niu timatanga

Messing with sleep!

2011-07-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this on minimal sleep! I last slept on thurs nite. Took a sleeping tablet having not slept well for weeks & managed to crash gaining about 5hrs sleep. Friday I had the day off but went to wrk that evening at 10:30pm. I had worked a 7 day stretch just to get a saturday off. It was an experiement to see if firstly I could handle staying awake and enjoying the sat with the kids or would it be a complete waste of time & if so go back to just having a friday off & working every weekend. So off I go to work 10:30pm wide awake. The night wasnt bad but the last few hrs just dragged from 4-7am. I was like a jack in the box couldnt keep still couldnt sit for long wanted to chat to whoever would put up with me long enough to listen. The care giver that was working with me kept falling asleep. I think she thought me completely hyperactive & annoying!!! I can''t sit still at the best of times or quiet for that matter so I did find that part of the shift not so much fun. When we did our rounds I started to chat to the patients. They looked at me thru half closed eyes asking me to rather leave the light off! I got home just after 7am & decided to sleep while the rest of the house was still snoring. I crawled into bed with Edie-Rae & slept on and off for about 3hrs. Thinking this is a complete waste of a day I got up got dressed and saw what an amazing day it was. Blue skies but icey wind and the sun was very weak. Edie-Rae and I jumped on our bikes and set off for the beach. I kept thinking I should rather have worn something a little warmer than short cycling pants and a thin long sleeve shirt! We biked for just over an hour she is such good company, we laugh and sing & I keep telling her what a girl she is sometimes when she screaches from getting wet going thru the puddles. Every time I say that to her she looks at me and says but I am a girl !!! I have to laugh and say yes you are but you don't have to behave like one!!! She doesnt get it but that's ok she is just wonderful company & the time spent with her is so precious. We then came home and I decided the house needed a clean. The more I cleaned the more energy I got not realising that I hadnt eaten since 6pm friday nite & I was in actual fact starting to shake the more I exerted myself. Finally at 3pm I had a cup of tea and rice cakes with heaps of peanut butter & cheese on. Popped two panadol & an ibruferen for a major headache probably from dehydration & carried on cleaning. After a shower I climbed back into bed to write this blog and am starting to feel my eyes getting really heavy. We are having people over for dinner who will be arriving in like 30min so no sleep will be happening anytime soon! So the question is would I do it again? Yip deffinately I have had an amazing day. Accomplished much been in excellent spirits & just loving the freedom of a sat off with the kids!!! Tomorrow I tackle the garden got the chain saw & hedge clippers ready and then the week begins sun pm-fri. I think I'll sleep well 2nite.

Soli Deo Gloria

2011-02-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hitting a melt down a week ago was probably the best thing because it made me examine myself really examine myself. The conclusion being...

Before I get to the conclusion I will write a little about what was expected from me over the past 6 weeks and what was presented by me and then the outcome of my work.

I will start off at the end being today.... graduation because it makes sense to post my exemplar that I had to present today reflecting on this journey or chapter in my life...

CAPP COURSE 2011

Reflecting back over the past couple of months to where I was and where I am standing today stirs up many different emotions. I won't go into detail of what 2010 threw at me but I will say those hurdles, obstacles, bullets, whatever we refer to them as have tested my patience, endurance and attitude and brought me to this day!

Dementia... a closed unit with 18 patients . They all looked the same. Grey hair, no hair, false teeth, no teeth, some ambulant others requiring assistance. Looking at me, suspiciously, accusingly... 'who are you, what are you doing here, don't think you going to get that drug down my throat!' My preceptor was watching out of the corner of her eye, the health care assistance were watching inbetween giving the patients mouthfuls of porridge. I could just imagine what they were all thinking... "not another student unsettling the patients!" I wanted to run, to grab a spoon and start feeding a patient, whip one off for a shower, take control as a health care assistant because that was my comfort zone having done it for 2.5 years. Not this not trying to get Mrs X to take her medication as she threw insults at me verbally and spat it out onto my shoes yelling at me to "leave her the bloody well alone!" in her strong Irish accent. Across the room I felt eagle eyes peircing at me accusingly... Mrs P seemingly with it. But I soon came to realize that actually none of them were with it!

17 January 2011 finally arrived. A bright smiley face greeted me when I walked into College and all my fears seem to melt away. I soon realized that this was one of the tutours. After introductions were made a few of the students wandered through and everyone seemed to have that same 'not knowing what to expect' look on their faces.

Week one was full on. Some of the learning new... Nursing practice and the health care systems in NZ, some of it more of a refresher... St Johns course, and then the lectures that brought out the knowledge buried way back there in some of that grey matter. It was fun, exciting and so rewarding learning, getting aquainted with the students, lecturers and hearing their different backgrounds. By the end of the week I felt a little more ready for my clinical placement but very nervous and apprehensive... the great unknown was rather daunting. What will my preceptor be like? What will my tutour be like? What will the atmosphere and environment be like?

Five weeks later I stand here and reflect back on my first day at my clinical placement... the Dementia Unit. Since that first overwhelming day I was left to run the unit. The patients and HCA's began to trust me. I learnt all their little habits and ways in which to administer their medication so that they swallowed it without fighting, what kept their mood stable, how to de-esculate their behaviour and manage the challenging behaviours. Observing, monitoring, documenting, endorsing and doing all the necessary interventions on a critically ill patient before contacting the Doctor and relatives. Practising all I had learnt in college and the years of past experience I had obtained as a nurse... it all started to come back to me.

My tutours, collegues, preceptor and the awesome team that I worked with at my placement have made these past six weeks amazing. I would not swop them for anything.

