Rolling into winter in the Southern Hemisphere, we welcome Aussies to our shores, wrap up warm and swelter in the weekend heat!
Yes May is throwing the four seasons at us….it’s bringing out our layering skills from singlets to puffer jackets.
This weekend, predicted to be a wet one has been one of sunshine and gardening!
With the wasps thinking it is winter, our swan plant is harbouring some big fat monarch butterflies in the making….we are watching these grow until they curl up into chrysalis’s and emerge as butterflies.
The last week has produced a multitude of busyness…work life….dad cares…local board meetings…a little socialising….gardening and preparing for the next working week.
My new gate has drawn a line in the sand, when I am babysitting the canine grandbaby, while Dan is working six days a week (and I am working from home) to get Dads house on the brothers property ready!
George has put his big boys pants on and gone flatting – but hangs out with me (and Floyd) on Sunday’s!
Life is about good food, good friends and family….in between our working days….the team have enjoyed a Sunday roast, ready for an early night and early morning start to our working week!
So for all us mums out here who have survived the process and roll into our twilight years with Adult offspring, we can take a moment to soak up the solitude!
Little boys to grown men and everything else in between…
We have built go carts, sandcastles, new houses and bridges…
We have old friends, new friends, true friends and lost friends….
We have memories, good times, sad times, tough times and more time…
When you look into the eyes of your first born, you feel an overwhelming pride and protectiveness! Then you hug your 2nd, and 3rd and spend the next 25 years as a superwoman! Judge and jury, cook and bottle washer, provider, protector, adviser, nurse, taxi driver…until one day you look in the mirror and notice each year is etched in your face, and you have time to smell the roses!
Russ used to say to me, what do you want to do for Mother’s Day? As he handed me the bottle of wine and chocolate scorched Almonds (yes every year) . My answer was always the same….A few hours of peace! So off he plus three(boys) would go to the flying fox park for an hour or two!
However….when the peace finally comes, it starts all over again….Mother’s Day for me will begin with Dad duties…dressing, feeding etc…moving stuff. Some of us mums are just blessed with being needed.
And the character lines on my face continue to smile at me!
It’s Friday 17th April, day 23 of lockdown, somewhere this week we lost the 15th April…so yesterday and today are the 17th! (Previous dates now corrected)
I was going to get up early and catch this mornings sunrise, but rain splashing on the concrete outside the bathroom window changed my plans…found this last picture on my phone (accidental snap) that sums up the morning – if you remove the impressive artwork! Yes it’s a grey morning as predicted…yesterday was quite busy, off and on, with work communications, therefore my exercise was closer to home – a street and beach (at low tide) circuit
The sad side
A gap in the gates of what used to be the very popular Waiwera Thermal Resort displays a sad ending to a long running tourist and fun destination for many NZers and tourists…two (ish) years ago it closed its doors for renovations and never reopened due to questionable management culminating in liquidation and a very long court case. So in the middle of Waiwera stands (or crumbles) a derelict waterpark surrounded by high walls with faded and peeling paint!
The not Holuday park
At the far end of the beach lies the deserted caravan park – barbed and boarded and closed, another large plot of unused privately owned (ironically by the same conglomerate as the pools) prime land. One day, maybe not in my lifetime, these will become usable areas again…
All roads lead to the beach
However…after making sure nothing had changed in the hood, police passed by doing their rounds I continued a solo, peaceful stroll towards the island at low tide and around the point, devoid of humans and full of bird life again! When the world stands still we realise how noisy our feathered friends are!
After yesterday’s announcement about what our life would look like if we came out of full lockdown…general consensus it would be like having a small hole in your sock and your little toe could poke out now and again! Time get my 23rd day moving…first stop kitchen and morning coffee…
Another week of 2021 has flown by and still no sign that this virus will go away any time soon!
Last weekend was the last long weekend of summer and George and I sharing Dad duties meant Sunday night in Silverdale amidst boxes and orders to pack and sort! The brother away for the third holiday of 2021 and the Bonnici-Carter’s still the number one carers! Oh well the Bonnici-Campbells will shortly have that pleasure, as Dad moves to Panmure (and their estate) in a couple of weeks!
I did get the privilege of a visit from the middle son and family, and a hold of the grand baby. I guess I’m just another pair of hands at this time in his life! With me working full time and their weekends being full of other visitors, it is lovely to get the odd squeeze of this delicious child!
The rest of the week flew by with work days, Dad Visits and some much needed personal housekeeping! Ordering new glasses, watch batteries, and a little shopping R & R for George’s big leap into adulting (again) today as he moves into his flat! To be fair, he has been keeping his old, lonely mum company, since we lost Russ, and busy with his hectic social life (friends coming and going) and eating habits!
