Merry Christmas!

 Here is our newest addition to the family, Miss Georgia Carol, buried in Christmas parcels and happiness - sitting alongside her cousin Olly. (this picture says that it's time to be merry, especially if you are still too young to get amongst the egg nog!)

 This Griqua Psalm says what we would like to say - a Christmas Prayer if you will.

Loosely translated for our non- Afrikaans speaking blog followers: " May the Lord touch you deeply, and may there be so much goodness in your life that you feel embarrassed to admit to having so many blessings!"

To our Afrikaans speaking followers - dit se vir julle alles!

 Merry Christmas - Holly and the Bethlehem Star make a pretty cake to give to friends .


Our little town has a Christmas Lights competition every year - entrants are ordinary folks who dolly up their houses with lights (Some even have Christmas music playing over speakers!) and stand to win great prizes. We took the map, provided by the little local newspaper, and drove around the streets of Wanganui and viewed some of the entrants for this year.

Here is a moustached, blow-up Santa on a blow-up motorbike in someones' front garden!

 

And this house was pretty spectacular with a 'light show' appearing on the front lawn at intervals, and "It's Christmas time in the city" playing at full-tilt!

So, wherever you are, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and send our love and best wishes for a marvellous year ahead - full of happy times and contentedness!

Dis al!

Ricky Ponting's last test - Ozzy ozzy ozzy!!

How proud we were to see the South African cricketers forming a guard of honour for Ricky Ponting as he went out to bat for the final time!! Such a show of good sportsmanship - although Ricky said in a press conference later that he was a bit embarrassed (or words to that effect) he must have been very honoured to have been given such a send-off! Well done South Africa - you show such character. Getting him out for just 8 runs was just to prove you still have your cricket heads on!! Good on ya!!!


RICKY PONTING'S CAREER


1974: Born December 19 in Launceston, Tasmania.
1986: At the age of 12 he signs a bat contract with Kookaburra.
1992: Scores 56 against South Australia in his first-class debut for Tasmania, aged 17.
1995: February - Makes one-day international debut for Australia against South Africa aged 20, but is bowled by Eric Simons for one.
December - Makes Test debut against Sri Lanka, scoring 96.
1996: January - Makes his first ODI century with 123 against Sri Lanka.
March - At 21, becomes youngest batsman to score a World Cup century with 102 against the West Indies.
1997: Records his first Test century with 127 against England at Headingley in his first Ashes innings. However, he was in and out of the Test team for the next two years.
1999: A fight outside a pub in Kings Cross, Sydney earns him a suspension, but later in the year a century against the West Indies sees him cement his place.
2002: When Steve Waugh is dropped, Ponting vaults over vice-captain Adam Gilchrist to become Australia's ODI captain.
2003: Leads the team undefeated through the 2003 World Cup and makes an unbeaten 140 in the final.
2004: Steve Waugh's retirement opens the door for Ponting to assume the Test captaincy, and he wins his debut match against Sri Lanka in Galle in March.


2005: September - Becomes first Au
stralia captain since Allan Border to experience Ashes defeat as England win a thrilling series 2-1.
Ponting scores 1,544 runs in the calendar year, an Australian record.
2006: January - Becomes the only player to mark his 100th Test with a century in each innings, scoring 120 and 143no against South Africa in Sydney.
March - Scores 164 from only 105 balls in the fifth ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg, but sees the Proteas make 438 for nine in reply to Australia's 434 for four.
December - Leads Australia to a 5-0 whitewash of England with his two centuries seeing him pass Waugh's record of 32 Test tons for Australia.
2007: April - In a World Cup match against South Africa in St Kitts, Ponting passes the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, the first Australian to reach the mark and seventh man in the world. Australia win the World Cup undefeated.
2008: January - Victory in the second Test against India makes it 16 in a row for Ponting's Australia, tying a record. India win the next Test in Perth to end the run.
May - Scores his 10,000th Test run against the West Indies in Antigua. Border and Steve Waugh are the only other Australians to reach the mark.
2009: August - Having scored 150 in the first Test in Cardiff, Ponting's team lose another Ashes series in England. 2-1 win.
September - Retires from Twenty20 internationals.
October - Australia win the ICC Champions Trophy with Ponting the tournament's leading run-scorer. He becomes the third man to pass 12,000 ODI runs.
2010: January - Named by an elite panel as the world player of the decade.
December - Ashes series sees Ponting lose the urn to England for a third time, this time in front of Australian crowds. He struggles for runs as England win the series 3-1.
2011: February/March - After missing a 6-1 one-day series win over England through injury, Ponting returns to lead Australia in the World Cup but his century is not enough to stop them losing to India in the quarter-finals.
March 29 - Resigns as captain of Australia but says he wants to play on for the team.
2012: January - Scores 134 and 221 against India in a return to form, passing 13,000 Test runs in the process.
February 20 - Dropped from the one-day side for matches against Sri Lanka and India.
February 21 - Announces his retirement from one-day internationals, but vows to play on in Test cricket.
November 29 - Announces the third Test against South Africa will be his last before retiring from Test cricket after scores of four, seven, 23, zero and four in his last five innings.

