Jim & Karen

Happy Christmas to everyone who takes a look at this blog.

We will be thinking of you all in the UK shivering in the snow while we have our Christmas Picnic on the beach.

Just to make you jealous here is a typical NZ Christmas scene.

 Hope you have a wonderfull Christmas and a good New Year.

 Love and best wishes to you all from Jim & Karen

Back home in Christchurch again after the 3 week trip to the UK to see new granddaughter, family, friends, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all……

 As hectic as usual, even apart from Neve arriving on the scene. It was really good to see everyone again, sorry if we could not get to you bu there was only so much time available and a lot of ground to cover.

 Neve is lovely and is already growing well, the verdict so far is that she will be like Fern but not so thin. Fern is loving going to school to do her “gluing” and Esme, as usual, is running rings round everyone.

We got back to Christchurch on Tuesday 29^th after the usual long journey via Singapore. This time though I had booked an 8 hour stop in the Transit Hotel in  Terminal 1 prior to the holiday. This meant that we could go straight there from the airplane without all the hanging around that we had last time. We had a good 7 hours sleep and then went to the rooftop swimming pool for a swim and a rest for a  while longer. By the time we had walked through the building back to terminal 2, with a stop for a coffee and sandwich on the way, we only had to wait 5 mins at the gate before boarding for the last leg. Our house sitters, Paul and Hilary, did a marvellous and Paul (because he works next door to the airport) had even driven our car in so that we could get straight in the car and drive home.

The weather in the UK was pretty good while we were there but the weather here has turned cold again even though it is springtime.  We had a good day on Saturday so I managed to get the Veg Patch turned over and ready for planting, but the next day it was really chilly and we even had some snow flurries!

Neve Garbutt

Say hello to our “third” grandaughter – Neve Garbutt

 Neve weighed in at 8lb 2.5oz and mother and baby are both doing fine.

It’s been a busy week – Fern (the eldest grandaughter) started infant school this week and couldn’t wait to get off to school in her new school uniform.

 Will post some more photos as soon as I can .

I have just realised that I have been neglecting the blog again……

Sorry about that, but I will have an excuse for another period of neglect soon as we are back off to the UK again, this time for a rather special event.

We are about to become grandparents for the “third” time. When we get back I will put up some pictures etc and try to be a bit more regular in my postings.

I don’t feel too guilty as we do not seem to have done much in the last month or so, with it being winter and still recovering from Susan’s visit – only joking Susan  – we have been saving up for this trip back to the UK.

We were originally planning to visit the UK in July which is the worst part of the Winter here (although the winter here is not so bad as the UK)and had booked flights accordingly.  But Michelle with her impeccable timing announced that she was pregnant and the baby was due in early September. So, having changed flight dates, and just as the weather here is starting to improve and spring is in the air, we are off back to the UK where autumn is starting and the weather is probably gong to be not so nice.  Still, it will be nice to see everyone again.

Will post how we got on and pictures of the new baby when we get back.

More soon(ish)……..

Last Saturday we hosted a 50^th birthday party for our friend Ben. The party had the theme of a Casino and we spent a fair bit of time getting the place decked out with tables, lights, cards etc. Everybody dressed up in their best bib and tucker and quite a distinguished lot we looked with dickey bows and posh frocks galore.

After the food, the tables were set up for Roulette, Poker and Blackjack (Pontoon) and the games commenced. We charged people $1 for a stack of chips and the idea was that the person with the most chips at midnight won the “pot”. I was quite busy explaining rules etc and acting as the Master of Ceremonies but it all went really well and everybody seemed to have a good time.

The weather has been a bit miserable here lately so it was a nice to have something cheerful going on. It was so successful I might do it again sometime, but only after I have had a long rest first.

Last Thursday Susan returned to the UK. After the usual long journey she got home safely and was welcomed with a suprise party by her family. Before she went we had to cram a few more things in…….

We had a trip to the local wildlife park, it was a lovely sunny day Susan had a bag of food and was feeding anything that moved and Karen made some new friends….

That was a bit exhausting so a quick trip to Governors Bay for a coffee was called for

Followed by a quick trip to the “Local Shop”

Little Britain

And to round it all off Karen and Susan went to the Cook Islands for 5 days, and left me behind !! Charming!

They were a bit concerned about the weather before they went, but apart from one short burst of rain it turned out to be nice and they had a really good time

So now Susan has gone back to the UK (and taken the good weather with her) Karen and I have to try and settle back into a normal(ish) routine again, things will seem a bit quiet for awhile as we were allways trying to make the most of the time Susan had with us to make sure she had a Kiwi experience to remember.

The weather has certainly turned to Winter here now but we still get the sunny days so even though it is cold it is still possible to spend time out in the garden hacking away at the bushes and trees that seem to grow like mad as soon as your back is turned.

At the moment the next big thing for us is our trip back to the UK in September for the birth of our “third” Grandchild but knowing us I am sure we will be doing something unexpected any day now.

More Soon……

Lot’s been going on again….

Over the Easter break we went up to the Abel Tasman national Park (one of our favourite places), it is a long drive but well worth it if we have more than a couple of days off. Karen had found a small holiday cottage to rent in the hills behind Marahau. It was a stunning place to stay with a view down the valley towards the sea that was absolutely amazing. We went on the Water Taxi up the coast to Torrent Bay and then walked back along the coast Track. We went to Nelson the next day and had a wander round there but there was not a lot happening as it was Easter Sunday.

