Montparnasse this morning threw a cool and drizzly morning at us (Kevin and Sue) as we left our hotel with rolly bags and backpacks to catch the 9am train to the south of France….

A three hour train trip to Agen, one stop at Bordeaux, sandwiches and puzzle books to fill in the time, and a snooze for me as I had been awake since 2.30am, not really hitting the new time zone!

One change of trains to catch the small train from Agen to Monsempron with a tight change of 5 minutes – Kevin and I poised at the door, bags in tow to leap out first (jumping out before a raft of children who were also keen to get out first) luckily our little train was on the same platform and we jumped in with 3 minutes to spare! If we had missed this connection we would have had a two hour wait for the next one….an hour later we arrived…

I guarded the bags while Kevin retrieved the car and our last leg of the journey to Fumel was in the Citroen.

Construction and roadworks are universal and the Main Street in Fumel is closed! So after a little de – Tour of the town we dumped our bags at the house and parked down near the Church!

Being close to Rols work at the Brit Hotel we trotted across to say Hi and have a couple of nice cool beers on the terrace while Rols finished up his lunchtime shift…

A little overcast and balmy temperatures was just was the doctor ordered! While Fumel is bursting with summer colours…

Familiarity does not breed contempt – we are both happy to be here, Kevin home for the summer and me ensconced in my tiny house for a week, avoiding the Maltese heatwave and power cuts happening in our other happy place….

After a day or so of a terribly sore throat and headache – I am feeling more human this afternoon, and hope the malaise was just a travel hangover, passing by!

Arriving in Paris at 7.30am yesterday meant I had two full days of a flying visit – cool wind, clear skies, and a pleasant 25 degrees shorts and T’shirt couple of days!

Taxi to my friend Sally’s house in Clichy and a day of catching up, making new friends at the local bar and sampling the local beer! And…. getting to know Sally’s Roommate ‘Bert’ not to be confused with Bird!

A Salad for tea – made by yours truly and an early night….Kevin having stopped overnight in Korea arrived at his hotel around 9pm by which time I was already sleeping!

This morning Kevin made his way to Sally’s and after a catch up, we left Sally to get on with her work and went for a stroll around the local area…taking a coffee at my new favourite bar…

Surrounded by the colours of summer…

Spying on our (foot) travels the artwork exhibition of Philippe Katherine…these pink sculptures leaping out to greet the locals and tourists…

Then there’s the more traditional thin version of sculptures….and the blonde!

We headed back to Sally’s apartment to collect Sal and head off for lunch at a local cafe…spoiled for choice – another delicious salad, to cleanse our bodies of the stodgy airplane food.

Around 3.30pm Kevin and I bid adieu to Sally and taxied to Montparnasse to our hotel for the night in readiness for an early morning train trip from here to Fumel, Kevin and Roland’s abode in the South of France.

The Taxi ride was an interesting one, our driver and another taxi driver had a lane altercation early on in the piece, and then happened to end up side by side at each set of lights for the next 10 kms, winding down their windows and yelling loudly at each other until the lights changed…in French, the tone of voices confirmed the ongoing argument!

We finally arrived at our Hotel after 4pm, took off to look for some juice and fruit for our dinner, and something to ease my increasingly sore throat! Not sure if this is happening from the pollution or a cold coming on – nothing a rest in my air-conditioned room, and some quiet time won’t fix I’m sure!

On a final note, Montparnasse, the train hub to the south and a rather touristy area is very colourful with a definite floral theme…

Cafes abound the intersections and streets in this vicinity – I’m leaning towards MamyRosa if a cocktail beckons as the evening closes in.

As I wing my way to the northern hemisphere and escape reality for a while – I’m 24 hours in and five to go before I land in Paris – the city of love! If it’s hot I will love it!

A recap on the trials and tribulations of getting to this day, 19th July 2023!

So it’s getting old the big wet that our part of the world has been getting in 2023! And many are just jumping on planes to have a break with some sunshine!

My Brother, Kevin , with whom I am not travelling with – he is on another plane out of N Z , and I left on Tuesday after his three week whirlwind visit to spend time with Dad, and his dear friends after 3 and a half years of absence. Needless to say he had a busy time, as did I preparing for my absence until october.

There has been Family time, Date nights with my sons – flat renovations, Dog time, work time, car time (didn’t help taking my passengers side mirror off on the day before leaving) maintenance time (weed eating the lawn as still too wet to cut with mower)

After a few hours at work on the morning of my leaving I had worked up an appetite for – my AIR New Zealand lounge feast, however the booking not allowing me to use my lounge vouchers as they had code shared with Singapore airlines and even though my round trip is booked and paid to AIR NZ I flew on Singapore! So looking forward to lunch it was back to the old faithful treat – Big Mac combo with lemonade! The lemonade loosely translated by the lady who took my order to iced tea! Not a great start from a food perspective!