Dan and I alternate the babysitting (Canine version) duties, as Dan is often out and about at work these days, Floyd is settling into is routine…..front house….back house?
Yesterday was a big Saturday, seems Dad has now managed to lock his car so it won’t even start(another dash to his house) with either key or the garage door remote! Then shopping, housework, dog sitting (Dan out building a fence)….culminating in a much needed outing to watch our beloved Blues play live….first time for me this season, 2nd for George.
Using up four of my tickets, three takers, Lexi a rugby Gal, George and I…hit the town. The forth ticket I donated to a lucky punter who was lining up to buy! (Hope he enjoyed of couple of refreshments with his ticket money).
As our team is out of the playoff running, a slightly sparser crowd came out to watch our boys hammer the somewhat 2nd string Chiefs 38- 19. Chiefs resting a few of their top boys as they have scraped into the top two for Kiwi playoffs! Still even with their best on field they would have found it hard to beat the Blues last night on their home turf! A evening with all the usual “Eden Park” hype, Doug Howlett (a kiwi rugby legend) arriving over our heads (like if George stood up he could have shook hands) in a black helicopter landing on the park before the game! The statutory box of mini donuts, hot chips, bucket hats, our favourite seats and happy faces!
Wrapped up for the clear evening chill, pink blanket certainly needed in the 2nd half, a great result and we were back and bathed by 10pm….early night ready for the shift!
This time last year we shared a lockdown Anzac service on our Waiwera waterfront….today a party of eight relived the experience…
As the sun came up and Russell’s boom box competed with the lap of the sea against the Seawall, we stood once more and thought our own thoughts…listening to the live broadcast of our Capitals (Wellington) ANZAC service.
We are blessed to live in our covid under control country, sharing a coffee with our waterfront buddies and watching the sunrise.
While we might be lonely and sad(that’s a big word) sometimes we are grateful for the friends and family we have in our lives!
My small rock garden is still blooming and holding strong with the autumn sunshine and rain!
The container and skip have gone and my front lawn is rejuvenating.
The sunshade on my deck finally gave up when a mini twister swept up from the estuary and threw it against my house…no windows in the line of fire!
My house is slowly finding its personality with some of the long locked away treasures finding their place on my new (2nd hand) boat shelf!
And my doors are open to share my whole new world!
This gorgeous baby (my nephews daughter) finding joy in Russell’s childhood trucks! (Made with love by his dad more than 50 years ago!)
As we face the next few months of what will probably be a wet winter, we find our joy in the small things, a night out here and there, Super Rugby games to watch, a canine cuddle and a drink(or two) with close friends!
I and my plus one (Jill this time) headed out of Auckland on Thursday afternoon for a long awaited break over the last long weekend of Summer! Not the smartest move, as we sat in queues of traffic from the minute we hit the highway with the other several hundred thousand humans heading south! (All of us getting ahead of the expected traffic jams)
Finally breaching the Auckland borders and enjoying a half hour of cruising….just to hit the next City, Hamilton, in time for their mid afternoon early exodus, and another bumper to bumper, patience testing, 45 minutes before some blue sky, open road on our way to the first bathroom stop and lunch at 3.30pm!
So far the weather had been kind, the promised thunderstorms hovering around the horizons….until just after halfway point the skies opened up, giving the car a much needed water blast and once again reducing speed capacity on winding mountain gorges!
The middle of the North Island (NZ) closed in on us with only an hour and a half left of our journey to go with clear skies and crisp air. A quick comfort and refreshment stop at the pub, soaking in the mountain (enshrouded in cloud) views saw us hit the road one last time for our final destination. Our goal to get through the mountain range before darkness hit…
With very few vehicles heading our way, mission accomplished, we cruised along the side of the Wanganui River as darkness rolled in to a kitchen of smiling faces, homemade bread and pumpkin soup! Aah family!
Brenda and Graeme (Russ’s brother) welcoming me and whoever I bring with open arms and kindness as usual!
Friday brought a cool overcast autumn day as Fraser (nephew) headed to Auckland and the Wanganui weekend crew caught up on the last six months over hot cross buns, leftover pumpkin soup, a beautiful fresh snapper for dinner!
Saturday was market day, and Wanganui provided sunshine, crowds, music food and all the crafts of the area! It was also the day I learned some new skills! Graeme and I had swapped vehicles, he headed to a show in my car and I had the new van to drive the gals around….custom built for Brenda’s wheelchair! A five minute lesson, on the ins and outs, ups and downs(the back kneels to the ground), locks and unlocks and we were away! My practice run circling city streets in search of a car park…as it appeared everyone had the same idea to enjoy the local culture.
