Dawes Family in New Zealand

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Just Beachy
2008-05-20 10:37:00
Denver went and had his 2nd jab last week and his stitches taken out, that all went well and he was really well behaved considering the massive prodding and poking he had to endure. I did however find out that he was still due another jab and that it will be another 6 weeks before he is allowed out for a proper walk!It's all due to the risk of Parvovirus, a deadly disease which can kill unvaccinated dogs. I did discuss this however with our vet and she advised he would be OK to mix with other puppies and he would be able to walk on beaches where the land is cleared by the ocean...sooo this is what we did today!! Today was Denver's first trip to the beach! We decided to go to Houghton Bay as that has a 'woof woof' area and he had a fantastic time. Jo, Sammy and Davey joined us (as they live just over the road from the beach) and the kids took turns playing with him, making sandcastles which he would just walk all over and playing chase - it was fantastic. Jo even brought a cup of...

Bouncing Back
2008-05-18 08:15:00
Denver is settling in well to our family and it's crazy that it feels like he has always been here. Bethany however took some adjusting to the new addition. To her it was like someone else had come in and taken all the glory, taken all the love and taken all the laughs, and she found that hard despite us not actually changing anything we did with her!So it was time to get out our back up plan to making her feel better - and it worked. They say money cant buy love but it can certainly buy the happiness and contentment of a 4 year old! We have had a magical weekend with some of the most hilarious moments, long live the dry sunny days so we can enjoy many more harmonious family weekends!
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The Dream Is Over
2008-05-15 12:29:00
The summer commute to work was awesome. Hot bright summer mornings, leaving home at 6.30am to blast along State Highway 2 on the motorbike, not sitting in the queues at traffic lights but filtering to the front.The stark reality is that for the coming months, the train is likely to be the method of commute as the winter mornings are going to be cold. It's not yet officially winter, and here's the weather station reporting the outdoor and indoor temperature at 6.15am when I managed to drag myself out of bed the other morning! Heading out into 1.3C isn't how I like to start my day!
More About: Dream , The Dream , The-Dream

Puppy School
2008-05-13 11:07:00
Sheesh, I am shattered. I have just returned from Denver's first night at Puppy Training School . Lets just say it was VERY interesting!! Arrival was set up by Denver being sick in the car, then once inside the huge grass area where there must have been more than 100 dogs he just went wild. He wanted to be with every dog and nearly choked himself to death trying to achieve it. Once our names were called we headed into a separate area where there were 7 other puppies, all ranging from 3 - 8 months and all different breeds from the tiny Shi Tzu (who by the way the lady proudly told others she paid $3500 for!) to the huge Alsatian. Denver was not at all fazed by any dogs regardless of it's size! The lesson started and after 10 minutes I just sunk back and sat with Denver on the grass. Deflated really at the fact all the other dogs seemed to respond to what was going on, but all Denver could do was pull and pull and pull and choke and choke and choke. He is a big puppy and he is really...

Mr Earthquake
2008-05-11 12:06:00
(picture: GeoNet website)So we are sitting here tonight and again I say 'what was that' and Michael, aka Mr Earthquake turns to me and says 'it was an earthquake baby'.Of course not wanting to disbelieve my hubby I constantly hit refresh on the GeoNet website till it brings up the proof. Yep a 3.6 hits Upper Hutt. Awww, our first Upper Hutt earthquake!

That Dog Smell
2008-05-10 03:42:00
Yep, it's official our home smells of nothing but dog - and we love it!! Denver is settling in fantastically well, we were worried the nights would be hard and we would be up with him for some reason, but the last two nights have been perfect, with him settling down wonderfully and only rising at 7am. The next week is just going to be full of blog posts on him as we can't go anywhere with him yet! He needs to have his second puppy jab and his stitches taken out before he can socialise which isn't till next Friday, we are however lucky to have a big garden and we are enjoying our adventures with him around there.Thank you to everyone who welcomed Denver and commented on the last post, we have also had some lovely emails - thank you. I did however notice no-one mentioned anything about his breed....you know - about him being a 'dangerous dog'...?My reason for mentioning this is something that has been on my mind for a while - when we decided to adopt Denver we started telling peo...
More About: Smell

