Very Taxing

The last two weeks have been very taxing. The GST rate changed but the textbooks didn't. They are due out in Sept this year. Very useful. So every night I have to do the work for my accounting class to prepare an answer sheet. Not only this, but the extreme heat has meant that the grapes are now about 1 week ahead - but it happened very suddenly and so i have had some very long days doing netting. So just as well we could go and relax at The Winery Tour. The artists do the tour, not us. It was Brooke Fraser, Op shop,and Midnight Youth.

Brooke Fraser and Op Shop were very good. The band of Midnight youth was very good, but the vocalist wasn't.

Jack and Myrtle are well, and growing .........

Not to be beaten

Some of you may have been amazed by Simon's blog about his shoes. Unfortunately we have a bit of a situation where Duncan's shoes have gained the smell of cat's spray. I am insisting these are not in our suitcase. Washing and shoe deodorant didn't work. So here now is our version of the shoe pictures. Look for the worn bits. Very tell tale!If you haven't seen it try thebushiesblogspot.blogspot.com for those enthralling photos.

Meet the other woman.

Who does Duncan take drinks to?
Whose skin does he rub and not mind the wrinkles?
Who does he positively encourage to gain weight?
Not me.
Its Myrtle, of course. This is his entry in the giant pumpkin competition.

I guess to console myself I could take an interest in his reserve pumpkin Jack. But Jack is a long way behind Myrtle. There is apparently a website where you can measure it with a tape measure, and get an estimate of her weight. Even though she is huge now, there is still 2 months until judging day!!

We will be away on judging day, but the girls at Duncan's work say they will take it along. Tessa's husband works for a helicopter firm and there has been talk of Myrtle making a spectacular entrance....

Still a long way to go yet.

People in glasshouses....

... pop in an out each day to see what is happening. After a couple of frustrating days by himself, Duncan discovered that one vital piece of equipment that was missing from his "build-your-own" glasshouse was a son-in-law. Fortunately rua came to his aid, and now Duncan has a glasshouse that has withstood the recent bout of gales.

He has a chair and a chilli bin in there now - the chillibin is to store seeds - not what you were thinking!! Here he is with Millie.



And now the first seeds go in. Dwarf beans. Some handy hints on the gardening show last week mean that he potters in each morning to "open up" and then potters out each evening to close up.

Lots of interest!! Watch this space for further gardening stories.

Holiday food

The Christmas Ham is carved. Another triumph of succulence and flavour. Full plates now, so we all tuck in. Risoni Salad, redcabbage, feta and orange salad and aspargus to go with the ham. Hats on, jokes read, toasts drunk.

On my birthday I decided to have croissants. I left them out to rise overnight which was very satisfactory. Unfortunately my little caravan oven did not cook them very well, and while the tops looked beautiful they were very greasy underneath.

I was tempted not to put this picture of me and my cake in, as it certainly shows the ravages of time. However I've got to be realistic, and accept that indeed this is what 59 year-olds look like. The cake, baked by Lyn was scrummy, and even when I finished off the last piece about 5 days later it was still rich and moist.

By the water

It occurs to me that most of you who read my blog have been to Ohiwa, so there is no need to wax lyrical about the surf and the estuary and the options that this gives us. Not to mention those Variable oyster catchers that we share the habitat with

Normal Transmission Resumes

Well this is how our holiday began - wet and wild and a little bit terrifying when the caravan slipped off the jack. Sitting outside required an umbrella by the side as the downpours came and went.

The path to the beach was filled with puddles and the beach was covered in dead fish, birds, gooseneck barnacles and blue bottles jelly fish.

The seas were rough and rolling, the winds howled and heaved.

But somehow, we managed to set up camp, including our new awning which was great as a refuge to put down the umbrella, take off the raincoats and shoes.

We hardly recognised our Ohiwa, but the rest and relaxation was extreme.