A quick blog entry as I am very tired and planning on an early night. We have been listening to the omnibus edition of the Archers lately (haven't done that for ages!). Harriette is getting very into it. A true Tanner. When did Betty die!!!
We had a long, hectic and enjoyable day yesterday. Friends of Claire in the UK arrived. We have been emailing for months as they pondered the move and then lots of 'should we bring this' and 'what did you do about...' type of emails. We then offered to pick them (ie mom, dad and 3 girls) up and let them crash here to draw breath before embarking on the house organising etc. They are going to live in New Plymouth where Bryan has a job organised. Their 3 girls are lovely, one a year older than H, one Alices age and a cute 7 year old and best friend of Claires twins. The girls got on famously.
We had an early start, 5am. It started off badly when we woke to pouring rain. Now normally that would be good but we had just cut hay!!! We took 2 cars up to the airport, Eric's truck for the baggage and mine for the people! We took the family into Auckland CBD to pick up their new car and then drive back here. I made sure we had a stop and Bryan got a coffee. I was very conscious of driving after a long flight. We finally got home about 10.45. It was hosing down as we got back but then the sun came out and it was really hot. The girls got aquainted in the pool, just what was needed after a long flight. We all had a bit of a doze for awhile then got up and organised some supper planning an early night. Bryan and Rosie were so appreciative of our efforts. Makes it all worth it and we can appreciate what it must be like to arrive in a foreighn country and then be stuck in a motel. They all got a really good sleep so decided to head off to NP today. They will be back at the end of the week and then we'll take it from there. Of course they can stay as long as they want.
I persuaded Abi (oldest one and very like Harriette) to start up a blog so hope she gets started soon.
Well I said this would be short ... and Alice is hanging over me waiting to finish a fan fiction she started reading earlier.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Junkies and Co
I really don't have time to blog but I am feeling guilty at lack of blog, and I know Helen needs something to read to take here mind off the in-laws!!
Last weekend we had the Junkies here. Junkie was at school a few years below Eric. He has recently emigrated to NZ with his family (Sharon and 2 children) and is in the NZ airforce. Apparently the NZAF, like the police, have had recruitment drives in the UK. They are all very happy here and settling well. Both children are sports mad so think they've died and gone to heaven living in NZ! They were due to arrive about 9.30pm Friday evening. I was busy making the bed in the cottage at about 6.30pm when Eric, who was mowing, called out that they were here! They were happy with a blob and chat weekend so all we actually did was a trip to Okororie tavern and an hour in a hot pool there on the Sat pm. They left after a Tanner Sunday breakfast late morning. It was so good to meet them and the 4 children got on really well. I did have my concerns as I couldn't see that the kids had anything in common apart from Dads that were ex-Dukies but they hit it off really well. Tom their son is a hoot and had my 2 in stitches. They seemed to spemd the whole 2 days laughing!
On the subject of sports NZ is in for a great year. Can there be any doubt that we (they) will win the rugby World Cup?! There is also the Americas Cup (please God we get that back), cricket World Cup (so I am told) AND we are now hosting the netball World Cup after Fuji lost hosting rights because Decembers coup. I may still be tempted to get a TV!!!
Juliet's baby is now 10 days overdue! She had No. 1 baby early and No.2 baby on the due day so is staggered at still hanging around now. She has given up staying close to home (she usually has quick labours) and came here last night and is off to Ann and Mikes in Thames tomorrow. i don't blame her. The kids are bored silly and fed up waiting. At this rate they will be back to school before this baby arrives. Still I guess it'll make an appearance when it's ready.
Bryan and Rosie and friends of my friend Claire in the UK. We have met very breifly and been corresponding regularly of late as they are emigrating out here, arriving 6am on Monday. I am still not totally sure of what Bryan wants us to do but I think the plan will be that Eric and I will take 2 cars up to collect them and luggage (they are 5). Eric will bring luggage back and I will take the family into Auckland to pick up their new car. Luckily it is a bank holiday so we won't have to fight the rush hour traffic to get into Queen Street. They will then stay here a day or 2 before heading off down to New Plymouth where they are settling.
Off to taupo for a colleagues 40th birthday tomorrow evening and having a day at home on Sunday, hopefully when we will catch up with R+R.
I have a huge glut of cauliflower at the moment. I have given away to next door neighbours and J+K but I think tomorrow I will deliver to all the 4 neighbours. Such a shame you can't freeze it. Alice has become the resident cauliflower cheese expert.
Well I must go to bed. I didn't have a very good night last night. I seemed to sleep lightly and was aware of noises at one point which I thought was, what Eric and I call, clicker bugs. Judging by the rear half of a baby rabbit that was outside our bedroom door I am guessing that what I heard was actually bone crunching care of Feral!! I still haven't got those photos sorted. I want to know why it is when I resize my photos in photobucket they don't!
Night night.
Last weekend we had the Junkies here. Junkie was at school a few years below Eric. He has recently emigrated to NZ with his family (Sharon and 2 children) and is in the NZ airforce. Apparently the NZAF, like the police, have had recruitment drives in the UK. They are all very happy here and settling well. Both children are sports mad so think they've died and gone to heaven living in NZ! They were due to arrive about 9.30pm Friday evening. I was busy making the bed in the cottage at about 6.30pm when Eric, who was mowing, called out that they were here! They were happy with a blob and chat weekend so all we actually did was a trip to Okororie tavern and an hour in a hot pool there on the Sat pm. They left after a Tanner Sunday breakfast late morning. It was so good to meet them and the 4 children got on really well. I did have my concerns as I couldn't see that the kids had anything in common apart from Dads that were ex-Dukies but they hit it off really well. Tom their son is a hoot and had my 2 in stitches. They seemed to spemd the whole 2 days laughing!
