SIXTY YEARS

 It is sixty years since I arrived in Auckland.  I was working in Knightsbridge and after talking to someone who was emigrating I booked my passage.  Didn't really think it through, just booked.  My mother came up to London with me to see me off and, in her usual fashion, encouraged me to keep buying things.  Polaroid cameras were the new thing and there were salespeople in the street taking photos and trying to persuade people to buy.  Of course, my mother wanted me to buy one as well as a cine camera.  I did buy the cine camera but stood up to her on the polaroid.  I was worried about arriving in New Zealand on my own with no money.  It didn't seem to worry her. 

My brother also came to see me off.  Somewhere I have one of the polaroid photos taken to tempt me and one of my father as I was leaving home in Worthing.  

We sailed to Bilbao, then through the Panama Canal stopping in Tahiti. After Tahiti we hit severe storms.  Every car on board was a write off and the bow had a great chunk of heavy steel ripped.  All entertainment and the final ball were cancelled and very few people were going to the Dining Room for meals.  Luckily I was fine.  I can remember you had to hold on to your meal to stop it sliding off the table.  Max could remember seeing it on the nightly News.

So it is sixty years since I arrived in Auckland and my new life began.  A pretty good life.

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

 A few weeks ago Doug suggested that we could do with a few of our kitchen cupboard doors replaced.  We looked up various companies and Kamo Kitchens came around.  They had the match for the board but we also asked for a quote to replace all the doors and decided this was the better option so they came back with colour samples.

This morning they were here at 8 a.m. and removed all the old doors taking them back to the workshop to drill the holes for the new ones.  It is now 1.35 p.m. and they have just come back and are installing the new doors.  Unfortunately,  they were not able to get enough of the new handles we chose so some of the old handles are going up. The new ones imported from Austria and should be here in September.

This morning after the cupboard doors had been taken away.

and now at 3 p.m. All finished and we are very pleased with the result.

SWEETCORN

When it is available at the Growers' Market I buy 6 - 10 corn on the cob at a time and process them freezing the kernels in large ice cube trays.  I then freeze each tray lot in a vacuum sealed bag.  They are useful for so many things from adding to soups to having them creamed on toast for our evening meal. 

One meal we are particularly fond of we have just eaten for lunch.  It is my version of a Lasagne.  I cook large pots of ragu and freeze them in 2 portion packs so I put a thawed one in the bottom of a dish then some gluten free lasagne sheets and top it with a cheese sauce I make with a sliced leek and one cube of sweetcorn .  I top it with cheese and paprika and cook for 30 minutes. 

                                          

                                                            an open pack of corn

                                                                  one frozen corn cube

                                                              Still plenty in the freezer

                                         The finished meal.  It was delicious.

 

PHOTO SHOOT

 It is three weeks since we had the photo shoot.  Have just got the photos. We got 27 after they had been checked first by granddaughter.  I must say there are some lovely ones.

The only one I will post is of the two of us.

QUARRY GARDENS (warning lots of photos)

The forecast looked good so we headed to the Gardens.  Once again we had a lot of rain at the weekend but it cleared for our walk. There was a lot of colour for a winter garden, particularly the various orchids.

This is the worst of the damage still left from the cyclone of 2023. The volunteers have worked tirelessly to fix the damage.

All the waterfalls were in full flow.  At the base of this, the main one, previously one had to cross on stepping stones.  Below are some of the volunteers crossing the new concrete with the water coming through pipes.

If you have got this far and want to read more see here

ANOTHER BUSY WEEKEND

Saturday was much as usual.  Didn't go to the market but did an early Supermarket shop.  I bought both lamb mince as well as a couple of pieces of boned lamb leg so needed to make  lamb meatballs as well as a large casserole.  Cutting the vegies and all the prepping of trimming and cutting up the meat always takes longer than I expect but I got it done although the casserole didn't go in the oven until after lunch.  I also did three loads of washing and wonder where it all comes from.  it was showery so most of it went in the porch.  I managed to get most of it dry and finished drying the rest on Sunday.  As well as this we were getting the porch ready for visitors on Sunday.  

Doug's Grandson, his wife and their two boys are here from Perth.  Last time they were here the eldest was a baby and the youngest hadn't been before.  His sister decided it would be nice to get a family photo with Grandad and everyone while they were here so they came here yesterday.  The photographer came at 4 p.m. (her choice of time) .  Luckily, everyone was able to come.  The A & E nurse had just finished her shift as had her brother, in the police. 

We had everything ready, drinks, finger food etc. and the first ones arrived at about 3 p.m.  The photographer arrived promptly at 4 and decided that instead of using the park behind us she would use our garden so most of the photos were in front of the mandarin tree.  I just love to see all the great-grandies having fun together.  Two ten years old, an eight years old, a six years old, two 3 years old and a seven month old.  They were all so good.  After the main photos in the back garden they moved to the front garden to take photos of the children in front of the Windmill the Doug built.  When it was all over most had a cuppa and cake in the porch while the children and some adults went to the playground in the park behind us.

We are both tired today but a happy tired.  Our walk was back to the Whangarei Falls and, once again, there was plenty of water.

I took a video of the Falls but can't get it to download.

CRAZY PAVING

 Doug thought that the old drive would be broken up for removal but, when he noticed that they were cutting it into squares he asked them to leave some.  Since the drive was finished he has been breaking these slabs up and making a crazy paving path around the other side of the house.

At the same time he has made the path wider where it goes past the cat run.  Below is all that is now left of the old drive.  Not sure what Doug has planned for this.

FINISHED DRIVE

It is now eight days since the concreters finished and we are able to use on the drive.  Our Toyota Spade has been living next door while the work has been going on and has now returned (being led up the drive by Blue).

Pretty much the same view before the work.

 

On another subject,  We spent a very pleasant afternoon on Sunday helping Doug's Primary school friend celebrate his 90th birthday.