Sunday Morning Car Rally

Handed an instruction sheet, we got into the cars, ready for an adventure along the local roads.  Dot and Derek were our back seat passengers, and Robin was revving the car up, keen and eager for the time keeper to send us on our way.

Turning left at the driveway was the first clue.  We travelled along country roads, stopping here and there to retrieve  bags of goodies hidden inside letter boxes.  And answering questions along the way, such as what was the name of that school, look for two signs close together, (cows crossing, as it turned out) and recording the name on the front of the next two story building we pass.  It was so busy I didn’t think to take photos as we drove along.  The other two cars crossed our path from time to time, and had us wondering if they were going the wrong way, or perhaps it was us!  Eventually we arrived back at our hosts home in time for lunch.

Then it was prize giving.  Dot was the prize winner for the various games played over the weekend.  Well done, Dot.

There was a sweepstake running on the Saturday evening WBO World Heavyweight Title Fight between Joseph Parker from New Zealand and  Andy Ruiz from Mexico, and Geoff and Eileen were declared the winners in their prediction.  And Geoff, Eileen and Glenys won the car rally.  After the winners had been rewarded with a chocolate Santa, Sandra then passed the basket of goodies around so that everyone got a little something.

Sandra, Glenys, and Dennis, with Selwyn looking on

We started packing up after lunch and headed home, then unpacked and cleaned the van, all ready for the next trip away.  Many thanks to Don and Sandra, our hosts had done a marvelous job or organizing the Christmas Rally for the club.

Camped on the front lawn, surrounded with roses

Wrangling the Rotisserie

Christmas mince pies were handed around for Saturday morning tea at Koputaroa, and very nice they were too.  Then it was time to work those mince pies off and take part in a few games on the back lawn.  The disc bowls were flying through the air as Glenys and Dot club battled it out while the judge looked on.

Glenys and Dot, with Derek adjudicating

Quoits were next, and I can attest that it is not as easy as it looks.  Dot and Derek  try their luck at this game.

Dot and Derek fling quoits

After lunch it was time to get the BBQ fired up again and cook the rolled loin of hogget.  Poor old Don had suffered a mishap so couldn’t attend to this very important job  – but he gave plenty of advice and our blokes rallied around to wrangle the rotisserie and cook the meat for the evening meal.  The long piece of meat was threaded on the spit, but didn’t seem to be turning properly.  The consensus was that it needed to be re-threaded.  Luckily SIL Nick was there to lend a hand.  Oh dear – the operation reminded me of Lance Corporal Jones from Dad’s Army who used to say “they don’t like it up em”.  With everyone holding on for grim death, you would think that the meat was still alive and kicking.

How many men does it take to hold a loin of hogget?

With the meat back on the rod, and a few adjustments made to the rotisserie, various checks made to make sure it was turning evenly, the blokes could sit back and relax for the next couple of hours.  Beer and nibbles made the waiting game easy.

Crisis over, relaxing in the garage

And it was worth waiting for – just look at that meat, crispy skinned, smelling delicious, and perfectly cooked.  All they had to do now was take it off the BBQ, remove the rod, and carefully carry it inside.

It smelt as good as it looked

The tables were set in the conservatory, and while Dennis sliced the meat, and Sandra made a huge jug of gravy.  Everyone arrived with their contributions of vegetables, salads and desserts for the meal.  By the look of the side table groaning with food, we won’t be going hungry.

Almost ready for our Christmas Dinner

And what a meal it was – a real joint effort with everyone helping out.  As for the desserts, pavlova with home grown raspberries,  fruit salad, trifle, ambrosia, and we can’t forget that wonderful Christmas Pudding – no wonder we left the table full to bursting!

Christmas Rally at Koputaroa

Our club enjoyed a caravan rally in the country at Koputaroa last weekend.  And to reinforce that we were indeed in the country, amongst the animals, a sign on the driveway spelt it all out to us townies.  Just so we were forewarned about what could well be going on over the fence.

