Spring 2023

Spring is here! These were collected on our usual walk, so pretty to look at while you are doing the dishes 🙂

I know things are coming right weather wise when the view from the walk is like this…

The port is in full swing, the logging trucks filling up the yard with logs and the containers piling high

This coming week the last visit from the council happens and the build is then officially complete! This last month has been QUITE the mission, (hence my tardiness with posting), but we are almost there! I am going to do a before and after post once we get sign off!

On the 6th of September 2019 we brought this place and moved in, that same week in 2023 we moved into the extension, still with things to do at that time but we could actually sleep in the bedrooms.

Walls are still strange and the place feel enormous, but we are adjusting. Pica and Vida wandered around quite confused for the first little bit, and sleeping time quite the dilemma for them, having to choose a room to sleep in. Luca is so happy to be able to spread his things out in his own room and the 3rd bedroom which we have turned into a TV/Games room, (“The Cave”), has become his domain, we are occasionally allowed in there 🙂

For Fathers Day he and Rich went off to buy the TV they have been looking at for years .

Luca did make a hearty breakfast for Rich for Father Day before they set out…

After many years I have finally been able to get this precious piece of art framed and up on a wall. When Luca was 6 or 7 he drew a picture of “Arctic Animals”. Nova Scotia is renowned for hooking rugs and our dear friend Merrillynn,(who is a master in hooking), took Luca’s picture blew it up and hooked a rug for him. This took her the best part of a year, Luca would often go over and they would consult on colours, for months this went on. It is a truly spectacular piece of art that she has created, I wanted to preserve it, so it can be handed down in our family, then her gift and the love she put into it, will be remembered.

This was 2015 when Merrillynn presented it to Luca and below is the original picture he drew 🙂

The sun is hitting the deck nicely in front of the big sliding door and Pica makes the most of every ray. The weather up and down, sometimes so hot all the doors and windows open. ( like today), then the next day the fire on again (like yesterday). Typical spring weather for this part of the world.

The Kowhai trees ,(yellow flower), have flourished this year and are really coming into their own. We have them dotted around the property, the native birds love them!

My bees too love their nectar, they have really woken up and are so busy at the moment, I am looking forward to the first harvest!

It is the school holidays again, Luca is rarely home, off meeting his friends doing “stuff”. As I have the car a lot these days for work, the bus here is proving even more valuable, as Luca has the freedom to come and go as he wants, with the city a short ride away.

It was the Port Seafood Festival yesterday. Usually it on every second year, but with Covid this is the first time in 4 years they have been able to do it. Luca was in Primary school last time, Rich and I volunteered at it to raise funds for the school. This year we went purely for enjoyment and my brother joined us for the day. It had been a dodgy start to the day with even a sprinkling of snow but got better as the day went on. As you can see the turnout was great, the large sheds to the left of the photo and the white tent to the bottom right jammed with people too. Our property is just out of view, upper top left, opposite the church..

Dunedin as a whole has been promoted as the place to be a lot lately. There is a lot of work being done to update and beautify it, in keeping with the original feel of the city, they are doing a great job, although the road works does cause some inconvenience so there is a lot of complaining 🙂

Here is the latest AA magazine with a spread on Otepoti (Dunedin), it showcases us well.

Daylight saving started last weekend and so I now have sun at both ends of the day when I work. I really miss this over winter, coming and going in the dark is not very therapeutic for the soul. This is the view from our bedroom window in the morning, very similar to our kitchen view …

Next post, all going to plan the build will be officially over and we can move onto other things….