Oliver heads off on summer camp for the week tomorrow, back to the grind stone for the rest of us!

Alex complete with Tana Umaga wig had a great time with his buddies watching a thrilling 22-23 win by the 'Canes.

Alex and I headed off to Wellington again to watch the Super 14 match between teh Hurricanes and the Blues. Stopped off at Scorching Bay for a coffee before the game. The other lads had a swim but Alex opted not too!

End of the first week of school, Jennie auditioned for a part in the senior school production of Blood Brothers but being in the junior part of the school went against her bit still a good experience. She has also applied to be a cultural form leader.

Oliver makes his debut(!) for the first VI cricket on Saturday 17th Feb whilst Alex is off to Wellington for a lads and dads day out at the Super 14 Hurricanes v Auckland Blues match complete with new fancy red leg cast. One of the lads going with us is related to Tana Umaga so we are hoping to come back with a few celebrity signatures on the cast!

Jacqui continuing to work too hard splitting her time between my practice and the hospital.

We have just come to the end of the NZ masters Games which is held in Wanganui every two years, a great event and one that we would have taken part in if we hadn't been so all consumed by the house build which seems now to be dragging on interminably! We should be down to our last month of work.........

My work still very busy, takes me back to the early years. Found myself faced with a rather large Samoan prop forward this week. He was part of the team that beat Wales in the 1999 World Cup so I won't be getting him fixed too quickly!

That's all for now folks........

TTFN
Photos follow at the end of this weekend

Saturday 10th Feb, Alex managed to break his leg earlier today and has a lovely spiral fracture of his left tibia when some timber at the house build falls on him! I blame the father!

A little sorry for himself but bearing up well helped by Ollie buying him a new CD with his favourite track on, "bones" by the Killers!!

Fracture clinic next week and then he gets to choose a different colour cast. Watch this space.......

So we survived Keith and Sophies' visit(!) and started February by farming the kids out and heading off down to Wellington for the New Zealand Sevens tournament. Two days of partying amongst 34,000 loonies mostly in the most bizarre fancy dress. Anything from Elvis to the Flintstones and doctors to gospel choirs and everything in between. (that included Borat in his fluoro thong!)

The house build is coming on but a lot slower than we would like, we should hopefully be in by the time Neil and Jenny get here towards Easter.

We head off to the South Island at the start of March where I am doing a mountain bike race(!) around Arrowtown ( www.motatapu.co.nz ) with John Cantillon. Jax and Briar will probably have to kill time sampling the local Pinot Noir. Hope also to spend a night cruising to Milford Sound before returning to Wangavegas once more......

Jennie, Ollie and Alex all go back to school this week, we are ready for it but I'm not sure about the kids. Jennie away at the moment til Tuesday with a group of ten friends up at Lake Taupo.

Jaxs' Hotmail account no-longer working so use either jonnyost@xtra.co.nz or jackiepaine@xtra.co.nz (sic) the misspelling of jacqui/jackie is courtesy of NZ telecom and cannot be corrected as technology does not permit it!!

Jax said I'm not allowed ot put this one on the blog.............

A group of Irish aliens crept in unnoticed and sat incognito right under the noses of the immigration officers!

Jonny wearing Richs' Linlithgow shirt amongst a rowdy bunch of Scots!! Scotland pipped at the post for the wooden spoon by Portugal. No dodgy tries in this game tho'! Many kilted bodies around, not convinced of all of their geneology?!

no dogs allowed in the arena :(

..mmmmmmm, local lawyer?

...the battle between good and bad continues both day and night, but is remarkably well manner at the moment!!!..........

Jane, Jax, Jonny and Graham on the water!