Journey Home

Auckland is dominated by a motorway system.
Although New Zealand has not quite learnt the correct way to handle a large mass of traffic but they are trying.
Having come from Europe myself, I have seen large systems in place and know how they should work!

Coming home we went past a huge amount of roadworks, now I know this was to be expected as it was almost midnight on a Sunday night, so they don't expect a lot of traffic and thus making it a prime time to fix roads.
However not long out of town we got dropped from 3 lanes down to 1, this was because they were preparing for the work they were going to do later. It caused a lot of traffic build up. In my eyes they could so easily have waited half an hour, let the majority of the concert traffic go past on the motorway and then set up their cones without too much disruption!
I know the concert didn't cause that much traffic but it definitely caused more than your usual amount at this time on a Sunday evening.

However the best was yet to come.
Just as we were getting to the main out of South Auckland suburd area we got warned that the motorway ahead was closed and therefore we were getting diverted off the motorway.
I quickly worked out where we were and reassured Steve that this was actually an easy detour because they could take us off at the junction, take us cross country and bring us back on 2 junctions south. It meant a little detour through Takanini and Papakura but would only add an extra 10 mins at most. I didn't however actually know how to do the route so we followed the detour signs like good people.
So we followed the detour through Takanini and into Papakura. At the main lights in town this convoy of traffic (about 30-40 odd cars) turned right and then left and then left again and then surprise surprise left again, suddenly we were going back down where we had come from!
Steve questioned this but this was exactly what the signs had said.
We then turned left again a little further down the road and we guessed that they had wanted to keep the traffic flowing so had you do this crazy loop around Papakura centre.
However then suddenly we were at a set of lights and back in the centre of town again.
I very quickly realised, as did all the other traffic that if we followed the signs we would happily spend midnight going in a loop around Papakura.

Now you have to remember that most of the people in this convoy were trying to go south out of Auckland and for most this area was somewhere they had never been before, so here we are at midnight stuck in the centre of a town that we don't know with no idea as to which way the motorway was.

So I did the next best thing, I got my mobile out and called *555 which takes you through to the transport police. I happily explained the situation and told them they had better get someone into Papakura PDQ as there was a convoy of very annoyed travellers just trying to get home.
He guessed someone had been playing with the signs and said they would get it looked at.
We told him where we were currently sitting and he happily directed us to the motorway on ramp, which was still 2ks away from where we were!
By the time we got to the motorway, we were actually the only car out there, so what happened to the other 30-40 I have no idea, probably still going round and round Papakura town centre.

Luckily for us from there it was a free drive home for the next hour with no more troubles or roadworks!

Taylor Swift

We went, we saw, we enjoyed.

Yes we made it to the concert with the 50 thousand other screaming young girls.
I think this concert was 'the man upstairs' way of showing Steve and I why we are truely blessed with the 2 little boys we have. Our boys don't scream, well Alex does but minor detail now when we think about it, man can girls scream and I mean high piercing, get right to the middle part of your brain type scream.

The concert itself was a wonderful stage show, she really thought about how to give the crowd a show.
The stage was well designed and the costumes well planned.
It was obvious that we were seeing a brave well brought up 22 yr old because the whole show had a young feel to it, but it was delightful to see.
Yes, as mentioned in the press, she had many changes of clothes, and yes she played many an instrument along the way.

Highlights
The way she was able to make the audience scream just by standing there and looking first left, then centre and then right. She did it with a simple smile on her face and made sure she looked in every direction. It was effective and simple.

The trap doors all over the stage. Several times throughout numbers, she would start on the stage solo and then suddenly her dancers would just spring up to life from underneath, with quite a height too. Again very effective. There were many acrobatic sequences within the show and the dancers had great range of style that was effective.

Twice she brought the show to the back of the venue from the stage. The first time she actually walked off the stage and wandered down an aisle past the pit, this caused total bedlum, but I got the feeling that people loved that she came close to them. She then sat on a platform with a tree lit up behind her and sang 2 songs at this end of the venue. It meant all who were not sat close to the stage actually got to see her closer and it too was effective.
The other time was in the finalie when she sang her Romeo and Juliet Song and she actually got into a balcony shaped basket and floated around the venue, with limitations, over the pit crowd and just to the edge of the seated areas. The people at the back were very happy she came forward to them.

