My Little Runner

You've probably never seen Anna in a sporting event. I have. Many times. She's usually the one looking at dandelions on the field, or talking to her friends, or falling over in the three legged race. But something else happened this year. She said, "Mum, I want you to come to the cross country race. I'm going to win."

It was a beautiful sunny day and James and I arrived to see her warming up, super keen to get going. We met Thomas' Mum who introduced herself as "Anna's boyfriend's Mum." How could I explain that Anna has 2 boyfriends, and she likes McKenzie better because he's older (7)? Whew, a few smiles later, it was time for the five-year-old girls event to begin.

You know what? The other girls sprinted off the blocks, but Anna started at her pace and she just_kept_going.

Over the river, over the BMX hills, back over the river, down the straight (see me clapping), around the basketball court. She lost her closest rival (the girl in white) on the rugby field, breezed past some boys who were "running" the race that started before hers and...

SHE WON. She won by miles. I nearly fell over with joy. She's the kid who always sits inside sewing, crafting, drawing, dressing up. And then she won a 2/3-mile cross country race. It made up for everything else that happened this week and then some. Her only reward was the sound of all the kids chanting "Anna, Anna" as she ran to the finish line, and massive hugs from Mum and Dad. Bet her boyfriends were pretty impressed!

Under the Gingko Tree

We've had a glorious late autumn full of much needed sunshine. The Northofagus firewood is stacked and our gingko tree has finally lost its yellow leaves. We have all sorts of harbingers in our garden, and when the gingko loses its leaves, Anna knows winter's on its way. Yesterday James and I captured some scenes in the mid morning sun. The shadows are long and the days are short, but Belle looked beautiful and I always love posing with Anna. Next time we need James too!!

BTW, Belle turned two in March. She's nearly all grown up and has learned heaps of words in her second year. Her favorite words are "cat" (instant hunt mode), "walk" and "cookie." Like my Dad, James and Anna, she has a soft spot for cookies- and apple cores. She's also started communicating with non-verbal grunts, growls and yips... she seems to have a different yip for each type of animal she chases. She even coughs rather politely when she really wants something and we're ignoring her.

I'm so happy with Belle- she's a lovely family dog with a passion for chasing things and endless patience with children. She's never crossed us and is infinitely loyal and eager-to-please. We feed her PROPER (not filler-laden soy-corn rubbish) dog food and she hardly sheds and never smells. She even lets Anna dress her- not too bad for a hunting dog :-) Now if we could only stop her from tossing those nutritious biscuits every time we take a car trip...

Riding Lessons

Anna's started casual riding lessons this term at a small stable that specializes in breeding miniature horses. The atmosphere is really casual (Anna's 5, I'm not fussed about the competitive aspect of showing yet), and Anna takes a 30 minute private lesson on Saturday mornings. Her lesson pony, Popcorn, is SO cute!!

We've tried ballet lessons, and Anna always looked bored (for me, ballet was beyond painful). Yay for horses!! During her first two lessons, she was totally focused, and she never stopped smiling. Anna is a quiet, thoughtful child who loves taking care of things. I hope she will have fun and acquire heaps of life skills through riding lessons. There's a lot to be said for working with stubborn animals, gaining patience and confidence, making horsey friends - and having a room decorated with ribbons!

Pigeon Bay

Wow, another sunny weekend in Christchurch and another new beach adventure. Last weekend, we traveled to Pigeon Bay on Banks Peninsula. Located 77km from Christchurch, Pigeon Bay feels lost in another decade. The houses are still proper Kiwi baches, tourists don't venture down the steep winding road, and the people are local and down to earth. On a windy day, too, the bay has a nice sheltered swimming area with dolphins, a pier and a giant rope swing. Anna loved sailing out over the water!

While Anna is nowhere near as adventurous as me, she has plenty of spunk. The trait she has that I treasure the most is her ability to make good observations. To me, being observant is more important than knowing how to read at age 3, winning prizes at school, excelling at athletics, etc. Anna notices things in nature, how people are feeling, beautiful pieces of beach glass, how to construct an outfit out of fabric scraps, the list goes on. I feel like no matter what she chooses to do, if she takes the time to make good observations, she will find success.

Speaking of observations, I also observed some good looking bikes at Pigeon Bay. What a treat to bike along as a family enjoying the sunshine!

