Greener pastures

Sometimes you wonder why in the world you decided having a kid was a good idea - that thought process usually occurs about the same time as the fifth tantrum within the space of an hour. But then...all of a sudden the child can be reasoned with, and he smiles and laughs a lot, and then you wonder why anyone would chose to miss out on this wonderful parenthood experience.

Right now we are going through the laughter and the smiles patch, and it feels like the sun is shining all the time. Every time we go see my aunt she always asks whether today is a sunshine day or a raining day with regards to the mood of the child, and a perfect metaphor indeed.

Jef has been busy, like BUSY BUSY. He's been working pretty long hours, going to work in the middle of the night and coming home to sleep for a few hours before getting up at his usual time to interact with Kien and help get him ready for daycare. Yeah, he's having an affair with his devices. Greener pastures.

Speaking of greener pastures, and seques nicely on to last weekend's jaunt out to Hunua. I love extra long weekends, where you don't feel rushed having to squeeze everything into two days. On Sunday afternoon we took a drive to the country.



It's really nice to get out here where everything is lush and colourful. This time of year is so wonderful; the ground is damp but not sludgy and muddy, the air is crisp but not biting cold, and the sun still hangs around until mid/late afternoon.









The boys got some flying time. Always fun to watch.









When Kien got bored of flying with his daddy he picked flowers for me instead.





We went for a nice walk along the river, where Jef reminisced about the good old days as a kid playing on the rocks. He kept on saying, "I remember there were lots of rocks here. Where are all the rocks?". Now the rocks are pretty much covered by grass, but a few still jut out on the ground.











Before we went home I picked myself a bunch of wild watercress for dinner. It was fresh and delicious, and I could have stood on the banks of the river and eaten handfuls of this stuff.



We really must come out here more often. Next time we just need to go earlier, and pack a picnic to have up at the dam. There are always good times to be had out here.