Jeep Recall

Had a trip to Palmerston North recently as our Jeep had a recall to update the computer. It was a beautiful morning for a drive, just look at the snow cover on the Tararua Ranges behind our home.  This view is looking over the caravan parking area in our village.

Cold weather brings snow on the ranges

We dropped the Jeep off off bright and early, and had requested a loan car for the morning as I had to attend a medical appointment.  No problem with that, and we drove away in a little blue Kia.

Leaving our car behind

Both my appointment and the update on the car was all done by midday so we returned the little blue car, climbed into our much larger Jeep, and drove off to have such lunch.  I was gasping for a coffee by this stage as I had to be “nil by mouth” for my early morning appointment.  Finding a car park in the mall was not easy, as the top parking area had been closed off.  Because it was not stable we were told!  What’s to stop it falling down on us below, I asked Robin?  Remember – we live in an earthquake prone country.  Hopefully the problem will be resolved so I won’t have to worry, or maybe we will just park outside in future.

Lunch was at one of the cafes in the Mall.  While waiting for our lunch orders to arrive, I enjoyed my first coffee of the day.  Robin decided a chocolate milkshake was more to his liking.

He loves his milkshakes

With a couple of of things ticked off our list, it was time to head home, and we arrived back to find a courier parcel on our doorstep, from grand-daughter Megan.  Wonder what it is?  Inside was a jar of honey, with a note saying it was made from the hives on the property where she is staying.  How kind is that!

Special delivery from Megan

Matariki at Foxton

We spent the weekend with the Caravan Club at the Manawatu Caravan Club grounds at Foxton.  But before we started on our journey Robin had to take the caravan down to Gypsy’s for a small job.  Our Dometic three way fridge was part of a recall and needed looking at, where they replaced part of the 12 volt power loom.  Luckily it didn’t take too long at all and we were on our way later in the morning.

Club members trickled in during the day, and in the evening we went down town to view the light show celebrating Matariki, the Maori New Year.  There are many legends about the star cluster Matariki. One of the most popular is that the star Matariki is the whaea (mother), surrounded by her six daughters. Matariki and her daughters journey across the sky each year to visit Papatūānuku, their earth mother.  During this visit, each of the stars help Papatūānuku to prepare for the year to come, and  they also learn new skills and gain new knowledge from her, which they guard and pass on to others.  The reappearance of the Matariki stars signals the beginning of the Māori New Year.  Matariki has different names around the world, it is also known by its ancient Greek name, Pleiades or the Seven Sisters.

Crowds gathered in the courtyard surrounding the Dutch windmill, lit up with ever changing colours.   We found some seats and sat and watched, thankful that we had our winter coats on during the chilly evening.  There was also a slide show playing on the large windows of the museum, showing scenes of the early days of Foxton.  The food trucks were doing a roaring trade, and we indulged in some tasty donuts covered in cinnamon and sugar, so warm and tasty.  Then on the way back to camp we bought some fish and chips, guess it was a matter of eating our pudding first that night!

De Molen Windmill

The Rally Captains had organised a busy afternoon for us all the following day, we met at the the local museum, “Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom” for a guided tour.  This museum is a collaboration between the Maori people, the Dutch immigrants and the Council, and is the only facility in the country which has info boards in three languages, Maori, Dutch and English, we were told.  Part of the displays feature early Maori life, and there are remains of aa hand carved waka (boat) on display.  The waka is a rare survival from the 19th century, and was found after been buried for many decades in the bed of Lake Tangimate.

In the Maori exhibits

Foxton was a thriving town in the early years.  With flax growing naturally it was harvested and made into rope, sacking and mats.  Prior to the Europeans settling, the local Maori people used the bounty of flax to make all sorts of items for daily use, including baskets and sleeping mats.  The river (now silted up) ran through the town and was a hive of activity with ships coming and going.

Flax harvesters

Our guide then took us around to the Dutch area of the museum.  The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman is officially recognised as the first European to 'discover' New Zealand in 1642. Nazi Germany overran the Netherlands during WW11, nd the country and civilians were devastated.  At the end of the war housing was poor, the economy in tatters, and people left in droves for a fresh start, mainly settling in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Bombed to pieces

The Dutch immigrants soon settled in to Kiwi life, but it must have been difficult to leave their homeland, learn a new language, and build a new life.  Many have made great contributions here, including “Bug Man” Ruud Kleinpaste.  And how many Wellingtonians visited Suzy’s Coffee Shop in Willis Street. which opened in the 60s.  Suzy van de Kwast  arrived here as an assisted immigrant,  and was amazed at how few cafés there were to serve the growing population.  The food differed from most available in Wellington at the time. There was a salad bar where customers could serve themselves, as well as delicacies such as crayfish rolls. Suzy's attracted a wide variety of customers including office workers, students, politicians, businessmen and local characters, while cleaners and taxi-drivers often appeared in the evenings.

