Christmas in New Zealand

Happy, Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year to everyone !!

This time of the year down here in the Antipodes is summer time - hot, blue-sky days and muggy nights !! Well, it is raining today but we do need it, hopefully it will clear up later and tomorrow, the 25th Dec, will be a beautiful day.

I will be with all my children and 3 grandbabies at Pip and Matt`s over at Papamoa, by the beach - lots of walks and swims and generally enjoying time spent with family ...

Raglan-by-the-sea

Manu Bay on the west coast of the North Island has the best lefthand surf break in the world I am told ! I know from watching my daughter surf, that it is possible to crash-land on the rocks and really hurt yourself !!

I have just spent 2 days at my favourite place on the west coast, the tiny village of Raglan, about a 40min drive from Hamilton, through rolling countryside, up the divvie ( the local name for the range of hills dividing the coast from the Waikato valley) and down into the hills and dales of the coastal area - I always feel elated and strengthened when coming here - never want to go home .. The township is situated along the harbour edge with the open sea and it`s crashing waves just a short drive away.

Mt Karioi, or the Sleeping Lady as she is known, dominates the scenery for miles. There are many Maori mythes about this extinct volcano, she is very important to local tribes.

Kanuka grows all along the coast - I love the way the trunks all bend in unison - the prevailing wind off the Tasman ocean can be very strong but these hardy trees keep bending, making an excellent cover for more fragile plants. The wood from Kanuka is very hard and makes great firewood or fence posts !

I came home alot more relaxed then I was, met some really interesting people, made acouple of `bee` connections and also have the beginnings of a local Herbal Society to ponder over ...

A day with family ..

The Schobs family, Pip, Matt and Elliott, came to stay last weekend - it was lovely having my gorgeous daughter with hubby and very cute son to hang around with.
Matt had a gig in town and us `girls` took Elliott down to the Gardens - I`m starting him early !

I babysat that night while all the younger clan went into town to support Matt and his band - Nana Marcie watched a movie and crashed into bed. Elliott was a very good boy and slept all night - apart from the time cuddled up to Nana, singing and trying to stand up - he eventually went back to sleep just as the birds started singing !!

Elliott is amazed that these creatures move and have eyes !! He spent some time trying to open Leroy`s eyes and my lovely placid Burmese cat just sat there for ages, didn`t even move a muscle - or though I did see his tail twitching ...

Sunday morning we had brunch at Jacks, a cool cafe down the road, Ellena starts work there this Sunday, washing dishes etc - the girl needs extra money . .

After they left for home I cleaned up the house, it is amazing how much mess 3 other people can make, especially in my small place .. I love having family to stay ...

Elliott`s 1st birthday - 21st August 2008

Happy Birthday Elliott . . . not that sure about the candles but the cake was yum and he got lots of noisy presents, including the balloons. He is such a social boy with a wonderful expressive face and quite a temper too .. Nana in England sent some English flags to fly and lovely presents to boot, all in all, I think we had a great day.

Mummy and baby boy - what a face !

Here is our big boy - one now and full of so much energy it is frightening !! He loves his Aunty Ellena ( my 3rd daughter and my baby ! ) and likes nothing better then to cuddle up.

No 1 and 2 blessings

My first grandchild Lia was born nearly 12 years ago to my eldest daughter Megan and her partner Jamie, who sadly isn`t on the scene now. Lia is a gorgeous kid, lives in Raglan with her talanted Mum ( an artist and teacher) and loves her family.

Sitting on Lia`s knee is no 2 grandbaby, Elliott Thomas, the first child of my 2nd daughter, Pip and her English hubby, Mathew. What a character this little boy is - a real joy ..

blessings ...

Last Sunday my 3rd Grandchild was born to my son Cameron and his lovely wife Carly. Jackson was a healthy 8lbs 6oz with a very good set of lungs and all his bits in the right place !

This new little family lives in Tauranga and I haven`t been over yet as I have the flu !! According to Cameron`s sisters, their brother is coping very well and all is peace at the moment ..

Sad times ..

Last month a very dear person died - we grew up together in the King Country that we both dearly loved, went to the same little school, Te Whakarae that has since closed down, and generally had the same emotions towards the remote valley we grew up in . . . Ross was a gentle, kind man and died far to young - he married my favourite cousin, Glen and they had 2 lovely children, Blair and Shae - he will be so missed . . .

Taumarunui cemetary where we gathered to farewell Ross - surrounded by misty hills - tui singing and fantails fluttering close by. Afterwards Ellena and I wandered around and found the graves of my Grandparents, Aunt and other relations - this is where I want to rest eventually ...

Te Maire Valley memories ..

Te Marie bridge - the only connection out to the main road, in fact the only bridge that crossed the mighty Wanganui River for miles !

My family moved to the sheep and cattle farm called Patunga when I was 6 months old, my Father starting off as the farm general hand and moving us from the cottage to the much larger farm house when he became the farm manager, a position he held until we left the district 12 years later.

Pictured on the left is my Dad on his work vehicle, in front of the cottage. The farm was mainly very steep hillsides with some native bush covering left and rushing streams full of mossy stones and great swimming holes. It was a wonderous place to grow up, the main farm house being built in the early 20th century and surrounded by large English style gardens - more about that later ..

The 2nd picture is Dad with my sister and I - I must have been looking into the sun, we were most probably off to town for our weekly excursion. The closest shops were in Taumaranui, a small town that served the surrounding farming community and local saw mills. It took forever in a small child`s mind,but was probably only about 45mins to get to town over windy, metal roads including a bluff. As I grew older we would be picked up from school on a friday afternoon and the rest of the day would consist of my piano lesson while the parents shopped, then fish and chips for tea at my Aunty and Uncle`s home in the town - always a treat to look forward to - the country cousins experiencing a town cousins life - street lights and traffic, so different to the blackness we were used to - no other lights to be seen, just a Morepork ( owl) calling and maybe a kiwi if we were lucky ...

some history ...

Te Rohe Potae ( Rim of the Hat), the Maori name for the King Country, the rugged area of New Zealand where I was born and raised, stunning scenery with a hint of isolation not found in many other places.

I grew up on a sheep and cattle farm right at the end of a winding, steep valley, back in the 1950`s country roads were mainly metal and narrow. To reach Te Maire valley there was a high bluff to cross, ie skinny road with imposing wall of huge rocks on one side and a very long drop down to the Wanganui river on the other. Many a time families in the area were blocked in by falls of rock, sometimes for days. Just before another bluff ,we crossed over the river using the only bridge for miles, and wandered our way home - sometimes dodging stray animals, not always successfully !! My mother hit a horse once, wrote off the Vanguard ( car) which was a heavy vehicle and the horse had to be put down - no damage to any humans ..