TTFN and thanks for looking x
On our way in this morning the sky was like this - excuse the clarity but these were taken on my iPhone so weren't too bad really. When we get skies like this down in the Southern Hemisphere it means it is going to be a glorious day which it is now is, clear blue skies and sun but only 6 degrees so a little on the cold side!
TTFN and thanks for looking x
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We went over to Cromwell yesterday as again it was a lovely sunny day and we haven't been for a while - we are very lucky with our weekends - and parked up near the Old Town so that we could have a look in the shops there. There are lots of new ones now selling all sorts of things you don't need but are so nice to look at! One of them is lovely and knocks your socks off as soon as you enter it called the Tent Shop. It is full of lavender stuff but done in a modern way; lots of soaps, candles, room and linen sprays and the most gorgeous patchwork quilts on the walls which was what took me in there in the first place. (Cut my lavender back in the garden this morning though it is still flowering, brought the cuttings in and packed them tight in vases and now the house is full of its' heady scent, gorgeous).
I love taking all these little snapshots from peoples' shops etc, have done lots from Arrowtown too and one day I will get around to doing a scrapbook with them all in. It is great taking photos through windows as the reflections you get from behind you get quite interesting! Just have to remember not to get yourself echoed in there somewhere too. We looked around all the museumy bits here too; they have an old bakery, quite a few old wagons, an old dairy and a really well preserved stables; it is just done very well and a very pleasant place to walk around. We went for a walk through the town and along the lake shore too so a good 3 miles in order for us to go in to the cafe there and have a frothy coffee (flat white) and a piece of sticky lemon cake and chocolate brownie cake that they cut in half for us so we could have a bit of both served up with tangy yoghurt. Heaven! We did have some chicken soup first which I made on Thursday and took with us to eat by the lake. I also got a huge bag of apples from one of the fruit stalls on the way back, 32 apples, Braeburns, for £2 (making apple puree later!) and a bag of red plums for 50p. We also stopped by the pine forest and filled our biggest Ikea bag with fir cones which are great fire lighters for our 'Yunca' wood burner which is going at the moment to keep us warm and toasty while I write this. We have no plans to go out today as it is quite cold but sunny, the forecast downpour has not materialised but staying in is OK. While I sit here I can see lots of boats out on the lake, fishermen by the look of them, enjoying the flat calm on the lake today as there is no movement on it at all, not the tiniest puff of wind. We also went over to the Pisa Moorings, Lowburn and Sugarloaf which are further up the lake, really pretty up there and gorgeous houses before heading home.
Nice day out and glad you could come with us xx. We also talked to Phoebe and Becky yesterday evening quickly on Skype before she went to ballet. It is so nice to see her eager to go, she is growing up fast and going to another birthday party, two last weekend and one the weekend before so great for her but lots of pressies to buy. TTFN ................... enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a lovely and warm week ahead xxxxxxxx Hey everyone, I have been swimming today - 30 lengths - and aqua jogging for half an hour so have been a good girl. The plus side of it is that my wobbly bits are definitely firming up, I'm getting fitter at last and I get to go in the hot pools afterwards which is pure luxury. It was so quiet in there today too, this is the official shoulder period so it is so 'dead' in town and really nice to get around but not good for business! We have sold half a dozen iPads this week but not much else but heh, we are still hanging in there! Sunday we relaxed in the morning for a little while, just took it easy and then as we had had a late breakfast, we decided to walk in to town as the weather wasn't too bad, getting colder with the snow on the mountains but nice and sunny and it is only a 45 minute walk along the lake. I had made some breakfast bread during the week which is yummy nice full of bananas, prunes, dates and walnuts so you don't need much which we ate on the way. We went up the Skyline along with what seemed like hundreds of mountain bikers. They have made new trails to come down the mountainside which are very popular, so steep I don't know how they dare do it but that just makes me feel old as they are so young and still full of life!!!! Think I am getting used to this new blog site now too, at last so hope you can all see the photos now and not have the writing in front of them! It's been a funny old week, sunny and warm one minute then snowing the next but today it has been lovely again and it is going to be like this for the weekend too. Our weekends mostly are here which is a real bonus.
