September Spring Fiesta feast etc

Of course no year is complete without the annual family & friend's get together...some of the usual suspects plus a few extras! NB: These fellas are not to be trusted...innocent though they may well appear...partners in adventuring...

A chilled out very pleasant evening....

Nice lid Dude...

Always room in the kitchen...no party complete without gathering there...

Let there be cake! Happens that the following day was R's b'day & Father's day...handy. See y'all 2011, same place approx same time!

Oh wet September...with a sunny twist

So...the fledgling thrushes are well gone from the nest. The Big Wet came & hung round for a few weeks & the result was a rather soggy garden..

Despite the wet, plants blossomed & oranges matured. Project raised Vege Garden is in progress! Note: the sleepers found their way to 115 from the Treatment Plant...handy & just the right dimensions.

Visitors arrived & catchups were to be had.. (a record 4 hour spa according to Richard.) Didn't notice...obviously much to chat about with a VERY dear friend (known each other for 34 yrs & counting) & civilised partaking...

A sunny interval in Matarangi. The hour's walk to the Kuaotunu Store is rewarded & famous for it's cheap & HUGE icecreams. These are single ones!

No blog is complete without some scenery....only @ Matarangi/Rings Beach. Watch this space for R's painting of this...

Nesting time Sept 2010

Well we've had an interesting time with not one but two birds nests at our house. the front had a nest of blackbirds. this was up in the palm tree out of the front windows but hard to see. the back one was up under the eaves at the top of the Hoya right above the kitchen window.
We were never sure but there was at least 2 blackbirds and really surprisingly 4 thrushes. as you can imagine everyday we were watching the proceedings from eggs to chicks as if it was some really exciting serial. I was a bit dubious from the start because Earl old as he is is quite a star hunter. How to get around the fledging was a bit of a problem for me. the antics of the thrushes was quite something to see especially toward the end of nesting when they jockeyed for position and stood on the edge of the nest in turns stretching their tiny wings. from the start mum thrush got used to us and after a few days didn't fly away when we opened the back door. soon just eyed us suspiciously as we passed. however we felt like we were intruding in our own home and started using the other doors out into the garden.
looking at the weather forecast and their antics, I picked Sunday or Monday for launch. Pen said later because they hardly had any tails and very small wings, true but they looked ever so gung ho! I bought some kitty litter and banned the cats from going out on Sunday esp as we were out to church in the morning. We realised that with no activity out front suddenly the blackbird nest was empty!! i reckon they flew away on Friday just before the rainy period. Left with absolutely no sign.. very crafty mum. The noise coming out of a tree in the park adjacent in the next days was probably a sign of their boisterousness!
Back to the thrushes. no movement on Sunday, that is to say no flying although it was a puzzle how they all managed to stay in the nest treading on one another, perching on the edge and stretching and celebrating when Mum or Dad appeared like shuttles, often one sat waiting with worms till the other had fed and left. Pen pointed out to me how mum dealt with the poo problem, eating some and carting the rest away!
Monday am, had to go to the Airport to pick up a friend back from a cruise in Croatia. Pen was at work. Plane was scheduled 45 mins late and even later. Finally returned at lunchtime to see what I thought was a little beak poking out of the nest, sometimes they have a sort of snooze and settle down. I let Earl out for a supervised garden poke around and as soon as we got to the steps at the side of the house he was off! Shouting to him I was able to pick him up while he exchanged looks with one of the fledglings! Carrying him inside I then tried to pick up the bird. he was a bit quick and tried hiding in the ornamental grasses before getting stuck in the fence holes. Managed to ease him through into the park. Then decided to check out the nest. Totally empty. wandered around into the park where I had posted the bird to see mother Thrush and finally, totally camoflaged, was the tiny bird which as I shepherded it up to the bushes could barely make it off the ground!
Couldnt find any of the others, I assumed it was the runt of the litter and the others had flown. Let Earl out, together we looked (actually he did) under the house, I sometimes open the underside door so he can have a check, he loves it and emerges with cobwebs! walked around and Lo and behold he finds a bird hidden in the corner where the Bizzy lizzies have taken over. Calling Earl again, he got the hump and sat under the stacked garden chairs while I grasped a motionless bird and poked it under the hedge joining the Park. Was that another or the first just hopped back around the corner I suspected not the same bird? Anyway the sun was out and so I took the opportunity to garden.
Weeding the bizzy lizzies what do I see but another!! Stood its ground giving me the beady eye look! So that was most likely No.3! went and took a photo and weeded somewhere else while Earl sunbathed by the door.
I became aware of a very piercing series of peeps and before I could decide where it was coming from, another appeared, taking flight from a pot plant into the hedge. I sneakily watched it later hopping on its enormously long legs into the Bizzy lizzies which must have been the original rendez vous target for all.
Left them to it. Earl got bored and went indoors. Kept the catflap closed overnight again and this morning went around the garden swishing all the plants with a stick to flush out any birds. At last nothing. All gone. Swept up the kitty litter now all over the laundry and downloaded the pics. here they are (well a few).

