I'm dreaming of a sunburnt Christmas

Why not move Christmas to Summer, eh? Hot sunny days, hanging out in the garden after too many tipples. It's the bomb bro.

A VERY proud Stevie on the brick patio he's slaved over and the sun is shining now (this was 1ish while we were cooking dinner on Xmas day) It's close to 5 now and we've managed the first two courses of our meal but are too busy playing games and singing along to Parallel Lines to make the pudding.


So here are the three of us this morning. Steve was rubbish at the Moa hunt which is a NZ game based on place names! I've won everything so far today but that could all end soon when Shanti's friends get here (she missed the work party so they're headed our way.







OK so the Christmas shaped pasta was very tasty but the alcohol to food ratio may not be working as you can see by the tumble taken by Steve. Its now 5.40pm and boiling. We're thinking very seriously aboout having some pudding soon but first some more wine, eh?

Flat as Norfolk

One week to Xmas and Steve prepares a retaining wall for those times when we've had too much to drink and need retaining.




No hills for me she says. Croquet? badminton anyone? Yes please, but first the lawn needs to be flat. Right oh!
Don't the new steps look nice?


First, up comes the concrete.








All that dirt needs to be taken out by wheel barrow! 10 cubic metres I think!




Through the beautiful vege patch will soon be a manicured lawn, fit for cucumber sandwiches and pimms on the lawn. Hoorah!

Relaxing Renovation

Oops I posted this blog a couple of weeks ago but accidently put it on my other blog! we here goes again. A few piccys of the house and progress so far. I'm too knackered to write stuff so I'll catch up later, sorry.

We've nearly got rid of all the little old lady style on the outside of the house. Just need to paint that front wall adn redo the palnting, but the horid magnolia and forest green paint work has gone.



We love our wallpaper and have nearly forgotten the cost! Once we have permission the old fire will be gone too.


The start of the steps, a hole an some dirt.

Masked Parade

After months of cutting up milk bottles and painting egg boxes (the entire mask and costume was made of recycled materials) then weeks of practicing chanting and marching and movements we finally had the masked parade. Don't we look grand? Can you tell which one is me? I definitely enjoyed the parade more when I wasn't in it.

So what do you do in your spare time..Pt 2

Stuff we've made:
Look at my lovely seedlings. These little beauties (as Jamie would say) are going to give us fresh salad for the next 6 months.

Here's Hepzibah posing with Bea in their spacious new run that Shanti and I made during Mother/Daughter quality time.

Steve is very proud of his bookshelves he made two of these for the study. Only a day's work and cost 35 quid each.

Who has the neatest shoes in the house? I do! Thanks to Steve. (Like my oak tall boy?)

So Steve, what do you do in your spare time?

If you can get home before four o'clock and are prepared to work come rain or shine you too can remodel your front garden in a week (give or take a month or two digging out beds, getting concrete laid, growing lawn). See above for shot of garden when we moved in and below to how it looks today.


This mess was the start of last weekend before Steves mammoth lawn leveling task.


Steve sows grass seed into those pesky borders, yeah no more weeding for me!


What is now a stepped bed of fruit trees was an overgrown 2m wide border.

Now all it awaits is a fresh coat of paint on the house, lawn growth and a new post box and the dumping of a skip load of rubbish and it's done!

Slip Sliding Away

Skiing 101- Day One Olly shows Shanti how to get down hill while remaining upright. It's all in the size of your wedge.


This is what we would have seen if, like Steve, we had a lift pass to the top of Mount Hutt ski field.

Yeah, of course Steve only takes my picture when I'm doing one of the sillier exercises.


Skiing 101 - Day Two First get up really early and get the beginners slope and magic carpet all to yourself. (it helps to go to a quieter ski field like Porter Heights.)


Then stop for some pendant ski en famille (Who can wait 'til apres eh?) be sure to have sunnies for the posing.


Then follow the ski instructor (Swedish Johann this time) keep in line, turn, turn, parallel skis, big wedge, turn and so on.


If you can finish the trip with an All Blacks Test match, gets the blood flowing back to the frozen bits.

Weekend Break at Golden Bay

Golden Bay is over Tarkaka Hill, 790 metre drive up and down. We found the greatest campsite right on the beach, surprisingly no one else was camping!! Anyone would think it was mid winter.


Whakariki beach is famous for it's eroded arches but we shared it with a couple of oyster catches and the odd sand monster.

A Walk On the High Side

New Kitten!!

Here's Bree our SPCA kitten. She was a little shy at first but has really settled in now. She loves to eat what ever we're eating, hiding under the table, chasing her tail and sleeping.

Our Valley

Just to the right of our house (fourth from the back) is a track up through our valley. We took it the other night up through the bush to the stand of pine trees, up on the right. While we rested under the tree I thought I saw a glossy black dog, but it was a wild piggy with a long curly tail. My first wild pig.

Steve at the centre of NZ, which we can see from our dining room window. The photos here are taken from this point.


The view of the harbour and the boulder bank from the Centre of NZ.


Maitai Valley, just down the bottom of our street, great walks and cycle rides from here.

Kombi Coastal Capers

Finally our first Kombi road trip over the Easter holiday. First cross country under Hawk's Crag to the Wild West Coast.


The view is uniformly beautiful, helped enormously by the sun.

Kombi meets a friend. Unfortunately Splitty is headed north while we are headed south.

A stunning sunset viewed in the campsite at Fox Glacier, where I caught Stevie posing for Becca.

Not too much of Mt Cook on show at the 'View of Views' at Lake Matheson but at least we had a glimse.

The most dramatic event of the whole trip was the collaspe of the entire river arch at Fox Glacier.

Plenty of snow in the night and on the drive down to Milford Sound simply adds to the views.




We got some classic shots on the Milford Sound because we had a beautiful sunny day.


Stevie became a little unhinged after all the driving.



The Moeraki Boulders were bizarre like alien pods left on the beach. Why are they just in one place?


A farewell shot with the Kombi saying good bye to the seals at Kaikoura.
If you want to see more beautiful scenes like this you know what to do.... fly to New Zealand!!