Done and dusted

No not 2016, although that is certainly done and dusted.

And not Christmas either, although that is well and truly done
 and dusted too.

My reading challenge - done and dusted, thank goodness.

Would I do another one? I don't think so. Having a deadline to finish a book took the joy out of reading, for me anyway, so what's the point? But it meant I got some books out of the way that have been lying around for years in some cases. I will probably do the winter reading challenge at the local library though, it encourages you to look at different genre's, has a bit more focus than just getting through books you haven't got round to reading yet.

Some of the books I enjoyed, some I struggled with and one I didn't finish. A mixed bag. Most of them have now gone to a book sale for  someone else to enjoy.

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And as it well into New Year's Eve here,

all that remains is for me to wish everyone a 

Happy and Prosperous New Year

Diana

A busy week

When I was a child growing up summer began in August and lasted until March. We ran around in shorts and sun frocks and by Christmas when our southern cousins arrived for a holiday we had lovely suntans. They didn't. Now I live down south near those
 same cousins and summer is much later arriving :( 

Sometimes by Christmas, like this one, we are still wondering whether summer will arrive at all and whether we will get a suntan.

But family time is still as good as it ever was and that is what really counts.
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So what has my family been up to this week? 

rain beginning at grandson Jack's assembly

First of all Jack had his final assembly for his primary school and parents, grandparents and all the pupils gathered at the appointed hour. Rain had been threatening but we were all ever hopeful the assembly would be over before the rain arrived as it was being held outside. We decided to put our rug and cushions under a tree and took our umbrellas with us, just in case. Well you guessed it, just as proceedings were about to begin the heavens opened and the rain bucketed down. The upshot was that the kids were all herded inside, those who could fit went in with them (small hall) , and people like me went home. So I missed Jack's final assembly.

Caitlin (grand daughter)  and her proud Mum

The next night both my GKB and I had Christmas breakups to go to for different organisations. So we went our separate ways and met up at home again later in the evening.

 I didn't miss the next important event on the calendar though, this was Caitlin's graduation from her Tourism and Travel course, the end of two years hard work. My GKB and I both went and we are so proud of her as she was also nominated for the Integrity and Development Award. It was an interesting graduation with a couple of items from the cultural group - the Pacific Island community lent a lot of colour with several of them graduating as well. We thoroughly enjoyed it all.

Sunday brought a special seasonal church service, Lessons and Carols. Once more we sang several carols we had sung the week before at the Carols in the Park and we listened again to the Christmas story unfolding. A bonus was that people from the congregation who had not been able to attend the park were able to join in the songs with us.

Yesterday my little mother had her 87th birthday. Tonight her youngest grandson is taking her out for a meal, she has been resting all afternoon so she is able to stay out for a while this evening. She is much better than she was but still awaiting a date for her heart op. All of her overseas Christmas and birthday parcels arrived at my place so I took them around yesterday (two boxes full) and she enjoyed opening them and putting her Christmas ones on her decorated hearth to wait for Christmas Day.

And that has brought us up to today. I've taken my little Mother shopping and in the afternoon my GKB and I went and, hopefully, finished our own Christmas shopping. Phew, if I haven't done it now it probably won't happen :)

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And so to end I would like to share a couple of photos of some of the fun things around the neighbourhood. 

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas,

filled with, fun, laughter and love.

Diana

Merry Christmas

On a cold, blustery summer Sunday we went to the Botanical Gardens in Dunedin for a community sing-a-long. 

Although it was cold there was quite a good turnout to sing some old Christmas favourites and learn a new one or two. 

The Taieri Gospel Band led the singing 

and there were one or two guests between brackets.

We ended with Feliz Navidad and as my GKB recorded it on his camera I thought I would share it with you. So without further ado, from my city to yours 

Merry Christmas

Meri Kirihimete

Feliz Navidad

sung by The Taieri Gospel Band

And yes, thats me about 1.30 minutes into it.
Diana

Christmas in the summertime

I love looking at posts showing Christmas in the northern hemisphere but for me Christmas happens in the summer. So I thought I would show you some pictures from a summer 

Christmas Day past.

One year we kitten sat for our daughter, summer is kitten time, and she ended up decorating our tree. She loved the fact that we had put  a tree in the lounge for her and covered it with all sorts of shiny toys. She gave us a lot of laughs as she climbed from bottom to top and back again.

Of course there is always heaps of food and even with summer salads and cold meats it is easy to over eat if you're not careful.

And if you manage to behave with the salads 

maybe you won't be so good with the summer desserts.

Naturally there are delicious sweet and savoury nibbles 

scattered around in strategic places as well.

Afterwards there's always time to sit around out of the sun 

and just relax and socialise, have a long cool drink or two

 and wash all that party food down.

Or join the kids for a game of backyard cricket and maybe lose some of those calories you just piled on over lunch. Or what's more likely, lose the ball, probably on a neighbours roof :)

But before any of this happens there is the opportunity to attend a Christmas church service and celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is after all, the reason for the season.

Just a little glimpse of a 

summertime Christmas, 

I hope you enjoyed it.

joining Amy and friends for:

five on Friday

Diana

Flowers, outside and in.

 We've had a bit of wind so this is how my foxgloves ended up :(

almost flat but still quite pretty. I know some people consider them a weed but I like them. You just have to get them out of the ground before they throw all of their seeds.

Blurred, but this is a bee gathering nectar

 in the cup of one of the foxgloves.

A lovely Japanese iris.

And this is a elegant bearded iris, knocked off it's stalk when the boys were kicking a ball around.

A couple of peonies cut from the garden after 

the wind had knocked them around.

And all that remains of a bunch of roses one of my neighbours 

gave my little mother. A pretty, delicate pink colour.

Since Mum has had the stent put in her health has improved immensely. So much so that she has decided to go home while she waits for her main operation date. I will check on her daily, she is only 5 miniutes away and my brother is even closer to her. I think she will cope okay as long as she doesn't try to do too much. Thank you for all your prayers and care, we appreciate it very much.