Kiwi Tales

One year ago

2008-01-13T20:09:00.001+13:00

On the 11th it was a year since my mum died. We went down to the rest home where we have a memorial chair to mum, and put these flowers an teddy there.

Andrew and Tim standing at the back and Kathryn holding Ija and me in front.

Andrew and Tim.

I went down today to check and I was sad to see that neither the flowers nor the teddy were there :-( so someone has taken them.

Photos of new house

2008-01-13T20:01:00.000+13:00

Looking down to my house from the deck of the flat.

Andrew standing on the deck of his flat which is above the double garage.

Well we are more or less settled in now, I still have some things in the spare room that don't have a home but that's all. Andrew is enjoying having his own space.

Nearly Moving Day

2007-10-31T22:47:00.000+13:00

Just 2 days till settlement and 3 days till we move. Busy packing and sorting and organising. I'll try and post pics of the new house and then maybe close this blog down. Ruth and Karen I'll keep checking your blogs to see how you're doing.
Take care.
Kiwiruth

It's been a while!

2007-10-07T20:56:00.000+13:00

It's spring and I decided to go for a walk- up a very steep hill. Did I say it was steep?? It had a steep path, muddy inplaces and also around 250 steps to negotiate. Above is the view from the start of the track- those are nikau palms and the name of the reserve is Nikau Palm Reserve. The first part of the track the vegetation is almost all nikau palms and it's like walking through a jungle! Very pretty!

At one of the (several!) rest stops I made, I saw this tree- can you see the face?

At last I got to the top and what a view- isn't it worth it? The island is Kapiti Island, a native bird reserve. The town on the coastal plain is Paraparaumu, the closest big town from where I live.
I think it was just as hard going back down the track- my knees and hips felt it! I must get back into walking, I'm sure I'd find it easier next time.
We have 4 weeks until we move into our new home. I've started sorting out what I want to take and what I want to give away. I need a small mortgage but it won't be too much. It will be so nice to have more room!

Unconditional

2007-09-02T10:45:00.000+12:00

I thought I'd try the "My Japanese name" thing just for a laugh. My daughter Kathryn is part Japanese so I often look at Japanese web sites.

Our house purchase went unconditional on Friday- can't get out of it now lol! I paid the deposit and the balance is payable on settlement on 2 November. It still seems a long way away!
Tim and Sarah are trying to do work on the little place we're in at the moment (we rent from them- he's my eldest son) and it makes it real difficult as Andrew works night shift and sleeps during the day. They are putting in a new kitchen and new flooring in the kitchen and want to paint the lounge. I know they need to do the work prior to putting this place on the market.

My Japanese Name

2007-09-01T15:22:00.000+12:00

My japanese name is 石丸 Ishimaru (round stone) ?? Yoshiko (pleasing child).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

I finally bought a house!

2007-08-26T18:14:00.000+12:00

Well, I could lie and say this is the new house lol, but it's not. Kathryn and I took her partner's daughter out this afternoon and we drove way up towards the Tararua mountains to nearly the end of the road and took a 10 minute walk to a tramping hut, which is pictured here. It would be a great place to take the girls and stay for a night. No power, but there is a long drop toilet and running water and a woodburner.

To reach the hut you have to cross the river over this swing bridge- strictly one person at a time! This is Kathryn's partner's daughter crossing it.

And this is Kathryn almost half way across. In summer this would be a great place!

Ok- this is part of the new house. I couldn't take a pxt of the rest of the house because the lighting wasn't great and my cell phone needs a lot of light to take pxts. This part, would you believe, is a fully self contained 1 bedroom flat above the double garage. Guess where Andrew will be sleeping?? The main house is off to the left. It has two double bedrooms and 2 living areas and a nice patio area off the lounge and dining room. We signed the agreement yesterday. There are some conditions to meet like getting a builder's report done, but providing everyhting is OK, we settle on 2 November. I need to get a small mortgage, it was a bit dearer than I hoped but having the flat will work out really well. It's about 100 metres from a park and playground and about 7 minutes walk from the beach.

Househunting

2007-07-26T17:17:00.000+12:00

I'm househunting. It's a bit scary. I've not been in a position to buy a house in many many years. It's fascinating looking at the varying standards of houses- all depending on the areas they're in. I haven't found "the" house yet. I need a 3 bedroom house so that family and friends can stay. And of course it has to be in my price range. It's quite an adventure!

Family

2007-07-11T19:01:00.000+12:00

My Uncle Andrew your hat is almost as good as mine!

Is this really my baby sister?

Andrew and I went over to visit Tim and Sarah last Thursday. I say "over" because you have to go over Haywards Hill on the way to their house, the drive takes about an hour. They seem to be managing OK, they're a lovely little family!
This last weekend Andrew and I went down to the South Island to visit Phil and Magenta, we took the inter island ferry on Friday night after I'd finished work and stayed in Blenheim, then drove down to Christchurch on Saturday. We had a good couple of days with them- even withstood -8 deg frosts (now I know that doesn't sound very cold but believe me it is when you're not used to it!). And we drove and took the ferry back yesterday. Andrew's still on leave but I had to go back to work today. I have some photos of the Christchurch trip on my camera, I'll try and upload them soon!

Ija

2007-07-02T17:38:00.000+12:00

Well it's hard to believe that Ija is 8 days old. I've seen her once- Andrew, Kath and I vivisted Sarah, Ija and Tim at the hospital on Tuesday. Already Ija looks different- her hair is not red now- more blonde with a ginger tinge, and her eyes may go hazel. All is well, and Sarah and Ija were able to go home on Wednesday. Andrew and I may go and visit one evening this week.

We're going away this weekend, Andrew and me- driving down to Christchurch to see Phil and Magenta. It was too dear to fly, so we will take the car over on the ferry. It's the middle of winter, we must be mad! We are likely to freeze down there!

I had my shoulder injected last week- but although I have slightly more movement in it, it's still painful. I'm hoping it starts to improve soon!

She's here!

2007-06-24T21:51:00.001+12:00

Ija was born at 5.30pm Sunday 24 June weighing in at 7lbs 7ozs- and almost 3 weeks early. So far all is well. Another redhead, the same as her dad Tim (my eldest son) and her big sister Yana.

No baby yet....

2007-06-23T22:02:00.000+12:00

Sarah is not established yet in labour, so they are letting her sleep tonight and they will try again tomorrow. So it might be tomorrow, or Monday!

South Island Snow

2007-06-23T09:52:00.001+12:00

Snow near Queenstown. It was even too wintry for their annual winter festival which is the best in the country. The roads and airport are closed so no one can get there!

Still waiting

2007-06-23T09:49:00.000+12:00

Sarah was induced yesterday afternoon, but they started slowly so by the time evening came nothing much had happened, so they will "restart" labour today. I'm looking after Yana for a few hours today which may be difficult-apart from the fact she's extremely active, my shoulder is going to be a major hindrance. Ah well, we'll see! Maybe by this evening their will be a new granddaughter!

Shortest Day

2007-06-21T19:43:00.000+12:00

Shortest day and it's windy and stormy- and in the South Island they're having heavy snow. The ski fields are happy!
Sarah, my daughter in law, is in hospital. She is developing preeclampsia and so baby will be born no later than the 26th and it could be as early as tomorrow. They are keeping a very close eye on her. I'll let you know the news!

Day out with the granddaughters

2007-06-10T16:59:00.001+12:00

Here's Kaya sitting on a swing seat

And the girls by the river trying to skip stones

And Anahera posing up a tree!

I had the grandgirls for most of the day yesterday. I took them to a small animal park not far from where I live, where they could feed chickens, guinea fowl, peacocks, ducks and turkeys. They also got to pat and feed miniature horses, deer, a donkey and a goat, and saw an alpaca and other horses. Oh- and rabbits and a kea, one of NZ native parrots. We went down to the river and tried to skip stones and play in all the autumn leaves on the river bank. We went to the cafe there and had a drink and scones with jam and cream- yum! Later on we went to a playground and then to the beach. It got cold pretty quick though (the tempreratures have dropped in the last week) and then went back to their house. A lovely day, they were fun and so well behaved all day!