Standing here today I can say with confidence that I am competent to practice as a nurse in NZ!

The whole way through my course no matter what I presented in college or in my clinical placement I received only positive feedback. Not once was my work faulted or frowned upon, infact it was completely the opposite I felt like I was being put on a pedastool. But yet my conscience was contradicting everything I was hearing I was believing that I was a complete failure, inadequate, totally incompetant and because of these thoughts I kept pushing myself harder and harder desperate not to fail, desperate to prove that I could do this.

At the end of the first week when I handed in my first Exemplar on an experience whilst acting as an HCA I achieved a huge well done, well written! My presentation on research I had done for Increasing Albumin in pressure ulcer healing was done in the early hours of the am. When I was called in to say how I thought I did, I was completely honest saying that I read far to much of it instead of learning it, I didn't go into enough detail etc etc ripping the entire presentation to shreds. When I had finally finished my tutour turned to me and said, "Well I thought that it was brilliant! You were clear and easy to understand, you looked confident, your research was well presented and your visual aids were good." I just about fell off my chair. Turns out the clinical leader at my placement wants the paper to keep in their education file for future students!

My clincial placement was no different all the feedback was positive from my tutour and preceptor as well as the staff that I had the opportunity of working with.

Since my melt down a number of people have asked me if I had considered doing the degree. Today my tutour asked me if I had considered it. I then realised that all these people see something that clearly I don't and maybe just maybe I might have an incredibly low self esteem!!! Who would've thought. I'm the first to see when others belittle themselves and I'm the first to try and get them to see their strengths yet I'm the first to not realise how pathetically stupid I have been through out this entire 6 weeks to not see that infact I am capable and if and when I apply myself I can actually achieve!

(I might post my other exemplars... I'm not a writer but they had to be done to prove my competancy in dealing with patients)

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (CRE) IN SCHOOLS

2010-11-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

New Zealand, a secular state with no official state religion but with a formative Christian heritage, has changed considerably since the 1960s when the legislation about religion in schools was enacted. NZ is now an increasingly diverse nation religiously and culturally. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of New Zealanders, now nearly a third, who declare themselves to be of ‘no religion’ (Census 2006). There has also been notable growth in the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim communities who now constitute one twentieth of the population.
Approximately half of us are Christian, which is an overall decline in numbers of declared Christians, although there has been a rise in some Christian sectors. The place of religion in New Zealand schools needs to be considered in light of this new and changing context and it is likely that questions and concerns about religion in schools will increase.

Whether a school includes religion in the day-to-day life of the school or not is up to the school’s Board of Trustees. If a school does provide religious instruction or observe religious customs it must be done in a way that allows students to opt out freely if they want to.
Section 77 states that teaching must be secular during the hours a school is open for instruction
Section 78 allows a school (or part of a school) to close for up to one hour a week up to a total of 20 hours a year for religious instruction or religious observance, to be conducted in a manner approved by the school’s Board of Trustees
Section 79 allows children to opt out if their parents do not wish them to participate in religious ceremonies or teaching.

CEC has two main focuses to its work:
Christian Religious Education (CRE) and Chaplaincy to the state schools of New Zealand.
"Helping Students make good life choices" Our catchphrase represents our belief that the Christian values and principles taught through CRE programmes and pastoral care offered by our chaplains will certainly aid students make good life choices

The link below are the points of the Code of Conduct for CRE teachers:
http://www.cec.org.nz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=89

Taking all these points into consideration I kept second guessing myself of whether or not I was teaching correctly. Teaching CRE we go by WALT (WE ARE LEARNING TODAY/THAT/TO)http://www.cec.org.nz/images/stories/pdf/curriculum2010/Supp-Green2-Search.pdf

WE ARE LEARNING THAT... eg: we need to respect our collegues, those in authority, the law
we need to be responsible
we need to care for each other our pets, our belongings etc
AND THEN... we can tell about a story of interest that may be in the news at that time eg: Prince William & Kate Middleton's engagement and relate that story to the Christmas story of Mary & Joseph's engagement.
This is so that the children can see that the bible matters today.
CRE teachers need to focus on values.

Today was our last day for the year of CRE. I was able to give each of my students a children's new testament bible donated by the CEC society: http://www.biblesociety.com.au/ecommerce/cgi-bin/clearconnect.cgi?stk_id=CET260BWM&webpageno=1&webpageopt=P&pagename=more_info.html
a puppet show on the Christmas story was shown in the hall and each of us teachers received a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers from our class.
My class made me the most wonderful card and each child wrote a few lines to thank me for teaching the Bible to them.
I would really like to share with you just what Bible in Schools meant to a few of the children in my class.

to Mrs Little thank you for teaching us bible. I did not know some stuff that I learnt about god have a great holiday
Dear Mrs Little I hope you have a merry christmas with your family and Thank-you for coming in in your own time to teach us about God, how to be nice to others respect and how to be responsible. Every Night Before I go to Bed I say the lords prayer MERRY X-MAX x0x0
Dear Mrs Little Thank you for teaching us about the Bible, God and Jesus and have a great Christmas.
Dear Mrs Little Every Tuesday morning Im very happy because know you're going to teach us. Thank you for everything that you done. I hope you have Merry Christmas and a happy New year P.S. thank you for the bible (and she drew a picture of hands praying)
To Mrs Little Thank you so terrably much for teaching bible and thanks for coming in and teaching us and not even getting paid! We all wish you THE BEST Christmas ever!!! P.S. when ever I see you my heart is beating so fast And I've learned much!!!
to Mrs Little Merry Christmas card Thank you Mrs little for teaching us all about god and Jesus and How to treat others and I thank you for your kindness and all the Love and I don't know where to go in Christmas but I will always Remember you just like in my heart, best bible teacher merry merry christmas

Each child wrote their own message with no help (according to their teacher) and I was so moved by all of them especially the last one which was written by a child from Hong Kong (where Buddism is the main religion) clearly he has taken what he has learnt to heart.

