This is what we woke up to on Jacobs birthday, it will snow anytime in the mountains!!! October is a bit late for us though!!! It snowed again a couple of weeks ago too....crazy.


Jacob couldn't believe it!! He loves the snow though, winter is his favourite season.



We went out to the restaurant for breakfast. We usually have a birthday breakfast party, but this year with the hotel right there i figured why cook!!!


The boys took a couple of friends with them. This is Calan and Aidan. They have lived in Mt Cook all their lives and these guys all use to play together as babies.


Yet again why cook a cake myself with the hotel right there, this is thanks to the pastry chef!! An Austrian one too.

So that was all a long time ago now. I can't believe Jacob is 10 years old already and I can't believe we have been parenting for 10 years, where has the time gone.

The boys are very well, we are looking forward to the end of the year and school summer holidays. The boys finish school on 22 Dec and don't go back until 7 Feb. That's a good long holiday! So for Christmas we have Bernd coming of course and Helen my sister and Gabe my nephew. We are all very excited to have some visitors here in Mt Cook. I hope the weather stays fine, our house is incredibly small! Then the kids are off to New Plymouth for a couple of weeks to see their family there and then off on holiday with Bernd, Selma and Thomas. They are going to have a great time this summer and I will try to fill my time while I stay in Mt Cook and work, I think I might be able to do that!! Wow a month with no kids, what will I do.

I have had a change of job at the hotel in the last month. I am thankfully out of the restaurant and am now in reservations. It is great, even if I do have to sit at a computer all day. I wasn't sure how that would go but the day goes by much faster and I am certainly less tired.

So things are all going very well here, the boys are busy after school with their friends out in the bush or down by the river. Dominic has started karate and is enjoying that, especially when they do some wrestling. I will take some photos of him there next time. He seems to be interested in starting the guitar and there is someone here who could give him lessons. Jacob hasn't been able to enjoy his bow and arrow much lately, the weather hasn't been great and I have been a bit slow about finding him a target...bad mother. Jacob is a good reader and is reading a huge kids book at the moment, anything with dragons, knights, weapons, wizards etc
etc.

I hope everyone is well in Austrian, it must be getting cold there now. We look forward to seeing all your photos from Christmas!! We will write again soon.
Love from NZ

Zuckersuess

Vor zwei Wochen habe ich den zweiten Teil des Zucker Kurses gemacht. Der Kurs dauert 3 Tage und ausser Zucker wird nur Zucker oder besser gesagt Isomalt - ein Zuckerersatz der die selben Eigenschaften als Zucker hat.

Zuerst wird der Zucker bis 180 grad gekocht und dann der farbstoff hinzugefuegt - fertig zu verarbeiten. Die Arbeitstemperatur ist so um die 70 grad, immer noch heiss genug sich die finger zu verbrennen wenn man nicht vorsichtig ist.

Wenn der zucker etwas abgekuehlt ist wird er mehrmals gezogen um luft einzuarbeiten, die luft gibt den zucker einen seidenen glanz, dann formnt man den zucker einfach und fertig!

Am ersten tag des kurses haben wir zum "aufwaermen einen schwan gemacht und dann ein schaustueck mit dolphines

Der Schwan

The dolphines

Fuer das naechste schaustueck wurde zuerst der hintergrund gegossen und danach ...

...der boden.

Nun werden alle anderen sachen die am schaustueck sein sollen gemacht und dann wird alles wie ein puzzel zusammengesetzt

sobald alles abgekuehlt ist, noch etwas farbe - lebensmittel farbe

und voila - ein schaustueck fertig

Das war der erste tag, die naechsten 2 tage waren etwas arbeits intensiever, wir mussten unser eigenes schaustueck entwerfen und fertigstellen um den kurs erfolgreich abzuschliessen.

ich hatte mich entschlossen einen kea zu machen.

Der koerper wurde geblasen

danach die federn auf der unterseite des vogels angebracht und der vogel auf die base gesetzt

als naechstes die fluegel angebracht

der rest der federn wird nun befestigt

und nach 30 arbeitsstunden und 2 blasen auf meinen fingern ist das prachtstueck dann fertig!

Mit diesem meisterwerk habe ich mir natuerlich auch mein certificate verdient!

Nun kam der schwierigste teil, der kurs war in rotorua, transport nach wellington. 3 taxi rides und einen flug hat der vogel ja recht gut ueberstanden.....

aber genau vor der haustuere ist er dann abgestuerzt! Ich haette heulen koennen!

Der schaden ist leider irreperable - da bleibt nur eins viel kaffee trinken und statt zucker mit kea suessen

sobald ich den verlust ueberststanden habe und wetwas zeit find werde ich mich auf das naechste stueck stuerzen wer weiss was das sein wird - auf alle faelle etwas das etwas stabiler ist!

Bis bald

Hello to everyone

I hope everyone is well.

We are doing great. Life is good.

These are some photo's from a walk we did on Sunday, the Hooker Valley. We have had some great weather so have been enjoying the outdoors.

School is going well for the boys, Dominic's reading and spelling is improving greatly. He finds this most helpful when he is playing on the computer!! Jacob is as clever as ever and he knows it. The other day in Maths they had to answer a question and then write why that was the answer and for the last one Jacob wrote "because I am smart". That says it all!

Work is going fine, it is nice to be busy and working with a lot of people. Especially people from many different countries.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Take care

Love from us all here in Mt Cook

They are a bit camouflaged on the rocks

Jacob found this rock and was having a snooze waiting for Dominic and I to catch up to him.

The boys are throwing stones and rocks on the ice of the lake to try and break it.