Good Friday

The day started slowly with hot cross buns for breakfast and then it was out the door and off to the Good Friday service at church at 10am. It was a nice service with readings and songs and a shorter sermon than usual, followed by morning tea. More hot cross buns and biscuits. Yum :)

After lunch we delivered the Easter treats to our great grands grandparents as one was out of town and the other was staying the night. Eldest daughter Jacqui has injured her foot and is having treatment, if it hasn't improved when she goes back this week she'll be getting a moon boot. She's hoping so because she thinks she'll be able to get a bit more mobile. She's bored with mainly sitting and resting it. 

After visiting with Jacqui for a while and delivering Arlo's goodies we went over to youngest daughter Vanessa's and delivered Theo's treats. He arrived to stay the night with her just before we were leaving so it was lovely getting to see him, but he sure is a little whirlwind. And he looks cute with his new haircut just like his Dad's. A mullet!

So we had quite a relaxed day, a nice day, and we enjoyed it :)

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter - and don't forget, 

it may be Friday but Sunday is coming.

Diana

Random stuff

It's an awful  day outside today, winter decided to let us know she hasn't quite finished with us yet. We were going to head over to the Rotary book sale at Wingatui but decided to just hunker down for the day. It's on for another couple of days so we have time to get there before it finishes. So I thought I'd just do a bit of a random post and keep in touch.

First of all let me tell you I was really surprised to arrive back at the bookshop after my holiday and discover some of our Christmas stock was already on the shelves! Not only Christmas cards but books, tote bags, nativity sets and decorations! I know it's only three months until Christmas but...

We don't have any fruit trees on our property but the neighbours feijoas overhang our drive which gives easier access to the bio security officers when they come round to monitor them for pests. We get a nice thankyou note and a card from them at Christmastime. This is one of the officers doing an inspection below.

Youngest daughter has had a birthday so we bought her a nice crystal flower. It didn't have a box when i picked it up so  asked the young fellow behind the counter if there was one with it. I'm sure there should be. It will have been stored away from the display area.

This is what he came back and gave me! I just grinned and said I'd make it work but I'm sure there is now a stray box lurking in a storage area somewhere!

Halloween is on display in the shops. Some of the stuff is nicer than others. I liked these friendly looking pumpkins and ghosts but didn't buy anything. We don't get anyone much coming trick or treating but usually have a few treats on hand just in case.

The North Island great grandkids were down for a few days recently but we only saw them briefly at their grandmother's house. They were here for a graduation celebration for the other side of their family. This is a photo of them with one of their southern cousins - you can tell who the southern one is, the kids who are born here don't seem to feel the cold :)

And because i haven't really done a springtime post I thought I do a couple of collages of some of the photos I've taken around town in the last week or so.

Mosgiel is very pretty in the springtime with the blossoms in full bloom and the spring flowers out in the gardens and on the verges.

The daffodils from my last post are on the edge of town.

And that's it from me for another day or two ... or three.

Keep well.

blessings,

Diana

Eating out and other stuff

 It's a beautiful blue sky day today and so we decided to go out for lunch at a tavern a couple of suburbs nearer the city. The place we used to go to has burned down and they're not rebuilding so we need to find another 'favourite' eatery. We enjoyed being out in the sun even if it was still a bit cold. When we arrived the carpark was full, we parked outside the takeaway shop and I hoped the owner wouldn't object.

 The tavern was crowded but we managed to get a table for two. There were renovations/extensions happening next to where we were sitting but all closed off so no danger to the customers. And nothing going on today. 

We had a delicious meal but unfortunately it was very noisy, the restaurant and the bar were both full, and we couldn't hear ourselves speak. But it rounded off nicely a week of grey, cold, miserable weather. 

We didn't bother to stop for a hot drink after but left pretty much once we'd finished our meal and headed over to youngest daughter's place to have one. And to check out how they were going with setting up their new home. They have just bought their own home and are still settling in.

Sassy and Purr exploring their new back yard.

