still warm.
Today was the town's autumn festival and both kids were taking part.
Key playing cello in the Irish Ceilidh band that he's in at school on one corner of the town and Lou sang a solo (unaccompanied as well) on another, plus she sang in church this morning too. Gotto give these kids credit for getting up and having a go.
It was a lovely day and saw lots of friend and had a cuppa and a catch up with some others. Got some nice bits and bobs too (they had a wee market there).

Gosh time flies............

I can't believe that it was that long since I last blogged. It has been a busy busy time. But what have you missed?????

Well Lou had her birthday, Key had his head shaved for Canteen, we had a lovely Easter camping right on the South Pacific and the season has changed to Autumn (not as cold as the Autumn I am used to in the UK but it doesn't take long to acclimatise!!)
So here are piccies from the last month or so........
Lou's birthday
Lou had a good birthday, I can't believe she is 12!! To make me feel even older, she had an 80's party with mocktails.






Key's head shave for Canteen
Key had decided to get his head shave and raise some money for Canteen. Canteen is a charity for teens with cancer. He did it in the name of his Aunty Ruth - who died at 17 of cancer (two weeks after being my bridesmaid) 18 years ago. Funny enough the morning of the head shave her song came on the radio - it was her way of saying she approved!! After he did it he did look like a kid with cancer (as his eyebrows are really fair) and it gave me a a pain in the pit of my stomach but I also thanked God that he wasn't and it makes you think what's important. But anyway I am proud of him.
Before with a friend who was also involved

Half way there!!

The end result


Easter camping trip.

We had been here before 2 years ago but came back for the long weekend (we had the Tuesday too). We explored further than last time and founds some lovely places. We managed to fit in a cache or ten too!! All this and a live volcano on the horizon!!
Camp fires of an evening. The family next to us got the ukuleles out one night and had a sing song - was just the best!!


Lovely sunsets each evening - better then TV any night!!


Parked right on the beach (our tent is the one with the pink chair)


Paddy having a ball too!!


This is the most further eastern point (first to see the new day!). We climbed over 700 steps to get to the top and it did near kill me!! But was worth it - totally stunning.


Kids all tucked up for the night!!

Chilling. Good job we brought food though as the fish weren't biting for anyone at the camp. I was reading my uncles book he had sent to me.



This beautiful church right on the beach. We got lots of lovely shells from that beach, the kids called it the Paua pools and Lou said it was like finding treasure - natures treasure.


On our way to the waterfall, crossing the stream and oh yes I did fall in. But the kids and Stevie had a shower in the waterfall - yup it was freezin!!

Gaga for Lady Gaga

Lou's favourite singer is Lady Gaga, she wanted to go and see her when she was touring with the Pussy Cat Dolls, which we never got to. So when we heard that she was playing Auckland we got Lou and me a ticket to see her.
We had seen her raving reviews on the internet. She even phoned in a local radio station to say how excited she was to be playing in New Zealand and had made sure that we got to see the show everyone else did.
We all headed to Auckland (even Paddy) did a bit of geocaching on the way up there. Watching a guy catch a big snapper from the rocks!! Stevie was going mad he didn't put the rods in. Then had tea at some little chippy, the kids got these twist potatoes!!!
The show started with her support band who liked to swear a lot and me and Lou just laughed at them (wouldn't of been as pleased if Lou had been younger - although knowing Lady G....). She came on stage at 9.20 and last 2 hours and several costume changes later. She was very good, the show was brilliant, she reminded me of a young Madonna to be truthful. So we both enjoyed ourselves and had a good dance (love a concert where you can dance).