Farewell My Friends

 

After blogging for nearly six years, I have decided to retire.  Blogging filled an empty spot in my life after losing my husband, but that has changed now.

As I grow older, it is taking me longer to do the things I want to do.  I am finding I need to prioritise my time more, and, although I have found blogging to be generally enjoyable, it is not one of the top priorities in my life.  So, out it goes!

I will no doubt continue to read some other blogs – and maybe even leave a comment occasionally! – but this will be my last blog post.

I want to say a BIG THANK-YOU to all my faithful followers and to all those who have placed comments over the years.  I truly have appreciated each and every one of you, and have been glad that you have been able to share my life journey with me over the last few years.

Relaxing recently at Raglan, with a glass of sparkling water

Wishing everyone the very best of happiness in the future,

May God bless you all,

Margaret xx

 

A Lovely Morning

We had a beautiful morning, with blue skies and only a slight breeze.  It was perfect for drying the washing. 

For the first time in months, I noticed a hot air balloon in our skies.

Our daytime temperature peaked at 28 Celsius (82F), so it is safe to say summer is here.  Our fans are all unpacked and in use!

Margaret xx 

Purple Berries

We have a plant growing in our garden that has gorgeous purple berries.  I suspect it is a native plant, but do not know its name (can you help?).

I had some fun this morning.  The battery went flat in my car key fob, so I used the key to open the door and the alarm went off!

I fiddled around with a few things and it eventually stopped - son thinks perhaps there was enough charge left to allow me to start the car and thus stop the alarm.  Who knows? LOL

We are slowly getting the house back into order again. The pile of boxes is growing smaller each day.

Son and I are both loving the new feeling in the house. I smile every time I walk in the door!

Margaret xx 

A Day At The Beach

I enjoyed my couple of days beside the beach, and managed to avoid using the internet (so relaxing!).  This was my self-contained unit in Raglan Holiday Park. 

First thing to do after my morning shower was to make the bed and tidy up the unit.

Then it was breakfast (apple turnover and tea) sitting out on the deck.

There was a pleasant view out over the Opotoru Inlet.

And sometimes a light plane came in to land at the nearby airstrip. 

A lot of the morning was spent sitting on the deck watching the world go by, and next thing it was lunchtime!  I wandered over to the nearby takeaways and bought two pieces of fish (terakihi) in a crispy golden batter, to eat beside the water. 

There is a foot bridge that connects this area with the town, and for the first time in my life I got the courage to walk across it. 

The only problem was, I had to walk back again LOL.

I sat beneath a tree to let my shaky legs recover - and enjoyed just watching all the activity going on around me. 

Dinner was a bread roll filled with roast beef and salad  - have you guessed I bought all my meals this trip?  Doing so really added to the relaxed holiday feeling. 

The glass of bubbles is sparkling water!

As the day ended, I made my way down to the beach (part of Whaingaroa Harbour).  The sand here is black, composed of eroded volcanic material rich in iron-bearing minerals, and gets very hot underfoot on a sunny day.

I was hoping to watch the sun set below the oceanic horizon but Mt Karioi, a peninsula, and some clouds, all conspired against that idea.  I wasn't too disappointed though - it still made a pretty scene, and the beach was quiet and peaceful. 

I'm back home again now and loving the new carpet. 

Now the fun begins, putting everything back in its place again!

Margaret xx 

Running Away Again

Our renovation chaos is almost at an end, at least inside the house.

Even the cats will be happy when we get done.

The carpet goes in this week, but I'm not going to stay around. 

There is nothing I can do to help, so I'm heading to the beach again for a couple of days.  A different beach this time - to west-coast Raglan instead of east-coast Papamoa. 

Margaret xx 

This month's header photo is of the Ngamuwahine River in the Kaimai Ranges.  It is a lovely spot to visit on a hot summer's day.  This photo was taken after a family picnic in 2012.