I guess the other time that made all happy was when she came up on a settee, singing a song in this beautiful pink dress but the top half was covered with an All Blacks Rugby shirt. The crowd went wild. When she had finished the song she again just sat there with that simple smile on her face looking in all directions again, getting the reaction she intended to get for it. Simply done and very effective, very well planned on their part.

The boys, well they were some of the only males in the venue. Ben got into the show a lot more than Alex did but they both sang along to songs they knew.
There was never really a time when the whole venue was stood dancing, it just wasn't that type of show, although there were those that did stand and sway to the whole show.
There were the ones who, when it got quiet, yelled out 'we love you Taylor!' however what made this really funny was in one of the quiet moments, someone yelled this out, and someone else in the area was able to fit in "we love you more" it was a perfect moment that everyone laughed at.

The show finished quite late, we got back to the car for about 11pm. Alex started to slow right down at about 10pm and Ben started complaining about a headache not long after this, however I soon realised that he winced when the girls screamed more than when the music was actually playing, but then I was wincing when they screamed too. So whenever I could tell they were about to scream within the audience I quickly put my hands over his ears, just wish there had been someone there to do the same for me!
We were sensible and took their pyj's with us and a blanket, so once back at the car we got them changed and they were both asleep in the car before we had left the last Auckland suburd on the motorway.
This was useful because I wish we could say we had an uneventful journey back.

I will post about this later.......!
I do have some pictures that I took in the arena on the night, but nothing fabulous, I will add them to the post later

Music

Steve and I both brought a different aray of music to this relationship.
We both have different taste although we also have quite a lot in common.
The boys don't really stand a chance of not liking something we both like.
We listen to Classic Hits on the radio, quite a gentle radio station in that they play hits from 70's, 80's, 90's and today.
Steve, I know, would prefer to listen to something a little more heavier, More FM or The Rock, but I can't say that the presenters language etc are really great for the boys at this stage. Yes I like the songs but not the other areas.
However we seem this year to not be depriving our boys of listening to live music.

It use to be The Funky Monkeys we took them to and now suddenly we are on our way to Auckland to see Taylor Swift.
Yes you read correctly, we are one of those lucky people to have tickets to her world tour in Auckland on Sunday evening. In fact I have just read somewhere that this concert is in fact her very last of the tour. I think we are going to be in for a rather spectacular evening.
Her show has been described as:

"A two-hour theatrical presentation reminiscent of a Broadway experience, featuring elaborate costumes, dancers, aerialists, changing sets, innovative choreography and instrumentation on a multi-level stage."

Apparently she moves around the venue and uses different stages, giving every audience member a great view and she plays five different guitars in the show, including electric, acoustic and 12-string. She also plays two banjos, the ukulele and the piano, and changes costumes nine times.

When I brought the tickets last year (in August) I knew the boys would enjoy it, but we never told them about it until about 2 months ago. For a little while I thought maybe it was going to be too overwhelming for them, but now I think we are in for an amazing night out that will go in their memory bank for a little while to go.

It turns out that in the last few months they have managed to go and see the following people live in concert:

• Gin Wigmore
• The Mutton Birds
• Avalanch City

They have sat (more times than I wish to count) and watched my DVD I have of Celine Dion's concert in Las Vegas and we are for ever playing Lady Antebellum on the stereo and also Adele, Bruno Mars, Def Lepherd and Guns 'n' Roses.

Lady Antebellum actually came to New Zealand this time last year. I got myself a ticket and actually drove up one evening to watch them and then drive home. Not really Steve's cup of tea but I think the boys would have loved them, however it was way loud but then no louder than Taylor Swift is going to be on Sunday evening! I loved their concert and had a blast, in fact I could rate it as one of those nights I will remember for a while.

So our boys are getting a rather varied mixture of music played to them and I think they are doing well with it.
Although we still have the teenage years to go through with them in their own rooms and listening to their own music. Maybe ask me again in 10 years time whether I am happy with what they are listening too then!!

Things I'm Loving....

As Paisley Jade says every Friday.....

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.


