Back to Basics

Last week I had a cold, and after taking a cold and flu tablet I suffered terribly with a crashing head ache and dry mouth for three days. The cure was far worse than the complaint. My blodd pressure sky rocketed and the doctor said it was the decongestants that effected me. So I am back to oldfashioned cures for colds from now on. Vicks on the chest, honey on my toast, and lots of tissues as I cant take anything that dries me up. This week I have another cold - after two good days in between. So I am suffering in sniffles - well I could hardly say silence. The blood pressure is still a bit elevated, but will review when I am well again.

You may have seen the picture of the Tamarillo tree with its fancy frost protector. You may also have heard of Mary Poppins. Anyway the long and the short of it is we've put rocks around the base and removed the umbrella and will have to resort to basic frost methods like wet newspapers.

Live and Learn!

Matariki

They say that Matariki co-incides with the winter solstice and this is when the Maori would harvest their Kumara. We didn't plant kumara this year, but the yams have been a great success! There are still things sprouting up in the garden - I have a huge picking of rhubarb to process - I use boysenberry jelly instead of sugar which gives it a lovely flavour.

We have had a few frosts lately and Duncan has kindly rigged up this umbrella over the Tamarillo Tree that was planted for Dawn's 60th birthday. Hopefully it will fruit next year.

There always seems to be something to do in the garden. I am planting some vireya rhododendrons. At least when you weed something it stays weed free for quite a while. This rose is called Faithful Friend and it blooms on until the bitter end. Normally when I prune it, it is still producing. However the garden will have to take a back seat as we are both helping with pruning this year.

Queens Birthday in the wineries.

Well I guess the fact of the matter is that we have been drinking more wine than we have been buying so off we set on a buying trip in the Hawkes Bay. Just a slight panic as we approached Havelock North as we had booked our accomodation on line and then taken no printout with us. Luckily we fronted up to the correct motel! Nice meal and wine on the first night and we awoke to a brilliantly fine day. Duncan went for a run while I enjoyed the Dominion in bed. Then we went clothes shopping for Duncan as the only decent men's wear shop in Gisborne has closed. I was pleasantly suprised that we came out with 2 pair trou, a black jacket and 3 shirts. Very smart!! After loosing weight with his marathon training he needed to update his clothes. A visit to the information centre for Wine Trail Maps which we studied over tea and a muffin. Then we set off to Brookfields, Unison, Trinity Hill, Crossroads, Abbey and Alpha Domus. What struck us was how welcoming and knowledgable the people were, and we seemed to come away with quite a few free gifts if we bought half a dozen.


What a contrast the next day was. Very cold and miserable, but we started off at the driving range as I have had a golf lesson and hope to get back to golf again after quite a break away. Our first stop was Askerne where we met the winemaker who was a very jovial host.

He had there a sweet red grape "sticky" which he insisted we try with dark chocolate buttons. Yum. so I've got some for next time I have the girls around for afternoon tea. Here are the botrytised grapes still on the vine in June! We then headed out for the coast and went to Te Awanga after having lunch at a cafe watching the waves crash on the beach. We had hope to have lunch at Clearview but there were a large crowd of Her Royal Highness lookalikes there obviously celebrating the birthday. We finished on a posh note with Te Mata, Black Barn, and Craggy Range who were tasting their flagship wines, so it was nice to taste the $120 bottle even though we didn't buy it.

By now the back seat of the car was full to the brim with wines and when we got home Duncan meticulously wrote them all up in the wine book. We are now on wine book 14, having started our cellar, and book 1 on 6th April 1974!

Social Days

Despite the weather in the rest of the country, we have had a pretty fine weekend. The only problem has been the forecasting, leading us not to plan to be outside, but Duncan got in two rounds of golf and I got in two sessions of weeding and all the washing up to date. Just having a light tea of broccoli quiche tonight as Duncan bought in 4 broccoli and one cauli from the garden. That should see us right for the next few days. On Friday morning we had a big (typically Brethren) morning tea to farewell our office girl who is going off to get married. I skipped lunch and went on to afternoon tea at Anna's as our weekly get together to take Jo out. Then home and out to dinner at old friends Kaye and Bruce Easton. Kaye had just been made redundant in quite bizarre circumstances at Girls High where she was the office lady and had one of the previous principals Karen Johansen there, and also Jill Chrisp. They are Human Rights commissioners. Kaye had done all my favourites - Cob loaf, Lasagne and salad, pavlova AND brownie and fruitsalad.
On Saturday we had a farewell for Graeme and Olwyn Black who are off to England so we gave them a british themed meal and quiz. All typically stoggy dishes!! Great fun.
I'm sorry these pictures of Simon doing his marathon (3 hours 40mins) on chip time in Copenhagen. He is the one in the red shirt.