On the subject of sports NZ is in for a great year. Can there be any doubt that we (they) will win the rugby World Cup?! There is also the Americas Cup (please God we get that back), cricket World Cup (so I am told) AND we are now hosting the netball World Cup after Fuji lost hosting rights because Decembers coup. I may still be tempted to get a TV!!!
Juliet's baby is now 10 days overdue! She had No. 1 baby early and No.2 baby on the due day so is staggered at still hanging around now. She has given up staying close to home (she usually has quick labours) and came here last night and is off to Ann and Mikes in Thames tomorrow. i don't blame her. The kids are bored silly and fed up waiting. At this rate they will be back to school before this baby arrives. Still I guess it'll make an appearance when it's ready.
Bryan and Rosie and friends of my friend Claire in the UK. We have met very breifly and been corresponding regularly of late as they are emigrating out here, arriving 6am on Monday. I am still not totally sure of what Bryan wants us to do but I think the plan will be that Eric and I will take 2 cars up to collect them and luggage (they are 5). Eric will bring luggage back and I will take the family into Auckland to pick up their new car. Luckily it is a bank holiday so we won't have to fight the rush hour traffic to get into Queen Street. They will then stay here a day or 2 before heading off down to New Plymouth where they are settling.
Off to taupo for a colleagues 40th birthday tomorrow evening and having a day at home on Sunday, hopefully when we will catch up with R+R.
I have a huge glut of cauliflower at the moment. I have given away to next door neighbours and J+K but I think tomorrow I will deliver to all the 4 neighbours. Such a shame you can't freeze it. Alice has become the resident cauliflower cheese expert.
Well I must go to bed. I didn't have a very good night last night. I seemed to sleep lightly and was aware of noises at one point which I thought was, what Eric and I call, clicker bugs. Judging by the rear half of a baby rabbit that was outside our bedroom door I am guessing that what I heard was actually bone crunching care of Feral!! I still haven't got those photos sorted. I want to know why it is when I resize my photos in photobucket they don't!
Night night.
Friday, January 12, 2007
A Friday Night Blog
Friday night and sitting at the desk top. Well makes a difference from Sat am and in bed!
Am just MSNing with Cheryl who has just got back from Auz!
We have been a bit house bound as the Mistral's radiator has been sitting in the carport for the last week or so. NZ is still in summer shut down mode and tracking down a repalcement has been difficult. However, he picked one up today and is just about to take it for a test drive. (Also is going to take CD's so he can have my new system blaring while he's out!). Not totally housebound as we have the Safari and my work Focus, but the girls (and I) hate the Safari and my car should only be used for work.
Eric had a fishing trip with Richard on Tuesday. Richard is actually taking some time off and having a bit of chill out time. Having said that, he tells me today they were herd testing yetserday evening and this morning, and have a man coming to see the cows this afternoon! Doesn't sound like much of a holiday to me! Anyway, Eric and Richard got up at 5am to drive to tauranga and pick up a charter boat. 2 hour trip out into the depths of the Pacific and away they went. Apparently a terrible days fishing but he actually came home with supper. Caught 5 teraki which we enjoyed very much, partly because of the novelty of Eric actually catching something!!
He was absolutely shatter when he got back at about 6.30pm.
Previously, on Sunday evening we had some friends round to celebrate Eric's birthday (which was actually on Monday). It was one of the most relaxed and nicest evening I have had for a long time. We had R+R, Angela and Rob, and Hamish and Claire, and all accompanying children (7 girls) here. We did a BBQ, our pork and a butterflied leg of lamb, and steak from R+R and C+H. Salads, a mint thai potato salad, basil and tomato, plain potato (to cater for local tastes!!), green salad, and coleslaw. And 6 puddings, 3 care of Angela!! All the guests being dairy farmers it was not a late night but lovely, on the pool deck with lots of candles - excellent. Ironically R+A, who we befriended recently will be R+R's new neighbours when they move to their own farm in June, and C+H whom we met through R+R, will be nearest to us, although about 15 minutes drive away.
Planning to catch up with R+R for the day on Sunday. We will wait until that day to assess the weather before deciding between fishing on Arapuni, a bush walk, or the beach. I'm really looking forward to it. I have had virtually a week in front of the computer and am looking forward to getting out.
I have been getting daily emails from Miami where my cousins son is still in ICU. Alex had an accident diving and although critical is slowly moving in the right direction.
Well Eric has returned and the car seems to be OK. Will risk a longer drive up to Mom and Daddy's tomorrow. Night night.
PS As you can see I am still struggling with the photo's. I'll keep working on them!
Am just MSNing with Cheryl who has just got back from Auz!
We have been a bit house bound as the Mistral's radiator has been sitting in the carport for the last week or so. NZ is still in summer shut down mode and tracking down a repalcement has been difficult. However, he picked one up today and is just about to take it for a test drive. (Also is going to take CD's so he can have my new system blaring while he's out!). Not totally housebound as we have the Safari and my work Focus, but the girls (and I) hate the Safari and my car should only be used for work.