I have been doing some scrapbooking and have also made some cards, didn't like them all but I had a go. I have to go and get Derek in a mo as it is 5.20pm so must get a wiggle on. Made lots of food today too as I was in one of those moods; thai pumpkin soup, whole chicken pot casserole which is in the slow cooker for us to have tomorrow, lamb and mozzarella lasagne and some chicken and vegetable puffs (had some chicken left over from yesterdays chicken curry so thought I'd be good and make something for lunch tomorrow!) The scrap page is for the Color Room palette 110, nice hot and vibrant colours that are so nice for me to do at the mo when it is a little more dismal! Enjoyed doing this one. Took this photo in a marquee at Millbrook on Saturday which I loved, will get round to doing a page with that one day! Must dash and do my pick up - TTFN take care and big hugs xxxx
I can't believe that it is nearly half way through May already, where has this month gone and is it only as you get older that time goes by so much quicker?!!! MMMmmmm. This is my favourite photo from the weekend, just love the oldy worldly feel and the white ducks, I love ducks they are just about my favourite things. We were in Millbrook yesterday morning near Arrowtown as Derek had a business meeting so I took the chance to go round the beautiful grounds here and take some photos as well as have a great walk. It was a gorgeous morning. It had been a cloudless night with a sky full of stars so there was frost on the ground first thing but the sun came out to dry it all up but I did manage to get some nice photos. There are some beautiful big houses out here in Millbrook which surround a lovely golf course and they are building more every time we come out here but it is very exclusive, very nice if you can afford it all. So I'll just put up some photos I took this morning in this peaceful place. It's a gorgeous place isn't it for the super rich who live here but us normal people can still go and appreciate it, use the spa and golf course plus eat there too so that can't be bad. The photo on the left with the waterwheel attached is the conference centre which overlooks the duck pond so a nice place to do business! And to finish this section some beautiful berries which are hanging heavy on the trees at the moment with not enough birds to eat them all. Does this mean a bad Winter coming maybe? But then last year was supposed to be bad with all the snow we had which was very unusual! So after a pleasant morning we went shopping over to the Remarkables Park for a few bits and also had a late lunch at Hamills who I think do the best coffee in Queenstown and we had pizzas too. Nice day.
TTFN for now, lots of hugs to you all xxxxx (The dates are in the US format, can't seem to change it!) We have just had another nice weekend of relaxing and not traveling too far! It was also Becky' birthday so Happy Birthday poppet and also on May 5th, one of the biggest full moons ever seen. I must admit, it certainly lit up our very clear sky that night, it looked like we had lots of street lights on! Anyway, Saturday was gorgeous and sunny so we went over to Kelvin Heights for a walk in Jardine Park and to be in the hot sun. The photo above is taken from Oregon Drive, you can just about see the TSS Earnslaw on the lake and also a paraglider as well as the snow on the mountains and the low cloud that seems to be hanging over our house!! We went to see this house on the right the other week when it was an 'open house' and it didn't sell at auction so we popped back for another look, just to be nosey but it really is a nice house in a great position and in full sun all winter but just too much for us - 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, enough cupboard space to hide everything and a big garage under the house with a 'cave' too built into the rock wall. We didn't win the lottery either so never mind - it is 'earmarked' at around £285,000 so good value especially for the area. Jardine Park is lovely with a great children's playing area and a croquet club, you don't see that very often and it seems a popular place too. They also have a great golf course over here on the 'sunny side'! The Park has a nice wood too and leads down to the lake shore and several beaches, it all feels very safe and gentle and very quiet. We spent an hour or so walking round which is so nice to do before going to the shops for essentials, we got a wall heater for the lounge to take the edge off the morning cold snaps and food. Food buying is just one of those chores we all have to do but sometimes don't you just find yourself walking round thinking what the heck am I going to cook tonight! We ended up having Spagetti Bolognaise which is just what the doctor ordered, nice and quick and looks after itself on the cooker while you do something nice instead. I had finished knitting a jumper for Phoebe so I spent the time sewing it up, love knitting - don't like making it all up - but it looks really nice and I hope she will like it though I think it isn't going to fit her for a year or so! The walk takes about an hour and a half and ends up with a steep climb up to Domain Road so we turned at the Shotover Stables and headed back the same way. Lovely to walk in the woods with the sound of the river too and I picked up some willow whips to do something creative with, haven't decided what yet and as it has been raining today - though is nice and sunny again now at 4.30pm - but am sure I will think of something rather than just stick Derek in the eye with them as I seemed to be doing while walking along! We balanced the camera on a tree branch to take a photo of the two of us for a change though it took several goes, not bad in the end though eh? We then headed up to the Gibbston Valley and went to Chard Farm winery which is on the road opposite the bungy centre and you get to it driving on a narrow road high above the gorge of the Kawarau River. It is a lovely place, gorgeous setting and completely on its' own. They