New Years Eve

Looking dangerous, Sue mixes up a cocktail for New Years Eve drinks. This is the last photo for the year. Posting a photo or sometimes 2 each day has been a challenge but it has been fun. Thanks to all the people who I swooped upon with my camera for that shot of the day.  Without you that day would not have been the same!

Boys relaxing

Flood

Went up to the Rakaia Gorge this morning to check out the river after all the heavy rain yesterday. Quite a lot of traffic diverted from State Highway 1 which was closed.

Rain

Don't need to water today. Even the down pipe can't cope. We were going to go to Hororata for a golf tournament but decided to settle in with a book instead.

Green grass

Got to keep the watering up to keep your lawn looking great or it will end up looking like the one up the road.

Boxing day golf

Not a big field today, in fact we just managed to get the required 16 players to make it an official competition. Played an African Stableford and turned out to be a very social afternoon.

Xmas Day

A very pleasant and relaxed Xmas day at Wendy and Peters place. Wendy and her sister Mary Anne on the BBQ cooking up whitebait and garlic prawns to go with the ham and cold boneless turkey and all the the other wonderful food.  What a feast

Xmas Eve

Line up outside the berry farm at 9am this morning. Apparently they had to ration them to one box per customer. An hour later there was no one there so must have sold out.

Xmas lights

Veg Garden

Veg garden is looking great but not for long now that the nor wester has reached 85kms this morning.

Rakaia river

High wind and rain up in the hills causing the Rakaia River to flood.

Ham night

Picked up the Hams tonight, quite a social occasion as you cant get away with out a drink and a nibble.

Xmas cheer

A mixed box of  very good Marlborough Sauvignon  Blanc arrived on a friends door step. The problem was which one do we try first? 

Phew!

Very hot at golf and we were tempted to put more than just our feet in the creek afterwards.

Partridge

Don't know where it came from but this partridge was on our back lawn under the apricot tree today. Well I suppose thats close to a "Pear tree". It is Xmas after all!

Xmas Tree

Looks a bit lonely so may have to go shopping to put something under it!

Main Street Xmas Decorations

Well I suppose the Nor west can blow though these OK

Holy Shit!

Frodos hair/fur stood on end when he saw this big purple bird today. Peter Lynn a local kite maker tests his kites in the park over the back and Frodo got all bushy tailed and hid inside.

Clean up

Christmas at the Races in Methven yesterday so it was back up there today to put every thing away till the next meeting.

Sunday ride

Nice way to spend a Sunday morning. Biked down to explore the new Industrial Park and the cycle ways there followed by a coffee on the way home.

Garden

Have got a giant cabbage in the veg garden.

Lunch

Girls went to the new Cafe at the garden center for lunch. Turned out to cost a bit more than just lunch.  Had a bit of trouble fitting our purchases in the back with the golf clubs.

Quake damage

Up to ChCh for my 6 monthly thing and alls well.   This is quite a common sight and most of the older houses that once had brick chimneys now only have patches on the roofs where chimneys once were.

Hair day

That looks great Karen, I like the way the black blends down from top of my head to my shoulders.

Retouch Job

One of the trickier retouching jobs I've had to do.

Blue Heron

Out on the bike this morning and spotted this Blue Heron doing a bit of grooming.

Hosing restrictions

Hosing restrictions started this weekend, today is our day.

Last outing

Shoe got blown out on the practice green and had to be taped up for its last round.  Its the wearers last round for a while too due to a shoulder op next week.

Wendy's roses

Friday drinks a Wendy's. Her roses are looking great.

Hold Up

 Team Stableford at Ashburton to day. 120 players so there were quite a few hold ups like the 3 groups on this par 3.  We did OK coming in 6th.

Paving

Russ gets some supervision with his paving contract.