My good side?

I think I have discovered my 'good' side for all future photographs! No wrinkles, no odd sized eye, no awkward smile...I like it! The oyster was pretty damned tasty as well!

Back to the Catlins - February 2010

The Catlins has now been officially recognised as a place name by the NZ Geographic Board. Hmmm, I thought that was always its name!

I visited recently with my bookclub and experienced one of those perfect days. These photos are all from out at the Owaka Heads.

Not a breath of wind the day we were here - but the deformed bushes suggest it's not always this calm!


Snail's trails - I guess they were looking for something?


Mesmerising seaweed. We saw paua gathers launching themselves through the seaweed with no trouble - but it always gives me the creeps and I feel it would wind itself around my legs and neck and hold me down.


The rock structures out at the Heads are amazing - these look like a patchwork of fields as seen from an airplane, but are actually only an inch or two across.

More from the far north

Car ferry crossing the Hokianga Harbour Narrows between Rawene and Kohu Kohu.


St Mary’s Church, Motuti where Bishop Pompellier's relics are buried...


Loved the first sentence here...on a board at Gumdiggers Park, whoa!


Cape Reinga and that mysterious tree



Tapotupotu Bay

Heading to the top

I've now been north of Auckland. Still didn't quite find the anticipated summer - more of a warm and humid greyness. We did 'sights' rather than beaches and my togs stayed dry in my suitcase - probably a relief to all other beach goers.

Ruapekepeka - Maori war battle site - English position is in far distance

Stone Store (oldest stone building in NZ, 1832) and Kemp House in Kerikeri - relics of missionary settlements

A Moreton Bay fig tree in Russell, planted 1840


My feet relaxing on the verandah of the Pompellier Mission: it's the sole surviving building of the French Catholic mission to the Western Pacific. It was built to print Maori language books in 1841. Bishop Pompallier and his Marist missionaries printed almost 40,000 religious texts in Maori here in eight years.


The world's largest waka, 30m Ngatokimatawhaorua, built for the treaty centennial in 1940, will be in a fleet of 29 waka and 2000 paddlers celebrating the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi at Waitangi next week. It hasn't been in the water since it was launched at Waitangi in 1940.

Pounawea #3

Pounawea #2

Shopping trip to Balclutha


Trying for that perfect cup of coffee

Pounawea New Year 2010

I was lucky enough to have ten days down here alone. Bliss - to do what I liked, when I liked; walking, riding, eating, sleeping, reading, shopping, maintenance...a little of everything each day.
It was a rare time of quiet. If the weather had been warmer I would have been completely satisfied.
But, it was the usual Catlin's mix of hot, cold, rain, wind, calm, mild, hail, blue and grey - often all within the same hour. Ah well, if it was better weather it probably wouldn't be the unspoiled, lovely, quiet place that it is?

Together again

Buried Dad's ashes last weekend. Was a lovely wee ceremony with all close family (except for Ben who is in Vietnam) attending. Followed by a scrumptious afternoon tea at my house.



The stone is from Jedburgh, Scotland. Nigel brought it back a few years ago and thought Mum would like it on her grave, as she never quite made there (Jedburgh was her Dad's hometown, while Hawick was her Mum's).

It's ten years this year since Mum died and we buried Dad there on what would have been their 52nd wedding anniversary. We toasted them with Bailey's, ate chocolate ginger (Dad's favourite snack) and licorice allsorts (Mum's favourite lollie).

13

Another birthday down. My baby is now a teenager and I think he has a lovely birthday week. An excellence award and also runner-up top scholar at prize-giving on Thursday. Movies with a great bunch of friends on Friday (his birthday). Followed by promotion to 3rd kyu (advanced green) at his grading this morning.

18

Perfect day - from dawn to dawn. Lovely daughter, superb party. Well done me!

Girls can do.....

I soon will know more about roofing, flashings, spouting, hip joints, windows, more flashings, painting, water systems, septic tanks, etc, etc... Been down to Jedforest this past weekend and there is a bit or work required. The roof seems to have about six different sections, several of which have not been flashed well, or at all, and the spouting seems to have directional issues.

The baby birds (possibly starlings?) seem very comfortable in the verandah ceiling space with the parents staying busy providing worms every 20 -30 minutes the entire weekend

Yaaas, can't wait. Wish I was slightly more proficient in handy skills.

Sparring, huh!

Tonight I got: spat on, sweated on and bled on. I don't mind being kicked, punched, swept, etc - but really - some people need to learn to keep their bodily fluids to themselves. One wee tip would be to shut your damn mouth and a second would be, oh gosh, don't bleed in the dojo - it's not rocket science!

Also, I think my scales are buggered. In three days the scales went 69.7, 69.4 , 67.9 - yeah - I lied last post. 69.7 is sooo close to 70 and that's a round number. And while that is a downward trend, I would be happier if it had happened over three weeks than three days. It's all just bollocks since in three days I have done nothing to deserve those numbers. Sigh. The the jump up will dispirit me - I am such a lame duck at times. AND YES I DO KNOW IT"S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!

And, I love my car. I have just realised that after three months of thinking, "I'm driving a white, Toyota, automatic, blah." I am now thinking, " I like my wee car". I like walking up to it, I like driving it, I like parking it.

Twelve weeks

It is indeed twelve weeks until a family wedding up in Nelson and so what better reason than to embark on a wee fitness and heath spree? I have no karate related goals to chase at the moment. I’m in that lovely 1st kyu space where; I know my entire syllabus, there is no chance of a grading for ohhhhh probably two years, so, while the focus is ofcourse constant improvement and fitness there are no ‘set in concrete’ dates to work to.

So, Nelson, beaches and bikinis seem like good things to focus on. Actually, I think I may be visiting the Bay of Islands the week before the wedding – so even more beaches and bikinis!