Awesome Awaroa

Godley Head is the headland located between Christchurch and its port at Lyttleton. It was originally named Awaroa by the Maori, meaning "Long River," but it was renamed Godley Head in 1900 after Englishman John Robert Godley, the founder of the Christchurch settlement. Rocky volcanic cliffs and brown rolling grassland give the ancient (10 million year old) volcano its beauty. It's a recreational playground crisscrossed with mountain biking tracks, walking trails, and picnic areas. During World War II, extensive armaments were constructed around the headland to ward off German submarines. Soldiers excavated a 110-metre tunnel to the beach adjacent to the harbour mouth, and we spent Sunday afternoon on an adventure through the tunnel.

I really hoped we didn't have an earthquake while in the tunnel! Happily, I didn't see any signs of loose or unstable rocks. Andesitic porphyries, ancient soil horizons, waves crashing on boulders, and jumping Hector's dolphins greeted us on the other side. We had a wonderful picnic lunch admiring the rocks and wildlife and then spent a while exploring the old fortifications.

Anna's attire is self-designed. She has been turning all sorts of fabric scraps and scarves into skirts and dresses. Her creativity is refreshing, but sometimes the safety pins slip, exposing underwear and other parts. I laugh and encourage her to think a bit more about design :-) The above picture illustrates her Australia scarf-turned-skirt. Except the skirt is only 1-sided! At the sandy beach afterwards, we were fully clothed! With a water temperature of 60F and an air temperature of 70F, our beach swim required wetsuits. I kind of remember those warm Florida beaches and burning hot sand, but it seems like another lifetime....

Summer Again!

Christmas in Cromwell came replete with a giant parcel from America. With the sun shining and mountains of presents from home, I started the morning by laying out a treasure hunt all over the house and garden. A clue linked each pile of presents, and Anna had to use her nature skills to navigate to the next stash. A self confessed "sleep-later," Anna had to be woken up at 9am to get the party started. I loved that each present smelled like home and had shiny American wrapping paper.

Back in Christchurch for New Year's, I was elated to get back to enjoying a snowflake-free summer. We had a nice BBQ with friends Bronwyn, Ben and Olivia followed by 3 days of mountain biking bliss. Our city has amazing single track trails weaving through our pine plantations. I cannot resist putting in a picture of my new bike jewelry, a Hope hydraulic disc brake with braided hose and floating rotor, CNC made in England:

Maybe you won't marvel at my brake as much as I do, but our night at the beach was marvelous! After sweltering in 89.5F heat all day (how can I say that? I grew up in Florida!), we went to Corsair Bay for a late evening swim. The lighting was fantastic, and the beach was still crowded with revelers. Sand castles, sand rivers, seashells, volcanic rocks and tranquil saltwater all mingled to make it a memorable family event.

Sure enough, a cold southerly blew through the following day and I am now staring at wet gray skies. But for a moment, the air was warm and still and we played until sunset.

My Singular Hummingbird

Last summer in State College, I was sublimely happy and totally in love with my... bicycle. When I arrived, the guys at Freeze Thaw Cycles (http://www.freezethaw.com/) made me a bike out of spare parts in their garage and loaned it to me for the duration of my stay. It was such a sweet bike, with a 29inch wheel on the front and a 26inch wheel on the back. Everywhere I went, people said "nice bike." I know they meant that sincerely, as it was truly bespoke, rode smoothly, and really had that wow factor (please detect a minutely small bit of sarcasm). Ever since returning to NZ, I have longed to ride my bike again and capture that feeling of freedom and originality.

Through the winter, swine flu, pneumonia, almost 3000 earthquakes, Anna starting school and spring, I have tried to rebuild my bicycle.With the help of Allan Eng, Sam at Singular Cycles in the UK, countless hours on TradeMe, the guys at Basic Bikes in Sydenham (who I only wish were as friendly and cool as their American counterparts), James, and my Mom, I have at last finished building my Singular Hummingbird (http://www.singularcycles.com/hummingbird.html). It's a boutique bike and one of only 3 in New Zealand- perhaps because of the great lengths it took to get it here from the UK, or perhaps because only unique people want to ride these bikes. When I peddle down the street, I can now imagine myself to simpler times and the people, culture, and forests that I love. Yes, a great act of consumerism did wonders for my American soul. But it's not really about the bike; it's about all the people and places along the way.