 

This really hit hard - the schools in South Africa are doing amazing things with the young people in their care.

Dear President Zuma

It’s two years to the day when Gareth Cliff, a local media celebrity, wrote an open letter to you.

It caused quite a stir at the time. And as I was thinking about what I was going to say to the Class of 2012 of my school, his letter came to mind. As I re-read it I realised it was about time for another one. Not quite as controversial perhaps but nevertheless another open letter borne out of my desire to see the 200 matrics that we’re about to send you, fulfil their dreams in a positive, dynamic South Africa.

My name is Stephen Price. I am the Principal of Bergvliet High School here in the Western Cape. Some would describe this school as a ‘former Model C school’... a description generally used to justify why other schools are underperforming. But that is another discussion.

You see, right now I am addressing close on 1000 teachers, parents and pupils at the Valedictory Service of the Class of 2012 of my school. It is a special occasion, full of excitement and expectation, of joy and sadness, of hope and trepidation, and it will be a day for them to remember. Their last official day of school. I’d like to tell you a little bit about them. But, before I do, consider this.

For the past 12 years or so every single person in this hall has been working towards this one goal. Their educators, their families and themselves. And in the past 5 years it has been our mission at Bergvliet High to develop in these young people, a revival of respect, a unity of purpose, a spirit of participation and more importantly, a sense of hope. Values we believe that will stand them in good stead in the ‘big wide world’ out there. Values that we should be seeing in the leaders of our country.

In Gareth’s letter he outlined various suggestions that he believed you needed to pay urgent attention to. Sadly you, and our Government, have not responded with anything resembling leadership and we have lurched from one crisis to another over the past 24 months. I believe that many of Gareth’s suggestions are still valid notwithstanding the crudity of his delivery at times. But I share his deep sense of frustration because, like him, I believe in the future of this country and our youth.

 

What follows is what my staff and I have taught our 200 matrics at Bergvliet High and I would venture you and our Government could do with a few lessons in this regard. Let me tell you what we have done.

 

A Revival of Respect – we have taught these youngsters about our shared heritage, about our country, about each other, about the value of treating others with respect, about being proud of who they are and about loyalty and integrity. But this is what we were up against from you and our Government, our elected leaders – continuing rampant corruption, fraud, self enrichment, misuse of public funds, the appointment of family and supporters regardless of ability, the manipulation of the justice system by convicted criminals - Shaik, Selebi come to mind and finally the massacre at Marikana. You let us down at every turn. You did not care. You lacked leadership. But most importantly you have undermined everything we tried to teach our young charges. Our Government has not, under your leadership, develop a revival of respect. Well, we are sending you 200 young South Africans who know what respect is, who know the value of others, who are proud of where they come from, who are proud of this country and who are loyal, passionate and honest. My request to you is that you show them the respect they deserve. They might be young but they are citizens of this country and they will be our leaders one day. Take them but don’t mess them around. Provide them with opportunity – they will create the jobs you need – we taught them how. Respect them sir. I do.

