Farewell....but not forever......

And so, after 3 of the most wonderful weeks, it was sadly time to bid farewell to our friends and family..... newly found and well known.....it was time to board the plane for the long journey back to Blighty.


I'm never good with goodbyes....I'm the most emotional person there is.....I cry at cartoons...... so saying goodbye to Dad, G, A and New Zealand was the hardest thing on earth.....I was still crying on the plane.....Little Miss didn't really understand, asking after take-off why I was still crying.....she didn't understand the concept of not knowing when we'd be back.....or when we'd see our friends and family again.


It was dull and dreary when we left Auckland......

.....but once we cleared the cloud cover it was gloriously blue and sunny....

How exactly do you say......

T H A N K  Y O U

......for the most amazing holiday ever?

Flying over Australia

We packed so much in......we saw so much.....we did so much....the Angels met members of our family they didn't even know they had....I spent a teeny tiny bit of time with my bestest friend....we did things we could never do here in England....the Angels learnt new skills.....I enjoyed catching up with my first real BF after more than 20 years.....the Angels learnt some of my life history.....we played games.....we laughed.....and cried.....I found I really, really miss "home", even though I thought I didn't.....we all learnt a lot.....about ourselves.....about each other......about NZ .......I discovered how wonderful it is to part of, and surrounded by family....and memories were made.....wonderful, glorious memories etched in our minds to treasure forever.....of fun times, family, friends, and faraway places.

And there are so many people to thank.....for their kindness, thoughtfulness, and going the extra mile......for treating us, taking time for us, and being with us.....

.....to all our friends and family who we met, who went out of your way to see us or do things for us....you all know who you are......and most especially to Grandpa and Grandma G......without whom, our holiday would never have been possible.......we say the biggest, loudest, most gratefullest.......

T H A N K  Y O U !

Flying over Australia

We all saw how brilliant NZ could be for us.....we have vowed we will return......

-xxx-

On-Route to Auckland......

And so it was that we trundled off from Rotorua on the last leg of our road trip.....via Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty......for the briefest of briefest visits to Grandma G's friend.....on-route for Auckland.


There was rain on the window.....

.....and scudding skies all around......

.....but our spirits weren't dampened......no sireee.......we were uplifted by a gorgeous garden......refreshed with tea and scrumptious cake.....and I savoured the lovely antiques ......like these beautiful old pewter tankards from over here in Blighty......

 ....but this was all just too much for some of us.....back on the road again......the perfect opportunity for a little shuteye snoozy wooze........

.....before we arrived in Auckland at our good friend A's house.....where Little Lad and Little Miss quickly made friends with Ziggy.......

....a Leopard Gecko.....

Ziggy...the Leopard Gecko

.....who A was babysitting for her grandson......

It had been another long and whirlwind day.....we had experienced the entertaining Agrodome....met new friends......driven far.....and seen lots of the New Zealand countryside whizz by....we were tired.....emotions were starting to run high.....we knew our time was up......we knew our mostest wonderfullest holiday was drawing to a close....we knew we only had one full day left with family and friends in NZ.

-xxx-

Caterton......

My very best friend of all times lives in NZ......we've been friends for more years than I care to remember......but her living there......and me living here......does make for a very long distance friendship these days.....we have long phone calls.....reasonably regularly.....and the occasional Skype......but there's nothing as good as being in each other's company...... chatting, cooking, and catching up......so a trip to NZ was never going to be complete without some special time with SA.


So I left Big Lad and Big Miss in the very lovable hands of Grandpa and Grandma G......and took Little Lad and Little Miss on a road trip of sorts over the Rimutakas......a narrow winding road up and over the Rimutaka Ranges......to Caterton, in the Wairarapa where SA lives with her husband B and two children J and K.....they have the most charming piece of land with a cute little cottage sitting in the middle of beautiful gardens they have created themselves, by clearing all the scrubby bush and loads and loads of river stones which they have incorporated into the garden structure......they have retained lots of native trees and bushes and a quite a few gum trees sprinkled through too.....

and they've made several vegetable patches and orchards, which are scattered around, including this delightful cottagey kitchen garden.......

SA's Cottage Kitchen Garden

The day we arrived was quite warm and muggy so J and K couldn't wait to take Little Lad and Little Miss to the water hole.....and then J and Little Lad bogey boarded down the water race......

J and Little Lad Bogey Boarding down the Water Race

Once Little Lad and Little Miss had acclimatised to the quite chilly water and the "wild swimming" adventure, it was a great way to cool down......heaps of fun was had by all participants.

