Trip to the Vet

It was time for Gemma's trip to the vet for her annual vaccination.  She has been very healthy all her life so this is the only time so goes for a visit.  I had to be a bit sneaky in the morning.  Gemma has her usual routine, get up, have breakfast, then a morning snooze.  I didn't want her getting in to her hidey hole in the cat tower since we were going out.  If  I went to pick her up by reaching right into the tower and she didn't want me too, she has been known to get rather hissy.  Cats always seem to know when the usual routine is different don't they.  So I shoved a couple of cushions into the tower to keep her out, and shut the sitting room door to keep her in the room - that should work.

Tricking the cat, keeping this area cat free

She settled down on the dining room chair, and was soon scooped up and put in her carry cage.  Then off to the vet we went, just a short drive.  She is no trouble in the car, and barely makes a sound.

Ready to go

Once inside the vet clinic, out of the cage and onto the consulting table, Gemma was not very brave at all, and buried her head against me while the vet checked her over, and gave her the vaccination.  "Would she like a treat?"  the vet asked, and put a couple down for her.  No way, Gemma wasn't going to be bribed, and couldn't climb back into her carry cage fast enough.  She is in excellent condition, with a great coat, I was told.  I commented that Gemma was now 8 years old.  Eight years, four months, and so many days, I can't quite remember the actual number, I was informed.  Obviously there is a running total of her age on the computer screen.  The consultation was quick, professional and went very smoothly, so we returned home in no time at all.  She gave herself a quick groom, and settled down, not too bothered by her trip to the vet, and happy to be back home again.

As Gemma now goes into the cattery if I go away. I need to show proof that she has been vaccinated.  She always has been,  of course, we would never have compromised on her health.  But I guess not everyone takes pet health care seriously.

I noticed there was a sign on the clinic door not to bring dead birds inside and had asked if this was a problem.  Not so far, I was told, but because that nasty bird flu had reached New Zealand and killed some birds, it will surely get worse over time.  The public have been advised not to pick up sick or dead birds, and also to stop feeding them in the garden, as that brings birds into close proximity.  I had recently put a seed cone outside for the birds over winter, but will not be repeating that till I have heard it is safe to do so again.

No more feeding the birds for a while

I have been spending a little time at the sewing machine, and knitting too, but nothing really to show just yet.  And made some more soup for lunch, broccoli and blue cheese soup, delicious.  It's rather green, so it's got to be good for me!

Hello Spring

 Spring has arrived and it was time to change the small wall hanging just inside  the front door.  Down came Welcome to Winter and up went Hello Spring.  I hand stitched the pretty floral design and finished it up with machine quilting in 2022.

Spring has arrived

Our Spring weather is often temperamental and we have had heavy wind and rain.  The wind blew, blew, blew, creating  a carpet of yellow kowhai blossoms scattered across the lawn in the back yard.  Our native tuis love the kowhai nectar and have been feeding off the tree, in between busily chasing any rival birds away from the bounty.  This tree came with us as a little seedling when we moved here from Upper Hutt back in 2013 and has grown and matured into such a lovely tree.

Kowhai blossoms

So what have I been up to lately?  I have a knitting finish, and no, not socks this time.  Made with Op Shop (thrift store) yarn too pretty to leave behind, I'm pleased with how it turned out.  This will probably be donated, but I'll keep it for a while, just in case.  Not that I've heard of any new arrivals, but you never know.

Little jumper finally finished

And it's been binding time over the last few evenings too, I'm diligently stitching down the binding on the butterfly quilt.  This is one of three I want to make for a special family, more about that later.

Binding the butterfly quilt

Our clocks changed for daylight saving in the middle of the night, Spring forward.  Luckily, by the magic of the internet the phone, tablet and laptop changed all by themselves.  It used to be Robin's job to change the other clocks, so that's something else I have inherited.  The kitchen clock has been lifted down off the wall and changed, and I worked out how to alter the clock on the stove.  My new little bedside clock is a challenge as the only little thing to turn on the back altered the alarm time.  Then I remembered that last time I just took the battery out, waited till the correct time arrived, and replaced the battery!  There must be a simpler way, but I haven't discovered it.  The clock on my car can stay exactly as it is, that is beyond me, and I reasoned that if I'm getting into my car to go out, then I will know what the correct time is.  And of course my watch it easy to alter.  

