Otago lakes is a beautiful part of our country, yesterday we had 24 hours of rain and a very work productive day, barring a quick visit to the supermarket for dinner supplies.

This morning dawned with blue skies blue lakes and a sunny day promised…

A couple of hours of work, a visit to a boutique winery (client) and it was off for a bit of exercise….

First a toilet stop at puzzle world….. where’s Wally? (George) hiding in the 3D painting!

Mt Iron beckoned – a leisurely 10 minute stroll..someone was telling porkies!

Half way up, sweater off, hamstrings burning and 40 minutes later…

On top of the mountain…yes mountain, a fantastic view of lake Wanaka and lake Hawea!

Over the town, over the lake and even a bit of snow on the mountains in the distance!

A full circuit around, up (and up) over the top and down the other side – mountainsides of yellow wildflowers. Now the adventurers enjoying the scenery, on the downward slopes.

I did say I was heading down south to the land of the pines (Darius Rucker) .. well here it is pinecones the size of rugby balls.

An hour of pain and pleasure followed by a drive to the beautiful lake Hawea….

More pines and George in the Hawea dam site, water and mountains the backdrop.

Blue, turquoise and green, the colours of the southern lakes in central Otago.

Hunger set in and a sandwich followed, before our return to our villa home in Wanaka, George had work on the agenda, but not before a nap, and Sue headed out for a coffee catch up with another Carrybag client on the Wanaka waterfront.

The perfect day, of work, play and peace ended with a yummy fish and chip dinner and a couple of Southland brews…Speights!

Friday night was the first AUCKLAND Blues game of the super rugby

The team all ready for the first big win….we’ll almost, but we are avid supporters and will continue the loyalty Russ has installed in us for the duration

A warm summers evening, and a 2.5k walk there and back didn’t stop the evening chill setting in-the supporters flags came in very useful.

Another big weekend at Waiwera followed, as we farewelled a dear Riverhaven friend….after which, at 5am Monday Morning, Sue and George headed “down south to the land of the pines!”

The trip to Queenstown and Te Anau to set out on one of NZ great walks – the Hollyford Track!

Not all plans go to plan! The Queenstown landing was aborted at the eleventh hour as we dived at a forty five degree angle skywards! Evidently a sudden southerly gust (on landing – 3 feet from the runway) would have mean’t we overshot. Good piloting and another bumpy 30 minutes in the air (george feeling rather green) and we safely landed from the other direction! A drizzly cool day in the Deep South greeted us!

So the plan was to visit my Queenstown clients then head to Te Anau to catch a helicopter to the track! Our friends, Pam and Guy, meanwhile submerged in bad weather are unable to get out from said track and meet us….probably not until Wednesday!

A great day of client contact as we drove in the other direction…an executive decision!

A damp stop at Arrowtown, followed by winery visits (clients of course) and the headed north through the Kawerau gorge…

A short stop at the gold mining town, to be soon thwarted again by rain, and off to Cromwell for a fantastic pub lunch!

The kawerau river, a view from the bridge! Once dated in Cromwell, and over the other side of the mountain range, sunglasses came out for the last hours drive to Wanaka, where we were greeted by a warm balmy afternoon….one more stop (work related) and off to our lovely mansion, kindly offered by georges friends family!

Our home with a view, mountains in the background, following a short stop at the supermarket for essential supplies…we will stay here tomorrow and catch up on work emails and weather permitting a short half day hike! (After all we are prepared with all the appropriate hiking equipment)

A couple more work visits, like wineries and breweries, ho hum!, and hopefully our friends are back on dry land and we will head south….We do forget how beautiful country is….soaking up the mountains and the lakes and uncrowded roads of the Deep South!

Anniversary weekend in Auckland NZ, and the Riverhaven community (Waiwera) brought everyone together for the Music Jam on the green, a tradition that Russ was determined to re-ignite….The sound and light team worked for days before getting the stage set and everyone practiced their special songs to dedicate to Russ.  Actually, the friday night before the Saturday Jam, was a prejam Jam outside my cottage with everyone working together to have their sessions in order….into the wee small hours.  A little panadol was needed to get me going on Saturday morning.

The Day was hot, and the preparations “Big”, getting our old gazebo up in a prime spot to accommodate the family and friends joining us…..Food preparation, Jaxon up at 5am to cook a smoked brisket for the workers, shopping and cooking and of course icing down the liquid refreshments….

The Stage was set for a big night of singing and dancing, from our very talented residents of the Riverhaven family and their groupies (us old girls dancing like we were 18!)