Quick update

2007-06-03T17:17:00.000+12:00

Tim, Sarah and Yana came to visit last weekend, she's 19 moths old now and very cute. Ginger hair, blue eyes, full on active and mostly happy nature- just like her dad!

The seat has been finished and placed outside the rest home where mum was, it will make a lovely place for the residents to sit and watch the sea without having to cross the road. It's known as the "Molly seat" after mum's name.

Andrew has sold his motorbike. I couldn't resist sitting on it before it went and getting Andrew to take a photo of me! And no, I don't know how to ride a motorbike!

Busy at work- I've finished the contract proposal and now am working on a Quality assurance manual. Up to page 30 at the moment and maybe half way through!
I'm still having health niggles- left ear has gone a bit deaf and I have tinnitus in it, blood pressure needs regulating, and I have an injured right shoulder that has now frozen. I did that climbing up on the wing of a small plane to do a preflight.... But apart from that I'm very thankful that everything else seems OK at the moment!

I had a lovley day today- because of my shoulder I can't do any formal lessons, but I did hire the 4 seater plane and with a friend from work we got one of the instructors to take us for a scenic flight. Absolutely great! We flew over to the Hutt valley which is about 1 hrs drive (about 15 mins flight) and we flew over Tim and Sarah's house. Then we came back up, flying along the hills and ridges, flew over my bosses house, then did a landing at a little grass strip in the countryside to say Hi to someone that Josef (the instructor) knew. Then we flew back to the airfield. I did get to do some of the flying myself- yay- first time I've had my hands on the controls for maybe 16 months. I had to do it with one hand though, Josef did the bits I couldn't reach. Really good, and Joy, my friend from work, enjoyed it too. Then we went to the Kapiti club for lunch then back to Joy's for a coffee. Great day!!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T18:07:00.000+12:00

Our spa pool

Putting water in the moat

Our sandcastle

The hot air balloon

Happy Easter everyone! Although it's getting cooler, the weather is still on the whole very good. We're still getting temps of about 18 deg celsius and sun. This Easter I've spent time with Anahera and Kaya. Easter Friday we went to the beach and built a sandcastle and a "spa pool". They stayed wilth me last night and I did a bit of scrapbooking with them. This morning they elected to stay home with Andrew and watch movies while I went to a town about 40kms away to deliver things for work. They missed a hot air balloon ride! I didn't go on it, I knew I had to get back home- but next year...!

Continuing the last post!

2007-03-18T22:16:00.001+12:00

Blenheim is a town over in the south island, it's only a 30 minute flight from the local airfield. It's sooo much easier than fighting the traffic into Wellington to go from there - it can take 2hrs to drive to Wellington airport sometimes. Of course the planes from here are a lot smaller than Air New Zealand's ones, but I love small planes!

If you click on the photos in the previous post they go full size. Here's another of the Cook Strait ferry just leaving the Marlborough Sounds.

Continuing the last post!

2007-03-18T22:16:00.000+12:00

If you click on the photos in the previous post they go full size. Here's another of the Cook Strait ferry just leaving the Marlborough Sounds.

Autumn

2007-03-18T22:08:00.000+12:00

Couple of photos taken from my new digital camera when I was away earlier this month. The first one is some gerberas at the Farmers Market in Blenheim and the second is a view just after takeoff.

Crafty grandma

2007-03-10T20:37:00.000+13:00

Sorry these are pxts off my phone. I went to see Anahera and Kaya today and we decorated T shirts with fabric paint. Here are their efforts. Kaya's is the dolphims and Anahera's the teddy.

Still Summer

2007-03-09T21:13:00.000+13:00

Since the beginning of February we've had the most wonderful weather. In fact they've declared a drought where we are, although it's not too bad. It's autumn now and it's still sunny and warm most of the time. Daylight saving finishes not this weekend but next- sigh. I will so miss the longer evenings.
I've bought a digital camera and as soon as I figure out how to upload the photos to the computer I'll post some.
I went away last weekend, totally spur of the moment, it was wonderful. I flew down in a little plane (which by now you know I love doing!) to Blenheim and the guy on the plane organised the shuttle driver and the shuttle driver found me somewhere to stay so it all worked out beautifully :-)). I stayed in a bed and breakfast place. On the Sunday (the weather was sooo hot and sunny and fine) I walked everywhere (no buses there on a Sunday) and went to the Farmers Market, Brayshaw Pioneer Park, Riverside Railway, and Omaka Heritage Aviation Park. I'm sure you've heard of Peter Jackson the director, the museum is his brainchild and he owns most of the exhibited planes.
My job is keeping me busy, I'm writing a big contract for the boss, never done anything like that before!
Kathryn is still living with her new man and Tahi still has the girls.

Lots of photos

2007-02-12T21:43:00.000+13:00

Indian Motorbike spotted on the way back home- there were about 7-8 of them all going to a rally. Kiwis will know the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" about one of these motorbikes.

The Teddy and Lamb that Anahera and Kaya helped to make and dress.

Tourist boat at Picton. Very annoying, you could here the tour guide's voice through a very loud microphone over the whole harbour.

Picton beach. Very beautiful and warm here. The girls went paddling in the water and looked for shells.

Anahera and friend, Picton.

My kitty Honey, sleeping upside down!

Andrew's kitty Holly looking sideways at me taking her photo.

All my children, they're not together very often, so to have a photo of all 4 is very precious. Kathryn in front, Tim on left, Andrew in the middle and Phil on the right.

My 3 sons - Tim, Andrew and Phil. Taken on the day of mum's funeral.

My 3 sons playing in the backyard of Tahi's house. You can just see Magenta, Phil's fiancee, in the background.

On Holiday

2007-02-12T17:44:00.000+13:00

Well it's been an "interesting" year so far... too many changes! Kathryn and Tahi have now separated. My darling daughter is the one who has left- she has met someone else!! Tahi seems to have main custody of the girls. It's just not the same anymore going around to their house, and my daughter isn't there any more. I don't know where her new man lives, or his phone number, although I have contact by texting her cell phone.

We did manage to have a great few days away last week, Kathryn, me and the girls. All the more precious now that the family has broken up. We drove down to Christchurch and stayed in a lovely motel (motels in NZ are different to those in USA) which was near to Phil and Magenta's house and also to my brother in law's. The girls were great, especially Anahera, 9 is a good age to take away. We went up on the gondola (see www.gondola.co.nz, don't know how to put in the link)which has a fantastic view from the top. We went to Hanmer Springs, thermal springs up near the mountains, Kathryn did a bungy jump, the girls made their own teddies and went ice skating. And of course we went visiting.

Then I came back home and that's when I started to grieve- for mum, for Kathryn and her family, moving house, changing job etc. Change is hard when you don't want things to change so fast aye!

I'm still on leave this week. Tomorrow I'm flying down to Nelson for a night, and later in the week I'm going to try and see the big cricket match between NZ and Australia which is being played in Wellington.

A long life.

2007-01-16T18:26:00.000+13:00

My darling mum was not well for a week, we were at her bedside day and night holding her hand and being there when she needed us. We saw her fade away, and she died on Thursday 11 January in the evening. The funeral was yesterday. We had to move house at the weekend in the midst of all the arrangements, and I have tried to start my new job but have only been there a few hours a few days. I may go back to work tomorrow, or maybe the next day. And today is Andrew's 21st birthday.

On a positive note the weather has been beautiful today and we have got a new cat and kitten!

Summer where are you?

2007-01-06T18:23:00.000+13:00

Well the weather was lovely on Thursday- I think that was summer! New Years Eve and New Years day were really cold, there was even snow on the hills in some areas of New Zealand. It was that cold that Tim lit the fire on New Years Eve. Remember this is the middle of summer here! The month of December in Wellington, our closest city, was the coldest in more than 70 years. What global warming???

Sarah and I shared looking after Anahera and Kaya for 2 nights over the New Years weekend. We took the girls to the indoor pools not far from Sarah and Tim's house and they had a great time. Even little Yana went in the toddlers pool. It was too cold to do anything outdoors.