Denver Dawes - The Rescue Pup
2008-05-07 09:28:00
On Sunday we decided that was the day. That was the day we were going to add to our family and finally become a 4, that was the day we found Denver . We headed to the SPCA in Newtown to view the puppies they had there. We went along the line, the puppies were as you can imagine gorgeous, each with their own individual characteristics, all with there little sad puppy eyes and all just wanting a home. At the end of the line Michael and I looked at each other and said at the same time 'can we see that black one'. He was named by the SPCA as Ozzy, we were put into a pen with him and spent 15 minutes getting to know him. Then and there we decided we wanted him. We had to complete some Adoption Forms and were told we would need to buy a kennel as that's part of the law of having a dog here, so off we trundled to get one. On Tuesday I called in to the SPCA to see him and give him a cuddle before he was to go for his snipping and chipping (he was getting neutered and micro-chipped).Yester...
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Dawes Migration Services
2008-05-06 10:42:00
It's been a few months in the making, but our new business is now up and running. Dawes Migration Services has come about due to the high demand for information on New Zealand and migrating to Aotearoa - The Land of the Long White Cloud. The principal is simple, if you are moving to NZ you'll more than likely need to find things like a house (buying or renting), a car (again, buying or renting), a job (you can't rent these!) and copious other services we've hooked ourselves into. We locate products, services and resources you don't have the time, capacity or the inclination to do so. Simple? Want to know more, click the link here or at the top of the page!

Birthday Laydee
2008-05-06 10:36:00
It was Joan's birthday today and so I made a point of stuffing my face with food and cake, drinking some bubbles and having a good old natter with everyone about life. I have made some amazing friends on this journey, to be part of these special moments in their lives means more to me than anything, I love my friends and I love the memories I gain from being with them everyday.Happy Birthday Joan, here is to celebrating in style with us girls for many years to come!!

Well I Was Hungry...
2008-05-05 09:35:00
Waiting in the queue for a coffee and bite to eat at a stall in the Westfield Queensgate Shopping Centre, I saw this pie in the cabinet.Suddenly I didn't feel hungry anymore...
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Meet Alan!
2008-05-03 11:50:00
I'm laughing at the fact Bethany asks who all these men are that keep staying at our house, she asks 'why is there another boy here that's like Craig?' - it's cute, but could be worrying!!Anyway despite what she may (or you!) think we haven't opened a halfway house or anything, we are just blessed to have met some amazing people through the power of cyberspace. Alan , his wife Lisa and their 4 children (and 1 dog) are planning a move to NZ hopefully by the end of the year. The least we could do is put Alan up in our spare room for a few nights, and help him out with what will probably be the most amazing thing they will ever do. So we collected Alan from the airport, we didn't appreciate the fact Wellington had been lovingly decorated with sunshine all day, yet 10 minutes before Alan's plane landed the most severe rain storms pelted down! We made it home and before anything could be done Bethany was treated to bags and bags full of gorgeous dress ups and lovely clothes!!She w...
More About: Meet

It's Showtime!
2008-05-01 12:41:00
Wellington weather treated us well tonight as we managed to enjoy a beautiful moonlit walk to our venue for this evening: The Weber Bros Circus!! Excitement at every turn as we entered the huge tent filled with twirling lights and enticing music. When I booked the tickets I was lucky enough to be able to get VIP front row seats, and I must say it was worth the extra dollars as we were right in the action. Bethany of course just had to have a pink swirly wand thing that flashes, and she just had to have some candy floss, and just had to have some sweets that I took too - who am I to argue with an over excited 4 year old!? The show was utterly amazing. There were acrobatic acts of flying through the air, lifting and throwing each other, spinning tables with legs and doing all sorts of cringingly worrying yet awesome stuff! In between the action they filled the time with various slap stick routines which although they were a little pantomime, they were still hilarious moments. Bethany ...
More About: Showtime

Awww, It Snowed!
2008-04-29 09:37:00
Grandma and Grandad sent some photos recently of the snow at their house in the UK and Bethany has never stopped talking about it since. So this is what happened whilst filling some beanbags which she got with her new bed:It was just too much of a good opportunity to miss, and after a few 'snow angels' it was even worth the cleaning up time!