 

A Unity of Purpose - my staff have taught our matrics to work together, to understand that each of them has a different and unique role to play in achieving the common goal, that without a vision people will perish, that if we all pull in different directions we will never achieve anything and that our strength is in the whole not the individual. Again you and our Government have let us down. We have watched in dismay as the unions, the factions within the Government, the personal agenda’s of our elected leaders and influential individuals, have dragged the people of this country further apart, ever deeper into a pit of despair and ever backward and away from the vision that we all bought into in 1994. Why did you do that? Is the Alliance more important than the future of our matrics? Is Mr Malema so important that he can do and say what he wants and, by doing so, undermines any unity of purpose? Is it all ‘just politics’? Is the culture of entitlement that prevails amongst our people and fostered by union, alliance and populist leaders, worth more than the value of hard work? Again we are sending you 200 young South Africans who know the value of hard work, of having a vision and working towards it and who understand that in order to achieve the vision they have to work side by side, shoulder to shoulder with each other. We are giving you 200 young South African eager to be a part of the solution. Please use every single one of them. I personally recommend them. They won’t let you down. They will work hard. I know.

 

A Spirit of Participation – my staff have worked above and beyond the call of duty to provide every opportunity for our children. Clubs, societies, community service, sport, art, music, drama, endurance, debating, quizzes, National Olympiads, culture, recycling, continuing education, incoming and outgoing tours, exposure to exchange students from Germany, USA, Reunion, Canada, Australia, China and the UK, refugees from French speaking Africa and a myriad of extracurricular courses on project management, philosophy, engineering, design, music and art to name but a few. Every one of our students has had equal opportunity to be part of a vibrant 21st century South African school and the benefits have been incredible. Sportsmanship, empathy, understanding, comradeship, connection, health and wellness, competition, talent, strength, intellectual growth, stamina, love of learning, service to others, understanding the needs of others over self, leadership, courage, passion....I could go on and on.

 

But what example do you set? Instead of building up, you break down. Lack of school sport structures, bureaucratic interference in performing schools, constant changes to curriculum, lack of text books, lack of community infrastructure and your lip service to policy that outlines wonderful aims and objectives. We couldn’t wait for you to deliver. So we did it ourselves. Our parents got involved, paid their school fees, supported our teachers, gave them benefits that you should have provided and this allowed my staff to give more and more. Do I hear the hadedas shouting ‘former Model C school’ at this point? Probably....but that’s your fault I’m afraid. You’ve not done enough to raise the level of involvement in education. We witness the collapse of the Eastern Cape Education dept, Limpopo and instead of solutions we have officials avoiding accountability, scurrying for cover and making excuses.

 

But here’s a thought. We have just produced 200 hundred young South Africans that are not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and getting involved. We’ve taught then the value of participation. Put them into work programmes.... Helen might be able to help you in this regard...... into learnerships.... we have 6 trainee teachers permanently stationed at our school..... into sport and teaching, into apprenticeships, into corporate South Africa and I can guarantee you things will start to happen. But don’t delay as many of them are looking to opportunities across the ocean and we need them here, you need them here. Tell them you want them to stay. I would.

 

And finally Mr President -I’ve always wanted to say that - A Sense of Hope. Hope – not in the sense of wishful thinking, not simply in the sense of a positive attitude, of being optimistic without reason but rather hope in the sense of confident expectation based on a solid foundation. That’s what we’ve given our children at Bergvliet High. We’ve given them something to strive for, to look forward to, a vision, a better life for all....sound familiar? Why then does my DUX scholar, scoring over 90% in all her subjects, not get accepted into UCT or Stellenbosch for medicine? Why are her hopes being dashed? They should be knocking down the door to enrol her. Not your fault I hear you say....nothing to do with you. I’m sorry sir but it has everything to do with you.

 

Gareth Cliff said “India and China are churning out new, brilliant, qualified people at a rate that makes us look like losers. South Africa has a proud history of innovation, pioneering and genius. This is the only way we can advance our society and economy beyond merely coping.” She IS one of these people that Gareth is describing…..and, believe it or not, we have 199 more like her. We are giving them all to you. Give them HOPE...because my staff have nurtured, grown and developed this hope in our youngsters. Do everything in your power to make it happen. They are ready and waiting and keen as mustard. Stop focusing on Mangaung. We have 200 matrics that deserve your attention. And they deserve it now….not after Mangaung.

 

Thank you for reading this (I hope you do) and I quote Gareth again to end off.

 

“We know who we are now, we care about our future – and so should you.”

 

Kind regards

Stephen Price

Principal

 

The Hobbit

"The Hobbit" has taken New Zealand in general and Wellington in particular by the proverbial storm. International visitors are ostensibly streaming into the capital city for the premier of this long-awaited movie and stars (both of this cinematic piece and other related and  unrelated films) were primping and preening themselves for the spectacular 'dance of the red carpet' which happened yesterday - basically all day!