I finished at ChemDry yesterday, it was quite sad to leave, I've been working there 4 1/2 years. I start my new job on Monday. Then we move on Saturday. And my mum is not doing well. Although she's 94 it was still a bit of a surprise to be rung on Thursday evening to say she wasn't doing so well. At least now she's drinking although still not eating. If she hadn't started to drink she may only have lasted a week as she's very frail anyway. She's doing a bit better now but it's still not certain if she will continue to slowly fade away or recover. I spent most of today down at her room in the rest home (she's more comfortable there) and my niece is staying overnight with her. Ah, she's got a strong spirit my mum, who knows, she may get to 100 yet and get her telegram from the Queen!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T21:04:00.000+13:00

Happy New Year everyone, I pray that 2007 will be a great year for you all!

I'm still having a few health concerns, so keep praying for me too. I see a specialist within a month I would think. But first I need to get the move, starting my new job, and Andrew's 21st out of the way. I'm hoping also to be able to enjoy a week's holiday too in February.

I'd done a post with some Xmas pxts, but so far Blogger has decided not to publish it!

2006-12-31T12:16:00.000+13:00

Kathryn's lounge and xmas tree before the presents were opened. Lots for everyone, we were all spoiled.

Andrew bought the girls a big box filled with outdoor play equipment- a basketball hoop, frisbee, cricket set etc- Kaya fits in the box quite well don't you think?

Nana with her xmas toy cat- the fur's really realisitic- and makes a good substitute for a real pet!

Yana with xmas presents just opened- but she prefers the plastic tumbler!

Christmas Shopping

2006-12-18T21:14:00.000+13:00

Whew! Christmas shopping- still some more things to buy but I think the bulk of it is done! I need to wait till payday as I'm in overdraft after today's shopping lol. The grandchildren are catered for, and my mum, and we posted off Phil and Magenta's presents this afternoon. That leaves Kath and Tahi and Tim and Sarah.
Got Andrew's present too- third season on DVD of That 70s Show.

So- Christmas Eve church carol service, stay at Kath's and look after girls while they go out, Christmas lunch with Kath and Tahi and Boxing Day with Tim and Sarah. New Year's weekend Sarah and I are sharing the girls for 2 days. 5 January I finish at my current job and 8 January I start at my new job. 12 January Andrew wants to celebrate his 21st birthday and 13 January we HAVE to move. Hmm I can see that most of my helpers with the move are going to be hung over... One of the ladies from work has offered to help me though.

So it's going to be a busy 4 weeks!

Christmas Lights

2006-12-14T22:56:00.000+13:00

Summer weather

2006-12-13T18:37:00.000+13:00

Every now and then we're getting summer weather- mind you last weekend the temps were cold enough to need the heater and electric blanket on. I guess it makes us appreciate the sunny weather more than we usually would! Isn't the beach beautiful when the sun is out!

It's nearly Christmas!

2006-12-12T17:26:00.000+13:00

Only 2 weeks till Christmas! Remember the reason for the season- to celebrate the birth of Jesus!

It looks like Andrew and I will be going to Kathryn and Tahi's for Christmas day which will be great- we may even be there in the morning to see the girls open their pressies.

Did I tell you that Tim and Sarah are expecting another baby? It's due early July, so I'm going to be a grandma again! Little Yana will only be 20 months old then so they will be busy parents.

It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, but I'll try and post again before Christmas :-))

New toy

2006-11-27T16:31:00.000+13:00

Andrew has a new toy- an Aprilia! He's had it about 2 weeks and spent all afternoon today washing and polishing it. The weather hasn't been the greatest so he hasn't had many opportunities to ride it but he's hoping to ride it to work tomorrow. I haven't been on it pillion passenger yet- maybe when he's passed his restricted licence I will- he sits it in 2 weeks.

Waiting

2006-11-24T21:18:00.000+13:00

Hello- thanks for your prayers. One of the tests does show something but it looks as though it's nothing serious thankfully. Just waiting on one more test - please pray that it will be a good report and will be all clear!

Sorry

2006-11-16T08:28:00.000+13:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting. Have been having some health issues. Please pray that any test results are good and that I'll be right as rain shortly- thanks!

Another week has gone

2006-10-23T17:46:00.000+13:00

Here is a pxt of Yana taken on Saturday at her 1st birthday party. Tim and Sarah had about 60 people there! They held it at their church hall and there was loads of food. Yana got loads of presents too! I took Andrew, Anahera and Kaya to it.

It's been a 3 day holiday weekend this time and the weather has been wet, cloudy and quite cold- the WHOLE time. Forecast is rain for tomorrow as well. I tend to go stir crazy if I'm inside for too long. I did go out yesterday for a short walk in the rain because I'd had enough of being inside. I'm on call today (Public Holiday) as I need some spending money when I go down to Christchurch for a few days in a couple of weeks.

Well, the lease is definitely not being renewed on this house. I'm quite sad as I really like this place, it's so sunny and light (when there is sun lol) and I like being near the sea. So, it looks like I will have to move into the place that Tim and Sarah are buying. I'm really sorry to say I will be moving there rather reluctantly.

I am taking the new job, I start on 8 January. It will be hard work, but there may be some flexibility in it- if I work longer hours one week I could work shorter the next hopefully.

Here's hoping the spring weather will settle down soon- before I suffer too much from sun deprivation lol!

Sunday's here

2006-10-15T11:56:00.000+13:00

And that's always a good thing after a 6 day working week! The weather hasn't improved any- it's grey dull and drizzly like it's been most of the time lately- but the forecast does have a change coming- rain!!!

I've been offered a job. Full time. Working for the lady I did the wages for last year. She'll match my hourly rate, although I would be getting less money- partly due to losing on call with the books which gives me extra- and partly because of extra petrol costs. It's a one way drive of around 22 kms compared to 6 kms now. It'll be a smaller team and I would miss the people I work with now (well most of them lol). However, it's a new challenge and I would be learning new things. I would basically be running the office. Kind of scarey- learning to do company taxes, accident compensation payments, GST, wages and conditions- and probably balancing the accounts- help! I am considering it, I have a week or two to make up my mind.

Andrew's in Christchurch for the weekend staying with Phil and Magenta, and spending up large I believe! He's buying snow gear and he reckons he wanted to get a snowboard- not sure how he'll bring that back on the plane!

Hope everyone's had a good weekend!

However...

2006-10-06T21:45:00.000+13:00

....the showers do mean there are pretty rainbows about!

The Grandchildren

2006-10-06T21:37:00.000+13:00

Above: Anahera left, Kaya at right

To the left, Yana

The weather has been cold again with very strong winds, cold showers and snow on the hills. Real unseasonable for the time of year. We've had a few hours of sun late afternoon, and it's meant to be wet AGAIN by midday tomorrow. Sigh.

Not ungrateful

2006-10-01T11:17:00.000+13:00

I don't want to appear ungrateful to Tim and Sarah, but it feels like control of my life has gone again a bit. Sarah was saying things like, "well we live in a house and an area we don't really like, we won't have any spare money either" but I've been there done that, and I don't think they realise that. I've brought up 4 kids on my own for years, I've already had to sacrifice and live in a house that was less than satisfactory when they were young. I've already had my struggle, and to be asked to sacrifice and struggle again in a tiny house with no storage and a big increase in rent.... I don't really want to do it. Tima dn Sarah say it's only a start for them and maybe in 2-3 years they will be able to buy a bigger house. But who knows what the housing market may be like in the future. And to be in that house for 20 years??? I don't think I can do it.
I am grateful in principle with what they want to do for me but not the way they're doing it.

Possibly moving?

2006-09-30T18:53:00.000+12:00

Tim ( my eldest son) and Sarah have put in an offer on a house over the other side of town for Andrew and me to live in. The lease runs out here in January but we are likely to have to move sooner to fit in with their settlement. I'm not entirely happy with it, the house is tiny and I don't know how Andrew and I will fit in all our things. We don't own a lot as it is but we may have to pare down our stuff even further. Tim and Sarah are doing it as they see it best for me to have somewhere to live, but it also means that my rent payment will increase by $25 per week to cover the mortgage for them and I will have to try and cut down expenditure. Every time I begin to see that I may clear my debt and be able to save something happens......