ANZAC Day 2008
2008-04-27 10:41:00
The sun was blazing in Wellington on Anzac Day, a day when many would remember those from years gone by, and a day when I sat watching our heroes of the future playing on the swings, whilst remembering our heroes of the past.Last year was a whole different affair, we had the most amazing time in Otaki and Raumati and sadly this year poor Mr D was working. Yet Bethany and I soldiered on and managed to have a fantastic day together. It was Craig's last day in NZ (for now!) and so we met up with him and Chez Lee in town to say our goodbyes. Just before meeting up with everyone we stopped off to buy some tickets for the circus that's in town, I am sooo excited by the fact I managed to get front row VIP seats, although a bit worried what that entails - anyway next Thursday night we will find out!!So after meeting up with the lovely Craig and the gorgeous Lee's we had a wander round the stunning harbour and then onto Te Papa where we indulged in a fantastic lunch. Of course ending the ...
More About: 2008

Technical Fault
2008-04-26 13:13:00
OK, so a few people have reported problems accessing our blog recently. To see if we can find out where the problem lies, I'll need some detailed information from people with issues and even those without: (and by issues, I mean issues accessing our blog, we all have issues at the end of the day!!)Do you browse to http://dawesinnz.blogspot.com or http://www.dawes.co.nz ? What time of day is the problem?Is it just our blog or is it any other google blog site?If you have a problem, who is your ISP?If you never have a problem, who is your ISP?Answers on a postcard to info@dawes.co.nzThank you for your co-operation, all information appreciated!
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Staglands Wildlife Park
2008-04-25 07:30:00
As it is now the kids two week break from school and kindy, it means trying to find some type of entertainment, of course living in Wellington that isn't hard to do!Since moving house I have made the agreement with the Jo, Susan, Joan and Jenny that I will go to their homes as normal every Tuesday, but when it comes the holidays they will come my way, and so of course came the idea of Staglands. We have been before but it is an amazing place that the children just adore. It's basically and open wildlife park where you can get up close and personal with the various animals. It really does however amaze me how this place operates, in the UK it would have just been stamped with 'health and safety risk' and shut down. It's amazing how these Kiwi's have a better outlook on life, so comes the saying I suppose of 'Oh it will be alright mate'.A bit low on numbers today as only Susan and Jo could make it, but that wasn't going to dampen our enthusiasm. The weather was good to us as...
More About: Wildlife , Park

No Sleep, Just Slide!
2008-04-24 06:11:00
Bethany's room was just getting too cramped. She had a double bed and although she loved it, she just didn't have any room to do anything else. So the search was on to find a new bed for her. Bethany has been amazing with her bedtime routine, she goes to bed well, has been fully toilet trained forever now and rarely gets out of bed through the night. But the major achievement being she turned into a moving house super duper star without any problems at all. So of course it was time to reward her, I have mentioned before how we find it difficult to 'justify' what we buy to her at random times of the year (and to anyone else who feels they need to stick their noses in) but as she has her birthday and Christmas 3 days apart, the rest of year is left a blank for her which is a little unfair, and to be totally honest, well I just don't give a stuff!! So check it out, we bought it from a gorgeous company called Cilek and they have a huge range of 'discovery beds' to suit any needs....
More About: Slide , Sleep

Sci-Fi Sunday
2008-04-22 11:31:00
After a wine-fueled Saturday, Sunday was a chance to relax a bit. After not actually relaxing because lets face it, with a 4 year old you can't ever relax, we headed for another afternoon out. We'd been feeling the cold recently, so opted to spend some time looking at wood burners. Having already been over the see what the BBQ Factory (my favourite shop) has to offer, we headed over to Ablaze in Grenada North. This was, as we were to find out later, to be the downfall of the day!After standing around the flames in the Ablaze office, we headed out towards Wellington for lunch, aiming for another of my favourite places - The Black Harp. After that, came the usual coffee from Cafe Eis and some time for Bethany to burn some energy at Frank Kitts Park.After seeing the 3rd nerd walking past the park in a Star Trek outfit, we decided to find out what was going on at the TSB Arena and meandered in. We walked into the Armageddon Expo - a Sci-Fi extravaganza! The show was packed with trade ...