The Hobbit plane has been used to ferry the rich and famous and even did a 'fly over' at 1000ft (which evidently is not that spectacular when one considers that a SAA boeing flew over Ellis Park MUCH lower than that with one or other World Cup Rugby Event) - Needless to say - everything and everyone kiwi has been sucked into the excitement of it all and the newspapers and television are Hobbit flavoured!

The Embassy Theatre in Wellington has had this amazing statue erected beside the hobbit doorway and we watched the huge and incredibly heavy piece being lifted and lowered into place on TV news a couple of days ago. There were some concerns about the weight of the thing being a little more than anticipated, but in the end the lift and lower went without a hitch.

A few thousand people apparently lined the red carpet - all hundreds of metres of it - and some were lucky enough to get autographs from the stars.

 

 

 Sir Peter Jackson - movie mogul, director of the film and fiercely kiwi had plenty of time on the box and although he appeared a tad windswept, he always looks windswept so the windy weather didn't affect his 'do' at all! We were not all that impressed with the 'tacky' takkies! - I guess when one is as famous and can tack 'sir' onto the front of one's name, one can wear the tackiest takkies one wants to and nobody can have anything to say about it!

And the 'funny' which I came across was particularly pertinent for the upcoming festive season!

Dis al!

 

Glass elephants and carrot cakes!

We had a reasonably sized earth tremor here a little while ago - it sounded like an oncoming herd of buffalo, the ground beneath us began shuddering and then there was an almighty bang! Since the epicentre was not too far from Wanganui, we were fortunate that it was pretty deep down. No damage reported from anywhere around us - our 'damage' documented in the picture alongside! The tippled elephant, just far enough away to avoid a domino effect! 

The Edmonds recipe book is evidently 'thee' book for all things culinary in New Zealand - by culinary, I am referring to 'at home' and for the 'masses'! A while ago, they ran a competition to find the most loved and most popular recipes from this iconic cookbook and then published a whole new book of 'classics'.

Yours truly decided that it was a 'must have' in our kitchen and here is the carrot cake (recipe found in the section of family favourite cakes) which turned out quite well and was beyond delicious!  Rich and full of nuts with the most decadent icing -  Not for anyone counting points or following low fat sugar free diets! Will be baked again - just waiting for a good special occasion!

Dis al!

 

Labour Weekend

As far as is possible, we avoid 'labour' of most varieties for the duration of Labour Weekend. An orchestra rehearsal on Friday evening meant that we could not get away until early Saturday morning, but having prepared the caravan and made the bookings in the course of the previous week, we hit the road at 8am and headed for Kaupokanui in tandem with our friends Rudolf and Wilma - (who own a really spectacular motor home.) The campsite is tucked away behind a hill and overlooks the tidal river which runs into the sea. In the picture here, we are on the ridge sort of overlooking the other vans and set a bit apart from the long, flashy caravan in the left of the picture.

 

We expected really bad weather and had installed card games, needlework, sketching equipment, television and reading material in the caravan for days of torrential rain and howling wind. We certainly had a bit of both - (it is after all New Zealand) but there was enough time when the weather was mild enough to take walks on the black sand dunes and go down and watch the folks fishing for whitebait.

As with so many of the beaches and rivers beside the coast, there is an abundance of driftwood. These two chappies have been fishing for whitebait - more about that a bit later - and although they had been there for most of the afternoon, they told me it hadn't been their best day! We didn't see any whitebait in those fine nets, so clearly, it was most probably closer to their worst day if you ask me. Most of the whitebait fishermen have rubber waders so they can stand about in the water and hope to snag a school of these teeny, little squirmy worms with eyes - actually they are newly hatched fish and are a delicacy here - people pay inordinate sums for 'whitebait fritters' which look like potato fritters with eyes! Eeeuw! Jo has in fact sampled the aforementioned fritters and reported that they were absolutely nothing to write home about - he said, "like an egg/potato fritter with a dodgy fishy taste" - so consequently, we will not be investing in the regulation rubber waders and fine whitebait nets any time soon!



The 'sand dunes' really are black, volcanic sand and are amazingly covered with shrubbery which grows happily in what one would think to be pretty inhospitable conditions.

