Issue # 36 - August's Antics

. Issue # 36 - August 2010 .

Well Hello everybody, And a special Hello to our BVI readers who have had a fairly hectic few days with Hurricane Earl popping in uninvited. We hope that you are all safe and well and that any damage to houses, cars, boats, trees, cats and dogs was minimal. I understand that a few beer, wine and rum supplies took a hammering... This month has been another busy one. Michelle, Sam and Jake headed back to NZ for a few weeks to catch up with people back there and to enjoy some cooler weather and lose their suntans. Dave stayed back in Cayman and held the fort as he couldn't get the time off work. As usual, if you want to catch up on previous Blogs, just use the archive button up on the right. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy our tales of August 2010.



















Touch Brunch
One of the teams that Dave plays for (Grizz's Old Fellas) had a celebratory brunch early in the month. It was actually something they won last year but only just got around to organising it. They all met at Luca (the brunch spot of choice in Cayman these days) and made the most of the unlimited food and champagne that was on offer. They eventually wobbled out at about 4:30pm. Not a bad effort for a Sunday! And yes, they are still at the bottom of the league table for some reason...

New Zealand Trip
As you will know by now, Michelle and the kids departed for NZ early on the 6th of August. The travelling actually went rather well and even the weather wasn't as cool as expected (although Jake had to put on extra clothes as soon as he stepped off the plane!). They thoroughly enjoyed catching up with family and old (and young!) friends - they wish they had longer to spend with everyone. The kids made the most of going to places they don't get the opportunity to go to here, as well as enjoying some quiet time, nice and warm in front of the TV.


















Places Visited:
Auckland (up near the top)
Christchurch (near the knobby bit on the Mainland)
Waimate (below Christchurch ... and a little further past Timaru)
Rangiora (Just North of Christchurch)
Kaiapoi (also a little North of Christchurch)
Wellington (Bottom of North Island)


Highlights included:
1. Shopping for Michelle - she was pleasantly surprised that there were things to buy in NZ that would be useful here. Spring fashions had come out so quite a lot of summer clothing was available that she didn't expect, as well as some good sales/discounts. The kids weren't that keen on shopping (especially Jake, given that he takes after his father) but Michelle took any opportunity that arose!
2. Air force Museum at Wigram (ChCh) - this was very well set out and had lots of planes of all shapes and sizes to look at, including a simulator of a Mosquito Bomber where you try and bomb enemy ships.














3. Christchurch Museum - replica of the Paua House in Bluff, and the kids Discovery section were hits, especially the live Tarantulas (just like those that live in the BVI and just as creepy in their cages!).















































4. Swimming in Rangiora's new covered swimming pool - Jake found the main pool a bit cool but enjoyed the river and spa pool (more like Cayman water temperatures!).

5. Ice skating - yep, the kids were dying to try ice skating, especially after learning how to roller blade in Cayman. They found it a bit harder as well as colder but had a good time. Even Grandad did it!


































6. Kelcey's Bush Animal Park (Waimate) - this was a very small animal park that had one or two of many types of animals, including Mother Goose, Billy Bob the goat, Mr & Mrs Peacock, Sammy the horse, Jed the Red deer, Amber the Donkey, Gobbo the Kune Kune pig, and possums (including a rare white or orange possum), turkeys, emu, alpacas and ducks. The highlight was hand feeding the pet lamb - he was very cute.






























7. Hydroslide at Century pool in Timaru - Jake missed some of this by falling asleep in the car but Sam and Mahalia had a great time going down 15 times!

8. Science Alive - this was the best value for the kids - we spent the entire day there and there were so many interactive activities for them. The best ones were rock climbing, NZ's highest vertical slide, gyroscope, and glow in the dark mini-golf (although the kids might disagree on the last one as they found it very frustrating not being able to see!)




































9. Orana Park - this is always a great place to visit but highlights were hand feeding the giraffes, watching the otters (we timed if perfectly and saw them getting fed - they knew it was coming as soon as they saw the truck stop), sighting two kiwis in the kiwi house, watching the spider monkeys being fed and riding the flying fox.




















10. Wellington - there was no spare time to be had - we tried to fit in as many visits to friends as possible. It was so great to catch up with everyone but we could have done with more time to spend with everyone, as well as having some spare time to go to some places of interest (like the Westpac stadium as Jake wanted to go to a rugby game!) so the kids could have enjoyed some culture - but it wasn't to be - Michelle had to return to work. Sam had a wonderful day with her old school friends and didn't want to leave - she has even changed her mind about staying in Cayman for the first year of high school here (which is actually Intermediate in NZ). Many thanks to Jan and Russ for providing us with a bed and wheels in Wellington (and very nice wheels they were too - better than we have here!).
We left NZ with a tear in our eyes but with fond memories - we really did enjoy the trip back. Thanks to everyone for making time to see us and/or accommodating and feeding us. Apologies to those that we missed.
We really do miss you all and would welcome any of you for a visit (as long as it's not all at the same time!) - and we even have a spare room for visitors.
We have lots of photos from the first part of our visit but please send us any photos you have, especially in Wellington, as we don't have any from there.
Much to the kid's disgust, we managed to squeeze in some more shopping in Miami on the way back, then had the weekend to recover before Michelle had to return to work. Michelle nearly died of heat exhaustion here after being in NZ - it was quite hot here over the weekend and she couldn't wait to get back to work and the AC!