David S's 60th weekend

There he is! (The dude on the left actually) DVS 60, not out. Think RL is 'having a word'...

Les Girls - PML, Pip, LGS & friend Margo. Cheers DVS!

Speech over, now the important cake cutting part....A Hummingbird one. Totally yum.

So here we are, the Lawtys & Soulsbys, sans some family members who are 'offshore.'

Vintage friendship....it's all about the quality. ('Mainlanders' of course!) AND a surprise visitor which made it all the more special.

The bros, aka Sam & Charlie....(in order to lean on your shoulder & keep you in 'check'...)

Sunday morning walk along the beachfront. A brisk August day.

No pikkie complete without the resident gardener/birthday man. Bit of a contrast to Oman!

Last blast for July

Reunion for 3 out for 4 Golden Girls (Oxfam 2007) A beautiful Winter's morning. Note freshly picked oranges in the bag beside containers full of home cooked bikkies.

Time for the annual fondue party. It grows in numbers each year. We look pretty serious there but believe me....we were in full party mode...especially when the Charades started after sampling the 2 chocolate fondues!

No blog complete without showing off Richard's expertise in the kitchen. The results of his first ever Hot Pot/pastry topped pie. ABsolutely delish! He was cross because the initial attempt at making flaky pastry...well, erm, 'folded'...(pun intended) But the short pastry ...10/10...after a sticky start!

A recent painting of Matarangi scene...sublime....

July R&R time

After a 'busy' school term, time out to take in a bit of leisure & pleasure @ a rather nice hotel in the CBD. Just a small part of our our upgraded executive suite.

Of course the cats major in R&R...

Then it was off to Matarangi again to beach walk to the icecream shop & sample the Winter sun. (The icecreams are HUGE & CHEAP as!)

The opposite direction...

The estuary from an artist's point of view.

So if the sun's still out & there's water....well....

S'not cold...nah...hands are clenched with the excitement of achieving the mid-Winter swim goal! (Water temp probably around 12degcels)

Perfect end to another lovely beach-break. (Taken just outside of Thames).

June Fun & 40th celebration

Well, it comes around eventually...the great 40th birthday, heralding in the BEST of times ! (A good plan anyway...) Family dins @ the celubrious 'Bull & Bush' tavern. Good sized helpings of food & fun.Ella the Artist & young Devon dramatising 'something'...Clean plate. Yum !Spot the 'Olds'. Full of good Aussie nosh & liquid refreshment..

Now THERE'S a clever girl with her able Ppops. It's all about meccano helicopters... & robots..

Ella didn't require much help at all & completed the majority of this in one sitting. (Don't do this sort of thing at school....sigh...)

At the infamous Rope Park. After zipping around the oval & before climbing...

Tough work...for both by the look of it! Uphill & all that. Once around the oval & then...

to the top. Doesn't take her long either!

So Ppops got things moving & shaking...

'Til bones & flesh were a-grating...Time out pleeaase Ppops!

So after a weekend party, dinner & movie, what else is there for a youngster just turned (bleep) to do?! SUCH a lovely young lady who 'deserves it' !