Darby & Joan ...

I think it's only the 3rd time in thirty odd years we remember being on our own.  We were sooooo sad not to be sharing dinner with any of our children yesterday ........

Yeah right....  How's that for a tui one?

Bye Bye Bongies

Kate came and stayed two weeks of her holidays with us.  Going to Christchurch for a few days in the middle meant time really flew fast.  On the last morning, Mummy & Daddy took breakfast to her.. but we seemed to have woken her up before she was ready :)  Light was a bit bright with the curtains back...

Kate was very glad to be away back to Auckland.  No emotional stuff as she left... I won't add the leaving photo, it was a bit blurry in places!  I felt like something was missing all day, but got stuck in to the roses and got them all pruned.  Stuart helped cutting up some of the larger branches I left around the roundabout, and he trimmed the mini mop top trees right down to the bare.  Guessing they will have to be dug out when we start house renovations soon.  Feel a bit sad when you cut off the last of the roses..

Today Dennis finished a rabbit hutch for the lop ear bunnies at the Grape Escape.  We had lunch there on Tuesday with Matt & Amy.  Apparently all his patrons (presumably during the school holiday period) have been complaining that his bunnies were living in cramped conditions... and he was sick of the complaints.  So asked us to make something that was more in keeping with what people expect.... and I think we may get a credit at our favourite lunch place :)

Tonight as we were about to finish work, there were amazing clouds over the Richmond/Stoke hills.. Doesn't show up very well in the photograph, but looked like an artist had filled in brushed pastel yellow and pink colours above the darkened hills. 

To Quakeville and Back Again ...

Kate and I left for Quakeville last Thursday.  Had to travel via Blenheim as the Lewis Pass and Hope Saddle was closed due to heavy snowfall the day before.  The night before we left we baby sat Isaac while David and Stacey went out to tea.  Aunt Blondie read him a digger book.

We shared a cuppa soup for tea the night we arrived, for some reason the cupboards were empty and we had to go supermarket shopping!  Mark worked Friday and Saturday till Noon, then we drove to Geraldine and back for a visit with Bev, Eldon & Kyle.  Friday morning early we dropped Mark to work after two circles...he thought he knew which way we went.  Then collected Stuart from the airport after which we found a carpark at Hornby for breakfast.  It's good they have those double ones so you know your neighbours aren't going to clonk their car doors against you!!

Mark took us out to tea at a classy wee joint in Riccarton called Rotherhams on Friday night.  They had lovely desserts after lovely meals.  Kate of course chose the chocolate choice.  You had to be careful not to spear yourself on the toffee thingys - they were very long.

Mark has adopted Dad's photo of the Albatross for his background on the Mac.  And some mysterious shopping trolley seems to have turned up in his carpark area.

This was Monday morning as Mark was going out to the taxi and off to work again.

Then it was time to pack up and get on the road again.  Mark has his own two car parks numbered with his apartment number.

The road through the Lewis Pass and Hope Saddle were still covered with a lot of snow, and the car kept telling us it was 3 degrees (or less) outside, so take care with driving!!

And next morning Stuart came to pick me up as the work car wasn't at home... and it was lovely to have a nice home made coffee :) One in italian glass, other in Burleigh mug.  Quite a saving with Kate - she doesn't drink coffee!!  Stuart found some more beans in Christchurch - Lazy Sunday and Hanky Panky.  Sounds promising...

Thanks Mark for a lovely few days.  It was good to see you again :)  Miss you.  Glad we could fill your cupboards up just in time for Matt & Amy.

A Fishing We Did Go ...

Fiordland Trip Instructions:  "Pack as lightly as possible" - Yeah right.

 Cutting the water to open sea

Where Stuart did some barfing for the first day and a half ...in between fishing and filleting.  Lots of groper who pop eye when they come to the surface.

Some very large grey sharks which could hardly be held off the deck, and good sized blue cod.

Some special deep sea Blue Nose - which even if they're not as big as the groper, are more sought after.

 And some amazing wing spans of Albatross trailing the boat and skipping on the water behind.

The mafia at the end of the trip ... 

 All in all a good time was had, and plenty of fish filleted, vacuum bagged and frozen to bring home.

Along with some live crayfish crawling around in my chilli bags, drowning in my kitchen sink, flopping water everywhere and barely fitting in my biggest pot!

 And the boy who decided to give his razor a holiday as well !!  He showed his mug at work for a whole day, but managed to shave last night :)

Down on the Farm ...

Here's some closer ups of the beasties.  Thankfully the remaining six have decided the vaccines are working and look reasonably happy on their feet.  They haven't been named yet, but we were wondering about Stew, Porterhouse, Rump, Ribeye etc...

These two lovelies are a bit more 'beefy' than the others, and a wee bit more standoffish!

And, Oscar has found a new friend.  Do you want to play..... Oh come on don't be stuffy.... and lets get a little closer  :)  He was funny to watch.  They've obviously got a wee rapport going on.

And, not to be forgotten, Isaac is so into gabbling to mum, nan and anybody who'll listen or pay attention!  And when he gets all excited in the telling, he adds emphasis in the telling, and his little arms are going around like little windmills! 

And tonight we've lit the fire.  Once the sun goes down you feel the chill happening.  But we're getting lovely sunny days after the frost thaws out.

Sorry, the pic before this was a bit blurry when he was smiling.  Grandad loves the fireplace!  Just have to watch him when he thinks it needs stoking all the time :)