My muse has left me

I have reluctantly decided to stop blogging

for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately my blogging muse seems

 to have left me and although I enjoy

reading what everyone is up to I find that

I can't get anything on the page myself.

I had two goals in mind when I started

this blog and haven't achieved either of them

 - I'm not unhappy about that, just philosophical :)

I will miss you all, I have enjoyed getting

to know people through this medium

and hope I have occasionally made a

 positive contribution as well. So in the meantime...

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodnight...

Diana

Lunch at the lake

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we decided to take a sandwich and flask and have lunch at Lake Waihola.

There were not a lot of people there, much to our surprise, just one or two families about. More around at the boating, waterskiing area than at the swimming area where we were. Once more I missed an opportunity to go for a swim. The water wasn't too cold and not a lot of people. And we had a little bay to ourselves :) A really pleasant  spot to sit, eat and watch families enjoying the day.

There were the usual gulls hanging about looking for a free lunch.

This is a black billed gull and is only found in New Zealand.

Quite a pretty bird I think.

Over the track from where we were was the camping ground.

You can see it over the fence here. Quite a small one but just 20 minutes out of the city so you don't have to drive too far

to feel like you have escaped the madding crowd.

We stayed a couple of hours and then decided to take the scenic route home so set off over the hill and out to the coast road. This was the view looking back at the lake.

We drove home with native flax and toetoe on one side of the road and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The plan  was to stop and buy an ice cream but at $3.50 each (a rip off price) we decided to wait until we got home and have a free one :)

Another lovely outing on a lovely southern summers day.

Diana

'Tis 2019

First of all let me wish everyone a belated New Year.

How did you celebrate? Did you celebrate?

We didn't. We had our grandson staying

so thought we might at least sit up until midnight

 but he scooted off to bed about 10:30pm

and so we went not long after.

It still happened without us :)

We were a bit spoilt on New Year's day, a friend invited

 us out to lunch and we had a very enjoyable catch up

 with her at one of the hotels a couple of suburbs over.

That evening we were also invited to our son's home for the evening meal. We had a delicious cold meal, summer noodles, followed by icecream with a passionfruit sauce over it.

This was all finished off with rose petal tea

(coffee for my GKB) served in beautifully fine

 porcelain tea cups. So delicate. In the bottom

of the cup was an image in the porcelain of the

head of a Japanese lady. I think you'll see it

if you look closely at the picture below.

We all headed to the beach afterwards, next time

I'll take my swimming togs. It was a beautiful

 evening and the water wasn't too cold. Some of

us paddled, one of us decided the water was

too cold and another one guarded the cardigans,

cell phones etc. We headed home about 8:30pm.

After grandson headed back up to Christchurch

 we had a day or two just relaxing and then Sassy

arrived to stay for a couple of nights. She's missing

her family but once she realized we were actually

going to feed her and take her for walks she perked up.

She has been good and it's been fun having a dog again

 for a little while. We were out early for our walk this

morning as the forecast was for warm temps during

 the day, it's 31C at present. Unless it cools off somewhat

 she may miss out on her evening jaunt :)

And that has been our first week of 2019.

I hope yours has been just as relaxing.

Diana

joining Deb today for

Friday foto friends

A beautiful southern Christmas Day

Christmas Day dawned bright and sunny and beautiful. We sat in the yard and chatted and relaxed over coffee and Christmas cake at morning tea time. I stayed there for a while and read for a bit. We didn't have to be anywhere until mid afternoon.

Mid afternoon we headed over to number one son's home and congregated with the rest of the family. There were 18 of us in total as my brother and his partner from Aussie had arrived unexpectedly.

As usual there were parcels under the tree

and we had fun opening them :)

And then it was time to head outside

to seek the shade and maybe catch a breeze.

Under the house for some

and under the umbrella in the back yard for others.

Sunblock and sunhats were the order of the day.

A couple of the men got the barbie going, the girls had already done their bit with the salads, desserts and nibbles.

Enough food to feed the clan and then some left over.

Well maybe not the meat but some of the salads and sweets.

Later it was time to head around to the front garden

out of the sun and heat, to chat and eat desserts.

And that is a snapshot of our Christmas Day.

Diana

joining Deb at Breathing in Grace

for Friday foto friends

Merry Christmas to one and all

A funny sort of week & an apology

It's been a funny sort of a week in more ways than one,

but it is over so we can now get on with Christmas 'stuff'.

Some days it's been bucketing down like this...

and on those days I did stuff like this on the computer...

And then I would think that really I should have gone and dusted the bedroom, or wherever, but it was too late :) Dusting is my second most hated household chore.

Grand daughter came and decorated the tree last weekend and I showed you a picture of the work in progress - here is the finished tree. "You need more tinsel, Granma" she said, and I do so will probably get some at the post Christmas sales.

I don't know about you but I love getting Christmas cards

and I am a bit disappointed that people don't send them

any more. It's not quite the same receiving an electronic

 one - you can't prop it on your mantelpiece and enjoy

 it quite the same. Above is a picture of this years cards.

I managed to bake another cake that turned out pretty good,

even if I do say so myself. It is gluten free as my daughter has become gluten intolerant at the ripe old age of 50!

I'm hoping it will taste okay.

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

An apology

I've been having trouble with putting comments on posts

so my apologies if I have made multiple comments :( 

 I think I have the problem sorted now, I hope so.

joining Deb and friends today for

Friday foto friends

Am I ready for Christmas? No.

Christmas is almost here as you know.
Am I ready? No. Does it matter? Not really.
I think it will probably be the end of the week before
I get any more shopping done. That's just the way
it's panning out this year. But on Christmas Day
the whole family will gather at number one son's
 home and we will celebrate together,
just as we have every year.
And that's what matters :)

Newly married grand daughter, Monica, came over

and decorated our tree. She did a great job too :)

 

And after putting my nativity up and looking at it for

several days I have just realized that Joseph is AWOL!

I've made a cake too, disaster. I've cut it up and

 will use it for pudding with hot custard over it.

And so 'til next time

 E noho ra, goodbye

Diana