A visit to Toitu

Earlier in the week my GKB suggested we go into town for lunch.

Okay, I said, but I don't want to go to the Warehouse,

I'd like to go to Toitu and have a look around 

now that they have finished the renovations.

Toitu was, until quite recently, 

known as the Early Settlers Museum. 

So in we went, had lunch in the cafe there and went exploring.

The building above houses the transport 

 part of the museum - and where else would you put it 

but in the old New Zealand Railway Road Services bus depot?

Very appropriate. 

Some of the exhibits were behind glass for obvious reasons,

some roped off and others you could try out if you wanted.

my GKB on a tram he used to ride occasionally 

trying out a penny farthing for size

Have I just dated us? never mind, onward and upward!

Some gorgeous cars were on display,

 I think I've said before that have a bit of a thaang for classic cars. 

Along with some old trams, trolleys and buses.

As well as horseless carriages,

 trucks of different types and petrol pumps.

But, the best thing of all (for me anyway) was...

...this beautiful Buick Eight towing 

this...

tiny caravan.

looking in through the back window of the caravan

Isn't it fantastic?

Sorry about the last photo, it was so hard to get a good photo through the glass. I had my flash turned off but because it was so dim in the museum it came on automatically.

If you'd like to take a look at more of the museum you can go to a link here.

Of course the museum doesn't just house transport, it is a wonderful visual history of Otago from Maori times through the arrival of the sailing ships and early European settlement and on up to the present day. I think it is great and shall go back one day without my GKB as he doesn't enjoy these things quite as much as I do :) That way I will be able to dawdle where I wish!

joining in with:

roses of inspiration

Well that's it for another week.

Look after yourselves and I will

see you again in a few days.

Diana

Catching up

Well we are just back from holiday and catching up on everyone. 

First of all I'd like to say thank you to those of you who have visited from the GYB party. 

I promise I will get back to you soon. I was using a tablet while away but couldn't really figure out how to comment although I did visit some of you. 

And I didn't really want to spend too much time on it anyway, not fair to my GKB.

**************

As we usually do at this time of the year we went up to the caravan at Cromwell for a few days.
It was so hot we didn't really enjoy it, the temps hovered around 30C most days.
The grass is burnt to a stubble and the area round about is tinder dry.

tent and cabin area at camping ground,
that brown stuff is grass

One very hot day we decided to get in the car and go 

for a run up the road a bit to visit a cousin we hadn't seen for a while. 

No matter if they weren't there, the car was air conditioned!

I got out at the top of the Lindis Pass to take a couple of photo's 

and it was quite a pleasant temperature.

 Of course we are up in the mountains here, 

or should I say the foothills, 971 metres above sea level.

Then on up to Omarama where my GKB's cousin lives.

She and her partner run the camping grounds/motels there.

Unfortunately they weren't home but we had a back up plan

 and visited friends who run a B& B which was just around the corner.

After a very pleasant hour or so we headed home again

 through some lovely countryside.

The pic above was taken from the parking lot at Tarras, which someone has described as:

like being dropped in the middle of nowhere. 

There is a tiny (and I mean tiny) shopping village with about 6 tiny shops and a school, 

 a parking lot and a solitary unmanned petrol pump.

Nothing else in sight. Lovely views though.

We were actually hoping to make a comfort stop but the facilities were padlocked! Ugh!

And this picture is Lake Dunstan just up from where we were staying.

We drove alongside the lake for a while and it is quite pretty in places.

My GKB goes trout fishing here and sometimes brings home tea.

The dark green areas you can see are the vineyards/wineries.

It is good wine growing country and dotted with vineyards.

While we were away we also celebrated our wedding anniversary 

and took ourselves out for dinner.

A waitress kindly took our photo, two in fact. 

My GKB looks good in this one and I look better in the other one.

 Oh well, you can't win them all can you,  haha.

And this is what we had, vegetarian fettuccine. 

Not because we are vegetarians but I don't like mushrooms

and that is what was in the other pasta dish. 

And my GKB just follows his leader :)

We had a really nice evening out.

**************

Now we are away to deliver

fresh stone fruit to the family, 

have a wonderful week, 

Diana

joining in the fun at:

Roses of Inspirationl

A busy day or two

Just a bit of a catch up today.

Last week was fairly busy and

 I seem to have lost my oomph.

On Tuesday I had lunch with my little mother

and then took her and a friend to do their shopping.

On Wednesday young Danny was 

taking part in the junior school triathlon.

lining up for the cycle leg

We went along to watch.
A beautiful day, very hot and sunny.
Danny was doing the cycling leg.
Twice around the playing fields and his leg was done.

That's him nearest the camera,

 heading for the final uphill stretch.

His team came in about 7th

 but he wasn't really worried about the placing.

Thursday we did a spur of the moment 

round trip to the caravan,

 about 7 hours in all, counting coffee breaks.

Another really nice day, just right for travelling,

 not too hot or too cold.

We went up to make sure we had battened

 down all the hatches, which we hadn't. 

We were fortunate we went up when we did as 

the following day the weather packed up

 and there was snow, rain and hail.

I did some shopping at the sales 

while we were up there 

and scored a very nice cardigan for just $10.

Very nice, you can't growl at that.

The rest of the week was just normal day to day stuff, 

but I have to tell you that Autumn has definitely arrived. 

Dead on time.

On March 1st it roared in and has been roaring ever since. 

I hope you're all having a good week,

and you haven't lost your oomph!

Diana

Bits and pieces

I have been doing something this week 

that I haven't done for about 40 years.

I've been sewing!

I had to borrow eldest daughters' sewing machine, 

mine is sitting rusty in the garage.

