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

French Country Diary - New Years Eve 2018!

This was my 2018 diary.
I've had a French Country Diary for years.
It's more for my desk as it is too large
to carry in a handbag.

I add my family and friends birthdays, anniversaries
and special occasion days.

I also buy a small pocket diary
which goes everywhere with me!
I'm ruled by my diary and couldn't live without one.
I'm also an inveterate list person,
I imagine you may have guessed that if you've
read thus far - bless you!
No longer can I rely on my memory - oh dear!

I use a calendar for appointments
for my husband and I
such as the usual doctor, dentist, hairdresser etc.

Are you a diary person like me?
Or are you like my son who uses his mobile phone
for everything, including his diary.

My love affair with France continues
and on every other page of this diary
are alluring photographs of everything French
which whet my appetite deliciously!

Wishing all my blog friends
A very Happy New Years Eve

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane 

It's the little things that lift our hearts

Hello dear friends
I hope you all had a
Merry Christmas 2018
with your families and friends.

The lead up to Christmas this year was chaotic
for me as I was working most days.
I won't let that happen again!!!

As with most of us, the big decisions
such as
list making,
food planning, 
present buying
lets be fair to ourselves and put it in writing
the logistics of events such as Christmas
falls to us girls!

One evening during the week before Christmas
I arrived home to find a little parcel
sitting at our front door!

My friend Vee who blogs at
A Haven for Vee
had posted on her blog about preparations for
Thanksgiving.
One of the items she photographed 
and spoke about was Bell's Seasoning.
I commented on the colourful packaging
......and as often happens with lovely bloggers
we decided on a small swap,just a card and
a Christmas decoration!

The card was just what I would have chosen
a Nativity scene - the reason we celebrate this great
feast of Christmas.
Plus a lovely Santa, some Christmas stickers and
a packet of Bell's Seasoning!

We spent Christmas with my daughter and family
this year and my son-in-law
was the chief cook!
I will use the Bell's Seasoning next time we
have roast chicken - a treat in store!

Thank you Vee - your lovely parcel
lifted my heart and made me feel special!

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

Armistice Day New Zealand 2018

This year is the 100th anniversary

of the end of World War 1.

A cross has been planted

on the grass in front of the

Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Each cross represents a New Zealand soldier

who lost their lives in that horrific theatre of War

18,700 poor souls.

I felt an extreme sense of loss

walking beside these crosses

thinking about the futility of war.

We shall always remember them.

I pray that this small boy will never

have the horrific experience of war.

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

Glimpses of Spring 2018

Spring 
is
waking to the sound of birdsong each morning
and
looking out through my kitchen window
to see my garden coming alive again!

Spring 
is
Rosebuds unfolding into
beautiful blooms

Spring

is

Cherry blossom trees in the park

and

carpets of petals beneath the trees.

Wishing

you all a happy and enjoyable weekend

in your little corner of the world!

Take care and

be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane

All New Black Sheep Collage!!

Here is a  new collage of the
Black sheep
no one could see on my previous post!......

I've downloaded the Pic Monkey photo editor
but it is taking me a while
to find my way round the program!

I wanted to insert text on the photo.....
I did that however it was in black
which one couldn't see
as the photo is dark!!!

After asking Mr Google nicely
Pic Monkey
obliged with the process
in Steps 1 to 5.
I usually consider myself quite literate
except when it comes to
computer jargon!

I will keep practicing!

Do you have this problem or am I on my own?!

(This was the original photo on the previous post - can you see it now?
please do let me know!)



Take care and
be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane  xx

Spring is in the air.....

Hello dear friends
It has been so long since my last post
almost a year....
So no doubt you all gave upon me a long time ago!

I have missed you all....
I am on Instagram as some of you know.
IG is not so time consuming as writing a post
and editing photos.
Having said that I have missed blogging
and I hope I can put up at least
one weekly post... time will tell!

Changeable 
weather over the last couple of weeks
sunny and warm one day
cold and wet the next!
…it’s 
Springtime  
in my neck of the woods!

New Zealand Kowhai Tree


Recently I headed up to
Cornwall Park
to find Spring Inspiration
it is one of my favourite places to walk





As you can see by the photo above
the farmer has a flock of black sheep.
They are such characters
in fact very nosey
and race over to the fence as soon as we appear!


Well I won't ramble on or this won't get posted!
Can someone please recommend a good
photo editing program.
I used to use Pixlr but it has changed
and I found it too complicated for me!

Take care and
be kind to one another

à bientôt

Shane