First flight to Singapore was full, second one not so much – I have a seat between me and my immediate roommate on the 13 hour flight to Paris – now four hours out….and the humans who have been sleeping about to burst into action – there will be a run on the bathrooms, possibly another meal – so far 1 out of three has been edible – at least a coffee to prepare me for my first French experience – Airport to my Friends via Taxi!

Due to land at 7.30am, navigate the circles of Charles de Gaulle airport and taxi across town to my friends….. the adventures begin after 30 hours of plane time! Roll on summer!

Mid June and the temperatures drop, the rain did ease for a five day stretch and threw us Aucklanders into a eurphoric moment!

Almost bringing the pansy’s back to life! Sunny days meant temperature drops at night – almost down to zero when I left for work at 5am earlier this week…but just in time for the weekend, we are back to crying skies and wet feet!

Six weeks ago I was lamenting about the rain, not much has changed…except we have hit a few milestones…

Jaxon (my second offspring) turned 30 and we had a bus trip to Orewa (all of 10 minutes), a pub crawl (three) and back to wake up the cottage for a long overdue bash inside its tiny walls!

Mud play for the grand baby at kindy – mudpits replacing sandpits these days, was due to see this little man this weekend but the dreaded “C” has hit their family again and they are staying put!

Dan, George and I and the other mate or two of Dans when needed, have been giving one of my flats a makeover after 17 years of the same Tennant….weekends only, cleaning, painting, repairs, carpet, tiles- everything actually! So yay 7 day weeks for me I’m up and at it again this morning!

The work (of various kinds) was broken up with a three day roady to Whanganui – giving Huntley (the public toilets) a brief visit…

Some trains still run in Rural NZ, and along with charity shops, food and convenience stops and….the roady was stretched to a nine hour journey on the Friday of the first ever (in my lifetime) Kings Birthday holiday weekend!

Saturday saw a catch up with my old work colleague, market day, and family day and (delivered in the mail 2 weeks later) a $65 parking ticket for overstaying a 180minute car park by half an hour! I guess revenue collecting is nation wide with local councils as they get restructured for the hundredth time!!! Tongue in cheek!

Sunday found us on another Roady….

South East from Whanganui to Fairleigh – markets and antique shops! Say no more! Determined not to sit for another 9 hours in the car on the return journey, we were on the road home by 7.30am – one comfort and breakky stop at Taumarunui and a very wet stormy drive on the homeward (Waikato) strait!

6.5 hours and home in time for afternoon tea – only to find, on dropping some things to my cottage that the lowlife have been in action, since Jaxon’s Birthday bash and this time (two weeks later) someone has decided to remove, from behind my cottage and my shed…a kayak, a full tank of petrol for the boat (very kindly left the empty one) fishing rods, life jackets and my two (pop and Noel) garden gnomes!!! I know the price of everything has gone up but really what are they going to get if they sell my old stuff!!!!

Then Work, eat, sleep , renovate….it begins again

A small treat as my eldest took me out for lunch yesterday – an Orewa Colada! As we crank into a weekend of renovations!!!

Just over a month from the shortest day and the winter woes are setting in….lack of vitamin D from sunshine after a summer of wind and rain sees the kiwis desperately planning their winter escapes…yours truly among those desperately seeking summer! Roll back….

March found us rugging up inbetween downpours to at least get outdoors! Gardens were drowned and replanted only to be drowned again!

A road trip (solo) to Wanganui and Masterton to celebrate my wonderful in-laws (Carters) wedding anniversary – 1000k round trip in three days…culminating in a visit to the doctor on the way home with a swollen neck…which began a chain reaction of medical appointments, surgery and recovery as the bullfrog look (swelling) subsides! Meanwhile my brother was due to visit in March but cancelled due to surgery on the other side of the world! He too is recovering well! So life, work and daily activities continued…

Babysitting the grand baby and grand fur baby…one fussy eater and one who eats anything! The fur baby managed to swallow broken glass and after emergency surgery, lots of $$$$, and a 12 inch wound, clawed his way back to this world!

Meanwhile the rain continued, and a watery St Patrick’s day found Thelma and Louise come out of mothballs to entertain the locals!

