JUST A BIT OF STUFF

 

Well, it's lovely to be home.

But now I have some serious work to do.

While those 'comparison photos' I posted yesterday look OK, I know I'm not looking 'that' good.

We had no holds barred meals while away, and OMG can I tell I've over eaten.

I had already gained quite a bit of weight in the past 6 months, with stress eating.  But now?  I feel pretty yuk.

So, I am going to make a concentrated effort to lose a few kilos before we move, and also do more exercise to be fitter.

There's a few jobs to do around here today, and I also need to pop out to pay a bill.

Before I forget, I took a reading of our odometer before we left on our trip, and when we arrived home again.

We drove a grand total of 1,319 kilometres on our trip, or 819.5 miles.  Fairly impressive.  My butt only started hurting on our last day travelling! 

Right, I'm off to get the washing on the line, and get on with my day.

10.39 am, and all is done around here.  I'm now literally twiddling my fingers, wondering what the hell I can do for the next 50+ days until we move.

I have our dining suite on Marketplace, and the number of enquiries is huge, but no sale yet.

So many damn cheeky buggers offering way lower than my asking price.

If it doesn't go in the next month I'm giving it to the Hospice shop.  It's so frustrating dealing with time wasters.

First afternoon in months I've got a massive headache.  I've taken some painkillers, so hopefully it's gone by the time I want to drop Stew at the pub and then visit the kids.

ABOVE:  Lacy called in this morning to return the house keys.  She brought her little cat ... who did not like Coco at all.  Coco was not fussed by the cat at all of course, I'm sure she would have happily played with her, but Sylvie was having none of it.  She hissed and tried to whack Coco.  

It was nice to see Lacy and get me house key back.  I went out first thing this morning and when I got home I did wonder how I was going to get into me own house!  Luckily, I had the garage door opener.  

I did a bit of back shed sorting out this morning too, and put a big dog pen out the front for free pickup.  It went pretty quickly.   I've managed to give away quite a lot of smaller things that way.

Either on the roadside, or hospice shop drop offs.

Soon there won't be anything left to get rid of!

Well, except the dining suite.  And I won't just give that away to any old Joe Blogs.

ABOVE: Stew sent me this an hour ago via Messenger.

How did I get so lucky?

We celebrate our first meeting on September 28th this year... it will be FORTY YEARS!!!   40 years of being with him, and I wish we had another 40 to go.  He may get VERY OLD AND WRINKLY, but I'd still love him.  I on the other hand, will stay exactly the way I am now of course! lol  As if.

He cheered me up no end with that little meme.

DOGSTAR is working on a film set in Minnesota, USA. She has to supply all the food/drink for the 'stars'.  One of the main stars only drinks DIET COKE!  So she has it ready to pass over to 'them' when needed.  

Today she handed it to 'M' and 'M' was like "How did you know?"  Cute.

Thanks for the comment telling me about it Christine.

So a wrap up of the evening... Stew arrived home, I dropped him off at the pub, then I visited with Steve and Bex.  Steve joined Stew at the pub for an hour, then I took Stew home.

I wasn't in the mood for the pub, so didn't join the guys.

Home now, watching Coronation Street, before going to bed.  Catch ya tomorrow.

TIME TO HEAD HOME

 

We are heading home today.  It has been an awesome break away, something we both needed after a long campaign selling and buying houses.  

It's been good to just get away and forget about it all.

ABOVE: The view from our motel room.  We have stayed here before.  It's not the 'flashest, newest' motel around, but I utterly refuse to spend over $200 a night to sleep in a room and have a shower!   It does well enough of us.

ABOVE:  The fabrics I found yesterday.  I think you can see a trend in the colours.  😂😅😊

They are so lovely.  I can't wait to use them.

Need to get home now. 

ABOVE:  I found a piece of driftwood for the 'collection' on the beach right in front of our motel last night.   

I think that will do for driftwood and rocks now.  😂😊

We will be leaving around 8 - 8.30.  It is a 300 km trip from here to Hamilton, via Taupo.  So a fairly long trip.  We might drop in on my Aunt and Uncle in Kinloch ... if they are home.

12 noon,  safely at Taupo.