 

Theo had been visiting for the night and was waiting for Mum to pick him up so not a lot was getting done but next weekend is a holiday weekend so they're hoping to get everything finished up then.

And feijoas! There are still a lot on the tree, and yes I am over them, but they are not as prolific as they were which is a blessing. I'm managing to keep up with them :) I found a recipe for a feijoa loaf so I've made that a couple of times as I don't have any more room to freeze any. It's a nice change and will only be seasonal so that's good. I've also used the leaf rake and deposited the smaller ones in the green bin!

I think I'll finish on that note.

Keep well, keep warm 

and I'll catch up again in a few days.

Diana

A trek up Baldwin Street, Dunedin

Baldwin Street is the steepest street in the world. 

On Saturday a small group of us walked up it at granddaughter's request. She has set herself a monthly  challenge and the January one was this walk. She invited people to go with her and nine of us set off from the bottom. Seven of us made it to the top.

 

Looking up from the corner. The bottom is tar seal, the top concrete so vehicle tyres have something to grip. Someone tried to get up on a motor scooter while we were there but never made it.

Not one of our team making hard work of it. Some walked on the road and others, like me, took the steps.

We noticed that the locals were in tee shirts and the tourists were all in sweatshirts, jackets or hoodies. Too warm and muggy for that.

Pausing for a breather and looking back at where we'd come.

A not very flattering shot of Jacqui, me and Vanessa at the top with Arlo. 😄 Contemplating the downward journey. It was very steep, I saw one older man having trouble and trying to go down sideways but he decided the steps were the best bet. 

I decided I wanted to walk down the opposite side to what I came up so had to cross the road. I'd slipped near the top on a little patch of gravel so Vanessa took my hand. I thought I was well past having to hold hands to cross the road but apparently not. 😏

We'd been promised drinks and protein bars when we reached the bottom and here we are gathered around with them. It was fun. I think her next challenge is to donate blood but I can't do that due to the medications I'm on unfortunately. Still I'll join in where I can. 

 One of my sisters in Aussie has decided she'll try and do the equivalent with us. She walked up to their local lookout, not as steep but a greater distance.

Here is a link to a Wikipedia article about Baldwin Street if you'd like to read a bit about it. I think it makes an interesting read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_Street

That's it for today, stay safe, stay well and enjoy life, 

until next time,

Diana

Bookended

We had another wonderful day yesterday. It started with my GKB bringing me a fat envelope he had found in the letterbox. It was a lovely wee notepad and a Christmas card with a thankyou note from Friday Light, the outreach I cook for every now and then 

In the afternoon I went over to grand daughter's house. She's going away for a few days and we've volunteered to feed the cats. We had a nice chat over a cold drink and she showed me where everything is, and yes, I remembered to come away with a key to the house.

And finally our Christmas Eve dinner was going to happen, nine days late, but who's counting. I spent quite a bit of time in the morning preparing the fruit salad for dessert, mostly fresh fruit, yum.

Finally it was time to head over to Aaron's place for our meal where we sat out on the deck in the late afternoon sun and waited for the hostess to appear. She'd gone to visit a neighbour and lost track of the time. But it didn't matter, we enjoyed each other's company over nibbles and a drink. She was a bit embarrassed when she finally arrived back but we just had a good laugh.

Aaron had spent the day preparing a roast meal, lamb from a friend's farm accompanied by new potatoes, roast pumpkin, carrots and parsnip with gravy. It was delicious and I ate far too much. DIL then brought out a fresh cheese board and crackers while we were sitting letting our meal settle. You don't need this, I thought, but that didn't stop me from indulging. I should have known better, I knew there was still dessert to come.

After dessert, which I also ate too much of, we blobbed inside in front of the telly and did some karaoke. It was a lot of fun. Some of us performed beautifully, some of us just looked on and enjoyed - and laughed.

And as we were leaving we were given another Christmas gift. A gift box of barbecue sauces, rubs and nibbles. Another lovely surprise. You could say the day was bookended with gifts. 😄

When we arrived home I said to my GKB that really I should go for a run around the block after all that food but of course I was only kidding. I had a cup of tea and went to bed instead.