It was really hot with the sun still tanning everything in sight when we kicked off at 6pm….brisket in one hand and cold speights in the other! (well for me at least)

Sunhat clad groupies ready for action…..while the Riverhaven band ground out the first tunes…

And a few of the boys who were not on stage….Steph was first up after the band session, and did us proud, (even though she was nervous), belting out an Ed Sheeran and Savage Garden number to set the scene for the evening…Now she could relax.

A Johnny Cash session by the Mitchell boys dedicated to Russ got the feet tapping and yours truly first on the dance floor (well grass).

The sun set and with the practiced numbers all complete and everyone in the mood, the “Jam” began, and the team all sang their favourites dedicated to their Mums, kids or Russ….

Steph, Aaron and Jaxon, with a cheeky little fiddler on the side sang “King of the Road”, we could all see Russ up there beside them singing and tapping his toes! Definitely one of his show pieces!

The night rolled on (and the sunglasses stayed on) and the music continued until 11pm (the noise control hour, and we did not need a repeat of the wedding noise control visit) so we packed up camp(that was a big job) and retreated to our little corner of this world, with a number of campers not ready to hit the sack….I was ready for bed after my previous late night (its an age thing), but outside my window, the beer pong games, with  vocal support of more an more songs continued….until 4am!

A broken sleep, but a few hours at least and it was definitely a Sunday to take the now running boat for a test drive. Trudi, Sue and Steph headed out to sea around 10am, fed the fish and enjoyed the relaxation of sitting on the boat, Steph enjoyed a boat nap….to catch up on her 4am morning.

Meanwhile, George took time out and took Mary to the Hot Rod show at Orewa, an outing she really enjoys, and with the fishergirls back on the beach around 4pm, no fish for dinner,  it was a communal BBQ with what we could all scratch up (all 15 of us)

Aaron and Dan the Chefs for the day….paper plates, salad, etc…just what the doctor ordered, and an early night for all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday saw a blue sky day, with some of the offspring heading out early for the Riverhaven fishing contest.. and George and I having an afternoon at the AUCKLAND ASB ATP men’s tennis finals! Doubles and singles finals – the two Frenchmen in the singles providing us with a great contest! (And entertainment in true French style)

It was a great afternoon of tennis, packed mum lunch and iced water…interspersed with layers of sunblock and knowledgeable (not) comments from the drunk spectator sitting directly behind us, who graced us with his presence, when he wasn’t off at the bar buying more beer! (Which I might mention was a welcome respite)

The fishermen and ladies, while not winning the big one, provided us with a yummy fresh fish dinner upon our return…cooked by none other than yours truly!

It was a catch up day on Sunday, in readiness for most of us to return to the real world of five workdays, and Trudis offspring to head back to Australia after a fabulous holiday.

Kristi, Nathan (the Aussie kids) and George took a leap of faith off the Waiwera bridge at high tide, cooling off in the rising heat!

So we finally have a kiwi summer, temperatures of up to 30 degrees and high humidity, the aircon has been working overtime and yesterday on my way home the side mirror fell out of the merc. The 30 year old glue holding it in had melted!

Floyd, Dans dog is, by default, learning to swim, as when George and I took a dip after work, he decided we needed saving… actually it was the other way around…floyd couldn’t work out how to turn around and head back to shore and was frantically paddling off into the sunset! I had to race out, refloat and turn him 180degrees to head back to shore! More practice is needed.

And the boat is still waiting for the next broken part to be replaced – now the throttle cable – as reverse is a gear you need when approaching shore… maybe this week!

What would our weeks be with out adventures mishaps and repairs….Ah well another long weekend looming and fun in the sun!

Sculptureum Matakana, 40 minutes north of our little home in Waiwera…..a grab one deal and an amazing adventure….

A garden paradise of flora and artwork from all over the world.

In good Bonnici-Carter style, egg sandwiches, water and cheap online entry we headed off at midday….

The flowers were in bloom on a perfect kiwi summers day as we meandered through the outdoor garden.

A little refreshment not going amiss for our Trudi in the secret garden pathways…

A circle of rock love surrounding Sue, quotes and motivation in gardens rocks and words of wisdom from Steve Jobs!

George in the Giraffe garden bonding with the taller species of this world.

Driftwood, rocks and metal blended with our native palms and grasses…

George and Steph meandering through the cobbled paths, bordered by mondo grass that one mustn’t step on…not even a toe!

