Erato - Call Your Girlfriend

Jen Bais in Adelaide shared this with me, I think it is so brilliant!

A weekend in Sydney

After speaking at a two day conference 'Through the Looking Glass... a lens on quality preschools', we (Dave and I) went on to have a lovely weekend in Sydney. Dave had already spent a couple of days cruising around Sydney's fabulous harbour and visiting museums. On the weekend we walked around The Rocks, visited the markets, relaxed in lovely cafe's and explored the Darling Habour.

Some of the highlights of the weekend included:

Experiencing La Boheme in the Sydney Opera House

Attending a very thought provoking play at Sydney Theatre ‘Bloodlands’...

and spending time with my cousin Rodford...

Dave & Rodford

 All in all we enjoyed a very lovely weekend in Australia together!

Fabulous Fishing, a relaxing weekend!!

Dave and I spent a very lovely weekend on Lake Rotoiti. So wonderful to just relax and enjoy the peace of the lake. As you can see from the photo, I (we) were very pleased with the fishing results as well!!

Enthusiasm (or not) in the Manawatu!!!

This is just a photo update on the Manawatu game ( Georgia v Romania). There was a fantastic sell-out crowd as the local communities came out in support of both the Georgia and Romania teams!!

Plenty of creativity with the buckets!

To be fair, probably just exhausted from all efforts in the dressing up field!

Georgia supporters full of action!

Fabulous madness in the air!

There is quite a lot of madness in the air in NZ and also considerable joy! We are all caught up in one way or another in the World Cup Rugby Fever. Recently in a regional MOE office I witnessed wonderful playfulness and collective spirit in an office where all had been involved in drawing out a world cup team and gone onto decorate their office spaces. The office lunch room was bedecked in black and white bringing a sense of fun and engagement to all who entered the spaces. This wonderful madness is happening on many different levels throughout NZ society. 

 

 For me this is Fish! Philosophy in action. Playfulness is an attitude, people who are playful are also serious about their work and find ways to have fun doing it. People like this are creative and curious. In order to create these sorts of environments you need to be in places that are full of trust and free of fear.

Take a city like Palmerston North. They will host the Romania versus Georgia Game on September 28^th. For those of you who have watched any games in the Manawatu you will know about the green buckets! Many Manawatu Turbos fans wear green buckets on their heads to watch their side play. Manawatu has become known as bucket head country and they have added a bit of humour and the community will participate in a yellow versus red bucket occasion in their support of both Romania and Georgia.

 Destination Manawatu have ordered 5000 plastic buckets for fans going to the match in Palmerston North – 2500 in red for Georgia and 2500 in Romanian yellow. The buckets are part of a drive to encourage Palmerston North residents to back Romania, and Manawatu residents to support Georgia. Recently I was in Palmerston North and discovered the local township had even changed or should I say added additional street names e.g. Romania Street and Georgia Street. Fun is alive and well in Palmerston North. A community prepared to make extra effort to build a stronger sense of community to involve all in supporting overseas teams.

The snow has been and gone for much of NZ, but the memories persist!!

I just wanted to share some of the amazing pictures of NZ in the snow. Yes, we get significant amounts of snow in the south, but this is not so for the north!! I so loved that way in which people responded in many places to this unusual event. There was joy, awe and wonder as people experienced this weather event, many for the first time! A high level of playfulness was evident throughout the country! Magic!

This is the Gateway to Stratford sign. The photo was taken by Celia Street.

The perfect place to be in the snow. Enjoying a hot tub, this photo was taken by Rueban Williams

Skiing on the beach in Christchurch!

Michael Moreno snapped snow in Wellington.

Even in Rotorua, the snow fell. Jemma is outside McLeods Bookshop enjoying the snow.

All in all it was just magic. Now the ski fields are in great shape, the weather has been brilliant for those who wish to enjoy winter sports in the mountain.

Glee Flashmob Dublin Ireland

I so love this spontaneous erupting experience. It is clear from the people around that they are just bringing a heap of joy into this moment. The energy, the enthusiasm the passion all so magnificently expressed. Fantastic!!!

