Hot!

Yay! The Auckland Day has been boiling! I made LOADS of plum jam (due to huge crop from friend's tree and her not wanting the birds to eat it) and then felt soooo hot that I drove to the nearest beach for a refreshing and much needed swim.

Just rubbing it in

Maraetai

Today I have been mostly eating lol! Well, that's what it feels like anyway.

Woke up a bit late - Kev and son already up and about etc when I wandered bleary eyed into the sitting room this morning.

Cooked a slap up brekkie for us - yum!

Then after various boring household bits and bobs, our little family threesome drove to lovely Maraetai (literally translated from Maori to English as 'meeting place by the sea').

Upon arrival,we immediately proceeded to a luverly cafe to eat further yummy food - I particularly like the corn fritters, whilst Kev had gurnard and son fush and chups!

After all this slovenly and shameful eating behaviour, we took a much needed walk along the beach. Here you go.......

Above is Waiheke Island in the distance - lots of wineries to explore on this island plus fab beaches.

This is the view from the beach towards Auckland City (ish). If you look carefully, you can see a tall ship anchored ready to show off and pose for the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta (and so it should - it's beautiful).

A view along the beach in the other direction.....

My boys.....

We are very lucky to have two Bank Holiday Mondays in a row here - great! One is for Auckland Anniversary Day and the other for Waitangi Day.

Below are two links explaining each special day for those of you interested - enjoy! It's quite interesting - really.

Music I am currently listening to - Bruno Mars.

Weather currently is poo - please come back luverly sun! However - it is quite warm!

http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/cnlser/libs/research/aklanniversary.asp

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/treaty/waitangi-day

Sunsets

Hi all

We have had some stunning sunsets lately - this one brought me out of the house around 9pm due to the surreal lighting it caused:

These give the impression of a bad fire in the distance....

Love the purple hues...

Hope you enjoyed these - not quite as good as being there, but beautiful nonetheless!

x Sue

Couple more piccies!

Helloooo!

As you know, I spent some special time at Glinks Gully a coupla weeks ago.

The photos I put on previously were taken from the internet as I had forgotten my camera. However, I did take some with my phone - so here you go:

On the stormy days there, I learned how to make sushi:

(I particularly like the one with the piece of cucumber sticking out of it - very arty though I say so myself). Also - the cucumber is from my garden - ahem!

I also learned how to weave flowers from flax (the Maori way):

Cool eh? This is flax:

Flax in flower, Okarito, Westland. Photo: Philippe Gerbeaux.

Indeed, you can see it silhouetted in one of the Glinks Gully photos above. They are found all over the place here - I even have a variegated one in the garden! The flax is a native to NZ and very useful it can be too! You will see all about it on this website:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-plants/harakeke-flax/

Found this under me settee!

Found this whilst cleaning my carpets and curtains yesterday - luverly!

It's a white tailed spider!

I have researched them a little - so here you go:

They are unusual because they only eat other spiders
They are nocturnal and prefer the dark (hence finding this one under my settee)
They only bite if handled or provoked
They hide in clothes too
Their bite is immediately painful, but they are easy to catch for evidence because their eyesight is poor
They are not deadly and usually just leave a red mark and some localised pain

I caught this one and chucked it out into the garden (didn't touch it though!).

I also chucked out a praying mantis residing on my living room ceiling.

x Sue

I'm back....

Helloo everyone - how are you?

Here we are again - happy as can be!

We are well and truly nestled into our lovely little bungalow and I currently have courgettes (bright yellow), cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, rhubarb and chives coming out of me ear 'oles! Not to mention the fact that the limes are vigorously proliferating - as are the variety of herbs I am yet to use!

I have joined the local bowling club and have been graded (very serious here - but I have learned LOADS about the rules and tactics and such like). Love it!

I just love the terms used in bowling and how rude they often sound - so have written a diary for you to partake of: ahem......

Monday:

Had a roll up - it was great - feel well chilled.

Tuesday:

Rather heavy today - too much weight.

Wednesday:

Had a tough drive to do and burned Fred's end. (He was not happy). :(

Thursday:

Played with Fred's wood (by mistake) and got told off.

Friday:

Fred had the wrong bias and damaged John's head. John v. unamused.

Saturday:

Did really well! Fred knocked me up and I touched Jack!

Sunday:

What a lovely week! Rounded off by a very jolly little skip! :)

Hey ho - you can tell I'm on holiday eh?! Time on me hands and suchlike things....

Am very proud of my two loverly offspring. Daughter is currently training to be a secondary school teacher and son is now a Town Planner! Well done to them both - my babes!

Interesting year ahead for me - and quite exciting too. I have succeeded in getting a scholarship, so will be at uni for half of the school year finishing off my diploma. YAY! No more trying to do papers on top of teaching and everything else that the job entails.

The weather is currently lovely (after a very wet start to the summer), so I am washing curtains with a gusto. Gosh they smell good once rehung!

New year was a very wet affair - went to a friend's bach at Lake Rotoiti (near Rotorua) where it rained solidly for the 5 days I spent there. Needless to say - the day I drove there and the day I drove back were bathed in bright sunshine! However, I did get the chance to try my yearly waterskiing on the morning of the last day. Picture this if you will - a 47 and a half year old slightly chubby female in a very fetching wet suit, bouncing on her bottom on the pristine waters of the lake - yep that was me! Did stand up - but this only lasted a few glorious seconds before I crashed into the depths. So cooooool and so much fun!

After a few days at home recovering from New Year, I drove up to Glinks Gully near Dargaville. Oh my gosh - what a beautiful place. You can drive on the beach up to 50 km either direction - absolutely beautiful and hardly a soul around - heaven. Waves crashing in onto pristine beaches. We spent our time boogie boarding (of course), walking, collecting (and eating) shell fish, eating freshly caught fish, and land yachting (of which I watched as I don't understand sailing and nearly crashed into sand dunes at top speed last time), driving along the beach, and watching a huge storm from the safety of the bach. Sigh - what a lucky girl I am.