mia and her sheep

a nice close up of our little treasure. the sheep was a pressie from uncle bob and it is one of her favourites. she is piling on weight at the moment and we are trying to get her onto solids. the faces she pulls are something else when she tries new foods. she seems to have a sweet tooth unfortunately and likes mashed fruit more than mashed veggies.

here's looking at you

father and daughter eyeing each other up! it is now friday morning and toby is off surfing at muriwai and i am eagerly awaiting his return so i can have some time to myself. the fletcher clan leave rotorua today and head to whangamata in the coromandel for one night. after that, they head north to near whitianga for 2 or 3 nights before returning to auckland. should be some swell on the coromandel coast so adam will be very chuffed. it would be nice to go and join them but we need to count pennies as i still haven't found a job. several in the pipeline at the moment so hoping one of them becomes a reality. otherwise it is back to temping when toby goes back to school. mia napping at the moment - she had her jabs on wednesday and is still recovering from them.

aunty sarah

mia with her aunty sarah sitting on our couch, both looking very happy. it has been great to catch up with sarah after all these months as i have missed her lots.

2 little girls

a lovely close up shot of bex and mia. can't quite believe how grown up bex is, she is a different girl to the girl we left behind 17 months ago. she is great with mia and is turning into a young woman very fast indeed.

5 month mia

here she is, aged 5 months already. photo taken up north on easter sunday (i think).

Cape Reinga

a long way from home......
cape reinga lighthouse at the north tip of new zealand. we visited on easter sunday and were very impressed. the rough guide book description didn't sound too promising but we were far from disappointed. the journey up was long but worthwhile, cutting through hills and forests reminiscent of bonny scotland. however the huge white sand dunes looming in the distance reminded us we were far from scotland. more pix follow without dialogue.

matai bay

the perfect beach, warm water and warm white sand.... absolutely stunning place, i think my cousin emma camped here when she visited. this was 10 mins drive from our accommodation. 

holding the baby

grandma and grand daughter getting acquainted! 

Bex and Fynn

an early evening swim at the bottom end of ninety mile beach after an afternoon of quad biking. 

kids and quads

adam and toby took bex and fynn out on quad bikes on easter monday. great fun all round. they went to ahipara - shipwrecks bay - and drove over sand, rocks and water for several kilometres. 

The Olive Barn

this was our home for easter, a newly built holiday home on the karikare peninsular. we got it at a knock down price cos it wasn't finished. suited us down to the ground, meant we didn't need to worry too much about traipsing sand in and out etc. not too sure about the local animal life though, we met spiders, cockroaches and praying mantis plus evidence of mice.... perfect location though we everything we wanted to see within driving distance. 

Sunrise

not a bad start to the day, sunrise on good friday at one tree point. this was taken by adam, an hour or so before we all sat down for breakfast together. a stunning location, toby, mia and i may well return to this area just near whangarei as it would be a perfect weekend destination.

Everybody!

a rare photo of the extended fletcher family. we enjoyed a really nice dinner - courtesy of chris again - at a local bar/diner near our motel on thursday night. fish seemed to be the most popular choice - king prawns, fish of the day, squid and scallops. 

more of the hat....

mia wearing her pink hat again. it almost fits her now having been too big since i bought it. toby managing very well to hold the baby whilst eating breakfast. this was taken at one tree point motel near ruakaka 2 hours north of auckland. we stayed there last thursday en route to northland. it was a fantastic motel, brand new luxury accommodation - spa pools in all the rooms. the hosts were a lovely young couple with 2 children. they set up a large table outside so we could all eat our breakfast alfresco. the sun shone and the food was delicious. it made a perfect stopping over point for the long drive north. 

Reunited!

Ah..... i took chris to westlake boys so she could see her son just after she arrived in nz. adam took this photo, not me. unfortunately toby had to go back to work shortly after this photo! i left mia at home with sarah, bex and fynn. she is great with other people, doesn't mind being handed round which is rather fortunate considering she'll be going to nursery soon. 

Mia meets her cousins!

at last, a picture of mia with 2 of her cousins! this was taken on 10 april, just after the fletchers had arrived. it seems ages ago now as they are halfway thru their hols already. their journey out here was fine and they arrived on time. first few days were spent in and around auckland, getting to know mia and our local area. as you can see, mia very happy!