Retired in Winter

This is Duncan doing his training. Yes sitting still and reading for hours on end. Training for the long haul flights we will soon be making. Our trip to the Galapagos Islands for October is all booked - and paid for! We are flying via Houston - George Bush airport, so I hope they don't think we are taking the mickey out of them with OUR name. Perth is also quite a long flight (7 1/2 hours) and we leave for there on 21st July. We will be flying back on the 31st - getting in very early hours of the 1st August.

We have had a persistent chook coming through from Neils property. We ascertained where it was getting through and spend one morning getting more chicken wire and putting it up. By afternoon it was back again. Unfortunately for it Duncan was hoeing in the garden at the time and one swift lunge with the hoe has removed the problem permanently. All our hens are laying now, and as well as one soup night to use up vegetables we will now start having one quiche night to use up the eggs.

We got the row of gewurtztraminer pruned earlier in the week. We have gone back to the typical pruning system we saw in Alsace and lets hope we are back from next year's South Island trip in time to make a bit of home brew. Past that you can see the hectare we have grassed ready for the macs next year. Duncan has spent many hours getting the cabbages which have resprouted because of the warm May that we had.

The roses are nearly over but this one has given me so much pleasure as it opened from a bud. Over the course of a week it went from bright coral to this rather lined pink, but in doing so revealed the golden halo at its centre. Are yes - something to be said for aging.

Warning X rated picture ahead.

I went and had my heart monitored this week. We are trying to find the cause of some funny little blips in the head that I get. Robyn and I went for a walk up some hills while connected . Still waiting for results - but it led to quite an unsettled night. This sort of thing is among the cons for aging.