We just got the call fromthe surgeon, and Manford is out of surgery and doing ok, can talk and move and he said it went well. It got started late, and took five hours, so we are a bit exhausted, but hopeful. More later...
Carrie
Joseph's 18th Birthday
at Summer Gathering
Charlie and Hiccup collaborate on stick chewing
Emily and her baby
Christmas Puppy
Hiccup
this is the picture Emily had on her necklace
Manford's garden
Emily as Robin Hood's Daughter
Carrie encounters Golem
at Weta Cave, Wellington
sea kayaking at Cable Bay, Nelson
Emily in a hamster ball
Emily Flies
at the Easter Fair at Mapua, near Nelson
Emily joins the club
Hogsmeade
after official opening, more people poured in
Biting Book
in Flourish and Blotts
Joseph inside the castle
Joseph in Honeyduke's
In Olivander's Wand Shoppe
Emily in Zonko's joke shop
buying butterbeer
tastes kind of like butterscotch creme soda
Emily at Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe
That's a giant chocolate frog
Joseph in Hogsmeade
first thing in the morning
Sneak preview (post while the posting is good)
Joseph and Emily approach Hogwarts
Emily picked the yellow rose for the top
Merry Christmas!
it's still a little early for Sarah...
Manford's yellow roses
Joseph is too tall for the picture
and yes, that is a Harry Potter shirt
Kaikoura
View out our motel window
From our apartment in Auckland
On the harbour cruise
the white building was our apartment
Welcome Sirius Black!
Joseph gets ready to go to the Ball
pride of ownership
Sir Whakapapa?
Manford in the lobby
that's our curtain blowing out the door
Chateau Tongariro
Mt Doom
Whakapapa Ski Resort
Happy Valley, the bunny slope
Sledding...
Emily and Manford in Butterfly Creek
Emily on Book Character Day
(Ginny Weasley)
Manford's short-lived Mohawk
Emily and I laughed so much we had to go to the real barber and get it cut off...
The goofy kids in Raglan
there was also a 7-week old baby to entertain us
View from our camp in Raglan
The party gang
it was a fancy dress (aka costume) party
Joan and Ross visit
Emily enjoying the beach
binoculars were good entertainment
Finished Radiation party
that object is the mesh mask he had to wear during treatment
Visit with the Hsu's
Yummy beet juice...
Really, it's pretty good. Beet, apple, orange and celery...
Emily at Swimming Sports
At the Agrodome
just can't wait to sheer those sheep
Soaking at the Polynesian Spa
Welcome home dinner
Emily's first day, second year at Southwell
serious uniform
Joseph's first day at school without uniform
years 12 and 13 go "mufti" (yes, still Harry Potter)
Manford has a visitor
Menzies Building, Waikato Hospital
Manford is in the top floor, rightmost window
the view Manford can see from his bed
East across the river toward home
surgery + 4 days
The day after surgery
sitting up better already
scary picture
but it's better now
Emily's first day at Southwell School
Cathedral Square, Christchurch
a little game of chess?
Christchurch
A very friendly little blue penguin
at the Antarctic Centre
At the Antarctic Centre
in Christchurch
On the way up...
That's Joseph
scaring his mother
Joseph at the Christchurch Art Gallery
Fifteenth Birthday
Hail worthy of Kansas
ok, only pea-sized, but dramatic
Gandalf paid a visit to the Quakers
and he felt right at home
Joseph missed some of the scenery
Young friends in NZ also like to stay up all night...
Joseph at Little Earth
a really big diorama
Bush tramp to the beach
Manford at the West Coast
Early morning bird watching tour
Okarito Lagoon, where The Bone People is set--
Birds at Okarito Lagoon
A very wet walk in the woods
One of many pretty rivers and waterfalls
Nice toilets they have here...
at Puzzling World, Wanaka
Emily and Carrie braved the maze
Leaning Tower of Wanaka
Emily LOVED the jet boat
Motel Motel
Twizel
where they filmed Return of the King
the big battle
More Lord of the Rings
Where it all happened
just ask the sheep
Manford is ready for battle
Emily at Oamaru
watching for penguins
A yellow-eyed penguin
Joseph and Emily at Oamaru
Guess what Santa brought Emily?