Dandelion sculpture sprouting tall from a footstool of purple wild flowers.

A whale of wood dwarfing the girls – a sculpture made from hundreds of pieces of driftwood collected and joined together.

Pink snails, fishing boy, hugging meerkats and many more…..too many to share, a mere snapshot!

And the artwork in the galleries – paintings, caricatures, flowers made from milk bottles and artists inventions in every form and shape.

Sue and Sandy taking a well deserved rest, relaxed and smiling from an afternoon of inspiration, colour and imagery!

One more, a LifeSize sculpture of Kashin the Elephant who graced our Auckland Zoo for many years…

Sculptureum Matakana, well worth a visit for the discerning art enthusiast, those who want inspiration or for those who just need an extraordinary visual hit in their lives.

We topped this off with a swim at Omaha beach, shopping and fuel stop on the way back to enjoy a lovely balmy evening BBQ with the Waiwera team!

Tuesday saw some rain and cooler temperatures, and it was a catch up day for all and work day for me!

Wednesday brought back the sunshine and the boat repair man, all summer holidays without a boat, we were all pretty excited.

Ploughed through my work in the morning and 2.00pm found me at the helm with a very excited Steph and Jaxon ready to catch the big ones.

Lots of little ones and a few good keepers! It was bliss to be back in the ocean. We fished into the low tide and landed back on the beach at 7.00pm….with dinner,which was lucky as the designated cook, George, was lounging in the spa and dinner wasn’t started!

After boat clean up and filleting of fish, showers and a well earned beer, we devoured our beautiful fresh fish and crashed for the night.

Today mum turned 85, so after an early start, me working, the newlyweds packing for their camping trip, George swimming his laps at the gym, we headed into Orewa to take mum out for brunch. Trudi joined us too.

Jax and Steph headed off on their journey and we took mum for a walk along the beach, visited her friend Joy and Mum enjoyed an ice cream (after coffee, squid rings and chips)

A little blustery with an Easterly and surf rolling in at Orewa.

Back home to finish the washing, work and a cheeky little dip in the sea at high tide.

It’s a girls night tonight with Sue, Trudi and Maria having a catch up while last nights chef has another go at cooking dinner!

Thursday began at 4am for Jaxon as it was the Brisket BBQ day,

I joined him for a Mother/Son moment at 6am on the beach to watch the sun rise and then got on with the last minute sewing jobs and ironing to ensure all the wedding ensembles were in order, as there would be no sewing after the mother of the Groom had her nails done! (in five different colours). The wind was dropping and the blue sky was promising a fantastic wedding weekend.

Russell Rose was blooming in the garden, having been watered daily in readiness for the big day.

The BBQ is a full day event and the wedding party started to filter in, in the afternoon to prepare for the big day. So Thursday day evening was a team effort to prepare a feast for 25 people at the Bonnici-Carter Cottage at the beach..

Round one…..followed by round two and three, a few quiet drinks (and not so quiet for Sue who was waiting for the Carter Family from Wanganui).  Most had an earlish night, except Sue and Brenda and Graeme (Carter), who brandy coffeed it until a little after midnight!

But it was an early start for Sue, with cars to wash and windows to clean and food shopping to be done (for the Hors D”oeuvre part of the wedding event at the cottage.

The Merc was delivered to Don for its wedding present (a deep clean and valet) together with Dons New BMW X3 for the bride and her girls! She is looking very smart I might say, and will certainly sell if I choose to take an offer, but I am enjoying driving her and might just hang on a bit longer!

The bridal party worked on the hall all day on Friday, and I (with the help of a couple of bubbly bridesmaids) prepared the BBQ (normal one) for another group feast!

The wedding day (saturday 11th January) dawned with a bluebird sky, no wind and promised to deliver as planned for the 4.30pm wedding.

Gazebo up, Awning out, tables and chairs and Ice bins in readiness for the afternoon festivities….Dan appeared with Floyd and I took a moment to have a run on the beach with the eldest son and canine….and soak up the morning sunshine.  Helpers for food prep were arriving at 9.00am and away we went…

The kitchen team from Te Anau, Coffs Harbour and George! Happy in their work with beautiful big smiles…

The Groomsmen and Jax worked all morning, finishing touches to the hall and around the cottage, filling up drinks bins, icing down and setting up tables and chairs.