Before each lesson I would sit in my car outside the school and just pray that God would put the right words into my mouth that the children could relate to and understand. When we did the lesson on the Lord's Prayer I got the children to make a bookmark with the Lord's prayer printed on it and then they drew a picture on the back and these were laminated. This meant so much to each child and as you would have read above one child now says the Lord's prayer each night before going to bed. When we did the 10 commandments a few of the children did learn these and were able to recite them back.

Looking back over the year I can see how God has used me to spread His word. My prayers were answered and this is shown by the letters the children have written to me. My prayer is that the seed has been planted in these children's hearts and that somehow they will be able to be exposed further to the gospel as CRE only goes up to year 4 in this particular school.

Please continue to pray for the work CEC are doing. Pray in particular that we will be able to continue to teach in the state schools. The Board of Trustees have the final say of whether or not Bible in their school can be offered, however, if one parent requests for CRE then the Board has to call a meeting to discuss whether or not to continue allowing the programe to be run in the school.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

HALLOWEEN It isn't what it seems!!!

2010-10-30T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Issue of Halloween!
Halloween - It Isn't What It Seems!! � Selwyn Stevens, M.C.R.; Ph.D.
Many think Halloween comes from America, but actually it is a Celtic pagan festival from Britain and northwest Europe, dating from at least 500 BC. The Celts worshipped many gods & goddesses, encouraged by a secret priestly society known as the Druids. They engaged in occult arts, especially the worship of nature, and gave supernatural qualities to oak and mistletoe trees. Even the Celtic kings feared the Druids. When a king became too old to lead in a battle, the Druids would sacrifice him, cutting him up while still alive and use his organs for divination.The Celts had at least 400 gods, and one of them, "Samhain", their god of Death, was worshipped on October 31st, the last day of the northern autumn, their New Year's Eve. They believed that on this night the Lord of Death gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals, and then decided what animal form they would take for the next year. The souls of the good dead were also believed to be reincarnated as humans. They even falsely believed that the punishment of the evil dead could be lightened by sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to the Lord of Death. And on this night, Samhain allowed the spirits of those who had died during the previous year to return for a few hours to associate with their families.Druid priests wore long black robes, and carried a hollowed-out turnip or pumpkin with the face of their "Familiar" - a demon - carved into it with a small candle inside for light. The lamp was often fuelled by fat from a previous human sacrifice. These lanterns were known as Jack-O-Lanterns, allegedly named after a miser trapped between heaven and hell and rejected by both. The Druids would go house to house demanding special foods. If supplied obediently, they would leave for the next home; but if not, the household were cursed with trouble. Often a hex sign would be slashed into the door with the threat of the death of the oldest child within a year. That's the original "Trick or Treat!" Some homes weren't asked for food - instead they required a young virgin girl. As midnight approached, these young girls were sexually abused then ritually sacrificed to appease this evil god of death. The Druids danced and screamed, drunk and demonised, to invoke Satan's help with their magic, witchcraft, sorcery and divination. The bodies of those sacrificed were thrown into the bone fires - now called bonfires. As the centuries passed, the Romans conquered much of Europe. The Druids declined in number and power, allowing the common people to pick up the practices of Samhain and more. Many things were done to invoke "good luck" - meaning trying to find favour with the evil spirits many people believed controlled their lives. By the 8th century, the Christian church (now more political then spiritual) attempted to overlay many pagan festivals and holidays with a "Christian" veneer. To counter Samhain, the Pope decreed November 1st as "All Saints Day" to honour the Christian dead, particularly those martyred for their faith during the earlier Roman persecutions. This attempted substitution didn't work. Other elements of Halloween: Witch on a broomstick - The Dark Ages saw a revival of witchcraft and paganism. Mediums (often thought of as witches) were employed to convince the nature spirits to allow a good harvest of crops such as grain. These mediums, usually women, would ride their broom sticks naked and leap around the growing crops, as part of their fertility ritual. The height they leaped was alleged to become the height of the crop. This leaping on a broom was often confused with Astral Travel when witches went out to spy on others or cause mayhem. The Black Cat was often inhabited by a familiar or evil spirit. The Raven had a similar reputation. The use of Masks arises from the idea that it was best to hide one's identity from the visiting souls of the dead by wearing costumes as a disguise. There may also be a connection with the use of masks in many other pagan festivals, which change the personality of the wearer and allow communication with the spirit world.This form of 'celebration' is not unique to the Celts. The Hindus have their night of Holi, the Indians have their Feast of the Dead (every 12 years), and in Mexico the Day of the Dead begins on November 2nd and lasts for several days.Halloween was brought to North America by Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine during the 1800's. Promoted by pagans of various kinds, along with commercial interests, Halloween has gripped once God-honouring nations with its occultic tentacles. What should we tell our children?God isn't a kill-joy. We believe He wants us to have fun, but without the occultic snares of Halloween. Children need to be warned about the abuse and evil history associated with Halloween. Scriptures which advise us to stay away from events like Halloween include: Deut. 18:9; Jer. 10:1-3; Romans 12:9; 1 Thess. 