Today I am loving the weather.
It was one of those days where when you wake it is a little cool and foggy but once the sun comes up the fog disperses and suddenly you are left with this glorious day.
The sky is blue and the sun is shinning.
Now I remember why I love living in New Zealand. This is one of those beautiful left over summer days that pop up at the beginning of autumn.

I am loving surprises too.
Well surprises for the children are even more fun. This morning when we dropped the boys at school there were 2 hot air balloons launching from the school grounds. I have never seen the boys run into school that fast before, they were so eager to see the balloons.
Once I got to work I nipped back to school to find out what was happening.
Turns out one of the parent's father's owns one of the balloons and decided to go flying today. So they cleared it with the Principle to be able to launch from the school. Well we had the sun and the glorious skies but sadly no wind once the balloon was blown up.
1 of the balloons did just manage to lift off, with one of the teachers inside, and then headed out over Hamilton, unfortunately when the bell went to start school we actually had no idea as to when that teacher was going to be back as we could all see the balloon gently floating over Hamilton heading north!
The children thought this was wonderful that their teacher had floated away and was coming back anytime soon.
The balloons totally disrupted school though because when the bell went at 9, no one wanted to move, they were giving up and down rides to the kids if they had parents there at the time, so many of the classes stood around and watched the balloons and then about 9.20 the balloon finally ran out of gas so they had to fold it down, the kids loved watching how fast they grounded the balloon and folded the canvas up, it was fascinating to watch.
think there will be many stories written today at school about how the balloons came to the school.
Such fun, thanks to Rebecca's dad for giving the school such joy on a glorious Friday morning.

I am also loving my weight lose.
Yes I lost another 500g (1.1lb) this week taking my total to 2kg (4.4lb).
Slow and steady still working and that is all I wanted.

Why don't you pop over to Paisley Jade where she is hosting this weeks Things I'm Loving for us to all join in with. Always great to get a boost of good feelings from others.

Keep Calm

Did you ever wonder where this came from?
Well pop over to Paisley Jade, she has a little history lesson about it and it is really quite interesting.

I am amazed at the way this saying has gone global, it has been used by many and adapted by more.

Blogs of Note

Do you ever take the time to visit the 'Blogs of Note' on the dashboard?
Occassionally I do, although I have to admit to having not looked for the last year or so!
A few weeks ago I actually took another look and I found some great blogs to read.

How about this one 366 Random Acts of Kindness. A guy based in Chicago, US who is taking a journey to give back through random acts of kindness every day of the year.
Some of the things he has done are so simple, others are a little bigger and only special to the city he lives in, but it sure does make you think about all the little things we could be doing to help others just because we can not because we have to. Almost like a pay it forward situation although in this instance the payment is just that feel good factor of having helped others in some way.

Do you have chickens or are you considering having chickens, then maybe you might want to check out Tilly's Nest a blog a Cap Cod family of four have put together to detail their journey as they keep backyard chickens. They offer creative solutions, handy tips, helpful information, recipes (yes even recipes for chicken) and just plain chicken talk. There are 8 chickens in the family and they all have names from Tilly (Head hen), Feathers, Autumn, Dolly, Sunshine and many others.

The last blog I came across was a challenge, a challenge that runs just through April, so actually still time for you all to consider whether you would be interested in joining in. The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is about writing a post for 26 of the days in April (every day except Sunday give or take) but following the letters of the alphabet as you post. So start with A and head towards Z.
This looks interesting and I have already starting thnking about my posts for April. What am I going to write about, am I doing a picture post, am I following a theme? So many options and so little time.

So there you have it, my take on the blogs of note that I have found interesting. I do so like it when people recommend blogs to check out. The blogging world is so wide and wonderful and I am always looking for new things to read and check out.

Let's Get Stitched

A wonderful group of people over here at Designs by Fee decided to hold a Stitching Get Together in Tassie.
They have been planning it for the last year and it all came together this last weekend.
Apparently, from what I can read and see they had an awesome time.

So much so they are doing it all again next year in 2013.....in Adelaide.

I would love to go to Adelaide, I have seen and heard so much about it. It is one of those places I just want to visit.
Sadly I know it won't happen, next year is going to be a busy year if I go and do my teacher training. I won't be able to take 4-5 days out, in fact make that a week, to travel over there and really enjoy myself. So as much as I would love to be involved I know realistical it just will not be happening.