Time for a little stitching, and Pancake Rocks

We have moved on to the tiny settlement of Barrytown and I had an hour or so sitting under the shady awning doing a little stitching. We are camped up on a hill and have a wonderful sea view.

Not only did I finish this tiny little dove from Noah's Ark stitchery, but worked a little longer to start the next design – two kangaroos waiting to hop onboard the ark.

Just a small finish

Sitting outside in the balmy evening with our camping neighbours, we were chatting away and waiting for the sun to go down into the horizon on the Tasman Sea.  How spectacular that turned out, well worth the biting insects making a meal of us, regardless of the repellant we had put on.

Sunset at Barrytown

The next morning we back tracked 16km  to arrive at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.  The pancake rock formations were created by the wind and rain eating into the softer layers of rock between harder layers of stratified limestone.  The sedimentary rock was formed on the sea bed millions of years ago, before being uplifted and eroded into the pancake rock pattern that is marveled over today.  This attraction is looked after by the Department of Conservation and entry is free.

The start of the boardwalk is an attractive walk through nikau palms, and then glimpses of the pancake rocks appear.  We both took our sticks for this walk for safety in the crowds, what a pair of old crocks we are.  And there certainly were crowds of people everywhere, all jostling for the closest positions at the photo stops.   The pancake rocks were just as spectacular as we remembered.  There were information boards dotted along the paths.   Tourists were out in force, we heard all sorts of languages spoken around us.  A young woman kindly took our photo for us.

Pancake rocks

We saw some white fronted terns on the rocks, and Robin’s larger camera captured them much better than my point and shoot camera could.  These birds capture small fish by plunge-diving from a hovering flight a few metres above the sea.

White Fronted Tern

After our walk around this interesting place, it was time for lunch at the Pancake Rocks Café.   We chose a table out in the awning and I mentioned to the young man clearing the tables how much cooler it was out there.   I did feel sorry for him when he replied that he didn't notice, he was too busy working!  The serving of pancakes were huge, too much for me to finish.

Lunch at the café

I visited the adjacent gift shop, really expecting to see items aimed at tourists to New Zealand.  There was plenty of that, but I did find something which took my fancy, an apron for the caravan.  I’m sure I've mentioned before that I always wear an apron while I'm cooking or preparing food – because I’m a messy cook!

A little something for me

Watch out for Chickens

We have moved on to Kaye and Jan’s home for Christmas, Robin’s young sister and hubby.  They have bought a delightful small holding on rural Richmond a couple of years ago, so this was our first time visiting.   The home is surrounded with lovely gardens, and plenty of fruit trees.  They are fattening up a couple of beef cattle, and Kaye is the proud owner of five hens, two different breeds, white and brown.  The birds have a cozy custom made hen house, and provide daily eggs.

Two brown chooks

Gemma has been having a fine old time, outside on her lead, keeping an eye on these big birds.  The hens  like to wander around the garden, pecking at insects and whatever else they find.  Poor Gemma met her match today – one of the white hens took exception to her and loudly squawked and flapped her wings. Gemma slunk back inside the caravan to get away from this threatening behavior.

Robin needed help maneuvering the caravan when we arrived, it was just too long to swing around and back up easily.  Luckily, Jan came to the recue with his dinky little digger, using the tow ball on the front and backed our van backwards into place.  That made it easy, and we are facing the correct way for when it is time to leave.

Thanks Jan

Our home for Christmas

There is a lovely looking rustic red barn on the property.  It may have seen better days, but had an earlier productive  life as an apple packing shed.  Will it stay or will it go?  Kaye and Jan aren't quite sure whether to fix it up or demolish it.

The old red barn

We braved the pre-Christmas shopping crowds to get a couple of last minute things.  I was on a mission to find some cherries for Christmas day, I'm pleased to say I was successful. 

Cherries for Christmas

The weather here has been strange, warm and sunny for part of the day, then the clouds roll in and the heavy rain comes down.  We are hoping for a nice sunny Christmas Day.

Out and About

We've enjoyed a few little outings lately, meeting up with friends for lunch.  In fact, last week was very social indeed, with two lunches in a row.  The first was down at Paraparaumu Beach – where I did a drop-off with a bag of donations for Foster Hope, a charity which helps children in foster care.  The children often arrive at their foster homes with very little indeed,  so Foster Hope gives each child a back pack with toiletries, pajamas, underwear, and whatever else they made need.  My donation last week was a selection of 18 draw string bags for toiletries (or pens/pencils if they prefer) and two children’s quilts.  All these items have been made over several months.

