So the excuse of his sister Kate finally marrying her NZ boyf Andrew in Wanaka, NZ, was a good one - especially as we could help them out by babysitting their dog (and house) afterwards when they went on an extended honeymoon to the UK etc!
Packing was hampered by the fact that we would see winter and summer as well as a tip to Hk for me to paint the Rugby 7s as usual, so needed all my working paints and costumes. Oh AND posh stuff for the wedding. And wings I was asked to make for the bridesmaids. And all the baby stuff. And the fact that I had a 5am- 9 pm day painting in London, another booking and the chaotic 'Cat paints 2 brave bikini'd girls (Heathers mate Rachael and my cousin Carla who stepped in to save me when my models cancelled!)gold then decorates them with as many painted red noses as possible' Comic Relief fundraiser live in the Forum in Norwich on the Saturday.
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&itemid=NOED28%20Feb%202009%2010:10:55:547&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=search
has some and I will post photos when I get them.
The trip was not as bad as I expected - Mum dropped us & our huge mound of luggage off at Heathrow and we kept the smaller lighter car seat with us. hey didn't want to check it in which was a pain as it and the larger of our cabin bags had to be stored in an office on the plane! The flight to LA was in a big plane with 3 rows of 3 seats in our section, and we were behind the bulkhead separating us from business class. Pete found that amusing - they pay more to have all the babies sat right behind them! We had a spare seat in our row (the middle section) to LA which was nice as we could move about a bit. Loads of legroom and the video screens popped out and up from below the arm rests. The 'baby bassinet' was a sort of canvas square tray on a steel frame that clipped to the middle of the wall in front of us at head height, with a 'starp' that almost covered it to keep the baby in. Finley of course only had 1 short snooze in it and stayed with us the rest of the time. I had had nightmares of him screaming all the way but he was brilliant. There was a baby girl and parents to our left, and a baby, toddler and parents to our right, and THEY cried a LOT. Finley would look and his bottom lip would start to wibble but we usually managed to distract him. He spent most of his 13 hour trip either chattering at the mainly uninterested smaller baby girl, or watching her feed. or grinning and flirting with all the staff and any passing/ looking in his direction passengers! At LA a lot of poeple stopped to say what a good baby he was which was embarassing as they didn't say it to the other 2 couples!
LA was daft - even though we were in transit, we had to wait in a separate area, then were ushered into the packed customs hall to have out passports, visas (you know have to book your USA visa online AND confirm it just before you fly), fingerprints (both hands!) and face recognition photo thing done. Then we spent a couple of hours waiting in rooms which had free apples and drinks but no baby changing facilities. We got back on the same plane, same seats, with different staff and our spare seat filled by a grumpy kiwi who only just caught the flight. Again I mainly stayed awake the whole 12 hours and watched films and so did Finley and Peter!
At Auckland we had the pleasure of being spotted as we approached the huge customs queue, and were taken to a new Officer who opened up especially for families with babies/ kids - no waiting! Fab! At the baggage collection there was free tea and sniffer dogs checking everyones stuff for illegal fruit & veg etc. One got totally overexcited about the baby bag (I had declared the breast milk & formula in it) and actually dragged out one of the bottles. Typically it was the one with no protective cap on it as Finley had just been sucking it, so dog slever all over the teat, yum. After that we were the bag of choice, they marked our tickets to explain why, as the dogs kept homing in on us! At customs, as we lived on a farm, they took us to wipe our shoes etc on those disinfectant mats like we had to during foot & mouth, but then we escaped. We decided that as we had trolleys and were too late to check into the domestic flight in that main terminal, we may as well do the 10 minute walk to the Domestic terminal to check in, which was lovely - fresh and sunny! They were much stricter for the next flight, weighing each bag and making us do a lot of swapping bits in them around until the slightly over bags had refilled the slightly under, so they all matched. And had to check in our hand luggage (cabin sized but too big or heavy, they said) AND the baby seat. The staff on the plane were a laugh, reiterating the snack choice was cheeps or cookies and anyone who didn't listen and asked what the choise was would be asked to leave (we were airborne). The pilot gave a running commentary on the land beneath us, great, like a tourguide! Some cool mountains, volcanoes and I noticed a lot of the arable areas were cultivated in circles.
