Family

I haven't much signal today, so the photos of Taupo Bay itself will have to wait!
Our visit to my third cousin was marvellous.
His wife was there, and 13 year old grandson.... upstairs, first day of school holidays, on the iPad!! But he did come down to take a photo of us all together.

We talked of life, the universe and everything for five hours...

It was worth coming.

Now we have to return to Aotearoa when we can....

Day on the bike..and evening out

No photos from the ride..I don't take the tablet computer in case it gets damaged.
We started on the road to Opua, then on the cycle trail which follows the rail tracks from Opua. This is the Pou Herenga Tai, the Twin Coast Trail. It is 87km in length but we didn't do that far!
After 7km we crossed a wooden trestle railway bridge and found a train!!
This was Taumarere railway station, and we were lucky to meet the last train up, hear the history and take a ride...well worth 10$ each. It arrives right down SH1 through the high street in Kawakawa. A ride back down to Opua..rough to start with as only the rubble foundation is down for the bike track on the first 1km plus!

Then an evening out, a ferry ride to Russell for fresh wood fired sourdough pizza...worth every cent and don't let anyone tell you that eating out is always more expensive here!

Today? To Taupo Bay to meet a third(?) Cousin, Billy Kristian.
I have tried phoning...but I guess he has no signal at home...I have had an email response giving me his phone number.... but his brother did say just rock up there!!

Home again

Home again...we travelled a day earlier having seen the weather forecast!!
A good journey apart from one detour we made to escape jams where two motorways joined.... unfortunately it was just before 3pm, so we hit school traffic!! At least we had more interesting things to look at whilst in the jams through a town than sitting on a motorway.

All unpacked and tea made within half an hour.....heavy rain overnight....and a grey damp morning.
Looking at the runner beans we think that there has been a frost while we were away...just as they had got going well!!

Now the sun is coming out from behind the clouds so there is a batch of washing to do......

Grandson one had a meltdown in school after we left....we need to visit more often so that the pair of them get used to us more, but that isn't easy. Neither is life easy for Daughter, dealing with autistic/asperger twins....

Back home

The  car handover!..thanks bro!!  I now have the same car,three years younger with a quarter of the miles on the clock
Then a long long drive home,nearly 450 miles. The drive was good, apart from getting round Bristol- thanks to an accident on the motorway, the section after our exit was closed and everyone had to go our way for a few miles. It was a relief to get to Wales.   We roll up through the Marches and rejoin the main north south , west coast route , west of Manchester.  Shorter than the motorway, less stressful, plenty to see and decent food stops!

Supper was at Tebay, as the rooks came home to roost

Its a good stop, being an independent services, selling local food and goods.
Back home again...

Too many other things to do...distracting from kiln mending and gardening and bike riding!

Today it has been raining softly and steadily..so housework has been the order of the day with the impending visit of The Oily One and girlfriend. It will be great to see them

Feeling thoughtful

Ignore the first image repeat... sometimes the touch screen is too sensitive!!
Two more shop fronts from Victoria Avenue in Whanganui...
Only three more days after today, staying here.
Happy to have been here and made firm friends...very sad to be leaving and even sadder to think we'll be arriving back in Scotland a month to today..
Glad to get going on our garden and my workshop, looking forward to seeing friends and family...but dreading the political and social situation.
Hoping we can be planning to return here in a year and a half.....

return..and catching up.

We've seen half of my offspring and grandkids, and a third of Pirate's...sadly no grandkids...

We get accused of wanting everybody to fit in with our plans, but those saying that, ignore the fact that we are trying to fit in with all of theirs...Co-ordinating all that lot, especially when they don't give you all the information needed for planning (and complain afterwards) isn't easy!!

Full marks to those who helped .

We collected a heavy duty bike stand from near Grange over Sands..a twenty mile detour..for The OilyOne to use in his role as main mechanic for Pedalpower Cardiff. If you put an e-bike or Nextbike
on an ordinary bike stand the weight just makes it slide down,so this will make their work easier.

Presents of my jam and chutney were given and useful items passed on in various directions.
 In return I've brought back a stainless steel breadbin, small jamjars ( I run out of those as they are good for "end of batch" pots and presents) and some upholstery fabric and curtain lining fabric !

It was sad to not see everyone, but illness, inconvenience and non-communication can't be helped.
We'll just have to see them next year.  Why is it usually us that travels?  Mostly  it is because they are thankfully in work or education, so we are thankful for that.

