We've had such a busy few weeks with my parents here. Elmer's had a couple of plane rides, been on a bus (a rarity for us in NZ!), stayed in a few different holiday homes, thrown stones in Lakes, been for long, boring walks, climbed stairs, fallen over a couple of times, eaten all sorts of exotic food, read tons of books, been licked by strange dogs, visited Wanaka, Hawea, New Plymouth, Wellington, Oamaru, Queenstown and Arrowtown! Busy baby.

I have a number of things to blog, but I'm all over the place at the moment! We just got back from Taranaki where me, Elmer and my parents spent 5 days in a beach-side cottage (first proper relaxing I've done in months - bliss), and are off again in the morning for a trip that will feature Natalie and Lawrence's wedding in Tekapo - the little church on the lake. It's one of the most stunning places to get married so I hope I can do it justice.

News in the meantime is that I have learned how to knit. My mum taught me during our stay in the cottage. I'm knitting Elmer a scarf that will go with a cute new coat we bought him. It's all going to look very Harry Potter (not deliberate), with red and blue stripes.

Elmer is walking along using the furniture loads, but still not branching out to take his first steps. Oh and I cut his hair! First time. Today whilst he played with his toy garage. It's a pretty good hair cut since he didn't exactly sit still. He looks YEARS older, which is cute but also a little heartbreaking. I must post a photograph.

Once he's walking he won't be a baby anymore, but I've had a good baby-innings since he's now almost 19 months. He's babbling lots, and every second word is 'tractor' - an obsession.

Here are his fat little toes on the beach in Taranaki. Black sand!

I took my parents to Oamaru last week and we stopped in Moeraki for lunch at Fleur's Place. Such gorgeous food in a really beautiful setting, it was one of those afternoons you want to store away in your memory to last you through a dingy winter's day.

The last time Mum and Dad saw Elmer he was 11 months old, still immobile, and still just a little baby really. They arrived in Dunedin last week, after a mammoth trip across Russia, Siberia and China (yes, my parents are very cool). Good job they had some experience in Siberia too considering the 'summer' we've had down here.

Elmer is now a big boy. He bum-shuffs, he says things, he climbs the stairs, he gets illegal chocolate out of the fridge. He cuddles only those that meet his high expectations. Luckily Mum and Dad made friends with him in the car on the way back from the airport and now Elmer has them in his exclusive cuddle-circle.

It's so amazing having them here. Tomorrow we are up early to head to Queenstown, but I've had a few people on my back about the lack of Elmer photographs on the blog recently so I thought I'd better blog these tonight.



 

The photographs below document an unusual day. Unusual because all of these things happened on one day last week;

a) It was sunny and dry
b) It was not blowing a gale
c) Steven wasn't called away to do electrical work
d) I was at home to look after Elmer
e) Reece from next door was available to help lift beams

A day to rejoice! Some of the roof beams could be lifted up into position! Nobody would get blown off the roof in strong winds!

The house probably looks a little different to the last time I blogged. The roof is slowly being built, and once all the framing is done we will get roofers to come in and do the steel work. Otherwise everything you see has been crafted by Steven. On his own! I wonder when the roof will be finished? Soon I hope. But then today was meant to be a building day and of course the weather is disgusting. Nice to see blue skies now and again.

















I tell you what, those beams are HEAVY. There's also a lot of detail work involved in building a post and beam house. Whole days can be spent chiselling out bits of wood that will dovetail together with precision.

When we watch Grand Designs and see someone whinging that the contractor they hired to build their 'self-build house' in it's entirety has taken 3 weeks longer than suggested, I want to travel over to the stylish cottage they are renting, with one of these large beams, and knock some sense into them. This is one of the most stressful and frustrating things we have ever undertaken, given the circumstances. I am so proud of Steven though, and aware that we are lucky to be here in New Zealand, able to enjoy such an incredible project.