Top Family Time and an All Black’s Victory!

Settling into school life is not without emotion at Chez Lee and this weekend couldn’t have come fast enough. Charli was so tired and weepy on Friday pick-up; but she’s definitely enjoying 85% of school-life and on the whole she’s thriving. Nevertheless, I take the rough bits to heart and my health is suffering with mood fluctuations and anxiety. I manage to hold it in till the evening – but by then I feel so drained. I sure have shed a few tears this past fortnight! Needless to say, this weekend was long-awaited and came round quick – as I’ve actually found the time speeding up on me since Charli’s started school. This is the biggest step in letting go for me since the umbilical cord was cut! And… it’s only the beginning of a life-time of letting go – uh oh!

Anyway, onto happier news – the stupendous All Black’s victory on Saturday night! We had a lovely couple of Ausie friends round – Kathy and Mark – who are hard case in a nice way (with their beautiful boys – aged nine month’s and two-and-a-half). Their boys had taken late naps and stayed awake till 10pm when they made a move to get home and to bye-byes; and they were so adorable whilst poor Ausie Dad took it on the chin and looked for sympathy from nine-month old Hawk (I love it when babies can’t yet speak, but have a look of wisdom beyond their years in their eyes!). It was great (for us) to watch the rugby in good company. Our new friends have recently moved here for an 18-month stint from Perth (Kathy’s Mum was a good friend of my Mum’s. Kathy was quick to remind me of when we’d met as teenagers and spent an enjoyable night at Dogmersfield Cricket Club… and how her brother and I had a bit of a crush on each other – oh dear!).

We seem to have a habit of having folk over for the rugby and seeing our guests leave in despair at the results! The other weekend our good friend’s Lucy and Avril were round – and after the disappointing results our friend Lucy couldn’t get a cab home fast enough – and suffered sever ‘colic’ throughout the game! Meanwhile, Avril stopped over the night and was a trooper in the morning with the girls!

Saturday itself was full-on with ballet, horse-riding and a party for Charli in the afternoon. The only horse available this weekend was ‘Gremlin’ and what a beautiful pony he was – didn’t live up to his name at all! Charli, after a few week’s of watching her little sister happy in the saddle, was game on and it was great to see her sense of achievement in feeling comfortable on a horse.

After a gorgeous lunch (as ever!) at the Saddleback Cafe we went home for a quick pressie wrap and ‘costume change’ so Charli could get off to a friend’s Birthday party. Sophie and I had a good ‘chill-out’ at home – with me practically falling asleep on the sofa (hubbie had kept me up far too late the night before – but they say ‘action’ in bed is as good as ‘zzzzz’s’ for longevity and good health!).

Sunday morning was spent doing essential chores by yours truly, whilst ‘Daddy-O’ kept the girls in check with a two-hour marathon session of hide-and-seek. Then it was time for Charli’s first swim-lesson since she was two! After gaining immense confidence from water-baby classes she’s taught herself to swim on her back and she was so ready for classes. Our local pool was fully booked for this term, so she’s going to Karori Pool instead. It’s a lovely, little pool and we had a blast. Charli and another boy are the only two children in class – with two instructors! They commented that she was an absolute natural (any parent knows how good it is to hear those words!). Needless, to say – this was an absolute joy and we can envisage her clocking up hours in the water – where she really is so ‘herself’ and must have been a mermaid in a previous life!

Quick lunch-stop at Subway (where Sophie insists on pure cucumber sandwiches – which was all Dan ate for two whole year’s as a boy!) before some retail therapy (Dan has ‘invested’ in a new TV and it warrants a sideboard says ‘moi’!). We are delighted that Eva Dixon’s (once upon a time our favourite cafe adjacent to the Zoo – but rudely misplaced, when the lease came up, by a totally inferior operation) has found new accommodation at the Capital Gateway Centre on Thorndon Quay, where we enjoyed a delightful afternoon-tea (we really had the munchies on Sunday – eating like ‘Hobbits’ every couple of hours!). And then… was time to burn off the excess at Central Park in Brooklyn (the three flying foxes at this playground totally ‘rock’!) before a pre-dinner cuppa and story time with Aunty Lulu (Lucy of All Blacks fame!).

And the evening was finished off with take-away ‘fush n chips’ and a moving movie – ‘The White Masai‘ – followed by me balling my eyes out at the prospect of another week of letting go…!