We had a small firework display in the front of the house, and here's Anita & Tom getting to grips with the sparklers.

A fine example of a Palm tree

Upland road

Work and play

Today I've been busy again on the new look for Sport 365 at Sky. The Opening titles are now finished, the set is being constructed and the Break bumpers and interstitials are almost finished. I'm just working on the last few bits before it goes on air on Friday. The rehearsal is on Thusday night.
Joe's new interest is gardening. He spends as much time as possible outside now, and as soon as a door is opened, no matter in which part of the house, he'll hear it and come scootling along to see if he can get out.
It's as though he feels that he's a prisoner in the house and cannot wait until he is released. If for some reason he is not allowed out he screams with an ear piercing cry.
Here he is repotting something.

Joe's recent hobby

Repotting

Joe walking.

Mount Eden crater

One side of the crater at Mt Eden

Discovery on the North Shore

Anita bought a ride on ambulance for Joe's birthday on TradeMe, which is like Ebay. We set off for the North Shore to pick it up and when we arrived at the address, I looked on the box and remarked that the photo of the boy on the box looked like Tom. We had a closer look... at the clothes, the photo on the other side and... Anita recognised the shoes; I recognised the other photo. Then we remembed the modelling he had done eight years earlier in Hong Kong. It was Tom on the 'Ride-on ambulance'. Then I noticed that the girl on the top was Eleanor, a freind of Tom's in Hong Kong. Funny eh?

Tom is on the box.

Tom on the Ride on Ambulance packaging

Music lesson

Takapuna Beach

At a cafe in Mission Bay

Cruising

On the move

Tom and Joe

Weather

The weather has been superb throughout the long summer. It's still sunny although the past couple of weeks the temperature has cooled. Here are some pics of a walk we had the other evening along Tamaki Drive.

Out for a walk

Tamaki Drive

Mission bay beach

Looking across the harbour to Devonport

Auckland City from Mission Bay

Daniel at Auckland airport

Daniel leaves for Australia

Early on monday morning I took Daniel to the airport to leave for Australia. Just as soon as the weather gets just a tiny weeny bit chilly he's outa here like a startled rabbit. What's the matter with him? Anyway, he packed up after making a HUGE saucepan full of lentils, carrots and what have you, which he crammed into his rucksac somewhere. I pointed out that Australian immigration wouldn't take kindly to him bringing such stuff into their pristine land but he assured me he'd eat it all up on the plane. (Pity whoever sits next to him, those lentils can have a thunderous effect on the digestion.)
I've just finished an evenings work with Claydog the Incredible. Our task was to make a promo for a Lions Tour documentary made by Sky that hasn't been made yet! and one for the State of Origin rugby league match between New South Wales and Queensland. My suggestion for a voice over along the lines of 'State against State... Mate against Mate' which I made repeatedly didn't go down too well, however we finished the promos and once the boss (Claydog's boss that is) has seen them we'll no doubt be remaking them again on Thursday!

Waiheke photo

Just a note on that photo line up. It has to be said that the most striking thing for me about the photo is that there's not a lot of hair on the top row.

Friends Arrive from England and Azerbaijan

We had a trip across the Waitemata to Waiheke Island at the weekend to have a day with a few friends. Daniel was staying on Waiheke with another friend of his already. Here is a photo Bottom row: Grace, James, Alex, Tom. Top row: Anita, Me and Joe, Kathryn, Andrew, Yvonne, Neil.
We played a lot of cricket that day. Alex batted mainly and I bowled a lot. He refused to get out despite my best efforts.

Daniel took this photo

On Waiheke Island

View from Mt. Maunganui

We returned from Mount Maunganui at our steady pace, taking roughly 4 to 5 hours to get to Auckland. That's an average speed of 40 kms per hour which is actually not bad consisidering. I think that's right but cannot verify that precisely (my maths isn't too good and Tom has removed the desktop calculator to the refuse bin, which he then emptied.)
We dropped Daniel off near the Coromandel. He spread his belongings over the pavement and started hitch-hiking immediately. He soon got a lift to a Buddist centre where he stayed for a couple of weeks where he had to take great care not to kill any living creature. A one point he had to sieve some mosquito larvae from the bath and release them into a nearby stagnant pond.

Bay of Plenty

Image capturing opportunity on the beach. (Joe is in a 'Bumbo', not a potty.)

We have managed to get away for a night to the Bay of Plenty which was pretty pleasant. That is apart from the drive. My back requires frequent rests from the car and a regular exercise known as pre-stressing. This together with Daniel's need for salad eating stops at the right type of eatery meant that the journey took three times as long as it takes everyone else.
The weather was stunning, as if often is in New Zealand.

Hobson Bay

The train going across Hobson Bay

The sandspit,

At the end of the sandspit.

Mt Maunganui marina

Daniel strides into the distance.

Tom at the Marina at Mt Maunganui

Joe in his walker

Tom overlooking Orakei basin

Orakei

Just near our house is Orakei basin which is the remains of an explosive volcano called a tuff ring volcano. The bank around the basin is the tuff ring, an unstable type of rock/soil - something like that.

Walking back from Kare Kare beach

Later storyboard scene 6

Early storyboard scene 4

Williams UpFront

Williams Up Front is now on air. I've been working on it since its inception before Christmas and have designed the look of it. It's a current affairs programme twice a week.

One of many of Daniel's creations

Keeping control of the floating babes

The Englishman goes further afield

Daniel has moved deeper into New Zealand territory and has signed up for 10 days of meditation at a secret location. He has given up the right to speak, to use a computer and to wear shorts. But he has a secret weapon. His extremely complicated diet has been forwarded to the kitchen of the establishment in the form of several long detailed emails. First the establishment's menus were sent to Daniel. He then requested details of the recipes and ingredients. These recipes were then examined closely and sent back with various instructions and requirements.
Ha! That should confuse them. Meditation or no meditation.

An englishman must wear socks with his sandals.

Daniel arrives

Daniel arrived on Friday on his tour of the antipodes and has been introducing us to his extremely complex diet the rules of which are a mystery to all but himself.
We took him on a walk up Mount Hobson to view Auckland and then on a walk in Kepa bush. Today we're going to check out the west coast; Kare Kare and Whatapu- where 'The Piano' was filmed.
This photo of Daniel putting his socks on proves that Englishmen love to wear socks with their sandals!

Moerake Boulders. 'This is heavy'

Mikanos

Homework

Anita and Joe at Long Bay

Dad, are you sleeping again?

Cauldray House to the north of Auckland. (Right next to the beach)

Here is an example of New Zealand wildlife. This prehistoric looking creature is a Weta. Tom took this photo on a walk around the block the other day.

Bad Back

Yesterday I went to see the physio at SpineCare to have a look at my back which has been playing up since we shifted the furniture around two weeks ago.
This time the injury is a disk pushing out towards the back, so the exercises he has given my are extensions to ease it back in. The opposite of my last injury! I did some (extensions) this morning and it seemed to give relief straight away.
Tonight I'm playing the first badminton match in the Rocket Batteries Doubles ladder. Badminton doesn't seem to agravate the back. There's another competition tomorrow too.

Tom making Ye Mound

News reports later revealed 250 sharks at Long Bay today!

Where are the sharks?