Nothing to report

2006-09-26T18:20:00.000+12:00

Wind. Rain. Drizzle. Cloud. Work. On call all weekend. Nope, nothing to report here!

westerly winds

2006-09-17T19:29:00.000+12:00

I went to a school carnival yesterday and look what I saw! It was called Sink the Titanic and it was a gigantic slide and climb thing for the kids!
They were also offering helicopter rides and although I was sorely tempted, I didn't have enough money to go for a flight. In fact I was very good and only spent $2.

There were hundreds of people there and lots of activities and things to buy. I met a couple I knew but hadn't seen for ages and was invited back to their house for coffee. They have 2 long term foster children, not an easy task for a couple my age.

Today has been sunny but cool with westerly winds that have been around for days- quite a typical spring thing. I'm not feeling overly well today, all I can think is that I bought some sliced ham and beef from a deli yesterday afternoon which must have been a bit "off".

Beach walk and springtime

2006-09-10T18:39:00.000+12:00

People out walking on the beach. There are a lot more people out walking dogs, biking etc now. The tide was out which made it really lovely.
View looking north- the clouds looked dark but we had no rain.
This very large piece of driftwood has been on the beach for a long time now. This view is looking south, you can just see the end of Kapiti Island.
Yes, spring is here! I bought the daffodils but the lady who lives behind me gave me the freesias. I love freesias!

Friends

2006-09-08T22:35:00.000+12:00

Hairless (Sphinx) cat at the cat show

View over the lake on the bushwalk

Flax bushes seen during our bushwalk

Poppies
My friend Gwen came to stay and stayed from Sunday to Wednesday. I took Tuesday off on leave. We did lots of talking (of course!), lots of walking, ate out, went to the movies, window shopped, and went to Te Papa (our National Museum) and saw the art exhibition of John Constable. Oh, and just before Gwen came, Kathryn, the girls and I went to a cat show.
Here are some pxts!

Some signs of Spring

2006-09-01T13:40:00.000+12:00

Nearly 1 September!

2006-08-30T18:40:00.000+12:00

Well only a couple more days and it'll be 1 September- spring! Today was very spring like- sun, some wind, but quite warm. It was so nice- shame it was like this on a work day! It would have been good to be able to be outside enjoying it.

I've finally booked tickets for the first weekend in November to go and visit Phil and Magenta in Christchurch. I got a cheap ticket for the flight down and normal saver fare for the flight back. HArd to believe that by then it will have been almost a year since I was last down there!

I've got to work Saturday this week but then am taking Tuesday off as my friend Gwen is coming to stay. She will spend a lot of time knitting and I may be inspired! We'll go walking along the beach, probably watch a couple of DVDs, go out for a meal, yep, it's going to be nice and relaxing.

Andrew's discovered the world!

2006-08-24T19:25:00.000+12:00

Andrew got back from the snow tonight. He's then out all nigth tomorrow in Wellington going clubbing with his mates! He's discovered the big wide world....

The pictures are of Andrew at Hanmer by the bridge where he bungy jumped, him ice skating(first time) and Phil and Andrew at the airport just before he came back from Christchurch.

The other photo is when he was up the mountain yesterday with the snow man he and his mate made

Cold weather and sunsets

2006-08-22T18:17:00.000+12:00

It's been snowing in a lot of places again- Andrew has gone up to the Central Plateau (he got back from Christchurch last night) with a mate and I think they have been caught out with road closures. Hopefully they'll get through to somewhere that has a place to stay so they don't have to sleep in the car. They want to go snowboarding tomorrow.
Nice sunset tonight so maybe that means the weather will be better tomorrow.

Twins?? Not really!

2006-08-20T18:17:00.000+12:00

Andrew is down in Christchurch staying for a few days with his brother Phil and Phil's fiancee Magenta. As well as the snowboarding/skiing day, Andrew has been hitting the malls shopping for clothes, and today they went to Hanmer Springs to the hot pools. They got sidetracked while there and Andrew bungy jumped! I'm waiting for the pics as proof lol.

Phil bought himself and Andrew a shirt and when they went for lunch yesterday they wore the shirts. Magenta sent me this photo of the "terrible" twins (they're not twins).

Grandchildren are great!

2006-08-20T18:10:00.000+12:00

Tim and Sarah and Yana came to visit yesterday. Yana is 10 months old and is so cute! She's crawling and says Mama, Dada, eieio, nana (her other grandma, not me lol). We also went to visit my mum at the rest home,. so there were 4 generations in the room! Isn't that a great photo! My mum is 94.

Then today I saw Kathryn and the girls. Anahera had to write a poem about a grandparent and she wrote it about me, it was so lovely it made my day! She said so many nice things in it and also wrote about how much she loved me. Wow!

Here are the pxts

2006-08-18T21:42:00.000+12:00

Our version of snow!

2006-08-18T21:37:00.000+12:00

Well, I know all of you who live in Northern Hemisphere climes probably think it's funny when I say we had snow on the hills. Here are 2 pxts- one is of snow on our hills (yes I know you can barely see it lol) and the other is of snow in the Southern Alps about an hour from Christchurch.

Andrew flew down to Christchurch last night to stay 4 nights with his brother Phil. It's Andrew's first time in a big plane and first time in Christchurch. Today Phil and Andrew and Magenta and their cousin Jeremy went up to one of the ski fields down there. The other pxt is taken of the mountains from the lower car park of the ski field. It was the first time that Phil and Andrew had tried skiing and snowboarding. Sounds like they had a good time until the winds got up andturned gale force and they had to leave.

Such a long week!

2006-08-12T21:50:00.000+12:00

The week always seems so long when I work six days and then have to have the pager and diary for the rest of the weekend. That means I really only get Monday off. The weather's been pretty wet, it's caused problems through out NZ over the last few weeks. I can't wait until summer!

Here are some pxts- one is of the sculpture in our local shopping centre, and the other is of my granddaughter Anahera. It was her 9th birthday this past week, so we had some girlie time and a friend did her finger nails, put her hair up and put some silver glitter in it, and put on just a little bit of makeup. I think she enjoyed it and I kow my friend did, she hasn't got a daughter and says she wants to borrow Anahera and do it again sometime!
Anahera looks soo much like my daughter Kathryn when she was this age in this photo

It's arrived!

2006-08-08T18:34:00.000+12:00

Yay my couch has arrived! I love it- it's a light blue microsuede fabric and the couch seats 4. There's a footstool as well. Andrew and me are both enjoying it!

Magnolia time

2006-08-05T19:47:00.000+12:00

I just love the time of year when magnolia trees start to bloom- there are several in the town I live in- white, pink, red, purple and yellow. I discovered this while on a walk after work yesterday- isn't it pretty?

Update also on my 101 list (see link on sidebar)

Two posts in one night!

2006-08-03T22:39:00.000+12:00

Some pxts my son sent me of the Christchurch area. (That's the city he lives in)

Proof

2006-08-03T18:07:00.000+12:00

Yes, here we are! Success- one 1000 piece jigsaw done with my sanity (just) intact!

Lovely sunset

2006-08-02T20:31:00.000+12:00

Beautiful sunset taken on a walk last night. The evenings are a bit longer now, so there's still sun just for a little while after work. This was taken when walking through one of the many retirement villages in our area.

On the 101 list front- I finished the jigsaw, pxt will arrive on my other blog in a couple of days!

Falling asleep

2006-07-31T20:37:00.000+12:00

I've been busy in the garden again- at least I've cleared the bulk of the weeds, just have the side gardens to do. The demoralising thing is, in a couple of weeks I'll have to start weeding all over again!!

Then I also got a walk in, involved a bit of hilly street walking, so although it was only 2 kms it was good exercise. Now I'm tired- I wonder why??

See my 101 lists (on sidebar) for a brief update too :-)

Still another day of work to go

2006-07-28T18:53:00.000+12:00

Well it's Friday night but I still have tomorrow at work to go yet before I get my "weekend". Both of my offsiders are away this weekend that's why I've done 2 Saturdays in a row then in a fortnight I have to work another Saturday and am on call the entire weekend.

I'm hoping the weather is as good on Sunday and Monday as it has been the last few weekends, I'm trying very hard to get the garden weeded. There are sooo many weeds, part of the garden is nothing BUT weeds! I know part of it's because I haven't weeded in quite a while but it's infested with a particular weed which is very hard to eradicate.