3.00pm – setting up at the Beach, I took a stroll with Stephs
Family to the designated point where they set up the venue for the important bit, the wedding vows.  My job was to talk to all the daytrippers (and dogs and loud music and bikini clad pippi gathers) to advise them we had a wedding here and would they mind toning it all down at 4-4.30pm for the actual event!  I get the good jobs, but as it was such a nice day (and I am such a polite person) they all were very co-operative, some wanted to be invited even!

Meanwhile back at the cottage, my cousins Karen and Mark had taken over the kitchen, in good Bonnici Day out style, and had everything ready for the nibbles and drinks after the formalities, while the bridal party strolled around the beach for wedding photos!

So, back to the cottage, quick shower, find makeup (which hadn’t been worn for a long time and one should wear makeup to weddings, expecially your sons) Throw on frock, quick photo with Jaxon and down to the beach to await the arrival of the Bride.

The boys waiting patiently on the beach, suited up and looking very relaxed (if a little warm)….The crowds were gathering on the beach and the grass bank in readiness, tide slowing making its way in….perfect timing.

The beauty about a beachside wedding, there is something for everyone, Mary, Brenda and Graeme in prime position on the grass bank with the shade of the trees, or in the sunshine if they desired, sun now behind them so no squinting into the sun.

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Bonnici Boys in the front row (and only) designated seats, Dan, Dane and George….all suited up and also looking very smart (from the front as well)

And here she is….with her contingent of beautiful bridesmaids, all wearing wedding ensemble from Malta…and loving altered(by Sue) to fit Kiwi girls with bare feet (not the 5 inch heels that Maltese girls would wear!)

 

Signing the papers with their best man and best girl…..and waiting for….

THE KISS….Mr and Mrs Bonnici, Waiwera Beach, with Sugarloaf Island in the background!

Family photos, and all the guests and non bridal party family, strolled (or ran depending how thirsty they were) back to the Bonnici-Carter Cottage.  My Cousins ran a smooth operation with food and drinks and everyone chatted and soaked up the evening sunshine. Until we got the call at 6.30pm to head to the hall for the reception.

The only picture of me, in my Berlin outfit, beautiful silk jacket, which I have now wrecked by gentle washing (in machine), shrinking to fit a hobbit and green colour run into the gold….however it was very classy on the day, and lasted for my 2nd speech in four months (not my forte), welcoming the beautiful Steph into the Bonnici-Carter clan.

Dinner done and the beautiful cake, decorated by my cousin Trish….where the mountains meet the stars…then it was a big night, with drinks, music, dancing, noise control warnings and  back to where the celebrations started until the wee small hours (actually 5.30am!)

Needless to say it was a hiberation sunday for most except those of us who began the tedius job of cleaning up at 8am…..cottage and hall.  With the help of the oldies and a couple of young ones the mess was cleared, and Stephs family just had to deal with the sorting the decorations and returning hired stuff!

Today, monday saw a more relaxed holiday mode with me back at work (remotely at the beach), washing and sorting some space in our little beachside cottage. And George is 24 today! so a dinner out in Orewa this evening and no cooking!

Now we just need the boat fixed so we can go fishing….Early this week I am told

 

 

This time next week, Jaxon will be married, George will be 24 years old and maybe the boat will be fixed!!!!

2020 is filling up our days and slipping by bringing unprecedented events and carefully planned events.

The fire disasters Australia is experiencing are hitting our shores with a galeforce blast. I was at Trudis cottage yesterday (ironing?) and I felt like “Dorothy” as a wind gust threatenened to whisk me away to OZ!

The sky’s have cleared and we are still holding our skirts down as the wind blows…the sea is chopping up a storm and no boating in the mix…not for the Bonnici-Carter crew due to ongoing boat issues (or any one else due to 30-40 knot wind and surf like conditions). Ok so the ongoing boat saga (this is getting really old now) is that another Man with a computer has visited (the boat) and there are several issues, (and parts to be fixed). The main issue is that the original service performed and paid for ($1800 )….a Yamaha motor service, shows very little evidence it was undertaken! Taking advantage of a poor unbeknowing middle aged female…ha! We will see how far that gets them.

The boys in Blue hit the town last Saturday (not wearing blue, I believe the groom to be was in pink) to celebrate Jaxons last weekend of being a single man…these two and one other mate (and the bride to be) where the last ones standing in the late small hours of Sunday morning…

The girls (Lexi,Trudi & Sandy here) also celebrated with Steph at different places (me included for a portion of it) and met up with the boys after midnight.

Everyone was still standing (or lying) unscathed the next day…these events can be dangerous at times! No one was injured or outrageously embarrassed!

