I've Run Away

With all the renovation chaos at home, I've escaped to the beach for a few days while my room is painted. 

It was too early to check into my motel, so I spent some time at Pilot Bay wharf watching some of the ships entering and leaving Tauranga Port.

The weather was a little miserable, with rain for most of my journey.  It began clearing later in the afternoon, though, with a promise of better weather for my stay.

I am very pleased with my motel unit - and nothing says Welcome quite like some complimentary chocolate!

Stay happy 😊 

Margaret xx 

Beautiful Roses

With all the chaos in our house at present, I finally reached my limit and escaped for the day.  I spent quite a while in the city rose gardens.

The beds are spread out over a large area.

Each area is dedicated to a particular type of rose, such as these ones.

I rested for a while inside this little summer house.

While I drank my water,  I watched one of the garden staff tending the garden.   It takes a lot of work to keep everything looking lovely. 

Rabbits are a major problem here, and each rose bed is surrounded with a barrier fence.

It was a gorgeous day for my visit.

Welcome, Summer!

Margaret xx 

It's Scary Out There

Usually, I like to stay home on weekends and public holidays, but today, Sunday, I had to make a quick visit to the supermarket.

Coming home I became entangled with several Girl Racers using the public road as their private racetrack. Twice I had to brake heavily to avoid an accident, and also brake three other times when the car in front was being dangerously passed by these idiots.

This was at 9.30 in the morning!

I was very glad to arrive home safely and relax with a hot mug of tea.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Margaret xx 

NZ Olive Oil

There are a few areas around New Zealand that are producing their own olive oil.

My favourite variety is the peppery Picual olive oil, but it can be difficult to find at times.

Which is why I was thrilled to find this online at Allpress Olive Groves on Waiheke Island (near Auckland).

The Free Fatty Acid rating shows the quality of the oil (it must be below 0.8 to be called Extra Virgin - this is 0.18).

Allpress state their locally grown olives are processed fresh without chemicals or excessive heat.

A thankyou card with my order showed a view of Verdale Grove on Waiheke Island.

I've read that including some quality fats in your diet helps to stop food cravings.

Hopefully using this oil will have that effect!

Margaret xx

Lunch With A Friend

I met up with a dear friend today for a spot of shop-wandering and lunch together. 

For my lunch, I had a hot milk chocolate drink and a bacon, cheese and onion toasted sandwich. 

Then, this afternoon, son whisked me off to his favourite hardware shop to buy interior house paint.

The house has a couple of walls that need repainting and I'm also going to have my bedroom freshened up.

I don't have to do any of the painting myself - that is what I have sons for!

My choice was for a creamy yellow with a pale blue feature wall (the photo colour isn't entirely accurate).

Our whole home is in quite an upheaval - but by the end of the year it should feel like a new house. 

I'm looking forward to that!

Margaret xx 

Lifting Carpet

I stripped my room bare this morning so that the boys could move the furniture and lift up the old carpet.

Thankfully, underneath is varnished chipboard so it was easy to vacuum up the dust that had accumulated over the last forty years.  (So gross!)

I took advantage of the bare bedroom  by vacuuming clean my mattress.  I used to do this every 6-12 months, but it has been a couple of years now since it was last done.

For breakfast this morning I made up a Breakfast Bowl with a Middle Eastern flair.  Chopped egg, cucumber and  tomato were placed on a base of Greek yoghurt, some chickpeas were added, then a sprinkle of za'atar spice and a drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.

It tasted surprisingly good and kept me going until lunchtime. 

Wishing everyone a happy day,

Margaret xx 

Changing My Diet

Being overweight with hypertension is not a good combination.  With the help of my doctor and family, I am aiming to reduce them both by increasing my health.

Lots of fruit and vegetables appear in all the "sensible" diets I've looked at, so that is what made up the bulk of my grocery shop today.

Instead of my usual lunchtime sandwiches, I made a salad with lettuce, an orange, fresh dates, cucumber, garden mint, smoked gouda cheese, and homemade mayonnaise. 

I had some steamed kumara (sweet potato) with it.  It made a delicious meal.

I've struggled previously with changing what I normally eat - habits are strong things - but I am hopeful of achieving my goals this time.

Margaret xx 

A Promise Of Fruit To Come

I love to wander around our property, photographing anything that takes my fancy - like these stormy clouds building up to the north-east of us.

Today I noticed how many fruiting plants were flowering. 

The young grapefruit tree is blooming for the first time. 

The blossom smells heavenly, just like those on the lemon tree.

The feijoa has begun to unfurl its pretty red flowers.

The thornless blackberry is covered with its pink flowers.  It really seems to like the spot where it has been planted. 

Last year an unseasonable frost knocked the grape back a lot.  This year we are hoping for a bumper crop.

Of course, the companionable Mittens followed me everywhere. 

Have a happy day 😊 

Margaret xx 

Thankyou

Thankyou everyone for your kind comments on my last blog.

It turned out I did have concussion after all, so its been a bit of an odd week. 

However, my head doesn't hurt as much now, and my finger is moving again and only hurts if I put pressure on it. 