NZ will come to a standstill tomorrow night, it's the second Bledisloe Test, which is a rugby test between NZ and Australia. That's a matter of GREAT National importance! There's such rivalry between us kiwis and the Aussies, no matter what it is!

Post No 100

2006-07-24T19:37:00.000+12:00

Wow 100 posts! I didn't think I'd keep it up for so long!

As I worked Saturday I had today off work. The weather was lovely so I went for a long walk of about 7kms. It started on the top of a hill at one small settlement, followed the State Highway (traffic noise...) alongside wetlands, then finished at another small settlement by the sea. I had lunch at a nice cafe, then caught the train and bus back home.

another post for the day!

2006-07-23T18:14:00.000+12:00

Here's another pxt of Kaya- I couldn't resist boring you some more lol!

I've decided to open a new blog for my 101 list of things in 1001 so that it will be completely separate from this one. The link is in my side bar.

Grand kids are great!

2006-07-23T17:43:00.000+12:00

Sorry, I'm going to bore you with more pxts of the grandkids- and Kathryn too this time!

I'd been sorting out some items for the girls' school's Spring Fair, and took them down to their house today. Sooo, of course the girls (and Kathryn) wanted to see what was in the boxes first! Anahera and Kaya found some of my old clothes and decided to dress up. Anahera's wearing one of my old blouses and a hat I used to use when gardening. Kaya found an old work jacket. Kathryn's going through a box of old cereal box cards (swap cards).

5 Day Progress on 101 List

2006-07-21T21:00:00.000+12:00

But first, another pic of baby Yana! She's sitting now and her hair is starting to grow longer, and it's definitely ginger, just like her daddy's.

I've started on some of the 101 list items:

3. Started reading through the New Testament, up to Matthew 6.

6. Well, the walking has been 2 days this week- I've been on call 2 nights and the weather hasn't been the best since Tuesday.

11. Get my credit card balance to zero- now down to $480.

19. Try and meet up with my friend Gwen every 3 months. I've phoned her and she's coming to stay 1st weekend of September.

22. Try and establish a quiet time- hmm well maybe 3 times this week...

34. Completely weed the garden- about 1/3rd done

78. Go to a card making class- have enquired on dates.

89. Keep in touch with family more often- trying! I've bought a few things to send to my sister in England

99. Pray for my children every day- started

MONEY is going to be my real limiting factor. I struggle to save money so this will be hard to accomplish

Roads

2006-07-19T18:10:00.000+12:00

The town I live in is connected by 1 main road to both north and south - it's THE main road- State Highway 1. There was an accident just south of my town which closed this main road late this afternoon. It was reopened about 1 1/2 hrs later - but in the meantime traffic backed up about 12 kms south and I'm not sure how far north! And it's rush hour. All our technicians bar one were stuck in the traffic and couldn't get back to the workshop by the time I left. It made it very quiet! We're used to the guys coming up to the office to check their day sheets for the following day and complaining and having us on about what jobs we book for them! It was nice and peaceful actually, we could finish off our work and were away from the office almost on time.

Some pictures

2006-07-16T17:10:00.000+12:00

Went to visit Kathryn today, the girls had some friends over and were watching a movie on TV - I just had to share these pxts- well, I am a pround grandma! Kaya was singing and dancing along to the music on the movie, and Anahera was very obliging and gave me a nice smile.

Then I went for a walk on the beach- after all the cold wet weather, the sun was shining and you'd never believe it was mid winter!

My 101 things in 1001 days list

2006-07-15T20:27:00.000+12:00

Well, I have my list! I don't know HTML so this is just a straight list, and I'll just have to post to let you know how I'm doing with it. I'm starting tomorrow, and the finish date is Saturday 11 April 2009. It's not categorised, just in a random order. A lot of them require MONEY to be completed, so I guess the aim will be to see how many I can complete, rather than completing it all.

1. Learn to ride a motor scooter and maybe also get my learner motor cycle licence- involves doing a basic handling course and sitting a theory test.

2. Get new glasses- my vision has deteriorated in my right eye.

3. Read through the Bible New Testament and study it as I go,

4. Find a church I like that feels like one I can keep going to,

5. Do the Day Tramp from the Desert Rd on the Central Plateau to Whakapapa- about 20 kms in a mountain environment- I need someone to do it with me.

6. Walk 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes or more for the duration of this challenge.

7. Reduce my cholesterol levels to normal or close to it. They have come down slightly since last tested.

8. Reduce my blood pressure- it is normal on medication but it would be great to either cut the medication down or go off it all together- under medical supervision of course.

9. Lose weight, I think I'm around 82 kgs, would like to get to 74kgs and maintain that weight.

10. Brush up on my very rusty basic French and learn more so I can at least read basic things in French and maybe hold a basic conversation.

11. Get my credit card balance to zero. Am on the way, just $530 to go!

12. Pay off my new couch- when it gets delivered, still waiting for it!!

13. Go to Queenstown for summer holidays next year with Phil and Magenta.

14. Knit myself something I can wear in public apart from a scarf lol.

15. Pay for Kaya to have swimming lessons- she LOVES the water

16. Rewrite the "forgiveness letter" to my ex and actually mail it.

17. Try and meet up with my friend Gen for coffee every 6 weeks or so.

18. Get Kathryn's lounge carpeted- dependent on whether we get good salvage in at work- I can't afford new.

19. Try and meet up with my friend Gwen every 3 months or so.

20. Learn to make sushi

21. Take part in an organised 5km fun walk

22. Establish a quiet time at least 5 days a week

23. Experience a winch launch in a glider

24. Write letters to relatives and friends in my address book

25. Do a midwinter Christmas meal for the family

26. Actually offer to have the girls overnight or for a day for Kathryn

27. Donate food or money to a food bank at least 3 times

28. Pay for Anahera to go horse riding again- she LOVED it last time

29. Send money for Phil and Magenta to go out for a meal

30. Fill Andrew's car with petrol- he uses heaps commuting to work

31. Babysit Yana so Tim and Sarah can go out.

32. Make a collage of photos for mum of "olden times"

33. Get new dentures- mine are ahem old now!

34. Completly finish weeding the garden

35. Remove the rather large pile the weeds have been dumped on!

36. Finish walking all the streets in Waikanae

37. Finish the walk to Wellington in stages I started a few years ago- only 2 stages to go

38. Get a Civil Defence Emergency kit together

39. See if I can volunteer for Civil Defence or learn survival skills

40. Make up packs of stationery for schools in underpriviledged countries and find where they should be sent to

41. Go WWOOFing for a weekend

42. Do a night flight in a Cessna 152 or 172

43. Clean all the outside windows

44. Land at an airport/airfield/airstrip I've never been to before.

45. Take the girls fishing off Eastbourne wharf.

46. Buy the Lonely Planet NZ Guide book

47. Win at least $10 on an instant Kiwi ticket

48. See the movie "Rabbit Proof Fence"

49. Go to alive show- stage or concert

50. Drink at least 1 L of water a day.

51. Have my house clean enough so that surprise visitors don't embarrass me

52. Provide 2x presents for Birthright children for the next 3 Christmases

53. Grow some freezias

54. Buy a bunch of spring flowers in season (try for every week but may not afford to) and give them away- maybe get a bunch for myself too every now and then