ABOVE:  An easy lunch by the lake. 

3.10 pm, and we are about to leave Taupo.  The one and only problem we have encountered this trip has been .... finding places that sell DIET COKE!

We ran out today, and it's taken us a while to find anywhere that sells it, let alone already chilled.  

ABOVE: Saved from dehydration!  They had it at the BP Petrol station at Wairakei.  Now we can head off on our final stretch home.

It is now 6.34 pm, and we have been home about an hour.  Enough time to unpack, get the washing on and then get on here to do an update.

ABOVE: The countryside between Napier and Taupo is gorgeous.  LOTS of mountainous ranges, forestry and farms.  

Quite a few stops and starts with roadworks too.

 

ABOVE: The drain covers in Taupo are rather stunning.

We had a nice lunch down by the lakefront, before going to Kinloch to visit my Aunt and Uncle.

ABOVE: The lakefront at Kinloch, so nice.  

From Taupo to Putaruru there were two really BIG diversions due to roadworks on State Highway 1... which added time and distance to our trip.

On the Napier to Taupo road, there's a waterfall that we stopped at back in 2022.  Today we stopped there again, and I took a couple of photos.   It wasn't until I saw the photos from 2022 that I realised that I was wearing the EXACT SAME TOP today!  lol

ABOVE:  Stew's comparison photos.... I'm so relieved I got him to chop that damn hair off!  He's looking rather dashing now I must say, some weight loss and that Santa Clause beard.  Nice.  😊

ABOVE:  Me in the same top.... the first photo is not a good one!  

There was a lot less water going over the falls today, but it was still pretty.

ABOVE: The very first thing I noticed when we arrived home, a lovely Welcome Home card from Lacy.

She did an awesome job house/dog sitting... THANK YOU SO MUCH LACY.

You can do it again some day.  😊

Coco is in 7th Heaven, back on Stew's lap.  She sniffed us all over when we arrived home, and seems to be happy we are back.

We've had a very calm, relaxing evening, just watching the telly with our feet up.  So nice to be home again.

OFF TO NAPIER WE GO

 Today we start the third leg of our 5 day jaunt around the East Cape.

We are off to Napier next.  This is another stretch of road that I have never been on.   Stew's been on it once, back in the very early 2000's.

So, new territory still.

Once we arrive in Napier, we will have a tiki tour around, before meeting up with GM, who is a regular commentor on the blog.  I have meet her some years ago when she took one of the first puppies from Coco.

Sadly, that puppy died from, I think Parvo?  Now she has George, hence she is known as GM (George's Mum).  I call her Robyn.  😂😊

Her and my Mum used to 'talk' via the blog quite a bit too.  

So, we shall have a lovely day I'm sure.

8.30 am, on the road again. There's been some rain overnight,  so much cooler today. 

ABOVE: Not as far to go today. 

ABOVE: Bye bye GIZZY.

2.31 pm.  In Napier.  Had lunch, and wandered around the shops.  Then did the waterfront, and a little tiki tour.

We are now at the motel and ready for a relax for a while.

Feeling a bit jaded today I must say.

ABOVE: Where the Wairoa River meets the sea.  It was very rough.

ABOVE:  Seriously, I have no idea where this was taken!  Somewhere between Wairoa and Raupunga.  

ABOVE:  We stopped at this pretty little lake.

Nice to see you could actually swim in it if you wanted to.  

There were lots of little fish close to the shoreline.

ABOVE:  Lake Tutira.

ABOVE: There was even a small school group out kayaking on the lake. 

ABOVE:   DEVIL'S ELBOW, in the middle of nowhere!

ABOVE: We had stopped for road works at 'Devil's Elbow' bend on the road to Napier.

It was so pretty looking out over the bush.  They are building a bridge to cut out the bend.

ABOVE: FIRST stop once we arrived in Napier?  The fabric shop.  I found a bit of fabric there, some really lovely stuff.

ABOVE:  It was not very busy in the shopping streets at all.

We went to a cafe for a pie and chips for lunch.

ABOVE: We found these giant chairs along the waterfront.  Only time I'm ever going to feel small.

