Weihnachtstafel

Kiwi Christmas ambiguity

Worship Dancing

Elena has been able to rediscover her old love for dancing: This is her second performance in a worship dancing group - is it permitted to fall in love with a woman during a church service? "Yes it is, answered Elena, "if you are married to that woman..."  - very fortunately I am.

Click here to see the worship video  : Compact version, ~ 2 1/2 min

Full / Long version of Worship Dance: 7:10 min.

Kiwi Christmas - how it's like on the Coromandel Peninsula

Aotearoa Christmas (Lyrics included) - A Kiwi Christmas:

Please click on the link below for a nice Kiwi-Christmas song: 

http://youtu.be/aSRAFe6WwLA

The real childhood!

Finally and unexpectedly our kids have discovered the Coromandel bush as a playground: Lucas and Luis have started building a hut in the depth of the hill behind us, and have com back very proud on what they have achieved. Also Felix and Daniel are building a hut, in another place. I must admit that I have seen neither of them - I should go and admire their work.
But we have accompanied the younger ones to a bathing session in one of the typical waterholes, 10-15 minutes through the bush! That is real childhood stuff, isn't it, like what we used to do, in the 70ies, and not these computer games like Minecraft, Clash of Clans and so on.

Coromandel Impressions - just a few photo impressions again

Pukeko

Landscape near Coromandel 

Coromandel West Coast

Shags on the beach 

Landscape near Coromandel

Landscape near Coromandel

Landscape near Coromandel

Bush near our house

Kauaeranga valley creek  

After a fish 'n chips meal - at Thames Warf Café

Pohutukawa tree just down the road

 

Pohutukawa blossom 

Typical Thames villa  

Surprising Nature's Paradise in Auckland: Long Bay

These times are exciting again as there is so much change ongoing. It is not clear yet where I will work next year, our daughter Clara doesn't know whether to spend most of next year in Spain or come back to New Zealand, Lucas is in the middle of planning his future and in particular next year (but it will probably be in New Zealand). However, we want to stay here in Thames, where we feel local and part of it - whith our family which is getting smaller in number. 

I admit I feel awkward about going too much into detail as things are still quite open and not settled yet. 

A resource and much fun are our guests from all over the world that stay in our garden shed. 

Well, I thought you might like some pictures of a new area we have discovered – Lucas and Luis football team, the NZ Crosswhites, after competing in Sydney, have done a celebration in Long Bay, North Auckland, and once again we were more than surprised what scenic spots you can find in this 1.4 million inhabitants city.

Our friend Linda accompanied us exploring this terrific reserve - while the boys played football and planned their next competition in Melbourne.  

I will start with some impressions from the Thames Arts Festival - which is in first place visited by the locals - us among them!

The boy with the blue jersey is Daniel

One can see clearly that Kiwis love to disguise and dress funnily!

Here you see some typical rewards or gratification items in an office situation at a meeting: also typical for Kiwi culture. Trophy cups with a chocolate fish in each. The achievements they are awarded for can be quite trivial and commonplace. Kiwis love to encourage!

The symbol of approaching summer on the Coromandel: the blossoming Pohutukawa tree. 

Here, pictures from Long Bay, North Auckland.

Lucas

Daniel and his friend Joshua

Passing Auckland City on the way back from a beautiful afternoon....