5:22; 3 John 11; & Eph. 5:11. Also Halloween and similar subjects desensitise us to evil; it isn't good to expect rewards on demand; the benefits of acting out modern versions of old pagan rituals are questionable; tell children good things such as the true Christmas story of God's love for us sent through Jesus Christ. Note to Parents & Teachers: In the Bible we are instructed to measure things by their fruit. Halloween's fruit in modern America has been increasingly bad. Children knocking on doors are open to "Stranger Danger", and there are regular reports each year of children disappearing on this night of death, or who receive sweets or fruit laced with drugs and even parts of razor blades. We invite people to write to their local school principal and School Board of Trustees and politely request a thorough investigation of Halloween, its history and its consequences. If Halloween is permitted to continue to be promoted in our public schools, then traditional Christian, Jewish and other religious festivals should receive at least equal time in teaching and promotion. If Halloween is to be taught in schools, then teachers must be prepared to tell the whole story, including the sexual abuse of children and the ritual human sacrifice this festival of death is based on. We question whether these are appropriate subjects for primary school children.Perhaps rewards could be made for acts of kindness towards those less fortunate than themselves, especially the elderly - this would produce better character.We also invite people to organise prayer meetings in your church/community focused on protecting children from occultism in all its forms, including Halloween, TV programmes & related toys/games etc. One Presbyterian Church in our city has been organising a "Angels & Saints" party - last year they had over 700 children, and this year they plan to hold it in two venues to cope with the growth of interest. In a totally different suburb, six churches joined and had a combined "Heroes" party - with children to dress like their heros. Most came in the uniform of their favourite sport - and some national sports representatives who are Christians came along to encourage and to say a few words. The first time these churches did this brought in 600 children - over a thousand people and a great time was held by all. One Baptist Church took a Master-copy of the Halloween leaflet we have distributed, ran off their own, and put them in every letterbox in their rural county. They got a significant response!
Halloween - Can Christians Make A Difference?(A guest Editorial in Daystar - New Zealand's Evangelical Monthly newspaper.)by Selwyn Stevens
Halloween is bad news. For anywhere! This pagan festival originated in Celtic Europe, particularly Britain, around 500 B.C. and has remained the highest night of witchcraft ever since. It always involved ritual abuse and killing, particularly of young virgin girls. Driven by commercial interests, Halloween has been popular in the USA for many years, but people involved in the general area of witchcraft have their own agenda for it. It's the most significant day on their calendar, and is connected with the worship of Samhain, the Druid god of death.Really Halloween has no redeeming features except that some businesses make money out of it.Some people might argue these days that Halloween is just a bit of harmless fun, especially to the secular community. But even if we discount the spiritual aspects of Halloween and deny any reality to Biblical curses, there are still plenty of dangers to children. The event brings out a selfish, you-owe-my lollies attitude in many youngsters. Friends of mine in Lower Hutt were spat at by young "Trick or Treaters" when they declined to hand over the demanded sweets.There are media reports in other countries where razor blades have been inserted and even drugs injected into fruit for trick or treat gifts. There is a strong risk of stranger-danger, particularly with unsupervised children going door to door. There are more than enough paedophiles around, waiting for innocent children to come knocking at their doors. However, we are all spiritual beings, we live in a spiritual world, and we are engaged in a spiritual battle whether we like it or not. So what can Christians do about Halloween?I think one of the reasons for the apparent powerlessness of the church today is that we have forgotten to promote positive alternatives to the evils that exist in our society.Much of the time, Christians are seen as just opposing things. A secular society is mostly self-centred. Jesus of Nazareth calls His church to be salt and light in our communities. An increasing number of churches are putting on safe, supervised, alternative activities on October 31st. God isn't a kill-joy. We believe He wants us to have fun, but without the occultic snares of Halloween. A side benefit is the increasing relevance of churches to their local community. Some churches are already pro-active in this regard. Knox-St Columba Presbyterian church in Lower Hutt has for the past four years run a "Saints and Angels" party on October 31st. They have a wide range of entertainment, including a fancy dress competition - no witch uniforms allowed! Last year 700 children turned up. This year Knox has joined forces with St. Lukes Anglican and Hutt Christian Covenant churches. To accommodate the estimated 1500 people coming, both the town hall and the adjoining Horticultural Hall will be used. They hire sideshow games, and have different activities for the various age groups. Solid prayer backing has been organised, and commercial sponsorship covers the significant budget.Last year, six local churches in Wainuiomata joined together and had 1,000 people, (including over 600 children) to their event on October 31st. The vast majority were unchurched families. Another thing we can all do is pray, particularly on October 31st. For several years we have organised prayer meetings on that night, and encouraged people in other towns and cities to organise their own, with the particular emphasis of praying for the children's safety. We can also distribute helpful literature. People can access our web site (www.jubilee.org.nz), download our leaflet (under "Articles" button & marked "Halloween - it isn't what it seams)- and give them to children who come to the door, asking them to pass it on to their parents. Tens of thousands of these have gone out in the past two years. One Baptist church took a master copy of this leaflet, ran off their own, and put them in every letterbox in their rural county. They got some response! Another church put one in every home of their town. I mentioned that we are in a spiritual battle. Former witches have testified to having prayed curses over the bulk sweets in the supermarkets. We encourage Christians to go and pray a blessing over the sweets. The main reason big chain stores sell Halloween products is to make money. The managers usually have no personal views one way or another. So we encourage Christians to visit those stores and pray over all the witchcraft stuff, that it won't sell. The logic is simple: if stock doesn't sell, then next year the stores won't buy as much of it. That is already evident this year according to several reports, as well as my own observations. Who said Christians can't make a difference! Selwyn Stevens, M.C.R.; Ph.D. President of Jubilee Resources Intl.; Best-selling author, International Speaker. You are welcome to copy this article.
What's a Pastor to Do about Freemasonry?
Freemasonry: What Christian Churches Really Think!
Eye-Opening Statements on Freemasonry
Mormonism Issues
Jehovah's Witness Issues
How to Identify a Cult
Is It Right to Judge?
What do Cults & Religions Think of Christ?
The Issue of Halloween!
Evangelism Made Easy
How to Preach without Results!
Spiritualism: A Christian Perspective
The Bible: Fact or Fiction?
The Vacant Cross & Tomb!
Gods or God: How Many & Who?
Carrots, Eggs & Coffee Beans: a Parable
Martial Arts in the Church
Buddha prophesied Jesus
What God Wants!
The Baha'i Faith & Christianity
Christadelphians and Christianity
Signs of a Spiritually Dead Church
Religious Spirits