Twelve week plan: ramp up cardio, curtail crap food, and be happy. I’ve managed to curb my addiction to mochas and go back to a long black with little trouble (and a dollar saving each time). I’ve almost stopped ‘having’ to eat with my coffee, reduced it to an occasional piece of nougat (umm yum – at Deisoline and Mojo’s – just devine!).

Gym, karate, intend to throw in a swim – just not sure where…maybe after Sunday kata class, or Tuesday general class. Skipping! I’ve made a bet with Jack that I will be able to skip for thirty minutes by Christmas day, yeah – wee bit of work required there too.

I’ll just throw out the number here – much as I dislike sharing this sensitive info – I feel it might (but probably not) encourage me to be vigilant. 69.4 ewwek…

Gym Mon, Tues, Fri morn. Karate Tues, Wed (x2), Thurs (x2), Sunday. Swim – somewhere, Skip, somewhere…Walk a little, eat well, snack well, yada, yada, yada.

Jedforest

Just a quickee...I visited my crib today - It's down at Pounawea at the top end of the Catlins. It's been in my family for 58 years, originating from three railway huts that were joined together. Then a rather ugly extension to the front and back in 1976 gave us an indoor bathroom and a bigger living area.

BUT, as of Monday it is all mine. Was my Grandad's, then my Mum's, then my Dad's and now it's mine...Lot's of work to do, it's been a little neglected over the past ten years.

But it's mine - I actually own a holiday house ;-)

Books on a sunny day

The book club I attend meets monthly on a Sunday afternoon at 3pm. Inevitably these are the most beautiful Sunday afternoons of the month, and I often feel a vague tinge of regret at ‘having’ to go and spend the last two hours of my weekend day talking about books when I could be at home reading one of my own.

It’s odd because once there I rather enjoy it. But since working fulltime I feel the need to hoard every spare second of free time and squeeze out all its goodness – or I don’t quite stay sane.

I usually waste my spring and summer Saturday mornings catching up on sleep (autumn and winter is for watching schoolboy rugby). I feel perpetually sleep deprived – too many early morning gym sessions during the week. By the time I drag myself up and read the newspaper the day is well on its way and it can be 2 or 3pm before I feel inclined to do anything useful – very happy to lounge and read however.

Sunday mornings are gym, kata class and Mass. Home for a latish lunch and then, again, it’s 2pm before I’m ready to go. Go for me being a rather inadequate term for what I actually do – more reading anyone? Housework doesn’t get a look in. I am a sloth and a sloth by nature – luckily my man is my exact opposite. He seems to thrive on maintaining the house in a livable state and attempting to create order out of absolute chaos.

That all said, this weekend I have actually done some real work – haven’t finished it, or have any idea what is going where, but… My dad’s house has finally been cleared out and I have now acquired more armchairs, sofas, wall units, towels and bedding, than a person knows what to do with. I live in hope that with kids going flatting next year they might need some of it. But I’ll probably store it for a year and then dump it…. meanwhile my lounge looks like a 70s junkyard.

Family times

Coffee and catch up with three of my guys. Gosh they are a laugh. Jack spent 5 minutes trying to get from one side of the table to another by sliding under it - he didn't fit - and had us in hysterics moments before this rather solemn shot.

I'm attempting to be arty here - not a previously known quality in my life skill set. I'm attempting to mix up buttons and old earrings, of mums, with dad's valves and things that I don't even know the names of - garage stuff - to create a memory thingee! I'm trying to find a circuit board to mount them all on. I will post when finished. Oh, the house sold in the first week! Meaning that I may now own a crib in Pounawea - to be confirmed.

Outstanding Forward!

Yes! Jack won the "U 13 Outstanding Forward" trophy today at his club prizegiving! Great finish to the 2009 season and his Junior Rugby career. He's a happy chap and I get to sleep in Saturday mornings from now on. That's a win - win if ever I heard of one.

Open day

Today was the first 'Open day' for my Dad's old house today. I lived in this house for 7 or 8 years and while I have a few fond memories I think it stopped being 'my' house when Mum died ten years ago. Dad died earlier this year and by then the house was unrecognisable from the place I grew up in. Lets just say my dad wasn't into house maintenance or tidiness and was a obsessional hoarder.

In the ten years since Mum died it was turned into a place I didn't really want to visit. So, to see it stripped out (tonnes and tonnes of acquired crap removed), with minimal furniture and everything in sight painted white is just odd. I hadn't realised how 70s it really is. It's like I'm seeing its bones. AND! It is the cleanest house in Dunedin. My sibs and I spent last weekend, along with many other weeks and months of removing Dad's treasures, cleaning every surface.

Last game of the season - fabulous try

Jack - mouthguard in and no sign of a bleeding nose!

Jack's last rugby game of the season and his last as in the Primary School division. The next five years he will play for his college and then move on, hopefully, to club rugby. His team had a great turn out this week, and even had a couple of reserves, so the coach moved Jack to play as a back - to see if he was as fast as he shows he is at practices.

This was a huge change from his normal position as lock in the forwards! It was really weird to see him hanging out in the line waiting for the forwards to get the ball out to him and at times you could see him itching to get in and play as a forward. A bit of a worry too as as a forward he doesn't get a lot of time practicing the running passing the backs need to be so good at.

Anyway, in the second half - right in front of us - he gets a great pass from Hamoa(?), fends off a boy or two and sprints for the line to dot down a fantastic try! Wahooo...what a way to end his rugby year and primary season. Oh, his team won as well! He got 4th in his school cross country on Friday as well, so he's feeling pretty chuffed about it all.





Big brother Ben came to watch - with his ever present football (not the smartest thing to bring to a rugby game!)