NATHAN AND HIS SUPERHEROES

A friend sent me a link about grandparents, taken from a class of 8 years-olds:

What are Grandparents?

'Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's'
'They don't say, "Hurry up."
'When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.'
'They know we should have a snack before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.'

I would say that Grandparents are people who are happy to be given a second chance at seeing children grow. For this reason, I just love Dianne Loomas poem "If I were to raise my child again" Read here

I definitely could take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes much more, and most certainly be firm less and affirm much, much more. There's a desire to hold him and freeze the time for as long as I could.

I watched Nathan transitioning from watching and loving 'Cinderella' , to wishing he had a pet dragon in 'How to train a Dragon' and as he grows older to admiring more macho figures like 'Tony Stark' aka Ironman, Spiderman, and Batman. Superheros of my sons' era.

I sensed the sands of time moving and shifting. He is now in pre-primary, on to some serious reading and writing. The 'teacher' in me wants him to excel in his 3Rs. With pride, I hear him recite his numbers and practise his writing.

I remember his solemn promise : Next time, when I can read, popo, I will read a story to you. Well, the 'next time' will be here very soon.

My memory of him will be a boy who is kind and considerate, who loves his Lego,

 

who loves to read, who enjoys his little 'treats'.......       

who, loves his little sister, and who adores his parent.

THE IRREPRESSIBLE GRACIE

What's the special bond grandparents have with their grandchildren? Someone said: "The joy of being a grandparent is that you get a second chance of parenting (without the responsibility)." Indeed, it is so fascinating to see how the grandchildren respond to things and events and asking myself: -  "Did my children do this / say this at this age?"

We made a special visit to Perth just to celebrate Grace's third birthday. This little girl has grown by leaps and bounds. It was so wonderful to carry and hug this cuddly baby (and her teddy bear). Not that I could hold her for long - for as soon as I held her tight, she had wriggled her way out of my arms.

Sharing her birthday cake with big brother

How she has grown! The last time I saw her was in January 2016. She was still in her diapers. Now I see a more complex character emerging.

Her Tenacious Character :

Grace was in the throes of toilet training. For the first few days, her mummy tried to get her remember to sit in the potty whenever there was any urge. But the urge did not materialize. So when 'accidents' occur, the plucky girl would promise solemnly : ' Next time........I will do it in the potty."  And she never gave up trying. Again and again, she would run to the potty - just to try to do it. Grandma made a secret pact with the girl: "Gracie, when you wee wee in the potty, popo will give you a treat", she nodded. So, one day, Gracie did it. Hooray!! What a celebration. Everyone cheered. Big brother Nathan cheered her on: Well done Gracie! The precious liquid was proudly exhibited for all the other children to see (to encourage them ) Big brother commented: It's so precious! Of course, Gracie claimed her reward (which was 1/3 piece of banana foam sweet). Very soon, the little girl graduated from potty and was upgraded to adult toilet. Another celebration - this time 1/2 a banana foam. The girl soon figured that it was more profitable to do her toilet duties in installments - and claim more rewards! Grandma wised up to her tricks, "No Grace, it must be a big wee wee." So the girl sportingly complied. Thumbs up for her tenacity!

Ta Da! The precious liquid!

Her "I can do it" attitude: 

One evening Grace was watching her brother brushing his teeth. I asked her: "Grace would you like to brush your teeth too?" Grace was eager to try. Nathan interjected : "Oh no popo, Grace can't do it. She always drink the water. Mummy say she must not do it". "Let her try", I said. "I can do it', asserted Grace. So I demonstrated to Grace on how to use the cup. "No, no popo, she will drink the water, and no, no, don't put the toothpaste, she will just suck it !!". The brother was aghast. Grace stepped on the stool and gargled and spat out the water. I put a smudge of toothpaste on her toothbrush and she brushed her teeth with gusto, stopping to take sips of water and then spitting it out. Bother watched her with hawk-like intensity. "There you are Grace - YOU did it !". The girl beamed with pride: "I did it !". Big brother was generous with his praise: "Good girl Gracie!" And from then on, that was our nightly routine.

Grace was determined to be the champion Jenga player

Ta Da! I did it!

Her sense of fairness:
I also noticed that whenever Grace makes a decision, she would stick to it. And she has a keen sense of what's fair and what's not. Observing her interacting with the other children, she would make sure every child is given a fair go - provided she has the first run of things. Very often she would remind another child, "No, it's not your turn yet." or if they squabble over a toy, ' You can have it later." and she made good her promise. What a girl!

Her magnet towards the exuberance :
Grace's favourite videos are "Tinkerbell" and "Sophia the First" and of course "Frozen". Of course Elsa is her all time favourite character. " Here's a sample of our conversation.