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My Dad

2010-10-13T01:21:00.000-07:00

JOHANNES HENDRIKUS ALBERTUS JANSSEN 13 October 1933 - 27 August 2010

Blessed I was to spend two weeks with you this year.

Blessed I was to have you as my dad for all these years.

Today was your birthday,

I'm sure the best you've ever had,

For today you are in heaven above celebrating and I know looking down in love.

I miss you so much.

I wish you were here.

But you are in heaven now,

a much better place,

because there is no more suffering,

no more tears,

only happiness and love.

Today was a happy day.

I celebrated your life.

I took a ferry to a Navy Base to remember all the things you liked.

I went into some art galleries and a bookstore to,

so I could page through a book on Rembrandt that reminded me of you.

I walked up Mount Victoria and sat at the top

Looking out on the Panaromic view of Auckland City, Devonport Harbour with plenty of yachts.

It all reminded me of you.

"Little Women" was out there today

Well in my mind she was I could picture you sailing her

In your white captain hat!

I pray for you often

that way I feel near

to my wonderful dad I was blessed to have for 38 years

I miss you Daddy.

As a child I would wake up in the middle of the night to hear my dad playing the flute and my mum the piano... "Dance of the Blessed Spirits"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTZgMQ7TVes

13.10.2010

21:55

by littlekiwis

2010-10-13T01:19:00.000-07:00

Taupo Brookes Half Marathon Trail Run

2010-07-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

At the start

Frost covered landscapes from Hamilton

From Nick Reader – Event Director

‘Tough, but rewarding… don’t change a thing’ "Those were the thoughts of most people who took part in the very challenging Brooks Off Road Half Marathon Sunday 11 July. link of pics from the day:

http://www.eventimagecapture.co.nz/events/index.php?photo_id=7969&event=56&cur_page=

The course located on the North side of Mount Tauhara took a record 620 runners and walkers on either the Smiths Sports Shoes 10km or full Brooks Half Marathon mission through forest roads, mountain bike tracks, machine built trails and even old trails used by wild pigs and deer. Yes it was indeed 100% off road!
It was one of those ‘great to be alive’ days with brilliant sunshine and no wind, but the start of the day was minus 3 degrees. It was so cold in fact that the drinks station people poured water into cups and the top layer of the drink froze and could not be poured out – believe it or not?
Oh and the last hill, don’t mention that killer climb. The last hill aptly called ‘Te Pari Pain’ by the organizers really tested all participants willpower and energy reserves, but hey the greater the effort, the greater the reward so well done to everyone who ascended to the saddle to enjoy a panoramic view of the Broadlands valley where the Waikato River escapes from the great lake."

Click on the link below for more stories about the day:http://trailrunz.blogspot.com/2010/07/no-tarahumara-at-tauhara-half-mara.html

I find trail runs far more rewarding because of the beautiful scenery and often awesome panaromic views. Running on dirt and grass is less jarring on the body and post recovery is so much faster. I'm deffinately going to start looking into tramping their are some amazing trails especially further south and these can be done over a few days check it out

http://tramper.co.nz/

Ramble on....

2010-03-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

I have so many thoughts so much to share but besides not always being able to express myself as well as i would like to it's just easier to share pics, comments and yes lots of history. There are times when I just want to come here and vent but I know that is not constructive for me. I've realised my way of getting thru tricky, stressful and "unfair" situations is to rather turn it over to God knowing that He has a purpose for everything that happens in my life. Not always easy to accept but I know that that is what works and what He expects from me.

London has been great. Spending time with my little sister was really good. She classes me as her best friend which is quite an honour as I dont think I measure up to that. Seeing my folks and other two sisters has just been so worth it. I battled initially with all the thoughts of having to say goodbye before they even arrived to the extent that on the am that we fetched my folks I was so emotional but managed to contain myself and so once seeing them I was able to relax and just make the most of my time with them. Whenever someone mentioned that we would be saying goodbye I would say let's not think about that now let's just enjoy the time together. And that is exactly what I have been doing!

Catching up with my relatives from Holland and Seattle was a once in a lifetime experience. Received a wonderful dvd from my uncle of the time we spent with them in Holland in 1980. If I am able to post it I will it brought back such good memories.

So what have I done since being in London. Well I guess the touristy stuff. Having never been here before everything I saw and did was a first which has made it so much fun. I've done some of the British Museum and hoping to do more tomorrow.

Been to the National Gallery four times. Not intentionally. The first time I went with Sharon and managed to see most of the 15th and 16th century artists. Second time went with Tan and Kari and saw 17th century art. Third time went with my American relatives and my family and saw 18th-20th century and some 13th century. Today I took my mum and dad back there and viewed the dutch artists and then the Impressionists of the 18th - 20th century.