Bikes are a feature of life in the Netherlands, and during our visit there we were told that the canals are consisted of a layer of mud, a layer of bicycles and the water on top!

An assortment of bikes on display

Dutch settlers brought many furnishings with them to make them feel at home

After an evening  meal out at the Loop Restaurant, formerly the RSA, the rain came down and the strong  wind buffeted the vans all night.  We would just nod off and then, shake rattle and roll, more gusts hit us, it was not a pleasant night at all.  The ground was sodden as we packed up after morning tea and headed for home.  Many thanks to Murray and Sue of planning a great weekend for us all.

A soggy Sunday morning

About Town

We’ve been pottering around during the last week or so, doing a few chores and getting some necessary supplies in.  I had my first trip to the supermarket for quite some time.  All I can say is that I’m pleased I had my walker to get around on, and I really needed a cuppa and a lie down when we got back home!  While I had been absent from supermarket duties over the last couple of months the shop has had quite a makeover, with all fridges and freezers replaced.  And just to keep the shoppers on their toes, many items are not where they used to be, now placed somewhere completely different.

Another local trip was to get rid of  some recycling, something that Robin usually does by himself.  But I was having a bout of cabin fever so went along for the ride.  What a busy place, cars kept arriving to get rid of their cans, plastic, cardboard and bottles.

Recycling time

Then it was time to go to our local veggie market, the Garden of York,  to stock up on nice fresh locally grown vegetables, (if its green, it’s got to be good for you) and some fruit as well.  I brought home a lovely big grey pumpkin which will be ending up as pumpkin soup one of these days.  And a bag of little baby yams too, we enjoy these roasted, so nice.  Leeks, kumara, cauli and broccoli, parsnips and carrots, that should see us right for a while, we do love our veggies.

Leeks growing in the winter sunshine

Another trip was to get our second Covid vaccination.  We were warned that some people will get a reaction, rather like flu symptoms, but both of us were fine.  There, all done now but…….. we heard on the news that maybe a third dose will be needed later on, we will have to wait and see.  Not that we will have a problem with that, in fact, I imagine the Covid jab will probably become an annual vaccination, just like the flu jab we get each year.

After long last we are going away for a weekend caravan club rally, it’s been a while since we were able to attend.  Robin is champing at the bit, he really enjoys his time away in the caravan.  And it will be a nice change of scene for Gemma as well, she is a well seasoned caravan cat indeed.  Meanwhile, she has been tucked up inside  keeping herself warm.

All warm and snuggly

Offal Night

Does that send shivers down your spine?  We were invited out by friends Derek and Dot on Friday night to have a meal at the local RSA, Returned Services Association, to indulge in one of their regular Offal Night offerings.  We don’t eat offal but were assured that other things were on the menu as well.

On offer for the brave were Lambs Fry and Bacon, Tripe and Onions, and something rather frightening called a Mixed Offal Plate, goodness knows what was served up for that!  Luckily there was Steak and Kidney Pie and Fish and Chips as well too choose from.  Derek chose lambs fry and bacon, but mentioned the bacon seemed to be missing, and Dot had her taste buds happy with tripe and onions.  Robin and I both chose the steak and kidney pie, which was delicious.

Steak and Kidney Pie

As we were having a night off from cooking, we all indulged in dessert as well.  Ice cream sundaes and spiced apple and walnut cake (huge portion) were devoured with gusto.  It was a nice night out and we all enjoyed our meals, thanks Derek and Dot for inviting us to join you.

The Polar Blast has been and gone and we have had some lovely calm and sunny days, cooler temps starting with frosty mornings.  Thank goodness for the heat pump.  There is a sprinkling of snow on the Tararua Ranges behind our home, no doubt there will be heavier falls as the winter season continues.

