Four legs and four wheels!

I've been continuing to have a wicked time and had lots of fun experiences. Here are a couple of recent highlights:

- learned to ride the quad bike- I take it down the drive to feed the pigs and ponies each morning.
- rode Opo- Elises's gorgeous pony (pictured)- that was really fun, she's lively and very responsive.
- spent an afternoon at the beach with the children
- had a yummy sushi lunch in Warkworth- it's so cheap and delicious here!
- had a barbecue and toasted marshmallows
- hand-fed a beautiful dove- it sat in my palm and ate grain- so soft and pretty
- been practising my slackline, and the children are enjoying it too- Elise is pretty good.

Also I've sorted another wwoofing adventure for Kim and I. We are going to go and visit a lady called Rosie who lives on Waiheke Island- a really artsy, musical holiday island just across the bay from Auckland. We are invited to a beach party to meet her family and friends and then staying a couple of days to help start planning a gypsy fair and circus to raise funds for a sick nieghbour. Then we are probably going to head south for a bit, and she's invited us to go back for 2 weeks at the start of March to help prepare and implement this event. She is a jewellery designer with a market stall to run (!) and 'bucketloads of gemstone lying around waiting to be strung up' so I'll be in my element! She also has a couple of animals and a vege garden and we will be staying in a little cottage or sleep out close to the house, the town and the sea! Will know more when we have been to visit and worked out arrangements for March but sounds very cool.

I just need to sort out a place in Nelson or Golden Bay- which is a gorgeous area at the top of the South Island- we are hoping to head there for the last 2 weeks in Feb, calling in to Wellington at some point to go to a drum and bass gig.

So it's all go and very exciting and I'm still loving it. Pretty tired at the mo but feel like I'm getting generally quite strong and healthy.