Christmas 2022 - New Zealand Style!

We're staying fairly local over the Christmas period and Sarah's car is thanking us!  Based with Sarah, Paul and Ryan and the dogs in Gore, visiting folk and get Xmas shopping done.   

Once again I'm puzzled by the number of yeast extract products available on New Zealand shelves!
Have a brilliant evening with Paul, Melissa, Meg, Sam and Dash the dog.  Great BBQ for tea and lovely evening, with a taxi back a bit later than planned!  On Sunday we all meet up at Rich and Jo's for a BBQ and it's lovely to have the whole whanau together again.  
We pack up and ship out to Rich and Jo for a couple of nights.  We have the great pleasure of attending Stella's graduation from Riversdale (primary) school.  Each of the graduating class of 15 had put together a presentation about their favourite memories and what being at Riversdale School had meant to them.  A few pretty emotional moments as some very good friends will be going to different schools next year.


Stella giving her presentation - and doing it brilliantly!

I managed to get a couple of coats of paint on a project Richard and Paul have been working to complete, and spent a cool evening in the workshop with Rich, Paul and Sam working on it.  Photos to follow ...

Also honoured with a visit in our room from Chykka, the Shih Tzu, looking for tummy rubs.

Chykka

We headed back to Gore and our semi permanent Southland base at Sarah and Paul's (thanks guys!) Have a busy day in Invercargill and check out John's mother's former home which has been renovated and is up for sale.


Meet up with friends of John's family from way back - lunch with Brian Dunick and admire his 1970 Valiant Regal, coffee and cake with Wade and Judy (who invite John to please re-creosote their 10 acres of fence posts!) and then visit Cathy and Terry (John's godparents).  Really good to catch up with them all.

Drive into very dark clouds on the way back and there's rain, thunder and lightning that evening.  The driveway is a real river,  the drains overflow and there is a lot of surface flooding on the streets.

Driving into the darkness!

On Friday John has an afternoon jet boating with Paul and Ryan - word got out, and what was a couple of boats to treat the KeelowCraft crew, turns into a 7 boat jet boating run.  Excellent fun and only a couple of decent pushes needed for boats that got a bit too shallow.  A great afternoon followed by a few beers with some good blokes.  I never cease to be amazed at these amazing boats that can run in only a couple of inches of water - if the driver is good enough!

Stop for a quick cook up before turning around

Ryan in a happy place!

On Christmas Eve Sarah removes John's stitches from his boating related head wound - it's healed a treat.  Sarah pleased her nursing skills from a previous career have come in handy!
Nothing to see here 


24 December - Paul, Sarah, Ryan and we head the 32 km/ 20 miles to Riversdale to stay with Richard and Jo and their girls. BBQ on Xmas Eve, and Christmas Day has the kids traditional tearing open of Santa sacks and presents first thing.

Heidi, Richard, Stella, Mya, Ryan and Jo

We had a fantastic Christmas dinner, including turkey, and a really good day and it was great to spend time with Brian and Mary, Jo's parents.
Stella
Ryan
Heidi and Stella
John 
Lyndon with photobombers, Ryan and Stella

On Boxing Day morning (Christmas Day evening in UK) we have WhatsApp video calls to England with Lyndon's brothers, John and Charlie, and with John (C's) friend Grant, who is suffering a festive lurgy, and the drugs aren't working.

Monday 26 December we pack up and head back to Gore for a couple of days - the dogs are in kennels and Sarah and family are camping at Lake Wanaka, so it's strangely silent!  Time to catch up with the reading, have a hot tub and make plans.



Comments

  1. S1 January 2023 at 08:47

    Looks like you are having a fantastic time! Happy New Year to you and all your family and friends. Jane Madeley xx

    ReplyDelete

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