Best Mates

Saturday

Ro and Barnaby have been nearly inseparable this week, although they'll have a bit of a spat every hour or so. Ro can be a bit rough...Barnaby decidedly less so. Some bruised egos inevitably result. Both of them are prone to tattling, so Sherry, Mark, and Craig are frequently fielding wild tales of injustice. Following a perceived insult or injury, one of them will storm off home to their apartment, claiming they'll never play with each other again. Five minutes later we hear, "I'm bored, can I go over to Barnaby's?"

Finishing a round of Glowgolf at The Rock House

You first!

So much for keeping the shorts dry

Rhapsody Of The Seas pulls away behind the boys

Not keen to wait for her Orthopaedics appointment to begin range of motion exercises on her buggered knee, Sherry circumvented the medical system and ordered a hinged knee brace on Trade Me. Fortunately, it fit nicely, and she's feeling like a new woman. Good thing, too, as with Mark at work all week she's been keeping Ro and Barnaby entertained. They've thoroughly enjoyed their swimming lessons, especially playing on the big Hydroslide afterwards.

Wave to my dad!

Ro meets the business end of the wave pool

After a long, painful week, Sherry was in need of a break this morning, so Mark and Craig took the boys out for the day. They went down the road to the driving range across from Bayfair. Craig was the only one who'd ever driven a golf ball for real before, and it showed. After a few Mulligans and even a couple of whiffs, Mark was able to get some decent distance, but still had a wicked slice. Ro and Barnaby had a couple of good hits, but found it nearly impossible to keep their arms straight. After we burned 100 balls, the boys were jumping at the bit to move on to Mini-Putt!

Lock your wrists!

Oooo...slice!

The mini-golf course was easily the hardest Mark has ever played. Unlike the courses in the States, there were no walls or bumpers along the sides, so it was all too easy for the ball to roll off the course, resulting in a penalty stroke. We didn't even bother to tally our embarrassing scores, but they were probably around 100. Ro had the the signature moment of the day, when he nailed a hole-in-one on a difficult "bridge" hole that Mark and Craig took 4's on and Barnaby finally gave up on entirely.

Note the signs: the Mini-Putt doubles as a fish market

The last hole was, of course, The Mount

After a quick stop at the grocery store, the guys came back to Craig's place to hang out with Paulette, have a few drinks and watch The Simpsons (some things are universal). Sherry was happy for the blissful solitude, making the most of her chance to start cleaning out Ro's room and stuffing bags full of clothes and toys to donate to the Sallies (Salvation Army) down the street in preparation for our return home.

"It's hero time!"