Manawatu - Two Outings Today

 I did really well combining two outings to the Manawatu today.  Always a good thing with the way the price of fuel is these days.  So up SH1 I drove, turning off at Foxton and continuing along the road to Foxton Beach.  I was a little early so went down to look at the Foxton Estuary.  You may remember that I came on a bus trip here for senior citizens here recently to celebrate Matariki.  My little car did a good job of getting me there safely, as I looked out over the estuary.  I spotted some gulls paddling about on the water's edge.  This area is protected sanctuary for wading birds.

My trusty little Toyota Corolla

Manawatu Estuary - Ramsar Wetland of International Importance

There were several groups of people fishing, and I didn't think to ask what species they were hoping to catch.  Of course, fishermen take their sport very seriously, don't they.

How's the fishing going?

The real reason I was in the area was to catch up with the caravan club members for morning tea.  They were holding a weekend rally at the Manawatu Caravan Club grounds.  No dogs allowed at this camp, but as there was no mention of cats, we used to take Gemma caravanning here with us.  Not that she ever ran free, that wasn't allowed, but she was always happy to relax inside the caravan and snooze the weekend away.  It was just as well that I had the code number written down to lift the barrier arm up for entry into the grounds.

Manawatu Caravan Club 

It was quite a cloudy day, and morning tea was held inside the roomy hall, so we were nice and cozy.  It was a special occasion indeed as club members Maureen and Russell were celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary!  Seems that plans were in place for special celebrations in the evening.

Congratulations to Russell and Maureen

The club has gained several new members since my caravanning days.  But there were still plenty of friendly faces from earlier years, and it was nice to catch up with them all.

Maureen, Jenny and Dot

Then it was time to move on, saying goodbye, I got on my way.  The next outing was to meet up with my daughter Nicky for lunch.  And both granddaughters were coming too, so that was lovely.  I drove back from the beach to  Robert Harris Cafe in Foxton (town).  This is always such a busy place.  I was a little early so arrived first and grabbed a table for us all.  That gave me time to check out the menu, and look at the cabinet food - sadly I'm a real procrastinator in cafes!  What looks the nicest, I'm thinking.  I eventually decided on salmon roulade, Nicky had her favourite Eggs Benedict, and I can't remember what the girls ordered, as I forgot to take a photo of the food.  But we all managed to clear our plates, so the meals must have been rather good.  

I asked the nice young waiter if he could take a photo for me, and was he OK using a camera?  Lots of young people only use phones for photos and I've had someone before go and get an older person to help.  It was no trouble at all, he said, he knows all about cameras and has a business taking wedding photos.

Megan, Emma, Nicky and Jenny

We had a lovely lunch, the conversation covered lots of topics, horses of course, as both girls are keen riders.  And remembering Robin, which was so nice, Robin was their step-granddad.  After our rather long lunch we went out to the cars to swap what we had.  A small carry on bag for Robert, and a brand new "still in the package" fat quarter bag for Nicky that I had found tucked away in my sewing room.  And there was home grown citrus from Megan's trees for me, oranges, lemons and grapefruit, and an individual  pumpkin pie from Emma.

Oranges and lemons

More farewells and we went our separate ways.  There was just one more stop for me, Foxes Cottage was just down the road.  I was after some red Perle no 5 thread, for a slow stitching project.  Luckily they had what I needed, no need to browse for anything else, and off I went, heading homewards.  A  customer in the quilt shop stopped me to comment on my Scottish jumper, wasn't that nice.  

My only purchase, I was very restrained

So it was a lovely day indeed, catching up with caravan friends, and then enjoying a family lunch.  

Mt Lees and Carry on Quilting

 The caravan club had a rally at Mt Lees over Anzac weekend.  With a museum visit and lunch planned on Sunday, I decided to drive up and join in the activities.  Fellow member Geoff was planning to go as well, so I asked if he could give me a ride.  The only problem was that President Owen had called a called a committee meeting at 9.00am, and Geoff was on the committee.  So that meant we both had to set our respective alarm clocks, and I had to be ready to go at 8.00am, with Geoff leaving home even earlier.  Just as well it was a nice pleasant  morning for a drive.  