Local Floods, Water Shortage, and Polar Blast

Its been all go here in our part of the world, starting with very heavy rains causing local flooding.  So much rain caused the local Council to send out a message to residents to stop using water immediately.  The water treatment plants were struggling to effectively treat the mud, silt and debris in the waterways and the reservoirs were at very low levels.  Water tankers have been providing fresh water to residents and many households have an emergency water supply tank which can be used.   

As if that isn’t enough to contend with, we have been waned that a polar blast is sweeping up the country from Antarctica.  All Air New Zealand flights in and out of the country's southernmost airports  been cancelled due to the worsening weather.  The national carrier said the polar blast was causing disruption across much of the South Island with Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown flights now cancelled due to the wind and snow.

Further travel disruption is expected with the Interislander ferry cancelling all sailings and likely to be extended into Wednesday. Forecasters say the cold front will sweep northwards up the country during Monday, opening the freezer door to all of New Zealand.  The latest snow alert, which encompasses two-thirds of the country, will see snow start falling in the North Island tomorrow morning.   And just to keep Wellingtonians on their toes,  an "intense" hail storm hammered areas of the capital in the early hours.    People living around Wellington's south coast have been warned to be on alert for massive waves that could reach higher than 6m tomorrow night, and potentially cause local flooding and damage.

It seemed timely that Robin had our generator serviced the other day, so we know it will perform properly in case of any power cuts.  Our late friend Geoff C often used to talk about belonging to “the Red Generator Club”, and wouldn’t have a bar of  those yellow ones, it was a red generator or nothing!

Our red generator al ready for action

With cold weather like we are experiencing, we are pleased we are safely tucked up at home and not camping somewhere in the wilds.  Just the sort of weather to enjoy a bowl of porridge for breakfast today, topped with cream and brown sugar, and home made soup for lunch!

SLG Lunch – keeping it local

During the week we had a Super Leisure Group outing, organised by Calvin.  This was my first “big” trip out of the house for weeks after having my spinal surgery so Calvin kindly arranged for us to meet for lunch not too far away, just south of Levin.  That way, I wouldn’t have to sit in the car too long.  We met at Salt and Pepper Café, which also has a plant nursery, a small gift shop,  and sells locally produced eggs.

Here for lunch

Walking through the shop to the café, we were a little worried to see a sign on the café door stating that the café was fully booked.  Surely Calvin had pre-booked a table for our group?  Of course he had, and there they were, three of our group sitting and waiting, with Yvonne and Ashley arriving shortly after us. The café was certainly full to overflowing, always a good sign at an eatery, I feel.

There was plenty of good choices on the menu and we all ordered different meals.  The food was very tasty indeed, and the only problem we encountered on this chilly day were patrons coming and going out the café door and not closing it behind them.  Come on people, it’s common courtesy, after all. 

All ready to tuck into our meals.

On our way out some looked around the garden centre, Trish purchased some eggs, and we bought some of our favourite keto crackers from the shop. 

 

The garden centre

Then it was all back to Villa 50 for coffee and cake and even more chatting to complete the afternoon before everyone headed back down to the Hutt Valley.  Many thanks to Calvin for organising a nice lunch out – it was so nice to catch up with everyone again.

Hibernating

We seem to have been hibernating the last few weeks.  No caravan trip away to Carterton recently during the three day Queen’s Birthday Weekend, all due to me being in the “rest and recovery mode” after my spinal surgery.  But Robin did take the caravan on a day trip away to check out the batteries, to check on our battery problems.  Battery Guru Frank gave the system a good going over to see what the trouble was.  Seems the batteries are fine, but things could be improved if we purchased a more efficient one.  So the good thing that came out of this consultation is that we wont need to replace our batteries.  Our last few rallies have been off power, in cold and cloudy conditions, so there was not a great deal of charging happening through the solar panels.

I have been loaned a walker from the hospital to help improve my mobility.  Gemma has decided to try it out for size, and jumped up on the seat.  Yes, it fits her quite well, she decided.  Mind you, she is not too keen when it trundles towards her while she is stretched out on the carpet.

The other excitement in our lives recently is receiving our first Covid vaccination.  We went down to the Health Centre joining a steady stream of elderly people, yes, we are in that category now.   No trouble at all, it was done very efficiently, and we hardly felt a thing.  Like all vaccinations, we had to sit and wait a while to make sure there were no side effects, and we were informed we could go home, although I’m sure some sneeked away early.  It was almost like a Menz Shed gathering down there as several of Robin’s buddies had their Covid appointments too.  Our second dose will be in three weeks time.