Halloween

Millie decided against dressing up this year. The Petone children are far more organised than the Stokes Valley ones seemed - although I did have a gate there and people often assumed a dog might be waiting behind it, so Trick or Treaters were few and far between and I often was forced to polish off the leftover of Freddo frogs. This year I have a big bag of lollies, of dodgy foreign origin, and luckily so - the last little girl had silly string and she wasn't afraid to use it on unco-operative neighbours. Halloween seems to be growing here. Not sure I think that's a great idea - but as a kid I would have thought it was brilliant, so I play along.

2000 Pieces Later ...

... mission accomplished.

Price Increase

Hopefully it's to pay for an on-site dictionary! I won't be dropping my car off at this car valet service in Queensgate - it's looking decidedly dodgy these days.

Deck the Halls ...

... and deck the malls! And you can keep paying for it until well after Christmas 2012 - the madness begins!

Off to a New Home

The lucky auction winner sent her gardener around (Kevin from Flower Power - just call 9343551 for all your gardening needs) to complete the transaction. Now the sweet fragrance of lavender can prevail, and the cost has been met for the makeover.

One Day More

One more sleep-in, one more day of pottering. It's been a great break.

Goodbye, Box Hedging

I wasn't that keen on it when I moved in, mainly because I thought keeping it neatly trimmed would be a pain and that it was a bit fussy for a beach garden. I was quite pleased with my subsequent efforts with the clippers, so had decided to stick with it. Then I had a conversation with my neighbour yesterday and learnt the unpleasant smell near my front door wasn't the result of tomcats spraying, as my nose had told me, but the odour box hedging exudes! I googled to confirm and she is spot on. If only gardeners had taken heed of Queen Anne when she banished the plant from Hampton Court, for this very reason, centuries ago. A sweet smelling lavendar hedge will replace it. In the meantime, anyone who has a position they wish to relocate these plants to, well away from a house, can take them away from a $1 reserve auction on TradeMe. Otherwise they will be binned on Monday - high noon!

Puzzling Times

I'd quite forgotten how compulsive a jigsaw can be. This is just the first, and easier, of two in the pack. The second one has no picture to guide the puzzler and would probably be best left to the Christmas break.

A Trip to The Lighthouse ...

... to see The Trip. Good movie.

Beach Garden Accessorising

Once you have a pohutukawa, then your garden just screams out for Cape Cod chairs! A bit of a bargain at the Petone Warewhare - as the jingle goes I got a bargain, and a money back guarantee. Actually no money back guarantee due to the chairs being clearance items, but a real saving. Another sterling 'non-contact' day!

Gardening at the Beach

It wouldn't be a beach garden without a pohutukawa, so in one went today - Metrosideros excelsa Maori Princess to be precise. Goes to 8 metres apparently, but that will take a while so will worry about the consequences in a few years hence. Another holiday project ticked off the list.

An Exhausting Day

Millie is all tuckered out from entertaining visitors yesterday and is planning on a day in bed. I will be walking to school for a few hours work before lunch and afternoon tea bookings. A satisfying day ahead for us both - and the sun is shining!

Another Year Bites the Dust

But great family and friends made it a special day. Thanks to all!

Where Have They Gone?

The new telephone books appeared in my letter box this morning. If their slimmed down appearance is anything to go on, a lot of people and businesses have left us in the last 12 months!

It's All Go

A very pleasant brunch at Beach Babylon, a little shopping and out for dinner. And so ends the first week.

Don't Panic!

The first week of 'non-contact time' is flying by.

Pleasant walking on the beach this morning, then catching up with friends in the afternoon.

I love seagulls, I love ducks - I love seagulls pretending to be ducks.

Spot the Difference

The ugly nightstore heater is gone from the hallway - much nicer.

Stupid Facebook Stuff

How many friends have YOU got?

A Little Brahms and Liszt ...

... with some Chopin and Bartok. Nearly four hours of quality 'Last Night at the Proms' at the Lighthouse this afternoon. The pianist Lang Lang was amazing, and I feel I could support him well by taking over the triangle solo in the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1. Best of all though, the rousing singing at the end - Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and my all time favourite - Jerusalem. A big 'two thumbs up' for day one of my holidays.

For the More Spiritual Child ...

... why settle for a playhouse when you can get your budding nun, priest or cult leader their very own playchurch? And with a little divine intervention, given that it is being raffled at the local hardware establishment, a suitable little cherub will be selected for this ultimate in play real estate.

A Lot More Trash Than Treasure

Spotted the sign on the way to visit a friend and made a quick detour. I got there a bit late to nab the real bargains, but I did do well from the garden plants stall. Tomorrow I can add some forget-me-nots and a few wee perennials to the front garden. A pleasant time lunching in Karori and even picked up $75 from last week's Lotto ticket. All in all, a good start to the holidays.

Goodbye Alarm Clock

Although I enjoy my work, mornings don't come naturally to me. As of this morning, the alarm will not be set again for 17 mornings - yippee! I'm thinking some new garden furniture might be a nice shopping focus for the break. I saw some very jazzy deck chairs locally, but as it's holiday time I think I owe it to the retail sector to check out the complete Greater Wellington region.

Roll on Summer

Let's hope this last few days is the last we shall see of cooler weather. The forecast is looking a little better and holidays are close now. The bonus is they are two weeks AND one day long, thanks to the RWC and Labour Day. I'm sure the extra wait will make them all the more lovely. Then we will blink, and it will be Christmas. This has been a fast year!

An Undecided Voter

Apparently, we have an election in a few weeks. Not sure what this home owner is trying to tell us - National is out in front or Labour is the high flyer?

The Man in Black

A great cover from a great man

The Perils of Hunting

I'm not ashamed to admit that when I read of a hunter shot while enjoying his 'sport' my heart sings a little. And don't give me that " you eat meat, blah, blah, blah" nonsense. What appalls me about the hunting fraternity is the sheer pleasure they get from what is clearly a bloodlust. They dispatch the innocent with a glee far beyond that of one acquiring food for a family. They do not do it because they need to feed their family, they do it because they enjoy delivering death.

Annihilation

With my trusty ginzu steak knife, I have dispatched all the dandelions in the lawn to dandelion heaven. They lived to regret ever parachuting in to this address! Also tidied up the pots and finished off the new garden with some annuals. A satisfying day.