It's been busy

Just checking in so you know I'm still around. It's been a busy couple of weeks and when I look at my calendar leading up to Christmas I can get a bit overwhelmed. So I don't, I just look at what's happening tomorrow and leave it at that. 

It started a couple of  weeks ago when I volunteered to make mini Christmas cakes as gifts for people at a Christmas function. Usually I make a big cake and it's cut there and we partake with a cup of tea or coffee but someone thought it would be nice if we gave everyone a mini cake to take home. They're done and in airtight containers waiting to be packaged up. I don't mind really as I enjoy making Christmas cakes and usually make up to half a dozen each year for the family and ourselves. I'm just not sure when I'm going to get time to do the family ones. It'll have to be after the wedding in a couple of weeks.

We've been back down to the Owaka in the Catlins for a church service and it was nice to go in the morning on a lovely spring day. After another delicious lunch we went and had a look at the local museum - my friend's father was an archeologist and came from that area and there was a display  - photo's and some of his equipment along with a book that had just been released on his work. My friend's wedding dress was also on display and I should have taken a photo but didn't. :(

And we've been out to lunch with friends, some of whom were down from Auckland for a few days. I was pleased my GKB came as since he has started losing his hearing he hasn't wanted to go out so much and I think he's becoming a bit isolated. It was a nice enjoyable couple of hours.

In between times I've been tidying up the two spare bedrooms so my sister and my grandson have somewhere to sleep when they come to stay. Our middle granddaughter is getting married in a fortnight and they're arriving for that. Does anyone else tend to store things in the spare bedrooms? I had three or four bins that needed to be moved out, full of all sorts of stuff that you think you might need but have nowhere to put. I've had a good cleanout of books and they've gone to the book sale bin at the supermarket and our son took another bag that had been left here as well. They were supposed to go to the book sale too but didn't make it.

Granddaughter was told she needed a garter to wear on her wedding day and her mother and aunty thought it would be nice if she could wear mine as some of the other brides in the family had also worn it. But do you think we can find it. I thought it would be with my wedding dress but no! So I'm assuming it's with the lucky horseshoes and slippers I was given at our wedding but I can't find them either. And none of the other brides has it. A mystery. Oh well, still one or two places to look.

And that's it from me for now. 

Take it easy over the next few weeks and enjoy the season.

Diana

 

The south of the south

A while since I have been on and written anything, so here goes.

My GKB and I have been gadding about the countryside, first back over to the West Coast and then down around the Catlins area for a few days before heading to Invers (Invercargill to the uninitiated) and then on to Central Otago.

We took Mum up to her sisters 80th celebrations and met up with another sis who had flown in from Aussie the day before. We partied at a lovely restaurant on the Taramakau River, which was absolutely beautiful, but as evening fell the sandflies came out and those of us who had been sitting enjoying the view as well as the beverages were, on the whole, forced back inside. Another great reunion with all the cussies we had grown up with, and more nostalgic thoughts and homesickness from those of us who have moved away and made homes in other parts of the country.

Then it was home and dropping off the mother and the sis and the GKB and I took off for a well earned break without any family or whanau attached to us for a change. We had a great time even if the weather wasn't the kindest to us. Mind you we got sunburnt on the Coast while fossicking for gem stones on the beaches, now all we need is a drum to tumble them in! We saw the penquins at The Nuggets, and because of the heavy rain the Purekanui falls and the Mclean falls in the Catlins were lovely.

We stayed in motels in Invercargill and were shown real southern hospitality by the lovely Indian lady who was our hostess. She brought us freshly baked loaf to have with our coffee when we first arrived and couldn't have been more helpful. After a day looking around the city, H and J Smith's hasn't changed, it is still a great old store to go into, we headed for Central Otago via the Devils Staircase around the lake. Two days later there a was a major rock fall, so we were pleased we went when we did. The lake was a magnificent turquoise colour, hard to describe if you haven't seen it.

At the camping ground each evening we had a rabbit visit, this was the first time in about 20 years of going up there that I have seen rabbits in the camping ground - they must be pretty prolific for them to come in amongst us like that, they are usually extremely timid. We spent a day in Queenstown and then it was time to pack up and head for home.

So now we are back home and back into the workforce, planning for another trip to Japan sometime later in the year, hopefully.