News from Nelson - January 2017

Hi everyone,
We hope all of you are fit and well.

My father has been in hospital for a few days with breathlessness, but has recovered well enough and is now back at home. I think he gave us all a bit of a fright. Strangely enough, in one of those coincidences that seem to happen to Kiwis, he ended up in a bed right next to my sister-in-law's grandfather. 

Jan & I have had a lovely break from work, relaxed, read, watched movies, played pool, got out in the sun, and done quite a few jobs around the house.

We have had visitors: Otto and Lara down from Wellington, Warren from Auckland, and Heidi here from Germany.

It was great to have Otto and Lara here. We baked, set up the train, visited Dawn, had fish and chips at Mapua, ate out at the Moutere Tavern, and watched lots of movies:

 

We went to Golden Bay with Heidi, and, although the weather was pretty overcast, I think we all had a good time. We stopped at Hawkes Lookout; Takaka for morning tea at The Wholemeal Café; The Waikoropupu River and the Springs; Rosy Glow; Langford's Store at Bainham (were I bought a nice new bucket hat); The Naked Possum; The Puponga Café for a picnic outside, then coffee and a view of Farewell Spit from the deck; Wharariki cliffs at Pillar Point; and lastly, Wharariki Beach:

Jan has finally bought chaps for chainsawing, and looks terribly stylish when amongst the trees now!

He has finished all the wood for winter, and is now working on next winter's felling. He also hired a pole saw and had topped all the kanukas outside both sides of our lounge to reclaim some of our view. The kanukas will have bushed out and hedged up by this time next year:

 

When Warren was here, he and Jan worked hard for two entire days to get the string lights up at long last (although there is still some finishing to do). This means there is only ONE more light to go in for the lighting to be complete. Only the patch panel in the office to finish and the supports on the spare bathroom bench to go and the house will be pretty much finished. And it only took seven years, and we aren't thinking of selling any time soon, so we get to enjoy all the completed jobs ourselves.

On Sunday just gone we had the Sarau Fair, which is the annual blackcurrant festival in Upper Moutere, to celebrate the berry harvest. Jan entered two of his blackcurrant jams - made from Tracey's organic blackcurrants and our 'support' fruit. The flavours were blackcurrant and apple, and blackcurrant and lime. The blackcurrant and lime was by far the nicest.

However, Jan entered the Jam under my name, saying it is 'easier' for Kiwis to read and say... and 'I' won first and second prize for the jams. Well done me ;-D

We have also managed to catch up with the Cools's already this year at the Sarau Fair, along with Stu and Anne, and some visitors from Germany, Wolfgang and Renate.

Our weather has been both good and awful over the summer:

 

Boo is settling in well, and, aside from totally lacking traffic sense, is a pleasure. Thank you, Erik!

We have larger holidays planned until December, when we think we are going to head to Germany for a few weeks for a - hopefully - white Christmas. I may be going to the Gold Coast once or twice this year for my PhD - possibly July and November. As these trips will be just a few days, if the timing is right, Jan & I will both go. Also, we are both going to Auckland at the end of October and the beginning of November for four days. I have a conference to attend, and, as Jan is only working three days a week, he thought he would join me. This part-time lark is fantastic.

Happy birthday to Mike S, Eberhard, Steph, Gary R, Linda, Kenn, Kathleen, Pat and Kent.

Ka kite ano

Sam (& Jan)