It’s a week of lists before the wedding…..bridesmaid dresses now have all all alterations done, that’s a big job out of the way. Suit hunting (for dan and George), haircuts, housecleaning, food prep, etc…for the big day on Saturday. It looks like the wind is dropping and while we pray for the rain for Australia, we can only hope the weather gods in Waiwera allow a beach wedding in this beautiful place we live!

The final days of 2019 saw a prolonged saga of boat repairs (and frustrations) for a very unmechanical Sue. The chaps around camp were very helpful and all came to the conclusion (after battery charge and installation of a second battery) that the “Check Engine” fault that would not go away needed some expert attention! The short version…there is no fishing until a tech guy can visit on Monday after they are all back on deck after the holiday period. So at least I can forget about it until then (and the family is resigned to the delay).

Two days before new year George left us to head to a concert with his uni mate, and ready for the action, a cheeky little Speights at 9.30am (for the person that drinks rarely, it looked like it was going to be a big one!) What happens on tour, stays on tour, but he was safely back in the fold by 9am New Year’s Day (needing sleep and food!)

Meanwhile the girls in red (Christmas attire), Sue, Steph and Trudi took a step back in time for new year!

The theme being 60s flower power! This was late in the evening and we had lost our headbands and lipstick!

New Year’s Eve began at 2pm (for the younger generation at least)… Trudi had work and I had some bridesmaid dresses to alter, this took me until 4pm and the eyes were struggling!

Dan and Lexi joined in for part of the proceedings, Lex outlasting Dan by a couple of hours!

Jax and Steph seeing out the distance and well into the wee small hours, it was a big night! Sue was ready to hit the sack by 10.30pm (Russ would have rolled with me on that one) but was buoyed up by a strong brandy coffee to see in the new year with the team!

We made it to the hall with five minutes to spare! And popped the poppers, sang auld Lang syne and had the odd hug or two! Sue and Trudi made a quick escape(after a sociable period – 5 minutes) and were looking forward to at least half a nights sleep! Oh no…not in the Bonnici Carter household, Jaxon, the wanderer, kept us on our toes until about 4am. While I lacked a few hours sleep at least I wasn’t sporting a hangover!

New Year’s Day we had a job to do!

Russ has maintained the New Years races (for kids and adults) for a number of years and our legacy is to keep this going in good Bonnici-Carter tradition.

Pop and Sandy joined us, as did cousin Bob, bringing his two adorable kids to represent us, coming well into the money with wins and places in the running, sack, potato and spoon and three legged races!

The boys did us all proud, an unhungover Dan helping with setup and Jaxon on the Microphone, and George staggering the ages…a great team effort! Sue having to step in when Jaxon needed to participate in the adult events!

It’s now 10pm….and we are all in bed (yay) looking forward to a good nights sleep!

WELL ALL, with the christmas colour and franticness of the supermarket, it is hitting home that Christmas is just around the corner.  Not surprisingly for us this year, the sights and sounds are bittersweet.

The Boys, Dan and George, put up the Christmas tree while I was at work….with Russ on the top! WE are nearly set up in the cottage for Christmas….we now just need food and some pressies.  Really just good friends and family, kindness and love is all we need (and of course a cold Speights) There is a great big (about 6ft 3in) empty space in all our lives this year with Russ on our minds every waking minute… I know many of our friends around the world will be feeling this too.

The Elf (Mary) and reindeer (George) singing away at the Christmas carol morning at Maygrove this week….Mum is slowly improving after our little hospital visit last week.

And the Elf on the shelf (not Mary) with other treasures adorning the top of the kitchen cabinet, alongside the icebucket and glasses from the Wachstetter clan in Texas! Russ’s little singing snowman has lost his voice this year, but the fat Santa, another of Russ’s superbuys from Lake Jackson is in full voice, ready to be placed at the gate to “Ho Ho Ho” everyone into Riverhaven. He is a very noisy little creature.

Yes it looks like Christmas in the Bonnici-Carter Cottage, we are all together and trying to hold onto the fun times we all had earlier in the year…

From Waiwera to Malta, Malta to Vienna, Vienna to Zurich, Zurich to Wawsaw, Wawsaw to Berlin, Berlin to Silverdale (Auckland) and back to Waiwera where Dan and his team have worked hard to implement Russ’s renovation plans…and we are almost there, just a bit of paint to go!

The back deck almost ready for “Hot Summer Nights”, I say as I sit here in my jeans and sweater with the sky crying yet again! But Russ would be proud of the job done, And will be happy we are all together for Christmas!