55. Finish sorting out the sleepout.

56. Go without the computer (except at work) for a couple of days every now and then

57. Walk to or from work 2-3 times before we move (about 6kms)

58. Go for a drive again where I toss a coin to choose where I go at each major intersection.

59. Have fish and chips with mum at the Rest Home

60. Go to bed at a regular time ( no later than 11pm) so I get up at a regular time!

61. Find 4-5 healthy recipes to extend our limited meal options!

62. Cook a meal for Kathryn and girls

63. Cook ameal for Tim and Sarah

64. Go to the beach, take breakfast, and watch the sun rise

65. Volunteer to assist with a collection for a good cause

66. Do a jigsaw

67. Walk the Southern walkway and Eastern walkway in Wellington

68. Do the Ara Harakeke walkway

69. Go to the Gooses Roost Restaurant

70. Take my lunch to work at least once a week

71. Go with Kathryn to Melbourne for a long weekend (probably not likely to happen, too expensive)

72. Get a new passport

73. Go for a week without chocolate and cake ( not that I have a lot now!)

74. Go on a steam train excursion

75. Kayak in Wellington Harbour

76. Take Yana for a walk

77. Go on the East by West ferry to Soames Island

78. Go to a card making class

79. Make Christmas cards for close family

80. Go to the movies with a friend

81. Complete the Purpose Driven Life workbook

82. Try and encourage everyone at work at least once in a week.

83. Find out more about Habitat for Humanity

84. Buy a bookcase- my books are on the ground

85. Buy cushions for my new couch- when it arrives!

86. Go in a spa pool again- love them!

87. Go and visit Steve and Leonie in Wellington

88. Have at least a week's savings as a standby on top of other savings.

89. Keep in touch with family more regularly.

90. Take part in a fun orienteering event, maybe with Anahera.

91. Only have 1 coffee a day (although can have a decaf as well)

92. Drive to see snow

93. Get a new duvet/bedcover

94. Clean out the pantry

95. Go and visit Penelope and Cavan in Otaki

96. Stay in a backpacker's hostel again

97. Respond to my emails wthin a day of receiving them

98. Email everyone in my address book at least once!

99. Pray for my children every day

100. Go and stay at Tarata again and go rafting this time

101. Either bridge swing in Queenstown or do the flying fox at Mokai

Yay that's it! Count down starts tomorrow

41.

sorry

2006-07-12T19:23:00.000+12:00

Sorry guys the website is triplux.stilljournal.com for the 1001 things/1001 days project

101 things

2006-07-12T18:57:00.000+12:00

On triplux.com i came across this- 101 things to do, learn, accomplish, experience etc in 1001 days. Sounds like a bit of fun and I've decided I might try it too. I'm just starting to work out a list, it's quite hard to think of so many things that I would have a chance of actually completing!

Just a few of the ideas - learn to ride a motor scooter (although Andrew is possibly wanting to buy a 250cc or less motorbike and he wants me to try and do a basic handling course), experience a winch launch in a glider, learn to make sushi, try and read the New Testament of the Bible through, take part in a 5km fun walk/run.... and that's it so far. I have to be careful to try and choose things that I can afford to do too. When I have a list I'll try and publish it.

We've beene xperiencing thunder storms today, which is unusual for here, we sometimes go almost a year without one, and this one has lasted 2 1/2 hrs. Not good for the rain and possible flooding we might get!

Sunshine

2006-07-09T16:05:00.000+12:00

Well after all the rain of the past week, the weekend has been pretty good- a little windy and cool, but sunny! Yesterday I went and visited my mum at the Rest Home and stayed for afternoon tea, then I managed to go on a nice walk, probably around 3 kms. Kathryn and the girls came for tea- they had fish n chips and I had sushi.

Today I got up late (nice) then after lunch went up to Otaki where there is a grass landing strip. The aero club were having landing competitions. I only stayed for an hour or so, but saw about 5-6 landings, including the one above, which I think won the competition. They have to try and land on a specific point, and get scored on how close they actually come. I've done a bit of weeding, and have a pork roast cooking.

Sigh, back to work tomorrow. Ah well, surely it has to be better than last week!

Wet wet wet

2006-07-05T21:54:00.000+12:00

I've finally been knitting again- this time it's a scarf for me- it's been cold and I'll be glad of it. It's feathers wool in bronze, black and silver. I'm about half way with it.

It's been extremely wet today with very cold and strong southerlie winds. It's caused problems with flooding, slips and road closures. In a break in the weather I managed to get a pxt of another rainbow. If you look close you can see it's a double. We've been very busy at work today and this evening (I'm on call) dealing with places with wet carpets. We've had 2 broken down vans and a technician go off injured. The office window is leaking, the commercial washing machine is leaking and the bosses are away in sunny Aussie on the annual Chemdry conference! Can I go away too please? Now?

Well at least it's past the shortest day!

2006-06-26T21:03:00.000+12:00

It's cold, it's winter! But never mind, in about 10 days I should begin to see a difference with the sunset time and there will be a little more light for me to go walking. I have managed to get out on 20-30 minute walks for the last 4 days at least.
Yesterday being Sunday meant I was out earlier in the afternoon when there was enough light- and look what I discovered- a mailbox on the back of a bike! That's a planter by the handlebars.

This photo of a rainbow is taken from my desk at work. The rainbow was a perfect arc with a faint double- and it stayed brilliant and glowing for about 20 minutes- absolutely beautiful! You can see the hills that are the "trademark" of our town too.

Comings and Goings

2006-06-24T21:35:00.000+12:00

Last Sunday was Yana's dedication at the Tim and Sarah's church- it's similar to infant baptism without the baptism! The parents promise to teach the child about Jesus. After the service we went to lunch at a nice restaurant with Sarah and Tim and Sarah's family. Here's Anahera holding Yana. Then Andrew and I went back to Tim and Sarah's house.

The weather has still been COLD! This time the centre of the North Island got hit by the snow. On one day this past week all major roads going through the North Island to Auckland were closed because of snow and ice. There was snow on the hills behind Waikanae but only down to about 700m. It was really cold though, and we had a lot of wind and rain, which meant we were quite busy this week at work. The cold weather has shown up major shortfalls in NZs electricity supplies - the system is only just keeping up with demand- if they cut water heating at night to many houses. I thought that was the case when Andrew had a shower the other night and there wasn't enough hot water left to wash the dishes!

I did manage to get out for a walk this afternoon- I haven't been able to walk very much lately because of the weather and the fact that it's dark soon after 5pm. Went to visit my mum and also saw Kathryn briefly at the mall. I went to the Aero Club too, the first time I've been there in several weeks, it was good to just catch up with people. The weather has meant no one has been able to fly much. I don't miss it as much now, but still hope to go for a flight sometime.

Cold start to winter

2006-06-21T20:58:00.000+12:00

Well this winter so far is colder than I remember over the last few years. It's started early too. The South Island is bearing the brunt of it. This is a photo of the snow that blanketed the South Island taken from a satellite. 11 days later there are still 1500 homes in rural parts that are without power and phones.

It's snowing again there this afternoon and evening. It even snowed in Christchurch Monday last week (that's where my son Phil lives).

Typo...

2006-06-10T08:25:00.000+12:00

I mean the tyres only cost me $200, the 0 is sticking on the keyboard lol. $20 would have been unbelievable aye! Must dash it's Saturday but I have to work today

Where did my savings go??

2006-06-10T08:16:00.000+12:00

Last weekend was Queens Birthday weekend here in New Zealand, so a long weekend. Saturday I had to be at the Toyota dealer bright and early so my car could have a service and it's warrant done- it cost $245!! That's very dear. They charged over $40NZ for 3.5L of oil- it would have been WAY cheaper for me to have supplied it! And when I picked my car up it had a horrible rattle and I had to take it back to them- they'd knocked the exhaust and it was banging against something. After that I went to the tyre place and had 4 new tyres put on. The ones that came with the car were too narrow and it made the car very unstable cornering in the wet. A friend of Kathryn's who works at the tyre place pu them on, it only cost $20, $50 per tyre, so that was a good price.

Saturday night I had the girls to stay, then I took them to Sunday school on Sunday morning which they enjoyed.

Monday Andrew and I went around the shops. I finally bought a couch, you can see Andrew trying it out in the shop- it will fit us both slouching on it lol. It's going to be in a blue fabric and will be delivered in about another week. I also had to buy an electric frypan, as mine blew up. Andrew bought an office chair, he was really pleased as it only cost $20, down from $90.

So that's where my savings went!

Kaya's picture

2006-06-03T20:57:00.000+12:00

Kaya has done a picture just for you all in blog land

Winter's nearly here

2006-05-31T19:41:00.000+12:00

Tomorrow is the first official day of winter, which means for you in the Northern Hemisphere, it'll be the first day of summer!
It's a lot colder, especially in the evening. I had the heater on for the first time two days ago, although I've had the electric blanket on for a couple of weeks. Most of the people I know have had heaters or fires on for almost a month! Me, I keep thinking of the power bill!!
I had a really good few days off work- I was out almost the whole time- visiting etc. Andrew and I went up to Palmerston North to look for houses for sale as well, to see if they were cheaper there. There's not much difference in the prices though. P North is a city of about 80 000 people around 70 minutes drive from here.
I am so going to have to go on a diet- I've been reasonably good in watching what I eat but over those few days on leave I've had more takeaways than I should have!