ABOVE:  My piece of Napier Driftwood to take home.

ABOVE: Nice view back towards Whirinaki Beach.

And that's it for now.  

7.55 pm: And we are just back from having a delightful dinner with Robyn at a very nice eatery by the Marina.

ABOVE: Stew and I shared some Calamari and Pork Bites, followed by a bowl of Chicken Fettucine each.  VERY filling, and very yummy.

ABOVE: Robyn had a monster burger!!!  She took half of it home for her lunch tomorrow.

It was super lovely to catch up with Robyn after so many years.

I hope it doesn't take as long next time.

We are now going to wind down and get to bed fairly early.  There is another long road trip tomorrow.

SIXTY DAYS TO GO!

 

Another good night's sleep... and today is a day off travelling.

We will potter around Gisborne, take in the  shops, and the scenery.

ABOVE:  The countdown continues.  It is slowly going by.  Two months to go.

Right, time to get up and start our day here.

1.36 pm.  We have been out and about all morning.

Shops.  Beach. Scenery. 

We are not into visiting wineries, walking and cycling tracks, historic places, etc.  

We just like doing little drives around the area.

Which we did.

ABOVE: Our first stop was the Marina.  It's not too big.

ABOVE:  OMG, I'd kill to have that on me front lawn!  Talk about a massive rusty bit. And an anchor to boot.

ABOVE:  Last night we watched the first ship in the row being loaded with logs.  This morning it had tug boats around it, being readied to be guided out of the dock, and off on it's way.

ABOVE: We went up this lookout hill...

ABOVE:  A very pretty drive up... and LOTS of people walking up and down the lookout hill.

There were also plenty of walking tracks through the bush.

ABOVE:  I stumbled on this plaque.  Special.  I loved Princess Diana.

ABOVE: The view was worth it.

NOT that we walked up that friggin hill!  

ABOVE:  The logging ship being guided out into the harbour.

ABOVE:  Lovely views from the top of the lookout.  I feel like the sky was prettier.

ABOVE:  One logging ship leaving, and top left, one waiting to come in.

ABOVE:  I bought ONE piece of fabric here in Gisborne.  Because a) they had bugger all patchwork fabric, and b) it was up to $39.50 a metre!

No thank you.

ABOVE:  We drove out to Midway Beach, which was really just a continuation of the main beach out from Gisborne.

ABOVE: The entire shoreline is littered with wood and driftwood.  It was messy. 

ABOVE: We have gathered a few pieces of driftwood here and there, for a future project.

ABOVE:  A little rotunda on the Waimata River, down by the main shopping street.

ABOVE: We had lunch at The Rivers Restaurant and Bar, right beside the main road and river.  It was amazing how many logging trucks, both fully loaded and empty drove past.  On their way to the port, or out again.

Eastland Port is the second biggest logging port in New Zealand.

ABOVE:  Lunch/dinner.  Very nice, chips were very average though.

We are now back at the motel to do this update (it takes up to an hour to do this), then we might wander out again.

5 pm:  We went out for another little tiki tour around the area.

We ended up at Wainui Beach first.

ABOVE:  A rickety little boardwalk to get down to the beach.

It is a very long surf beach.

ABOVE:  A local resident, he didn't bat an eye at me.

EVERYBODY LOOK TO THE LEFT...

EVERYBODY LOOK TO THE RIGHT...

And now you have seen Wainui Beach!

ABOVE: Wainui Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

It's a very exposed beach, so no doubt needs that facility.

ABOVE:  Memento of Wainui Beach.  The driftwood sucked on this beach.

After that beach, we drove out to Sponge Bay Beach.  

ABOVE: Sponge Bay Beach was totally closed off to the public due to some very significant slips.  It was rather dangerous.

ABOVE: A lovely little island easily seen from Sponge Bay Beach.

If I didn't like shops so much, I'd love to live on me own little island.

ABOVE:  NOW.  In case you are sick to the back teeth of beaches!  I give you cows.  Cos I can.

They were smelly.  Just so you can appreciate the effort I took.  😂😉😊

7.20 pm. Sitting in bed watching the telly. About to send Stew out for some nibbles... Catch ya tomorrow.