Birthday, Biting & Bike Ride......

One special Lad was very lucky to celebrate his birthday while we were in New Zealand....for someone who usually has his birthday in the depths of winter, it was a real treat to enjoy a summer birthday....and the weather was on the improve with a more summery temperature of 24C. The other Angels did a wee bit of birthday shopping in the morning and managed to purchase some of the most wanted items on Little Lad's list.....and then a spot of souvenir shopping for some NZ mementos with money the Angels were given by our most wonderful friend M. A BBQ tea was had.....as was to be expected for a summer birthday celebration.....and then cake.....but the cake was scoffed so quickly, it was gone before you could say "snap a photo".....so I've no cake photos to share.


With the weather steadily improving, it gave us the opportunity to have another try at bagging an eel......and this time they were biting.....Big Lad got bite, after bite, after bite.....but each time, the eel was clever enough not to take a big gulp around the hook......escaping back to his black hole until the line was lowered for him again. Big Miss, on the other hand had a little more success.....a rather large eel hooked.....but with a little too much fight for her to handle.....luckily, Grandpa was on hand to reel it safely in......

Big Miss's Eel

Of course, once we had taken photos of the proud moment, including Big Miss holding the slippery, slimy creature with her bare hands......yuk, yuk, yuk.......it was released safely back into the creek to live another day.

Christmas Eve dawned a gorgeous day......just perfect for a short bike riding excursion.....we had planned to do a couple of long bike rides, but before we could ride off into the sunset, we needed to know everyone would be comfortable on their bikes, and could handle the distance..... so we took a little ride down to my sister K's place.....her and her husband D have a lovely house with a few acres, and a few sheep. When we arrived, K had lovely cool refreshing drinks and freshly baked muesli-type bars.....yum.......ready and waiting for us. The Angels decided they'd like to explore, so took a walk up the hill to get a better view.....they walked to where the grass (light green) meets the tree-line.....

K & D's Hill

While the Angels were admiring the view, I was enjoying the most delicious frappuccino I've ever tasted.....and I mean ever!.......which K whipped up with her whizz bang frothy coffee machine........yum, yum, yum.....thanks K.....

K & D's House from their Hill

All refreshed and recovered from our little bike jaunt down the road, we saddled up and headed for home......everyone had happily adjusted to their bikes, having found just the right riding position, were competent with their gears and brakes, and were now ready for a bigger, longer, more gruelling biking challenge.

-xx-