While we were there, we also caught up with my friends from years gone by......R and M, and their children M and K.....we've been out of touch for quite some time now, so it was nice to see them and catch up again.

We all feasted together......all 11 of us......on the most delicious handmade pizzas that SA whipped up while I stood chatting with her......no, I'm not lazy not helping.....her kitchen is very small, and she wouldn't hear of me standing on her toes getting in the way.....so I was content to stand, chit chatting away, sipping on my scrummy cider followed by a delectable glass of bubbles......it was a most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon which slid easily into evening.

The following day the weather forecast threatened rain, but it was still rather warm......the children hadn't had their fill of water play from the day before, and were delighted to be able to get the waterslides out....after some initial re-manoeuvring to find just the right spot.... to get just the perfect slope......for just the best forward momentum.....the four of them were off.......slip sliding away......

Little Lad, Little Miss J & K

Little Lad & Little Miss

Little Lad Slip Sliding Away

Once the excitement of slipping down wet sheets of plastic wore off, the children took themselves and a water sprinkler to the trampoline........and happily bounced themselves silly in and out of the water shower making up all sorts of mysterious games with special rules only they knew......SA and I spent some brief quality time sipping on coffee and chatting......again .....while SA whipped up a couple of Easy Peasy loaves of bread......yum yum.

All too quickly it was sadly time to round up the Angels.....their clothes and things that had been scattered everywhere.....our lovely Christmas presents we had received......and make the return journey over the Rimutakas back to Grandpa's.....it had been the most wonderful thing to have this very precious time with SA......it was so very short......but felt like we'd never been away, separated by 12,000 miles and many years.....may the time come quickly when we can enjoy more happy and comfortable time together in each other's company again.

Before we departed Carterton, we stopped at Harman & Harman.......a most delightful little shop that SA had recently found......she rang the shop in advance to see if they were open...... being a public holiday......and was surprised to be told they were......upon our arrival we were greeted by a young lad.....who had obviously answered the phone......he told us his Mum and Dad......whose shop it was.......had taken themselves and their family to the beach for the day......leaving him at home because there wasn't enough room for him.....poor him.....but he had happily opened the shop just for us, as we were passing and would be returning to the UK .....how nice was that? And what a fabulous little shop it was.......

Harman & Harman

Inside Harman & Harman

Inside Harman & Harman

After a lovely little peruse at all the gorgeous goodies......and a far amount of hmmming and haaaing......a small amount of money changed hands.....and I was the proud new owner of a prettily embossed pink and white heart hanging from a pretty pink ribbon.....

well, I couldn't leave without a little something......for the young lad's troubles, of course.....opening the shop just for us.....so sweet and accommodating.......it now has pride of place hanging above my bed.

Then it was one last stop at Pinehaven Orchards for a most delicious tub of fresh fruit ice-cream made to your very own fresh fruit combination......yummy, yummy, yummy.

And while we were away, Big Lad and Big Miss didn't just sit around twiddling their thumbs .....they went ten-pin bowling and out for an Indian....nice......although it wasn't actually .....the food and service were terrible......at least we had yummy pizzas.....hehehe ......and there were driving lessons to be had in the little truck, the tractor, and the quad bikes...... Big Miss decided the No. 8 wire stock fences were in need of a little rearranging, so took out a little section with the quad bike.....a case of a bit too much power and too tight turning and the fence being just a big closer than she anticipated......not to worry.....Grandpa will fix it.....he likes to keep busy and always needs new jobs to occupy him.....haha.....and then just as it started drizzling, a magic carpet ride was enjoyed......Big Lad zooming round the paddock on the quad bike......Big Miss sitting demurely......or rather clinging on for dear life.......to a piece of sacking.......being dragged along behind .....with just the right amount of drizzled rain droplets to provide the perfect lubricity for a most adventurous riding experience......shame I haven't got any photos of that!

We all had a brill couple of days.....and once again, we'd like to convey our most gracious thanks to all those special people that made it possible.

-xx-

We're back......

H a p p y   N e w   Y e a r !

Phew, it's been a while since I've posted here.....we've been soooo busy......half way round the world in fact.....to.....NEW ZEALAND.....for the most fabulous, wonderfullest Christmas and holiday with family and friends....remember that most fabulicious surprise I mentioned way back here? Well......this was it!

