Serious Tree Pruning Day

First day of Anniversary Weekend saw Maurie out with his chainsaw.After felling a few of his trees down the track, he offered to finish off what Bunny & I had started a couple of weeks ago. As a result of my effort last time, I have been sidelined by a couple of injuries, so I assumed the role of supervisor on this job. After a few hours of hard labour from the pruning team we now have a much better view of the sea from our kitchen, & a better chance of some extra late afternoon sunshine to the west.Leigh arrived back just in time with our pizza lunch See Picasa link for more photos.

Comet Watch

Great to wake up to a sunny day after a week of murky weather. Last night we sat around the bonfire at Reed's place catching up with all the news. It was a lovely clear night & we had a fantastic view of the comet. My pics weren't very clear, so we were looking forward to getting better shots this evening. The trouble was there was a bit too much cloud this time. However, I managed to get a reasonable shot of the sunset & a few shaky pictures of the comet- maybe not good enough quality to be posted - but here goes.

White out

Another day of extreme humidity & occasional showers culminating in a series of white out conditions. The beautiful pacific ocean is out there somewhere. During one of the less wet times this morning we went on a chook hunt. Over the last couple of days we've seen only one of the black hens, so imagining the worst I did a recce around the outside of the run, then Bunny did a search through the undergrowth inside it. Glad to say he found her alive & well sitting on 14 eggs! Where are the 'neighbours' when you want them to take their share? I just hope that they have plenty of books & wine with them 'up North' if the weather is anything like it is here now.

Hot Tub

Thought I was going to be first with the spa pool pic, but Maurie beat me to it. Bugger! Anyway this one is the first of him in it. Had a long day in Whakatane, with no retail therapy whatsoever. Saw the neighbours driving past the Hub area & waved like fury but no-one in the car noticed. After dull & damp conditions in Whakatane arrived home to a sunny afternoon. For more pics on Picaso click on the links panel. Can't get it to work here.

Tree Pruning

Lovely sunny day again, but a very cool breeze. Just right for a spot of pruning. I started slowly with a few cuts into a karo by the picnic table, then moved on to the flowering cherry outside the kitchen window. It looks fabulous in full blossom. I counted a mix of 10 tuis & bellbirds in it one day, & this year we watched a pair of thrushes feeding their chicks in the tree, before the young birds left the nest. However, the tree had become overgrown & was blocking the early morning sun from the house, so we had a go at thinning it out. Still work to be done yet, but have at least made a start. Next on the list was the puka. It looks dramatic, but it was shading the vege garden, so I sawed, & Bunny guided the cut branches as they fell. Thanks to Lucy the clean up was over in a flash.

Imbros

Imbros
Originally uploaded by Ariadne2007.

This is my first attempt with Flickr. It looks as if it will be easier for me to send pics with this program, although I like Picasa as a photo organizer. Hopefully I'll be able to position the pics in the text a bit easier. I went with Inge & a couple of other hostel friends for a walk in the Imbros Gorge on Crete in October 05. It was a great day, but I did suffer a slight injury to an ankle on the rocky terrain.
Yes, this is a much better look. Now I just need to learn how to add the note to my posts to connect with the relevant Flikr album. Maurie pointed it out to me on New Year's Eve, but didn't give it a 100% because I wasn't using Flickr then. Did add the link but it wouldn't function. In the meantime use the link panel for more pics.

Phillip Goes Home

We left just after 9.00am for our trip to Taupo today, & apart from having to come back for my wallet - so what's new?-the rest of the journey went well. Driving conditions were good, & not too much traffic on the back roads. We had a short break at Matahina Dam, & then on to munchies in Kopuriki. In Taupo for lunch at Janine's, where Bunny & Janine talked training tactics for the Rotorua Marathon. Janine had already been for her second training walk before we arrived. I went out for some retail therapy while all that was going on. Taupo was pumping. We left there late afternoon, & soon ran into a couple of downpours, but it didn't last long. Another stop for more munchies at Kopuriki, then on to PaknSave, where Lucy spotted Waitapu. Couldn't face cooking a meal at home, so stopped at the Oyster Farm for a feed of greasies. It was a long wait for the less than perfect food, but the scenery was beautiful. I got some good shots. Hopefully you'll be able to view them on my photo link. Got home just in time for Lucy to catch the last few minutes of Coro St. Whew, the pressure was on there!
Click here for more Taupo photos on Picasa.

Addendum to Happy New Year

I was able to txt & receive txts from absent friends last night. It was great to hear from them - Inge - aka the firefighting queen - on the other side of the world in the Netherlands, & Paul in the deep south sampling the wines & good food. Although Paul has a healthy appetite, the sight of this plateful on Crete was almost too much. The last time I saw Inge was October 05. We shared a room in Plakias, Crete, but she made sure she stayed in contact with Wim re their boat purchase. Inge will be pleased to hear that Maurie has shifted his brazier from under the canopy.

Happy New Year

Well, I survived the New Year's Eve party, simply because there wasn't one this year. So I needn't have worried about not being able to dance the night away after Tama's collision with me yesterday. However, it was still a good night with Marg, Bunny, Maurie-feeling poorly, Leigh, Thomas, Sam, Lucy, Phillip & Juanita. Love this pic - Leigh has to stand on a stool now to hug Thomas. Earlier Maurie put me right on a few of my blog blips, & this morning I have managed to put some of them into effect.