Eric had a fishing trip with Richard on Tuesday. Richard is actually taking some time off and having a bit of chill out time. Having said that, he tells me today they were herd testing yetserday evening and this morning, and have a man coming to see the cows this afternoon! Doesn't sound like much of a holiday to me! Anyway, Eric and Richard got up at 5am to drive to tauranga and pick up a charter boat. 2 hour trip out into the depths of the Pacific and away they went. Apparently a terrible days fishing but he actually came home with supper. Caught 5 teraki which we enjoyed very much, partly because of the novelty of Eric actually catching something!!
He was absolutely shatter when he got back at about 6.30pm.
Previously, on Sunday evening we had some friends round to celebrate Eric's birthday (which was actually on Monday). It was one of the most relaxed and nicest evening I have had for a long time. We had R+R, Angela and Rob, and Hamish and Claire, and all accompanying children (7 girls) here. We did a BBQ, our pork and a butterflied leg of lamb, and steak from R+R and C+H. Salads, a mint thai potato salad, basil and tomato, plain potato (to cater for local tastes!!), green salad, and coleslaw. And 6 puddings, 3 care of Angela!! All the guests being dairy farmers it was not a late night but lovely, on the pool deck with lots of candles - excellent. Ironically R+A, who we befriended recently will be R+R's new neighbours when they move to their own farm in June, and C+H whom we met through R+R, will be nearest to us, although about 15 minutes drive away.
Planning to catch up with R+R for the day on Sunday. We will wait until that day to assess the weather before deciding between fishing on Arapuni, a bush walk, or the beach. I'm really looking forward to it. I have had virtually a week in front of the computer and am looking forward to getting out.
I have been getting daily emails from Miami where my cousins son is still in ICU. Alex had an accident diving and although critical is slowly moving in the right direction.
Well Eric has returned and the car seems to be OK. Will risk a longer drive up to Mom and Daddy's tomorrow. Night night.
PS As you can see I am still struggling with the photo's. I'll keep working on them!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Bloody photos!!
Some bright spark has upgraded photobucket and now I can't do what I always could do, with my photos!!!!!!!! Sorry is you are on dial up and the page is taking aeons to download. the piccies are huge, even though they are thumbnail size in photobucket. Maybe if I turn the pooter off it will sort itself out. Usually works for me.
An Omnivore's Dilemma
Sitting in bed on a Saturday morning when I really should be up (it’s nearly 9am) but I am using 2 excuses. Firstly, it’s cloudy outside which doesn’t inspire me and secondly, I have a hole on my foot (stood on a nail), which means I can’t walk at the moment. If I was walking I do get up earlier as I don’t like walking when it is warm which it is after 9am (150C at the moment).
I am listening to Kim Hill interviewing Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book on different food systems. It is fascinating and I will definitely read it. He is an American (ex Harpers editor) and I still get shocked at the American attitude to food, and their naivety, or ignorance as to where their food comes from. (Not Pollen’s, he has seen the light!). He describes industrial, organic and forage food systems and talks about Wholefoods, America’s fastest growing supermarket which claims to be organic. So what is organic? According to Wholefoods, and I think American law, it just means no pharmaceuticals and feeding animals organic food. However they still grain feed, keep animals in crowded feedlots and ship food all over the country AND you can buy organic junkfood from them and, get this, organic coca cola is on the way Duh!! Not quite what many of us would call organic. Did you know America only spends 10% of their income on food? No wonder they eat so much of it. They need all the money they don’t spend on food to pay their health bills they incur because they eat so much junk! I have always aspired just being sensible about what we grow/eat (my waistline testifies that I'm better at the grow rather than eat side of things!). We grow food because I want my family to ingest as few chemicals as possible and I like to know that our meat is ‘happy’ meat grown as meat is supposed to be grown. I am not a flag waving greenie (I drive a huge 4x4 and put bleach down my toilet) but come on, we must be able to feed the planet in a more sustainable, safer way than we do now. According to Pollan, organic food production is only 10-20% less productive than full scale industrial production and, there has been almost no research into this method, compared to that that goes into non-organic means of producing food. I am now trying to persuade Eric that we need to tow a chicken coop round the paddocks to follow the cows to eat the maggots in the cow pats (you need to read the book)!!
It’s 6th January, time to take down the Xmas decs and start to get back into the swing of normal life. It’s a bit harder her than in the UK as everyone is in summer hols mode. Eric still has another week off work and the girls have another 5 weeks off. There seems to have been a mass exodus to the beach, the weather has been gorgeous (at last), and in this context I have been trying to work since Wednesday! Not easy! Yesterday Eric took the girls fishing on Lake Rotorua. Eric texted me, ‘We’ve caught nothing but the sun”
He wasn’t wrong. He looked like this when he got home.
I was furious, I had told them about 6 times to put suntan lotion on and none of them did. Harriette has ¾ pants on so only caught it on her face, neck and shoulders, Alice of course was bored and so stayed in the covered bit of the boat sleeping/reading so she wasn’t too bad but Eric! That was his face, you should see the front of his thighs. How stupid can a 40 year old be???
The following day Eric was taking no chances!
Only 40 for a few more days though. Eric’s birthday is on Monday and Sarah’s is on Sunday so I am doing a BBQ for them with the Philips (the Zimbabweans), the rest of the Scotts, and Angela and Rob. 16 of us in all. Gosh I hope the sun shines. The pool could do with some use. I think only H and E have been in so far. As you know it has to be 24 decrees C before I’ll get wet and it is struggling to get to 21 at the moment.