Roll on April, Easter…. And more wet days, however Anzac Day threw us a (pleasant) curveball and produced a cool, crisp, rainless 5am start as we (the locals) gathered on the waterfront to listen to the Dawn service in my Small, but loud, boom box and watch the sun rise over Sugarloaf Island (an annual event since lockdowns)

As there is not much to do in the rain when you live in a beachside wonderland, with easterlies and twisters blowing you inside out, Lex, Trudi and I decided a de clutter was appropriate…gearing up for a car boot sale (which was cancelled due to weather conditions) we rallied round and had a garage sale, then loaded up the rest and took two carloads to a windy market on the Northshore! An early morning followed by chasing flying clothes around the car park – but relatively lucrative and returned with only a small carload, now donated to the Charity shop!

Meanwhile, Russell Rose and Mary Rose found a moment to bloom between being stripped bare of leaves and Petals! (With the wind and rain)..now it is time for their winter haircut. The rest of the garden has fed the snails and slugs as the come out in force when it rains and without the aid of chemicals, I have spent all summer feeding the bugs!

So now we look forward to a winter of soups, thermals, umbrellas and terrible driving conditions…except we have some exciting times ahead as we look forward to visits from overseas family, and winter escapes!

This time last week we were bracing ourselves for the onslaught of cyclone Gabrielle! Auckland once again in the firing line….

Yes the sea was wild and being a Waiwera waterfront resident was probably a little unnerving as the large swells pounded the Seawall and sprayed salt water over the rooftops!

The rain was incessant for a couple of days and the wind a little frightening at times- especially when the large tree branch above my house cracked (as I feared it would one day and land on my roof) but no it is hanging by a thread, even a week later…while I scramble to find an arborist to remove it!

However, this pales into insignificance when compared to other areas of the North Island, who experienced severe flooding, slips destroying homes and livelihoods, prolonged power outages, 1000s of people in temporary shelters and 1000s unaccounted for with death toll rising! Communication and access to some areas are still out a week later, so we are all praying that everyone is safe!

My seagull got blown off his perch! And what remained (from the last two January storms) of my garden decided they had had enough! I have spent the last two days, cutting grass, sweeping up storm debris, removing dead plants from gardens and pots in readiness for another go at Summer.

Managed to get the flowers in yesterday and today is vege planting day! I will need to fortify my vege garden as Floyd (dog) has finally got a taste for tomatoes and snacks on these when no one is looking! All ripped out now but new ones to plant!

Let the day begin – and the sun shine bright

January came and went in a blur of Rain, Wind, Floods and destroyed gardens!

So it continues into February as we tentatively wait for Cyclone Gabrielle to hit our shores in the next day or two…the weather gods have been certainly throwing us a curveball this Summer (what summer most will ask?) It certainly isn’t boating weather with waves crashing our usually calm shores…

There has been a lot of working from home time, as floods closed our main highways and mudslides and fallen trees have blocked roads!

Last night as Trudi and I shared a quiet drink on the deck, it became eerily calm…

The trees behind my house standing still and quiet after several hours of wind gusts, waking this morning to the first heavy rain squall and wind rattling my gate! This time we are prepared – gas bottle filled for BBQ cooking, petrol tank full to run the generator if needed, bottled water in reserve, fridge stocked and fresh batteries for the transistor radio and torches! Overkill maybe…

On a brighter note – the Granbaby turned two last weekend and a window between storms saw a small road trip to Katikati for the long weekend..

A Birthday visit to “Bullswool” farm park

Water fun….

And Spider-Man antics all weekend! Welcome to the toddler madness…

A Monday of driving – back to our hood in readiness for a very long Tuesday (work day) and an anxious wait for the gran fur baby to be released from Dog hospital, having ingested a 3cm piece of glass (attached to chocolate pudding) over the weekend…Fast attention to the incident saved his life after a three hour operation to remove from stomach….

The cancelled Hot Rod festival is on (rescheduled) in Orewa today and a morning excursion (bus) for coffee may be in order. A slight reprieve, and house escape, before we are locked in by “Gabrielle”. Not looking like the usual colourful blue sky day for this event – but I am sure it will come with as many bells and whistles that the resilient Kiwis can muster!

On that note – let us just worry about our next meal ….. as these guys do…

The holiday break started off with the colours being of summer – sunflowers and sunshine

A Christmas Eve Egg Nog night with some wonderful people and lots of laughs!

The sunshine continued over the next few days, I got to spend some time, around work, with my Gran baby!

My friend Trudi was also working through but we both decided to vacate Waiwera and head to the West Coast for our day off! Little did we know this would be the last of summer we would see for the next two weeks!

Muriwai and Māori Bay, my childhood, teenage, early twenties, stomping ground! The tourist attraction here now is the Ganet Colony….