A jazz band blasting out tunes from a 100 (almost) year old balcony filling the streets with a Deep South Louisiana vibe. After all Wanganui is renowned for its riverboats.
City wall art added to the Art Deco feel of inner city streets, many of the original 1900’s buildings still alive and well, not having succumbed to modern day high rises of concrete and glass. Main Street shopping concluded our market morning, taking us on an adventure of bespoke local shops, antiques, new, shoes, crafts, books….both Jill and I bringing home some treasures!
The afternoon promised another outing for the girls, including Brenda’s friend Lindsay, who declined the morning adventure, ready for an evening at the Speights Bar in Palmerston North. Jill didn’t quite make it, having ingested some market food that suddenly came back to bite her just before we left. So it was a team of three who headed off (in the spaceship van) to meet Graeme and more family for Thomas’s birthday dinner (oldest nephew). Speights Bar…perfect destination for a Speights Gal! But limitations are on when one is driving, one half pint before dinner and cake, then heading back in my car this time, the hours drive in darkness, to check up on my travel buddy….still horizontal and sleeping it off!
Daylight saving wind back, gave us the leeway we needed to accomplish our early morning start for the journey back on Sunday, before the rest of Auckland on Monday we hopped!
A brief stop before we exited the Paraparas, and headed to the first coffee bar destination…National Park. That is Us and all the other punters who chose an early start. The mountains still under cloud but otherwise it looked like a clear travel day ahead. Very cool, single digit temperatures.
The Macrocarpa Cafe produced an excellent Flat white and bagel for Jill’s very empty tummy!
A six hour journey (including a couple of pit stops) meant we had made the right call to travel on Easter Sunday. After depositing Jill at her house I arrived back at mine around 4pm…unloaded, not unpacked poached eggs for Dinner and an early night!
Feeling relaxed and refreshed, and a little bit of me creeping back in after being around family who love me for who I am…
A little over one year ago today, we (kiwis) all went into Lockdown for the first time….
Maybe it is because we have had the time to focus on the world around us (without rushing off to foreign exotic places) that we have experienced, or noticed, more in 12 months than we would have done otherwise. Except if you’re a dog, life goes on as usual….eat….sleep….and more of my humans time!
For me, it’s been a year of…
Work….I was lucky enough to keep my job
Kindness…from strangers and my good friends
Unkindness..from those you “thought” were friends…,but strange times brings out strange behaviour in some.
Heartbreak..,again as another family member passed away
Isolation and isolated…working from home or staying at home
Blessings….granbaby, graduation, and wedding celebrations
Sold a house, bought a house, and didn’t buy a house ….
Sold a car, bought a car.
Loaned more, borrowed more and gave some away!
Road Trip, bike trips, traffic jams, no traffic.
Happy family, unhappy family, the sadness comes in waves!
Three generations of this branch of the Bonnici Clan, Granma Sue, Dad(Jax) and Tyler Russell! Scrubbing up for a wedding last weekend (it was a big job for the oldest member).
Actually last week saw two visits to the city centre for this old gal..usually a once a year excursion…the wedding occasion above and…
George and I shared Ovin’s graduation day….(Ovin being George’s longest standing friend from primary school)
Then a Pie and a pint at O’hagans on the viaduct! (not shared as this was only the 3rd meal of the day). A lovely afternoon at an Irish pub in the middle of America’s cup racing finales! The next day was St Patrick’s day and NZ took out the America’s cup, so it was fortuitous that our city visit was the day before!
A day after earthquakes, Tsunami warnings and lockdown we rolled into a perfect weekend at the beach
A morning stroll to watch the sun rise on the last day of lockdown before our city moved to the freedom of Level two last Sunday.
This meant we could visit the grandbaby, go shopping and plan for a work week of traffic jams and activity!
Trudi met young Tyler Russell for a cuddle and we headed back to our home stays and home work places. Trudi was back to work as retailers could now open and I had a frantic week of work from home, day in office, meetings and dog sitting as Dan was back to work offsite! I think Floyd (dog) thinks my place is jail as he is so used to working with Dan.
Friday night rolled around none too soon, and I took myself (on bike) to my friends on the waterfront for Friday refreshments!
As the sun went down and the speights (beer) went down , we gazed out on our little world at Waiwera. After which I pedalled home (carefully) to eat and sleep!
Saturday was filled with community working bees, hanging curtains and home jobs culminating in a beer on Dans deck watching the America’s cup yacht racing.
