Autumn in the Antipodes

I still have not adjusted to having the seasons backwards. It feels strange to think that it is May and we are preparing for winter. So far the weather has been pretty mild but the days are getting uncomfortably short and we have had some pretty chilly ones. The short days have put a damper on our travels; Christchurch is central to everything but close to nothing. We did manage to do a trip to the west coast over the long Easter weekend. This time we concentrated on the northern half of the coast, up from Greymouth. We stayed at a place on the wonderfully named Cape Foulwind, outside of Westport. The west coast is a fairly thin strip of land between the mountains and the ocean. It is primarily agricultural and gets a lot of rainfall so it is very green. We drove north up to Karamea, which is where the road ends, and did a short hike so that I could feed the sand flies.

Our bed and breakfast was in a beautiful area so we spent a decent bit of time just hanging out there and exploring the Cape.

I have put other photos in the album, if you want to see more.

Harper has had a busy couple of months. She continues to grow and figure out the world around her. Of great excitement, she finally got big enough to use her jolly jumper. This has become a favorite activity and I think that she would stay in there all day if we let her. Here is a video of one of her first jumper sessions:

She has also mastered the art of rolling on to her tummy. Problem is that she gets mad when she is on her tummy and can't work out how to roll onto her back. We have tried showing her how it works but she prefers to cry until we come and flip her over. A favorite trick at nap time is to turn sideways in her crib, scoot down to the end, roll on her stomach, and cry. I have to check on her periodically and reposition her half a dozen times before she actually falls asleep. Naps are for suckers, anyways. 

I go back to work part-time in the beginning of June so we have been trying to work out other food transfer methods. She refused to entertain any suggestions that she use a bottle so we have skipped right to the sippy cup. It was slow going for a while but I think that she is started to resign herself to it. Solid foods are a similar matter. She has tolerated small amounts of avocado and squash but her expression is that of someone being forced to eat live crickets. We still have a few weeks so hopefully she will come around.

On a sadder note, we are saying goodbye to the beloved mohawk. Her newborn hair is almost all fallen out, replaced by a much more respectable 'do. In memorium:

It is a beautiful day outside so I must wrap this up and get her ready for some outdoor time. We miss all of you and hope that you are having a wonderful spring!