Today walking around the National Gallery got me thinking again... what inspirations do these artists have in order to create the topic they have chosen. Being quite a substantial amount of art hung at this gallery is religious one could just say well that's the artists interpretation of that particular passage in scripture. However after the Reformation more light was added to paintings and scenic views were painted along with still life and the paintings to me showed more real life situations whether it was a portrait, self portrait, children playing, men & women out at work etc. However in saying all of this my questions were answered and I am grateful to that person for sharing what inspires them to paint because it helps me understand that the artists way back to the 13th century probably had the same every day life experiences and so expressed them thru their art. Take Thomas Gainsborough for instance... I really like his work I spent quite a while looking at his pieces and marvelling at the amount of detail he captured. Today I saw a painting by Peter Paul Rubens and I was so drawn to it. It was named The Watering Place. I stood there and thought wow Gainsborough's work is so similar to this guy. Turns out that Gainsborough had seen this particular piece and was so taken with it that he painted his own version of The Watering Hole!!!! So I can also see now that artists inspire other artists pretty amazing!!!

Took a trip to Oxford. It was a long trip and took most of the morning. Not sure how many trains we ended up taking there but it worked out cheaper than taking the bus like a £65 difference!!! Anyway when we got there it was freezing cold and raining on and off. My dad needed the wheelchair cos he gets very breathless and battles with pain intermittently. We were hoping to have a tour of C.S Lewis house, church and school he went to but found out that these are only done once a month and were not happening that day. Being it was off season there was only one tour on offer and that was happening at 2pm. So we found a really cold courtyard outside the old court of oxford university with the library upstairs where scenes from Harry Potters 1st and 4th movie were filmed. Everything costs to get inside and being it was a monday that particular part of the university wasnt even open. The tour was interestig Oxford University is made up of Colleges of which we were taken to 3 different ones. There are I think 10 colleges. They all seem to have their own chapel, diningroom and sleeping quarters. St Mary's however is the parish church of Oxford and also the University Church. No other church in England has witnessed so many momentus events in the history of religion: the trial of three Protestant Bishops - Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer on the orders of Queen Mary in 1554-1556.;

This shot is taken of the Matyrs of the Reformation both Catholic and the three Protestant that were burnt at the stake. It is mounted in St Mary's church in Oxford. All three Matyrs preached at this church in the Pulpit on the south side of the nave.

The arrest of the Roman Catholic Edmund Campion in 1581 for distributing a pamphlet; the sermons of John Wesley 1770 which signified the start of the Methodist movement, and those of Keble and Newman in the mid 19th century at the start of the Oxford Movement and the Anglo-Catholic revival. When Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer were finally condemned they were taken directly from the church to Broad Street to be burnt at the stake. The cross above is on Broad Street marking the site where the Matyrs where burnt.

Well a day later cos the computer froze. Went back to British Museum to do Ur, Mesopitania, Ancient Turkey and lots more. Never got to the V & A was quite disappointed but I'll read up on it. The wedding pics are out and in them are Great Fosters where the reception took place this was built in the 1500 and you will see what a beautiful building it is and the gardens are really well maintained. I'll post a few pics of the intereior by the reception so you can get a feel of what the interior is like. The stairs are dark wooden and creak, there are passage ways that are dark and the rooms are cold and old! Very spooky and airey!

and tomorrow I'll be heading to LA for a 2 hr stop over and then on to NZ. I am so looking fwd to the backward life NZ has to offer. I just cant manage to keep up with the London pace but it's been a wonderful 3wks & hope one day I get to do Paris, Italy, Spain, Greece, Egypt and many more countries!!!!

The runaway train came over the hill and she blew...

2010-03-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

just for kicks.....

but when taking this i was facing the wrong direction having got my bearings all messed up when changing lines which hopefully explains the sudden swing of the camera!!!!

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

2010-03-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

The British Museum is a beautiful building and a work of art on it's own

Today we all decided to go our seperate ways for a number of reasons. I desperately wanted to go to St Thomas Hospital by Waterloo Bridge and check out the Florence Nightingale Museum. Caught the U and walked the rest of the way, only to find out it was being "refurbished" and will only reopen in may! Bummer!!! so caught the U to Totenham Court to meet up with my sisters at a music shop in Oxford Circus. We spent far to long there for my liking. Does music interest me? Yes but.... I only played the piano to level 3 so can read music but don't ask me to walk around a music shop for hours on end looking at music that I cannot play and dont even have access to playing. It's not a personel issue it's just a fact. I guess they eventually got the msg and we moved on.
Found the British Museum a beautiful old building that would take many a day to walk round and absorb all the info on ancient egypt, ancient rome and ancient greece. Ancient Eygypt has always interested me. I recently helped Nathan do an assignment on it and really enjoyed learning all about that time of life again. Unfortunately each gallery takes so long to see because there is just so much to read and process so only managed to get to three and then my partner got bored. Would love to get back to see more on anceint rome, greece and the persian war. I don't follow much of what is going on in the east today but it's incredible how the character's in the bible's names are mentioned in the galleries... they were so part of this history!

I suppose many would think museums and cathedrals are so boring and surely there must be so much more to do in London. Well there probably is but for now I'm in my element THIS is what interests me THIS to me is what London is all about. Man I went to Spurgeon's church one of the Great Puritants of all times how incredible is that! Have you checked out his quotes... quite inspiring.

Here you can actually see the mummified body of a person (not a king). Infact there is probably only one king that was later discovered. The reason being that robbers looted their stone tombs and most of the temples where the kings bodies were buried were destroyed. The mummies were buried with 'gods' to protect them and different pieces of pottery vessels.