A very pretty part of the West coast of the North Island - not too far from Hawera (for any of you who might feel inclined to look for it on a map) and not too far from home, cutting down on travelling time. The weather has been very un-Spring-like for ages now, so we're hoping the Summer is firmly en-route!

 

Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between 25 and 50 millimetres long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along the coast, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught with fine meshedfishing nets. Whitebaiting is the activity of catching whitebait.

Whitebait are tender and edible, and can be regarded as a delicacy. The entire fish is eaten including head, fins and gut. Some species make better eating than others, and the particular species that are marketed as "whitebait" varies in different parts of the world.

As whitebait consists of immature fry of many important food species (such as herring, sprat, sardines, mackerel, bass and many others) it is not an ecologicially viable foodstuff and in several countries strict controls on harvesting exist.

New Zealand whitebait are the juvenile of certain galaxiids which mature and live as adults in rivers with native forest surrounds. The eggs of these galaxiids are swept down to the ocean where they hatch and the young fry then move back up their home rivers as whitebait. They are much smaller than Chinese or British whitebait.

The most common whitebait species in New Zealand is the common galaxias or inanga, which lays its eggs during spring tides in Autumn on the banks of a river amongst grasses that are flooded by the tide. The next spring tide causes the eggs to hatch into larvae which are then flushed down to the sea with the outgoing tide where they form part of the ocean's plankton mass. After six months the developed juveniles return to rivers and move upstream to live in freshwater. The other galaxiid species identified with whitebait in New Zealand are the climbing galaxias or koaro, and the species group calledkokopu.^[2]

New Zealand whitebait are caught in the lower reaches of the rivers using small open-mouthed hand-held nets although in some parts of the country where whitebait are more plentiful, larger (but not very large) set nets may be used adjacent to river banks. Whitebaiters constantly attend the nets in order to lift them as soon as a shoal enters the net. Otherwise the whitebait quickly swim back out of the net. Typically, the small nets have a long pole attached so that the whitebaiter can stand on the river bank and scoop the net forward and out of the water when whitebait are seen to enter it. The larger nets may be set into a platform extending into the river from the bank and various forms of apparatus used to lift the net.

Whitebaiting in New Zealand is a seasonal activity with a fixed and limited period enforced during the period that the whitebait normally migrate up-river. The strict control over net sizes and rules against blocking the river to channel the fish into the net permit sufficient quantity of whitebait to reach the adult habitat and maintain stock levels. The whitebait themselves are very sensitive to objects in the river and are adept at dodging the nets.

Whitebait is very much a delicacy and commands high prices to the extent that it is the most costly fish on the market, if available. It is normally sold fresh in small quantities, although some is frozen to extend the sale period. Nevertheless, whitebait can normally only be purchased during or close to the netting season. The most popular way of cooking whitebait in New Zealand is the whitebait fritter, which is essentially an omelette containing whitebait. Purists use only the egg white in order to minimise interfering with the taste of the bait.

The combination of the fishing controls, a limited season and the depletion of habitat as a result of forest felling during the era of colonisation results in limited quantities being available on the market. Also, a lack of shade over waterways has been shown to kill the whitebait eggs.^[3]

^{So there you have it.}

^{Dis al!}

 

A few days leave (part three)

A cold and very blustery day saw us heading off to the Southward Car Museum situated just outside Paraparaumu.
The museum was purpose built in the late seventies and contains the largest automobile collection in the southern hemisphere. It currently has over 400 cars so it takes a fair while to amble around and see them all.
This one is the 'original back seat driver' car and since the passenger sits up front, no one can argue about that one!

If it so happens that you are not inclined to own a car of any variety, here is a scooter which can double as a bakkie(tjie) and can also probably transport more than one in the back - although the seating doesn't appear to be all that plush. Health and Safety would have an appopleptic fit about anyone being in the back, given that there are no seatbelts, let alone airbags! Heaven Forbid!

Neither one nor t'other - this little three wheeler we think was of the variety used in one of the Bond movies? Or did we see one in a Peter Sellers classic? We can't quite recall.

Being Volkswagen fans in general and Beetle fans in particular, this chappie, tucked away amoungst other more spectacular Vollas caught our eye and posed happily for a picture.

