Holiday

At last we have had a chance to get away for a long weekend. It seems like ages since we last did anything all together as a family. So off we trundled up to Taupo then along to Taurangi and the house we rented in Tokaanu, see more below.

Unfortunatly the weather was not that kind to us, as you can see from the photos. We did see the occasional scrap of blue sky, then the clouds would drop down around us again. But we all had a brill time anyway. See more about that below also.

Only thing missing was a daisy to take a photo of.

I was suprised by the mosquitos, never thought I would get mosquito bites on a skiing holiday, just goes to show you should be prepared for anything.

The Old Post Office Tokaanu

Some snaps of the holiday house that we rented for our long weekend break. It was a place full of character, converted from an old Post Office. Each bedroom had a theme.

Skiing

The reason for our holiday was to go skiing. My two oldest kids can ski, but Peter and I had only briefly tried it as teenagers and my youngest is also a beginner. At first it looked like the weather would be good. But as we drove further up towards Rauapehu the cloud cover got lower and lower and visibility got worse and worse. I had hoped to get lots of pictures of Ruapehu and the surrounding area. No chance, at one point we could not even see the other skiiers two feet in front of us! Out of three days there we only managed half a day on the slopes in almost white out conditions. On Sunday even the beginners area was closed.

Maybe next time the weather will be better and I will get the photos I would like.

Tokaanu Thermal Village

Some images of Tokannu, a lovely small village just outside Taurangi on Lake Taupo.

Geothermal Pools - Tokaanu

It has taken us two years of living in New Zealand before we have managed to see some geothermal activity. Behind the thermal hot tubs at Tokaanu there is an area of geothermal springs and mud pools, which you can wander around, sticking very carefully to the path. It is a very pleasant walk with no unpleasant sulphur smells. In fact as you walk around the village of Tokaanu steam rises from pools in just about every garden. Not sure that I would like to live with the prospect of new geysers appearing in my garden.

We had a quick soak in the mineral thermal pools after the walk. An new and interesting experience. It never crossed my mind that they would actually be outside, with just a little shelter to get changed in.

The mud pool just looks like a muddy hole in the ground. Every time I turned around I heard it bubbling and just missed a snap of a mud bubble.

Steamy Trees

Trees and steam at Tokaanu. I could just imagine a dinosaur appearing throught the steam.

Tivaevae

I loved this tivaevae bedspread in the house we rented in Tokaanu. Wish it belonged to me.

Tivaevae is pronounced "Tiph i vi", I think.

Today's Daisies - Crafty Shopping Bags

Today's daisies are on my shopping bags. Using some daisy and sunflower fabric I have converted my boring re-usable shopping bags to nice crafty ones. I would love to take the credit for this idea, but it was my good friend Kerrian's. Thanks Kerrian for the idea and the instructions.

Winter Lunch in the Garden

A perfect winter lunch in the garden, Plum Cobbler to eat and a quilting book to read.

Leukodendron

Leukodendron from my youngest son's school.

Poppies at the Sound Shell

For the last week or so as I have driven through Napier I have wanted to stop and take a closer look at these Poppies. They are growing and flowering happily at the Sound Shell. Yesterday I got the chance, I had a spare 10 mins and there was a handy parking space. Or should I say there was a handy parking space once I herded the Japanese tourists out of the way. Oh for a sheep dog or two when you need one. The Sound Shell is one of Napier's famous art deco buildings.

Poppies and Bees

The bumble bees were really busy around these poppies. Here are a couple I managed to capture in the snaps. Click on the photo if you want to see a larger version of the picture.

Poppies on their own

Finally some poppies on their own and with a friend.

Smell

There is one thing that computers can not do yet, I think. In fact I think that perhaps they will never be able to do it. Produce scents. The flower above is not the prettiest flower in the world, but it has got to be among the best scented flowers. Wish I could share it with you.

Today's Daisy

Today's Oxeye daisy.

Today's Daisies

Today's daisies are more stiched and quilted daisies.

Have you seen Elvis?

Have you seen Elvis recently. I found him on Thursday in the middle of a quilt at the HBQ&P.

My First Commission

My first ever photographic commission. Would you belive it a fertalizer factory, why couldn't it have been something pretty.
"Can you get me a pic of the fertalizer factory." asked Hubby.
So off I trotted and brought back a ton of snaps. Above is the one he chose. Now how do you rate my chances of getting paid for it. I can always dream.

Today's Daisies

Daisies and pebbles.

The Ducks are back

The ducks have returned to the creek after an absence of a few months, and they have brought some friends with them. There used to be five now there are nine.

Light

The rather grandiose leadlight sky light at the hastings Exhibition centre.

Today's Daisies

Today's daisies are more quilted daisies from the Hawkes Bay Patchworkers exhibition. This one was done in a Mary Transome class.

and even more Quilts

Even more quilts from the Hawkes Bay Patchworkers quilt show.

Steaming Hills

Te Mata Peak steaming gently in Saturday's warm sunshine.

Harry Potter Weekend

I have had a very Harry Potter weekend, I could almost say I am Harry Pottered out. On Saturday afternoon we went to see the movie "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". I enjoyed it more than the the other Harry Potter films. They were good, but not how I pictured the books as I read them. This current film is much more like I visualized the book.

As you will probably know the last Harry Potter book came out on Saturday. Of course I had to buy a copy. And yes of course I had to sit down and read it. A strange thought that all over the world people were reading the same book at the same time. Has this ever happened on such a scale before. And yes I did not stop reading until the book was finished. And yes I did enjoy every single minute of it. I am sorry this is the last book, they were all great reads. And no I am not going to give any of the story away.

I am a J K Rowling admirer. I know that the hype surrounding HP is criticised, but for me it is all a part of the the delicious HP experience. Previous to HP this genre of fiction was not that popular. HP has helped bring it to the public eye and open the flood gates for other fantasy fiction and movies, both for kids and for adults. So thank you J K Rowling, you have given me hours and hours of pleasure in the company of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Its still raining

There has been more rain here in sunny Hawkes Bay this week than there has been in the two years since we arrived here. It has rained lightly, heavily and very very heavily almost non stop all week. In one of the gaps between the clouds today I think I caught a glimpse of green hills. I can't wait for the clouds to clear so I can see if the hills of Hawkes Bay have changed from golden brown to green.

Privacy Again

I have bedroom curtains that meet in the middle again.