Oh I've loved her so long (Unicorn)

Wie geht's?

It was Fanfa's birthday during the week. Another trip around the sun to celebrate for offspring number 3 and that means time for her proud dad to show you some of his favourite snaps.

Happy birthday Samantha Mary Purdy

Love and peace - dad

Can I see your sweet sweet smile? (Neil Young)

Wie geht's?

Sunday in NZ usually includes a family zoom with our children dispersed around the world (Keegan/China; Samantha/USA; Adam/Australia; Jade/NZ) except Adam and Ashleigh arrive in NZ today and join us, along with Jade and Asher, at Maple Grove next week.

That will be cool to have two of the four with us again. Sadly Keegan and Samantha remain in their respective countries.

Getting the band back together is now extremely tricky (even on zoom!) and we miss having easy access to them. But - that's the situation. They are living their lives.

No one prepares you for this bit - the growing up and away of your children. I have a fresh appreciation of how my parents felt when I finally left the family home to go flatting and then moved to New Plymouth to start my first job (where I met Jacky and four children and thirty-ish years later - here I am with this realisation - insert a melancholy smiley face emoji here).

Samantha had her birthday celebrations in NZ and America in the last week, so this post is dedicated to her and her sweet sweet smile.

Love and peace - WNP

Trigger (Trigger) and he pulled the fastest milkcart in the west (Benny Hill)

Trigger looks big here, but he only comes up to my waist.

Wie geht's?

Covid-19 lockdowns have had one very positive spin-off for our family: the weekly family zooms that we started a year ago (thanks to Adam's suggestion) during our alert level 3 and 4 lockdowns have continued long after the alert levels returned to 2 and then 1. And they are still going strong.

So, each Sunday evening Jade and Asher (in Palmerston North), Samantha (in LA or SF with Jesse),  Keegan (in Shanghai) and Adam and Ashleigh (in Melbourne) have joined up with Jacky and me (in Takapau) for a weekly catch up.

It's been great, and has certainly brought our far-flung little band of Purdettes a lot closer together, figuratively speaking.

Hot topic this weekend was Trigger - the little pony that Jacky and I have bought for Asher, nearly 2, to ride.

Trigger naturally suffers from little man syndrome

He's certainly got personality!

See - I told you - comes up to my waist, just!

On the search for more apples!

The kids maintain this is another très subtle attempt to interest her children/grand-children in horses, but Jacky disputes this. Natch. 

Wherever the truth may lie, Jacky has plans to find a cart for Trigger to pull around so that he can pay his way while Asher and I pick up pine cones for Trigger to pull back to the barn.

That should be a hoot! I can't wait.

Love and peace - Wozza

I want to get back to my city by the bay Ooh, Ooh (Journey)

Samantha always knows where the camera is!

Wie geht's?

This post is our final stop in the return to 2007 and our first trip to San Francisco.

In the wash up after the wedding dances we went to the zoo, the Hard Rock Cafe, a diner with everyone to watch the Golden State Warriors, and then it was back to New Zealand, leaving our hearts in San Francisco!

The sisters cutting a rug

Watching the Golden State Warriors

Jade was there! True fact!

Love and peace - Wozza

When the lights go down in the city and the sun shines on the bay I want to be there in my city, Ooh, Ooh (Journey)

The stage is set

Wie geht's?

And so to the wedding of 2007 - Jesse Rowbotham and Samantha Purdy in Marin County at Jesse's mum's stunning place with views of Mount Tamalpais and the bay.

Americans have some different traditions when it comes to weddings, such as a pre Wedding get together called a Rehearsal Dinner. Of course, I thought this meant a rehearsal of the wedding - who stands/sits where, who says what and so on. Nope.

Instead, both sides of the family mix and mingle over drinks and a meal in a semi-formal fashion. An ice-breaker, really.

Then it was the wedding in the beautiful Californian sunshine at Cathy and Dan Kennedy's house. First - pre-wedding drinks by the pool.

And, finally, on to the post wedding photos.

Next post - post wedding knees up and wash up of the SF trip.

Love and peace - Wozza