Juliet’s baby is due on the 20th. It feels like the shortest pregnancy ever. Probably because of all the trauma in their lives in the beginning of the pregnancy, and the fact that I am getting older (well aren’t we all) and time is flying past these days. It has been a long time since I have done cooing over baby stuff and I am really looking forward to it. Just hope I can keep the broodiness at bay. It still overwhelms me at times and I struggle with the notion that that era of my life has passed. I always had this deep-rooted conviction that I was destined to have 4 children (boys at that) and still can’t quite believe that I was wrong! Don’t get me wrong, as I have said many times, we have 2 healthy children whom we love desperately and that is 2 more than many people can have, and for that I am eternally grateful but….
I really ought to get up. My veg plot has some gaps in it and I have decided we need more courgette plants so I am going to plant up a bit today. I have spent the week trying to get on top of the weeks which seem to grow 10 times faster than the veggies! Eric is planting fence posts and seems to have planted a random forest of them outside the barn. Some of the planking will go up today which should give it some semblance of order.
I am listening to Kim Hill interviewing Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book on different food systems. It is fascinating and I will definitely read it. He is an American (ex Harpers editor) and I still get shocked at the American attitude to food, and their naivety, or ignorance as to where their food comes from. (Not Pollen’s, he has seen the light!). He describes industrial, organic and forage food systems and talks about Wholefoods, America’s fastest growing supermarket which claims to be organic. So what is organic? According to Wholefoods, and I think American law, it just means no pharmaceuticals and feeding animals organic food. However they still grain feed, keep animals in crowded feedlots and ship food all over the country AND you can buy organic junkfood from them and, get this, organic coca cola is on the way Duh!! Not quite what many of us would call organic. Did you know America only spends 10% of their income on food? No wonder they eat so much of it. They need all the money they don’t spend on food to pay their health bills they incur because they eat so much junk! I have always aspired just being sensible about what we grow/eat (my waistline testifies that I'm better at the grow rather than eat side of things!). We grow food because I want my family to ingest as few chemicals as possible and I like to know that our meat is ‘happy’ meat grown as meat is supposed to be grown. I am not a flag waving greenie (I drive a huge 4x4 and put bleach down my toilet) but come on, we must be able to feed the planet in a more sustainable, safer way than we do now. According to Pollan, organic food production is only 10-20% less productive than full scale industrial production and, there has been almost no research into this method, compared to that that goes into non-organic means of producing food. I am now trying to persuade Eric that we need to tow a chicken coop round the paddocks to follow the cows to eat the maggots in the cow pats (you need to read the book)!!
It’s 6th January, time to take down the Xmas decs and start to get back into the swing of normal life. It’s a bit harder her than in the UK as everyone is in summer hols mode. Eric still has another week off work and the girls have another 5 weeks off. There seems to have been a mass exodus to the beach, the weather has been gorgeous (at last), and in this context I have been trying to work since Wednesday! Not easy! Yesterday Eric took the girls fishing on Lake Rotorua. Eric texted me, ‘We’ve caught nothing but the sun”
He wasn’t wrong. He looked like this when he got home.
I was furious, I had told them about 6 times to put suntan lotion on and none of them did. Harriette has ¾ pants on so only caught it on her face, neck and shoulders, Alice of course was bored and so stayed in the covered bit of the boat sleeping/reading so she wasn’t too bad but Eric! That was his face, you should see the front of his thighs. How stupid can a 40 year old be???
The following day Eric was taking no chances!
Only 40 for a few more days though. Eric’s birthday is on Monday and Sarah’s is on Sunday so I am doing a BBQ for them with the Philips (the Zimbabweans), the rest of the Scotts, and Angela and Rob. 16 of us in all. Gosh I hope the sun shines. The pool could do with some use. I think only H and E have been in so far. As you know it has to be 24 decrees C before I’ll get wet and it is struggling to get to 21 at the moment.
Juliet’s baby is due on the 20th. It feels like the shortest pregnancy ever. Probably because of all the trauma in their lives in the beginning of the pregnancy, and the fact that I am getting older (well aren’t we all) and time is flying past these days. It has been a long time since I have done cooing over baby stuff and I am really looking forward to it. Just hope I can keep the broodiness at bay. It still overwhelms me at times and I struggle with the notion that that era of my life has passed. I always had this deep-rooted conviction that I was destined to have 4 children (boys at that) and still can’t quite believe that I was wrong! Don’t get me wrong, as I have said many times, we have 2 healthy children whom we love desperately and that is 2 more than many people can have, and for that I am eternally grateful but….
I really ought to get up. My veg plot has some gaps in it and I have decided we need more courgette plants so I am going to plant up a bit today. I have spent the week trying to get on top of the weeks which seem to grow 10 times faster than the veggies! Eric is planting fence posts and seems to have planted a random forest of them outside the barn. Some of the planking will go up today which should give it some semblance of order.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Another Christmas
Gosh. Where to start!! Firstly by wishing you all the happiest of New Years. May you rise to the challenges 2007 brings you and we hope many good things come your way. It certainly feels like a good year for us is in store. (I hope they are not famous last words!) Just the fact that Eric is not studying is a good starter.
For my cousins son in a Miami ICU following an accident diving from a beach and now fighting for his life, I pray the New Year brings an improvement in Alex’s condition and that he can be soon flying home with his family and on the way to making a full recovery. Working in ICU for so long you se,e far too often, the way an accident can turn a family up-side-down. It is bad enough having to move into an ICU in your local hospital but to fly across the world and have to camp out in strange accommodation for weeks on end just makes it so much harder. Alex’s parents and 3 siblings are all there so at least they have each other but still what they are going through many of us can hardly begin to imagine.
