2 DAYS in a row sunshine UNBELIEVABLE

We have sure had some rain, and although rugby has finished doing your shopping/chores/business around town makes for miserable times when its raining!!!

Samuel has been hard out practicing for Kapa Haka he is thoroughly enjoying Te Aha Maori Classes and Te Reo, and they had planned a weekend Wananga(meeting/hui) August 26th (night of) all day 27th-29th!!! YOU eat sleep and breathe Kapa Haka I put my name down as kitchen bitch!!!!

YIP you guessed it get to school Friday arvo to pick up Samuel as per usual (school just finds out A RAVE is on that Friday of the Wananga) and hastily moves weekend meeting forward to yip the weekend just gone on 2 hours notice! I have been cooking dinner breakfast lunch supper morning/arvo tea for 20 people and will do it all again on the 3rd sep-5th sep!!! the last "RAVE" that happened and the students were at Marae practicing etc, a head count revealed EXTRA BODIES!!!! haha so never again the Maori Teachers said its too hard too contain 20 students let alone the hanger ons!!! lol

I did my famous chilli mince A HUGE HIT, in the crockpot of course, AND my equally famous butter chicken these are dead simple and I just add noodles to one and rice to the other NOT HARD. Lunches were baked stuffed potatoes as I wanted the kids to have complex carbs as they rehearsed Fri until 1am sat morn and then rehearsed Sat sat night until 12.30am Sunday I did cheese on toast for supper and soup (once again in the crockpot! pumpkin soup homemade) I had 3 crockpots 1 was mine 2 on loan!!

I did cooked brekkie both mornings sausage bacon french toast and grilled toms with spag and baked beans mixed. And made savoury scones muffins and me yummy Chocolate cake (Black forest with cream!)

Now amazingly several of the students had never had chilli mince OR butter chicken and they loved it I put the usual into me chilli but this time I added rissoles cut into quarters and mince onion garlic toms spag tinned and tom puree along with grated carrot grated courgette chilli beans mushrooms Now several of the students came back for seconds and I said to them AT the END what was in it you should have seen their faces priceless I got "ohhhhhhh I don't like carrot/garlic/mushroom onion BUT I could not taste it in that your the BOMB WHAEA"(pronounced "fire" means mother), I made homemade butter chicken sauce and they loved it yet when asked what was in it you know curry spices coconut milk chilli they were amazed (what do they eat at home!) Samuel was laughing he was like gee you guys I am spoilt! and yet for us it is just a matter of assembling and letting the crockpot do all the work, I did easy peasy stuffed apples with sultanas and cinnamon and brown sugar for pudding one night and bread and butter pudding the next night easy stuff really.

The next meeting I am doing stuffed potatoes for lunch corn fritters for another lunch they are having roast pork one night and roast chicken the next night and the usual cooked brekkie. But a request has been put in for bread and butter pudding and the chocolate cake surprise surprise!I must say though not much sleep went on and they were tired I WILL remember to take ear plugs next time OR sleep in my car with the seats folded down like I normally do where it is peaceful and quiet!I can fit JUST a king single mattress in the back of my station wagon is VERY handy.

We got home around lunchtime emptied car (which was a disgrace) showered did 2 loads washing got them dry miraculously and had lovely chicken chasseur with mashed carrot and parsnip garlic mashed peas with fresh mint and butterfly potatoes! I did however manage a nana nap in that time too and do some grocery shopping. Had an amazing sleep NO WONDER! and am back on deck today.

I hope others have had productive weekends and been doing my SHARE of relaxing!

Ciao

A fantastic weekend despite the RAIN..........

4 hours in the RAIN at RUGBY wet heavy cold rain AND mud for AFRICA!!!!!!


It was the highlight game of the season our boys lost BUT they lost with style integrity and PURE MANA!!! the haka at the end of the game was UNBELIEVABLE!! one that stopped the whole crowd and the supporters AND the 1st XV teams and supporters arriving for next game! The coach of the other team was in awe of the TEAM and their spirit he spoke to them and encouraged them to GO FORWARD and build on what ALOT of other teams dont have HUGE HEART!!!! I was so proud of them AND to show it they DUMPED the entire water bin over me and I got a team hug and chant and "WE LOVES YOU MRS MASON"!!! I cried and thank god I had spare clothes (right down to socks shoes and undies ) the 2 rotten coaches rung in their apologies AND I WAS it again BUT I am pleased it was me.......

