Christmas Cheer

 I think this post is really just for me to record some End of Year functions on. As I look back on photos of my friends, and note how young the ones who have died look I think I should record a lot more of these functions. The first lot is our trip to the Art and Garden Weekend in late November with the walking girls.

Anna and Robyn chose walking sticks for this country garden walk.

Me and Sandie at Wainui Beach garden

A cascade of paua shells

Lovely grouping of colours

Me, Robyn, Sandie and Anna

Lunch at Wainui Beach. Paul and Dawn joined us.

Next was Fifties Forward Lunch. I had only just got my negative COVID test before I went to this!

Jenny Christophers and Barbara Sadlier are joining the committee.

When Aileen started Fifties Forward she had to do it all from a seated position. Now she is much more mobile, and looks great. This was at the Tatapouri Fishing Club - hence the decoration on the wall.

Duncan's golfing mates weren't so keen on their photos been taken - at the Vines. Colin and Diane Christie and Cliff Poole. Vance and Karen Richardson were on my side of the table, with Jean Poole (who broke her wrist on Christmas day.)

Book Club went to The Globe for a Tapas set menu. You may have heard me regale the story of the small german lady owner telling us off for being 2 people short of the required 10 (2 were unvaxxed) and we all had to pay extra. The food was lovely, though.

Kay, Niki, Heather and Tui

Jill, Teresa and Lyn

The spread!

The golfing girls enjoyed dinner at Portofino. Pip is selling up and moving to Westport!

Jude and Pip

and Teresa

Sandy, Lesley and Sue

Sandy retired from nursing that week, as well as turning 70

Well, me and Judy always have a laugh.

The last Christmas function  to tell you about is the final morning tea at Fifties Forward. Edith is a great one for dressing up, and this, of course endears her to me. She also belongs to the coffin club and now that she has built her own coffin she makes all sorts of other structures - like this Santa House. We all thought that it wouldn't be Edith coming out - as the door was quite small. But indeed it was - and it was a hilarious squeeze a) to get Edith through the door, and b) to get her upright again!!

Hurrah! she's out, and handing out lollies all all us aerobic types. Edith is 86.

the Festive Season 2021 style.

 It was time to get over the fact that we couldn't go to Newcastle for Christmas, and settle for a week in Ohiwa.

Unfortunately we had been half living in the caravan while the kitchen was refurbished, so a lot of things got tossed in at the last minute - including some clothes that struggled to take into account my large seroma. It didn't take us long to set up on T12, and we really enjoyed this site, which has one side which is a bit of a slope - so no neighbours on this side.

Next day Lyn and Heather arrived, and they had a nice spacious unit V19 up the valley. Right, lets get stuck into that champagne.

Apart from Christmas Day we went for a swim each day - one day in the pool before the hoards of visitors with children arrived. The water in the ocean was very pleasantly warm, sometimes with a bit of an undertow.

Drowned rat, back from the sea.

Wednesday, Duncan and I went to do the last shop before Christmas in Opotiki, and then we returned later in the day for a very satisfactory meal at Crossroads - Heather and Duncan had a feast of the local mussels.

We were able to have another rest day on Thursday as Heather and Lyn were cooking our tea.

The afternoon nap - obligatory!

I did a bit of Christmas day cooking prep on Friday, and we had to don or wrist bands to say we were allowed in camp.

Christmas day, and its  a beautiful day!

Heather and Lyn arrive about 10, but the Haszards had their night disturbed by a fire alarm at 1.30, so it is nearly 11.30 by the time they join us. We have mainly gone for fun presents this year - possibly the most unusual being half a bottle of whisky which Heather scored for a very reasonable price after the Ministry of Education Whiskey tasting  sold off half drunk bottles.

Since the Italian Flag is red, white and green, I thought it would combine nicely with Christmas day Long Italian Lunch.

Millie wasn't sure about the rabbit tail headband I gave her.

Heather and Millie

Jill chilling

The hat brigade - Lyn and Alex

Panna Cotta and raspberries with Asti for dessert.

We began lunch with a choice of two salads and garlic bread, followed by Pasta primavera (spring vegetables) and steak perfectly cooked on the BBQ by Duncan.

The Unusual Christmas Quiz was between courses, and the Surrealist Christmas Word game had a couple of really good entries, but the Round up the Reindeer game created a bit of negativity. No one wanted to play.

Alas, the carefully garnered reindeer antlers remained unused.

The reindeer were very sad - but they put on a brave face.

So a winning team was never decided , but as a bonus, I kept all the mask clips which sit on the bridge of your nose and keep your glasses from fogging up. (3D plastic printed, I think Alex).

Next day, it was all action as we packed up and headed home from Ohiwa. 

So that's the festive season for 2021.

Certainly surreal.

 We left Heather to catch her flight at Wellington and headed to our hotel. They had no record of our booking - or payment - but we had an email saying we had done both, We got a pretty run down room, but it had a good view of the Harbour, and since it was only for a short stay we put up with it.

We had a few hours to fill in before going out for dinner, so we went to the Sketcher Shop. I had a lovely young girl serve me there. I told her that I wanted a pair of white shoes and a pair of black sandals - while I was clutching a pair of sparkly sandals. She disappeared out the back for quite a while, but soon we saw a pile of boxes on legs moving towards us. "The courier's just been - lets have a look at these!" At this point I sent Duncan out to walk the streets for a while. Yes I bought these 3!

That night we went to Pravda. Duncan had a $150 voucher from buying so much wine in lockdown so we really enjoyed our night in one of Wellington's best restaurants.

Next morning we were off to the Surrealist Exhibition. Being the first day of the school holidays there were quite a few children there. I suspect the parents/grandparents had not done their research as the little ones were to low to look at the pictures and displays, and maybe they didn't realise that the aim was to poke fun at the conservative mores of the time - and meant that many of the artwork had pornographic overtones!! Much sniggering by the pre-teens.

Just as you are coming out of the exhibition there is a large installation that you walk through which reminded me of my dreams sometimes, when I am trying to do a sum in my head

A string maze of numbers and symbols

After a short sit in the sun we met up with Gwyndyls and Tony at St Johns for lunch.

There are very few people there - except for a film crew making a beer commercial! A good lunch and a very good stream of conversation. Gwyndls works a couple of days at BoxHill which is a ladies clothing store which was on my list of places to visit - if I hadn't been clothes and shoe shopping already. Next time.

We had to be up bright and early next morning so got packed that night  - and we only needed a small bite to eat for tea after our sumptuous lunch.