Our special turquoise Mercedes which we left behind is now safely in the hands of the younger generation - it was quite tough leaving the old girl, but seeing this stunning cousin in shiny, black made us think about all the days of refurbishing and polishing and loading up for the spectacular wedding in Natal - so many lovely memories! And almost as if by magic, there appeared in our online mailbox, a photograph taken just a couple of weeks ago of Her Ladyship (with Boetie Theron holding Baby Grandson Estan also in the picture!) It's really good to know that she is being taken good care of, has passed all her roadworthy tests, can still give a fair amount of speed on the open road and is making lots of hearts happy! Dis al!

 

A few days leave (part two)

Wellington - (for those of our blog followers who don't already know), is situated more or less on the southern end of the North Island and is the capital of New Zealand. This is the place where you would head if you had serious battles to fight with those 'what are in charge' in the country. More often than most of the members of parliament would like to have to endure, there will be groups of unhappy people either picketing or camping (or both), outside the parliament buildings and we, the happy few, get to see them on the six o'clock news - all grubby and smelly and fired up with their particular grievance, raging on about who owns the water in the country or some such nonsense!

We were delighted to be greeted by a glorious Spring day and headed from our campsite at Paekakariki to Wellington for the day. The big museum is in the city, but having already visited there not so long ago, we decided to find the cable tram and do the 'tourist' thing - taking a ride up to the top and enjoying the view of the city while sipping a flat white.

 Our 'older' blog followers will recall that a 'flat white' is an 'ornary' coffee (as opposed to a tall black which has nothing to do with an over six foot zulu)
The tram was clearly marked on the street map - but is positioned in amongst the buildings, so one has to really know where you are going in order to find it. Needless to say, in the city, parking is at an absolute premium, so we parked many, many blocks away and wandered back through the busy lunchtime office folks who were all about, purposefully headed for their favourite coffee shop or back to the grindstone. The long, leather goblin shoes (minus the bells) are still in evidence for the business gentleman, along with a pin-striped suit and it seems that the ladies who care about how they look (not the "bunch of hobbits who don't know how to dress" of Paul Henry fame) are in pencil skirts and business jackets with frilly, white or pastel shade blouses. All rather 'the same' and somewhat boring. Many of the skirts being a tad too tight and the jackets a tad too short for the size of the derriere!

The tram runs every ten minutes and so there is never too long a wait. We noticed quite a few students about and once on the uphill track, realised there is a stop about halfway up, which is convenient for the students to access part of the university - many got off there, books and files in their shoulder bags and I-pod earphones firmly in their ears. Many, fascinated and glued to their mobile phones and most with the regulation labelled clothing - which no doubt costs a fortune but looks like something the dog trailed in!

Wellington is a lovely city on a lovely day, but has a reputation for lots of wind and being New Zealand, plenty of wet, rainy days - great for a visit, with all the attractions that one finds in a city, but none of the little town feeling that we have where we live. So for now, our adventure will continue to be based in Wanganui.

Dis al!

A few days leave - (part one)

Although the weather has been somewhat disorganised and unpredictable, a couple of days leave saw us hitch up the caravan and head off to explore a little corner of the North Island that we hadn't really noticed before! The Kapiti Coast has quite a number of 'off the beaten track' holiday parks and campsites so as it started to get dark, we headed in to one of them and set ourselves up for the night.
Within striking distance of Wellington, the area has loads to see and do and we spent day one ambling over the hills in the car (since the wind was most spectacularly unpleasant).

 

All over New Zealand, you will find 'foreign invaders' in the form of undesirable plants - the most dramatic of these (in my humble opinion) is the  gorse which was brought into the islands by well-meaning folks to use as wind breaks and hedges. Needless to say it has become a serious problem since the density of the bushes is such that they are completely impenetrable and to top it all, they sport the most vicious thorns. None of the livestock, nor any of the wild animals - of which you have to remember, there are only but a miniscule number and which are limited in variety to vermin and possums! - eat any part of the plant and so it has spread like the proverbial wildfire.

We took these pictures in the course of our leisurely drive, having been horrified at the extent of the gorse infestation. The seeds apparently are almost impossible to erradicate and thrive on the ground where a recently burnt/poisoned gorse bush has been removed. Thick gorse with it's 'pretty' yellow blooms, adorn the rolling hills as far as the eye can see.

Some of the most dedicated land owners and farmers are doing their best in many areas to get this under control, but here, as you can see, the gorse has pretty much taken over.

