It’s been quite some time since I sat at my computer to write on my blog page. To be fair, I thought that with life regaining some semblance of normality and with the drop in Covid-19 alert levels, the number of people reading my blog page would drop significantly. I have therefore been very surprised and humbled by the feedback that I have received from many people who read this and enjoy it. Thank you for your encouragement, which has motivated to keep writing. So here we go!

I’ve been pretty busy since I last wrote. I guess a big adventure for me has been leaving the safety of my home area to travel up to Auckland to visit the newest member of our family. Miles was born just before lock-down in March and I was booked to go up and stay when he was only 3 weeks old. I had to cancel my plans and we met him via photos and video messaging. Not the same as real life cuddles. I flew up during level 2 and had five days with our son and his partner. It was a very precious time for me and I cherish the joys of getting to know our baby grandson.

I had never been to Helensville before, so each day I enjoyed going for walks and exploring a new aspect of the area. It’s quite a hilly place, so each walk gave a good work out and a bit of huffing and puffing! I expected the weather to be a lot warmer than that which we have at home, but interestingly enough I felt colder. We had rain each day, then fine times in between. Maybe it was just a difference in wind and humidity, but I was grateful for my warm down jacket! It didn’t take too long to discover a nice cafe with lovely coffee and gluten-free treats, so I was happy to give them my patronage! There is a lot of history and interesting buildings and heritage to find. I enjoyed my rambles very much.

One afternoon we went to Kumeu River Winery where our son works. I was really interested in the whole process from vineyard to bottle and appreciated my one person tour of the winery. (The tasting was pretty good too!!) I have a new understanding and appreciation for the work involved in the production of wine and how complex it is as a science.

After the visit we went to Murawai Beach. It’s one of those places that I have heard about many times, but never been to. I was not disappointed, it is beautiful. We arrived as the sun was setting for the day. For me, as a Coaster, it was familiar to see the setting sun, yet different in so many ways. At home I often have the beach to myself, especially at this time of the year, but up at Murawai there were a lot of people out and about. In the sea were a group of kite-surfers. Their kites were unbelievable colours that caught the sun as the surfers rode the waves. Some of them stayed in the water until it was almost dark! After parking the car, putting the baby into a front back and organising ourselves, we set off along the walkway. I was instantly fascinated by the cliff walls. You could see the various stages of the area’s formation with the different geological formations. We climbed up several levels of stairs and were high above the sea. The ocean waves were crashing on the rocks below while above us gannets were flying and soaring on the wind’s thermals. I have never seen a gannet up close before. What beautiful birds! With the setting sun as a backdrop, I’m not surprised there were quite a few photographers out taking pictures and hoping for that one special shot.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

All too soon it was time to say goodbye and come home to The West Coast. Saying “goodbye” is never easy and I would love to live closer to our family, however I must confess that my heart belongs in the place I live and I am happy to be ‘home’. I am not a city or even a town person, but knowing it would be some time before I saw this branch of our family again left me feeling a bit melancholy. However the times that I have shared with our family will become part of my treasure box of memories that I can cherish for all time!

I miss my life-style very much when I go away and coming back is like putting on a favourite item of clothing and feeling warm and comfortable! For me; to get my gumboots on and take the dogs out for a run gives me immeasurable pleasure. I love the smell of the bush and the feel of the wind in my hair. I put my nose into Holly’s neck and inhale her smell (I suppose only horsey folk will understand the europhic odour of a horse 🙂 )I don’t mind the rain and while I prefer summer, winter is still a special season. We still haven’t had a frost up at our house, but down the bottom of the hill there have been a few. I like to observe the changes in the trees, notice the way the birds behave and wait for snow to cover the mountains, (I expect that will come soon enough!). And oh! the night sky – nothing like it on a crisp winter’s night! We have been treated to a few pearlers lately, with the Milky Way looking its best!

Life ‘at home’ has reached a level of normality. While the rest of the world grapples with waves of Covid 19, and in New Zealand the politicians struggle to cope with and manage the job of running the country we just get on with day-to-day life. Kayden goes to school and is excited that the primary school rugby season is about to start. Laurie and I are back at work and life is busy for all of us. The animals need caring for, the garden needs work and there are numerous jobs on our block of land to keep us busy. Last week Kayden and I went for a walk at our local beach – ‘Gentle Annie’. It’s a wonderful place and we had a fantastic time exploring and playing, pretty much all to ourselves I might add! Although there were numerous oyster-catchers and a couple of weka on the beach!

I guess that’s enough to write about for now. I’ve decided to try harder with the discipline of keeping this blog. Do feel free to comment. I enjoy feedback and try my best to respond to the comments as soon as I can. Bye for now …