Thursday, 31 August 2017

Little mother...and a scavenger hunt


For those of you who have been asking about my little mother, she is doing well and talking about going back to her own home at the weekend. She takes care of all her own personal needs and is walking well. She hasn't walked for so long she had to ease back into it and now walks around the yard and up and down the footpath outside the house. I'm sure she will cope well with the help she has coming in and with my brother and me keeping an eye on her. We have a hospital visit this afternoon just to check all is well. Thank you for your care and prayers.
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I didn't think I was going to get all the photos this month but I enjoy the photo challenge and was determined to take part. Last night I found my final picture. Once again some are from the archives but I think there is only one I've used before. Most are new. I hope you enjoy them.

1:  Relaxed
This is our old boy, Claude, not long before he began to lose condition prior to his death. One of his favourite places when he wanted a snooze. The wood chips under the fern still held the heat of the sun as did the large stones. Very comforting for an old fellow. We miss him even though he has been gone a couple of years now.



2:  It begins with an M
and it's Mum, aka my little mother. She was only young when this was taken, in her early 30's I think, and looking at all the nappies on the line I'm guessing this was not long after my youngest brother was born. It was hard work with all those cloth nappies to wash every day but a fact of life. I rather like this photo of Mum, a peek into life as it was only half a century ago.
(I hasten to add that is not our house in the background
 but part of the neighbouring property).


3:  Time for...
...a hot chocolate on a cold winters day. We'd been out shopping and it was time to warm up. Really delicious and I love the marshmallows on the top to sweeten it rather than using sugar.


4:  Tangerine
I'd been wondering what to put up for this prompt and was going through some photos and spotted a pop of tangerine in this picture. We held a country gospel service at church a couple of weeks ago and one of the singers was wearing this lovely tangerine top :)


5:  It begins with an O
I was trying to think of something out of the ordinary for O. I thought I could look for something 'oresome' as a famous sportsperson once spelt it but then decided to just go for 'ordinary'. So this is my ordinary kitchen table with an ordinary bowl of fruit on it. And of course there are oranges in amongst the fruit. 
It also has some O shapes in it such as the table, place mats, fruit bowl, grapes and cake plate, none of which begin with an O.


6:  Whiskery
This is Missy. Isn't she gorgeous? I was visiting a friend when Missy decided to take advantage of the sun and leapt up on the back of my chair. I was going to put up a photo of one of my brothers, he has whiskers and looks like Santa Claus. Unfortunately he looked a bit cross in the photo I had so I decided on Missy instead. We can call her face whiskery I think, and she's cuter than he is anyway :)


7:  Lace
We went into the Octagon a few years ago to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the gold rush in Otago. Of course a lot of people were in costume and character and my GKB was chatted up by a 'lady of the night'. This is her back view with the  bodice all 'lace'd up. 


8:  Bridge
A road/rail bridge over the Taramakau River on the West Coast of New Zealand. Yes, this bridge is shared by trains and cars, trucks etc. There are barrier arms at each end of the bridge to stop road traffic if trains are coming. We always found it exciting when we were kids and wondered whether the car wheels would get stuck in the rails. When we went over at Easter a new road bridge was being built alongside this so I'm wondering how long it will be before this bridge is no longer in use or whether it will still be used for rail traffic.



9:  Letters
How to be original with this one? This may not be terribly original but while I was thinking about it I realised that whenever I was sitting in the doctors waiting room  I looked at a large wall hanging (about cot quilt size) with the alphabet on it, so I went in and asked permission to photograph it. What makes this a bit unique is that all the letters are orientated to New Zealand flora and fauna, that is why I study it. I always admire the work that has gone into it, all the individual panels have been beautifully cross stitched. People are so talented.


10:  My choice
My GKB took this photo of a goldfinch under our rose bushes. Isn't it beautiful? It was feeding on the chickweed that I had been thinking I should get out and remove very soon. We have never seen goldfinches on the property before and if the chickweed is what is attracting them then as far as I am concerned the chickweed can stay!


joining everyone at:
for the monthly photo scavenger hunt

Thursday, 24 August 2017

Notown Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church of St Lawrence O'Toole.
The church was built in 1866 in Notown on the West Coast of New Zealand. Later it was moved to Ngahere and after it was replaced
 it was moved to Shantytown (museum village) in the 1960's.






A beautiful little church, lovingly restored and 
still used as a wedding venue in the old pioneer town.

I haven't had a church to share 
for a long time so thought I would 
share this with inSPIREd Sunday

Thursday, 17 August 2017

A short stroll around the lake

While my little mother was in hospital recently I had the opportunity to go for a stroll around Hamilton Lake or Lake Rotoroa as it is known in Maori. Ten minutes walk from my motel I found the lane I had been directed to and walked from a busy city street to a tranquil lakeside walkway.


There  were marvellous houses backing onto the lakeside, some with low fences and others opened up to the lake vista. 
The lake was surrounded by native flora and of course
 a lot of bird life.


Quite a number of cheeky Pukeko,


a solitary Shag,


Mallard ducks,


a few Australian coots, (related to the Pukeko)


and a good flock of Canada geese.


I came across a wonderful children's playground


with this fabulous climbing fort. 
There was also a nice cafe nearby but I never went in,
 I didn't have time as I was heading back to the hospital.


Of course there were also the usual doves or pigeons, 
you don't go far without seeing them around.


The sun was getting low in the sky as I headed back
 to the entrance and I got this shot of the lake.

I enjoyed this nice peaceful walk, away from the 
hustle and bustle of the city and everything happening at the hospital, a lovely way to recharge my batteries.

Monday, 7 August 2017

Been and gone and back again

Little Mother and I have flown north and returned. 
Just over a fortnight ago we had a call from the hospital in Waikato
 saying they had a space for her.
The Seaward Kaikouras.
South Island
So of course it was all on, flights and accommodation booked 
and bags packed. Medications reviewed and blood tests not done because we ran out of time and the relevant forms hadn't arrived. They were eventually done in Waikato.
Mounts Tongariro and Ruapehu in a sea of cloud.
North Island

We spent five days in Hamilton, for my little mother most of it was in hospital. But she is now home and recovering with a new lease on life.  Mum will stay with me for a few days until she is given the all clear to go home.
Taranaki, Mount Egmont.
North Island
We are very grateful to the cardiac team as well as to all who have kept her in their prayers. Thank-you so much. 
We have a very good God.
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The Kaikoura ranges.
South Island
I took photos of the mountain ranges from the plane window and thought you might enjoy seeing some of them.
The Southern Alps.
South Island
If you would like to read the legend of 
It's a romantic story :)