Walking plans

When I first started this blog it was because I was bored and I saw one my niece had started.

"If she can do it, so can I", I thought.

"Mmm, I guess you need to have something to write about though. 

Well I'm trying to get fit enough to walk the 'Rail Trail' with my sister, that'll do. 

No matter if no-one is interested, it'll keep me on track."

Ha! Famous last words!!

I was very good - for about a year,

 then sis didn't arrive over from Aussie when expected.

Disappointment and then discouragement.

But suddenly, out of the blue, she's got it all planned!

All I have to do is lose about a stone in weight, 

get fit, and comply with the plan!

Thank goodness we don't have a date yet 

and it isn't happening till next year, 

so I have some time. 

I hope.

I think I might be doing the bookings too, but we'll see.

cows grazing

So today I went out walking. 

Along the Silverstream. 

ducks on the bank 

It is the boundary between the urban and the rural areas.

So I walked the footpaths first because I had letters to post.

(Not everyone has computers and 

it's quite nice to write with a pen and pad occasionally).

Then I got myself through the gate and onto the banks.

Lovely, not many people although it was such a lovely day.

It's hard to believe this is winter.

It has been very mild so far, 

apart from the odd snow fall, and flood etc.

Tomorrow I will go out again and continue along the path,

under the bridge, up the other side...

...and along the bank to the bridge further down. 

I haven't been far down this side before so it will be interesting.

The aerodrome is over that way as well as more farmland.

I might go to the gym too, 

they have a special for old people like me, haha,

and some of my friends already go.

Anyway that is the plan so far.

Oh, by the way, did I say I haven't been out walking since Easter?

And the Rail Trail is 150 kilometres or 93.3 miles long. Hmm.

Have a great week folks.

Diana

Mush n stuff

I thought perhaps it was time to check in

 and let you know I am still around.

I've been visiting you but not leaving comments

 as my brain has turned to M.U.S.H. mush.

My GKB has retired and within a week he ended

 up in hospital with a deep vein thrombosis. 

The full length of his leg.

 Just what retirement isn't meant to be about, 

but seems to happen all to often in today's world.

I hope that doesn't sound bitter, I'm not, but I am a bit tired.

He is doing well but it has meant trips back and forth to the hospital. It also means we don't do much at the moment so I am starting to feel a bit house/small town bound.

Yesterday we drove a young lad down to his camp at the Lake and that was fun. Good to get away for an hour or so.

And spring is just around the corner. I think.

We are getting heaps of waxeyes at the feeder

 and I've had to make more.

And we've been to watch both the grandsons playing footy. The youngest just started playing this season and is still playing kick and chase but the older one has been playing rules for a couple of years now and his mother tells me he is a striker (whatever that means). Ignorant granny. I don't know the rules but I love to watch, it is such a skillful game and even the little kids have some good skills.

Anyway, that's enough from me for now. I have to go and get tea ready so that I can go and join in a quiz night. I hope they are not expecting too much from me, as I say, my brain is mush just now. But I could answer a question about the new baby prince, I know his birth weight, but then so does everyone else, haha.

Have a good week, 

Diana

Inside a Dunedin cathedral

These are some of the photo's I took
 inside St Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Dunedin 
when I went in to see the annual 
Flowers of Praise festival earlier in the year. 

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle

Looking from just inside the main doors towards the altar.

The great multi coloured cross was made in the 60's or 70's and made of perspex - a controversial decision at the time. It is suspended over the altar by chains.

Looking back to the main doors from the front pews.
The stained glass windows are beautiful with the light coming through them.

Some of the side windows and some of the floral displays.

The cathedral is quite lovely with 
the white stone and beautiful stained glass. 
Once upon a time you could go up to
 the tower on the left hand side (looking at it) 
and had a good view of the city, 
but I'm not sure if they allow it now.

Just two of the many  
floral displays on show, 
elegant and fun.

wishing you all an elegant and fun week,

Diana

linking with:
InSPIREd Sunday

Feijoa and other stuff

Today I have been brave and made feijoa chutney. Only a small amount because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. And after last years disastrous attempt at feijoa jam I thought I'd go slow and easy. It looks pretty good but the proof will be in the eating. I'll give my little mother a small jar to try, she's not too keen on the fruit but might enjoy it made into something different. Apparently it tastes a little like pineapple, but it's not like any pineapple I've ever tasted. Wikipedia says it is a type of guava native to South America. I think it is an acquired taste, unless you grow up eating it, which I didn't. I do enjoy it a little more each time I have it though. 