were picking the Pinot Noir grapes today, the last ones and they planned to pick them that day ('cos of the forecast for today) so they must really work hard to get that done. The wine was delicious too so we picked up a few bottles. We have had some from here before which was sent to us by the owners who we did some work for a while ago, they paid us in wine which was great! The countryside looks very different from that side of the river and you realise how deep the gorge is and how fast the water flows through it, just beautiful! By then it was nearly 2pm so as we had skipped lunch, we carried on to the Gibbston pub to have some wedges for lunch - they do the spicy ones with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce which are irresistible, well they are to me anyway and it had been a long time since breakfast and we even shared a bowl as there really are too many for one person to eat unless you are ravenous and we were having roast chicken later. We sat in the sun next to the outdoor fire along with the rest of the patrons, everyone out enjoying the nice weather before the winter comes and forces everyone indoors. Although even in winter these hardy Kiwis don't seem to care and as long as they can find some sun, will sit out in it, ski jackets and sunnies on! So that was our weekend. We are so lucky that the good weather seems to come back at the weekends as it is so nice to get out and enjoy this area. I know we have 'done it to death' by now but we still seem to find new places to go every so often and also visit place that we love. TTFN take care and love each other lots. Thanks for looking xx Photo says it all!! xxx This weekend we went to Glenorchy for a walk and a coffee and slice, nice way to spend a Saturday and we really wanted to get out as the forecast for the Sunday was awful, and it was as it rained all day! This is the view that we love more than anything on the road to Glenorchy from Queenstown. The shot shows the islands of Pig and Pigeon (yes we know they are strange names for islands but they go with the area) and the Mount Aspiring National Park in the background. Click on the photo to see the scene in all its' glory. It only takes half an hour to drive here from home so is not far to go really with great views all the way. Glenorchy is lovely too nestled between the two mountain ranges and at the western end of Lake Wakatipu so is in a great spot with all day sun, very important round here in the winter. We stopped by the old boat shed and walked out on the jetty to take some photos and just take in the views before walking around the town which seems to grow every time we visit and then on to one of the cafes for a coffee and a slice, blackberry and plum crumble cake which we shared cos we were being good again. There is not much point doing all this exercise if we are going to spoil it and I have started swimming twice a week too, just for half and hours' swim and half an hour aqua jogging which, even if it doesn't make me loose lots of weight, should tone me up a little. I see ladies a lot older than me in there who have great figures and no wobbly bits so it must do you good! Anyway just to leave you with this great view, love the way the clouds are reflected in the water which was so still for such a huge body of water. Have a great week all of you, TTFN and love each other lots and lots. Happy Birthday Becky xxxxx I didn't have time to do this last week so kind of have two weekends to do at a time plus try to remember how to use this new format which quite honestly, is driving me nuts. Wish apple would just change their mind and keep on doing the Web page, grrrr. Anyway as part of the Autumn Festival Arrowtown also had a Pie and Pint event which we went to on the Sunday afternoon as it was another lovely sunny and warm day. (Derek was still in his shorts anyway!) The local pubs and the micro brewery were showcasing their beers so for $2 you bought half a cup, about a third of a pint, and tried the beers. We had some nice German ones and Derek liked the Belgian ones, very strong and dark, so at that time I decided to be good and drive so Derek could carry on sampling! We also had the pies on offer from the restaurants too; we had the spiced lamb and pine nuts ones in flaky pastry which were gorgeous and the wild apple and pear crumble pies with cream, to die for. The event was very popular as there was a bouncy castle for the children, magicians and things and the centre of town was cordoned off again. It is so nice that they do things like this here and to be able to join in with them too. It is one thing that is missing in the UK as unless you live in a village, there are too many people to get this kind of thing done and it is important to community. It just makes you feel a big part of the place you live in and somehow makes you care about everyone more - I know what I mean anyway even though it might not seem like it! There were some great bands playing too, lots of Fleetwood Mac type music. There were some children down here panning for gold which you can do in this stretch of the river. I don't suppose anyone ever finds anything here any more but they certainly do in other parts and not far from here either. They took out loads from this area in the hay day or 'back in the day' as they say here so lots of people made their fortune in this small part of the South Island. Oh by the way Julie, to see these photos bigger, just CLICK on them and apparently they come up to full size. TTFN, thanks for looking and I'll be back again soon. xx |
AuthorMy name is Helen Baker and I am now living back in the UK with my husband Derek after living for for five years in New Zealand. I am a Mum and Grandmother to two daughters and 6 grandchildren who are my whole world. I love taking photos, patchwork and scrapbooking and this page is here so that I don't have to write lots of letters home but can still keep in touch with those I love x Archives
August 2016
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