the three amigos

Can you guess? Pearl is a Piñata. What a tolerant horse you were Pearl! Even with all that flapping crepe paper, you remained steadfast. Maybe it's because you are so fond of those two little amigos!? 

Sewing costumes for horses...I think I can add it to my CV. Oh the things we do. This little number earned us a second place ribbon in the A&H Show Equestrian Dress-up section.

St Barnabas

The real St Barnabas is a beautiful stone chapel. I believe it is one of Norfolk Island's finest historic buildings. Harry has been drawn to it ever since we moved here. I asked him what it is that he loves so much about the building and this is what he said:

I really love the roof from the outside; the pitch and the curve. Inside I like the beams; they are so substantial and impressive. I love the stained glass windows too, especially the large round window above the main entrance. I love that it's a really old building but because it is so well built, it still looks great. Plus, I just really like buildings made from stone. I'm fascinated with how St Barnabas was built!

Nestled in a tranquil setting, quite near to the best climbing tree around (the most enormous fig tree), it is certainly a lovely spot to be. If you visit Norfolk Island, the chapel is a must see.

Harry decided to make a Lego model of St Barnabas because....

...well...why not!

Here's the video Harry made to show how Lego St Barnabas was made....

A&H show 2013

So much has been happening here, hence my absence from Norfolk Exposure lately. We just had a wonderful week-and-a-bit with Ben's Mum and Dad who flew over to stay with us. It was ten days of playing Lego trains, trips to the beach, indulging in Ma's baking (I'm sure I ate my own weight in cake) and late night chin-wags. Till and Harry were so sad to see them go, as were Ben and I :(

On the 12th, 13th and 14th of October we had Norfolk's annual Royal A&H Show. It feels like a lifetime ago, perhaps because the lead-up days were hectic, or maybe because this term is flying by at a rate of knots. Both Harry and Till were involved in numerous equestrian events this year, so much so I didn't see much of the show itself! It's OK, I'm happy to be a "horse mum" (just remind me to never soak the jodphurs with the chaps again....I *ahem* may have turned Harry and Till's pants purple). 

The display of entries was top notch, as always. Harry and Till were awarded serveral prizes for artworks and Lego models, and received a few equestrian ribbons too.

My clever mother-in-law entered a beautiful quilt, a cross stitch (her own unique design) and a jar of the most delicious strawberry jam. Ma was awarded first place for all her entries...yes, she's a very talented lady!

Harry's Lego model of St Barnabas recieved quite a lot of attention. The amount of work he put into it was astounding, so we were pretty chuffed to learn he'd been awarded Most Outstanding Exhibit by a Primary School Pupil! Matilda's gorgeous Lego Fairy Garden was awarded first place in the infants section. She spent months working on her model too.

sunday stills [the noisy edition]

Our house is filled with music!
Till can play three notes on the flute now (Alleluia for that, lol)
Harry continues to roll along with piano and classical guitar. 

***

Last night at a music enthusiasts gathering, someone passed Harry a piano accordian. I bet you can guess what he wants us to buy him now!!!!

new zealand [day ten] ski bunnies

I had hoped to have these NZ posts done and dusted these holidays....oh well. At least I'm more than halfway now!

OK...day ten. So we spent the day carving up the slopes at Cardrona. It was utterly mind-blowingly awesome...Till and Harry would say "epic"! We all had lessons, even me (it had been sooooo long since I'd last skied). By the afternoon everyone had found their ski legs! We were sad to hand over our gear at the end of the day...but it was time to push on. Cardrona.....we'll be back one day!!!!!

on the eve of eight

Our sweet darling girl Matilda. Tonight you are seven. Tomorrow you will be eight!

pea notions

I Eat My Peas with Honey

I eat my peas with honey;

I've done it all my life.

It makes the peas taste funny,

But it keeps them on the knife.

Anonymous

Well not really. But I rather like the poem. When my friend gifted me some fresh peas from her garden I was tickled pink! I grew up eating peas from a packet and to this day we buy them from the supermarket freezer. In every movie I've ever watched involving a family reunion, the loved-ones gather around a big old worn table shelling peas and sharing stories. So consequently I've had all these romantic notions of how lovely that must be...

...well now I've shelled my own! I'm not sure it was everything I imagined. My kids weren't that keen to help and Ben was otherwise occupied with preparing the other components of our dinner. I settled myself down on the back step and set about shelling them in a nostalgic solitary kind of way...when the phone rang (for me). When I finally came back to my peas they were nowhere to be found!!!

Ben said..."oh they are already in the pot!"
And I said, "WHAT???? But I didn't get a photo of them all shelled and pretty!!!!!!!" boo, hiss
*insert husband eye roll*

Oh bliss, nostalgia and romance. Perhaps not the scene from a movie ha ha.
I guess they did taste better...they were shelled with man love after all!

Nothing quite beats the convenience of having them in the freezer though, especially when you are not in a nostalgic mood, right!?