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.

Imagination In Marriage

"Love is a beautiful flower in life's garden, but it is a frail one, and needs careful tending.  In married life love dies much more often from neglect than as a result of active damage.  Such neglect can be avoided.  All that is needed is to use your imagination. 

To maintain a healthy and fruitful relationship three things are highly desirable  - adequate time for love-making, a congenial setting and some variety."

This little bit of advice was found in the 1965 book "Frankly Feminine: A book of comprehensive information and advice for the woman of today."  It was edited by Eileen McCarthy for The Grolier Society Limited of London.  (The picture was taken from the book.) 

Things are still chaotic here. The boys have one room of carpet left to lift, and there are boxes, paint cans, and bits of timber everywhere, although I am trying to keep my bedroom and the kitchen tidy.

Son has used acoustic wall panels to make a feature wall in his room. I like his choice, especially using the two colours, and think the end result is rather stylish.

Renovations can be stressful at times, but I'm really looking forward to the end result. 

Margaret xx 

Keeping Busy

It was great to go away for a few days, and good to be home again - even though it meant facing a lot of cleaning up.

Most of the painting was finished while I was away.  It's surprising how much brighter and larger a space appears when it gets painted in a lighter colour.

I am loving the new colours in my bedroom. 

Everything has to remain packed up until the carpet goes down next week.  I still have some china-ware to pack and then my part in preparation will be done.  I've been stacking boxes of fragile things in the bath so they won't need to be moved around to make way for the carpet as it goes down through the house.

Our strawberries are now producing and we have been able to pick a handful every couple of days.  The new plants Son bought this season are producing mammoth size berries - what a shame he can't remember what variety they were!

Sorry I haven't been able to visit other blogs the last couple of days.  Hopefully, once things settle down here my routine can get back to being normal again.

Keep smiling 😃 

Margaret xx 

Back Home

I made it home safely, after one last long lingering look at the beach.

Not having much to say tonight, I thought I would post some more photos of my time away.

These rocks were at the entrance to Leisure Island. 

Can you see the jet fighter that screamed through above me?

This pohutukawa was growing at the base of the small hill named Mt Drury.

My very comfortable motel unit.

The fountain at Memorial Park is working again, after being closed when someone drowned in the water around it.  The water is now covered with a solid mesh.

Mittens is thrilled to have me home again. 

Margaret xx

A Walk Along The Beach

It's been a quiet relaxing day, resting lots and laughing at the sparrows having dust baths on the sandy lawn.

There is a beach access path not far from my motel unit, and I went for a long (for me!) walk along the sand this morning.  This Papamoa end of the coastline is much quieter than the more popular Mount Maunganui end.

Mount Maunganui was visible in the distance. 

There were a few shells along the tide line, but nothing to get excited about.

Years ago, when we lived in this area, I used to pick up one shell each time I walked along the beach - I ended up with quite a jar full.

It seems others have similar ideas, judging by the sand dollar shells hung on this fence.

I dabbled my toes in the ocean and got my feet wet. The water is still too cold for swimming, unless you are young and a bit crazy.  Last night I watched some blue shivering teenagers returning from a swim, chattering happily and not seeming to mind the cold.

There are houses/baches along here that are literally built on the sand dunes. I'm not so sure about the wisdom of that.

I liked the perspective aspect of this view. The tracks were made by a large running dog.

The holiday park office sells drinks, so I treated myself to a frothy hot chocolate when I returned from my walk.

I am feeling quite content, feeling rested, and ready to return home tomorrow.

Margaret xx 

People Everywhere

It has been a beautiful day, with blue skies and sunshine, although it was still fairly windy.

I decided to visit the Tauranga rose gardens but there were no free parking spaces, so I moved on to Memorial Park.

For the number of cars occupying spaces, the dearth of humans was amazing. Perhaps they park here now and catch a bus into town?

The main attraction here is the playground and it was almost empty.

Heavy traffic was causing congestion on the harbour bridge as I made my way back to the Mount, where I was lucky enough to find a park.

The 'Celebrity Edge' cruise ship was in port for the day (that is it below, sitting behind the building), and many of its 3000-odd passengers were wandering around town (it was difficult to take a photo without someone looking at you!).

After a last look at the crystal clear harbour water lapping the beach, I headed back to my motel in Papamoa.

There is a Marathon on this Sunday, so I imagine a lot of people will be arriving tonight for the weekend. No doubt there will be more surfers arriving as well, to swell the numbers already out enjoying the ocean.

I may find busyness and crowds of people a bit daunting now, but the beach is still beautiful and I'm enjoying being here.

Margaret xx 

Taking It Easy

I walked down to the beach after dinner last night, to say hello to the ocean. I loved hearing the sound of the surf again.

My intention this morning was to go beach walking near Mt Maunganui.

But the strong wind and frequent showers meant my walk became a very short stroll, before I went back to my car.

I returned to the motel for lunch - then fell asleep on the sofa!  This old body just needed a rest!

I saw pohutukawa flowering this morning so am going for a drive now to see if I can find some more.

Then it will be dinner and bed. I lead such an exciting life, LOL, but then I am on holiday!

Margaret xx