Wonderfully Wet Wairarapa!
2008-04-20 08:47:00
We have had a gorgeous weekend, it has really felt like we have been on holiday this weekend, enjoying fantastic family time together and making the most of what New Zealand has to offer.Craig joined us on Friday night, we enjoyed a lovely meal and then the boys headed out to the pub. When they returned we spent the night laughing hysterically whilst playing Wii Sports and drinking wine, I think we all turned in for bed just before 2am!It was also fantastic to meet Rachel and Myles via Skype, it was lovely to see them and finally put faces to names, Craig is a very lucky man, he has a gorgeous wife and son!Saturday morning we rose early (thanks to Bethany!) and after breakfast headed towards the Wairarapa. The morning had been blue skies and blazing sunshine but typically as we hit the motorway the rain started. We decided to stop off at Kaitoke Regional Park and have a wander in natures finest - and as we took our first steps onto the wire bridge the most horrendous hailstone storm...

Congested? New Zealand?
2008-04-18 05:05:00
Seems so!'Motorists could be stung with a congestion charge for entering and leaving downtown Wellington during rush hour, in an ambitious proposal to boost public transport use. Greater Wellington regional council is pushing the Government for a law change that would allow councils to introduce a congestion charge on motorists' - quote & picture www.stuff.co.nzPersonally I dont think this is fair, although the public transport system is excellent in Wellington whilst living at the old house in Owhiro Bay which was 8 minutes away from the city by car - the only choice of public transport was bus. Very often buses would pass by as they were full, and when you could get a seat the journey would be 40 minutes.We were never oposed to using public transport, it was just such a chore to do so. Not only that but there is a huge new issue in my eyes to do with how zero environmentally friendly these buses are. I think there are better ways to deal with a 'congestion problem' such as...
More About: New Zealand , Zealand

Wade In The Water
2008-04-16 09:52:00
As you may remember I posted on here a while back about the sad news of Bethany's swimming school being knocked down and replaced with a supermarket, it was a really terrible end to an amazing swimming school and we are so grateful for the skills Bethany has learned and carries with her today.I was really worried when we moved home that we would not be able to find a school that could not only offer the same confidence for us parents but to also renew Bethany's new found love of the water. However we did find Togzone, and Bethany has been attending now for 1 term, well should I say, this was her only term. Unfortunately Togzone is a horrendously bad business, they can barely get anything right, argue with you over nothing, treat everyone very impersonally and really just don't have the right attitude. The mothers I sit with by the pool moan endlessly each week and I even have friends who have left due to the behaviour. Luckily for us though we did have a fantastic instructor, She...
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Meet Craig!
2008-04-14 07:31:00
Our blog is just wonderful for bringing the most amazing people into our life, through our blog we recently became 'pen pals' with the Ray family. Craig , Rachel and Myles live in the UK and they are currently on that journey of a lifetime and moving their life to the other side of the world. They have an amazing blog called One Way New Zealand so make sure you check it out and follow them on their incredible journey.As Craig was coming to Wellington we made a point of meeting up, and on a beautiful sunset evening on Oriental Parade we had a wonderful meal at The Fisherman's Table.It amazes me how it is we can meet people from all walks of life and have so much in common, Craig is literally an amazing character, so much so he is coming to stay with us at the weekend and we are going to treat him to a trip to Martinborough, being a bit of a wine connoisseur I am sure he will enjoy that! Anyway, we had a great time, it was fantastic to meet you Craig and we can't wait to meet Rache...
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That Friday Feeling
2008-04-13 10:28:00
As you know Bethany has made a gorgeous little best friend, and the perk for me is that I have also made a fantastic friend in her mammy. Jo is a lovely lady, very much like me which is strange for a kiwi, to speak her mind, be very opinionated and open in discussion. We have had some good times together over the last few weeks with us spending a night at their house having a BBQ, getting to know Jo, Jonathan, Alex and Ruby better. You couldn't ask for more generous caring people who openly have the motto 'pleasure in giving'.On Friday Jo kindly took us over to The Short Straw Cafe after Kindy for lunch. A lovely little place up in Whiteman's Valley (yes that really is a real suburb name!) which is Wellington's only cafe made from bales of straw! It was lovely, a gorgeous outdoor area for children to play in and for parents to sit and relax by, with rolling valley views and all you expect from a good old dose of nature. I was told that a friend had rang them once to check they ...
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Sweet Dreams
2008-04-11 10:47:00
One thing we have missed is Bethany's usual Friday night routine of stories from Grandma. It's been a few month since Bethany has been read a bedtime story due to the terrible +13 hours difference, but now we are back on a decent time frame we are able to start it up again. Tonight Bethany revelled in the fact Grandma was calling, she jumped into bed excitedly and squealed with delight. Under the covers she chanted 'Grandma, Grandma..' and then jumped when the Skype call rang. Little things make all the difference, and still being able to read stories across the world makes Grandma feel more connected, and gives one very lucky little girl the most amazing connected content sweet dreams ever....
More About: Dreams , Sweet , Sweet Dreams