I am sitting in bed, it’s nearly 9am on the first day of the New Year. We did not stay up last night (we generally don’t ‘do’ NY) but did spend the evening with friends. We had been invited to Hamish and Claires for a curry, along with the Scotts. They are a white Zimbabwean family who left their tobacco farm because of the well-publicised troubles there. They have two daughters, one in Alice and Katherine’s class last year and the other in Sarah’s class, and a pre-school son. Their 2 girls have become great pals with the Scott girls. We met them through Richard and Robyn and have had 2 evenings now where the 13 of us have got together and they have both been thoroughly enjoyable. Hamish and Claire manage a dairy farm just about 18km away from us.
Well the intrepid travellers have left and should just be recovering back in the UK now. Carol (Briggsy) and Milky (Paul) arrived early Dec and after a week here went north then south. I don’t know what was the matter with the girls in that first week but they played up terribly, bickering and arguing like I haven’t seen for a long time. I’m not sure if it was attention seeking or what but I had serious words with them before Carol and Milky returned. They (C+M) swam with dolphins in the Bay of Islands, did white water rafting, horse trekking, flew in a chopper over the glaciers, kayaking, swam with dolphins again, saw whales and a kiwi (the kiwi in the wild well crossing the road, something most kiwis haven’t seen). So they packed plenty in. They came back here on 23rd December. Christmas was, well a bit non-descript really, apart from my yelling at the girls. They really made me cross. You plan for weeks and try so hard to make everything nice, spend a fortune on pressies and come Xmas Day, ask for help putting a meal on the table and get a) ignored, b) “do I have to”, or c) “in a minute”. I must confess that general lack of help spoiled my day. On Xmas Eve evening we had neighbours, and the Stokes here for early evening drinks. The disappointing thing was that one of us (Eric) couldn’t drive as we were going to Midnight Mass, in the big white wood church (St Andrews) in Cambridge. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and really relaxed with the company and a few gins and glasses of wine. So much so that Eric seemed to think I was under the influence and when it came to taking communion Eric said, tongue in cheek, “don’t you think you’ve had enough wine”!!
By the time we got home and put pressies out, a carrot and mince pie for Santa and did all those other parenting things one does, it was 2am before we got to bed. This was on top of the previous 1-2 am bedtimes for the previous 2-3 nights followed by early starts. Christmas day did not start well. Now the girls are usually pretty good Xmas morning, we have almost never done the 4 am starts I remember from my own childhood!! At 8am the door burst open and Alice flew in, totally hyped, yelling “Happy Christmas”, Harriette behind her going “No, Alice No” followed but a groan as she realised she had not stopped her in time and knowing what our reaction would be! They were sent out and told not to return until they came armed with cups of tea. Harriette and I walked in the morning and popped into Jill and John next door to collect parsley for the traditional kedgeree which we finally got on the table for about 11.30am. (Alice was asked to lay the table. She threw place mats on and put the everyday cutlery out and thought that would do for a Christmas breakfast. She was not happy when she was told it wouldn’t!) Mom and Daddy arrived as we were eating and we finally unwrapped pressies in the early afternoon. I got: thin straighteners for my, recently acquired, fringe (which always seems to be pointing to the heavens when I wake each morning), Love perfume, silicone bakeware from Alice (Eric saying when they bought it, “Are you sure Mom will want this” knowing how kitchen stuff is a strict No-No in my eyes. Alice was adamant and this was something I was pleased with.), a book Coast from Bridget, Calender girls DVD from R+R, a big protea bush from Mom and Daddy (I am always cutting blooms from their beautiful bushes when they are in flower), a 1GB chip for my camera from Carol and Milky, the new Brooke Fraser CD, a fabulous car stereo from Eric (the one in the Mistral was seriously budget with no volume, about 3 radio stations and only played tapes). The trouble is the car now has no radiator in it so we haven’t driven anywhere to test it. More later on that.
I find it so hard to come up with something special for Christmas lunch. We eat so well all year and never eat turkey at Christmas as we don’t like it so… what do you eat? We have often had venison in the past but it is so expensive here and pennies being what they are we have not had it very often in NZ. The geese have not produced goslings (well one out of about 22 eggs this year and it died aged two days after a night of heavy rain) so goose was still not on the menu. We have been out of beef for a few months so thought we’d get a beast done and have a nice rib of beef but then we could not get the homekill guy out in time, despite phoning them in October (!!) and Eric has not had time to do it himself so, beef was out. We settled on a surf n’ turf with our lamb (a back half done on the BBQ) and a mixture of seafoods. Eric made a prawn salad (emulating a dish he had when he went out with the firm for their Christmas lunch) and a seafood platter, both very nice. I dug new potatoes and picked peas from the garden (the first crop of both for the year) and we had local asparagus with a homemade hollandaise sauce. The, now traditional, pav followed (with strawberries from the garden), Mom’s wonderful homemade ice cream (Richards moms recipe) and a passionfruit pana cotta (Nigella recipe, but I am sure the gelatine measures were wrong). I also made a Nigella Cossasina (? spelling) Christmas cake and so the overeating began!
I have decided that we will do something very different next year, maybe tramp into the bush and spend Christmas in a DOC (Dept of Conservation) hut!!!