Christmas dinner
It seems she got what she wanted
The Castle
Christmas day
with cousin Andrew
Joseph got a big chess trophy
Emily got a wet suit
at least he got it on
It did not keep him warm, though.
Happy Birthday Manford!
Farewell to the Billingers
Thanks for coming and visiting us!
Mucking around at Ohope Beach
Beautiful day in the middle of winter (July 13)
Emily, Tobey, and Alex at Ohope Beach
Whale Island in the background
The Billingers arrive
First stop, Candyland
Emily is a clock
in drama class
Pavlova
NZ treat for our first anniversary in the country
Carrie's 50th Birthday
Wellington
Manford in Wellington
Te Rapa museum in background
Emily sings a birthday song
with her new ukelele
The birthday girl gets a ride
Visiting the Kiwis
the shy kind--this one's getting ear drops
Grandma and Grandpa Vince at the Kiwi Grove
The edible kind
But after the beach, the barber...
Charlie loved the beach
Charlie visits the bach
The Pirongia Clydesdales
we even got to sit in the cart to watch the sheep go by
The running of the Sheep, in Te Kuiti
note the horse watching some 1900 sheep go by
Manford the lifeguard
Yes, those are cars. People in NZ drive wherever they feel like it
Emily enjoyed the beach at Wanganui
Joseph in a Kayak battle
quaker style--at Easter family gathering
Charlie is getting hairier
Emily started violin lessons
Emily at a West Coast Beach
hurrying back as the tide comes in to get our feet wet
Huka Falls
The torrent at the beginning of the Waikato River
Napier
Known for its art deco buildings
Cousin Suzy
public toilets are usually clean and some even have guards...
Road from Wellington to Napier
These sticks are supposed to keep us from going over the cliff...
Wellington, from the hills
capitol of NZ, 6-8 hour drive south of us
Mask-maker extraordinaire
Emily at the Teddy Bear's Picnic
Courage
Bethel Beach, near Auckland
This is a crowded beach, NZ style
Beach at Kawhia
We could see three people if we looked hard
Cousin Suzy at the Waitomo Caves
You can't take pictures inside. Disturbs the glowworms.
The Hamilton Balloon
Practically landed in our backyard one morning
Sunday in the Park with Charlie
On the way home
a view of the Firth of Thames
FROM Shakepeare Point
looking at Lonely Bay
More culture...
There is culture here
The Ferry Landing Library
Lunch at the Eggscentric Cafe
That's a chicken on the ceiling
Shakespeare Point
from the beach in Hahei
Tramp to the beach near Hahei
Manford relaxing on our deck in Macademia heaven
At the Gathering Disco
Lake Adventures
The Adventurous Tooth
Emily got a Mooshabelly, among other things...
Christmas Dinner
Emily meets Santa at the races
This is what Charlie will look like if we let her hair grow
yikes.
Charlie's bed is too big for the bedroom
One of Charlie's favorite spots
We rode an old train in the bush
Our trip to Waihi Beach
Charlie in action
but surely there is more action in store...
Meet Charlie
Charlie is a girl...
NZ Thanksgiving
One false step...
Moaning Myrtle and Elmo (our friend Kia)
Our friendly neighborhood ghost
Family room...
ohmygod who is that tall boy?
New living room furniture
the kitchen from the other end
And Emily has her bed--
Ta-dah! it's finally done
Back to basics...
layers of kitchen history
Emily finally lost that tooth
pretty little white flowers by the driveway
Boxes...
We own it!
but Mom is really confused on the date. it's really August. got the year right, though
Emily at the Disco
the kitchen, before...
Living room
The house
the beach
At The Mount
U of Waikato
looking over the pond toward the chapel where the Friends Meeting meets
Emily on her new bike
Emily at her new school
1 comment:
The first thing I did this morning was check your blog to see how the surgery went. I was so relieved to hear it went well. I'll be on pins and needles to know how the recovery is progressing and what, if any, treatment he'll have to have in the future.
My love to the family,
Suzy
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