Jake and Grandma















Sam, Josh and Mahalia

For pics of the NZ trip, click this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=193639&id=766998601&l=c58c5cf6bd

Minding the Fort
Dave stayed here in Cayman while Michelle and the kids went back to NZ. He was fortunate enough to get a couple of dives in, the odd day out on the water in a mate's boat and suffer the occasional night out as well. The first night at home, Dave cooked up some dinner... for the family (who were about 1,000 miles away at this stage)... and ended up eating the same thing for four nights in a row. The novelty of reheating leftovers had definitely worn off by the third night.
The cats survived their ordeal and the house was still in a reasonable condition when everyone came back.
















A few of the locals at Stingray city

The Annual Stroke and Stride races were on while Michelle was away, so Dave decided to give them a crack. The first one was a 400m swim and a 2 mile run. He struggled through that in 30.30 mins. The next one was 600m swim and a two mile run and he managed 32 mins which was an improvement, especially given the choppy sea that night.











Dave is thrashing about there somewhere...

The 3rd and final race in the series was an 800m swim and two mile run. Dave struggled in this race coming in in a disappointing 40 mins. Maybe it had something to do with the Full-Moon party at Kaibo the night before...
















A couple of the lads out for the full moon party

















Camana Bay
He was also busy at touch at least two nights a week, usually reffing one game and playing another... and then rehydrating after, which is always important in this climate.

But he was pretty happy to see Michelle and the kids at the airport on their return. The house had got a bit big for one person and two cats.

Diving
Dave got some diving in this month and Michelle managed to squeeze one in on her return from NZ. A friend of ours took a boat out for the day and there were six divers on board plus four kids and a couple of extras. But it's a decent sized boat and all was fine. The kids had fun snorkeling and playing about near the surface while ignoring their minders, and the rest of us divers toodled off for our dive.
That was followed by a few drinks on Seven Mile beach and then the kids got to take a spin on the biscuit which they thought was pretty cool.
















Biggles (Jake) and Tommy
















Sam and Molly

















Michelle gets sideways

















The crew...

For more Diving pics, click the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=175379&id=766998601&l=a6e3c2bf7e

For more Cayman Pics, click the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181250&id=766998601&l=9517d6c935


Next Month:

The Rugby season kicks off.

School starts

Touch Dinner

Visitor's.... (Who will it be!!!)

Issue # 35 - the July Jumble

. Blog Update # 35 – July 2010 .

Hello there!

Apologies for the delay in getting this one out to you. We have experienced some technical issues.... like not being able to reach the keyboard 'cos we were at the beach and the fact that half of the production crew were partying it up for the last three days. Anyway, things are all back together now, so read on!

What!!!!!???

Summer Holidays

The kid's are now on their nine week summer holiday. With Dave now working they've been availing themselves to every summer camp they can find. The first week was rugby camp - the mornings involved many games that were loosely based around rugby eg. rugby netball, rugby baseball, rugby golf...you get the picture! Afternoons were at or near water - the hose and sprinklers the first day as the bus never turned up to take them to the beach; bar and pool another day and the beach yet another day. Two rugby university students from England came over on an exchange and this was part of the deal. Sounds like they had as much fun as the kids!

The next two weeks they went to sailing camp where they learned to sail little Pico's and other little craft. They did heaps of sailing but also played games and did other activities like make and race their own boat. They had a prize-giving on the last day where everyone got a certificate - Jake's was for sailing well with his team to Camana Bay and Sam and her two friends got the Queens of Capsizing award - they loved to capsize their boat. Sam also got the award for The Most Improved Sailor. There was then some free time and they even got to show off their skills and take Mum and Dad out for a sail on the last Friday of the camp.

The following week they were on the National Trust Camp. There they learned about Cayman and visited a few places of historical importance as well as doing some Cayman cooking and learning about Iguana's, Parrots and other local wildlife.

On their first day Dave went to pick them up at the end of theday and was taken aside for a 'chat' by the supervisor. Apparently one of the kids had been fighting with another kid. Dave turned to look at Jake, but was then told that it was Sam who had boofed this kid over the head with a book. He was an annoying little brat anyway. Dave had to keep a stern look on his face and also refrain from giving Sam a Hi 5 until they got out to the car park.

But they enjoyed that camp too and even asked to go again sometime.

This last week they are at the Kings Sports Centre doing sporty stuff like Roller skating, Squash, Basketball, dodge ball, Rock Climbing as well as some Art and Drama and a few other bits 'n pieces.

They are having a ball. The hardest thing to work out is which one of us is dropping off and picking up (most start at 9am and the finish time ranges from 3.30-5pm which can be a bit tricky).

Grizz's Old Fellas....Beautiful.....

