Those were the days

dear Eleanor,

Thankyou for these beautiful photos. I love the water so much and I loved going swimming with you. Now I go with school once a fornight and on Sundays this term with my swimming lessons. Also this term even though I am not on the list to go horse-riding, when ever there is a space, I get to go. I love that also.

For the next week, Kelly is coming to stay with me here in Wellington. I will have to show here the sights and look after her.

lots of love and hugs

RosiepoXXXXXX

Happy Hippies

dear Scott,

Thankyou for the hippy happy van. I pull back on it, let it go and it takes off across the land.

I did lots of yoga last night. I'll send you some photos soon and you will be able to show people what lotus position is meant to look like :)

love

Rosie

Swimming softly to your song

dear Alan,

Thankyou for the swimming lessons. Here are some more fun photos.

love

Rosie

Devine Detribution

Dear Ria

I am going for swimming lessons with Mr Devine on Sunday mornings at Porirua Aquatic Centre. Last week Joshua came after me and this week it was Anna. I got a bit cold last week so this time I had my wetsuit on.

I am putting the gardening lessons from last term into good use. He asked me to water his head to see if it would grow some. I just humoured him because I don't think it can grow without some dirt and sunlight and there is none of these in the swiming pool.

love

Rosie XXXXX

Papoose Pakistani

dear A. Lubna,

When I was a little baby, the rules in my country were to wrap up babies very tightly, but I didn't like that. There were other rules too, like flattening the back of the head but putting the baby on rice bags and not letting them move their head from side to side. Luckily that didn't happen to me.

However, every night now for the last month, I have been kicking off my blankets and waking up crying with the cold. So last night I was wrapped up like a papoose and I slept all the night through.

Give my love to Kandy and Kahan and U. Ghaffar,

love

Rosie XXX

Rope Bridge

dear Kelly,

Bring your gummies to Wellington. There is a lot of mud as well as the wind and rain. I am so looking forward to you coming down. One thing you have to know is that there is a picture of a chocolate bar on the PECs list and when I choose it and bring it to you, you need to go immediately to the click-clack container on the bottom shelf of the pantry (don't worry, I know where it is) and open it and give me chocolate.

lots of love

Rose Hélène

Wunning against the Wind

dear Julian,

Today Briony, mummy and I went to the new park close to here (more photos later). This photo is me just trying to stay upright. I don't know why they have built a park where the winds are stronger even than at my home.

I have been helping out a lot in the garden. I got to water the plant with fertiliser today that was made in the bukashi compost bins we have. It makes the roses grow really well. I love roses, of course.

I miss you being here. I hope you come back here again.

love

Rose XXXX

Swimming with Wings

dear Jenny,

Every fortnight I get to go to the swimming pool with my class. I put on water wings and I can swim around in the deep end, where I can't touch the bottom, just like this duck. Cept of course the duck already has her wings.

This is a paradise duck that is swimming away from the camera to rejoin her mate. Paradise ducks mate for life.

love

Rose Hélène XXXXX

Christmas Calendars

dear Megan,

There is big production of Christmas Calendars going on at our house. You will be relieved to know that there are significantly fewer photos of me, than in the last year's family calendar.

In the weekend Kara and Georgia came to visit. I can now say definitively that these dogs watch TV; that one of them is not fussy and the other comes quickly to the screen whenever an animal e.g. a leopard is there but otherwise is not interested. I know you were somewhat skeptical but I have now seen it with my own eyes.

lots of love

Rose Hélène

Growing Greater with Greg

dear Greg,

I thought you would enjoy these photos of you and me. It was lovely to see you at your mum's 70th birthday.

School starts again today. In the weekend all my summer clothes were taken from up in the cupboard and put in my drawers and wardrobe. But today the wind is blowing at 57 km/hour and the wind-chill is 3 degrees. It is not anything like Summer.

love

Rose Hélène XXX

In Memory of Joseph

dear Kieran,

Eating crabs in London happened before you and I were born. It looks like fun. I met your daddy when he came to Wellington for a meeting. Afterwards he came to see me and we swung on the big wooden swing in our yard. He was really nice to me. Afterwards we took him to the airport and he left on a plane to go home to you.

He has really nice eyes and a cheeky smile. I am sorry the cancer took him away. You must have lots of memories that will always be with you of your very special daddy.

love and hugs

Rose Hélène XXX

Escaping The Walk

dear Eleanor,

Thankyou for coming round yesterday even though I didn't get a word in edgeways with that mother of mine rabbiting on.

After you left I went to the doctor and am back on antibiotics for a stapholoccocus infection that is making the horrible spots on my face. He also was able to apply online to Pharmac and get Scopoderm patches for me. I have put one on my back today and it will be there for three days. It is meant to stop my dribbling, which would be great.

lots of love

Rosie XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wonderful Holidays.

dear A. Sonja

It is so much fun having Julian here. Today I had to go for my injection I have every ten weeks and he came along to support me. I think he was very nervous about the big needle I had to have in my leg, and after seeing how brave I was, he will never complain about little needles ever again.

After seeing the nurse we went to Subway so Julian could use the voucher he had won on Friday and then we went to McDonalds for lunch. I love McDonalds.

We dropped Julian at Te Papa so he could see all around the museum and later we picked him up. The lady from Capital Support was here assessing my mother for her support needs and so Julian and I watched cartoons and played on the trampoline and scooted.

Then we went swimming at the pool. It was after 5.00pm and so there were only a few people there. At the pool there are lots of fountains.

Now back home, we are trampolining and scooting waiting for the lasagne to cook.

give hugs from me to Ben and Sabian and yourself,

lots of love

Rose XXX

McDonalds

Dear Ria,

I bet you are missing me during the holidays

?

On Friday we travelled all the way from the Island to Wellington. We left on the 7.30 car ferry and arrived in Wellington at 6.30. Along the way we stopped at Matamata, Taupo, Taihape and then Thorndon.

In Matamata we pulled up at McDonalds and I was very excited. Daddy took me off to the toilet, but then, I couldn't believe it, he was taking me straight back to the car. I held on to the door in dismay and was yelling at him 'M..d..onnallsss' He understood. It was just that he hadn't told me the plan, which was that mummy was getting drive thru as there was such a large queue and we wanted to be on our way. I was very happy to get my happy meal and eat it in the back seat of the car with Julian.

In Taupo I got to go to the Super Loo. You pay 40 cents to go in. It is very flash and I got to go to the toilet for people with special needs. I didn't want to leave.

Taihape was just a gas stop and I didn't even get to get out of the car.

We came off the motorway at Thorndon as mummy was buying us all subway for dinner as she had driven all day (Daddy was jetlagged as he just got back from Pakistan the day before and couldn't drive). I was so excited. I told Julian 'ooollll' 'oollllll' and he understood that I meant school and that this was where my school was. So then we went and drove through the school car park. I was so happy to show him my school.

lots of love

Rosie XXXXXXXXXXXXX