The weekend has been busy, starting on Friday night with an outing to 10 pin bowling with the youth group and then a craft afternoon and fish n chip tea with the Sunday school kids on Saturday. That was a lot of fun but very tiring. Sunday School yesterday and today was a day at home. Just mucking around doing what I wanted when I wanted.

I just love this picture of the snow owls the kids made. They are all so different and so expressive. As it was the night of the Matariki lantern  parade in town we also made lanterns and after tea tested them out so that the parents and kids could see how they had turned out.  They were really effective in the  dark but  my photo didn't turn out so, sorry, I can't show you.    

There is still a lot of this white stuff hanging around making it very cold and yukky. You may guess that I am a warm weather person. A few days before this dumped we had torrential rains for over 2 days causing floods and slips nation wide.  Bridges and roads were washed out and people evacuated from homes where the ground was falling away under them. We had one day reprieve and then the snow started. After 3 days of non stop snow moving up the country people have again been cut off and there have been more road closures, slips and power outages. Over a metre of snow has fallen in some places and while that is good for the snowfields it is a disaster for the farming community. Here where I live on the Taieri Plain it never settled on the ground and while that made me happy it meant the kids didn't get any snow days from school and were very disappointed. I just think we were extremely lucky when I see what has happened elsewhere.

And just to finish, here is a shot of the so called super moon, through the trees and as the clouds parted briefly earlier this evening. 

Happy Matariki

Diana

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

... it's been raining solidly for over 48 hours,
and the state highways north and south are closed again
 - this time by flood waters. 
But that didn't stop me going out

 for lunch today with my good friend, Bon.

About once a month we head over to Green Island

 and have lunch together at the Trading Post.

outside the Trading Post today

We usually have a toastie and tea (for me) and Bon has a cappuccino or latte or some such drink with hers.

You can't let a little weather stop you from having fun.

One year, it was going to be this one but wasn't,

 I am going to take part in the midwinter polar plunge. 

Well that's my plan anyway, part of my bucket list.
 It was like this the day it was held 
and I didn't realise it was on. 

That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

When I got home who was sitting, 

all wet and bedraggled, on the step?

Just Claude...who wouldn't come in, 

because strangely we like our doors shut 

when the weather is is wet and cold and windy.

He likes the doors wide open in case 

he spots a set of legs he doesn't recognize 

and wants to make a bolt for it, 

regardless what it is like outside. 

Feijoa tree

There is an upside to all this frightful weather though.

The neighbours feijoa tree is dropping fruit 

left, right and centre, over our fence.

Eldest daughter is coming over  to take some home, tomorrow, and I think I will make some into chutney this year. 

Not jam, last years didn't turn out too well.

There has just been so many windfalls

and the tree is still laden. 

You can see the fruit in the photo.

I can do a jigsaw or two without feeling

 as if I should be doing something more productive.

 This one is interesting and a bit of a challenge.

It has 11 pictures on the box

 and none of them are what you put together

...but are all in the completed puzzle somewhere

And I don't fell guilty about reading a book or four.

The first two in this pile are good stories

 but quite hard to read,

 a little strange I guess, 

and a bit different to what I normally read.

But that's not a bad thing.

And if all else fails, and there is nothing on telly, 

we can always hunker down and watch a DVD.

Have a good week,

Diana

Playroom rules

My GKB were out for lunch today and we saw a poster on the wall entitled Playhouse rules.

 I couldn't help but write it down. It went as follows.

PLAYROOM RULES

Everyone is welcome

BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER

LAUGH & GIGGLE

Clean up after yourself

SAY PLEASE AND THANKYOU

PLAY FAIR

USE KIND WORDS

DANCE, SING

use your imagination

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TOYS

HAVE FUN

ALWAYS SHARE

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

Personally I think they are pretty good rules for life after the playroom as well. What about you?

Have a great week,

Diana

Who opened the freezer door?

We woke up to a wintery blast today. 

I opened the drapes and this is what I saw...

Just a little dusting of the cold white stuff.

Thank goodness I don't have to go out in it today.

It's not too bad here but the city schools are closed, 

and the state highways north and south 

have been closed much of the day.

view from eldest daughters home

My eldest daughter lives in the city

and the snow is a lot heavier there, 

they are in a hill suburb...

well most of the city is built on hills.

Mackie, his first time in the snow

Being on the flat the snow has to be
fairly low to really affect us.

It's 2 or 3 years since  

we have had a decent covering here.

grand-daughters' snowman

And that is how I like it.

Pretty to look at on Christmas cards and postcards, 

even to ?maybe? have a holiday in (I think),

but I really don't want to live in it.

Keep warm, keep cool, 

whatever the need may be, 

but most of all keep safe

wherever you are.

Diana