Sandra and Don hosted the Christmas rally at their rural property, and all the vans fitted on to their front lawn without any problems.  We arrived in the early Friday afternoon, settled in, and relaxed under the shade as we whiled away the afternoon.  And in no time at all, it was time for 4zees.  So we stayed where we were, enjoying the sunshine and lovely country atmosphere.

Vans on site

The beautiful gardens are Sandra’s passion and the roses made a lovely show.

Hamburgers were on the menu for Friday evening and Don did a great job of cooking them for us all.  Then it was up to us to assemble our burger, just the way we wanted it, with buns available and plenty of extra fillings.

Don – the Burger Master

While the burgers were cooking, we were entertained by Geoff Herewini, who sang a selection of country ballads.  It must be a sign of old age, but we knew the words to just about all of them.  And when he asked for requests, I couldn’t help myself – and Geoff obliged with his version of my favourite song “Ten Guitars” just for me.

Dinner entertainment

10 Pin Bowling with the Oldies

Several car loads from our village drove down to Paraparaumu for a pre-Christmas get-together and a night of fun.  The ladies meet regularly for lunch, but this time we invited the men out too.  We were going bowling.  Most of us had tried a game or two, but we were by no mean serious players.  But perhaps there was a bowling expert hiding amongst our group of OAPs?

We entered the building to find most of the lanes busy with serious looking players.  So we paid our fees, (pensioner discount), ordered our evening meal for after our game, and collected our bowling shoes.  After being split into two teams, we all spent a little time checking out the TV screens in  front of each lane.  It all seemed rather high-tech to me, I can remember when boys were at the end of the lanes, nimbly leaping out of the way of the balls as they quickly placed the pins back in place.  Things have certainly changed since those long ago days.  Ready or not, let the games begin!

Checking out the screens

Bowling is a very tricky business if like me, you are not a sporty person.  For instance - what ball do you choose?  I guess the different colours all meant something to the serious players, But I didn’t have a clue.  And try as I might to keep that ball rolling down the middle, just why did it usually veer off to one side?

Is this the way to do it?

Our two teams battled it out amongst themselves, some taking the game very seriously indeed.  There were several lucky enough to get a strike, while others managed to knock the ten skittles over in two bowls.  Meanwhile, to the side of us, other more experienced players really showed how it should be done, effortlessly sending that ball down with a nonchalant flick of the wrist.  Congratulations to our winners, Bruce and Graham.

Bruce and Graham, the winners

We changed back into our own shoes and retired to the café to enjoy our pre-ordered meals.  The table was set up very nicely, all ready and waiting for us to complete our game.   Plates of fish, burgers, pasta, Thai salads, soup were delivered to our table, all very tasty and reasonably priced too.  After all that exercise, some of our group decided on desserts as well.

Enjoying our meals

It was certainly a fun night, and I can see it being repeated in the future.  I’m sure some of the ladies would like another chance to knock the men off the winners podium next time. 

A little electrical work

The caravan looked rather like a bomb site.  The front squabs were off and piled on top of the bed. A little electrical work was being done in the seating area. 

Our friendly caravan buddy and electrician Selwyn was installing a new electrical power point at the base of the seating area, and Robin was his apprentice.  Selwyn explained that ordinary three strand household power cable was not allowed for caravan use because of flexing and movement.  Therefore a length of seven strand cable was purchased for the job.  Alter a while of working head down in the locker, the job was finally completed.  The power point under the table will make things easier for us both as we use our laptops while on power.  Previously both cords were hanging about across the floor ready to trip us up when we weren’t looking.

All done

Robin then had the job of installing a ply panel inside the locker, to add a little strength to the seating area as the uprights had to be drilled to thread the cable through, and secondly, to tidy up the job.  With the squabs and the table back in place the new power point was practically invisible.

But will it work?  As the caravan is not on power in it’s allotted parking space there was only one way to find out.  The red Honda generator was fired up, the power points were tested, and Selwyn gave himself a big “thumbs up”.  Everything worked as it should.