Touch

The summer touch league is into full swing now. Dave plays for Michelle's work team and also another team called Grizz's Old Fellas. They have the sexiest kit in the comp and they really do just play to have fun and not care about winning. A concept foreign to Dave, but he's starting to get used to it.

Our mate Brodie (from the BVI) came along one night (during her honeymoon!) and put in a guest appearance for Michelle's work team. She did well, and even set up a brilliant try for the good guys! The wine at lunch obviously didn't make a difference!

On Saturday last a Touch Super Saturday was held. Each team had three games to play. This meant Dave had to play six... and was suitably

jaded by the end of the day. Nothing to do with the compulsory beverages consumed during the Grizz's team games. Grizz's team won two from three, showing people that they can win if they want to. They just choose not to, unless the other team annoys them, then they let rip.

Michelle's work team managed their first win on Saturday. First win ever! They were pretty happy about that. It was nail biting stuff with the teams tied when the final hooter went. But they just had time to move the ball wide and Dave slid over in the corner for a somewhat controversial try. He did get a stomp on the back for his trouble... but didn't

care, the game was won! They also drew their last game which they were more than happy with as well. Michelle took the field as a sub for the first time a week ago and since that went ok, decided to step in on Saturday and play in each of the games - she started out as a sub but ended up playing more than originally intended. Her knee held out fine (although the rest of her body was aching for the next few days!) so she was pretty pleased about that.

It's a small world! Dave pops into a pub and finds Brodie... on her honeymoon with Joe, all the way from the BVI!

End of Season Rugby Trip
The mighty Iguanas Rugby team (2010 League Champions) went on their end of season tour a few weeks back. It was a fairly extensive tour of Seven Mile beach... in a Pirate ship. They went out on a sunset cruise on the Jolly Roger.

It would be an understatement to say that the bar staff were kept busy. In fact they were so busy that they had to bring the boat back early as they ran out of drinks... which is unheard of in these parts.

NZ Trip

Preparations are in hand for Michelle and the kid's trip back to NZ next week. They leave here on Monday and arrive in ChCh Wed 11 Aug. If you haven't been in touch and want to catch up, send us an e-mail.

View from Dave's office. Note the cruise ship in the background and the interesting shapes in the foreground!.

One jug of Mudslides coming up!

Beach Days

We've had a few days at the beach lately. Last weekend was a bit of an organised get together. at Governor's beach. A BBQ was taken as well as a generator... to power the blender, to make the cocktails, of course. What a life...

We also had the inaugural Softball game - Girls v Boys. There was a bit of a competitive edge to it, especially from the girls team, of which Michelle was seen to be fairly vocal. But the good guys prevailed in the end.... or was it a draw? Anyway, I'm sure there'll be a rematch!

We were about to start the world cup of Petanque when a storm hit. The beach was cleared in seconds. There were bodies running everywhere, chairs getting blown down the beach, people tripping over themselves and trying to carry as much stuff in one hand without spilling their drink which was in the other. Mayhem. In the end, it was so wet and windy that people just wandered back down and sat in the sea to warm up.

After another rough day on the beach...

The weekend just gone saw us back out at Rum Point for a day after the night before. After touch, the boys had a Poker evening which involved some poker and a substantial amount of rum. When they were finally dragged to the beach on Sunday, they were a very sorry looking lot... until someone broke out the Mudslides and then it was over.The kids had a ball on the Kayaks and swimming about. Jake and a mate were given a bottle of non-alcoholic beer which they took great pride in drinking it in front of any adult they could find.

What else to do on a stormy Saturday...

Dive Reports.

For more dive pics, click the link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=175379&id=766998601&l=a6e3c2bf7e

A mate of ours just got himself a new boat and wanted to take us out for a dive. Unfortunately the weather had cut up rough so the dive was canceled. The boys went anyway for a hoon and ended up doing a bit of a pub crawl by boat around half of the island. The weather was OK to start off but soon cut up rough again, but the boat handled the rough seas quite nicely. Though it wasn't so much fun getting pummelled by huge drops of rain which felt like hailstones as we headed home!

A week later we tried again. This time Michelle and the kids came along too. We again got caught in some bad weather - the rain drops weren't as big this time but Michelle still complained that they hurt her face. The storm passed and it turned out lovely. Michelle and Dave ended up going for a dive while the others looked after the kids on top. Another good day out with a nice dive.

That evening was a surprise birthday party at a local restaurant for a friend of ours. A fairly good bunch of people were there and a nice meal, plenty of wine and a lot of laughs were had by all. The only problem Michelle had was that she was freezing - yes, the AC was too cold for her - how will she cope back in NZ?!!

Weather Report

Hurricane season is in full swing. Nothing too serious here so far, apart from the bad weather that was thrown at us for about 10 days straight. Continual rain, thunder and lightning. The last week has been reasonable dry with the odd shower.

Michelle and the kids might get a wee surprise when they arrive in NZ after being in a constant 30 degrees.

See more fun pics by clicking this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=181250&id=766998601&l=9517d6c935

Next Month:

The journey to Aotearoa... and back

Stuff

and other Stuff