It was so nice to use , nice and smooth to sew with.

Unlike mine that used to sound a bit 

like a freight train coming up the passage.

I'm almost tempted to start sewing again.

What was I making?

Squab covers for the caravan.

By the time I got to the last one 

I had it down to a fine art.

Well almost. No they're not perfect

 but I'm quite pleased with my effort.

I've also had my 'hair done today. 

It is very straight and fine and hard to do anything with.

So I decided to get a colour put in it instead.

PINK!

I loved it when Helen Mirren went pink, 

but I wasn't game enough to have it done all over.

So we decided on a "smudge" in the front.

It took two or three goes to get the colour right

 but we think we've got it nailed now.

Tomorrow we are heading up to the caravan 

for a week or so - unless the weather packs up.

Our summer hasn't been terrific, 

but I am not complaining when I see 

what is happening in other parts of the world,

what with the flooding in England, the snow in 

America and the bush fires in Aussie.

So what's a little wind.

We have been extremely lucky we have just had wind,

 even if it has been pretty non stop for months.

So we will head off in the morning, 

both our daughters will drop in

 and have turns at feeding Claude over the week

 and all going well my GKB will have enough 

fine weather to catch a fish or two.

I just enjoy getting away for a while.

P.S. Claude has just discovered beds, couches and easy chairs after 14 years, and he rather likes them. Woe betide if I should lift my backside off  my seat, apparently they're more comfortable if someone has been kind enough to warm them for you.

So on that note I will leave you

and see you when I get back.

Diana

just kickin' back

While I was out and about today 

someone asked how our holiday had gone.

Great, I said. 

It was sunny and hot the whole time, 

what more could you ask?

We set the caravan up under a tree because 

our usual spot was taken.

I think it was a better site.

Took a leisurely trip over to Lowburn 

and filled our water container with beautiful, 

fresh, mountain spring water. 

Just leave a donation in the box. 

We went down to the lake, I slothed 

and sunbathed a little while my GKB fished.

It was a public holiday so lots of people out for 

the day on and around the water. 

So hot.

My GKB caught tea...

...brown trout , basic salad veges

 and fresh bread rolls.

 Yum.

And I spent lots of time just kickin' back 

 and a sittin' and a readin'.

All in all a very relaxing few days away -

and it was all over too soon.

Have a wonderful week everyone,

Diana

...just checkin' in...

I know it's a little late to be wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year, but there you are, the year is disappearing already.
I hope that 2013 is all you are wishing for.


 I can't load any photo's at the moment apart from ones I've already used so I'm hoping that blogger/google will straighten it out soon seeing as several other people seem to be having the same problem. So today my post will have to be a little naked. Oh dear.


We had a whopping 35 or 36 degrees Celsius yesterday, today we are down to 16. Grey and wet. Somewhere in the middle for a few weeks would be really nice. Yesterday was lovely for lunch out with eldest grandson and my little mother. We drove down the plain to a little tearooms and sat out under the trees. Grandson has been staying with us since just before Christmas and is away back to Wellington/home tomorrow.

My GKB and I have both worked through the holidays so we are taking time off at the beginning of Feb. and heading away to the caravan. I'm looking forward to it, slothing by the lake and watching the fisherman. We have thought we should occasionally do one or two of the touristy things as well, so we can say we have, but I draw the line at bungee jumping. I don't mind watching but I don't see the point in tying myself to a large rubber band and jumping off a bridge! I shall pursue more sedate activities - like jet boating or white water rafting, ha ha. Or maybe just a leisurely ride on the lady of the lake - the SS Earnslaw.

We have finally demolished the gingerbread house. The kids from 4 to 83 all enjoyed it, a lot of fun. Have photo's, will show some of them someday :D)

Well I'm gonna sign off now and hope the photo thing gets sorted out soon.


Have a good week everyone.
Diana




Caravans and fish

We decided it was time for a break away last weekend so my GKB put in for annual leave and I took my normal days off and we packed up and went up to the caravan for a few days.

 

 

 

Once we got ourselves sorted out we just sat around enjoying the warm sun. So nice to sit and relax with not a worry in the world.

We didn't bother with the awning as we weren't going to be there long enough to warrant the trouble of putting it up.

Thank goodness we didn't.

That night the temperatures dropped and the rain poured down

non-stop (and I mean non-stop) and the snow snowed.

Oh dear.

When we got up in the morning we found a pond outside our door and snow not quite right down to town level. Just a tad chilly!

We had a good few days of enforced slothfulness which we both enjoyed. My GKB went down to the lake to try for a fish, nothing biting, and I went out walking a couple of times.

 

The sun came out again the day we left.

 Oh well, thems the breaks.

 

Talking about fishing -

 

 

- my GKB has done quite well the last couple of times he's been out with the angling club. The photo above is some of the trout he caught about three weeks ago, including the prizewinner for the largest and the heaviest fish. (2.3kg which I think is 4lb 9oz).

 He was really chuffed. 

Then yesterday he arrived home with more, which I promptly gave to our eldest daughter who was visiting. And he had also won the raffle which was a box of assorted goodies - drink bottles (for youngest grandsons), daughters new beau scored the cap and I now have a lovely ceramic tile adorning my kitchen wall.

 

 

There are still several items to be given homes but that won't be hard to do. Perfume, lawn sprinkler, coffee mug and gardening gloves to name a few. It was a bit like a lucky dip. It's lovely to win something or receive something unexpectedly, isn't it?

 

 

And this year I have my sunflower seeds in on time!!!

I am sooo good :D)

 

Have a good week everyone

 

Diana