The Golden Days of Spring 2019

A lovely New Zealand native Kowhai tree in

Cornwall Park.

The flowers nectar is a food source for birds

especially two of our native birds

Kereru (a large wood pigeon) 

Tui, called the Parson Bird

because it has a white tuft at it's neck

resembling a Parson's collar!

I enjoyed my walk in Cornwall Park 
to see the
the golden daffodils and kowhai flowers.
True to Spring
there were new lambs and calves too!

Take care and

be kind to one another.

My thoughts are with all those in the 

Bahamas and the US

affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The damage and chaos is horrific.

You are very much in the thoughts of all

New Zealanders and we are sending 

our prayers your way. 

Take care.

Mary and Bob, I was so happy to read

Mary's post and know you are both safe.

Merci à bientôt

Shane

The day our world changed forever.....

Friday 15th March 2019

will be forever etched in the minds of all New Zealanders

as the day our country lost it's innocence.

Until this horrific day we all felt safe and secure....

probably because of our geographical isolation

compared to Europe and the Americas.

We were that safe haven

in the Antipodes

downunder

at the bottom of the world

untouched by the horrors of a pre-meditated massacre

...until terrorism visited 

Christchurch

a small city in the South Island

that reminds many of England
with the beautiful
Hagley Park.

A place where we thought we were

out of harm's way amid such scenes as
punting on the Avon River.

Looking back at other terrorist attacks

who could ever forget

the 9/11/2001

in 

New York City and Washington, D.C.

~

7 July 2005

The horrific underground bombings

in

London.

~

And the one that especially touched our family

the Charlie Hebdoe attack
January 2015

in

Paris.

At the time our daughter and her little family 
were still living in France. 
Thank goodness they were no longer living in Paris
but had settled in a sleepy little village
in the french countryside.
You can read my post here
~
Please pray for the Christchurch families who  have
lost their Father or Mother
son, daughter, brother or sister
Grandfather or Grandmother
Uncle, Aunt, cousin, friend or neighbour.
~
Keep close to your families dear readers and
every day tell them how much you love them.

Take care and

be kind to one another

Merci à bientôt


Shane

The long languid days of Summer.....

Hello dear blogging friends

have you wondered where I've been?

We have had the most amazing Summer

down under - like the ones we all

remember from our childhood.

When every day is more perfect than the one before!

When not working, my days have been spent

out and about, walking along the beach

to catch the sea breeze

or in the park beneath the huge old trees

trying to keep cool!

For me the languid hot days are not conducive

 to sitting at my computer writing!

I have been reading your posts and

I'm pretty much up to date with what you

are all doing!

I see my dear Northern Hemisphere friends

have been dealing with snow, snow and more snow.

Seeing your photos of shovelling 

mounds of snow to create a pathway

made me feel exhausted!!!

My garden has suffered from the drought

this Summer.

I have been reluctant to water more than

once a week, in my effort to conserve water.

My five new David Austen roses are all

looking rather sad......

However we had a good downpour yesterday

so they will bounce back and fingers crossed

I will have flowers again!

These photos were taken on a visit to the

Auckland Botanical Gardens

which covers 64 hectares of gardens and forest.

~

The day we visited it was full of family groups

and it was wonderful to see the children

running and playing as I'm sure many of them

live in smaller houses and apartments now

with small gardens.

The price of property in Auckland now is prohibitive

for young families, I really feel sorry for the ones

buying their first home.

Is it the same where you live?

.....until next time.

I look forward to reading your comments and

catching up with what you are up to!

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane xx

Reflecting on Treasured Moments of 2018

The photos in my collage represent some 

of our treasured moments

over the past year.

Our French family have now been in New Zealand

for 16 months!

They moved north of Auckland in April,

and bought a cafe which they renovated and

it is now a French Bistro!

They found Auckland was too busy and expensive

and wanted to live in a smaller community,

close to beaches, as this was what our daughter

missed the most when living in inland in France.

The girls have thrived, both physically and intellectually.

The eldest has adjusted to the different school system

and is doing well academically.

At 15 she has set herself goals for the next few years,

through to university and more!

Our middle granddaughter is 13, 

she is very sporty, and takes part in everything that's on offer!

Before Christmas she had surfing lessons and just loves it...

She is very outgoing, has lots of friends and is up for

adventure!

Our sweet 6 year old turns 7 in a few days.

She found the change of countries the most difficult.

Initially the Kiwi school children

had difficulty understanding her french accent.

However, she has now made two or three good friends

and finished the year on a much happier note.

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane xx