Madrid meets Hokianga

 My Godson Kahu from Rawene in the Hokianga up even farther north in the Far North of New Zealand,  is GORGEOUS, even when grimacing.  He is very clever and verbal and not yet even 2!  He met some of my friends from Madrid when he and his mum and Auntie Hebe visited recently...read on!

Madrid has featured overwhelmingly in my now - ending summer. My last guests from Madrid called in again and met my Hokianga whanau (extended family) and we had a terrific evening.  Chico and Jose slept in their van - their home away from home  in which they are living/travelling over the next 7 months while they tour NZ.  The house was full up with Karen in her bedroom (she's renting in the house now), Hebe (Jessie's sister who managed to avoid the camera) on the window seat and my comadre Jessie and her son (my Godson) Kahu downstairs.

We sang and danced and enjoyed the beautiful evening. Chico and Jose have a band (are a band) in Madrid... not as famous as 2 Sexy Chico's sister, Bebe, but hey, maybe more fun?  I haven't met Bebe, but Chico and Jose would be hard to beat for fun and I'm hoping to spend my birthday NEXT year with them in Madrid!

Meanwhile I love this time of year when these Aloes bloom and attract silver eyes, tui and fantails.

Ciao for now... it's a work day!

Sweet Sunday Ukulele Jam was awesome!

We had a great time at Y-Not Restaurant in Waipu last weekend when 17 plus ukulele players got together for a jam!  I organised the event, the Flaming Ukes of Waipu started it off. young Alex Gordon did a couple of solos and then we had the jamming fun and sweet desserts!

We also had friends Andre Labonte on clarinet, Janeen Soederling on keyboard, Bob McNeely on bass guitar and a mystery man on harmonica... he said he was only learning, and he joined us for a singsong on La Bamba!

That's our teacher Bob McNeely, an extremely talented musician... sitting between two of his young students...9 year old Alex Gordon on his left and 11 year-old Ruben Grant on his right. (That's Peter & Alice Grant's son. Peter is Knox's brother for those of you in the know). Alice is above and to the left of this text, and I don't know some of the others in the pictures. 

I've already had a phone call from someone who found out too late and wants to know when the next one is.  HOORAY!  It was just so much fun standing and playing and rocking out like a real muso in a band!

Priscilla Queen of the Desert in Waipu

What a fun ladies' night we had and our own Queen of the Desert, Robyn Dobbs was visiting us from Karratha in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia where she is working as a nurse and her husband, Pete, as a mechanic. Boy, the stories she can tell of stabbings in the wild west of Aussie!

Marilyn Henneker, (far left) my long standing belly dancing chum from 20 years or so ago - when I lived in Auckland - was here too and with some of the Flaming Ukuleles of Waipu (Maggie's at the back), we dressed up for the ladies' night. To my left, I'm in purple, is Karen Cullen soon to be my flatmate.

There were others there, not dressed up, but we all joined in the fun for the modest but tasty three course meal and Abba!