But on the bright side.....2014 is being held in NEW ZEALAND
Miche'le from By Hoki Quilts is taking that honour
And that one I know I can make, no worries about too much travelling time, it will be here right on my door step, because lets face it, New Zealand is small, nowhere is really that too far away, might have to drive a little because it may be the only way of getting to some places but who cares, I can drive. In fact I know that Michele lives in the South Island, so maybe a little plane ride and then a big drive!

So 2014 here I come, I will be joining in the Stitching Together Weekend

Little Visitor

Sadly, I was right.
Our own little Tiggy-Winkle was still in exactly the same place as we left it this morning.
So we put our bags away and then the boys and Steve set about digging a deep hole for it in the back garden.

The boys were not bothered at.
In fact I said to Steve that they seemed so excited about it I was worried about what would happen if one of the cats died? Probably find the boys would be racing to see who could dig the hole first!

Steve got the hedgehog from the front garden and as we put it in the hole, Alex said "Goodbye Hedgehog" and our little service was complete.

Mrs Tiggy-Winkle

A little girl named Lucie lives on a farm called Little-town. She is a good little girl, but has lost three handkerchiefs and a pinafore. She questions Tabby Kitten and Sally Henny-penny about them, but they know nothing. Lucie mounts a stile and spies some white cloths lying in the grass high on a hill behind the farm. She scrambles up the hill along a steep path-way which ends under a big rock. She finds a little door in the hillside, and hears someone singing behind it:


Lily-white and clean, oh!
With little frills between, oh!
Smooth and hot – red rusty spot
Never here be seen, oh!


She knocks. A frightened voice cries out, "Who's that?" Lucie opens the door, and discovers a low-ceilinged kitchen. Everything is tiny, even the pots and pans. At the table stands a short, stout person wearing a tucked-up print gown, an apron, and a striped petticoat. She is ironing. Her little black nose goes sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes go twinkle, twinkle, and beneath her little white cap are prickles! She is Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, the animals' laundress and "an excellent clear-starcher". She keeps busy with her work.

The laundered clothing is tied up in bundles and Lucie's handkerchiefs are neatly folded into her clean pinafore. They set off together down the path to return the fresh laundry to the little animals and birds in the neighbourhood.
At the bottom of the hill, Lucie mounts the stile and turns to thank Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. "But what a very odd thing!" Mrs. Tiggy-winkle is "running running running up the hill". Her cap, shawl, and print gown are nowhere to be seen. How small and brown she has grown – and covered with prickles! "Why! Mrs. Tiggy-winkle is nothing but a HEDGEHOG!"

This weekend we found our own little Tiggy-Winkle, but alas there was no pinny, shawl or cap.
What we had instead was a very live hedgehog lying on the driveway by the car.
It still moved when touched and was sniffling around.

We do have hedgehogs in our garden, seeing as the garden has 2 great big hedges down either side, then it is not a shock to find one in the garden, usually we hear them scurrying around in the night.
However we were quite concerned as this was 4pm in broad daylight and that is unusual for these creatures.
We showed the boys and they were quite interested in our new found creature.
When Steve appeared from the garage with a large spade, I was quite shocked especially as he was in the process of telling us that "all these creatures need is a good whack with a spade!" turns out he was getting the spade to be able to move the hedgehog to the hedge in the garden.

It was fascinating to see the defensive mode it manages to go to when feeling under threat.
Its head and feet well protected under its spiky outer.
We moved the hedgehog but it still seemed a little unsure of where to go or what to do.

Eventually, after we had shoo'd the cat away several times, it scurried into the hedge and we left it to its own devises.

However this morning Steve informed us that our little friend was now curled up in a ball, still breathing, on the front lawn.
It strikes me as very odd and weird.
I myself sadly do not think that it will be alive when we get home. I do not think the cats will get it, but for it to be out in the daytime and in the open space as well strikes me as not good. I think something is wrong and sadly it is dying.
So we may have to have a little burial in the back garden tonight, otherwise the cats (mainly the other ones not ours) may play and the last thing we need is a played with hedgehog on the front lawn.