After the committee meeting it was time for morning tea.  The usual way, chairs in a circle outside,  making the most of the nice Autumn weather.  And hot cross buns were provided, that was nice.  It was nice to catch up again, and there were several new members who had joined the club since my last visit.  Although my caravanning days are over, Robin and I were granted Life Membership some time ago, so I still like to keep involved, although it is on the sidelines these days.

The caravan club camping at Mt Lees

Then we headed off to OWMAC, Ohakea War Memorial Aviation Centre, housed in the Ohakea Hall.

Ohakea Hall once had a life of community dances and meetings, but ended up derelict and empty.    Surprisingly OWMAC has not been operating very long at all.  Greg Bradley, retiring after  20 years at RNZAF Base Ohakea had a passion to share the history of the Air Force and wanted to open a war memorial aviation centre.  The Manawatu District Council helped out with keys to the hall, and his dream finally came to fruition.  The hall was tidied and transformed and with the help of friends, and these personal collections tell the history of war and the role that aviation played.

Gold coin donation

There was a whole rack of uniforms, plus several on mannequins.  All quite different from modern day uniforms, I imagine.

Uniforms on display

Many cases of model planes on display

The volunteers gave us a tour, pointing out items of interest.  It was only a small hall, but it was packed with all things aviation.  

From there we went back to Bulls for lunch at Mint Cafe.  There was plenty of room for our large group, and it was a busy place, with plenty of other  customers popping in for lunch or coffees as well.  I ordered some lasagna, it was delicious.  I don't often make lasagna at home, so it was a treat to find it on the menu.

Mint Cafe, Bulls

After lunch, we said goodbye to the club members and started the drive home.  What's this?  Geoff wanted to call in to Viv's Kitchen at Sanson and take something nice home to Eileen, who couldn't make the trip today.  I wasn't going to miss out, so we both went in, queued up at the end of the long line, and made our purchases.  I really wanted a chocolate eclair, but couldn't see any left in the cabinet.  No worries, the staff were happy to oblige, and I was duly presented with a freshly creamed chocolate eclair in a bag, all ready to take home.  Many thanks to Geoff for the transport, much appreciated.

I'm still busy machine quilting, and I aim to stick at it till completion.  I have to pace myself and not spend too long at a time sitting at my machine, or my back gets uncomfortable.  Guess I'm about half way there now, and I'm marking diagonal lines with this handy Clover chalk pen.  I think these are great, but a closer look tells me I'm running out of chalk powder.  So I'll need to get another one shortly, or maybe they do refills?  Not sure, I'll have to enquire.  But I'm carrying on quilting, till the job is done.

My ever so useful Clover chalk pen

Off to Feilding

The caravan club was having a weekend rally at Feilding over the weekend.  My friend Dot is a club member too and has a small motor home, but wasn't attending the rally, but she asked me if I would like a ride up on Saturday to catch up with the members. Yes, I certainly would.  The boot of the car was packed, we needed a folding chair each, our lunches, and a coat in case it was cold and windy up there.  But surprise, surprise, the day turned out sunny and wonderfully warm, no complaints about the weather at all.  

Here they all are

We arrived about 11ish to find most of the members off on a scavenger hunt, and taking it very seriously too.  They has their list of things to find, a plastic bag to put them in, and who knew what wonderful prize there might be for the  winner to collect?  After setting our chairs up in the sunshine, and a quick meet and greet, I took off to snap a few photos. 

The club was staying at the Coach House Museum, which boasts a wonderful collection of horse gigs, carts and carriages, farm equipment, and a very impressive John Deere tractor collection too.

Coach House Museum, Feilding

Under the verandah at the entry was this rustic old cart.  And even more interesting was a photo of the same cart, horse and driver at work in Wellington City in 1935.  As a child in the 1950s I can remember our milk was delivered by horse and cart.  All the fathers used to rush out with a bucket and spade to collect the manure for their gardens when the milk cart passed by.

Those were the days

There are lots of agricultural implements dotted around on permanent display in the grounds and the outside of the building has a plethora of paintings, just is just a taste up where the caravans were parked.

Everyone eventually wandered back clutching their scavenger hunt goodies and we settled down to our picnic lunch.  There was plenty of news to catch up on, and it was nice to see everyone again.  Robin and I were very keen caravan club members back in the day, and now he has passed away I do miss the caravan weekends.  But there was no way I was ever going to tow a caravan, or purchase a small motorhome, so it is nice to catch up socially when I can.  President Owen wanted a photo of all the ladies, so here we all are.

