We have had a really exciting week.  Mum arrived from France to stay with us for the next seven weeks,  Lara is on her way back home from the UK after six weeks visiting friends and family,  we aquired a puppy and we have only three more days to wait until we can move into our new home - yippee!
  Despite having travelled for four days to get here and being 70 years old, mum hasn't seemed the least little bit jet-lagged!  In fact she couldn't wait to get out and about.  It's been great fun playing tour guide and showing her all the gorgeous places we have discovered so far.   On Sunday we went to Abel Tasman national park and walked about 5k through the bush to a stunning golden beach.   The scenery was breathtaking and the water was clear and warm, it was a really magical day.
Holly and Patrick are now back at schoool after their long summer holiday (they have had two this year, we moved out here just after the UK summer holidays!).   Holly has now moved up to the senior school and is in year 9 at Waimea College.  Patrick is in his final year at Waimea Intermediate School.  Both are very happy, they have settled in brilliantly and made lots of new friends.  Our main fear in emigrating was that the children might find it difficult to fit in or might struggle with the new curriculum.  We needn't have worried, they have amazed us with the way they have adapted so easily to the enormous changes in their lives.   Admittedly Holly was appalled when she first saw the school uniform, but she now wears her long plaid skirt with pride!   Schooling is not totally free here, families are required to make a donation  to school funds and pay for books and stationary.  The amount you pay depends on the decile rating of the school.  The higher the rating the more the parents have to contribute.  The decile rating is set according to the average income of families attending the school.  
Matt and I have been getting out and about on our bikes as much as we can, but we are going to have to swap our road tyres for something a bit more rugged, almost all the roads here eventually turn into dirt tracks (even the highways!) and our rides can get quite exciting,  I almost came to grief this week on a logging track beside a steep gorge. I would really like an off road tandem if there is such a thing, so I can keep up with Matt!