We gave my brother's blockwork drive its annual weed and clean in return for looking after us and sharing the visiting driving whilst down with him.  Our car still racked up over 1500 miles...
But having a relaxed base where we could muck in and not have to be on "best behaviour" was marvellous!!

He is lucky to live in an area well endowed with artists of all kinds, and I had an afternoon out with him...visiting Yandles woodyard in Martock,with its wood and toolstore,craft materials shop, gallery and cafe. Then John Leach's pottery in Muchelney and Paul Jessop and Marion Lewis at Barrington Pottery..a pity that Barrington Court was itself closed, it being a Winter mid-week visit. We can earmark that for another visit! 
Brother gave Paul an order for plates...they'll fit in nicely with what he already has in the kitchen.

After a long drive home, 14 hours including a couple of traffic jams and some decent stops, we are home.

A day out straight away was vetoed..after a week away there is much washing and catching up to do.
We are running out of days to organise trip details too,although mostis falling into place nicely.

panic!

Pirate tidying the garden and mowing OUR grass...makes a good change!
Sorting bags of apples and preserves and presents to give to various offspring.
Now to pack my bag...off to see family...

The bad thing about it? Lots of driving.  I'll be glad when Pirate has his cataracts sorted,but as everywhere money is short and waiting lists are long..and unfortunately you have to be worse off before being treated.

Maybe you say its your choice to live so far North.....maybe...but we are happier and far better off in many ways here in Scotland.   We also have a very good deal with our rent,so can't afford to move.
At least now, more family members are enjoying visiting us!

more dogwalking and travelling and family

We drove 50 miles to meet up with Pirate's elder daughter for a muddy dogwalk...before driving 100 miles to have supper with the younger and her fiance. A most enjoyable meal...and driving 90 miles back to where we were staying with my brother.

The things you do when people wont or can't come to meet or stay !

Then a two hour drive to see a friend who has a beautiful garden .
So lovely I forgot to use my camera!
Over the pass by Hay Bluff to Hay on Wye for a brief visit to the weekly Thursday market where I used to sell my pots.  It was to see and buy from past fellow stall holders- we needed new socks!
Onwards and upwards over to Aberystwyth and another family visit to Daughter and family for the weekend !

We visited a shop in Aberystwyth with my framed prints...maybe...the staff liked them, the manager will be back in November...fingers crossed...I'm getting good feedback, so good incentive to get printing when we get back home.

life and gardening

The rain returned yesterday, just after we had finished hedgecutting (one) weeding gravel (2) and lawnmowing (2).

Our own lawn had had the bowling green treatment...so was glad of the rain!
This is a pre-rain photo.

Talking to our opticians, they have now been advised to only refer emergency cases to the hospital...sounds like they didn't plan ahead by looking at the population demographics ten years ago, so are a trifle snowed under. At least we still have shorter waiting lists than further south....and at least the Pirate was referred for his cataracts a month ago...now we just sit tight and wait...

Meanwhile he is still coughing after  his cold, worse than I am...doctor's appointment in a week.....

Daughter is suffering the vagaries of the health service in Wales...just found that her appointment with the rheumatologist hadn't turned up. Because he had stopped coming to their local hospital a couple of months ago...luckily the orthopaedic consultant she was supposed to be seeing six months ago ( but the hospital cancelled that and sent her to another, wrong, consultant..) also does rheumatology....

Neither of us feel like drawing, but need to...so I've suggested a drawing exchange....like drawing "tennis" by email instead of balls on a court.....

watch this space...hopefully

Preparations and visitations

The Wizzard Geek and his Rose are visiting, and it is good to see them.
He helped us move almost a year ago, but she hasn't seen our 'new' home as she had to be elsewhere at the time.

They have been mountain biking near Peebles for four days, now near Newton Stewart for a day and somewhere on the way home tomorrow.  Great fun for them.

Preparations go on steadily for our NZ travels.  A certain amount has to be done online and I don't like it...I'm really a pen and paper person.  I just about manage phoning, but online entries and bookings phase me.

