Hark, is that rain?

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 The river has been looking very full this weekend following some very wet weather earlier in the week. The rain started on Monday evening and got very heavy on Wednesday and Thursday. In the breaks we got some laundry done and I finished the run-off drainage by the drive.

We have made good use of our time indoors with Christmas preparations. Nicky has been wrapping presents, I made our Christmas pudding and mince meat, and we have both been adding to the decorations (indoors and out). The house is starting to look quite festive.


I have had some work (first time I have set up a new machine remotely, I think), Nicky went to the last Seniors Lunch of the year, and we both went to an early evening drinks event which was good.


As the rain started to abate we visited local landscape suppliers. Nicky used birthday money sent by Stella for some bark which was delivered on Saturday and we started distributing:



We also found a timber supplier who has the things we need for retaining wall and boardwalk construction, but I don’t think these will get started until the New Year as they appeared to be closing for Christmas.


On Friday we had a visit from Steve and Ros. On their way down from Auckland Steve had started to feel a respiratory infection coming on (which could also have been hay fever). Nicky has also been feeling under the weather much of the week so they both went off for Covid tests. Both returned negative results 24 hours later, by which time Steve and Ros were back in Auckland with all the gifts which Nicky had wrapped. We had a nice lunch together which was a highlight.


Our other highlight of the week was last night. There is a Christmas Lights competition running, and the addresses of the entrants were published this week, so just before 9pm we set off. We were not alone. As we drove round town we encountered lots of other people doing the same thing, and we kept meeting some of the same folks at different venues. Some of the houses were just stunning, and some just a little over the top, but it was a lovely experience, with lots of friendly banter and chat. We really enjoyed the community experience.




Today has ended up being warm and sunny, so more laundry done. Nicky still not feeling quite right, but she made cinnamon scrolls and went off to the evening Carol Service at St. Johns. My efforts in the garden yesterday did nothing for my back (which has been niggling for about three weeks) so I have been doing gentle exercise, resting, and consuming pain killers.


Take care, Rick and Nicky


NB: Nicky hasn’t had chance to proof this so all errors and omissions are my handy work!

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