Rain, Rain Everywhere

It has been rather wet today. As the rain eases of we have had around 75mm of rain since this time last night, which is at some points a months worth or rain. Our water tank is now full.  While it wasn’t that cold I lit the fire so we could take advantage of the rain have lots of piping hot baths.

Otherwise we have played a bit on the Playstation and tried to occupy the kids. A cake has been baked and decorated for tomorrow and there is much excitement within the house for Mr11 turning into Mr12

The Doom Of Cakes – Where Have All The Liquorice Straps Gone?

With Mr11′s 12th birthday fast approaching there has been much discussion around Birthday Cakes and food. Mr11 wanted to have a chess board cake, which should have been nice and easy to make. Well, not so much!

One of the central ingredients for making a chessboard cake are liquorice straps from which to cut squares to make the black squares. A fruitless search later we discovered that they no longer make liquorice straps in New Zealand.  I imagine that those who decorate cakes more regularly than us will be outraged – we certainly were. Now we have to go back to the drawing board. We may have to use royal icing and black food colouring.

Getting Mr11 Fit

Last year Mr11 had problems with bullies at school. He also decided he would like to get into acting. Go figure.

Maybe in ten years this will be MR11

Anyway the E.I.C. being a weightlifter of old, and having taken people through personal training when she part owned a gym, has decided he is old enough to do weights. Thus in the new Year a regime of daily exercises (copied faithfully by Mr5 with no weights) has started in the lounge. It is a bit disturbing to hear “do it till it hurts”  from our lounge.

The idea is that he will be super fit for big shoots, and also that the other kids are less likely to try and push him around when he can lift them off the ground with ease.

For myself I might leave all that to them, although I might change my mind when Mr11 can pick me up