Theyear is racing past!

 I thought I had better do another post before it is December! - Golly Christmas is creeping up on me this year. 

This morning it has rained steadily - drizzled rather than downpour but the back deck is a big puddle. 

We had some lovely days recently so I shouldnt complain!

This weekend i took the kids down to join Jonathan and Amy at the Levin Christmas parade where the combined Levin Christian churches have a group which asked J and A to bring a donkey and join the parade as Joseph and Mary. they provide the costumes even the padding to make Amy look really pregnant and Joanthan's beard is looking quite the part. The kids join in too - the girls as angels and Callum as one of the Shepherds. ( They get to give out lollies to the spectators).

The chidlren are up on the truck at the back 2 andgels and one shepherd.

Jonathan and his two angels Cordelia and Annabel ( Callum was a photoshy shepherd)

The weekend before i had been away in the campervan ticking off another one from my bucket list. I went down to Cape Palliser which is the most southeasterly corner of the North Island. Lighthouse has 255 steps and is quite steep. held the handrail tightly on the way down!

Yes - I climbed to the top! Got steeper the higher you got.

View west - campervan in the car park at the bottom 

Its a rocky coast!

Ngawi fishing fleet! mostly crayfish boats I am told

 

Bulldozers and boats!

Then after an early breakfast and a wee walk I drove back to the Putangirua Pinnacles reserve where I wanted to walk to the lookout to see the famous Pinnacles. This was going to be quite a walk so I took my walking poles and wore my best boots and set off early so that Tui wouldnt not get too hot in the campervan. And yes it was a walk - harder than I had done for ages - took me an hour to get to the lookout on the ridge track - shady bush but a steady uphill climb and the steps got steeper nearer the top. Gorgeous views though, and I walked back down the steep downhill track to the stream bed and then a gravelly rocky walk back along the stream. Legs felt like lumps of lead by the end and very glad of my sticks but pleased I made it. dont need to do it again. Lovely reserve to camp in but I believe there are mozzies so glad i stayed at Ngawi the night before. 

Putangirua Pinnacles reserve

The road hugs the cliffs all the way round...

A steady climb along the ridges but it gets steeper 

yes, it was a glorious view of a unique  rock  formation - 

That is the stream bed at the bottom - 

After a refreshing cup of tea and a sandwich I drove back to Lake Ferry village where Denny , a quilter i had met in Auckland lived and we spent a lovely hour chatting and me admiring her needlework - she does great needlework as well as enjoys quilting. 

Thisis a Sue Spargo design from her book Homegrown - made as a pin cushion and given to me by Denny

I was feeling quite pooped so took it carefully as I drove back north and through Martinborough A fellow campervanner friend advised me to continue to a lovely spot on the Ruamahanga River called Morrisons Bush - a large grassy area with some trees , private owned but made available at very low cost for camping to the Motor Caravan Association members - definitely need to come back in the summer. 

Morrison's Bush

Then after a very peaceful and long sleep I drove quietly back to Eketahuna and stayed at the camping ground there - Diana was still there and it was good to catch up again. I have made a new friend in her and that is great, she is a very intersting lady and a fountain of knowledge having lived in her lovely motorhome for 12 years. 

Home again by lunchtime on Monday afternoon, ready for the school run. 

It has been a busy few weeks as the children have had several sports commitments that i volunteered to get them to - so Mondays is Cubs and Keas, Tuesdays Callum has soccer coaching at Ashurst and Annabel has judo, Fridays both the girls play for a school Touch rugby team ( hilarious fun - not very serious although they do learn good skills). So that is three afternoons a week that i am a bit of a chauffeur but I am enjoying the close contact with the kids. This last week I also went along to the Rose City quilters and heard a very interesting speaker who was a quilter who had been trekking in Nepal to Annapurna BAse Camp, and the Garden Club had a Christmas lunch  bus trip to Foxton beach. Nice group of people and I was able to get to know a couple of them a bit better chatting on the bus and over lunch. 

Next weekend i am heading up to Auckland for a residential weekend so need to get some of my computer related tasks done - the publication  i am putting together to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Auckland branch of the School of Philosophy will be a pleasure although a challenge. And i am also proof reading the PhD thesis of one of jonathan's students.. not a difficult task for this one - her English is quite good. 

Well back to some housework - the family is coming over for a roast lamb dinner tonight and the rain is still drizzling down... Time for a cuppa! and the heater is now on. 

View east from the lighthouse

After my afternoon hike to the top I went back to Ngawi the little fishing village where freedom camping is allowed on the shore - the wind was very light at that time so i felt safe but the shape of what trees there were made me realise I wouldnt want to park on the seashore when it was really blowing. The crayfishing boats are pulled by little bulldozers - apparently they need caterpillar treads to cope with the sloping gravelly beach rather than the usual little tractors you see pulling boats on these shores. The wind picked up a bit during the night but not too bad - chilly though - straight from the Antarctic. The cliffs are gravelly soft rock and slips are very common - the road was passable at that time but a few narrow spots where i was glad I wasnt driving in the dark. 

Ngawi