It is a mixture of personal anecdotes, observations, skites about my son, Thomas and sometimes some things vaguely intelligent. For much more intelligent comments on education, social software and the like check out the blogs of my colleagues at www.core-ed.net
The weather has been glorious since Christmas with 28C+ degrees every day. We have spent a lot of time down on the beach- especially easy when it is only 5 minutes away so we can nip down in the evenings as well when Howard finishes work.
Am forcing myself to stay at home today to [...]
This book was written by fellow New Jerseyite and long-term Springsteen friend Robert Santelli and was written with the full co-operation of the band. The result is this fully illustrated informal biography combines rare photographs with 30 removable facsimiles of E Street memorabilia, including Bruce Springsteen’s first business card and hand-written set list, and even [...]
After our Swedish Christmas Eve we spent Christmas Day with Howard’s family for a Kiwi Christmas. For the first time forever (no-one can remember the last time) the whole family were together on Christmas Day, Nan & Pop, Howard and his 2 brothers, wives, nephews and nieces. Both Nan & Pop also had a widowed [...]
If you are in Christchurch (New Zealand) next Christmas try to make it to the great Christmas Grotto based at Spreydon Baptist Church.Lots of people have talked about it, and thanks to friend Juanita for organising it, we finally got round to seeing it this year. The Grotto has been running since 2001, and [...]
Our old friends Julie and Lollo, and their children Stefan and Kimmi are over from Sweden for a few weeks, hoping to experience a real Kiwi Christmas; however on Christmas Eve we helped them celebrate a Swedish Christmas. We set up a picnic in Victoria Square in preparation for the Carols by Candlelight service and [...]
When out and about last night we were directed to a labyrinth which had been set up in Latimer Square, in the city centre.
The labyrinth, a large scale interactive straw bale labyrinth, constructed of 750 bales, focused on the theme of peace, and was based on the labyrinth designed for St Paul’s [...]
For the first time since I moved to New Zealand I managed to find a church that holds a Christingle service, so Thomas and I went off to the Most Holy Trinity Church on Sunday afternoon. It is a lovely old Anglican church, surrounded by an old cemetery by the river Avon- reminded me [...]
This time of the year the sides of the road in the MacKenzie country are a riot of colour as the lupins bloom in all their glory. According to the Department of Conservation they are a pest which should be destroyed, but judging by the
number of cars stopped at the side of the road between Burkes [...]
We have just arrived home from a weekend at our holiday back in Twizel, which is overlooked by the beautiful and majestic Aoraki Mt Cook.
To Ngai Tahu, Aoraki represents the most sacred of ancestors, from whom Ngai Tahu descend and who provide the iwi with its sense of communal identity, solidarity and purpose. The ancestor [...]