Karate was great long tiring but great SAMUEL secured two 3rd placings a commendation so in all had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend HOWEVER as of last night I had lost it big time I cried and threw myself into bed weeping and so dog tired I cried myself to sleep!!! AM a bit jaded today and battle wary, but know another good nights sleep and I will be right. After driving to karate thurs night friday night up early sat morning in the cold wet and rain all day saturday it felt like and then driving to karate sat and turning around and doing it again Sunday I was wiped out!!!!!!!!

And now it is sort of relaxing time I just have to organise a rugby end of season lunch/dinner and thats it.

I hope everyone got through the wet n wild weather ok.

Ciao

Karate Rugby Karate Rugby Karate Rugby

We are nearing the end of Rugby season for our team (they have played their hearts out), BUT they have had no COACH for 4 weeks and it has showed NO one person would put there hand up and coach these boys 2 dads did but one works shift work another could only do every other thurs and not tues AND NEITHER of them could front on a SAT, (one cant drive for gods sake!) then no one would turn up THEN one QUIT because he wanted FULL AUTONOMY (some players are brilliant one has already been poached for RBHS Rugby Academy) 4 are in the King Country Rugby Development side and there are 5 - 7 players who have MEAN skills (my new bestest word!) the rest have GREAT SKILLS but need guidance and commitment and their SKILLS BASE built up!. I am desperately trying to secure FUNDING and COACHES for next season BUT dont know why the schools dont DO MORE these are some of the naughty boys YES ADMITTEDLY but they DEFINITELY need strong leadership, continuity, boundaries, and a person who has Mana and Respect (alot of parents want me too step up) BUT I have this thing where AT 13/14/15 yr olds THEY NEED MALES there not a mum/female/organiser (which I am brilliant at) coaching I dont know ALOT of teams refer to me AS THE COACH because they havent seen the OTHER MEN ever on a saturday and YES the boys cetainly listen to me thats for sure THERES no mucking around WHEN Mother of the Brothers is there (their team haka has BROTHERS featured very strongly in it! hence my nickname).

I am in awe of these boys they are a ramshackle lot with drive and determination BUT their commitment levels and stickability need working on AND A PASSION for the game only comes from a strong switched on coach! Who can keep them focused and on track.

Now I do realise that it is a HUGE commitment to say yes yes I will coach the team BUT if you as a person say you are going to do it WHY then would these men NOT COMMIT to it THEY (we ) all knew the time frame of the season it was clearly marked out and FORMS were given out outlining grades times and length of season, THESE boys will flounder IF left and drift away AND YES some will definitely be in more trouble (and already are) if NO ONE SCOOPS them up and sorts them! (I soooooooo want to Blindside some of these boys the "fixer" in me is very maternal towards some of these boys...

Then there is Karate! Karate over 4 days 3 hrs last night 3hrs tonight 5 hrs tomorrow and 8hrs Sunday (competition day NZ NATIONALS!) Rugby will be finished AS of tomorrow 12noon and then ONCE this weekends over we are taking a chill pill for a week or two. Karate is great for Samuel and can be and probably will get him places (ie tournaments and travel etc) Samuel just completed his Year 9 Speech and is in the finals (once again last year he got 2nd by 1/2 a point in Yr 8) his speech was on Karate something he is clearly passionate about and IT SHOWS, he is growing before my eyes HIS new Gi that was purchased by his Sensei 1 week before AUSTRALIA trip is creeping up already (too short) thats been just on a MONTH! He now wants to add a bit more height so he can play 2nd row in rugby a s a FRONT lineout jumper!!! (yup get him!).

So it looks like my years of Rugby and or Karate aren't ending any time soon!! Oh joy maybe a coaching seminar HAS my name on it! AND that said A NEW JOB as I now want to at least put my hat in IF ASKED (which means afternoons twice a week and Sat off in Rugby season!) OR some kind person will sponsor the team (they even had to play in 2nd hand uniforms that weren't the best and most of the team shorts were A: too small B:or ripped from previous teams!) my thinking is if you treat a team shabbily and poorly and with little regard WHAT can you expect back THIS GROUP of boys will go through the grades together until school finishes I PRAY something changes soon!!! (I am very protective of these boys and defend them too the hilt when I have had too THE PRINCIPAL and I have already had words STRONG WORDS), some of their family situations and circumstances ARENT great and don't make for pretty reading at all! they are a collective group and a big group and most are all friends(15 of the 24) and knock around together WE ARE trying to steer them into Waka Ama and Kapa Haka to give them Whanau and togetherness and a sense of family and belonging I have also put my hat in for HELPING with Waka Ama and Kapa Haka. Which I am thrilled about (I know both the Te Reo Maori teachers and they are thrilled I am there too!)