These “Smelly” birds have moved to the mainland, from that small island offshore, affectionately known as birds#it island in my youth! I’m guessing Department of Conservation fencing off all the cliff edges from humans has encouraged them to move inland! The day included a small hike over this hill, a lie in the sun reading our books, a swim in the West Coast sea, with its usual rips and undertows, and a not so flash burger from the beach shop where Kevin (my brother) and I started our careers in retail at the ripe old age of 13!

The facade has somewhat changed but the vibe is still the same! humans chilling around in the sun outside waiting for their takeaways, only to be disappointed if they have expectations of the food they used to get here in the 70s and 80s!

After a day of exploring my old backyard, we headed to another haunt ….

The Huapai Pub – as children we spent many hours in the car park (along with other children) while our Dads socialised therein! We were thrown the odd bottle of Fanta and packet of chips every hour or so! This time the experience was much more pleasant, and they even have my low alcohol beer on Tap!

In hindsight, we are glad we took this time out…. New years Eve was a fizzer, we made the wrong choice – should have hit the pub with the other locals! And it got cold, in more ways than one! We were tucked up well before midnight!

1st January 2023, and the flowers were blooming – these shots taken just before the storms hit! Two storms back to back, gates blown off, pots over, leaves blown off plants, chairs flying around the section Outside tables blown over….,and now 14th January 2023 – it looks like summer may be creeping back!

During this time, I had Dad at the cottage for a week! His babysitter sleeping overnight and me working and him reading at the table during the day! Cooking their tea and coming home at night to clean up the storm carnage, sleep and back to cottage during the day!

The sun is yet to peep over the trees, but looking at the first dry day in a week – it’s washing and lawns morning!

As we crawled through the last week of work before the Christmas Break (for some) we reflect on a year of achievements, adventures and family times! Grateful we can still run and fly!

Our world has certainly changed, but change is what keeps us on our toes and if we jump at the opportunities – life is still a story!

I guess it’s time to wish all those who have joined me in this journey of 2022…

My family….Dan and Lexi living next door, Jaxon, Steph and gran baby visiting the cottage, George coming and going and meeting me on the other side of the world! And the fur baby hanging out on working from home days!

More family and friends from all corners of the world!

2022 found my feet in many corners of the world, finally returning to my roots in Malta, and escaping some of the kiwi winter – with a side trip to the south of France. Spending three months in the glorious heatwaves of Europe!

Watching the grand baby gallop towards his 2nd year around the sun! Celebrating his 1st birthday in Feb, teaching him to wash cars, explore the beach, and eat little red sausages!

Upon my return from Europe, I moved back into my newly renovated house, that Dan and his crew had been working on over the winter! It was time to grow some colour and life into my home…Russ taught me to grow veges and Mary(mum) the flowers!

My new hobby of growing stuff has seen us not buy a lettuce for 2 months, and added colour to what has been a very dull wintery spring! The incessant rain has at least minimalised my water bill! Weekend gardening has been interrupted with painting and recycling old furniture, tyres for my fruit tree surrounds and myself!

The last few days has finally brought some winter relief and the shorts are out! Summer is on its way at last!

The Christmas tree is up, the food shopping done, the presents wrapped and tomorrow(Christmas day) promises sunshine, family and friends!

Spring in November has delivered cold snaps, rain, humidity, more rain, glimpses of blue sky and torrential rain…

The hastily planted garden is thriving, no longer having to buy expensive lettuces and have in fact replanted the 2nd round!

Mary Rose and Russell Rose are standing tall and already blooming since three weeks!

It seems I have found a new hobby in my “Spare Time” Growing things! A legacy from both Mum and Russ – Mum with her flowers and Russ with his veges!

Add Painting and recycling to this and there is barely a spare moment as I make my house a home…

After a few days of torrential rain, a hectic work week, I wake to a glimpse of watery sunshine peeking through for the start of the weekend!

Today is Trudi’s birthday as she catches up to my years around the sun, and we will celebrate in good Thelma and Louise style…,starting with lunch out!

George has been away for a few days and arrives back tonight to shift into his new flat tomorrow, a month of living at home is enough for a young man!

The outside world is whispering noises about Christmas fast approaching – which for me means – franticness in the carrybag world, and a welcome break for a few days!

Meanwhile my story is full of flowers…

My Gerberas are loving their new home, shades of the 60s and the Kombi campervan! (Kevin)

And Mary’s Rose got battered in yesterdays storm, with a budded branch braking off, rescued by yours truly for some inside time…

My “Scent by an Angel” Mary Rose is blossoming inside and outside! In Bob Dylan fashion A Shelter From The Storm!