Some coffins have eyes painted on them and the coffins were then buried to face east. At the Victoria Museum in Melbourne there is a casket containing a mummified Egyptian lady. X-ray scanners reveal the remains of this lady.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scanner-reveals-details-of-egyptian-mummy-inside-casket-1605190.html

London before London

2010-03-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

The London Museum situated by the London Wall near St Paul's Cathedral. This museum exhibits history dated back to 450,000BC to AD50. The river Thames is central to the story and the people who lived along its banks. The history shown in this particular museum is Prehistoric, Roman London, Medievil London, War, Plague and Fire.

This first pic depicts the City Wall AD200. What you can see in the segment are later walls built on the foundations of the original Roman wall and a 13th century tower.

The second pic shows London's Anglo-Saxon Cathedral which was destroyed by fire in 1087. The St Paul's Cathedral was slowly built over the years and finally dedicated in 1241. Work began almost immediately to extend the east end in Gothic style. It was later completed in 1320 being the largest building in England - 120m high.

Black death struck London in the autumn of 1348 killing about 40,000 literally half of Londoners. The population remained low for about 200 years.

The St Paul's Cathedral as seen today:

The Metropolitan Tabernacel dates back to 1650 when the English Parliament banned independant Christian organisations from meeting together. This congregation braved persecution until 1688 when the Baptists once again were allowed to worship in freedom. In 1854 the most famous of all the pastors at the Metropolitan Tabernacel started serving at the age of 20 years. His name was Charles Haddon Spurgeon. If you are interested in Spurgeon Google http://www.spurgeon.org/aboutsp.htm His biography is quite fascinating.

London continued...

2010-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

The best way to find your way around London is to do it alone or with someone just as clueless that way you learn quicker. I managed to catch two trains out to Reading to visit a friend. However, when I tried to get off at my stop I did not realise that I had to push the button to open the door so missed my stop! Forced me to work out a plan B without panicing... and plan B worked just jump off at the next stop go over the line and get back on the next train going in the opp direction oh this was the overground trains. Anyway having that time in CT deffinately helped cos I did do alot of public transport back then.

My sisters arrived from sa on friday ended up back in London did more sightseeing. Sat am went for a run, how hard could it be to find my way home. It was meant to be a 30min run max but I got seriously lost and somehow managed to find my way home 1.5 hrs later! It was cold, raining and rather daunting cos I had NO idea where I lived what the street name was and didnt know anyones mobile nrs... yes I know who does that... ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the rest of the day went back to London was going to do a big bus tour of the city after checking out St Pauls Cathedral but when we found out the price decided to walk it. By eve every muscle and joint must have been inflamed from the run and walk and cold and and and ended up with a temp and in bed by 6pm needless to say my sunday started extremely early.

Walked around the Common in Wimbledon today. Cos it's spring the daffodils and other pretty flowers have starting opening. The trees are still so bare and the grass brown. London is amazing so much history so much to see and take in. An extremely fast way of living. I think I would find it quiet depressing to live here, but a very interesting place to travel. Being here has made me appreciate even more what NZ has to offer ie the quality of a good lifestyle.

changing of the guards

2010-03-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Union Jack flying high above Buckingham Palace so did not get to have tea with her highness but did get to see the changing of the guards and have a good laugh with a bobby! Check it out...

Stimulation overload....

2010-03-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

The London experience is just that. I've heard it said that if you bord in London you an extremely boring person. I think there is some truth in that, there does seem so much to do and see.

Today I saw so much but not as much as I would have liked to. The National Museum was amazing. Only looked at some of the era's of art but found it totally fascinating and interesting. Will hopefully get back to see more and learn a little of the history of London.

Lunch on the fountain in Trafalgar Square, coffee in Covent Gardens, a walk along London Bridge, Checked out Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and a cathedral and finished up at a pub overlooking Tower Bridge and a Battle Ship.

Tomorrow off to Reddings to visit a friend and hopefully see her WIP and other completed pieces. Then the rest of the fam arrive on the weekend! :)

Been up since 3am it's now 23:45 and still wide awake

flight 39 auckland to heathrow

2010-03-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

Flight was shocking actually I wont even go there but will mention out of 26 hrs i managed 1hr sleep! Stop over in hong kong for 2hrs then back onto london. One good thing, yes one can always manage to find the positive in a situation if you dig deep enough! the one good thing was i got to watch heaps of movies. saw new moon twice!!! the tears were streaming down my face both times was really good. anyway arrived in heathrow which was very busy and Sharon fetched me.

Went out to dinner in Putney with Jon (Sharon's fiancee) and his mom, to a really cool little pub on the Thames. Got to bed late but slept really well.

Following day made a long list of last minute wedding plans. Hit the shops and got loads done. Ended up back at the Thames for a sundowner which knocked me and I slept really well AGAIN!

and today im meeting up with a friend for lunch and then off into London to walk across London bridge! Will post pics soon

London's calling...

2010-03-12T01:47:00.000-08:00

so it's friday nite. The house is dead quiet everyone's gone on a fishing wknd. I should be packing, I should be cleaning, I should be making lists, but I havent started any of these and I have no idea why. Tomorrow's another day. For today I think I'm overwhelmed, overtired & just maybe a little OVEREXCITED... London is deffinately calling.... cant wait to see my family again. And yes Im going to miss my precious little angels but they will survive without me considering not one tear was shed! :) I think they've been brought up pretty well they extremely adaptable and have quite a mature attitude towards what life throws at them. So that's me for now and hopefully this blog will be updated on a regular basis, i think this blogging thing is completely out of my league or maybe that's just an excuse for my total neglect! :) Adios!x0x

Coromandel Cacti

2010-02-09T01:48:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Coromandel Cacti & Succulunts are based in Panmure Auckland. They have a website which you can look at to find out how many different caudex the shop have and just how many rare specimens of plants they have access to. http://www.cacti.co.nz/

The closer you look at these awesome plants the more intriguing they are. It's incredible how out of a prickly green stalk blossoms the most exquisite flower for instance the aloe that's just a common example but there are many more with very scientific names that I probably cant even begin to pronounce that are just as amazing. Even the ones that dont flower, another common one being the padded cacti or prickly pear. I saw one that had grown in the shape of a heart - cool valentines gift!

