Adventure - but I like soppy romances too!

Classical music, light opera and easy listening.

I love a good adventure story ... when work-related reading allows... and admit to being easily side-tracked. I guess the Bible is the greatest adventure story of all as its impact reaches from here to eternity. It deserves to be well read - hence the picture of the well worn copy here!

Warm colours - pink - red - orange - but I like dark blue as well!

An important issue:


And another worthy of support:

Periperi chicken wings.
Chai Latte.
Chocolate.

We returned from Australia in May following our visit to Alice Springs to welcome our newest grandson. I can still picture our glimplse of water in the Todd - a view of the normally dry river that visitors to Alice often do not see.

Quoting from Dr Seuss: “How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

The bare red hillsides, red rocks and desert sand, eucalypts and desert plants that we left behind in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia are in stark contrast to the green hills, Punga ferns and tea tree scrub of New Zealand...... but hold their own special attraction.

Married for 39 years and still together! Mother of two sons and one daughter (and the associated two daughters in law and one son in law)and grandmother to two delightful grand-daughters, the elder now aged 4 years - she was born in October 2006 - and the younger now 6 months old - she was born in June 2010 - and two equally delightful grandsons, one born in May 2009 in Ireland and, the more recent arrival, born in Alice Springs Australia in April 2010. All of our children - and grandchildren - are now overseas. One son is working in England and the other in Ireland at present - probably away for at least another year .... not sure if and when our son in England will return premanently - but he and his wife, who had never been to New Zealand, visited (on our air miles) for my husband's significant birthday in April 2009. Their presence made Ted's birthday a very special celebration. Our daughter and her husband and 3-year-old daughter left to work in Alice Springs in mid January 2010 - at least our son-in-law was working this year - our daughter took a year off to care for their new baby. They joined us in New Zealand for Christmas and will be here until mid January.

My Grandchildren: two little grand-daughters now aged 4 years and 6 months - and two little grandsons now aged 19 months and 8 months - I love them all so much.

Travel: We have travelled overseas on many occasions. We visited Great Britain and Spain and Portugal during 2007. In 2008 we enjoyed home exchanges in Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand and in the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia and, in the early part of that year, visited Thailand for our son' Richard's wedding - a mid point for the NZ and UK based parents and a country with romantic associations for the couple as that is where they met several years ago. In 2009 we visited the Gold Coast of Queensland - beaches that go on for ever overlooked by incongruous skyscrapers and backed by a green hinterland, and, closer to home, Wellington and the South Island (the Mainland to those who live there!) In 2010 we visited Alice Springs in Australia and enjoyed a brief visit to Dunedin in the South Island of New zealand.
My computer: How could I forget my virtual good friend!

Cold weather - I love warmth.
Anger and resentment.

Photography: I really enjoy digital photography because it allows me to be snap happy without concern for the cost - then play with the end result!

I made a Slideshow of our visit to ANZAC Hill in Alice Springs 4 days after ANZAC Day. Thought that you might enjoy sharing it.