I went backpacking..

2006-05-25T19:25:00.000+12:00

Tuesday I went into town (about 70kms away) and met up with Andrew- we stayed in a twin room with ensuite at a backpackers just across the road from his work. I have a few days leave. Andrew slept during the day, and then when he went to work, I slept in the room during the night. Backpacking has changed since I did it last when the kids were a lot younger! We had an ensuite! We had sheets and duvets provided! There was a heater in the room! Wow, real luxury. The upper floor was entirely taken up by computers with free internet access, a large dining area, two TV rooms, the kitchen, video games, a pool table, and a really nice area with couches around a big fire. This is a picture of the backpackers- you can see why it was painted like that with the name Wildlife aye! I'm going to do it again some time, it was great to have a day away like that.

Christie

2006-05-19T21:42:00.000+12:00

Our beautiful girl-cat Christie died this morning, she was 14 1/2 years old. She was Andrew's pet from the time he was 5 and he is very sad. She hadn't been looking good since last night, and died about 11am this morning before we could get her to the vet. We buried her in the country on some land owned by the boys aunt and uncle- that way no matter where we might move, it's somewhere Andrew can always go to visit. Poor kitty, we'll both miss her.

Blackbirds

2006-05-19T08:32:00.000+12:00

Hi Karen

When you showed the picture of the merle, then I understood what type of bird it was- a blackbird, at least it looks exactly that. We get a lot of them here in NZ, they would have been brought over to NZ by the emigrants in the 1800s, who wanted things that remined them of "home". So we also now have mice, rats and rabbits (and possums from Aussie, a REAL pest), stoats, weasels, ferrets etc!!! Blackbirds aren't pests and it's lovely to see them. I also like thrushes. Favourites of the native birds are tuis (such a lovely song), fantails, and wood pigeons.

The computer can't type right!

2006-05-17T19:48:00.000+12:00

Well that's my excuse anyways- I mean the big hill is 1100 metres high lol

cooler evenings

2006-05-17T19:43:00.000+12:00

Definitely late autumn- there's been snow at the top of the big hill behind my town for the last 2 days, although it will have gone by tomorrow. The hill is about 110 metres high, but the snow is earlier than it's been probably in the last 10 years! Maybe it will be a cold winter... I put the electric blanket on my bed 2 nights ago but so far haven't had the heater on at home.

Karen, sorry I can't see word verification again! Fleamarkets are fun aren't they. We have more in the way of car boot sales here, and fairs. Maybe I should put my cell phone on aircraft mode, which means it's on, so that my alarm will still wake me up, but no one can call me or text me!

early morning wake ups!

2006-05-16T20:34:00.000+12:00

Well yesterday morning I got an early morning wake up call- an earthquake at 5.32am. Just a little too early for my liking, it could have waited for an hour later surely! It sure woke me up and made the whole house rattle and shake, but nothing got broken or fell off. It was a 5 on the richter scale centred about 40 kms from here. NZ is a "shaky" country, and the city near where I live has a reputation as waiting for "the big one". I don't like earthquakes, you never know if once it starts whether it's going to get worse.

Then on Mother's Day morning, Andrew, who is working night shift, decided to text me then phone on my mobile at 2.30am- to ask for the address of a house for sale that had been emailed to him! Well I was well and truly awake by then, so I checked it out and let him know. Then 6am my cell phone rings again "Happy Mother's Day Mum" said Andrew! Well I guess it's the thought that counts aye!

Houses, houses

2006-05-13T19:34:00.000+12:00

Andrew has been looking into buying some real estate. He went to see a mortgage broker and she said to him she may be able to get finance of around NZ$230 000. So he spent a very busy 3 days going to see real estate agents and looking at houses that would be good to do up with him and I living in it for 2-3 years and both contributing to expenses. He was getting quite excited by the proposition of doing it! However he heard back from the mortgage broker last night- the first bank is saying only $140 000! Andrew is gutted and sooo disappointed. That figure will not get us a house or a flat or anything in the area we live. Even in the areas that have houses at those prices it wouldn't work out. Andrew and I couldn't live there, too far to travel to work... and a tenant wouldn't cover the cost of the mortgage.

So he really doesn't know what to do anymore. Our lease runs out on our rental house in September and we don't know if the lease will be renewed this time. I could get another rental but we both would like to be in something that's ours. I can't afford to borrow more than $80 000. We have looked into both putting into a house, but what happens if Andrew moves away or wants to do something else- I'd be left looking for somewhere to live with a loss on what money I would have put in. So we won't do that.

Maybe I will discover an unknown uncle??? Or Andrew will win Lotto? You never know what could happen in the future!

Blogger's done it again!

2006-05-11T20:54:00.000+12:00

Blogger's done it agin- I could view the word verification for a whole two days- check it again today and nope- not there!

Karen, may you have many happy days with your Ogo :-)

Autumn

2006-05-08T19:48:00.000+12:00

Sunset from the sandunes. Pretty aye- this doesn't do it justice! The glow of the setting sun was orange and yellow and the clouds had tinges of pink, while the sea was a translucent blue. Sunset is at about 5.20pm now.

I could see Mts Taranaki and Ruapehu, both a couple of hundred kilometres away, the air was that clear.

I didn't have time to go for a walk, just drove to the car parking area and stood on the sandune and admired it!

Blogger word verification

2006-05-06T18:16:00.000+12:00

Well, I just can't view Blogger's word verification at all, so can't post on Blogger blogs. I've tried it on both computers here at home and the computer at work, so maybe it's a NZ thing? I've turned off the word verification on my blog in case others are having the same problem.

Karen, the tulips look just lovely, and the fish in the pond too. It's great to hear that your weather has now improved. I hope that many trips on the Kiwi are on the agenda and I'll be looking forward to photos.
Our taxes are done automatically here by Inland Revenue and our employers: makes it sooo much easier. We just get a bill if we owe lol!
Sorry I can't post any comments to you at the moment, but hopefully you'll still call past here so I can comment here instead!

Kathryn has put my name into a Mother's Day competition, I doubt she will win but isn't it lovely that she entered?

I must be getting old!

2006-05-02T20:33:00.000+12:00

Here's a picture of Yana in her exersaucer taken when we visited yesterday.

It's only just after 8.30pm and I'm almost ready for bed lol. I've been cleaning up the house as it'll be our 3 monthly inspection of the house by our property managers in a week or so. I've been cleaning off the flyspots from the ceilings and lights, cleaned the fridge freezer, completely turned out both bedrooms and done most of the bathroom (skirtings etc).

It's taken a few days, but the house is looking pretty good now. I've still got the oven and the vinyl floors to do yet- oh and more of the garden, it's rather neglected I'm afraid. I wish I was a good gardener but I'm not. We've got a lot of buffalo (couch) grass and it gets into the garden beds and the roots are so extensive it's impossible to get rid of it completely.

Oh, has anyone else found that the letter verification pic isn't there on Blogger, so I can't post any comments at the moment.

May Day

2006-05-01T18:49:00.000+12:00

I know, planes again! I went to the aero club yesterday because I knew this plane would be in town, and I know the pilot. Dan is the brother of Simon, who was my flying instructor. Last year Dan got a job in Queenstown flying for Actionflite as an aerobatic pilot, flying the Red Bull Pitts Special. He's been on a tour around the country, and was at my local airfield taking people up for flights.

No, I didn't go up- at $235 NZ it's beyond my pocket money! It's a fantastic plane, very fast and agile. It pulls +6g and -3g at it's most extreme.It was good to see Dan, he is loving his job.

Today (Monday) was my other day off (I worked Saturday) and Kathryn and I went over to see Yana. I'm having a bit of trouble uploading the photos from my pxt phone to my email, I have a feeling that my email is treating it as spam and deleting them before I can get to view the pics.
The pxt of the Red Bull plane I managed to get as I sent it to Andrew's email.

