Our house(s)

This picture was taken in mid Autumn, two years ago. The house is the one we had lived in for over 30 years. It had just been sold.

I think we had already started to grieve; we were now to look for a smaller home, with a much smaller garden.

On the right, partly obscuring the bedroom window, there is a tree, a Chinese Toon. I had planted it as a young sapling, tearing it from its parent tree. And in the clay soil of St Johns, it thrived, delighting us each year as, from its bare branches it reached out its young red tendril leaves that faded into beige and then to bright green, from which it discoloured again to fall in winter, leaving just the bare branches.

Looking out to it from our bedroom window, I was moved to try to write a poem. It was that kind of tree.

New Firefox profile - whoohoo!

I have managed, with a lot of help from Ju's Little Sister, to create e new Firefox profile. And that has allowed me to recommence blogging.

So we will be in action again soon.

Cathedral Cove

A selection of pictures at Cathedral Cove.

More birthday pics, and some from Black-Jack

The cactus bloomed

in the morning.

They shot the breeze in the afternoon

and they relaxed at Black-Jack, Kuaotunu, still eating and drinking. But it New Year by then! Maurice and Vicki, from B.C.

The Party

Eda's family party was in the Sky Tower (see earlier blog) But this was too good to leave out. Enjoy.










Eda's wider party was held on the Saturday, December 30. Family, immediate and extended, and many friends from the past joined in the celebrations. She was sent flowers from UK.







We assembled the entire family , wives, husbands and partners,
to retain a record of the occasion.


And a loved sister of mine who could
make it, was there to share.
She's 83 years....must be in the genes





Of course there had to be a cake, and Eda had enough breath left to remove the flames (with a little help from a little friend)


More photos, next blog, and some to follow from the New Year
at Kuaotunu

A series of family occasions

Eda turned 80 (would you believe it?) on Wednesday, December 27. To celebrate on the actual day (a great party was planned for friends and relations on the following Saturday) daughter Vivienne, SIL Paul, and G.sons, Michael, Anthony, and Sam, took us to the Orbit restaurant in the Sky Tower.

It was a wonderful occasion, and a waitress was kind enough to create a record of us all together., You can see how high we were!

Next blog will reveal the Saturday's party

On the way to Rob Roy

These pictures need to be viewed, right to left. I just might be getting the hang of this. See previous blog.