Donation for Foster Hope

Then it was time to meet up with our friends, at a new to us café on the beach front.  It certainly looked rather grand as we approached.  As usual, we had a great catch up with everyone.

Lunch time

This café specializes in  fish, and Robin enjoyed battered Chatham Islands Blue Cod – delicious he said.  I chose Seafood Chowder, and told myself, as I was having soup, I really deserved a pieced of cake too!  How’s that for a weak excuse!  But the tiramisu in the cabinet was saying “choose me”  so I just had to, didn't I?  The very first time I had eaten this dessert was on our 2008 USA coach tour from New York to Niagara Falls and back, and we stopped off for an evening meal at Washington DC, where tiramisu was on the menu.  So I just had to try it, and it was as delicious as I had imagined.  Another memory from that dinner was when one of the waiters told us that the helicopter flying overhead was the presidential one, carrying President Obama.  How about that!

My delicious lunch

After we said our goodbyes to our friends, we drove down to the beach, to see what we could see.  This group of red billed gulls weren't at all concerned when we drove our car onto the sand and stayed in their little chatty group. 

Red billed gulls on the beach

Kapiti Island is not too far offshore and groups can take day trips over to this island.  In former times it was a whaling station, and visitors can see the large whale pots which used to render down blubber.    These days it is one of New Zealand's oldest and most important predator free nature reserves, and is full of beautiful native bird life.  Access to the island is limited, and visitors must go with the certified trip providers only.

Kapiti Island

Our next lunch was with two friends, Shirley and Robyn, the three of us take turns hosting lunches every few months.  Shirley had recently had a health scare so to save her any pressure we drove down to take her out to one of her favourite local cafes.  We were pleased to see that Shirley was getting her mobility back, and we had a lovely lunch indeed, but I forgot to take photos.  After lunch we were invited back to Shirley’s home for coffee and cake, and Shirley showed us one of the donation quilts she is planning to make.   It seems a lovely pattern using strips of shaded colours, I may have to borrow the idea for myself..

Winter has arrived in New Zealand at the beginning of the month while I wasn't looking, no wonder the weather has turned so wet and cold.  Just as well I've got my sewing and knitting to keep me occupied at home.  I don't know about you, but I always have plenty of projects to work on.  Happy stitching.

What we’ve been up to on our Travels

We’ve been away about a week now on our travels and starting to head for home.  After leaving our caravan at the Leisureline factory bright and early on Friday morning, we packed up Gemma, and parked the car under a shady tree for Gemma’s comfort, deciding we could safely leave her there for a half  hour while the temperatures were still relatively cool. Now, what’s for breakfast?  There weren't too many customers at that time of the morning, so service was very prompt.  We decided on French Toast for him and poached eggs for her, both very tasty.

Our next three nights were spent at a Park Over Property on a farm, not too far from the city.   Such a lovely peaceful place after the hustle and bustle of the city, and friendly hosts.  Our hostess Lynda has several horses, including two pure bred Arabian horses who had done very well when she competed in earlier years.  And her husband John, she told us, has a passion for plowing competitions, so that is why an old plow is proudly on display.  Lynda is a true farmer’s wife and commented on the number of rabbits around the property – she often takes her rifle out at dusk to keep the numbers down!  I’m sure Gemma would have liked to try her luck at catching one of those young rabbits bouncing around.

Life n the farm

Robin got on with the task of firing up the BBQ and cooking sausages for the evening meal.   And our traditional bacon and eggs Sunday breakfast the next morning.  Gemma enjoyed some time outside with us during the balmy early evenings, keeping an eye on birds and any insects fluttering about.

BBQ time

On Sunday we went to visit my nephew Shane and his wife Kirstie who live in Te Awamutu.  It’s been a while since we last saw them, so it was a good catch up, and to reminisce about the recent passing of his Mum, my elder sister Kathleen.  Shane and Kirstie had recently purchased an English  caravan, and proudly showed it to us.  Welcome to the club, we told them, I’m sure they will enjoy many happy trips away in their new van.

Shane and his new van

Driving to another factory on Monday for even more work to be done on the caravan we passed this interesting church, so had to stop for a photo.  I think it was a Sikh Temple and it certainly looked rather grand in the industrial area of Hamilton..