Simon has signed up for the Berlin Marathon now, but only got in on a Charity Tag, so he is running for Multiple Schlerosis. He has to raise 500 pound for his cause. This weekend he is at Roland Garros watching the tennis.

We seem

Stick it in the family Album

A grey miserable day in Gisborne, and we have been to a matinee of Boy which was sad but true of Coast culture, so I think it is time I got on with completing the diary of the Banks peninsula walk as tomorrow I get to pick up my photos of the wedding and I have a nice album to stick them in. This hut was at Stony Bay and had no power so it was candles, gas cookers and fires. Much of the furniture had been made out of huge slabs of wood and sheepskin rugs. It was very rustic and this is where the outdoor bath was.

"Your feather's tickling me"

The sale of the vineyard - which looked so close this time last week now seems very far away. So back to the grindstone.

In just a month

WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS PICTURES WHICH MAY DISTURB.

Although we have enjoyed the Indian summer it is now into a damp winter. We seem to have flies lingering about - we need a frost to kill them off. It was just a month ago that I was swimming in the sea at Otanerito on the Banks Peninsula. It was so refreshing after a hard days tramping - not to mention the sign which said 20mins to hut a good hour before we got there. However this swim and the walk up the beach meant that I got sand all through my blister plaster and when we cleaned it out the skin was rough and raw and led to be being taken out by car for the last leg of the journey.

The new skin has grown quite tough now and I am back walking again, but the old skin has peeled right back around to my nail on the other side. I will have to wear protective patches next time we tramp.

What you can do at 60!

This is the story of a challenge.

To run a marathon at 60.

Nothing was sure, until it was run, and here is the story.

First of May, after 67 hours and over 600 km of training, the canon sounded and off Duncan set for an attempt at the Rotorua marathon. Family had rallied, and friends sent supportive texts. Jill, Rua, Millie and Alex came from Dunedin, Robin (Duncan's sister) had come from Brisbane, niece Phoebe also. Heather came from Wellington and stayed with Lyn. Team talk and Carb loading of pasta and roast vege salad on the Friday night with carefully conservative amounts of wine.

Early sightings of Duncan had him as comfortable. We popped in to show Millie and Alex Mum and Dad's grave. More supporting. He still looks good!! We think he will be passing people as the end nears.

That's Millie Lyn, Alex and Jill clapping as he makes his way up the finishing path.

Yes! he finishes in 4hours 22 mins. Exactly on target. The knees feel a bit wobbly so we adjourn to the sportsdrome to rest where we see Keith and Margaret Scholes from Gisborne, John and Barbara Clark and family from Gisborne, and Wren and Margaret Bartram with Corrine (from our Hahei days.)

Duncan hugs me, covered in sweat and mucus. "I made it!!" he cries!! Slowly we walk back to the car. Fotunately the motel has a thermal pool and after a transfusion of Gisborne Gold he starts to feel quite normal.

When all are assembled we crack open the French Vintage Moet and Chandon 2003 kindly provided by Heather who has recognised the immensity of the situation.

We attend the prizegiving, but no spot prizes for Duncan, and have a very pleasant evening with Robin and Phoebe who now are in a motel across the road from us.


Next morning we take the family to Te Puia - yes thats what they are calling Whaka these days. Very good to visit after all these years. Quite expensive, but after all it is so unique. Certain people needed a little rest that afternoon and then it was off to Lewishams for a slap-up meal.

Millie has no problem with the after dinner conversation, while Alex takes the opportunity to write a long diary entry about all that had happened to him over the weekend.

What an enthralling weekend! I'm hoping it will just be short runs now.