From Babies to Heffers

Sophie update from Denali for the grandparents:

Sophie is developing into a real girlie girl. She loves her "pretty pretties" (Denali's jewellery), and she likes the softness of her pink scarf... actually she just likes all things soft. She'll cuddle anything from pillows at home to giant penguins at Te Papa.

Sophie loves her new 'Ducky' toothbrush

She likes little things like buttons (on clothes) and pegs to play with. Currently her favourite expression is "ohhh wow!" for the new and exciting things that she sees. She is learning new words all the time and the cutest at the moment I think has to be "ballofly" for butterfly. Her legs are getting stronger too.

Sophie and Harry play together in the bath

Denali looks after wee Emma on Tuesdays

She has her Neuro-Developmental Therapist visit on Thursday morning to hopefully encourage her to build them up even stronger. Sophie now loves to roll and roll around the room getting herself all over the place and playing peek-a-boo around the corner of the couch. She has just learnt to get into the cabinet under the TV and pull out all Rich's DVD's and spread them out around her as she reaches for more.

Here is a video of her enjoying some bubbles in the bath...


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Now that the disappointment of the 48 Hour Film Competition has blown over, I have turned my attention back where it belongs - work. It's the end of the financial year and for Propeller that means we are inundated with work as companies use up the remainder of their budgets.

I am currently in the middle of two directing jobs. One for the National Screening Unit about the heel prick test midwives do on newborns. The other is for the Department of Labour (DOL) about the health and safety and productivity practices on a farm in Rakaia, just south of Christchurch. I have been shooting both of these videos ove the last week and spent Wednesday to Friday in Rakaia freezing my nuts off filming farming activity.

Here's a few pics from the farm shoot...

From left: Dale Nelson (Soundy), Me (Clipboard holder), and Mike Nelson (Camera)

Getting the rental stuck in a ditch. The farmer said "Nah, you'll be right. Just drive over it diagonally." And so we did.

Hank the giant dog.

Mike filming a cow with its head in a stock gate. The cows were having DNA samples taken from their ears. This is used to track all sorts of things about the cow and the herd.

I have another 3 or possibly 4 DOL jobs to do as well. It's quite stressful because I have to get all of these finished before I leave for Mongolia to see Mum and Dad on July 11! Denali will be down in Chch again during my time away too.

-Rich