Zoe is One

The photo is Struan and Debbie with Zoe
The first week back in Auckland after our rest was filled with Birthdays – mine and Struans plus wine tastings! Lorna managed to get work, but the work I expected has not yet eventuated. I am set up at Bob’s place while Lorna is staying with Carolyn – not ideal, but her job is in Morningside, only a 20 minute walk.
On Wednesday 13th June Shandy Buckley was made a New Zealand citizen. She needed to do this to represent NZ at the Yngling world championships. They will be trying to qualify NZ for the Olympics. She had a ceremony all to herself – special eh! After the function at the Dept of Internal Affairs we were invited by Raynor Smeal to go out on NZL41. For you non yachtie types this is an old America’s Cup boat that is used to take people for rides on the Auckland Harbour. Raynor, who is one of the Yngling crew, is a skipper on these boats and they had spare spaces on the charter that afternoon.
For my birthday last year Phil and Erin had given me a voucher for a cooking class at the Auckland Fish Market. I took this up on Thursday and attended a class in food and wine matching. We learned to cook three different fish dishes and tasted 8 wines. I learned some interesting facts about wine and food.
Friday 15th was Zoe’s birthday. Grandad went to the zoo with the family. Zoe showed the interest that you would expect from a very alert one year old. To cap off the excitement Dean and Michelle Ellis (very good friends of Phil and Erin) had a daughter on Zoe’s birthday.
Friday night we stayed at Struan and Debbie’s. The pad they have put in for the bus works really well. Sunday was The First Birthday Party. There were around forty people there and Zoe lived up to her epithet of “energiser bunny” – her battery just does not run down! As expected the wrapping paper was nearly as much fun as the multitude of presents. Sunday night I came back to Bob’s and am still waiting for work!