Silence is golden?

It has been 3 weeks of mayhem here in the countryside of Maungaturoto. My brother and his two boys (4 & 2) were visiting for great grandad’s 80th and an extended holiday. They returned home to Australia yesterday. Let me tell you it was rather crowded especially when it rains so often and they can’t go outside, but boy did we have fun. The house is very quiet now and has somewhat been returned to its previous state of tidiness but I do miss the little tykes.

During their stay we
-went to the beach to pick pipis,
– went fishing and caught a Kahawai
– went to the park,
– had fun at Chipmunks,
– shopping trips,
– fed the chooks and collected eggs,
– ran around the rugby field,
– watched the lambs,
– made the cat and dog freak out,
– visited the grandparents,
– went to McDonalds (on more than one occasion),
– helped Grandad Sears work on the car and much more.

Happy 80th

Recently my grandfather celebrated his 80th birthday. We had a gathering of people at a house that we hired for the weekend. This way people could come and go as they pleased throughout the day. This also gave granddad a chance to have a rest and chat to differing people as they passed through.
There are many things that I can attribute to my granddad as having inspired and influenced me during my life. To me he is one of the most influential male mentors in my life and I see him as a strong man with an incredible work ethic, intelligence, humor, generosity and wisdom.
Here are some pictures from the day.