Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

 Our week has been bookended by garden ambling. On Monday, Wellington Anniversary Day, we had volunteered to help run the Arthritis Amble around some of Whanganui’s gardens. Nicky was on kitchen duty all day up the road at Frances’s where the refreshments were being served. I was on afternoon gate duty at a working farm a further few kilometres up the road. All went well and we finished a little earlier than expected which was just as well, as Steve arrived a little earlier than expected. He was staying overnight on his way to the South Island, and kindly took us out for dinner at the Spice Guru. Today Nicky collected Frances and myself after church so that we, along with most of the other Arthritis Amble garden owners, could do a tour of most of the gardens. Fortunately we didn’t get wet and, as ever, enjoyed to gardens: We were however pleased to get home has our tired legs had had enough. Nicky and Steve had three of games of Scrabble during his short stay. Steve was on his way ...

 It is Vintage Weekend in Whanganui, which coincides with Wellington Anniversary Day on Monday. The town is busy with both visitors and locals enjoying all the activities. The main streets’ Whanganui Caboodle is a big draw.   We started the weekend on Friday with a trip to the Otaki Pottery Club Art and Garden Ceramics. We stopped in Foxton on the way there for a cuppa at De Molen Café. The event was very busy and very well organised. There were a number of items which caught our eye, sufficient to distract us from taking any photographs because we both completely forgot. There was a brief shower of rain but otherwise the weather was better than forecast, and we had no need of our gumboots. We had our picnic lunch by the Otaki cemetery which was very peaceful. The Woodshed Café in Sanson provided us with our afternoon tea. Fish and chips for dinner rounded off a lovely day. Yesterday we went into town to join the throng, and enjoyed a pipe band, jazz band and a brass group (no...

 As I sit down to write this week’s post, it is just turned half past four in the afternoon and we have finished the bulk of the clearing up after hosting a shared lunch for around 28 people. Just the dishwasher to empty now. We are putting up our feet with a pot of tea in the lounge, where the temperature is 28º, same as in the shade outside. The ranch sliders have been open all day, but the hot sun has been out all day too, accompanied by a warm northerly wind from Oz. The shared Parish lunch went very well. I made pork pies yesterday, and Nicky converted two loaves of bread into sandwiches this morning. We added gluten free muffins from the freezer and thick slices of watermelon. Everybody brought something with them, some quite a lot, and we ended up with masses of food. It felt like a banquet. There was quite a bit left over, but not an excessive amount. We had laid out the food and drinks inside and put most of the seating outside in the shade under the car port. With most pa...

 2026, another New Year, is upon us, as are the jokes about things which haven’t been done since last year. We celebrated the first day of the New Year and our 5th anniversary of moving to Whanganui with a shared lunch. We invited neighbours and Charlotte’s Dummies quiz team, many of whom had other commitments. However, the eight adults (including ourselves) and three children enjoyed our time together. Mike was the last to arrive and stayed and watched The Chase with us. Until today, the weather has not been very summery. Having had most of the previous week in Auckland there was still much to do after Nicky had accomplished the laundry marathon on Sunday before and after church. My activity was limited by back pain. This has gradually improved through the week, but then in the small hours of Friday morning I twisted my right knee getting back into bed. If it isn’t one thing… I have cut the back garden grass twice, the berm once, and done my routine cleaning jobs. Nicky has spent ...

 While it isn’t quite the end of the year, welcome to the last blog posting of 2025. We began our week with a cool clear day, encouraging us to pack our bags and get on the road to Auckland. We delivered our cut flowers to Danny and Mel, and stopped by the Whanganui Museum to buy some tea towels for gifts before heading up SH4 to Raetihi. This was our first stop of the journey. We enjoyed tea and coffee at the Angel Louise Cafe, and the Christmas decorations: Snow capped Ruapehu looked fantastic with the sunshine and clear blue sky as we drove through National Park. By the time we got past the outskirts of Auckland and reached Botany Downs, the rain had begun. This didn’t dampen our welcome at Paul and Jenny’s. Jenny produced fresh salmon for dinner which was just lovely, and we spent the evening catching up on events since we last saw them in September. We had planned three visits for Tuesday, and the eating really began. After acquiring what turned out to be a selection of lovely...

 This week marks the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Upokongaro foot and cycle bridge. Like hearing the Tui each time we visited Whanganui to see how the construction of our home was progressing, the bridge also feels part of the process. We saw the bridge in place but fenced off on our visits until a trip December and the fence was gone. Once we took up residence we had a trip up to the bridge to have closer look, walk over it and admire its form: Our week began with another hot day that peaked at 27º. Laundry was done and Nicky went into town to do church cleaning and to see the physio. I prepared for the water supply being switched off for a couple of hours, but it didn’t happen. Nicky was back earlier than expected so we changed our transport plans a little. She was due at a thank you lunch for the ladies who run ReDress, where she had been asked to give Whanganui Anglicans’ thanks for all the money raised to support a Youth Worker and for the City Mission. Then we were...

 We have had another eventful week (I think it’s the time of year). At the beginning of the week I was still getting over the after effects of collapsing in the small hours of Saturday morning. I was low on energy and getting tired very quickly. By Wednesday things really improved and I am now back to being my usual self. After three visits from Shane the Sparky (one with his daughter and another with his Dad), our first water feature is up and running. Shane completed the wiring connection, laid the conduit and cable, and installed the distribution box and timer. It looks great nestled into the flax: On Wednesday I was able to start back-filling the trenches and finished this yesterday. The grass looks quite untidy where the trenches are and where I had various piles of soil, but I’m sure that nature will sort this out in the next few weeks. We had a lovely chat with Claire on her birthday and really enjoyed the photos she sent of the decorations on her desk. Her colleagues added ...