It is a vicious day out COLD SUPERWINDY and miserable YAY we get too stand in it tomorrow for RUGBY!

After this weekend I will definitely WORK on some PHOTOS!!!!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Ciao

Well survived the COMEDOWN of excitement..

of the Australian trip BUT only just!!! ONE very full of himself LAD and he has grown another 4 cm in like a month HE is towering over alot of people and played his FIRST ever EVER position in rugby as 2nd row in the lineout AND made every jump and every pass WAS even more so full of his own importance! eeeekkkkk (I am growing a monster!)

I will try hard to post some pictures soon of aussie BUT I am having problems resizing photos and downsizing grrrrr it is doing my head in, not much else to report Samuel is hard in training for the NZ National CHAMPIONSHIPS in AUG 13th - 15th!!! Iam hoping he A: goes up a dan(from 1st to 2nd) B: does well and improves on his last efforts to feel MORE important( oh yay) C: gets choosen fulltime for the NZ team!! or is strongly indicated for the TEAM Takahashi Shihan is here for the Nationals and is here in NZ Samuel will get the luxury of another 5 days training ACTUALLY I will post his KARATE REPORT he did on the trip for the NZ Magazine Karate Kicks Butt!!! (lol nah I dont know what it is called I'm just being silly!)


Queensland Trip Report 2010

Well for 7 weeks now I have been fundraising, and after writing countless letters, organising sausage sizzles and walking around Taupo selling raffle tickets I have finally raised enough money to head over to Australia. And it should have been easy but no I went and fractured my toe, which meant no Karate, Rugby, Rugby practice or school sports even for 7 weeks. And I only got medical clearance to leave 2 weeks before competition day. Right away I got set packing my bags. Togs, clothes, sunnies jandals camera, ah oh yea and my Karate Gear. Then there were the phone calls and e mails to Grant Stove organising the finer details (poor Grant mum is such a worrywart).

On the day of the flight I am not nervous at all, and as the plane taxis down the runway, lift-off! We are on our way! Heading through Brisbane customs (must not laugh… at accent) and then we head out into the wonderful world of… Motorway? Yep 5 hours on a plane then another 4 ½ hours driving, past places like Gin Gin and Gympie and Moojimbia and I thought that NZ place names were strange. We finally made it to Childers and had met our host family we were just starting to relax when I get told that I had to get my Gi on. What!? We have training today?

Another 4 long days of training with Takahashi Shihan ensue. Which include blood, sweat and breaking sticks. Learning new Kata, improving old Kata going over and over basics and improving Kumite skill. And the BUNGEE CORDS who bought the bungee cords? They were just wonderful! Added tension to your arms just to make the hard training harder. But it was worth it, I have come home more STRONGA! FASTA! MORE TWISTO! Ah yes very good.

Saturday competition day already? First of all the Kyu grades battle it out in Kata and Kumite. Working up to brown belts then team Kata then finally it’s the black belts turn. I had to do Heian Nidan as my knockout Kata. Not my favourite but I still tried. And with my Kumite I thought I would do better than I did but oh well I will just get them next time. The finals done everyone was lined up Australia one side NZ on the other, the all important haka begins TARINGA WHAKARONGO! TARINGA WHAKARONGO! KIA MO! HI! Oh yea those Aussies were scared. The fighting was intense a blood nose, sore bones, bad bruises and a hospital bound person. Knock em down! NZ win TEST MATCHES 5-4 woohoo.

After the competition we get our good clothes on and head to the Isis club. A great end to an amazing week. Good food, good company and lots of dancing. There was a lively band playing old schools songs and a game of ball rush going on outside on the field. The last day was an early start and after saying goodbye to our host families it’s another 41/2 hour trip back to Brisbane airport. But the trip was made more enjoyable with techno music blasting from our phones we were a mobile rave! The music reverberating in the minds of the slightly hung over Sensei’s, a few laps around the airport shops it’s finally time to board our plane, it was great fun in Australia and I had an awesome time but it is wonderful to be heading back home. As the plane is coming in to land the captain announces its 3 degrees down in NZ. 3 degrees! Yep we are back home. Thanks to Grant and Mark for organising a great trip. and to anyone considering heading away on these trips, do! It is a fantastic opportunity

Samuel Mason, Taupo