On the side of the mountain road we saw this truck
and having driven past it, we did a U-turn further
down the road to go back and photograph it. If you click on the picture,it will pop up in a bigger frame (and now suddenly, with the advent of  'new and improved' Blogger, this no longer happens - I am finding blogging extremely frustrating - why can't the old adge of "if it aint broke, don't fix it" apply?) and you should see the notice on the van that says,"Baby Grand On Board" Appealed to our sense of 'how the world should work' having just heard about our friends moving in SA and having their grand piano treated like something the dog dragged in. Shame on you Biddulphs!

A marvellous 'all you can eat' salad bar to accompany the fabulous fresh fish we enjoyed at the Fishermans Table restaurant in Paekakariki, had us chatting about the names of the towns in the area.
Paraparaumu, Paekakariki and Waikanae all have names which are similar to other town's names in other parts of the country - living in Wanganui, Whangarei, Whatuwhiwhi, Whakatane, Whananaki, Whangaparaoa,Waiuku, Wairoa and Waipukurau all have similar names - and these are just in the North Island! One has to be very sure of one's facts before one starts disagreeing with anyone about where something is, and perhaps near to which town. The chances are good that one could make a slight error!
Dis al!

Birds, bunnies and babes

Here are the twelve owl species found in South Africa, which my sister Janet has sketched on one page - just amazing!

Since this blogspot is really just a glorified diary, I guess there will be times when the scribblings found here will be less than earth-shattering. However, plenty of our special folks enjoy reading about what we are up to on our kiwi adventure and not everyone is always inclined to care all that much about the political situation here or the social mishaps and difficulties which will occur the world over. Having said that, we have just recently had our share of red-faced, head-down prime ministers who have had to eat humble pie and make ever so public apologies for bungled security and illegal raids on an alleged internet pirate who all the while had his New Zealand residency 'sticker' firmly pasted on the correct page in his German passport and thus is officially 'off limits' for these sorts of actions. What is so infuriating about it all, is the fact that if the aforementioned, alleged 'criminal' decides to sue - WHO do you imagine will be paying for any reparation or damages or whatever?? Vra dit!!! Maybe they can recoup some of the losses from the government of the stricken Rena container ship that is still in bits off Tauranga and whose captain and first mate have been tried and found guilty - what those damages will bring into the kitty will no doubt be miniscule when offset with the cost of the clean up!
It's all far better left to the people who put themselves up to be elected into the roles of taking care of these things and leaving blissfull ordinariness up to us 'what are the ordinariest!'

Thought that this was a lovely picture and quote and it leads in well to the next snippet of news.

"Matthew Yu and his family emigrated from Hong Kong to Auckland in 1996. He has learnt the piano and violin since hew was 6, passing his piano LTCL (Recital) with distinction at the age of 17 and violin Performer's Certificate at the age of 14. Matthew loves both instruments, but he sees the piano as the instrument that he can express himself best with. Matthew moved to Wanganui for his first job as a graduate engineer in 2010. For musical recreation, he played the piano for the Wanganui Lyric Singers, violin for the Wanganui Orchestra and also played the organ and piano at masses fort he St Mary's Catholic Church. After spending one year in Wanganui, he returned to Auckland for work. Matthew's ambiton is to become a chartered professional engineer and keep his music as his hobby. He intends to perform at least one concert every year." Given that the author is a part-time and backbencher violinist, it was a huge thrill to be part of this concert and fulfill a lifelong dream to one day play in a 'dinkum' orchestra! The Mozart Piano Concerto which Matthew played with the orchestra last Sunday can be enjoyed by clicking on the following link to You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV4zPVAjDvs&feature=youtu.be

While I have been busy with music and more music,(a student with a distinction for her Piano examination makes for a very happy teacher, just by the way)- Georgia has been smiling and growing and becoming more and more gorgeous by the day. Her cousin in Vancouver has the cutest little video which Nana has watched many times over and the time has come I think, to make some gorgeous little girl dresses for them both. Two precious princesses without specially handmade dresses from Nana in New Zealand will certainly not do!

 

So, since I have just finished these two little summer frocks and matching sunhats for a girlfriend who is expecting identical twin girls in a couple of weeks time, I can make something similar for the two Sweethearts in Nana's life too - in fact, sitting here won't get them done, so I had better get to it.
Dis al!