Silver Fern - Ponga

It was a H U G E surprise for my Angels who knew nothing about our trip until 2 nights before we travelled. It was full to the brim with new experiences....they had never even flown before. It was so full on, our feet never seemed to touch the ground......there was so much to see and do.....family to meet, driving to learn, cows and sheep to round up, eels to catch, quad bikes to ride, shooting to try, a tractor get to grips with, amazing and unique flora and fauna to marvel at, new friends to make, bikes, scooters and skateboards to ride, new pets to look after, graves to visit, long bike rides to tire, laughter, fun and excitement to be had, Christmas presents to be opened, new games to learn, seas to swim in, farms to explore, museums to see, flying foxes to zip on, boiling mud pools to wonder at, water slides to zoom down, BBQs to cook, earthquakes to feel, Christmas trees to find, cut and decorate, volcanic activity to learn about, donkeys to ride, birthdays to celebrate, sheep shearing to see, chickens to hold, old friends to catch up with, a ferry trip round the harbour to enjoy, an isolated island to explore, hot pools to relax in, Maori culture to experience at first hand, sheep shows to watch, lots and lots of yummy food to devour.......Wow, that was A LOT to pack into a few short weeks!

National Emblem - the Silver Fern

It's been a long, long time.....more than half my lifetime, in fact......since I have been surrounded by family.....and it felt sooooo good....like being wrapped up all comfy and cosy in the warm (maybe that was because it was summer, hehe) embrace of a cuddly blanket.....it was very, very hard, sad and bittersweet when it was time to say goodbye.

But while we were there, we had the most amazing time, with loads and loads of fabulous memories made, to treasure for the rest of our lives.

Home of the Rugby World Cup Holders

Our most heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to everyone who made our time in NZ so special and amazing, but especially to my Dad and his wife G.....

T H A N K   Y O U ! ! !

from the bottom of our hearts.

I was hoping to post little blog entries every few days while we were out there, but seriously.....there just wasn't the time.....we had to make the most of every available hour, minute even......so I hope to make a series of posts over the next few days with a small selection of the 1500 or so photos we took.....a "flavour' of our best holiday ......E V E R ! ! !

-xx-

Word Love......

A few months ago I saw a wonderful word sign on a door, in a house, in a magazine....I loved the words, so I took a photo of the picture and kept it on my phone....I'd never seen anything like this in the shops......one day, I told myself, I would try to make something like it. Then yesterday I took my friend M out shopping to a town we had not explored before.....we wandered into a nice little shop, and oh my, oh joy.....there was the lovely little sign, just like in the picture....well I thought it was just like the one in the picture, but it turns out one of the words is different.....but that didn't matter, I still loved the words anyway......I oohed and ahhhed over it....but in the end my head overruled my heart and I walked out of the shop empty handed.


We did a little more wandering, and a little more looking, and then had a spot of lunch in a nice little cafe....the best ever panini we've ever had, actually....but the little sign had been playing on my mind, niggling at me.....so I said, on the way home I'd pull over outside the shop and run in....if it was still there I'd have it, if it wasn't, it wasn't meant to be....and guess what....it was still there....soooooo, I did have it.......

I ♥ these words....they are such wise, wonderful words to live by.....keep Peace in your heart, always live in Hope, and spread Joy wherever you are! The words are ideal to hang for Christmas.....reminding us to spread the Christmas spirit, but they are also perfect for remembering at any time of the year.

The other sign, incidentally, said.....Joy Love Peace....which is absolutely lovely too, but I do have a couple of other words that say Love....and I need to remember to stay hopeful.....so this sign is actually even better than the one I coveted in the magazine!

May we all keep Peace in our hearts, always live in Hope, and spread Joy wherever we are!

-xx-

The Best News......

A few weeks ago I received some super, duper, fabulicious news.....but I also received some potentially terrible news......I was told my Dad thought he had the big C..... cancer......well I have just found out that it was a bit of a storm in a teacup.... thankfully there is NO cancer......and my wonderful Dad will, with the grace of good fortune, be with us for many more years to come......P H E W ! ! !......that's a H U U U U G E relief!

And then we've had good news of my friend M's husband, who has been in hospital for over three weeks...after a battery of tests, it looks like everything is OK......and he is home again.....PHEW!!!....another HUGE relief!!!


Things really are looking up.....life really is good!!!

-xx-

Birthday Bunting & Cute Cosies.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!......It's my very good friend M's birthday today.....but sadly she's not the happiest of people at the mo.......her husband is in hospital and she has worries on her mind.....so any little minute I've not been keeping her company, I've been secretly whipping up these little treats for her new kitchen.......birthday bunting for the pantry....

and cute cosies for her new egg cups......

They're only little things, but I hope they brightened her day a little......and maybe bring her a little joy and a smile when she sees them each day.

I hope with all my heart, M gets some good news from the hospital tonight.....it would be the best birthday present ever for her.

Happy Birthday M!

-xx-