Walking and catching up with school friends

April began with a "blast from the past".  Brian whom I used to go to college with contacted me through facebook.  Although, I don't use facebook a lot, and there is a lot of negativity around the platform at the moment - it does have some advantages - like perhaps finding people you haven't seen for 50 or so years.  Harry and I went up to Paraparaumu and had a lovely afternoon wandering around our old haunts and catching up.

We met our new little grandson for the first time and I enjoyed giving him his car rug (which is a tad too small given how quickly he is growing).

We have been for a few new walks, one round Eastbourne where we clambered over a fallen tree get to the path - hate going back when there is a way forward - as a child I had a book called "Where there is a will there is a way".  Can't remember anything about the book but have always remembered the title - and so did that US president who shall remain nameless in the news the other day. Also had lunch with David and Marion and a walk around Waikanae over a path we hadn't been up over the hills.

We had a little hedgehog walk across our deck one evening.  I went to see how it managed to get down the steps.  I pictured him rolling up and bouncing down, but no nature has given him the ability to hop from one to another.  He spent a while noseying around the grass looking for insects and the next time I looked he had gone.  Pity - I was looking forward to having a pet hedgehog and had even got to the point of imagining a little home sitting under a tree somewhere.

March 2019

It's the 9th of March and the first weekend we have had at home for a while. We are lying in bed reading the paper and of course blogging. The summery weather has gone. Its darker in the mornings, the northerly is blowing continuously and on Thursday the rain came down in buckets. Considering how dry it has been it was a flood type situation which thankfully didn't appear to eventuate.

Mike and Connie arrived on Thursday afternoon and we went round to Don and Judy's for dinner. Their house is beginning to look empty as they move their stuff to the coast. We saw their new home on Saturday when we took Blake out to pick up Connie.  A picnic in the lounge thanks to Bakers Delight.  Mike has been telling Connie about his happy memories as a child spending time with Grandma Beth.  So, Connie was keen to see Grandma Beth and her my Granny's grave.  This was after a discussion about Tabby and her ashes in the box on Friday and Saturday morning.  After putting hydrangeas on both graves I hear Connie tell Blake on the way back to the car "When you get older you can decide when you die if you want to be buried or burnt and turned to mush".  That made me smile and felt good as I was feeling sad thinking how much Mum and my Granny would love to have met their grandchildren.   We enjoyed Connie practising her teaching skills with all Grandma Beth's teddies sitting happily on the stairs and enjoying maths instruction. The classroom expanded to the bedroom and I revisited my childhood days where I taught my toys anything from counting to trampoling.  I joined Connie in the class with the teddies and am sad to say I didn't get the prize for being the star pupil.

 We have done some nice walks recently - around Mt Vic and Plimmerton.

It was rather a busy day as we then drove over to Makara to see Jenny and John, their dog, ducks and eels.  We fed the animals, and then Jenny and John fed us afternoon tea.  Mike enjoyed talking to them about owning a lifestyle block.  It was Mike and Becks 7th wedding anniversary and we stopped on the way to Ohariu Farm where we took photos and remembered that special day 7 years ago.  Miss the bride - on that occasion tho!!

We had fish and chips and with Blake and Rebecca lazed around watching Mary Poppins. No dressing up this time but lots of singing and dancing.

Friday 15th dawned and no one would have foreseen the awful circumstances of that day - etched in the mind of New Zealanders for every.  50 people losing their lives in Christchurch.  The country is in mourning and most of the world is with us in saying how deplorable that the unspeakable could happen in New Zealand and to so many refugees who came here to escape pain and suffering in their own country.  It is a time for reflection and I think many others felt the same.  I decided to go to the memorial service at the Basin Reserve on Sunday evening.  I am glad I did.  With 10,000 or so others, we covered nearly every piece of grass and grandstand and stood united in our desire for peace.  It was confronting seeing police wearing guns, something I guess we might need to get used to in the future.

This week evidence of the heightened state of security is everywhere.  Work has a security guard standing (what a job - standing all day, doing nothing except looking for suspicious looking people) and parliament is guarded by policy - again with guns.  Confronting and disturbing.

I have walked home 3 times this week so far, it has been good for me to climb hills, reflect on what has happened and to try and find peace in our lovely blue harbour, green hills, blue sky and very balmy weather.  Harry's back is on the mend and he is starting to walk to meet me again.  Great - return to normality.

Travel club was on - a talk about touring Iran.  It reminded me so much of Spain - the landscapes, buildings, architecture.  I asked Harry if he would be interested in going "no way" was his response.  Might be another trip sometime with a friend.

We finished our vertical gardens - the big one looks great but the small ones has the plants that should grow upwards deciding to grow downwards.  That's nature for you.

February

It has been a busy month. Socially quiz night restarted, we had our first video night "Life of Brian", we have biked to numerous places like Paraparaumu, went to terracotta warriors and Madiba and walked up Mt Kau Kau more than once.

We took Blake to the zoo to see the new chimp enclosure and got back into our exercise regime. Biking to work, riding home in strong northerlies and walking home through Wadestown and the Bush and up the bridal path.

Then it turned into a sad month where we attended the funerals of Stewart Jessamine, Jago Profitt and Ernie Friedlander. We travelled twice to Napier to spend time in the hospital with Ernie and then to his memorial service. And in between a trip to New Plymouth. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and close friends.

It was also Wings over Wairarapa.  Harry went for the day and I had a fun day catching up with Nicky (her girls, rabbits, sheep, goats and dogs), Cheryl and Alison and John (they were house sitting in Carterton).  I returned back to the airport for the night show.  It started to pour - large drops sliding down the windows so I sat in the carpark waiting - deciding that this was a better option than sheltering under a small umbrella.  The show was quite good with acrobatic planes lit brightly and a small guy fawkes celebration.

New years resolution

My news years resolution- to try and keep the blog updated at least with photos and at least monthly. So here goes. Our first full week back at work. Weather a mixed bunch but we managed a walk up Mt Kau Kau with Alison and John,  a walk round the harbour, some summer city events (Beat Girls and Sean Preston), Mary Poppins and Elaine Page. Also managed to clean the front deck ready for staining and a bike ride (only to Tawa due to strong northerly). Glad it is a long weekend- need time to recover from a very enjoyable week.

On Sunday we went to Alan and Angela's house warning.  Left early to head to a art show at Otaki but traffic was backed up to Whena tapu due to an accident - I don't think a major one well here's hoping. We decided to turn around and spent an enjoyable 2 hours at Plimmerton. There we enjoyed a sunny and breezy walk and saw a near disaster unfold. 3 young boys being pushed out to sea in a rubber inflatable. A man swam out to rescue them while the parents watched their 3 young boys with no life jackets float out to sea.

Another weekend we stained the deck and it looks pretty impressive. 

Home from Tassie

Our drive back to Hobart was uneventful.  Long straight roads edged by dry fields- it was here that we saw the drought at it's worst. 14 hours later we were opening our garage door - one of the first times our arrival was marked by warm dry weather. It is good to be home.  We missed our Tabby cat standing on the steps waiting for a welcome home hug.

The first week has been a tad busy. A bike ride to Miramar where we stopped for a coffee and to see a pod of dolphins enjoying the harbour. Some staining of wood work around the garden and cleaning of the front deck.  We caught up with Cheryl in Featherston and went for a walk around biggy Pond and a barbeque at Rebecca and Nylans. Tuesday was a tad windy so we wandered up the steps at Mount Kau Kau and down the other side. Lovely walk in sheltered bush.