Sweet As! Have an awesome Christmas.

The weeks have flown by and it's a surprise to realise that we haven't written anything for almost 3 months. We have been very busy and the house build has taken up a lot of our time, which has been both fun and interesting.

After a mild but wet winter and various delays, especially with the windows, completion of the house is about 2 months behind schedule. Today, at long last, the majority of the windows were finally installed and the house has taken on a whole new dimension.

Inside the electrics, plumbing and central heating work is done and the walls are being gibbed. Outside, the stucco work has started and we are trying to find the best colour to paint the house.

Joan arrived from the UK at the beginning of November and had an enjoyable journey via Dubai and Sydney in the expert care of Barbara, our Kiwi friend who had been holidaying in Europe and kindly offered to accommpany her. Joan is enjoying the best that NZ has to offer..........temperatures in the mid-20's, blue skies and the prospect of Christmas Day at the beach. Our sypathies are with those of you who are currently snowed in and freezing in the UK!

Since Joan arrived we have also had visits from Rosemary and Andrew from the UK and Maureen and Stuart from Oz- it was lovely to see them all and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. We are both gaining weight as everyone loves the local fish and chips and we have been "forced" to indulge in them more than we usually do!

After almost 2 years in NZ we continue to love being here and are very happy.

The Pohutakawas (NZ Christmas Trees) are flowering, the Jacarandas are in full bloom and we are constantly reminded of what a beautiful country we live in. It's awesome!

Rainbow over Papamoa Hills and Tauranga

We know that 2010 is going to be an exciting and fun year. We will move into our new home very soon, Tom's parents arrive in a few weeks for a 6 week holiday, we have tickets to see more concerts including a huge Motown event (many thanks to the Swiftshore crowd) and Michael McDonald, visits from a number of friends including Pete and Veronica and the Barron Knights, and maybe even some of our families.

Thank you to everyone for keeping in touch with us via email, Skype, letters and phone calls. It's great to hear from you and to hear your news.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

AND

A WONDERFUL 2010!!

Pohutakawa- New Zealand Xmas Tree

More to follow soon..............don't forget to click on the pictures to see them better..........

Sourcing!

The house from below.


The house from the side.

The house from the pool!

The upstairs bedroom from

the dining room and lounge

roof.

The view from the upstairs

bedroom.

We are busy sourcing fixtures and furniture- the electrician starts work at the end of the week and the windows will soon be going in.

Don't forget to click on the pictures to blow them up.

More to follow soon................................

40 Tonne Ballerinas in The Kingdom of Tonga

It was a huge privilege to be in The Kingdom of Tonga with these magnificant humpback whales- mums, babies and their escorts, whose presence in the water is so graceful. The Kingdom of Tonga is one of the few places in the world where it is legal to swim with whales, under highly professional and strictly controlled guidance. We were extremely fortunate to be guided and introduced to the whales by Allan Bowe of Mounu Island, whose passion for whale conservation and protection is inspirational as is his knowlege of the whales themselves.
The pictures and video speak for themselves and we hope you enjoy them. We will treasure the memories of this truly wonderful experience.

More to follow soon......................................................

The moon over Tauranga on 8 August 2009

More to follow soon............................................

Roos and Views

We have just returned from a much needed break- we visited Oz to see Maureen and Stuart and had a wonderful time. Their home is beautiful and we were treated to yummy food, great wines (mainly NZ Marlboroughs!), a boat trip in the warmth and sunshine (very welcome after NZ's cold snap), meeting the local wildlife (thankfully no spiders or snakes!) and plenty of laughs. Many thanks to them both for their kindness and hospitality- we look forward to spending time with them again in December when they visit NZ.

Tom enjoyed golf with Stuart at Hope Island and Lynn and Maureen caught up on the news, and all before lunchtime. It was a joy to see kangaroos up close, along with the varied and colourful birds such as honey eaters, lorakeets and pelicans. Sadly we didn't see any koalas although, with all the gum trees around, there is a possibility they were watching us.

In the time we were away the house continued to grow and the floor for the next level is now being done. As you can see from the pictures, the rooms on the main level are well defined and the shape of the house is easily seen:

The roof should be on by the end of August................watch this space!

More to follow soon........................................................................................