Into 2016 - late!

Dear lovely readers, it has been a Long Time. I have no real excuses other than a month in New Zealand, and this time I didn't take my lap-top to keep in touch. Then,  on our return a heap of things to attend to, like…. broken washing machine, a burst radiator (NOT while we were away thankfully!) arranging for the removal of our Rayburn cooker and installation of new cooker… overhaul of kitchen in the process …. oh and a wonderful heavy head cold which attacked me for 2 weeks solid - but thankfully did NOT reach my chest!


So having made my excuses, I'll proceed with the post! It is going to be pretty photo-heavy, I'm afraid.

Jim at Orewa Beach, not the sunniest of days to be honest, but quite warm enough! The header photo shows Kit with the boys on a much hotter, sunnier day, jumping waves.

Beccie with her Very First Car, bought by herself. Kit and Krissie saw the reg plate two years ago and bought it in advance of the day! Poor Bex was heartbroken as she saw it disappear from ebay! And astonished that someone else has the same misspelling of her name!

Me on my throne at Mataka Pottery. Yes, I would like one for the garden! No I'm not likely to get one!

Me at Casblanca, a lovely Middle Eastern restaurant we fell in love with. And that is a glass of water!

Isablelle's House on the Hill in Wellington. Isabelle is a Burwell Bash friend of mine who threatened me with all kinds of wrath if I went to New Zealand again and didn't visit her! Jim and I took the slow train (11hours) from Auckland to Welly - wonderful trip - and had three fabulous days with her.

Jim and I - a Bridge too Far, in Zealandia, a native bird /mammals sanctuary just outside Wellington. This was a huge undertaking, an effort to preserve the integrity of native species. If you google Zealandia you will find the whole wonderful story.

I think Isabelle was searching for the Rarey Bird… but she didn't find it! Some great walks here.

Isabelle and I and our friend… taken outside the Roxy Cinema , which was bought and restored to its 1930's beauty by Peter Jackson himself. We had a lovely dinner there that evening.

The absolutely gorgeousl home of Lindsey, a Facebook friend I'd never met, who invited us to stay a couple of days with her. She lives in a beautiful valley just outside Auckland, and "lifted" that lovely bungalow from 'up-island' more than 20 years ago. I could live here!

                               Photo of the bungalow in its valley setting. How delightful is this?

View from Lindsey's deck. Over that fence we watched her neighbour train a new sheepdog - from her buggy! Up and down she went. Up and down raced the dog. Up and down shuffled the sheep!

Frankie and Benny, Kit's beagles. NOT trainable to herd sheep! I've never known a breed of dogs so led by their stomachs as these two!

So many of the better photos and the family photos are on Jim's camera so this is your lot (sighs of relief all round!) I wish I could show you the expression on Dylan's face as I produced the trumpet we had bought for him (yes, through customs, they didn't ask Jim to play…)it came with us thanks to Emily, lovely granddaughter of my friend Pat, who has upgraded her instrument and sold it on to us. I wish also I could show you a photo of the two Emirates cabin crew girls I gave a mini- crochet-class to on the way out there! I wish also we had taken one of the four of us as we enjoyed our last dinner at Casablanca on the Friday before we left. Never mind. Those times are in my head and my heart. We had an amazing time, thanks to Kit and Krissie, Isabelle and Lindsey. We didn't manage to get to see the South Island this time as we had hoped…. one day! However we did see a lot more of the North Island and revisited a few places we had particularly enjoyed on previous visits.

I hope you enjoyed the photos, and thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post; I promise to be back quite soon with more tales from Textile Treasury…. although they may not be very textile related!

Floods, bugs and ribstickers

No, this is not a garage sale, it's our rugs drying off in the garage after Jim got up in the night to find the landing radiator had burst, drenching the landing carpet, dripping through the ceiling and flooding out the living/dining room.. The radiator was a write off. We rescued the rugs, but are waiting the insurance assessors to view the landing carpet. Two days later the bathroom radiator went. So now we await the plumber to come and overhaul the system and put in five new radiators.

Just what you need before Christmas, eh? Of course the radiators don't come under the various insurances we hobble ourselves with. Do you ever feel you are being royally ripped off on all sides these days?

The one good thing about it is that it has happened now while we can deal with it, not while we are away. Imagine coming home after a 27 hour flight across the world, to find house contents bobbing about in six inches of water? It'd certainly cure your jet lag, at any rate! And, let's face it, this was an entirely manageable situation, not like the awful floods some folk have been victim of.

While all this was going on I was working my way through a little bug. Or rather a little bug was working its way through me. And it took its time. Just as it appeared to be vacating its host, another little blighter moved in, a simple head cold. Except I don't do simple. So within hours it was setting up a satellite division in my chesterly area, which annoyed the heck out of the resident asthma, causing it to become positively exacerbated. Oh, they were all throwing their rattles out of the pram, were these fiendish little bugs. More excellent timing. Nine days later (gosh is it only 9 days?) the steroids have just kicked in and I can lie down without wheezing - hurrah! I shall sleep tonight! And the head cold has abated to the odd cough and sniffle. Hey hey! We're on our way!

Now I can eat with impunity, I decided to do something with a brace of poussin found on offer at Mr Sainsburys.  I browned them off, removed, and sauteed off the veggies.

Simmered the poussin in stock with the veggies, and voila, a meltingly tender, meaty, veggie, brothy meal - just what we needed to cheer us up! It was a bit hit and miss with the flavouring as my sense of taste was a bit off. (Now there's a great opportunity for a chortle from all my friends who know exactly how much 'off' my sense of taste is!) However, there were no complaints, just lots of little satisfied murmurs from himself, and actually I enjoyed it too. So good to eat and know you were going to hang on to it for the requisite time!

I wouldn't like you to think it has all been doom and gloom here abouts. We had a lovely dash down to Kent for my cousin's 60 th birthday bash, combining it with her daughter's 40th. Lovely to see the fextended family if ony for a short spell. On the way home next day we detoured through Norwich and booked our flights to New Zealand for the New Year! And to round it off, despite not having booked, we bagged a table at Jamies Italian and had a lovely lunch. (Not having had breakfast we pushed the boat out!) So now I've been twice and it did not disappoint. (My friend Sue K, it transpires, has done a sneaky re-visit herself, without telling me!)

Hoping you are well ahead with your festive plans, and enjoying the build-up without getting too stressed. We are very low key these days, most of my stress has come about trying to make sure my mum's life carries on serenely in every aspect despite the floods and bugs - all her cards are written and sent, presents bought and wrapped, her weekly shopping is done, meals planned, pharmacy organised, doctors visits organised and arrangements and plans put in place for when we are away. She of course, has no idea what all this entails, but if her life carries on free from pain, free from fear and free from lonliness that's all I ask. I can't do anything about her general physical and mental infirmities, but we can keep her cheerful and comfortable. And why wouldn't we? Catch you next time!