Greetings to you both from Co Limerick. Arrived safely last night, all well. Grace & I on the Internet in Abbeyfeale town whilst Mum & Grandad do battle at Supervalu!! (I think I have the joys of Tralee shopping this afternoon!) Granny & Grandad are okay and send their love.
Cards last night - Mum won the 110!!
Good to read all is going well - really looking forward to the photos of the white water; the 7 metres is a bit higher than the 7 FEET you told me James!!
Take care of yourselves, love from us all.
Sophie D
Hey guys, just read the latest blog and NZ sounds amazing. I'm so jealoius that you got to see parts of 'Lord of the rings' (which i almost just called Lond of the Ring-tones - those stupid orange adverts). I hope you got lots of pics of ALL the sheep. And the whitewater rafting sounds amazing. I did it with Al on a man made grade 3 in northampton (not quite as amazing as yours). I fell into the rat infested water about three times so I can only imagine how many times the grade five water pulled you two in - especially James. I've just got home for christmas now and i'm just putting the nativity up. Remeber when you were manry Rois - oh I saw Rachel Piff in ASDA last night.
Anyway - missing you both loads and I hope you have a lovely warm Christmas over there. If it snows i'll take lots of pics n send them over. And i'll sing extra loudly at church on xmas eve for you Rois.
Love you both xxx
Rois And James
Hi there everyone, hopefully everyone is nearly on their holidays over there. It's beautiful sunshine here today - very strange. Well, as you can see from Dad's message below, we both went white water rafting down a Grade FIVE waterfall - 7 metres tall - yesterday. We have lots of photos, so we'll get them on here. Some of them are rather funny! We are hoping to get to Auckland tonight (23rd), and get some photies on there. Glad you enjoyed the Hang gliding video! All our love, we're thinking of you all everyday. xxxx
Dad Mcg
You two are full of surprises.
After the surprise of the gliding video and then playing down the rafting only to be presented with the photos of you "sailing" down waterfalls, I am now waiting for the photos of the glow worms and expecting them to be 100m long with Gollum slithering on their back !
You seem to be having a ball fair play to you both
Love Dad xxxxx
Ma Mole
Wow Rois!
The hang- gliding looks amazing and I'm definitely going to do it when I get the chance! James, won't it be a case of, 'I really wish I had....'? So glad the shoe string held and the earth returned to you in one piece!
keep well and in touch.
Love
Bernie/Mum
Niamh
Greetings Frodos!
How's the North island? Have you managed to contact the Christmas people yet? I'm a little excited - combination of Friday night, a bottle of champagne from work, lack of sleep, hangover and pretty much finishing year end - horray!!!
Love you and miss you x
ps. You look great as an elf! x
Claire
Wow, wow, wow! Smoshers I had to be handed a tissue at work due to my blubbing with pride at my little sis! It's the music and everything, you know how I get! Agree with Dad though, thank God we did not know you were doing that!Enjoy the North Island. Take care both xx
Katy
Rois that was amazing! You're so brave! And I don't blame you for not telling your parents before hand!
Well, the joyous news is that ryan air are reinstating all their cancelled flights as of 29th March...which so includes East-Midlands - Valencia = wooooooooooo! So not in time for the home coming party but not far off! yay!
Well, home time tomorrow - it's all gone a bit wrong with one of our housemates (luckily nothing on the scale of little lucy) and she's decided to go back to Argentina...in a week! Which means we have to cover her rent until we find someone else...eek. Never mind, there's nothing we can do about it as we're all homeward bound today and tomorrow.
Went to dinner at Ana and Marga's last night, was lovely, and have managed to get an invite to celebrate epiphany with them - did you know that here epiphany or reyes as they call it (kings) is generally more important than Christmas Day?! Now, thanks to the commericialisation of Christmas, they're both becoming more equal which means, much to the kids' delight, they get presents on Christmas Day AND Reyes - whereas before it was only on Reyes. There you go, Spanish Culture 101 done for today.
There are absolutely LOADS of...erm...spanish word taken over english word.....belen.....ah....nativity scenes...!...around here - you just stumble across them and they're all mahousive! Went to see the biggest in the cathedral and i'd forgotten how much I like the cathedral - it's between 2 of the busiest squares in Valencia yet as soon as you cross the threshold it's so calm and peaceful, love it. not to mention beautiful.
Hi all! Above should provide a link for you all to see my Hang gliding adventures. If not, go to www.skyadventures.co.nz, and click on 'Latest Video Clips'. I had an absolute ball, but I didn't hang off a shoe string or anything similar - I promise Bernie! When watching, items to note are as follows:
1. Just before leaving the ground, I look back at James.
2. When the plane cuts the string on us at 5500 ft.
3. When I'm holding on, and 'flying' on my own.
4. When we're doing aerobatics and you see the sun, and then the earth below us - that would be us doing loop-the-loops in the sky!
5. Not on the video, but at the end, I told my flying pro that my Dad would kill him for taking me up there!
Hope you enjoy it - I LOVE watching it!!
Loving all the messages guys. Thank you. We've been busy planning our North Island highlights today - tis going to rather hectic! All my love to you all xxxxx
Ma Mole
Hi R & J
I've just read your brilliant blog update (note possible new adjective, James), and am so inspired to visit these beautiful places. We can't find the video of Rois endangering life and limb, which is probably a kindness as you know how I feel about heights and people flinging themselves off into them. James, you mentioned kiwis flying aroud you - people or birds? Dad and I are stretching our natural history knowledge but we both thought that the bird variety of kiwi was flightless. Yes, we don't get out much and such a topic can occupy us for hours. Given that everything is closed there, are you sure you haven't detoured into Abbeyfeale?
The photos are fantastic (adjective no.43?) The country side looks like Ireland, especially the yellow gorse - is it gorse? Perhaps if Ireland eats all its greens it'll grow into a great big country like NZ? Perhaps Ireland was the small scale prototype for NZ?
I think Grace could be hoping that you bring Jedi back with you so she can have sole use of the Burgundy Bullet, aka the Nova! You should consider rehoming Jedi here; I'm sure quarentine won't be a problem. All your new birdie pals might be more of a problem, although it would certainly have been wet and cold enough for any penguin here recently!
Rois. glad you are feeling better; now learn the lesson that you get poorly if you fling yourself off high places attached only to a shoelace, so don't do it again - promise?
We are so looking forward to seeing you both in NY in Feb. Our ongoing jetsetting plans have been stymied by the fact that the company doing our school trip to Russia has gone bust, so Russia in April is off!
We'll talk soon. Keep well away from the edge and may the force be with you both. Stay well and happy.
All love
Mum/Bernie xx
Pa Mole
Hi Both.
Fantastic blog James - did you ever think of being a journalist?? - great descriptions and very amusing, particularly about the Little Blue. Mind you, it does sound like wall-to-wall penguins!
I'd add my congrats Roisin, but I cant see the video - is it me?
You both look so happy, keep having a wonderful trip, take care.
