Science at Otago

 Today we went with Mel to the uni open day. It was brilliant. There was so much to see.

 And plenty of hands on activities.

 Can you guess what L. is making here?

 Things to smell and taste

 Even a "rocky shore" pool to examine

 or not!

a sunny afternoon and a cool evening

After a quick bus trip into Dunedin we spent a very pleasant afternoon with Mel.Although it was very cold(but we had brought our thermals with us!), the afternoon sun shone on the time we shared together.                                            
               


Of course I might be slightly biased but don't I have such a beautiful, clever  daughter. The scarf she is wearing is one she knitted and I am also sharing in this post some wonderful knits she has made for the children of friends of hers.

 The picture below would have to be one of my favorites of our time in Dunedin!

 

In the evening we took the last pictures with my phone as the camera was once again playing up. The frost from the morning was still attached to blades of grass and the ice covering all the puddles was, you guessed it, still visible!

I like Dunedin . It reminds me of a smaller  Wellington

Christchurch to Dunedin

We arrived in Christchurch at 5am local time, having left Melbourne at 1/4 to midnight! Spent an hour at a very quiet airport before taking a taxi to the bus depot(which turned out to be a small temporary building.  Driving from the airport in to Christchurch we saw evidence of devastation. Many larger buildings (such as churches) had steel scaffolding supporting the and there were private residences half-demolished or boarded up and vacant. After a while L. declined to look out of the window.It was a cold grey morning.

The top picture is the only one I could take with my camera of an amazing bus journey.The next three pictures I found on the internet but they demonstrate the amazing scenery we saw.For most of the journey the southern alps, with their white snowy hats were in view.The land between them and us was fairly flat farming land so we were able to get a good view of them.

We were on a standard intercity bus(think really cheap rates) but the driver managed to give us a running commentary of most places we passed through

The picture above shows Oamaru which is known for its distinctive limestone buildings.Because I am a New Zealander and because I think the land of my birth has some spectacular scenery I hope you won't be offended if I don't describe Oamaru as a pretty place(big hint). However in an op shop just beside where we stopped for lunch I found a book I have been looking for to give to a new mum( a golden book called "The Boy with a Drum") 

More beautiful scenery and we arrived in Dunedin shortly after 1pm. We took a taxi out to Ashburne and met Mel.L. was so impressed that first day to see snow. And that explains the final picture.Now you may say where is the snow in the picture(please note small white dots..smaller ones did not show up in photo)but it is I discovered extremely hard to photograph falling snow; far better to capture the memory ie enjoy the moment!

There was a knock on the door and...

The boys received a parcel express post today!

 It made a great interlude in our studies

 Inside were two beautifully wrapped presents. I feel like I should write that in upper case because the wrapping was to drool over!...but I think internet etiquette demands you don't do that!

 But here's a glimpse of what I'm talking about.

The younger enjoying his card

Heads bent and focused in the serious business of unwrapping

 First parcel opened to reveal a dvd to watch

 Youngest son just couldn't stop looking over his gift"oh wow how did he know I want this. This is great. How many recipes can we try...today!

 A giggle and a smile, and older son's final gift opened to reveal...

Thank you Andrew, they are both delighted to be able to have another day to celebrate their birthdays! the gifts were so "spot on"