Testing, testing

It’s starting to look like Christmas

Home for the weekend – so a good opportunity to put the Christmas “stuff” up.  This always starts with a trip up to the loft climbing a narrow set of pull down stairs to retrieve the Christmas crates.  Robin isn’t bothered by this excursion, but I’m always careful where I put my feet so I don’t trip and fall.  Down came the crates and we got to work.  I got busy hanging Christmas quilts and arranging decorations we had gathered over the years.

Christmas ornaments

Although we had originally decided not to hang any lights this year, Robin couldn’t help himself.  He was up the ladder before you could say “Christmas is Coming” and started hanging a string of lights up above the windows.  The command hooks, being practically invisible,  are left in situ so it’s just a matter of hooking the lights in place.

Then the tree in the front garden got a make-over.  My job was to steady the ladder, and hang on to the lights while Robin artistically threaded them through the branches.  It’s only one string of lights, but they do look festive twinkling in the darkness.

Up the ladder

After all that excitement, we fired up the Weber for our evening meal.  We hadn’t yet tried cooking a whole chicken on the BBQ before, and once again, the Weber did a great job.  While that was cooking away on the patio, and smelling wonderful, I cooked up a pan of crispy roast potatoes in the oven,  flavoured with parmesan and rosemary. 

Yummy chicken dinner

A Super Year for our Super Leisure Group

As the year is coming to a close, Christmas outings for our various groups are coming thick and fast.  Jan was tasked with organizing our final SLG (Super Leisure Group) outing for the year.  No trouble, she decided, she booked a table for an early Christmas lunch in a swanky hotel in Wellington.  But……… a couple of weeks ago New Zealand was rocked by a huge earthquake.  Some buildings in Wellington city were damaged and had been cordoned off from traffic, although there was no damage to the hotel we were to go for our lunch.  But niggardly doubts crept in, the “what if” thoughts surfaced, maybe there will be another earthquake and we will be trapped in the central city, and it just seemed better to stay away.

So the plans were changed, and our Christmas get-together was to be held at Jan and John’s home.  They would provide a turkey and a chicken along with stuffing, new potatoes, carrots, and gravy, and the rest of us were asked to bring specific items for the meal. We arrived in good time, but some of the others were caught up in traffic delays and road closures after an accident in the Hutt Valley.  But everyone eventually arrived, safe and sound, with their stories of diversions, long delays and slow traffic. 

Christmas had arrived at our hosts home, the decorated tree was in the corner,and Christmas carols were softly playing to set the mood.  The living room had been transformed with beautifully set tables and delicious smells were permeating from the kitchen.  We had plenty of time to chat, eat some nibbles and catch up with everyone’s news and recent travel tales.  The tables had been arranged in a “T” shape, just like a wedding party, we decided.  And why not – Jan and John had a Silver Wedding to celebrate.  They sat at the top table with Trish, their "bridesmaid for the day".

Hosts Jan and John, with Trish

The rest of us sat at the lower table, and we all pulled our crackers, and donned our silly hats.  Then tucked in to a wonderful meal.

Jenny, Calvin, Helen, Yvonne, Ashley and Robin

It’s a time for reminiscing too, and look back at what we have done, and where we have been with our SLG friends over the year.  Sadly we had to miss a few outings because of health issues, and then our Aussie Adventure trip took us away for nearly a month.  But we fondly remember our visits to:  

Lego Exhibition, Deer Story Museum, Kahutara Taxidermy Gallery, Owlcatraz, Shannon Railway Museum, Ukulele Institute concert, and Shapeshifters sculpture exhibition.  And all the morning teas and café lunches which were part and parcel of our group outings.

We shared celebrations and commiserations too during the year.  We helped John celebrate his 70th birthday in January, and the group offered their sympathy when we lost our beloved cat Muffy in May.  Several of us have had a bumpy year with our health, others have lost friends or family, and we can rely on the group for comfort and support.

As reported, our year of get-togethers has finished on a high note, with a wonderful early Christmas dinner, complete with turkey and plum pudding.  What better way to finish the year!