Winter fun

Our cat Tolly has been showering us with gifts lately, at a rate of almost one a day. These poor birds must be desperate for food and/or very slow (physically and mentally!). On Friday we got home from work to be greeted by a very proud cat, awaiting us inside on the newly installed carpet was a bunch of feathers and a dead bird. Sometimes the birds are fine and we catch them and let them outside. This one was a bit stunned and stayed for a while...

Nick decided to make birdfeeders with the boys. They have been popular. And are great excuse to sit and look out the windows.

All you need is some melted dripping, birdseeds and maybe some chopped up fruit. Mix it together, pour into a yoghurt container or plastic cup, add some string then pop it in the fridge or freezer to set. I think Nick is doing this same thing with his class this week for writing instructions - fun AND educational.

New carpet

Thanks to some lovely friends who gave us their old carpet when they put in some new, we are now wallowing in warmth. Well, not quite, it's a bit an illusion of warmth really but WAY better than wooden floors in the winter. It's so quiet too, and has made the hallway lighter. We love it.

Meat trays and packaging

Who already does it and who's keen to join us??

I'm about 6 weeks into my 'no more meat trays' way of life. They can't be recycled or reused and I can't bring myself to buy meat from the supermarket anymore.
It's butcher meat only in our house now. AND it's actually worked out cheaper. We use less because it's full of flavour and there's less water and/or fat in the product. We use the Apsley butcher, it's on the way home from work and locally grown.

Creative Junk

Is there one where you live? I only discovered this a few weeks ago but it has been in Christchurch for 25 years! It's a place, not a shop, more of a warehouse, that is filled with barrels and shelves of factory cut offs and throw outs, along with lots of things (plastic containers etc) from people kind enough to drop them in.You can fill a bag for less than $10 and have hours of fun with the collection. Great for children on those wet days and great for the classroom too.

Rhys kept changing his mind about what his creation was...but, he had fun and maybe it didn't need a label.


Joseph made a bird's nest with baby birds in it.

The little pieces of coloured stuff is the bits of plastic that surround wires, there was a whole barrel just with those in it. It'll no doubt end up in the landfill one day but at least its had a detour on the way.


Wool, shiny silvery paper, fabric, ribbon, empty spools, coloured card, polystyrene bits and whole bunch of other stuff I cannot name.

Born to be wild?

Here's a quick clip of Rhys on his new bike. This was going to be his (3rd) brithday pressent (in August), but his father had a feeling he was ready for it now. His mother proved this by teaching him how to ride it within 5 minutes or so. That's his brother giggling like the village idiot in the background!

He did have a few of these, most of which he laughed off.

"I'm clever dis bike . . . "

Not to be out done by his big brother and his cycling abilities, Rhys has taken well to the hand-me-down running bike on which Joseph earned his stripes!

Sleepy Boy

Amazing what the lull of a vacuum cleaner can do to a very tired wee boy.