Selling cakes to raise funds

On Father's day, 12 year old Caitlyn and her siblings were selling cakes in the Mt Albert Baptist Church Foyer. The proceeds went to raise funds for babysitting expenses for the ladies at the Op shop. Their mum, April Harris volunteers five days a week at the shop.

Good job, Ka Pai and paki paki Caitlyn.

RUBYRED:REDNESDAY Bugsy Malone

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Tonight I was taken back to my last year in High School when I was struggling in my English Literature textbook " The Great Gatsby" by Scott Fitzgerald.

My school Pt Chevalier Primary School puts on a production every year, alternating from a whole school of 660 to years 5 & 6 of 200. It is no easy feat, with so many children.

Bugsy Malone is a musical of the era of the Prohibition in the 1920s, of gangsters and fighting. It is interesting to watch ten and eleven year olds performing adult roles.

We produced four sold out shows and tickets were $10. The parents are very supportive of this performing arts in our school curriculum. I asked some parents how they felt about their kids spending so much time on rehearsals, and they all say, "it is good that the kids have all these experience."

I thoroughly enjoyed myself with the audience. The party poppers made it a celebration at the finale. Sorry I can't show you the production as filming is not allowed.

Anniversary: Waitangi Day

http://tnchick.com/
This is celebrated on our Anniversary Day, our Waitangi Day. Since 1840, we mark this day on February 6th.
We are introduced to a unique experience only from New Zealand. According to Māori Protocol, there is the Powhiri Official formal welcome.
The opening ceremony gives us a chance to watch the Ngati Whatua o Orakei give a powhiri. It begins with wero/challenge. The chief challenges the manuhiri/guests. He carries a spear (taiaha) then lays down a token (often a small branch) that the manuhiri ( Mayor John Banks) picks up to show they come in peace.

Sunday Bridges:Grafton

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/
Grafton Bridge is a road bridge spanning Grafton Gully in Auckland City, New Zealand. Built of reinforced concrete in 1910, it connects the Auckland CBD with the Grafton suburb. Grafton Bridge spans about 97.6 metres (320 feet), rises 25.6 metres (84 feet) above the abutments and to a height of around 43 metres (142 feet) over the Grafton Gully.

The bridge is on the NZ Historic Places listing and the IPENZ Engineering Heritage Register. In a 2006 poll amongst 600 alumni of the University of Auckland School of Engineering, the bridge placed 3rd on the list of New Zealands' engineering achievements, after the Manapouri Power Station and Black Magic.

The footpaths are covered with an aesthetically curved glass screen, which serves to prevent people from falling or jumping off the bridge as well as providing unobstrusive weather cover (the bridge already had suicide prevention barriers from 1992 to 1996 (and extra safety fencing from as early as 1936), but after the removal, suicide rates on the bridge jumped fivefold, leading to a quiet re-installation in 2002).[4] There have been no suicides from the bridge since then as of 2009, and the feature has been called an example of best practice of preventing such acts

Since 2009, the bridge forms a core part of the Central Connector public transport route between the Auckland CBD and Newmarket, and is closed to private vehicles during daytime hours. New bus-only lanes on Grafton Bridge have helped swell Auckland City Council coffers by $1.7 million since they were introduced in December.

More than 11,000 drivers have been stung for using the bridge between 7am and 7pm, when both lanes of the central city bridge are reserved for buses. There was someone on the bridge taking photos of cars travelling across the bridge.

Macroflowers: North Borneo Orchids.

This is the flower I joined this meme. My Dad's favourite flower. It gives me warm fuzzy feeling every time I see this flower. Dad used to grow this from little saplings from North Borneo. They didn't bloom as frequently as the hybrids grown these days. The beauty of this plant is the waiting is paid off. The blooms remain beautiful for three months on the plant.

These flowers are grown in the Winter gardens, green house at the Auckland Domain.

Addition:
Maia,

As I look carefully, you are right. The leaves are longish oval. I think I was so engrossed with the beauty of the flower I didn't think of photographing the whole plant.

The spray of flowers shoot up about 18 inches. So the background leaves are most likely to be from another plant.

My Sister Margaret reminds us siblings of how carefully Mom and Dad use a toothbrush and soapy water and carefully removing the aphids. Seeing them together doing it on one plant now warms our heart. It was truly a symbol of their love for each other.

Mom and Dad were not child hood sweet hearts. They did not even know each other when they married. They had met only once and were chaperoned. It was during World War 2. Their parents had to get them married, so Mom won't be taken by the Japanese to be their sex slave, and Dad to be conscripted to their army.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2009/05/mothers-day-tribute-to-my-mum.html

On the day of my oldest sister Rose's wedding, he cut it and I wrote to her children and their spouses today. This was the beautiful orchids that Grand Pa cut to make your mum's wedding bouquet. Grandma said she was surprised that he did it. His heart probably hurt as he cut it. It even hurt her heart though she wasn't so attached to it.

l
I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday

Fund raiser, selling cookies

I was most impressed with this primary school boy.

He knocked on my door,
"Will you buy a pack of cookies for $2.50? It is for my school and I have the change."
He was very confident.
I asked him to wait.
I came out not only with my money,
But with my camera.
He was quite perplexed when I wanted asked him to pretend he was coming to my house, and I only wanted to take his back.
I am most impressed with him.
I know some kids would not go door to door and will ask their parents to give them the money, or ask their parents to accompany them.

Ka Pai , Good Job and Paki Paki to this little boy whose name I didn't catch.

Ruby red Tuesday: Wii game

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

For Father's day. My son and I gave the man of the house a Wii game console. We gave it to him a week earlier because we want to play it as well.

If you are hearing me huffing and puffing, you heard right. I just had three games of tennis and three bouts of boxing. I don't know how the console works, but the playing is very realistic. You really sweat and curse. I grunt as loud as Monica Seles. LOL