We have also just had a long weekend (for Karen’s Birthday) at Kaikoura in a little “bach” (Kiwi holiday place – usually by a beach) right by the sea shore there. And I mean right by the sea shore. Unlike the other times we have been when we have had rain and snow (last winter) , the weather was absolutely fantastic. The first evening Karen and Susan had fresh Crayfish from a  stall that was on the road round to the Seal colony. We took a bottle of bubbly for the occasion. The next day we went for a walk round the peninsula and then back round to the town. On the way back home stopped of at a winery for a tasting session and then a spot of lunch, all very civilised.

We have just had our first real cold snap of the winter, had the log burner going and sat and looked out at the mountains with snow on, very scenic.

More Soon….

Things seem to have been a bit hectic recently, We have been to see Billy Connolly live, shopping, been to a Rugby match, shopping, been camping, shopping, shopping……

We all (Karen, Susan and I ) went to see Billy Connolly live at the Westpac Stadium which is next to Addington Raceway where we went to the races before. We were a bit early so we wandered over to the Racetrack ( there was no entrance fee) and had a couple of drinks and watched some races before heading back to the Westpac. The Big Yin was fantastic and well worth going to see. Karen had a bit of trouble with his accent but it was a fantastic evening.

We have also been to the Rugby to see the Crusaders (the local Christchurch team) play an Australian Team called the “Western Force” it was a good match that ended in a draw. Not being a Rugby “fan” I will probably wait for a big/international match before I go again.

Last weekend we went camping to Lake Tekapo. The weather forecast when we left Christchurch was for Cloudy/showers so we went with the plan that if it looked too wet we would only go for the day and not bother camping. On the way down though the clouds broke up and it was a lovely sunny day. So off to the campsite, pitched the tent and then off to the pub for a pint.

We then went to Hot Pools that are next to the campsite and had a soak in very hot water for a while, Karen and

Susan also had a session in the Sauna. Off to Tekapo village for Fish and chips for supper and then a glass of wine by the tent while we watched the Sun go down. However, as the sky was free of clouds the temperature dropped quite a lot overnight and we had quite a chilly night of it. When we got up in the morning there was frost on the car windscreen and on the inside of the tent !! Note to self – get some thicker sleeping bags for use when we go camping in the car and weight does not matter. The ones we have are great for backpacking but not really for use at the end of the season when it is starting to get cold.

However, apart from Mrs Grumpy, “I’m freezing” (guess who that was?) we soon warmed up packing away the gear and having breakfast. Because of the clear skies over Tekapo there is an Observatory on the hill (Mount John) by the side of the Lake so we walked up to the top to have a look. It was a lovely walk and the views (as usual) were stunning. Because it is fed from a glacier, Lake Tekapo is a very vivid blue from the minerals that are washed into it. This colour combined with the mountains in the background make it a really beautiful place.

The Observatory was very interesting and we joined a tour and got a look at the telescopes and equipment that the Astronomers use on a daily basis. The big project here is finding planets around distant stars. Had an enormous Ham sandwich at the café there and then walked back down the hill to the car and then home.

There are plenty more pictures here in the gallery.

Autumn is in the air here now, trees starting to change colour and we lit the fire for the first time the other night so will have to a load of wood delivered soon for the winter.

Karen, Susan and Jo are flying off to Wellington for the day tomorrow so muggins has to get up early to take them to the airport, still they should have a good time and it is quite reasonable for a day out.

More soon.

Putting this on quickly – will edit and add some pictures later.

Once again I have neglected my duties here and let a long period elapse between entries. Truth is that things have been pretty hectic just lately. As mentioned in the previous post Susan is now here with us and we are doing our best to make sure that she sees as much of NZ as we can cram into her time here. Susan has not had time to sit down there is so much to do and see. If you look on Susan’s Facebook page you will see lots of photos of her adventures.

We went to the “Classical Sparks” free concert in the park again and it was a superb evening. There was a group of us (including Susan) and the music and the fireworks were really good.

We have also heard from Michelle that we are going to be Grandparents “again”. While this is wonderful news it is typical of Michelle that the timing has thrown our plans into disarray. We had flights booked to visit the UK in July so that we missed 3 weeks of the NZ winter and got a bit of the UK summer. But with the baby being due in September we have had to re-arrange the flight now for September.

The weekend before Susan arrived Karen and I went up to Pohara in Golden Bay at the top of the South Island for a weekend Camping. It was a really nice place and the campsite was right by the seashore, 20 seconds walk from the Tent and we were on the beach. We went walking and swimming in the sea and had a really relaxing break.

Karen and Susan have been going to the Gym and I have made another Chair for the patio. Karen is after me to make a two-seater now and I have also started to make a small round table for the living room.

We have also just had the first aniversary of moving into our house at Vista Place – that year has gone by so quickly!!

Trying to do all this stuff while still going to work and doing all the normal things (like shopping) as well…..

More soon – honest.

Well, it’s now one year since we moved to New Zealand and it’s a lovely sunny day just like when we first landed.

We have had visitors from the UK (with more to come) and as you can see from the previous post we have just returned from a visit back to the the UK over Christmas.

We are starting to feel quite settled here now and NZ is a lovely place to live. The only thing we really miss about the UK is family and friends and we knew that would be a wrench when we left in the first place. However the ease of commuication now with cheaper phone calls, Internet and Webcams means that this is not as hard as it could have been.

We have a lovely house that we are just starting to get the way we want, it’s in a lovely location with all kinds of scenery and activities within easy reach. We have made a lot of friends and even though we still have to work for a living we are not unhappy with our jobs.

So wish us luck for the next year, and as in my previous post I hope you all have a good New Year as well.

More soon…