I did go for a walk this afternoon though, albeit a short one.

Keep well and keep enjoying the holiday season.

Diana

A wonderful family Christmas

 Christmas is over for another year and we are sitting relaxing on a quiet Boxing day. We managed to do everything we wanted and I even managed to bake us a Christmas cake. I bought tins of biscuits and chocolates for the family instead of baking them cakes this year. I don't think they minded. 

On Christmas Eve afternoon in recent years our church has combined with one of the other local city churches to put on a free family festival. There are bouncy castles, food stalls and games and competitions and the last half hour is a presentation of the Christmas story. The local community has received it well and numbers have grown each year. I usually invite my little great grands and this year Arlo came along. He had lots of fun and food. The other two were away out with their paternal grandparents :)

That night I went to a Carol service at one of the local  Presbyterian churches as I'd been unable to attend any of the Christmas services in my own church for various reasons :(  It was a lovely service and I managed to sit with a friend I hadn't seen for quite some time. When I got home we watched It's a Wonderful Life on DVD, I always enjoy this movie at Christmas time.

Christmas Day dawned grey but warm and a bit humid. It was already 20C when we left to have breakfast with our eldest daughter at 9:30am. It stayed grey and muggy all day. Breakfast was simple, only the four of us and we had bacon, eggs, tomatoes and new potatoes chipped and fried with toast. Followed by tea or coffee. Just what we'd ordered. We never have a cooked breakfast so really enjoyed it for a change.

And then about 11:30ish we headed over to our eldest grand daughter's home to deliver presents and wish them Merry Christmas. We sat and chatted over a drink and Christmas fare for a while and headed home again to watch the live stream of our church's Christmas day service that had been held while we were having breakfast. Aaron had recovered from covid which was just as well as he was the service leader :)

Before long we were away again to our youngest daughter's home where most of the family were gathering for a late Christmas lunch. Yes, all the covid patients were finally testing negative by Christmas Day. Luckily we were able to open the doors and let the kids run around outside, and in. Lunch was cold ham and salads which we followed with cold desserts. Gifts were opened in stages, whenever someone felt like handing some out, which made for a nice relaxed time.

 Eventually in the early evening  we arrived home after a busy and enjoyable day - just in time for the King's Christmas message followed by the Princess of Wales' 'Together at Christmas' service. Tired but happy. I'd like to tell you I slept like a log but I think I'd eaten too much sugary food and found myself sitting up reading at 2 in the morning.

I hope your Christmas was as enjoyable as ours was.

Until next time enjoy the remainder of the Christmas season.

Diana.

Have boys they said...

...it'll be fun they said...

A view of my youngest daughter's back yard. 

She has two boys, only one at home...

her and her husband's vehicles are not pictured.

Morning walk with Sassy

 Friday mornings are supposed to be reserved for youngest daughter and I to go to the gym. I say supposed to be because it doesn't always happen. Sometimes we go for a walk instead around the area she lives in. I enjoy that because it makes a change from my usual scenery and we take Sassy with us. Sometimes we don't make it at all.

In deference to me daughter drives us down the hill and we start lower down. We walk further downhill for a few more minutes until we come to town.

Keep going past the gym.

It's much nicer being outside on a day like this.

Then daughter says "do you want to keep going up there or go through the tunnel?" "Through the tunnel" says I.

So we walk on a little way, turn right and cross the bridge...

...go under another one and enter the tunnel.

There were some really rather nice murals painted on the walls but I never got a photo as it was too dim. Once through we're back in the sun and heading back towards the car.

From the tunnel to the car is a slight rise and I had to have a rest about halfway - I'm not as fit as I once was :) Of course when you have your four legged friend with you there is a lot of stopping to smell the ... flowers :) and we did a bit of that.

Once back at the house it was time for a drink and a catchup on family news. 

I always enjoy Friday mornings with my daughter.

Have a great weekend

Diana