Last days of summer….
The summer has stretched on unbelievably long and we now have drought like conditions. This is in complete contrast to the north island of NZ, which has had the wettest and most traumatic summer in decades, with a cyclone adding to the floods causing widespread devastation. It is heartbreaking and will take years to recover.
The weather patterns definitely seem to be changing…
The area we went camping in, is by a river ,and normally it is so cold you cannot stay in for long. This time the temperature was like tepid bath water, great for swimming, not so great for the trout that are plentiful in it and I do wonder how it will effect them long term.
We did however have a wonderful time, for me it was the best swimming I have had in years, I way prefer warm water…
The camping spot is all very casual, you just roll up and find a spot, there is no one overseeing anything, there is a long drop and the rest you sort yourselves. You can’t find it on any website search, but the locals having been coming here for years, most of the folk we talk to are now bringing their kids and grand kids, to the exact spot they came as kids, we found it by chance a couple of years ago, such a great find!
There were lots of dogs up there running loose, all obviously used to camping, there were no issues at all. Pica is perfect to take camping, as does not wander off to other campsites, as soon as we put up a tent she knows to stick close. She loved the river with all the rocks, definitely her favorite part of the trip. She did however collapse when we got home with exhaustion and slept for a couple of days straight 🙂
Vida was very pleased to have us home, and settled straight back into her favorite place on the couch…
Luca has been back in school a month now and into a routine. A new subject he chose this year is German, which he has thrown himself into and he is teaching us a little as he goes along. He is quite keen on spending some time in Germany. We have good friends there and it would be so nice for Luca to be able to speak German with them . Note the strawberries, here we are in March and they are still going!
Rich and Luca have started baking cake again for Luca to take to school on a Friday, it has proved very popular. The kids all take turns doing this and they all share whatever they bring, it is a nice idea…
Traditionally in NZ there is an annual school camp, the kids are taken to remote places and do all sorts of outdoor actives for a week, no cell coverage, very little sleep and LOTS of exercise. You will remember Rich went on Luca’s first one when he was in primary school, and came home exhausted! 🙂 Luca is going on another at the end of the month, no parents this time, I am expecting the same exhaustion levels but Luca will love it, it is all the things he enjoys. Rich went to the information night on it and came back impressed with all that they are going to do.
We have just said goodbye to Luca’s cousin Forrest, and his partner Emily, from Canada, they have been staying with us and Rich has been taking them to some of our favourite spots. It has been fun coming home and over dinner hearing about their days. Over the weekend the beaches were a must, Luca keen to show them his “go to” spots.. They are now off to explore the rest of NZ. So nice to see them, and Luca very happy to spend time with his cousin again. It has been over 4 years since he last saw him and the last time he spent this sort of quality time with him was in Nova Scotia, when Forrest came to visit us there, Luca was 7 or 8 so has changed quite a bit since then and they share a lot of interests now.
The wash house came up well as a “rustic retreat” for them. It will now be turned into a storage room during the build, (we have already begun buying things like the internal doors etc that we are finding second hand). Rich will insulate and line before turning it finally into its primary purpose of being a utility room.
Our roof line is changing, this is the view from the tree house before the extension was started…
Speaking of the extension, the digging has commenced…
When the builders are not here we can still enjoy meals outside, including breakfast..
However, as we are now officially into the NZ autumn we are preparing for winter, hopefully this lot will keep us warm for most of it. We will get it into the shed this weekend, all going to plan…
The garden keeps on producing, though this year I have had to water way more than I have ever had. We have had to get water in, as we don’t want to risk running out, every time rain is in the forecast there is not much of it.
We are expecting with the devastation in the north island, a lot of NZ’s food supplies are going to be affected and that prices are going to go up again. NZ also banned caged egg farming this year, so eggs shortages are a real thing (only one carton per customer is allowed in the stores). Many people are looking at getting chooks for their backyards and they are going for prices previously unheard of! Our girls are laying well thankfully, they are cherished more than ever!
Our little local back beach, has been looking lovely, the kids went jetting jumping there a couple of weekends ago, so nice it is a short walk away for them and they can meet up there. We do not take for granted this little piece of paradise we have landed in….