What was also so great about this place is that the owner obviously has such a passion for what he does. He's landscaped certain areas into little gardens with different plants and given ideas on how to pot cacti to make them look impressive.

So I've been visiting 2nd hand shops picking up odd pots and teapots etc to do as an interest for the kids and I. We have a few plants already and it has created a topic before we get inside the house cos the "landscaped" spot is right by the front door!

Hey I may even post some pics once it starts taking shape but you HAVE to remember this is my kids creation I take no credit for their landscaping and creativity!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kARTN0hvYlc

Auckland Museum

2010-02-03T00:29:00.000-08:00

Having read up on NZ history decided to visit the museum. The kids had learnt about it at school so after visiting the museum I suppose it all made more sense to them.

ARTS & CRAFTS: such as weaving and carving, were well developed. In addition to the carvings on canoes and meeting houses, the carving on tools, weapons and other objects was often intricate.

Pic below isnt very clear but shows the interior of a meeting house. The rafters are painted with kowhaiwhai designs and the slabs are carved to represent ancestors. The houses of chiefs were similar to meeting houses but smaller.

The maori people were excellent canoe builders

and with the source of timber available they constructed a variety of canoes for fishing, travelling up rivers and other purposes. The war canoes were the largest and very impressive. They carried up to 50 people on long voyages!

Okay so that's what the historian/scientists etc believe so anyway after this big bang was suppose to have happened huge plates in the earth's crust shifted , Gondwana broke into parts now known as S America, Africa, India Antarctica & Australia as well as NZ

NZ was said to have a mild and wet climate with dinosaurs, lots of reptiles, primitive birds and broad-leaved plants. More shifting and mtn ranges formed, destinction of reptiles, snakes, mammals eg rats and the tuatara and then the formation of dense forests, long rivers, active volcanoes and large basins.

And then.... The invasion of man! No one knows for certain when the first people came to NZ. These early settlers often known as the Moa Hunters were polynesian people who had come from the Society or Cook Islands to the north and east of NZ. They were the ancestors of the present Maori people.

James Cook arrived 1769 to be exact and he was from Europe. War and conflict breaks out between the Moari and the British until the Maori chiefs sign a treaty with the British known as the Waitangi Treaty

I wont go into more detail on that but thought the Kiwi Bird quite interesting. It's semi-nocturnal and lives in forests and grasslands. They been around since the extinct flightless Moa. It has nostrils on the end of it's long beak and can outrun a human!! There are 5 different species of Kiwi Birds. They usually lay 1 egg which the male takes over incubation and nest maintenance (ha ha what does a male know about home maintenance!) anyway that's what happens and the rest if you interested you can google the bird.

Tattoo art has really interested me since living here. Seems like everyone has some sort of tattoo. I may just write about the history of tattooing seems like it originated amongst the Maori people.

OUR PLAYGROUND

2010-01-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

So after Edie-Rae impressed us with her 14k bike ride along the half moon bay footpaths we thought it time to introduce her to the woodhill mtb trails last week.
Nathan's friend Calvyn came along and none of us expected a 911 (or 111 as it is in nz) situation.

After lunch Calvyn thought it a good idea to impress us all by picking up speed and ramping on the bmx track. He managed to wipe out and just didnt get up. After assessing the situation I called for a second opinion from a first aid trained staff member at the park who agreed not to move him but rather get a professional opinion.

click the link below to check out the video Royce made for him....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5tbh0M7QkA

WAIHEKE ISLAND wharf 2 wharf 25k

2010-01-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

A 45min ferry ride from Auckland.
Voted one of the world's top 12 destinations in 2009 travel guide.
Known for it's scenery and beaches, olive oil, vineyards, restuarants and art galleries.

Left auckland by ferry at 6:45am picked up some islanders at one of the ports then carried onto Orapiu warf where the run was suppose to start at 8:30 but island time it was probably more like 8:50. Anyway so no warning just a bang and oh was that the start of the race!!!

Started on an incline that went on and on... I read somewhere once that you should always walk your first hill, fortunately I chose to ignore that cos if I had listened I probably would've walked the entire 25k, it was one loooong hill.
Was also told once by an expereinced running buddy that one should take energy gel every 10k... oops something I actually forgot so my energy levels dropped drastically after 15k affecting my time, being anaemic probably didn't help much either!
The second hill was 2k long and probably equivalent to constantianek's gradient in CT... HECTIC!

It was a hard gruelling run in intense heat but the scenery of open plains and ocean views made it so worth while. The finish was at Oetangi wharf, the other side of the island.

Drove round the island sussing out the beaches and scenery.
Really an amazing place and deffinately worth going back to.
Click on the link below to check out the pics...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da0jxnmWclU

Kia Ora! (look it up!)

2010-01-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

niu timatanga - new beginnings (hence the profile pic... the maori symbol for new beginnings)
thought this was appropriate having travelled many miles across the ocean to settle in a country we had never set foot on and knew very little about.

Leaving SA and all the memories was not very easy but my mindset was that this huge step was going to be one big lifetime adventure... and so as hard as it is at times we are all so loving and appreciating all NZ has to offer.