Friday, 30 January 2009 - Dress at my new place of work is corporate attire - oh man, do you know how long it is since I have needed clothes like that. Dashed into Sylvia Park and caught the tail end of the sales. Just a couple of bits. Woohoo my police check came back and was very boring so I get to report for duty out at Springhill at 9am on Monday. So excited.
Thursday, 29 January 2009 - And now the next phase of our really successful year is beginning. A vodka to celebrate our new good fortune. So very excited to be heading back into the workforce.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 - I had a most pleasant journey into Britomart on the train today. Another job interview with another agency right in the middle of the city. One of these interviews has to turn into a job at some stage soon. Very impressed with the train network though, especially when it isn't in peak travel time. Please excuse my blurry pics, I didn't take the camera and these were taken with my phone. Think I need a bit more practice with the phone camera :-)
Tuesday, 27 January 2009 - I spied these in the supermarket the other day and bought them for our picnic yesterday. We never got round to opening them, but today I couldn't resist. So very tasty and ever so crisp. I will definitely be buying them again.
Monday, 26 January 2009 - The new toll road opened this weekend so we decided to head north and check it out. An amazing piece of work that will certainly help with traffic congestion. We were most impressed with it. We took a picnic lunch and then headed to Mahurangi Regional Park, just gorgeous and a great way to spend a lazy day in the sun.
Sunday, 25 January 2009 - I guess today counts as a day off. Tommy went to play with a friend, Nick went to Rainbow's End for a birthday party and Ali went 10 pin bowling with a mate. Andy and I headed out to the race track to watch the Formula 5000 racing. Lots of fun.
Saturday, 24 January 2009 - Piney has gone now and just the cleanup remains. I loved having a real Christmas tree this year, the gorgeous smells and our sparse decorations. We will definitely have a real tree again.
Friday, 23 January 2009 - My computer screen spends a lot of time lately looking just like this as I search for another job - certainly not as easy as I believed it would be when I first started looking before Christmas.
Monday, 19 January 2009 - I headed home today and Andy & the boys went off to the lake for a bit of skiing. Nick gets to try out his slalom ski for the first time in a while.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 - The boys just loved catching up with all the kids we see each year and the kids just adored having all the big boys round to play with them.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009 - Oh the memories this picture invokes of all the wonderful times we have spent at the lake. A little interruption this year, but we will be back to enjoy it all again.
Thursday, 22 January 2009 - Nick and Andy really enjoy having one of these coffees most nights. Nick is getting quite the expert at making them.
Thursday, 15 January 2009 - Today was the day NCEA results were released so we made a trip into Whangarei to find and internet connection so we could get Ali's results. Yep he flew through - congratulations Ali, all that hard work paid off.
Friday, 16 January 2009 - Back at the beach again and some pics of the way the boys loved to spend their time, catching waves with Marty's boogie boards.
Saturday, 17 January 2009 - Marty, Glennis and Scott came up and joined us. They made a whole pile of 'bombs' which they then threw into the waves.
Sunday, 18 January 2009 - A walk up to the trig station at the top of the hill. I was looking forward to walking uphill with all the downhill I had been doing, but man, I really wasn't ready for those hills!
Sunday, 11 January 2009 - Andy's brother lent us his bach way up in the hills at Waipu Cove. The rising moon was just spectacular on our first night.
Monday, 12 January 2009 - The boys relaxing after a swim and getting thoroughly peeved with me continually having the camera out. Might have to find some new subjects!
Tuesday, 13 January 2009 - Every second day I walked as far as I could get down the road before Andy came down with the boys in the car. This first day with the camera I managed 6.2km, 4 of that on dirt road, just beautiful and ever so quiet.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009 - Chilling out back at Marty's with a game of Monopoly. Lots of fun and laughs with Ali eventually coming out on top.
10 January 2009 - Tonight our dinner consists of lots of leftovers from Ali's birthday dinner. Just what we needed as we are all very tired after a very late night.
I got all enthused today and went for a walk to Warehouse Stationery. Ali came with me on his bike - great you can carry home the corn on your handlebars :-) Power walking up the hill on the way home and trying to get to the top before he sorted out the corn and caught me up, he rides past me and mutters "geeze you walk funny". I couldn't keep up the pace after that, I was laughing too much :-)
I am going to keep taking my daily pics but we are going away for the next week so I won't be posting here again for a bit, still you are probably used to that. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays good up north.
9 January 2009 - 16 years ago this little guy came into our world and turned it upside down. I have loved watching Ali grow up and he is turning into a fine young man.
Finally the courier turned up with the present I had ordered! I tried taking a pic of him this morning using the razor we bought him, but he wasn't playing that game and reckoned I was 'so gay' even trying to get that pic! Geeze, they just don't understand!!!
8 January 2009 - Today Andy put the 3rd coat of stain on the new picnic table he built for our deck before Christmas. It is only half done because we need to turn it upside down to do the rest, but that will wait until we get back from holiday. I got to enjoy the table in its natural state for just on 3weeks so that will have to do me, I so prefer the plain wood, but I keep getting overruled!
7 January 2009 - What a gorgeous day! I went into the local info centre yesterday and asked about local walks and cheap/free things to do with the boys. Awhitu Peninsula was suggested and man what a great suggestion that was. 
We had the best day just checking out various beaches and enjoying each other's company. The colours were so vivid with the gorgeous blue sky. First pic is Big Bay, and this one is Orua Bay.
We got up to the lighthouse lookout a bit too late and the gate was closed so we kept driving and found this amazing view. I stayed very safely in car while the boys were out getting all the pics.
The Manukau Heads, a great day trip and not really too far from Auckland. A beautiful drive that would have been stunning with all the pohutukawas out only a few short weeks ago. Try and time it for a high tide if you want to swim. The boys found that to get in the deep water they were standing in mud which wasn't so nice. They tried again just before we left and were able to swim very happily with a sandy bottom.
6 January 2009 - And get ready for Easter??? What?? Couldn't believe my eyes when I was in the supermarket earlier and just had to buy them.
5 January 2009 - I can't believe I am really posting this - a pic of me on a beach in a bikini! A gorgeous afternoon on the beach with Karen, Shane & Jade. Just the right amount of sunburn too. Yay, I am starting to loose that lily white look.
I am back! After ever so brief a break - yeah right. Last year I followed a number of bloggers who were taking a photo a day and posting them on their blogs. This really appealed to me and I figured I would give it a go this year. Goodness knows how we will go, but so far I am doing OK and either Andy or I have managed to take at least 1 pic every day. Now you get to look at them :-)
1 January 2009 - Alistair skiing up the creek on New Years Day.
2 January 2009 - Shane turns 14 - Happy Birthday Dude.
3 January 2009 - Uncle Steve gets Skype on his computer and we kill a fair bit of time talking to him.
4 January 2009 - We went out to the Pukekohe race track to watch a whole pile of trucks that were out for a kids in cars event. The trucks all went past our house this morning and every single one of the 400 odd honked their horn as they went past.