The sprained muscles are healing well and the bruises don't look quite as grotesque as they did.

Both my sons and my doctor have told me "no more lace-up shoes" so they are heading for a thrift shop.

Mittens has become a shadow-cat, always wanting to be near me. I guess my screaming gave her a fright!  

I am taking one day at a time at the moment but each day is better than the last.  Thankyou again for all your kind comments.

Margaret xx 

Vinegar and Brown Paper

I'm sure you all know the old Jack and Jill nursery rhyme - the one where they climbed a hill, fell down the hill, and then had their heads bandaged with vinegar and brown paper. 

They don't use vinegar and brown paper anymore!

I had a fall yesterday and gashed my head, cut my finger, sprained muscles and gathered quite a few bruises. Thankfully, I've somehow avoided concussion to go with it all.

My deck garden

Instead of stitches, I opted for 'glue' on my head and steri-strips on my finger.  I've been told to take it easy for a few days.

I am okay today, apart from being rather sore and feeling a bit fragile, but I will be taking a few days off blogging (will read and post comments though) until I feel a bit better.

Margaret xx 

Tiny Books

In my possession are three small books, each no larger than a matchbox, that I inherited from my father and his mother.

One of them has its own stand - "Lilliput Maori Place Names," published in 1962 as a miniature version of an existing book.

Inside, is an inscription that reads "To wish you a very happy time in your new home. Thankyou for everything - I shall miss you dreadfully.  Purrs from Ginger."  Presumably, Ginger was a kitty cat.

The second is similar.  It is called "Reeds Lilliput Dictionary - Maori English  - English Maori," and was published in 1960.  No inscription in this one though. 

My favourite of the three little books would have to be this one. It is the well-known "A Christmas Carol" and carries a date of 1906.

It is bound in soft leather and even has small illustrations in it.

The books are too tiny for a bookcase, so have their home among other ornaments within my display cabinet. 

Margaret xx 

This month’s header photo is a 2012 photograph of the grandiose Dunedin Railway Station.  Dating back to 1906, it features a facade of black basalt stone with facings of white Oamaru limestone.  The inside, open to the public, is just as magnificent and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

One Day After Another

I took this photo yesterday  - the sun was shining but we could hear thunder rumbling as well.

The storm's lightning set fire to a school hall out the other side of the city, but we had nothing here.

Decluttering my things continues, with added importance now as Son has decided to get new carpet put down through the house.

Today I emptied this China cabinet, ready for a granddaughter to collect.

A few of its contents I will keep (it was packed with stuff), and put into my own display cabinet.  Granddaughter will take some, but most of it will be getting donated. 

I see our lemon tree (or, rather, I could smell it) is flowering again. I love having lemons in the garden. 

I hope everyone is having a happy week. 

Margaret xx 

Ice Cream Maker

It seems that every time I donate something, I come home with something else!

Today, I dropped off five bags of goodies to the Habitat For Humanity store and thought I did really well not to enter the shop.

But then I went to K-Mart department store to buy coathangers, and found this little cutie to bring home as well.

It is an Anko Mini Ice Cream Maker. It only makes a cupful at a time - perfect for me and my half-cup-only size desserts. 

And I can make it with healthy ingredients like yoghurt and real eggs.

It's always exciting to have a new toy to play with!

Margaret xx 

Labour Day

It was Labour Day today, a public holiday created in 1899 to celebrate the creation of an 8-hour working day.

Today, most seem to celebrate the weekend as the start of summer - a time to get the beach bach ready for lazy summer weekends.

Son and I spent the afternoon watching a live replay of a Formula One race at Mexico City.

It was an "incident filled" race, testing the skills of some of the drivers to the limit.

Millie was more interested in snoozing on her towel.

The weekend forecast of stormy weather fizzled to a normal bout of wet windy weather.

These petunias were oblivious to it all.

Have a great week everyone. 

Margaret xx

An Old Blanket

When one starts cleaning out things, it is amazing what can be found lurking in dark corners!

I only have a single bed, and my preference is to use blankets instead of duvets although it is difficult to find the right sizes (most have too much or not enough tuck-in).

I found this green blanket in a storage box. My mother-in-law gave it to me about 30 years ago - it was threadbare then (it even has a few holes), so I shudder to think how old it actually is.

It is the perfect size for my bed, and still quite warm (the tag says 100% wool, made in England).

I'm now thinking I may use it as a template to cut down a couple of double-bed size woolen blankets that we received as a wedding gift (over 50 years ago!).

I'm not sure whether to bind the edges with satin ribbon or learn how to do blanket stitch.

Has anyone ever tried doing this?

Margaret xx 

Out Of My Windows

I woke this morning to rain on my bedroom windows.

It sounded heavy, but it was only a shower.

The sun was shining by the time I had breakfast, although it was quite windy and our wind chime was tinkling away in the background. 

Lunchtime, and the skies were overcast and there was a strong blustery wind blowing. 

The expected rain disappeared in the wind, with only a few showers passing through.

We have thunderstorms forecast for tonight, so we will wait and see whether they eventuate or not.

Margaret xx