On Boxing Day we had the, again traditional, smoked salmon scrambled eggs and I made salads for our day at Ann and Mikes. We had not been given a specific time but invited ‘for the day’. I was so embarrassed that we got there at 3.30pm. We just couldn’t drag ourselves out of bed after the lack of sleep over the preceeding week. Mike had done a loin of pork, which Eric restuffed and strung for him. They planned to cook it on the rotisserie on the BBQ but were not happy with it so awaited our arrival for Eric’s butchery skills before they would cook it. So, because of us, everyone was starving!!! Why I do not know as Ann had a continuous supply of nibbles! Ann had also done a salmon en croute and Eric had taken some of his home cured smoked ham and a pork pie. Just before dusk Eric and I took a walk on the beach for a much needed break. It was meant to be romantic but Eric talked non-stop, just general rubbish in between complaining that I made him walk in water and that the sand was getting into his sandals. He frequently did Ministry of Funny Walk impressions trying to shake sand out with each step. It was not romantic at all but he had me in stitches. We also spotted some rare birds. They were nesting on the beach and someone had put some pigtails and tape (common sites on farms to control stock but so out of place on a beach, well maybe not a kiwi beach) around the nest site to keep people away. I was amazed that, despite being very close to a campsite, it seemed to be working. I kept thinking that in another country someone would just pinch the eggs or trash the place. It was real pleasure to see these rare birds as the sun was setting. Maybe it was romantic after all.
The 27th was Carols birthday and we bought her the Brooke Fraser CD (she must have guessed as Milky was under instruction not to let her buy it when they were away and she didn’t get it for Christmas) and a fishing licence and took her and Milky to Lake Rotorua. E, C and M went with the boat and the Safari while the girls and I followed a few hours later in the Mistral with camp stove, tea and coffee making stuff and biscuits. We left in sunshine and drove through rain as we passed over the Mamakau’s me thinking I had no raincoats, and into overcast weather in Ngongataha. We made camp under a big tree, texted and waited, and waited! Apparently it was so windy on the lake they made almost no headway and took ages coming in. By the time they did, and had a cup of tea it was too late to take the girls so Eric promised them a fishing trip when I go back to work. Carol caught this:
We needed to get back as we had arranged to take Carol and Milky to Gengy’s in Hamilton where we were meeting The Scotts. We didn’t get there – the radiator gave out in Cambridge. The car has been a bit of a saga this last week or 2. The Friday before Christmas H, A and I were in Matamata where I left H in the car with the aircon and radio on while I picked up shooting goggles and ear defenders for Eric for Christmas. When I came back the battery was dead and I had to wait ages for the guy in the store to have a lull so he could come and jump start me (I carry jump leads). He noticed some water under the car but I assumed (incorrectly as it turned out) that it was fluid from the aircon. I forgot to mention it to Eric as, when he arrived he had this huge, fabulous hamper from work and was busy telling us about the fantastic meal he had had at Longlands, probably Matamata’s poshest restaurant as I examined the hamper contents. That afternoon we went into Hamilton to do last minute bits and a major vegetable shop at the Heaphy Terrace veg shop, called in on J and K on the way back then a final stop at the Countdown in Cambridge. We came out to find all the coolant running down the carpark! The garage over the road provided rags, water and Stop Leak (NZ equivalent to RadWeld) and we go home – late. We went to a party at some people we had met the previous week, arriving at 8.45pm (it started at 6.30pm and we had phoned to say we would be late). We thought it was just a party (bring a plate they said, that means a plate of food) and found it was a full sit down meal!!! Very embarrassing but they made us welcome and had not got as far a puddings. The car did well on the StopLeak, we went to Midnight Mass (20 mins), Ann and Mikes (1hr 15 min away) and Ngongataha (50 mins over the mountains) all with no trouble then overheated, again in Cambridge, on our way to Gengy’s. We abandoned the car at the garage, phoned R+R to say we couldn’t get there and had dinner at the Prince Albert pub. Ironic really as this was where Carol socialised when she worked at Trewlawney stud. R+R joined us for a chat on their way home and, after some RadWeld Eric had found in the garage at home and put in the car, and more water, they followed us back. We went to Tirau for a meal on our anniversary, 15 mins away and it was leaking a bit then so now the radiator is out and waiting for the world to go back to work on Wednesday after the holidays to get a replacement. Add to that at 1am yesterday we were trekking round paddocks trying to find a water leak when we had no water and found that the belt slipped on the water pump, Eric was able to fix, it has been eventful around here.
I have suggested to Eric that now he is qualified and life seems to be settling down we should make some plans and set some goals for the short, medium and long term. The sole goal for years now has been Eric get qualified and get a job!! We have lists of things we/I want to do around the place but it is so long I think we need to prioritise and plan rather than doing them randomly. We were making good progress with this plan until I told Eric I wanted the roof line altered on the bit of the house that contains Harri’s bedroom and my office (we plan to extend that bit again and make some alterations to our room) then it fell apart!! Still we can go back to it. This year’s plan is easy really, financially recover from our UK trip by November and save for Christmas. The following year we want to get the drive done and the shed/workshop/sleepout built which will mean a new septic tank. And so it goes on.
No NY’s resolutions but I do intend to blog a bit more often, I just cannot catch up after 6 weeks.
Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness.
