Week 39: Old Friends

I've been catching up with old friends and going on walks and runs around new tracks. Chris Parvin is as fun and inspiring as ever, full of schemes and restless movement. It's hard to pin him down or get him to stand still for long enough to take a photo - but I finally managed.

Jo and I are still kept entertained by 'Happy Hour' at Brazz on the Green
Even on an overcast day, Lake Hayes is stunning. The new encircling walkway shows off its charms.

Week 38: Macetown and Chester

Last weekend we went out to Macetown. Him Outdoors ran there and I rode my rusty mountain bike. The track follows the river as it rushes bright and cold over the stones and down the gorge. The trees which line the banks are bare and vulnerable, ready to burst into bud, and the mountains are brilliant in the background.

The water pipe is a great feat of engineering and dedication - the strong iron tubes carried the water from the hills down the gorge to supply Arrowtown below during the Gold Rush. After the flood of 1999 the old pipe was restored and the rusting holes sealed for the irrigation scheme to be used once more. A monument of stone, iron and rusting billy cans marks the herculean endeavours of the men who built it.

Thanks to everyone who has expressed concern for Chester. He is recovering well from his vet visit and is back to his 'normal' self - chewing cardboard boxes and curling up on his favourite blanket.

These beautiful irises and freisas are part of my commitment to have fresh flowers in the house.

Week 37: Rediscovering Arrowtown

One of the delights of returning to a place you used to live is exploring to see if things are still the same - recognition of the old and acknowldegment of the new. For the past week I have been strolling about reflecting on the essence of the town.

Week 36: Travelling South

It is spring in Canterbury and we stayed with friends in Lyttleton.

They were very proud of their handiwork and home improvements, so we had a tour of the wrap-around deck.

The writing on the wall of the daughter's playhouse is not quite as professional.

We went for a delightful walk in the Port Hills looking back over the dazzling Lyttleton Harbour.

Later, our drive took us towards the Southern Alps and Lake Tekapo, where the Church of the Good Shepherd stands sentinel on the aquamarine shores. Tekapo holds a special place in my heart as this is where Him Outdoors and me got engaged, overcome by the sheer beauty of the view.

The view across Lake Hayes is simply spectacular and I would have to say it is my favourite view in all New Zealand. The weather was calm and magnificent, welcoming us back to Central Otago. This is why we returned.

Week 35: We're here for the beer

By one of those happy coincidences, it just so happened that our final weekend in Wellington occured at the same time as Beervana; a truly fabulous event (tasting notes part one and two on Kate's Blog). We drank beer; we talked nonsense with friends; I think we can safely assume that we had A Good Time. At the risk of looking like a Facebook Page, here is the evidence:

Week 34: Moving house

When I came to write down a list of the things I needed to make sure that I packed, I thought it sounded rather poetic, and almost representative of a 30-something life. When I came to actually do it, I found the reality rather more prosaic, as these words and pictures prove:

Hat and glove box

Tolietries drawer

Piles of papers, carefully organised

Rolled up tights and pairs of socks

Filing cabinet full of receipts for competitions entered and draws never won

Perilous towers of books in order of to-be-read

Wardrobe of clothes, four to a hanger, that might fit again some day

Packets of unidentified powders and spices lurking in the cupboards

Whatever is concealed beneath the blue tarpaulin on the patio

Random bits and pieces of outdoor equipment

Week 33: Walking and drinking

We headed away with some friends for a skiing weekend, which can be tricky when the skifield is closed due to high winds. Fortunately, we found alternative methods of amusing ourselves.

A spooky apparition at the window, either way you look at it!

The reasons are abundantly clear.

A walk in the bracing fresh air through the World Heritage Park clears a few cobwebs and has people practicing their catalogue poses.

Everyone deserves a drink at the end...

...except for the indecisve types who choose several.

Having brought the skis it would be foolish not to use them. And you can always devise a drinking game in your pyjamas, apparently.