What Harriet's bottom can tell you about the state of the nation

Quite a lot actually... So here is the posterior in question:

and yes, Harriet is indeed 'backing black'. Literally. I think you have to be a complete hermit not to realise that, in New Zealand, anything with the word 'black' in it is rugby related.

What we have been eating recently 3

It's lemon season here at the moment.  I planted our tree last year and right now we have about 20 lemons waiting to drop.

We've been in Auckland for four years now, but I still find it exciting that we can grow lemons in our garden.  Not quite the same as the allotment in Leeds! Anyway, as they say, when life hands you lemons...

Reuben is a poet and the rest of us are quite creative too

Reuben came home with this poem and drawing on Friday. 

Hannah has a secret admirer

Soooo, I've just received this beautiful flower arrangement. Not from Dave, and don't know who else over here who knows it's my birthday today might have sent them. Anyone out there recognise these flowers?

Tilly finds her dead parents very inspirational

On Tuesday we get home from school as normal. Tilly stays outside and rings the doorbell.

Me: yes?
Tilly: [stage whisper] can we pretend that I'm a visitor?
Me: oh, ok. Er, hello visitor!
T: hello. My parents are dead and I came to stay with my grandma but she's not in so can I come in?
Me: !!!!!

This was only the start of a major 'dead parents' scenario that occupied Tilly for much of the time before tea and even inspired a new piece of music.

Dave is extremely very useful

A domestic rather than sporting triumph this week!  As you know, Dave is good at that triathlon business when he's not busy being excellent at work, and he can also provide a comfortable location for bedtime milk-drinking as far as Harriet's concerned.

But that's not all.

Happy anniversary to us!

No, not this one: