Glow worms in the forest

It wasn't raining last night, so we went looking for glow worms along the Puarenga (Sulphur Flowers) track in Whaka forest...hard to photograph, but they looked amazing.

 The best viewing was just after dark.  The glow worms are all along the banks of the stream.  Very beautiful, like stars.

Lily

She has been sunning herself next to the pond most days, but always manages to avoid getting her photo taken.  Finally I snapped her today.

Happy Easter Red Eggs

Anni suggested having Red Eggs for Easter.

Harry Potter egg

I put the brown eggs in the pot, added 50mls of red food colouring, 1 tsp of vinegar, and topped the water up until the eggs were just about covered.

The eggs were boiled for 3 minutes, and the outside became a lovely red colour.

Happy Easter!

Picnic in the RAIN!

The evening started out wonderful, and plans for a BBQ at the Tree Trust was a good idea.  Who knew that the heavens would open, and a mighty fire hose woud be turned on to full.

It poured down, it rained and it rained and it rained.  The urchins held the umbrella over the BBQ so the sausages could cook.  Quinn and Tighe decided to dodge the raindrops.

The wind blew arcs of rain over the car.

I think we should picnic in the rain more often.  What an adventure.

The small valley became the scene of a flash flood.  An amazing amount of aqua.

When we grow old - words from my Grandmama

When we grow old,

it is not how much money we have made,

how big our house and cars are,

how fine our swimming pool is,

or how beautiful our clothes are

that will matter.

The only thing that matters in the end is

whether we are at peace with ourselves,

and the universe,

and whether we love anyone,

and whether anyone loves us.

The capacity to love,

be it love for family or friends,

pets, garden, music or books,

- this is the one thing in life that lasts,

and will make our lives as rich and joyful as our beginnings.

Success in job or possession is trivial and temporary,

compared with the task of a lifetime,

and the only thing that makes life worthwhile

- loving.

Agnes Krippner

New Traditions - Dyed Eggs for Christmas

Anni is visiting from Germany, and asked if we dyed eggs for Easter.  As we don't, we are starting a new tradition. 

 I discovered that the Supermarkets in Rotorua do not sell white eggs - only brown.  So I guess we will dye brown eggs.  Not sure how it is going to work out.

 We boiled the eggs for 4 minutes with a tablespoon of vinegar, and popped them in the bowls.  In each bowl was approx 50ml of food colouring, and1 tsp vinegar.  Once the eggs were in the bowl, I topped it up with extra boiling water.

 Using a spoon, we rolled the eggs around to get good coverage.  Note how some are darker than others.  I guess it depends on how brown the egg was to begin with.

Remove from the colour and drain on paper towels.  I was disppointed with the yellow.  Didn't do anything on the brown egg, just made it look browner.

The next one was to use silk to dye the eggs.  I had some scraps of silk left over from a project, so we cut the silk up and wrapped it around each egg.

The right side of the fabric, needs to be facing the egg, so the design can transfer to the egg.

Using twist ties, we secured the fabric tight around the egg.

Then we wrapped cotton around the fabric eggs and secured these with rubber bands.  This is to collect any stray dye, and also help press the fabric close to the egg.

The fabric covered egg were gently placed into a large pot, and covered with water, and 1/2 cup of vinegar was added. The eggs got cooked for about an hour. The house smelt a bit from the dye and the vinegar.  The rubber bands failed, and just floated.  However, they did their job.

Mixed results.  Some of the eggs were beautiful, and the fabric had transferred the patterns well.  Others were just yuck, dull and horrible.  Perhaps the results would have been different with white eggs, but we had brown ones to dye.

The ones that we decided were the boring, non pretty ones, we popped into the cold food colouring bowls.

 Look what happened.  Glorious colours and patterns.  We will do this again.

 Also note how the brown egg shows through, as the eggs were cold when they went into the food colouring.

 Just because I can,  here are some images of the eggs we dyed.

Fabric dyed brown eggs

Fabric dyed brown eggs

Once the eggs had cooled down, we gently rubbed cooking oil into them.  The vegetable oil was put onto a paper towel, and we rubbed the egg with it.  A nice sheen appeared.

 The eggs survived about 2 weeks before they began to have a "Rotorua" smell about them.

Repairs of the Wrist

Erik has had more surgery on his wrist and they have put a metal plate in, to stop the bones grinding each other, and set the bones in the correct position.  Erik hasn't got much sleep, as the bones kept bumping each orther.

The top screw may cause problems in the future, as it sticks out the bone a bit.

 The hand therapist built a small brace / splint for his wrist.  Much lighter than the plaster cast.

Exploring the Bay - Part Three - The Beach

Papamoa Beach, just along from the Mt Maunganui beach, but less crowded.

Quinn and Tighe got wet, and the boogie board and skim board got plenty of use.

There were a few blue jellyfish about, but with such an awesome beach, plenty of room to avoid them.

Exploring the Bay - Part Two - The Mount

 The conditions were perfect for walking up Mt Maunganui.  The path gently winds around the hill.

 Great views of the bay, and the blues were all different.

 The view at the top is always fabulous, and Papamoa beach beckoned for the afternoon.

 I was suprised that the pohutukawa was still in flower.

 I always like these rock formations, and today a base jumper opened his parachute just above us.

The steep steps down to the beach.  The water fountain at the bottom was really useful, and we all filled up our water bottles before heading off to Papamoa beach.

Exploring the Bay - Part one The Waterfall

 

 Waterfalls, Mountains, and Beaches, all in one day.

 First on the list was Kaiata Falls, at Welcome Bay, Tauranga.  The urchins explored the stream and managed to stay dry.

 The urchins like how the rocks have been eroded by the water.

 A quick walk down the steeps to the waterfall.  Some hardy children were swimming.  It was too cold for my urchins.