For my cousins son in a Miami ICU following an accident diving from a beach and now fighting for his life, I pray the New Year brings an improvement in Alex’s condition and that he can be soon flying home with his family and on the way to making a full recovery. Working in ICU for so long you se,e far too often, the way an accident can turn a family up-side-down. It is bad enough having to move into an ICU in your local hospital but to fly across the world and have to camp out in strange accommodation for weeks on end just makes it so much harder. Alex’s parents and 3 siblings are all there so at least they have each other but still what they are going through many of us can hardly begin to imagine.
I am sitting in bed, it’s nearly 9am on the first day of the New Year. We did not stay up last night (we generally don’t ‘do’ NY) but did spend the evening with friends. We had been invited to Hamish and Claires for a curry, along with the Scotts. They are a white Zimbabwean family who left their tobacco farm because of the well-publicised troubles there. They have two daughters, one in Alice and Katherine’s class last year and the other in Sarah’s class, and a pre-school son. Their 2 girls have become great pals with the Scott girls. We met them through Richard and Robyn and have had 2 evenings now where the 13 of us have got together and they have both been thoroughly enjoyable. Hamish and Claire manage a dairy farm just about 18km away from us.
Well the intrepid travellers have left and should just be recovering back in the UK now. Carol (Briggsy) and Milky (Paul) arrived early Dec and after a week here went north then south. I don’t know what was the matter with the girls in that first week but they played up terribly, bickering and arguing like I haven’t seen for a long time. I’m not sure if it was attention seeking or what but I had serious words with them before Carol and Milky returned. They (C+M) swam with dolphins in the Bay of Islands, did white water rafting, horse trekking, flew in a chopper over the glaciers, kayaking, swam with dolphins again, saw whales and a kiwi (the kiwi in the wild well crossing the road, something most kiwis haven’t seen). So they packed plenty in. They came back here on 23rd December. Christmas was, well a bit non-descript really, apart from my yelling at the girls. They really made me cross. You plan for weeks and try so hard to make everything nice, spend a fortune on pressies and come Xmas Day, ask for help putting a meal on the table and get a) ignored, b) “do I have to”, or c) “in a minute”. I must confess that general lack of help spoiled my day. On Xmas Eve evening we had neighbours, and the Stokes here for early evening drinks. The disappointing thing was that one of us (Eric) couldn’t drive as we were going to Midnight Mass, in the big white wood church (St Andrews) in Cambridge. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and really relaxed with the company and a few gins and glasses of wine. So much so that Eric seemed to think I was under the influence and when it came to taking communion Eric said, tongue in cheek, “don’t you think you’ve had enough wine”!!
By the time we got home and put pressies out, a carrot and mince pie for Santa and did all those other parenting things one does, it was 2am before we got to bed. This was on top of the previous 1-2 am bedtimes for the previous 2-3 nights followed by early starts. Christmas day did not start well. Now the girls are usually pretty good Xmas morning, we have almost never done the 4 am starts I remember from my own childhood!! At 8am the door burst open and Alice flew in, totally hyped, yelling “Happy Christmas”, Harriette behind her going “No, Alice No” followed but a groan as she realised she had not stopped her in time and knowing what our reaction would be! They were sent out and told not to return until they came armed with cups of tea. Harriette and I walked in the morning and popped into Jill and John next door to collect parsley for the traditional kedgeree which we finally got on the table for about 11.30am. (Alice was asked to lay the table. She threw place mats on and put the everyday cutlery out and thought that would do for a Christmas breakfast. She was not happy when she was told it wouldn’t!) Mom and Daddy arrived as we were eating and we finally unwrapped pressies in the early afternoon. I got: thin straighteners for my, recently acquired, fringe (which always seems to be pointing to the heavens when I wake each morning), Love perfume, silicone bakeware from Alice (Eric saying when they bought it, “Are you sure Mom will want this” knowing how kitchen stuff is a strict No-No in my eyes. Alice was adamant and this was something I was pleased with.), a book Coast from Bridget, Calender girls DVD from R+R, a big protea bush from Mom and Daddy (I am always cutting blooms from their beautiful bushes when they are in flower), a 1GB chip for my camera from Carol and Milky, the new Brooke Fraser CD, a fabulous car stereo from Eric (the one in the Mistral was seriously budget with no volume, about 3 radio stations and only played tapes). The trouble is the car now has no radiator in it so we haven’t driven anywhere to test it. More later on that.
I find it so hard to come up with something special for Christmas lunch. We eat so well all year and never eat turkey at Christmas as we don’t like it so… what do you eat? We have often had venison in the past but it is so expensive here and pennies being what they are we have not had it very often in NZ. The geese have not produced goslings (well one out of about 22 eggs this year and it died aged two days after a night of heavy rain) so goose was still not on the menu. We have been out of beef for a few months so thought we’d get a beast done and have a nice rib of beef but then we could not get the homekill guy out in time, despite phoning them in October (!!) and Eric has not had time to do it himself so, beef was out. We settled on a surf n’ turf with our lamb (a back half done on the BBQ) and a mixture of seafoods. Eric made a prawn salad (emulating a dish he had when he went out with the firm for their Christmas lunch) and a seafood platter, both very nice. I dug new potatoes and picked peas from the garden (the first crop of both for the year) and we had local asparagus with a homemade hollandaise sauce. The, now traditional, pav followed (with strawberries from the garden), Mom’s wonderful homemade ice cream (Richards moms recipe) and a passionfruit pana cotta (Nigella recipe, but I am sure the gelatine measures were wrong). I also made a Nigella Cossasina (? spelling) Christmas cake and so the overeating began!
