makara

Warning: Poor poetic prose ahead...

Today's outing was to Makara.
Thin scary road.
Stream to estuary to sea.
Windswept and rugged.
Bump bump bump the buggy along the rocky path around the bay.
View of Mana Island with Kapiti Island behind it.
Seaweed, smooth stones and faded plastic mingling underfoot.

Our geeky highlights were spotting a New Zealand pippet (a bird we hadn't identified/seen before) and a Kingfisher. Eden had a great time. No grumpy patch like normal when he starts to get tired. The bumping was too exciting and tiring I think!

right on your doorstep

Isn't it great when you discover something right on your doorstep.

I had been wanting to explore a certain walking path further up our hill but hadn't because it wasn't Eden friendly - supposedly. But a few days ago I thought "what the heck - it's a beautiful day" so I heaved the buggy over the style of the farm fence (with Eden in it!) and off we went. The path was a little bumpy but fine (and so it should be when using a mountain buggy) and we only ventured for a quarter of an hour or so, but the views of the city and harbour below were magnificent.

I managed to persuade Duncan to come with us on Good Friday afternoon and we ventured for an hour or two. We sat in the sunny quiet and ate our home made hot cross buns and shared binoculars to spy on feral goats and fleeting birdlife. Idilic really except for the gorse and occasional pylon!

I am always amused at people's reactions to our street. Everything from "well you must cop the wind up here!" (yes we totally do!) to "Ooh it's lovely up here isn't it?" Being the 'glass is half empty' one in our relationship, known to joke about living in 'hardyplank heaven' I'm always more surprised at the second of these responses but I'm actually having a change of heart.

We may live at the top of a very steep hill and you can't just walk 10 minutes to the town centre like I could in Wimbledon, but for a tiny bit more sweat, we have a glorious picnic spot with million dollar views a hop, skip and a jump up the road. If only we had discovered this in the summer! Grandma and Grandpa Babbage in particular would have loved it! Oh well, there's still a little of Autumn left and with the weather as it has been this weekend...

granny smith apples

A tip I learned today.

Do not give your six month old Granny Smith apple puree. Last week Gala apples were fine....

Eden actually cried when I tried to clean him up from his nappy - raw red skin - too acidic - ya think?

funny sounds

Pretty much each week Eden has a new vocal sound that he experiments with. Of course as you can imagine, this is very cute and he seems to find it funny when I try to mimic him (but sometimes I just can't as it must be a baby-only-no-teeth kind of sound!)

This week it is sucking his bottom lip in and out - kind of flicking it with an intake of air. Last week - it was a very silly looking thing which hardly had a sound at all and consisted of him sticking his tongue out and biting it - very idiotic.

Other ones before this have been lip smacking, the high pitched squeal, and blowing raspberries. He has two firm favourites that he comes back to. One is a very annoying "mmming" sound which can come across as quite grizzly and demanding. The other is quite funny as it is this dramatic intake of air with a kind of gulping, rasping sound - sometimes he does this one so hard it makes him cough! This one he does simply for the fun of it I think.

Eden also enjoys certain silly sounds we make. Strangly, he seems to think it is very funny when I do fake coughing or clearing my throat sounds. Ante natal mates talk of rattling off rugby players names - and yes - they are a hit - particularly Ma'a Nonu, Joe Rokokoko, and Rodney Suialo - but "ooga booga" does just as well!