George and another canine friend hanging out after dealing with bush weeds!
Sunday opened its eyes with blue skies….and a day to prepare for the week, the boring activities of food shopping, washing and cooking before settling in front of the TV for a dash of Rugby and more Yacht racing – if the wind decides to blow!
Lockdown day six saw the Kiwis hit by a series of earthquakes out in the ocean, largest one of 8.1 threatened alot of our coastline with Tsunami warnings…..this all began as we were starting our work from home day, as we do in Level 3!
Dad, who is 100meters above sea level was panicked when his caregiver insisted the car was ready and the bag was packed to head to higher ground. Us at Waiwera, 2 metres above sea level, continued on our busy day. Dan cleaning cars, contractor installing benchtop, George doing a bit of housework for me and cleaning out gutters that were blocked up and produced a waterfall outside his bedroom window in the heavy rain earlier in the week. Listening to reports coming in all day, and phone calls from Dad to say we should be moving….we had a water bottle and the dog leash in readiness if the Tsunami alarm went off, until the all clear was given about an hour ago and all those who had to evacuate were able to head home.
I carried on working all day and it is nearing my weekend, friday afternoon….our bubble of 5 still limited until we hear the 4pm report today to see if we gain a little more freedom on Sunday. The first friday of the month, local drinkies on the beach Im guessing is not happening today, so with our bubble doing a swap over…..Trudi to mine and George to take care of Dad for the night, it looks like a Thelma and Louise evening on the Deck at 17A Waiwera Rd, as the sun sets on another sunny late summer day.
Rolling into Autumn, with Earthquakes, thunderstorms, heavy rain sunshine and humidity, the earths magnetic fields are throwing us some curveballs…..just so we forget about Covid. We are all tired of the Covid rollercoaster so it is refreshing that Nature is taking first place, albeit a little unsettling when we think of the damage that could have been done with Tsunamis hitting our shores. Erring on the side of caution is good, and we are learning (fast) not to panic and listen to the facts….taking action or non action when needed.
Meanwhile the washing is dry, didn’t get an extra rinse from seawater, Beer is chilling, Dan is one step closer to a whole house (now he just needs to put stuff in there) and Thelma and Louise are still standing. Australia on hold for a little bit for Louise, until those Aussies decide we can step foot on their soil again, without a huge expense and 2 star quarantine accomodation. Who would survive without a wine for 2 weeks! Especially when there is nothing else to do…..
The end of February 2021 was looking promising….with triathlons to run, planes to catch, normal work life and plans for more renovations.
A sunny summer weekend ahead and many headed to their favourite holiday spots! But for us it was a bit of a sad start, a funeral for a dear family friend. I picked up Dad early afternoon and headed to muriwai, my childhood (and teenage) stomping ground to the surf club for a very sad funeral of another young man taken too soon. A gathering of 300. Dad and I didn’t stay and mingle (a good choice in hindsight) and headed back to waiwera for the night.
The Wild West coast….
We got Dad settled in the cottage for the night and George and I were about to hit the sack for an early night before an early rise to head south for his (trained for) triathlon….when…news alert (9pm) we (in Auckland) were all being locked down at 6am on Sunday! No triathlon, and after a few panicked calls from dad after some old man came and disturbed him to tell him he had to get out! (of the cottage at 9.30pm) HOW RUDE! I told dad not to worry, go to bed and I’d sort it in the morning. After last weekend, it was the last thing he needed. One good thing, he had taken his earphones out and probably didn’t hear too much!
So, Sunday was a flurry of packing and locking up, shopping and arranging Dad for the week ahead and getting him settled for the week ahead!
That was the mornings activities at least and by the time I got home…it was washing and getting ready for another week of work from home life! My little house becoming an office for George and I.
Chores done it was beer for lunch (early afternoon) on Dans new deck! Finally relaxing…
Makeshift ice bucket and shade….
Floyd and I relaxed!
This Kereru(wood pidgeon) joining us in the overhead tree..
Then swooping over next door to hang out with his partner…
Trudi locked and loaded and extremely hot and bothered called in on her way to her lockdown home…
Finally relaxing for a moment before her week of isolation begins…our bubble of five, Sue, George, Dan Trudi and Dad….as we have all been together all weekend we can see each other!
So now it is, shorts and tee shirts, walks up the road, innovative cooking (from freezer and cupboards) and bedroom offices for the week. Here we go again, a community outbreak in South Auckland, as stupid people do stupid things, and spread the dreaded virus! We must be kind, it’s getting harder and harder, just when you make plans….this is testing even the most open to change people in our world!
All who wander are not Lost girls 