Our few sunny holiday snaps...

Overlooking the yachts harbour.

Hello everyone! Haven't seen you for a bit, I must catch up!

Wondering if we should have a drink at the cafe over there...

Our Summer is over. Or did it never really come...? Sure we had sunny x-mas weather. And we had a lovely sunny week in January, luckily the same week my man took his week off work in. But for the rest; rain and cold winds. We are usually so spoiled in the Hawke's Bay, with rain being in the minority around this time of year, therefore everyone seems to be grumbling. We have even had the fire on several times now, and my dryer has been well put to use.
So to cheer you and myself up I will show some pics of a little ambling bike ride my man and I took on our town's beach front cycle-paths.

My dad lives further on the left of the large bay.

These pictures are what summer usually looks like here in the Bay! Aqua seas and unbelievably blue skies. That's why we are getting so many cruise ships visiting us now.

Napier port.

Part of the cycle/walk-way is made up of a wooden board-walk. Great for sitting on while you are having a Rush-Munro feijoa or hokey-pokey icecream. Or manuka honey. Or walnut maple-syrup...
Or in the evening with a newspaper full of fish and chips!

The little fishing harbour.

This is where many kids learn to fish. Another kiwi-kid milestone!

Just stopping at a local op-shop...

Our dutch townbikes, patiently waiting for us to see what we can see amongst the cast-off treasures in the second-hand shop. We have been able to buy these used bikes locally, but they are not easy to find.

     Now we just have to bike back home, which involves a steady 10 minute climb (bike in hand) back up the hill. Pfff!!

Oh-oh! trouble in the shower!

After a week of use (and he did get that bathroom finished before Christmas!) the floor of the shower cubicle started to bubble up, and the bubbles got bigger and bigger, they sounded holllow and moved when you stood on them. It was getting awkward to stand balanced.

It was heartbreaking!

He had done everything right, followed all instructions, asked for advice during the whole process, and now a manufacturing fault!! The foam underneath was not properly attached to the bottom or something like that.

The company has provided us with a whole new unit, and paid for all related costs and a few bottles of wine too. So that was lovely, but it did all have to be done again. It meant pulling all the shower walls off again, re-sanding, re-painting, and a new strip of tiling. The plumber had to be there again too.

Of course he feels it is even better than before! And it is!

And now it feels even more luxurious, after we had to go back into that cold, cramped spare shower space for a few more weeks... We all really appreciate it now.

Our family celebrating.

This is our little unit celebrating several things: another wedding anniversary, our Eldest finding a place to live in Wellington (with 4 other girls) and our Youngest finding full-time temp. work as a gardener, just like 2 generations before her! Such good things achieved in this day and age deserves a nice dinner celebration don't you think!
(Those of you that know us can guess where we had that little revelry.)

Tui Feathers.

The tuis around our house left me a little shiny gift, apart from their songs and acrobatics as well, in return for my delicious nectar-water.

Nursery spider.

Isn't it a marvelous creature! It is (as far as I can identify it) a nursery spider. They look after their egg-sacks very carefully and when the eggs are about to hatch the make a thick "nursery"web for their babies to keep safe in. They are good mummies!
No, that's not my hand... I am way too chicken for that.
I take the pictures !

NZ giant dragonfly.

A dragonfly had been hovering outside, catching insects in mid-air. For some reason it decided to sit on our ceiling for a while, before clattering off again through the open doors. This one was not as big as I have seen them, they can get to a 13 cm wingspan! Maybe it was a smaller variety.

I always see them as a symbol of "free spirit".

Enjoy your end of season wherever you are!