Delighted for you and your family Viktoria, knowing that Kyra has arrived safe and well, similarly our youngest granddaughter with a Celtic name has the easier spelling version for the same reasons but pronounced and meaning still the same too, beautiful.
Family friends have a new addition this week with a dear baby boy arriving just 2 days before due date, likely that he will aspire to be a fireman one day with both his mummy and daddy, paternal granddad and great granddad all with careers in fire service. First born for this son and wife, lovely news too and eagerly awaited, 3 cousins so far and probably a sibling or 2 down the line.
I've been watching the busy bird families in my yard with their nestlings, fantails and sparrows this week with their hungry babies.
Granddaughter, 7, has been to the ngahere ( bush/forest area ) with her class twice this past few days at school, outdoor learning and nature study a regular part of program. All very easily accessible and close to their country school too, just reminded in advance to bring appropriate gear and off they go.
As a contrast she did another hip hop performance for the public at the Intermediate School hall in town with a costume change for each of the 4 dances, all videoed and shared with us last night, very good and good audience, including other grandparents living closer, usually held at a larger facility.
Only senior school children in Auckland region have been allowed back to school recently and allowing rest from next week, concerning for some families understandably whatever their view.
Vaccination targets much closer to being met, mandates more of issue as elsewhere.
Venue reopened this week for my usual Wednesday morning haunt but with limited access with restrictions, had something to quickly drop off and went that way for my walk. Came home with a big bunch of poppies for a vase and rescued just ahead of the gardeners pulling out all the beds and everything going on the trailer. Has happened before too, more than happy to tell me to help myself and I do. Timely for 11th for the vase, not so for those gardens but I walked down to our local cenotaph on Thursday/yesterday morning and that was surrounded by a planting of red poppies. Only one other visit while I was there though right on time, the ceremony was a restricted one by the Returned and Services Association further up the road with just 25 people allowed to attend outdoors and I saw some of that televised when shown later in the day. Knew they were intending to invite an old friend who turned 100 last week and a long time member of the RSA and good to see she was able to make it. NZ 's oldest living WW11 veteran passed away on Monday aged 108, had the title just a short while with a fellow Cantabrian and RNZAF war veteran passing in August just shy of his 110th birthday and they both continued to attend ceremonies and lead incredibly active lives well past their 100th birthdays. Respect.