Kate's preschool perfection

Congratulations Kate! Time to have a celebration, no doubt you will be onto it. Cheers Wendy

 Kate's preschool perfection

• From: The Advertiser in Adelaide
• August 09, 2011

ENSURING preschoolers get the best start to their educational life is at the core of Halifax St Preschool director Kate Ryan's role.

Ms Ryan said working with parents to make sure they were offered the best in preschooling had been important in their success.

"My favourite part of this job is the people and the chance to work with babies right through to school-age children," she said. "My work is mainly with adults so I get to support my staff and help them to develop as educators. Also the interaction with the families."

Although Ms Ryan studied a Bachelor of Teaching at UniSA's Magill Campus and holds a Certificate in Early Childhood Education, she is continuing her teaching studies at university.

"It's great because I'm able to use the new information I'm learning, and it's a really good experience and learning about leadership and how I can lead my staff," she said. Ms Ryan is also state president of Early Childhood Australia.

Her hard work and dedication has scored her a place as a regional finalist in the The Advertiser-State Government 2011 Public Teaching Awards in the category of Inspirational School/Preschool Leader of the Year category.

She was nominated by parents on the managing committee for her efforts in involving parents in their child's education.

While she said the nomination was unexpected, she saw it as a great "pat on the back" for the profession of preschool teaching.

"I was a bit surprised," she said. "For this particular award, to be acknowledged is great."

Guess where I am?

You can find me on FaceBook if you want to make a guess!!!

Facebook:     WendyLeeNZ@facebook.com

 

This has to be counted as one of my favourite moments!!!

Swimming with the Whale Sharks

Chasing the whale shark with a camera.

Here comes the whale shark

In Australia we are lucky enough to see some of the most incredible oceanic landscapes on earth. WA's southern Coral Coast is the pinnacle of these boasting a huge range of amazing creatures including whales, dolphins, whale sharks and manta rays.  We saw so many humpback whales I lost count. There were also many turtles hurtling past the boat at an amazing rate. Whale sharks are one of the most majestic creatures in the vast Indian Ocean off the WA coast. It was fabulous to experience the thrill of swimming with these magical creatures. We also snorkelled on the Ningaloo Reef, seeing many beautiful coloured corals as well as hundreds of brightly coloured tropical fish. The highlight was without doubt experiencing the utter magic of a whale shark encounter. Dave took some amazing photos!!

Off we go on our adventure, out into the open sea!

 

Amazing coral.

Me pursuing the whale sharks.

Another close-up!

They are magnificent creatures.

Wow, this is a magnificent snowflake!

More fabulous photos from our Norway Study Tour

A fabulous flight over the Bay of Islands

 

A couple of weeks ago while up working in the north at Kaikohe, Dave decided to give me a bit of a surprise. He thought he would start giving me a few surprises as I head periously close to 60 years of age! I think he thinks it is time I starting looking at the bucket list! Well what a fabulous surprise, it was a flight in a helicopter over the Bay of Islands. I flew over the crystal clear waters of the beautiful Bay of Islands. There are over 100 islands in this area. We flew past the ‘Hole in the Rock’ and circled around the area seeing the townships of Russell, Pahia and Waitangi. Here are a few photos of the amazing adventure!!!!

The colour of the water was extraordinary, all shades of blues and greens!

Around the 'hole in the rock'

Guess who is in the front!

Just coming into land at Pahia. Quite wonderful!

A few skiing photos for Annika & Niki!

More to share from Norway!

It is hard to describe the joy of being in such a beautiful environment. The children were so at ease in the environment, whether they were walking or skiing. No poles allowed, for children or adults as this is the method used to ensure that children develop strong balance - and they did.... 

Initially feeling a little tentative without those ski poles!

Oh this is fun, memories of my cross country adventures in Scotland come to mind!

Oh this is sooooo very beautiful, just to be here is enough.

 

The children explore and experiment, trying out all the possibilities, here turning the ski into a snow board - and off they go!

It is now home time, everyone responsible for their own gear. Each child trusted and valued in this place, taking responsibility for their own gear. Each one resourceful and resilient in their own right. A powerful place to learn.