Getting ready for Christmas

Time is rushing away towards Christmas and our trip to the UK.  Taxi booked, accommodation sorted for all the nights of our stay, car hire organised, Christmas presents bought - time to relax a bit before we tackle the packing.  Auckland weather has been fabulous recently, blue skies and temperatures in the high 20s, so we headed down to the beach on Sunday afternoon with the kayak.

Tilly asked for first ride and headed off with Dave.

Afterwards she practiced floating in the life jacket.

Tilly described the experience as 'good, but salty water came in my mouth.  That wasn't very impressive.'  Meanwhile the resident bookworm in the family was busy in the beach tent:

But we managed to drag him out for a trip with me:

And in for a dip:

And Harriet enjoyed sitting in the bath temperature rock pools:

A few days earlier, the junior classes at Reuben's school had an evening picnic and entertained the parents with their performance of Christmas songs.  Here they are giving it their best:

Tilly modelled Reuben's headdress for us afterwards:

Tilly's daycare had a Christmas party last week and also performed some songs for the parents:

Sadly, we're not able to upload video clips to this blog so we can't share the full gloriousness of the performance.  I think JK Rowling probably gives the best impression of what the children sounded like with this description of the singing of the Hogwarts school song from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:

'Everyone pick their favorite tune,' said Dumbledore, 'and off we go!'

And the school bellowed…

Everybody finished the song at different times.  At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.  Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

'Ah, music,' he said, wiping his eyes.  'A magic beyond all we do here!'