Sikh Temple, Hamilton

Arriving at the factory, we were getting work done on both the car and caravan.  While the car was being attended to, we were invited to sit in the office, taking Gemma with us.  She was not at all happy when she was bundled into the cat carrier – we keep this fold up one in the caravan in case of emergencies.

Why am I in here?

And to add insult to injury, the office lady arrived at work bringing her two little dogs with her, as she usually does, it seems.  They pranced right over to see this poor cat in a carry cage, no doubt laughing in their little doggy minds.  We were most surprised that Gemma didn't start hissing and yowling at them!  Then, one of the little dogs demanded to get up on the sofa, sit on my lap, and be petted.  Don't know what Gemma thought of that at all.

How could you, Mum, while I’m locked up?

As soon as the car was ready, we could get on our way, leaving the caravan behind to get an extra solar panel fitted, plus new batteries.  Where to now, we wondered, as we had the day to fill in.  We spent some time down by the Waikato River, such pretty surroundings,  and ate our lunch there.  And there were baby ducks too – this Mum had done very well to keep so many of her brood together, they often get taken while quite young..

Down by the river

Next stop was to the large shopping centre, The Base, to get a couple of things.  If we needed to be reminded that Christmas is coming fast, just look at this  huge Christmas Tree.  It  looked wonderful, with the sun glinting on all the decorations, and would probably look even more festive when it was lit up at night.  We enjoyed a delicious mixed berry ice-cream here while we waited to the call to tell us the caravan was ready to collect.  Mind you, the weather was so warm that I was fighting a losing battle to eat mine before it melted away.

Huge tree at The Base, Hamilton

So, have I been doing any stitching while I’ve been away, you are probably wondering?  A little knitting, as it happens, and I’ve also done some stitching too.  I’m stitching a design on a tea towel each for my grand-daughters, for when they settle down.  Just in case they get engaged one day and have one of those old fashioned “Kitchen Teas” as they did in my day.  I bet young ladies don’t do that any more.

Stitching two at a time

Heading Home

All good things have to come to an end, and our trip away was winding down as the four of us started heading home.  Gemma was her usual relaxed self during our time away – she tolerates the car travel by cuddling up besides me facing backwards.  It’s always a bit scary for her getting from the car to the caravan, but once inside she is perfectly happy and relaxed.

She loves looking out the windows, or just having a snooze

Heading home, our first stop was Ashley Park, north of Wanganui.  It is many years since we have been to this camp, and there are new owners since our last visit.  There are lots of bird aviaries and animals on display here and we went for a walk around.    The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Goldie had a lot to say and we were amused by his repertoire.  Val was having quite a conversation with him, but had to watch her fingers though, there was a sign warning about him biting, naughty Goldie. 

Hello, Goldie

There were many aviaries to look at, full of excitable birds.  Lots of animals too, pigs, (my favourite)  goats, sheep, ducks and chickens scurrying around, and peacocks too.  The peacocks always announce their presence with rather loud squawks, but kept themselves well hidden as we were strolling around the farm animal exhibits.

Who wouldn’t love that piggy face?

Our final night was staying at the Whanganui Seaside Holiday Park.  We had never stayed here before, and it is a nice little camp with young enthusiastic owners. Just outside our caravan window was a pretty lilac coloured bush, absolutely covered in bees.  I’m not sure of it’s name, but the bees just loved it.

There was all sorts going on the following morning as we were packing up to leave.  Three old wooden cabins had been sold and were being removed.  We watched as the first cabin was lifted up a little, and the sling was slid underneath, then up, up and away the cabin was lifted up onto a truck.  All done, luckily, without mishap. I had a great view out of the caravan window.

Removing the old cabins

Saying goodbye to Bill and Val, our traveling companions of the last week, we headed for home, arriving back in time for a late lunch.   We had a great time away, and it’s always nice to stay in a new place or two.  The weather could have been better but then it is always a bit marginal in Spring, can’t seem to make up it’s mind, sometimes it’s nice and other times it’s horrible. Spring has truly sprung here at home, our lovely kowhai tree is covered in gorgeous yellow blossoms, full of nectar and they attract our native birds, particularly the beautiful tui.  When we moved here seven years ago, we brought this tree with us as a young seedling from our garden, and it is growing bigger each year.

Our kowhai tree