Helen, Dot, Jenny, Maureen, Eileen and Sue

Dot and I left about 2.00ish for the trip back home, stopping off at the Robert Harris Cafe at Foxton for "thank you for the ride" afternoon tea.  No, we didn't really need that cake each, but it really was delicious.

Robert Harris Cafe, Foxton

Yes, it certainly was a lovely day out, the weather was perfect, and many thanks to Dot for the ride.

A busy Weekend

Saturday was quite a busy day.  The caravan club was spending the weekend at the Manawatu Caravan Club grounds, and I drove up to join them for morning tea, about a half hour drive away.  It was lovely to catch up with everyone, and as a bonus, one of the member's was celebrating a birthday so cake was provided.  The weather was fine and clear, cold overnight and frosty in the morning.

Joining the caravan club for morning tea

I left the camp ground after morning tea, and drove up to Sanson, another half hour drive away, to meet my daughter Nicky for lunch.  This time, we were trying a "new to us" cafe.  The Church Cafe, as the name suggests, was a former church, and has a lovely calm ambience.

The Church Cafe

With paneled walls, and wooden tables and chairs, it was a warm, cozy and peaceful place to enjoy our lunch.    I had some tasty leek and potatoe soup, and Nicky enjoyed a bowl of wedges.  And with coffee to follow, of course.

Inside The Church Cafe

We had plenty to chat about, what we had been up to, and our sewing projects.  Although Nicky doesn't do quilting, she is a keen dressmaker and creates one of a kind outfits for herself.  And we had things in the boot to swap over when we departed, Nicky had some fruit for me, and I gave her some fabric she had shown an interest in, plus a big bag of coathangers.

On my drive back home I stopped off at Fox's Cottage, my favourite local quilt shop.  I needed another lot of batting, it's interesting how much of this gets used when you are making donation quilts.  And I spoke to Jackie in the shop, who will be free hand quilting my secret birthday quilt for me.

Fox's Cottage

Last stop on the way home was to top up the fuel on my trusty Corolla, I don't like to let the fuel tank get too low.  It was a good day out.

On Sunday I took myself off to the local movies, I was keen to see Jurassic World.  There were only about 8 patrons in the theatre at lunch time, not that it mattered, as we were all engrossed in the unfolding story.  The storyline is "An exhibition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a ground breaking medical breakthrough".  A family group gets rescued by the exhibition when their boat is overturned by one of the prehistoric sea creatures, and they end up on the island too.  Surround sound in the theatre made the roars seemingly coming at me from all sides, as the dinosaurs wrecked havoc on the visitors to the island, tracking them, tossing them in the air, and chewing them up!  It was a lose yourself in the moment sort of movie, and yes, I did enjoy it.  

AGM, Chocolate Cafe and Donations

 On Thursday we had the AGM for the caravan club at Paraparaumu.  Although I am no longer an active member, as a Life Member I am welcome at any functions and get togethers.  The meeting was at Club Vista and the restaurant has views over the sea.  Not much to see as the weather was very wet indeed on the drive down.  Kapiti Island was under the clouds.

View from the restaurant

We all stayed on for lunch and took over two tables in the restaurant.  The meals were very tasty, and rather large helpings indeed.  I enjoyed my Pork Belly, but struggled towards the end, there was just too much on the plate.

Enjoying our lunch

After lunch we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.  Dot and I stopped off at the local shopping mall and indulged in a cup of hot chocolate, from Butlers Chocolate Cafe, a very pleasant finish to the day.

A glass of hot chocolate each

Then today, Friday, I dropped off a couple of donation quilts to Nest Collective, a charity which looks after new babies and their families.  

Pink/grey quilt went today, plus a blue boys one I forgot to photograph

These two quilts were donated earlier but I don't think I blogged about them at the time.

Day out - Mt Lees Reserve

 Not quite a caravan trip, but the next best thing.  I went to visit the caravan club who were away for the weekend at Mt Lees Reserve.  On the way  I stopped off at the very popular Lewis Farms to buy some strawberries.  These are grown in huge tunnel houses so the growing season seems to last for ages.  I bought myself a nice hot coffee too before I continued on my drive north.