I have decided that we will do something very different next year, maybe tramp into the bush and spend Christmas in a DOC (Dept of Conservation) hut!!!
On Boxing Day we had the, again traditional, smoked salmon scrambled eggs and I made salads for our day at Ann and Mikes. We had not been given a specific time but invited ‘for the day’. I was so embarrassed that we got there at 3.30pm. We just couldn’t drag ourselves out of bed after the lack of sleep over the preceeding week. Mike had done a loin of pork, which Eric restuffed and strung for him. They planned to cook it on the rotisserie on the BBQ but were not happy with it so awaited our arrival for Eric’s butchery skills before they would cook it. So, because of us, everyone was starving!!! Why I do not know as Ann had a continuous supply of nibbles! Ann had also done a salmon en croute and Eric had taken some of his home cured smoked ham and a pork pie. Just before dusk Eric and I took a walk on the beach for a much needed break. It was meant to be romantic but Eric talked non-stop, just general rubbish in between complaining that I made him walk in water and that the sand was getting into his sandals. He frequently did Ministry of Funny Walk impressions trying to shake sand out with each step. It was not romantic at all but he had me in stitches. We also spotted some rare birds. They were nesting on the beach and someone had put some pigtails and tape (common sites on farms to control stock but so out of place on a beach, well maybe not a kiwi beach) around the nest site to keep people away. I was amazed that, despite being very close to a campsite, it seemed to be working. I kept thinking that in another country someone would just pinch the eggs or trash the place. It was real pleasure to see these rare birds as the sun was setting. Maybe it was romantic after all.
The 27th was Carols birthday and we bought her the Brooke Fraser CD (she must have guessed as Milky was under instruction not to let her buy it when they were away and she didn’t get it for Christmas) and a fishing licence and took her and Milky to Lake Rotorua. E, C and M went with the boat and the Safari while the girls and I followed a few hours later in the Mistral with camp stove, tea and coffee making stuff and biscuits. We left in sunshine and drove through rain as we passed over the Mamakau’s me thinking I had no raincoats, and into overcast weather in Ngongataha. We made camp under a big tree, texted and waited, and waited! Apparently it was so windy on the lake they made almost no headway and took ages coming in. By the time they did, and had a cup of tea it was too late to take the girls so Eric promised them a fishing trip when I go back to work. Carol caught this:
We needed to get back as we had arranged to take Carol and Milky to Gengy’s in Hamilton where we were meeting The Scotts. We didn’t get there – the radiator gave out in Cambridge. The car has been a bit of a saga this last week or 2. The Friday before Christmas H, A and I were in Matamata where I left H in the car with the aircon and radio on while I picked up shooting goggles and ear defenders for Eric for Christmas. When I came back the battery was dead and I had to wait ages for the guy in the store to have a lull so he could come and jump start me (I carry jump leads). He noticed some water under the car but I assumed (incorrectly as it turned out) that it was fluid from the aircon. I forgot to mention it to Eric as, when he arrived he had this huge, fabulous hamper from work and was busy telling us about the fantastic meal he had had at Longlands, probably Matamata’s poshest restaurant as I examined the hamper contents. That afternoon we went into Hamilton to do last minute bits and a major vegetable shop at the Heaphy Terrace veg shop, called in on J and K on the way back then a final stop at the Countdown in Cambridge. We came out to find all the coolant running down the carpark! The garage over the road provided rags, water and Stop Leak (NZ equivalent to RadWeld) and we go home – late. We went to a party at some people we had met the previous week, arriving at 8.45pm (it started at 6.30pm and we had phoned to say we would be late). We thought it was just a party (bring a plate they said, that means a plate of food) and found it was a full sit down meal!!! Very embarrassing but they made us welcome and had not got as far a puddings. The car did well on the StopLeak, we went to Midnight Mass (20 mins), Ann and Mikes (1hr 15 min away) and Ngongataha (50 mins over the mountains) all with no trouble then overheated, again in Cambridge, on our way to Gengy’s. We abandoned the car at the garage, phoned R+R to say we couldn’t get there and had dinner at the Prince Albert pub. Ironic really as this was where Carol socialised when she worked at Trewlawney stud. R+R joined us for a chat on their way home and, after some RadWeld Eric had found in the garage at home and put in the car, and more water, they followed us back. We went to Tirau for a meal on our anniversary, 15 mins away and it was leaking a bit then so now the radiator is out and waiting for the world to go back to work on Wednesday after the holidays to get a replacement. Add to that at 1am yesterday we were trekking round paddocks trying to find a water leak when we had no water and found that the belt slipped on the water pump, Eric was able to fix, it has been eventful around here.
I have suggested to Eric that now he is qualified and life seems to be settling down we should make some plans and set some goals for the short, medium and long term. The sole goal for years now has been Eric get qualified and get a job!! We have lists of things we/I want to do around the place but it is so long I think we need to prioritise and plan rather than doing them randomly. We were making good progress with this plan until I told Eric I wanted the roof line altered on the bit of the house that contains Harri’s bedroom and my office (we plan to extend that bit again and make some alterations to our room) then it fell apart!! Still we can go back to it. This year’s plan is easy really, financially recover from our UK trip by November and save for Christmas. The following year we want to get the drive done and the shed/workshop/sleepout built which will mean a new septic tank. And so it goes on.
No NY’s resolutions but I do intend to blog a bit more often, I just cannot catch up after 6 weeks.
Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness.
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