Varley's on sabbatical: It's all about the numbers

Hey everyone,

Glad to have caught up with some of you by phone this month, thanks too for the emails and Facebook updates - it's great to keep in touch with what's going on. As we compose this update the bank holiday weekend in UK will have just passed - hope the weather didn't dampen the spirits for all of you under canvas!

Since our last update numbers seemed to have dominated - from the minimal amount of water in the rain gauge to the mind boggling number of Kiwifruit being harvested.

I'll see if I can paint the picture in ascending order ....

2 - legs that Nina has found and is happily exercising by pulling herself up on whatever she can find. Her favourite item is playing with her car seat, once on her feet she makes half a turn to see who's watching and gives them a huge smile - v happy with her efforts!

2 - interviews for Matt in Auckland this month. Feedback has been good but skills aren't quite the match they're after. Possibly still in the running for one company depending on what opportunities they are able to start up. So we'll see, also have an application in with the regions Polytec to project manage changes to the student information systems - a good fit on a number of fronts so all prayers for that gratefully received.

3 - number of frozen blocks of baby food that Nina now devours for dinner. Chicken casserole seems to be the new favourite.

3 - lambs that have made it from the paddock to the freezer (Lillia hasn't quite put that story together yet). Though she is still the chief shepherdess around here and is always on hand to help with moving sheep around the place. She's venturing much closer these days and likes to pat one of the old pet sheep.

15 - stickers on Lillia's reward chart for staying in bed at bedtime. V good news, and thanks for all who've asked how she's getting on :-) we're getting there! Her potty chart is also taking shape with the rewards of Iggle Piggle and spending more time in her trainer pants.

30 - days in April that Fiona has been a super Mum :-) there's been plenty of baking going on (much by Lillia's request!) cakes, muffins, ANZAC biscuits. The girls are really enjoying Mainly Music (Wed), Playgroup (Thur) and Playcentre (Fri). Lillia comes back with clothes and shoes suitably adorned with paint, sand, food and anything else that’s around.

40 - miles run by Matt, he's glad to get back into running with no ill effects of his painful hip from last year. He's been challenged by some old friends to go and run the Auckland half marathon later in the year! The course heads across the Auckland harbour bridge - apparently the only time foot traffic is allowed on the bridge. Better get training for the invert!

Here comes the biggy ...

22,000 - boxes of Kiwifruit packed and/or stacked by Matt last week! Matt's managed to get some seasonal work to earn a few dollars to keep the wolves from the door - it's in a Kiwifruit packhouse and as the owner keeps telling him, 'welcome to the real world’. So do enjoy your Kiwifruit this summer when it arrives off the boat in a few months time.

Some piccies from this month to enjoy.