Yes, it’s been quite a week. The fitness programme which was to transform me from Matt Lucas to Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 has had to be delayed a week, which angers such a committed fitness FREAK as myself. Oh the frustration!

But onto Charlie. Poor wee man. He has been suffering this week physically. Beleaguered by a constant stream of green snot from both nostrils, two eye teeth (aka ‘fangs’) cutting through tender gums, an infection in his right ear, a rattly cough and, to top it off, conjunctivitis. He is one sticky, gooey mess. He no longer trusts tissues and will go to great and imaginative, sometimes aggressive lengths to avoid them.

He is on antibiotics, which for Charlie, means diarrhoea, lots of it, lots and lots and lots of it. To the point where I had to abandon my cloth nappy experiment totally and, what’s more, have started daily stealth missions to various public rubbish bins to dump bags full of foul smelling nappies that Mum’s fortnightly rubbish bin collection service just can’t accommodate.

But, a cold and bunged up sinuses can’t keep a good dog down and Charlie has been lapping up the Christchurch sunshine like an animal who eats sunshine out of a bowl like a dog. Okay, moving right along.

The photo here is of Charlie in the garden with Mum. The lady from next door came over and insisted we take the pretty pink ride-on and the little paddling pool you will see in subsequent photos.

Once again, Charlie is having serious issues with self propulsion, so needs to be pushed. He would prefer to push the toy along shopping trolley style whilst walking on his knees, but after finding his knees black and blue the other night at bath time I have nipped that one in the bud.

“Could you be…. the most miniature pool in the world?”

Well yes, quite possibly.

In fact, I’m sure that by the time Charlie pee’d in that pool twice, the water temperature would’ve doubled.

Having just grappled with that thought I am retrospectively so glad I didn’t sip any of the ‘tea’ he was offering me.

Charlie is magnetically drawn to Mum’s (i.e. Nana) environmentally friendly lawn mover.

He loves that, and the vacuum cleaner.

Hang on… I have a major Dragon’s Den idea… a detachable baby ride-on seat that you can attach to vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers! Don’t steal my idea, I will so know it was you.

I feel a product endorsement coming on!!

I promised my Mum I’d go to bed at 10.15pm, and here I am at 11.54pm tap tapping away. I must be being fuelled by the amazing dinner we had tonight of salmon fillet, jersey benne new potatoes, fresh asparagus and cherry tomato and avocado salad. I can’t get over the amazing quality, abundance, size and affordability of food here. I bought two heeeuuuuge salmon fillets for NZD $5 each. That’s £2. I hate it when people do this exchange rate break down convert thing so I’ll stop, but I gotta tell ya, you don’t have to be rich to eat like a king here.

Oh, and petrol is currently $1.63 (72p) a litre, and diesel is $1.00 (44p) a litre. Right, I’m stopping now!

Well, apart from having the outline of a traditional maori ‘moko’ tattoo cut into my chin, there really isn’t much more to report until next time.

Dad arrived today, back from Koh Samui, but I haven’t seen him yet as Caleb picked him up from the airport and he is recharging his batteries. Really looking forward to seeing my Daddy again tomorrow. We’re planning and barbeque at Caleb and Nicki’s house tomorrow evening. I’m so eager I’ve already made dim sum.

Okay, that’s it. Goodnight people of my imagination. Is anyone actually reading this? I will probably dream about that in about ten minutes.
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