Spring 2013

Life as a house dad seems more attune, and dependant upon, the seasons than life as bus company manager. The working day is of course meaningless, fridays are when everyone else is more likely to want to drink a beer and weekends stick out only because of the extra company. Spring has brought more light, more rain and more weeds to the 1000 square metres fenced off enclosure of 70 Chamberlain Road.

The washing has been rotting on the line as the Cameila flowers rot on their stalks. The Rhododendron has had more of a prune so we can see more of the neighbours flowering magnolia and the concrete slabs of commercial Karori. The Tui's are so prolific that the other birds keep a very low profile, except for the odd bold kaka. The vegetable garden is fully planted with lots of pony shit added to the mix, and the old rat that used to live in our ceiling has departed this world courtesy of the DOC 200 trap by the compost heap.

The Beards gone now - it was slowing me down uphills.

Maebo continues to grow and amaze us. She is walking now, kind of, she does it best in the nude, but them when she falls without the padding of a nappy she gets a little angry. Our favourite trick at the moment is a family howl, like a pack of wolves. Maebo gets it, both the action and the feeling. She tilts her head back howls, makes eye contact and laughs.

About a month ago we realised Mae was an all-terrain Baby. She now makes us proud by clocking the Ben Burn park playground and regularly summiting various stairways and dodgy banks

Penny's challenge is work/life balance - too much of two good things, and to make the most of the time she gets with Mae, not to bring the days baggage to those moments. Mine has been the problem of having too much time to think, and too much time to regret some of the weak options I have taken. But mostly Mae brings us into the moment and plans for the future are very postive, if a little uncertain as we figure out how to manage having a family, 1.5 careers and some will to contribute to our communities.

We have enjoyed several great occasions recently with friends and family. Penny recently won the Mukamuka Munter mountain race and we are both getting fit for lots of orienteering, running, biking and tramping over summer. I got a little stale for a while with the outdoor life, but have come around to the conclusion that my first instincts in life were pretty good. There is not much more important that enjoying and preserving our outdoors.

Penny rushes past enroute to winning the Mukamuka Munter

Mae and I take a stroll at Catchpool while waiting for Mum