A Rich Farewell

One nonagenarian, three children, four grandchildren and a few in-laws hang out in the ever increasing English summer. It's never easy to get family from all corners of England, but I guess our pending departure calls for a special effort. Yasmin and Theo have loved catching up with their cousins Jack, Milly and Ben and it's been good to see how well they're growing into such wonderful children. I wonder when we will have the chance to do this again in the warmth of an English summer?



Grandad Tom surrounded by some of his large family.



George and Tom in conversation.



Jon and Jo with Yasmin and Milly playing bowling on the slide.



Who has the funniest face?



'Who loves ya, baby?'



Jack looking up to Uncle Dom with great admiration.



Theo rocks the house.

Cheshire Farewell

We had an excellent time visiting family over in Cheshire. Once again, Anne laid on an superb lunch for all of us in the summer sunshine. We were able to share the lastest news about our exciting adventure, learn more about the family with stories from the past and finally bid farewell (at least for a couple of years) before we depart.

We will obvioulsy miss everyone, but our door in NZ will always be open!



Anne (our host) and George.



Stephen shares a secret with Dom.



George and Bev after the Daz test.



June and David.



Doreen keeping David and June (in reflection) entertained.



Roger and Dom keep young Ben in check.

The Groves Street Party

You can't beat a street party to bring a community together. This is certainly one of the events we will miss when we make our move to Auckland. The children made their own flags, rode bikes, got soaked having water fights, learnt to play African drums, held a penatly shoot out (couldn't tell you if England lost again), played giant twister and the younger ones just simply enjoyed the freedom of a closed road.

It was good to finally put a name to the many familar faces who live within the Groves and share our experiences of living in such a welcoming neighbourhood. It was particularly interesting to discover the history of the Groves and the names of the people who lived in the area dating back to the late 19th century.



Giant twister in the middle of the road.



The children making a big splash.



Etienne in a quiet moment between games of football.



Fiona watching baby Erin meet the neighbours.



Lorraine and Alistair catching up.



Chris attempting to guess which garden belongs to which house.



Dorte and Celia in a fantastic bonnet.



DJ Papa Al (Alan) and Brian taking cover in the shade.



Sue taking time out under a sumach tree.



George and Yasmin handing out the prizes during the 'Guess the Garden' Competition.



Mark and Alan looking very composed.



Sandrine, Joel and Jenny watch some of the children jumping in the paddling pool.



Val relaxing after winning first prize (with Sue) in the 'Guess the Garden' competition.



David is Kiwi resident in Sheffield.



Theo takes an early driving lesson in a borrowed car.



Yasmin contemplating her next flag.

Yasmin & Theo's Farewell Picnic Lunch

Yasmin and Theo had their farewell picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens. It was a hot sunny day. We played football and cricket, held a sack race and an egg and spoon race. Some of the children got very wet under the sprinklers. It was a great occasion for us all to remember. Thanks to all the parents for their help and I'm sure we'll be in touch in the future. Sorry if we didn't get your photograph, but there's some interesting video footage in which you all feature.



The picnic lunch get's started.



Alice waving her hat.



Oliver and Yasmin.



Hannah and Yasmin.



Yasmin showing Haya a ladybird.



Daisy, Rachel and Albie.



Henry and Yasmin.



Theo with his mate Isaac.



Neil and Ellie with the twins Jamie and Matthew.



Ethan relaxing with his Mum and Dad.



Haya, Isabel and Helen.



Kaikora get's some attention from Beth, Tim and Rosa.



Alice with Simon and Mary.



Matilda after her sprinker shower.



Abbie and her family.



Alison and Catriona enjoy a cuddle.

The Whale Met a Man

Once there was a Whale. He had no friends to play with. So he thought and thought and he had an idea. He decided to swim about until he found a human. Then when he was swimming about, he saw a man who was diving in the sea.
'Hello there,' said the Whale. 'My name is Water. What's your name?'
'My name is Robin,' said the man.
'Can we be friends?' asked Water the Whale.
'Yes, I would be delighted,' said Robin.
Water the Whale smiled. 'You could come down once a week to see me.'
So from that day Robin came down regularly to play with his new friend, Water the Whale. They had great times together.
THE END.
An original story by Yasmin (written on a cloudy Sunday!)

Morning Rituals

Steve is Roger's brother who lives in London. He requested a post on our blog, so here it is.



The first thing Steve does every morning is celebrate life - he's that kind of guy!



George & Theo after breakfast.



Yasmin preparing to go to school via the walking bus.

NZ Update

You may wonder why it's taking so long for us to make our move to Auckland. Well, we're learning it takes time to complete all the necessary forms and if you want to live an a country that's more laid back, things naturally take longer. However, we are making slow but steady progress and we'll let you know when everything is finally sorted.



Theo and Yasmin get things started with a small 'garage sale' without help from Mum & Dad.