Popo : Who do you like best in Tinkerbell?
Grace: Fawn
Popo : Why Fawn. What about Tinkerbell?
Grace : I like her too. But Fawn is brave. And she is kind to animals.
Popo : And what about Sophia the First. Who do you like?
Grace : Amber
Popo : Amber? Why not Sophia?
Grace : I like Sophia too but I like Amber better.She does more things.
Popo : But Amber is unkind to Sophia...,
Grace : Yes, but she is sorry about it and she becomes nice later.
I guess she is attracted to those girls because they are more spunky and exuberant characters. Weepy, helpless damsels are not for my Grace!

Watching a tv cartoon with popo

Her love for all things pretty :
Like any girl, Grace love pretty dresses. The first time I noticed it was when her Alicia Yee Por gave her a dress. after putting on the dress, she at once sat demurely. For a good 15 minutes, she did not jump about. She loved the pretty lace dress that her Aunt Rachael bought for her. For her birthday, I bought her a blue tulle skirt. At once she wanted to put it on and began to twirl in her new skirt.
Like any girl, she was willing to endure the tickling sensation to heave her face painted.
What a girl! 

SMALL TOWNS

Which route shall we take - the coastal route with all the seaside towns or the inland route, passing smaller towns? And I was glad hubby chose to take the inland route. I guess, mainly because we come from a coastal town and the sea view is just 'sup sup sui' for us.

I love the smaller towns because they are not so touristy and many of the old buildings are still intact. Most of the towns have population of under 1,000 and even the so called bigger towns have less than 8,000 people.

From Auckland (North Island)d, we drove towards the central part of North Island to Rotorua (famous for its volcanoes and hot springs and geysers).

On the way, we stopped at Matamata, where the Hobbiton Movie Set was constructed. The Hobbiton Village was everything we imagined. Straight from the movie. We had fun exploring the little huts, imaging ourselves to be part of the cast, expecting to see Bilbo or Gandalf  at any corner of the village. The vegetable patch was real and the pots of honey were real honey too.

 We ended our tour with a drink at the Dragon Inn.

After touring the Hobbiton village, we drove to Waitomo Caves to explore the Glow worm cave. On the way we passed Cambridge (reminiscent of THAT Cambridge in UK). The townfolks must love literature for indeed, the streets were named after well-known poets and writers. The main street was Shakespeare Street. And there was Wordsworth St, Coleridge St, and Burns St. We did not stop long in this town but my impression of the town is the tree-lined streets and the old wooden buildings.

Otorohanga is a lovely town. A huge wooden sculpture of a Kiwi bird greet you as you enter the main town.The town advertises itself as a place to see the kiwi bird (but we were told by a guide in Rotorua that kiwi birds are seldom spotted in daylight). I love the hanging flower baskets that line the veranda of every shop along the main street. Just like Carnaby Street in London.The small supermarkets sell local produce - corn on the cob, cabbages, tomatoes and seasonal fruits (plums and peaches were in season).

Every small town boasts of its uniqueness and has something to offer to visitors. However, I observed that most places offer forest walks or some activities related to lakes or rivers. Taihape in North Island is one such town. Just about 250km from the more popular Rotorua, the town features a huge walking boot.

We took a hike up a small hill and was rewarded with a panoramic view of the town, nestled below majestic mountains

After  enjoying the sights and activities of places like Queenstown, Wanaka, Te Anau, Milford Sound, we made our way eastwards to Dunedin, As we were running low on petrol, we decided to stop at Lumsden. Surprise! Surprise! The town was so small that it could not get anyone to man the only petrol station. So it's either the local Farmers' Card or nothing. Lumsden used to be a important railway stop for timber but with the improved roads linking other towns, the town soon lost its importance.

So we proceeded to Gore, another nearby town. Hubby was apprehensive. What if it is like Lumsden? Another surprise awaited us. Gore turned out to be such a delightful little town. And so beautiful as well.

After Gore we continued our drive to Dunedin and on the way, we spotted a beautiful church. It was deserted and so we had no inkling of how this church came to be built in this area. Upon searching the web, I learned that Milton was once a thriving town during the gold rush era.

A self driving holiday is distinctly superior over following an arranged tour. There is the flexibility of programme and many surprises along the way, such as :

1) Turning off from the main road to visit unusual shops

 2) Stopping to sample honey along the way

3) Making unscheduled stop to take in the view

4) Making detours and detours - because you spot an interesting signboard

       

 5) Tracking in the forest and taking short walks

 

 6) Pray and meditate in a church

 7) Stop for lunch or coffee/ice cream

 8) Buy food from a local market

 

9) Meet up with friends

 10) Be fascinated by local engineering stuff

11) Be fascinated by a rabbit hole or a moss forest

 12) Be fascinated by sheep and cows