At Queenstown, Tim & Heather had kindly driven over to collect us from our early morning flight. Before we left, I met my 1st NZ 'parenting room' and they are FAB! Everything you need as well as the nappy-changing platform & sink which is about all UK loos offer - toys, a nursing chair, kettles/ hot water heater, microwave - wow! the drive through the hills to Wanaka was very steep and twisty, we were a bit queasy when we got there! I need to get a plant book - I thought the flora would be totally different to the K but a lot looks similar, just with big tussock grasses and sort of spikey yukka type things. A lot of the houses look American or Australian and most had metal corrugated rooves, which surprised me. The drive past Lake Wanaka, with ts tall trees, was amazing.
Sue, Kate and Bully (Andrews surname is Bull) were amongst those waiting at Kates lovely (just being finished) new house, so we finally got to meet him! Felt like we already knew him, we have seen so many photos etc. The house rented for most of the UK crew was available that day so we all moved in that afternoon. It was great, about 5 mins walk downhill from Kates, in the slightly older/ fuller development. Huge open-plan kitchen' diner with a big sitting room. We put Finley down on the vast empty new carpets and he immediately rolled over for the first time! Maybe its the being down-under thing confusing him but he kept doing it (1 direction only).
After a drive to the local supermarket (expensive - rich area and also the only one so it had a monopoly!) we crashed into bed for a snooze. Or at least I did - I woke up alone in the dark to find Heathers phone waiting for me ready to call Kates. I got no reply so set off (it was about 9pm) recalling from the drive in that I just had to walk up a patch of grass and it was on the right. Ummm, nope! I was heading off into darkness as most of the houses had no lights on - I later heard they are nearly all holiday homes so are often empty. It was too dark to navigate by the shattered bit of peak I had spotted above Kates house so I sort of circled inwards, wishing there was anyone IN a house I could ask where she was (not that I knew Kates address but I thought they might know her!). I even tried listening for them partying but all was still! Eventually I found it, to realise most of the UK crew had gone back to OUR house and I had missed Dion's (best man) BBQ! Still, Kate fed me and then after seeing poor Bella the dog galloping around in her special shoes (she is so energetic they often walk her by having her charge up mountain tracks after the 4x4!), we headed home. I hadn't realised there were TWO 'fields (unsold/ yet to be built on 'seekshuns' - sections/ plots) to cross. The stars were amazing as there were few street lights and we were high up, I expect.
The next few days were mainly spent hanging out with the UK crew and the wedding party, and prepping wedding stuff. We went for several walks, just easy ones to town or the lake.
The area is so clean and fresh, with huge trees and the mountain backdrop all the way around. great skies too, when its clear!
Poor Becks, Kates Head bridesmaid who went to school with her, had fallen asleep in the shade at her stopover in Thailand and burnt so horribly she was blistered! She was madly applying creams and lotions to try to get the redness down, and had improved lots by the day before, thank goodness. We all pitched in to help her make the place names (wee bulls on them) and had the idea of naming each table with a -bull word (head table was Lovea-bull, etc) with the -bull bit being the same picture of the bull that was on the invites, plans, name cards and wedding favour shot glasses.
The flower girls came round to try on the wings and loved them; Heather helped Ozzie Kate, the other bridesmaid (and possibly becoming a florist) do some gorgeous bouquets, and I helped her thread beads on shredded flax leaves to line glass bowls wich would hold floating candles.
Ozzie kate threading red beads onto strips of NZ flax leaves for the wedding table candle bowls
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin
Our 2nd night in Wanaka was a family dinner (Kates and Andrews) at a restauraunt near the shore front. Finely was tired & teething, but Peter had finally passed out he hadn't really slept) so i took Finley with me. I was knackered too and ended up leaving after our main courses finally arrived.
Brian and Sue hefting finley to the 2 family meeting/ dinner, Wanaka
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin
Brian bough Finley a door-hanging bouncer and he LOVES it - definite toy of choice! You can see him getting more confident in it, and the chance to turn in it to follow people walking past (etc) really excited him! The videos are sweet.
Heather was brill with him and Tim was getting used to handling a baby too. we bathed him in the kitchen sink with a sunny view of the garden and finally have a scream- free experience - I think it really is the cold air in the UK he has been objecting to - no mater how warm we thought we got Grans or the Farm he always cried when being dried, if not before! Kates newest NZ nephew (youngest of 3) Riley was about a month older than Finley and Finley again got totally overexcited, like he did on the plane, and talked intently at him whenever they saw him. This stunned Riley to silence, we think... there was also some rivalry over bottle feeds as they both had the same bottles, and if one saw the other eating, oh boy, feed me now! He was also fascinated by Riley's big sister and the other flower girl, who, both being used to older babies, had to be watched a bit around him as he isn't as tough yet!
Finley (in blue) drowning the slighty older Riley in conversation again
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin
