Cartoon fun

Here is a funny cartoon for those readers who belong to the “Save the apostrophe society” and who yearn for the days of correct grammar.

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Saturday Matinee

Conifers at Aotea Lagoon offering a puppet show. I see Punch and Judy type characters performing. What do you see happening in these interesting tree branches?

The work of small hands

Bridal shower

As I mentioned in my post “Backyard Cricket and Barbeque” it was the women’s turn to gather a week later and honour the bride to be.

So last Saturday a dozen or so invited women gathered at the bride’s parents home to enjoy a Bridal shower. It was my first experience of a bridal shower. I was more familiar with Kitchen Teas so it was with some relief that the invitation asked us to bring a Xmas tree decoration for the bride to decorate her first Xmas tree. Note: the wedding is a calendar month away today. Yes, a Xmas eve wedding.

In terms of organization, compared with the men and the Stag do the previous week, this event was an example of a well-oiled, highly organized and skillfully arranged and prepared celebration. The bridesmaid had done a superb job handling the whole thing from start to finish.

We played some really fun games, we ate from a groaning table with lots of food, and some specially made to accommodate dietary needs. There were prizes and surprises and to cap it all off we were entertained by four talented female singers from the choir Nota Bene. The singers had been given a list of the bride to be’s favourite Xmas carols and songs and from that they selected numbers that worked well with their voices.

While the men had scurried about and found various articles of clothing to wear to the stag do that fitted the theme, we women agonized over the old chestnut of what to wear. Did we dress right up, go casual or smart casual? I am relieved to report that we all looked fine in what we wore and the bride to be looked radiant.

So the countdown is really on now. I am off to write a list of things that need to be done before the wedding and Christmas. You will understand why my blogposts have thinned out lately…..there is a lot to do.

Walk this way

The mayor of our city is the youngest mayor in New Zealand. He is young and innovative and has been showing the way to healthy fitness and weight management by walking and swimming.

Last night in my suburb, which has a network of walkways, the first of the Mayoral walks was undertaken.

“Join the Mayor and “bend his ear” on the Porirua Mayoral Walk Series
Porirua is home to a beautiful harbour and a stunning array of spectacular landscapes and – but often we’re too busy to take the time to explore everything our city has to offer.
Mayor Nick Leggett has organized a series of “Mayoral Walks” that will allow residents, community groups and businesses to join him in taking full advantage of Porirua’s awesome natural assets – and help keep fit and healthy at the same time!” Source: Porirua City Council Website.

The route through our suburb included our street and we watched as 40 people participated in the walk with the Mayor. I’m not sure how much talking to the Mayor was happening as we live in a hilly part of the area but it was good to see a new approach to celebrating the walking tracks in our city, led by the city leader and some of the councillors.

Backyard cricket and barbeque

The groom-to-be in the family had his stag “do” on Sunday. He decided he would like a barbeque after a game of backyard cricket, to be held at a park area a little up the coast from here.
Instructions to the invited men included that they were to come dressed as their favourite cricketer.

There was much hilarity and nostalgia here on Sunday as the cupboards and drawers were rifled in attempts to find suitable clothing to fit the desired look.

Out came a hand-knitted, cable-patterned sleeveless pullover that I had knitted a long, long time ago and which now fits the owner rather too snugly. A machine knitted wool jersey appeared that my mother-in-law knitted many years ago to help keep out the mean cold winds that can sweep our cricket grounds even in the height of summer.

And then a variety of white floppy sun hats and caps with various embellishments were tried on, laughed about, memories shared and selections made.

A real find for the male being honoured was a precious t shirt he wore with much devotion as a child in the 1990’s. The t shirt was printed in recognition of a national cricketer’s retirement, noting his service to the game.

How that ever fitted him on Sunday is beyond me but I gather our “groom” squeezed into it and wore it in good humour. He was also required to play the whole game with his dominant arm/hand tied in a sling, in order to even up the play as only one or two of the gathered number play cricket regularly today.

The game had various “rules” that were altered as the game went along, keeping in accord with backyard cricket games and certainly not to be found in standard rule books. No one knew who won but it sounded as if they had a lot of fun and mercifully no injuries were sustained.

As for the barbeque the meat and bread and tomato sauce were the popular items. A lolly cake was devoured with gusto but the strawberries and salad hung fire…..no surprises there.

It was good fun standing back and watching the preparations and noting the differences when men organize “dos” and share food together.

This weekend it is their turn to watch and smile as the females gather for the bridal shower!

Too good to miss!

A fish out of water

This extraordinary wee car was across the road this morning. I had to smile and grab the camera.

Enjoy!

Kaka Circus!

“Kaka Circus 3pm” announced the brochure about Pukaha, Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre.

New Zealand Kaka

I had first encountered Kaka in the wild on Kapiti Island, another Wildlife sanctuary. Kaka are inquisitive, bold, birds, full of antics and tricks. So I was very excited about seeing more Kaka and the advertised circus. I was not disappointed!

We arrived at the area in the bush set aside for the circus ahead of 3pm to find that the Kaka were already gathering for feeding time. The trees and feeding stands were alive with noisy, energetic birds.

With two cameras between three of us we got some great photos of these fascinating and funny birds. The absolute highlight for me was when one of the Kaka was happy enough to come close to me and nipped at my hand, my jacket and my camera case. Believe me they have a powerful beak. I was even more delighted when one of the Kaka alighted on my head. My daughter was well positioned with her camera and had observed this bird eyeing me up so had turned her camera to video. I have a wonderful video record of the bird flapping down and taking me by surprise as it landed on my head, turned around and then flew off again. That was an experience I will not ever forget. It was very, very special. As I have mentioned in other posts I love our native birds and to get up so close and personal was extraordinarily good.

The staff member told us about the food they provide for the Kaka. Nuts, seeds, apples, fruit, corn on the cob and fluid feeders full of diluted strawberry jam. Kaka enjoy nectar like many of our native birds and they relished drinking from those at the feeding spot.

The Kaka population in the centre has grown dramatically thanks to management plans and supplementary feeding. These birds can all fly freely but are smart enough to know where the extras are provided

The following information is from the Department of Conservation website: http://www.doc.govt.nz
The kākā is a large parrot belonging to the nestorinae family, a group that includes the cheeky kea and the extinct Norfolk Island kākā.
The birds are mainly diurnal but are active at night during fine weather or a full moon. Flocks of boisterous kākā gather in the early morning and late evening to socialise – their amusing antics and raucous voice led the Maori to refer to them as chattering and gossiping.
Here is a link to more Facts about the Kaka. http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/land-birds/kaka/facts/

I had a memorable and magical experience at the Kaka circus and in my next post about the Redwoods at Pukaha I will mention the chattering and gossiping Kaka again.

International Literacy Day

I see in the newspaper this morning that it is International Literacy Day.

“Adult and Community Education Aotearoa is encouraging people to engage in Random Acts of Reading today to celebrate the written word and acknowledge the importance of global literacy.”

I had been planning to post the question “What is your favourite word?” so today seems a good day to post such a question.

I love words, playing with words, making up words, having fun with words, completing word puzzles and reading words.

I don’t have just one favourite word but a word I am enjoying right now is “vex” in all its forms….

What is your favourite word today?

Early literacy skill development