Yummy strawberries from Lewis Farms

I arrived at Mt Lees Reserve in time for morning tea, just as well I remembered to pack my folding camping chair for the trip.  Delicious Easter buns were passed around, yummy, and we sat outside in a circle enjoying the pleasant weather.  It was good to catch up with everyone, it's been a while since I have seen them.

The caravan club at Mt Lees Reserve

After morning tea I asked Owen if he might be able to change the clock in my car for  me, now that daylight saving time has ended.  He called up U Tube on his phone and listened carefully while a heavy accented man told him how to go about it, it wasn't easy but after a couple of tries Owen finally got it done.  I thought it might be helpful if I could find the car manual book for him.  But it was nowhere to be seen, although I did find a bundle of petrol vouchers tucked away that I didn't know were there, so that was a bonus.  Mt Lees Reserve is a very pretty place with native forest and very popular with walkers, families and people exercising their dogs.

Lovely surroundings

Then we all drove to Feilding for lunch, to the very busy Rose Bowl Cafe, a place I hadn't been to before.  Most of us ordered from the menu, and there was a huge range of cabinet food available too, plenty of choices to suit all tastes.  I chose a bacon and avocado sandwhich, very tasty indeed.

Rose Bowl Cafe

My daughter Nicky arrived, so we said our farewells to the club members, and moved on to another local cafe to spend an hour or so with her.  By this time I was all coffeed out so ordered a nice tasty honey and ginger drink while we sat and chatted about this and that.  Before we parted company I gave Nicky a punnet of strawberries and she had a bag of feijoas for me.  Not everyone likes the taste of feijoas, but I love them.  They can be eaten raw, and are also nice as stewed fruit - in the past I have also made feijoa jam.

Feijoas are in season

It was a pleasant day out meeting up with the caravan club members again, and then catching up with Nicky.  My little car performed well, it was about 130km for the round trip.  Gemma was pleased to see me when I finally returned home in the late afternoon, and was looking for a cuddle.  Perhaps it's time for her dinner, she was thinking.  No, it was a little early, so I gave her a few treats to nibble on instead.

The Christmas Barn

 We were away for the weekend at a caravan club rally, and there was a trip organised  to visit the Christmas Barn.  Of course I wanted to go, how exciting.  We shared cars and 8 of us drove down to see all the lovely goodies.  Lots of other people had the same idea, parking was at a premium, and the barn was packed with lots of customers.

So many lovely Christmas objects inside, all beautifully displayed.  Elegant Christmas trees everywhere, all colour co-ordinated, shelves full of goodies, and the barn was full to overflowing with customers.  There was really so much to take in.  While the ladies in our group browsed, the men retired to the cafe, where we eventually joined them for a reviving cup of coffee.  Most of the ladies had a little parcel to take back to the camp, including me.  I asked if there was any Jim Shore items available, as I have a small collection of these.  There were a few items, but nothing that I really liked, and I was told that the store is awaiting the bulk of their Jim Shore order to arrive.  What I did buy was a small Christmas tree decoration for both of the granddaughters.

  

The Christmas Barn

We had the use of a meeting room for the weekend for our morning teas and evening get togethers.  Our host was an Elvis fan and was gifted all these wonderful Elvis books to add to his collection.  I had a lovely time looking through one of these, lots of info, and so many great photos.  I've always been an Elvis fan, and visiting Gracelands is on my bucket list, although I don't really think that is likely to happen now.  But I can still dream, can't I.  

A wonderful collection

On Saturday night the caravan club members enjoyed a shared dessert.  There certainly was a lot of different desserts on offer.  I had been given some limes, so made a Key Lime Pie to take along and share.  I don't know if this was an authentic recipe, as it was made with a tin of sweetened condensed milk, but it was delicious.

Plenty for everyone

Look at all these cute teddy bears in the front window of prospective member Graham's van, collected over the years by Graham's late wife.  These bears were issued annually as a fund raiser for the Cancer Society.  Graham saw me out and about with my camera and invited me to take a photo.

A whole lot of teddy bears

Gemma enjoys her time away in the caravan, she lounges around most of the day, with the occasional trip outside with her harness and lead.  But she gets upset by loud car noises, so often scurries back to the caravan to sit in the doorway.

Curled up asleep on top of the sofa

We were not ready to return home after after caravan weekend away, but have more adventures in store.  Next stop, north to Napier.