Tuesday 4 - Our Town

Did I mention the word dull in my last post? Well remind me not to say it again! On Sunday after church I went to visit my friend Bon in the resthome. Backed into the gate I'd forgotten to open while distracted with other things. Needless to say I was not popular. And to make things worse I collected the gatepost while turning back into the drive on the way home. The car is going to need a trip to the panel beater but at least is still drivable. I think I'll let Bob do the driving until after my cataract op which is about a month away. I have the pre-op visit on Monday.

And for those who wondered - the feijoa loaf was successful. Nice and moist.

And with that lets get into Tuesday 4, for which I am a little late.

 OUR TOWN

Hello! This is Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week in an effort to get you blogging, thinking and learning about others.

Maybe we can discuss the town you live in. It might be nice to find out more about where you live and why you live there. Sometimes we just fall into a place and other times we \choose. 

Here's a chance to sing the praises of your town or uncover it's faults. have at it!

Michelle Byrne painting

1. What are the good points to living in your town? Could you interest us in moving there?

Good points? Hmm, heaps of them. It's flat. Ten minutes' drive on the motorway to the city. We have parks and gardens. Adequate shopping. A choice of supermarkets. Twenty minutes' drive to a boating and swimming lake. Ten or fifteen to the beach. A couple of hours to the mountains and a short drive to the bush if that's your preference. And a reasonably good climate, (sometimes) too warm in summer and (always) too cold for me in winter. Gyms, sports clubs, other clubs and churches. Four primary schools, an intermediate and a high school. It's all here. 

2. Are the things you need convenient to your home? (shopping, library, schools, entertainment?)

It's ten or fifteen minutes' walk to the town centre which is where all the amenities are. The ones I use anyway. The kids all walked or biked to school, today the roads around the high school are full of the kids parked cars. How things have changed. 

Unfortunately the only picture theatre we had has closed but there is an amateur drama group who put on a good show once a year. Other than that it's head into the city to be entertained.

If you need to get into the city and don't drive there's a good bus service.

3. Did you choose your town or did you just end up there? 

Bob applied for a job here and so here we are. Bob knew it slightly as he had an aunt, uncle and cousins here when he was young. By the time we moved here they had all gone elsewhere.

4. Is your town known for any special foods, activities, places or people? 

Peter Johnston. He was an All Black, a member of the New Zealand national Rugby team from 1949 - 1951 and captained the side in his final year. That's quite a feat. The local rugby ground is named after him. Back in that era every boy's dream was to become an All Black.

All Black insignia - the Silver Fern

And if you would like to join in here is the link:  Tuesday 4

Keep well,

blessings, 

Diana :)

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.

We have a date!

Way back in July 2010 I started this blog with the intention of it keeping me accountable for when I trained (haha) for when my sister and I decided to 'do' the rail trail. The blog has gone it's own way, with the occassional nod to my walking and other exercise. And often lack of it :)

But we now have a date!

March 2016.

And we have a mode of transport.

Feet!

We will walk it - hopefully it will take us no more than four days, 

maybe three with luck and a good wind.

We have enlisted my GKB to drive a camper van 

which we'll sleep in at night and he can go fishing during the day, if he wants. 

And as he is a fisherman I don't think he'll have any problem with that.
So now I  need to go walking in earnest.

My GKB has to go walking three times a week 

so I am going out with him but it is more of a stroll than a walk.

.His legs get too painful if he goes too hard at it.

So far we have strolled along the beach once or twice

and earlier this week we went to the lake on a beautiful day

 and walked around the lakeside for a bit.

We've also strolled down the floodbank at the Silverstream. 

My GKB gave up after about 10 minutes, he hasn't learnt to pace himself yet.

 So I took off by myself for a brisk walk to the end of the section we were on.

 On one side was an extremely low Silverstream and on the other the playing fields.

It has been very hot and sunny for the last month but today

 the temperatures dropped and so I went out by myself.

I walked away from town and headed down to a crossroads where I usually turn back 

but today I decided to go a little further, straight ahead.

I've driven down here and knew there were some old homesteads

as well as some new modern homes but have never walked down before.

The picture above is Islington, one of the old homes,
and below is the entrance to Chelmsford, one of the new residences.
You can see the end of the garages through the gate.

Anyway, all that is to say, we finally have a plan and now I need to knuckle down.

Strolling three times a week with my GKB and three times out by myself.

I'll give myself a day off on Sundays.

That should do it - as long as I keep it up!

Have a good week,

Diana

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Roses of inspiration

Along the roadside

We, my GKB and I, have just had a very relaxing five day weekend away at our caravan. Wonderful, relaxing days in the autumn sun. Brisk mornings and evenings and warm sunny days.

Lazy afternoons down by the lake, fishing... well there wasn't a fish rising anywhere, let alone biting, but what a pleasant way to spend our time.

On the drive up and back we took some snaps along the way, some pretty and some just a little unusual.

A stand of toetoe (pronounced toytoy) next to flax when we were stopped at some road works.

Giant pumpkins at a roadside stall.

More giants, rabbit sculptures in a small town along the way. I don't know what they were made of but they were some sort of metal. A rather watchful looking trio. Cute.

 And finally, a pond in the Cromwell Gorge on the opposite side of the road to the Lake. Rugged territory.

I've been home long enough now to feel like I haven't been away, oh dear. Getting back to work does that.

Have a good week, you all.