Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

Wednesday was ANZAC Day, and I had offered to take Nicky and Mary to the dawn service at the museum. Nicky had been before and had major problems parking, hence my offer, though if I could have found somewhere to park I would have gone with them. As it was I couldn’t so I dropped them and found a spot way down Parnell Road. While they were at the service I had a wander up and down the road and cup of coffee and date scone. The service was good but both Mary and Nicky found standing, and at times being on uneven ground, difficult. We all met up again just before 7am and after dropping Mary at home enjoyed a good cooked breakfast. Late morning we had a phone call from Pat inviting us and Stella up to them for afternoon tea. Nicky set to baking savoury muffins and a feijoa cake, but due interruptions and things taking longer than expected the cake didn’t make it to Whangaparaoa. Afternoon tea turned out to be lasagne and salad which was a bit of a surprise but very good. It was the f

Nicky has had a very hectic week, for a number of different reasons. The library has been somewhere between very busy and manic, due to the school holidays, but she was only there for two days. She took some annual leave to attend this years Beyond NZ conference. This occupied Thursday evening, all day Friday, and Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon was quilting, followed by interesting baking of upside down apple and caramel cakes. Monday she spent a long time at the op shop buying some clothes (almost a complete new wardrobe by my standards but I appreciate that my standards are quite low). Thursday was a visit to Doris to get her hair done, mowing, and taking storm damaged flora down to the dump (they call them transit stations here, much moire elegant). She has also had a few nights of broken sleep which has been quite taxing. However, the additions to her wardrobe are good, and she enjoyed the conference. My week has been much quieter with just one on-site job, though I spen

As I sit down to write this week’s post the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony is just starting. Our TV viewing has been dominated by the Games, and The Crown series 1 on DVD. We have greatly enjoyed both, for quite different reasons. The Women’s Rugby 7’s final was a little tense but came out with the right result in the end. The other major event of the week has been the storm that hit Auckland on Tuesday night. It didn’t have a name because it wasn’t a tropical cyclone, but unlike the two cyclones that we only caught the edge of over the summer, we got the full force of this. Unfortunately I was out on Tuesday evening working. The weather was fine when I left home, but coming back a couple of hours later was quite a different story; street lights and traffic lights were out, trees and debris were blocking parts of the roads, and the heavy rain made visibility difficult. When I got home we had no power so it was out with the candles and off to bed. Most Auckland homes suffered

We started the week with a warm and sunny Easter Monday. Breakfast was toms and bacon on The Rattigan before heading off for our Easter Volcano walk. This year we went to the Otuataua Stonefields (you might need to Google their location). There is just a small and low tuff ring but the stonefields are also an ancient Maori settlement, so we had a good wander round exploring the grassy tracks, walked along some of the coast path, and saw lots of aeroplanes (more going than coming).  By the time we got home for lunch it was still cool enough to eat on The Rattigan, which we know will soon be going into hibernation as we move further into autumn. Work this week has been busy for Nicky and quiet for me. The weather has been good even though we have had one or two grey starts, so I haven’t had any problems getting the laundry done. Nicky went to the Cathedral with her life group on Wednesday for the Stations of the Resurrection, which was very good. I had a nice trip out to

Oh joy, oh happy day; Monday to be specific. While out shopping I decided to call in at Bakers Delight on Margan Avenue to check out the Hot Cross Bun (aka bunnies) situation. Their usual price for a packet of 6 is $9, which I am prepared to pay as they are such good bunnies. However, in years past in the days leading up to Easter they have done special offers, and 2018 was no exception. Not only the usual offer of two packets for $15, but a loyalty card that delivered a fifth packet for free after purchasing four previously! Sweet As, as they say here. As the young lady serving me explained this she saw the look on my face and said “I might as well just give you the fifth packet now hadn’t I?”, to which I enthusiastically agreed. 30 bunnies for $30 - bargain!!! The other staff member behind the counter (a young man) asked if I was stocking up for Easter. I replied in the affirmative on the basis that if we could keep our hands off them and I wouldn’t have to return on Thursday for an