Sunday 23rd October 2005

This morning we finally went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was Hannah’s first proper movie. She was so excited. She couldn’t sit back on the chairs properly as they would flick up and she would almost disappear through the back of the seat. She quickly learnt to keep her weight forward on the seat.

It was a long movie, almost 2 hours but Hannah sat through it all and took it all in. Stuart seemed to enjoy the movie too. Derek & I enjoyed it, although Derek says it’s not as good as the old movie with the Ompa Loompas who sing all the time.

Today is a beautiful day so this afternoon the front windows were washed. Hannah was in her togs helping.
She wanted to be squirted with water all the time. It was a great joke.

Derek started to wash the car, and Hannah was supposed to help too. But “helping” consisted of running up to Dad yelling “squirt me, squirt me” and running away squealing when the water got her.

Eventually Derek “sat down on the job”. This made it easier for Hannah to get wet.



Eventually she had to dry out so she sunbathed on the berm. Using Daddy’s towel of course. Her one might get wet!!!

In the meantime Stuart had taken himself up to the top garden, sat under the archway (for a bit of shade - notice the sweat shirt) to build his toolbox

Fathers Day

Hello
 
today we went into town. Dad had heard that both NZ & Australia had Navy ships tied up at the overseas terminal. We went it to have a look. The New Zealand one is called HMNZS Te Mana and is tied up on the outside. Austalia's "Melbourne" is tied up to the wharf.
We walked from Oriental Bay to the Overseas Terminal and when we got there, there was a few people getting off the boat. Dad asked the security if we were able to have a look and they said yes it is open to the public.
 
We had to go across the deck of Melbourne and then up another gangway to get onto Te Mana. We went into where they have the helicopter. It has it's wings folded up to fit into the "hanger". We then followed the arrows all around the ship. Through narrow passageways, up really steep ladders and out onto decks and back in again. All the doors had big high steps to get over them.
 
We were allowed into the Operations Room. This has lots of radars. The radar can see things 265 miles away. The sailor told us that they were by Tauranga and could pick up the planes leaving Wellington airport. The Captain has a big seat in the middle of the operations room and the man told me I was allowed to sit in it.
 
We went onto the bridge. They showed us how there are cameras on the top of the ship and he could move the camera around with a little joystick. Apparently the motor in the ship is the same as a 747 plane.
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This is me and Dad out on one of the decks. The small boat with the outboard motor is on the Melbourne. That is how close they are.
 
 


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And this is us on top of the deck.
 
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this is us back on the wharf by the Melbourne. One of the sailors from the Te Mana took it for us.
It is a big ship and was really good being able to have a look at it.
 
Love from Hannah