I'm sewing Woodchip's cot quilt whenever I sit down...that should at least have the construction done before we go, if not the quilting.  It calms my frazzled nerves if nothing else!

escape!

 looking one way at sunset last Wednesday

 and the other.....then on our way in the morning at 7 degrees C....

 dogsitting...

 well, 2 dogs, 6 cats, 9 chooks and 5 ducks....

 and meeting The Carpenter's Woodchip for the first time at 2 weeks old...

she is a sweetie...apart from being nocturnal and having a mind of her own!!!! (and is willing to let all know!)

Now we are staying with more family....and go to England to see some of Pirate's family...and back home....
The car has had garage tlc, which will use all our spare money...

something will turn up before we escape to NZ.....hopefully!!

Celebrations and Insulations

 This is the view yesterday morning from the bedroom where our turbo trainers sit...snow less than two miles away and less than 100 foot higher...

and last night we were celebrating the birth of the Carpenter and his Lady's daughter...a woodchip off the block?!

Today we are putting up a curtain pole for the curtain to keep the front door's cold air out of the house.  Then window film secondary "glazing" as we get the plastic frames dry enough for the tape to stick.

The joys of a rental....but at least we have it cheap on the premise that we do the DiY and keep the front lawn tidy.

Glastonbury

 The Thorn and the Spring at Chalice Well in Glastonbury. 
I refreshed my Navigator Stone that came from the potter in Paeroa...and was given some spring water for the Pirate...he is busy sorting things he should have sorted nearly 25 years ago.
We must return here together.

 I thought of a potter friend who is in Harefield Hospital getting his heart electrics sorted.  Get well soon Golly....wonder if they have beds long enough for a seven foot potter?

 and Yandles in Martock....wood heaven,plus cafe and gallery and arts and crafts supplies.......

 and this one for Soub....

uncertainty

Not knowing things can be very stressful.

Like how do we afford a third more rent?   Will she accept less than that?
Watch this space.....decisions to be made and put into writing by the 19th....

We don't want to move if we don't have to. Apart from anything else, rentals in general have shot up in price...places I looked at a year ago are asking more.
Perhaps because they are becoming farther and fewer between...I've also seen several that were outside chances of looking at to rent,now for sale.

IF we had enough capital to buy outright life would be easier ....   and cheaper.

I'm back to homehunting again, just in case....

Meanwhile matters move steadily on with the business of selling the South Wales house.....wish I could get enough from this to buy another for myself.

Back to my father's thoughts...
Step one, win the lottery....
Step two, when number one fails, go to work in the morning....

Meanwhile we visit various bits of our various families. It's good to keep contacts going and keep up with news.

moving on...

We're down in South Wales,finally clearing my things from the house, which we've sold online. It will probably end up as a rental, but that is ok, they are needed.
The Carpenter needs to move on, a Spring wedding is planned....I've already moved on....The Oily One isn't happy, but he has been here temporarily for too many years and needs to move on himself and be responsible...whether he likes it or not!!!

feeling a bit grey

Just like the weather.

We're back doing gardening to make ends meet and my hands hurt.

I'm feeling uninspired about making any images.  I feel I want to do them for myself, but can't justify taking up time or spending on materials if they wont sell.

The weather here is changeable, mostly damp and chilly.

The house in South Wales is hopefully near to selling, but even that is causing friction. Myself and The Carpenter own it..and we've been talking about selling for many years.  The Oily One moved back into it when he lost job and rental, has never fully contributed to the costs of having him there despite earning the most and spread his oily footprint over the property....he doesn't like change, but now he has to.
He loathes the Carpenter's fiancee who backs Carpenter up and stands up to  him.....families, who'd have them!

walk in the rain

 Yesterday we decided that it was too wet for a ride on our bikes...so we had a walk in the rain instead!

 Up a side valley from Talybont where daughter and family live....

 and back following an old track/footpath...

 heading back towards the village

 or so we thought....this is looking back...the path should come from the left, on the far side of the gate,through where the wall has been built.....
son-in-law knows the Rights of Way officer........

 Photographer at work.....(daughter)

 This is the bottom end of the footpath, all nicely marked.....and here there is no Right to Roam as in Scotland.   You stick to the paths....if you can find them!

 We found another, going down..

 past a nice house we'd all like...

then over a bridge and back home.

It is still giving us heavy fine rain today...another bike ride was planned, but perhaps just chilling out is best.
 Daughter is doing her freelance work in the next room...a job that would have been finished, but the client has a habit of changing his mind on details...luckily he is paying for her design work by the hour!

Tomorrow we head for home with  packing to do for our house move.