Sarah has given me a digital camera but it may not work properly as it had been dropped. It doesn't turn on and off properly and the zoom doesn't work very well. The battery has run out and there is no USB cord- but hey, you never know, maybe we can get it to work sometime!

Anzac Day

2006-04-25T16:28:00.000+12:00

Anzac Day today, a day to remember all those who have served in the armed forces in New Zealand and Australia from WW1 to the latest conflicts. A day off work for me, sort of (I am on call) and half a day for shops etc. I watched the memorial wreath laying service in Wellington on TV. It was very wet, and the service men and women were getting drenched. It was moving though, to think of those who've died, and their families, and also to think of the people serving in the NZ forces overseas in peacekeeping roles.
My eldest son Tim was in the army for just over a year- he injured his back and was medically discharged, but if he had continued, would have been sent to East Timor as a peacekeeper.

Rising fuel prices...

2006-04-22T11:36:00.000+12:00

Well, our petrol prices have jumped about 15 cents in the last 3 weeks, in fact it went up 12 cents in one week!! Now we are waiting for the cost of everything to increase.

Already Air New Zealand has announced that airfares for domestic and international traffic are to rise by 10% from the beginning of May. That means it's going to be a lot harder to visit Phil in the South Island from now on. The flight from Wellington to Christchurch only takes half an hour, the alternative is the ferry across Cook Strait and then a looong drive- probably about 8 1/2 to 9 hours travel (not counting the time it takes to travel from my town to Wellington). And that costs way more money if you take your car on the ferry and drive yourself down! Ah well.

I am trying to save for a trip down South in January/February next year and had budgeted for $1700 for a 7-8 day trip - allowing for taking the car on the ferry, petrol, accommodation and food (and a bit for fun). Andrew said "mum it would be cheaper to go overseas for a week!" I would stay in backpackers and hopefully Phil and Magenta would come for part of that time. However with the petrol increasing like it is, I may not get enough money together in time. No matter how hard I try, I can't save more than about $30 a week unless I do a lot of extra work.

Never mind, if it doesn't come about at least I will have SOME extra money in my savings account aye!

Planes

2006-04-17T16:38:00.000+12:00

Today while I was down at the airfield Kathryn and I were lucky enough to see a flight of 8 "Yaks" landing and the taking off again. They'd been performing at the big Warbirds over Wanaka airshow that's held every second year. Our airfiled is a convenient place for them to refuel on their way back to their home base. The Yaks did a low pass in formation over the airfield with smoke on before landing, and then after refuelling they took off in formation. It was quite a sight!

I think they are Russian air trainers from the late 1940s or 50s. We also saw a Beaver come in to land and refuel. Earlier in the day Alex from my work had taken me for a flight, he's practicing for his Commercial Pilot's Licence so he did maximum rate turns ( about 60 degrees, feels like you're standing on the wingtip) wingdrop stalls, low flying and a practice forced landing with out power- as well as crosswind circuits. It was so cool! He's really good and should have no trouble passing his flight test next week. It'll be my last flight in a long time, as I need to save up money now to go down and see Phil and Magenta in the South Island. So I'm glad that the flight was something a little different. I wonder just how long I CAN last before the urge to go flying again gets the better of me?

Walking at the beach

2006-04-16T17:05:00.000+12:00

I'm still doing my street walks- but I also love walking on the beach, especially when it's getting on for sunset. This was taken a few days ago. Someone had placed these long pieces of driftwood in the sand.

So far this Easter I've managed two walks. On Easter Friday I finished the walk along the river bank (well the northern side of the river, I've still got the southern side, but that's not part of my town) and then back to the car along the streets, some of which I'd never been down before. One is called River Glade and it's lovely, lots of native bush surrounding the houses. Then yesterday I caught the train into Wellington and met Tim and Sarah and Yana, and we went walking along Oriental Parade- it's THE place in Wellington for people to go to for walking and jogging and cycling etc. Very pretty with the backdrop of the harbour. Today I've been visiting mum and then Kathryn. Hope your Easter is going well!

Catching up with family

2006-04-11T20:26:00.000+12:00

My son Phil and his fiancee Magenta came to visit. They live in the South Island and it's the first time they've been here since February of last year.

I haven't seen him in 4 months myself. It was SUCH a short visit- they didn't arrive until 10pm Friday night and flew back 7pm Sunday. AND I had to work all day Saturday, be on call Saturday night and be on call Sunday! It was SOOO good to see him but sad that I wasn't able to switch my weekend work at all. The bosses didn't offer to have the books either. They only relented a little by letting me drop them off at 4 rather than 5 on the Sunday.

On the Saturday I let them borrow my car and they went to visit his brother who lives an hour away, so they were able to see baby Yana for the first time. And did I mention I couldn't go with them because I was WORKING?? I also had to look after the grandkids on the Saturday night as it was Tahi's 30th birthday and Kathryn and Tahi were having a huge party. I did get to go there first in the evening with Phil and Magenta and had hangi food there before we left with the girls. Phil and Magenta helped me look after them, as they wanted to spend time with the girls anyway. Sunday morning we took the girls to McDonalds for breakfast before dropping them back to Kathryn's. I was a little busy being on call and having to answer the pager and cellphone quite a lot. We had thunderstorms and rain so there were floods work had to go to.

Now Phil and Magenta are gone again and it will probably be 6 months at least until I see them again. Still it was SOOO good to see them- did I say that already?

Out and about

2006-04-04T18:23:00.000+12:00

A couple of weekends ago Kathryn, Anahera and Kaya and I went to the seaside town of Eastbourne, where I used to live when I was a kid. It's on the other side of the harbour from Wellington. It was good to show them the places I remembered. Kaya is on the wharf here, we'd been looking a heaps of little fish in the water. I wish we'd had a fishing line with us. We also went looking for shells and rock climbing ( it was only a small rock!)
I discovered this mansion when I walking the streets of my town yesterday after work. It's huge by our town's standards! Apparently Peter Jackson used it in one of his early movies, "The Frighteners"
On another day I went walking down by the river and in the middle of nowhere found this little door hinged to a tree! Although you can't see it, it had little heart stickers on it. What do you suppose was behind the door?
Why, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh! Random aye!

I'm still around

2006-03-31T20:55:00.000+12:00

Well the four days I had off weren't long enough, isn't that always the way? The weather wasn't very nice for walking or getting outside, it was cold and showery almost the whole time. And Andrew and I were still adjusting to his night shift hours so I was tired.

I did decide on the Saturday to take advantage of a cheap travel deal on a combined bus and train ticket, and bought it on the bus that stops outside my house that goes to the train station. It was issued by the bus driver from his ticket machine. It wasn't until the guard on the train wanted to check my ticket that we both discovered the date was wrong, it was showing the day before. Do you think that guard believed I had just bought it? No way! He was about to throw me off the train, as I certainly had no cash on me to buy another ticket. He kept coming back to me, it was sooo embarrassing in front of a carriage full of people being treated like a fraudster. In the end he very reluctantly allowed me to stay on the train until I got to the main station in Wellington. There I went to see the platform attendants who thankfully did believe me, and although they couldn't refund my money they gave me a ticket so at least I could get back home. As soon as the bus company's offices opened on Monday I went to see them and they did give me a refund. What also annoyed me was the bus company KNEW the clocks on the ticket machines were wrong but they hadn't done anything about it. So a lot of embarrassment, and a wasted day out. I will be buying the day rover ticket on the train from now on and won't be trusting the bus company.

Ah well, things happen like that sometimes don't they lol!

It's been awhile

2006-03-18T21:32:00.000+13:00

Daylight saving finishes today-big sigh. I so don't like it when it gets dark earlier in the evenings. And I'll notice it more now that Andrew is working night shift.

He had his first night last night and I think it was pretty hard on him. He worked from 10.30pm until 9am this morning- yes that's 10.5 hrs! And as we are about 70 kms away from his office that's about 1.5 hrs travel one way too. It's a good thing he only does 4 nights a week then has 3 off.

I didn't sleep so well with him not being here but I will get used to it. I had to work today (Saturday) so it was my 6 day week- and I have the books and pager tonight as well, Thankfully I don't have them tomorrow so at least I will have 1 day off. Then next week I'm taking Thursday and Friday off- yay 4 day weekend!