Horses, rugby, coal & camp

It has been a while since we last posted, maybe it is because we are feeling more used to things, like less is "new". There are a few things that have been happening in our lives. The kids are riding horses Wednesday after school. A set of twin students of mine have horses and ride English. Dan and I both rode Western as kids so this is new to watch the kids. They love it nonetheless. The kids are also into the swing of things with rugby. They are on different teams but play at the same time on different fields at the same park. It is handy to go to one place and have both kids playing. There are photos included of a practice, where we had beautiful weather and then games, where the weather was cold. It is definitely Autumn here in Southland. The Hokonui Hills are the closest hills to us and I get to see them each morning on my way to school. This past Thursday I was delighted to see snow on the hills. It was beautiful. It is amazing how the hills look different each day.

We have also included pics of us getting coal. Dano and I went to the mine and got some coal today, you will see the different stages of the process. Sam was at camp this week and the theme was Medieval Times. He had a blast and came home smelly and tired. Abby found a friend too, her name is Belle. Belle's mother cooked for the camp so Abby got to see Belle a lot this week.
We are on a two week holiday right now. It is really nice... this two week idea. I always felt that March break was too short and felt too rushed. Two weeks is just about right. Melissa, our babysitter, life guard from LUCC and friend arrives May 4th and are we looking forward to seeing her! Partly because she is bringing us a hockey bag filled with things from home that did come with us in January. Also Sambo and Reena included things like Cheez Whiz, maple syrup, Kraft Mac n Cheese and other treats that they do not have here. The kids have spent some time getting Melissa's room ready for her. They cannot wait to see her. We have a few trips planned with her, like the Cadbury Factory in Dunedin, Doubtful Sound and Stewart Island.

This weekend we are off to do part of the Rail Trail. In Central Otago it is supposed to beautiful this time of year. We all have bikes now so we are ready to get out there. Dan has two hockey games in Dunedin this Sunday so we plan to end up there. Abby and I want to go to The Bead Shop and make some necklaces for Lillie, Kayla and Emma. I have made some beads in pottery and they turned out nicely. There are also water slides at the Moana Pool in Dunedin that we have heard is cool, so we may check it out too.

We have no dryer...like a clothes dryer. We hang everything outside on the line. It turns out that if you leave your laundry on the line for say....a weekend, fungus spores get into the clothing. My underarms did not like these spores that were living in my shirts. So, after a couple of days of itch-o-rama, I went to a Chemist (Pharmacist) who sold me some anti - fungal cream and relief is mine! Lesson learned!
Until next time,
Samantha