In The Neighbourhood
2008-04-09 09:07:00
With the weather change there hasn't been much long distance travelling, and of course with the rain all the parks and forests are abundantly wet. Despite the clouds and the rain the climates have still been quite high, today we reached a high of 17 degrees and with no wind it was really nice meaning we could go for a little stroll.It's strange to see the leaves falling from the trees yet it does make it feel much more like Autumn (even though next month marks the start of Winter!) even with the warmer temperatures. I must say the poor plants and trees look very confused at this time of year as they are completely unsure with what they should be doing!! So we had a lovely walk 'around the block'. We live in such a cute little suburb, the kind where people come out from their homes every weekend to wave at each other from behind the lawnmowers and car washing, not really my type of place but it's all very pleasant!Bethany loves the walk which we have done a few times now, always...

Stolen
2008-04-07 10:33:00
I went into work this morning to find out that, at some point over the weekend some thieving gypsies have emptied the bike shed of a few bikes. Mine unfortunately was one of them. One of the chains was cut with bolt cutters, and the buggers helped themselves to the stuff.What I don't understand is how the bikes stolen were selected. I mean, mine was FrankenBike, made up from a 10 year old frame, 8 year old shocks, worn brakes, bent spokes and a torn seat. How exactly is that appealing over 3 new bikes less than 6 months old sat next to it?At least 4 others were taken, and at least 2 of them were similar to mine. Good bikes with a resale value were moved out of the way to take mine. You can't even speculate that it was taken for spares, as there aren't really any salvageable parts on it.So now I'm faced with the task of finding another bike, and in the mean time, no mountain biking!*EDIT* Turns out they took some of our more expensive bikes now too!
More About: Stolen

Daylight Saving
2008-04-06 08:20:00
Oh no, it's 6.15pm and it's DARK. Bethany and Michael are playing Lego and I am trying to figure out what I should do. Normally I would have a few more hours to potter around in the garden or for us all to go for a walk as a family....but oh no, god damn you daylight saving hours, the lights are on and the curtains are closed. However this year NZ experienced their first year of extended hours with us enjoying an extra 3 weeks longer in the sunshine evenings. Considering here in NZ we have the same amount of daylight saving months it still feels like it's a million times longer than it ever was in the UK. We have really had summer here since early November and it's been magical. The weather has changed so dramatically though over the last few days really coming into perfect line with the new hours. Outside now it's now pouring with rain (despite it still being 16 degrees) and it's the perfect staying inside, listening to soft music and lighting candles type scenario - that rea...
More About: Daylight , Saving

First Kindy Trip
2008-04-04 08:44:00
On Wednesday Bethany's Kindy did a trip to the library, I decided to go along as a parent helper, really just so I could keep an eye on my girl, and feel like I was doing my part! Bethany has made a best friend and she is called Ruby, they are completely inseparable and are honestly attached at the hip. If they are not together they are talking about each other, it's so cute! The bus arrived and we all piled on, Bethany and Ruby were so excited. This was Bethany's first NZ bus trip and babbled all the way!! At the library the children were treated to stories, singing and playing musical instruments. At one point another mother looked at me and said 'I think you need a coffee' - I think she could see the pain I was in...I mean - who volunteers themselves to do this stuff??!After the library we all piled back on the bus and we went to Maidstone Max -which is an awesome adventure park and let the children blow off some steam. They had the most amazing time with all the parent hel...
More About: Trip

No Matter Where In The World
2008-04-03 14:11:00
Lee Evans is the most amazing, beautifully straight talking comedian ever. I saw him in the UK live a few years ago and am graced with the fact when we sit on the dunny he is there staring at us (on his signed photo - he would like that!).Here is 4 minutes of some of the most original, funny and honest stuff that affects us, no matter where we are in the world... bless you Lee for making us laugh and smile no matter where we are...!(contains lots of swearing!)
More About: World , Matter , The World

Made in China
2008-04-02 09:26:00
That's what the sticker on the base of this soap dispenser says. But casting a shadow like this, surely it can only be Kiwi made?
More About: China , Made , Made In China