Well, today Jer is flat in bed with the flu bug!!  It's been doing the rounds here, and now it's even gotten the foreigner!!!  Hopefully, I won't be next.  So, I'm enjoying the sunshine and Angela's sunny warm yard, while he's sleeping it off upstairs!

Nelson airport from the walking loop. feel rather close to the planes when they land.

This morning I walked the airport loop.  Nelson airport is 3 km from Monaco, which is the peninsula that Angela lives on. The airport loop is 6 km, so in total I walked 12 km.  Great!!! Tide was coming in when I started, and receding on my way back.

white faced heron enjoying high tide

Monaco can be seen across the Waimea Inlet from the Nelson airport walking loop

Enjoying the Nelson trains last Sunday

New Zealand flax beginning to bloom 

OlieBollen at Saturday's market.  Like our portzelky, but with CHOCOLATE

Hiked the Grampians (mountain range behind Nelson) Tuesday morning.  From Angela's we biked up to the bottom of the hill, and then walked up to the top where you see the TV transmitter. My legs are not used to biking and hiking hills!  

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Kahikatea tree. 300 - 500 years old 

pukatea tree.  HUGE!!!

banana passion flower vine in bloom

At the top, the view is spectacular. 

Overlooking Nelson. Dark green spot is Rabbit Island across the Waimea Inlet 

Overlooking Nelson and Harbour. across Waimea Inlet and ocean beyond.

Tuesday evenings.  A high light of Andrew's week.  We went to watch, and saw him score a goal!!! Felt a little like the days of old, except the arena was not cold.  Quite hot, actually.  They stop playing in December, and start again in February.  Too hot!

Hockey!!!!!

Yesterday, Jer went golfing again.  

Waahi Taakaro Golf course 

It's been a long time since I posted, but we've been busy in Nelson! Is soooo.... great to be here, experiencing and bonding with this family!

finished!!!

Jer finished the sandpit just in time for Frieda's birthday.  It was a great day, celebrating with family and friends.  Sunny and warm!!!

Frieda and I were in charge of decorating the yard

Mummy made her a Peppa Pig cake!!!

New Zealand celebrates Guy Fawkes day on November 5, and you can hear fireworks for days before, and for weeks after! Seems like everyone sets them off, all evening long! Of course, that makes it hard for kids (and adults) to fall asleep.

Pavlova!  Yummy!

We are slowly getting to know Andrew and Bella's friends and family. Andrew took the day off on Monday, and we all went to an animal farm. Been invited to a few pot luck suppers, at friends and at family member homes. Nice getting to know the people Andrew and Bella have been talking about. 

Jer has been able to borrow golf clubs, and has extended his golfing season by one more month this year! (He's hoping it will be 2 months by the time we leave)!  I'm getting to know the coffee shops here, and have decided it's a flat white that I like best. Frieda gets a fluffy!

flat white

One morning we biked into town, a round trip of about 17 km.  A little harder biking than at home because of the hills.  But it was fun.

Helmets required!

tried a sandwich with Maori fried bread - like our rollkuchen!

roundabouts are huge here!

This week Jer and I also picked the broad beans for Bella's aunt, podded them, then blanched them!!! When we arrived here, I didn't even know what broad bean plants looked like!!!

huge bean pods

Hmmmmm....maybe we need to plant them in our garden next year?? Though, we've tried the frozen packaged ones, and didn't like them.

Shortly after we arrived, Bella's 96 year old Granny was hospitalized, and this week Bella has gone to sit with her in the afternoons.  We've stayed at home with Frieda (grandparent bonding), and yesterday, we even babysat her while Andrew and Bella (and Evie) went to Andrew's work Christmas dinner!  No tears!!!!

The best, however, is spending time with our kids and grandkids!

scooping out a pumpkin, to make muffins

snuggling

Life has been busy here.  We've been touristing in the Nelson area, and being somewhat domestic as well!!!  I've taken to wearing 3 layers on top, so I stay warm!  The sun is really warm, the wind is cold.
Sunday we joined Andrew and Bella on a family picnic for his first annual AGM for his beer club. The guys meet once a month, to compare and share the bottles of beer they made that month. We drove out to Rabbit Island and enjoyed some food and the beach.

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After everyone left to put their littles to nap, Jer and I decided to walk around the island.  We ended up walking about 11 km!!! Gorgeous!

Yellow bushes blooming all over the island

Tasman Sea (or ocean) behind me

Came back to our kids house, and Bella had prepared a delicious roast lamb for supper.  Will try that once we are back home!

Tide's out!!! Monday morning walk with our Kiwi family!  

Christmas is coming!  This Santa looks a little different than the Canadian Santa!

While I've been off watching our grand daughter at her music class, or helping drop her off at her daycare (preschool), Jer has been busy building her a sandpit for her birthday!!

She is very excited to be getting a new sandpit!

One of my jobs at Bella's mom's house (where we are staying) is to water the gardens and plant pots, while she is away. I'm also attempting to do some weeding, but not always sure what's a weed!!!

Love this job. Almost makes me feel like a local!!

On our 6 km hike into Marsden Valley yesterday, we saw some really neat plants.

chick n hens???

It looks like a poker plant!

wild poppies

Arum lily growing alongside a creek

....and some birds NZ birds!!!

Pukeko!!!

And today, back on Rabbit Island, we watched our son at work!  To quote some of the guys, some of the days, it couldn't be better!!!

First, at morning tea right on the edge of Tasman Sea....

....then, at the top of some 80 ft trees!!!

We continued on our drive around the countryside, and stopped for some yummy fish and chips in Mapua.  An interesting twist on the coleslaw....it had mint in it.  We found a quilt shop in that little town...fabric was $24.00 to $28.00 a meter!!!!!

Gurnard fish

It's been cold here.  Temps of 15 C, but very windy! And they have no furnaces.  Sometimes a room heater! Yesterday morning we woke to see SNOW on the mountains. No wonder it's cold!

the view from our bedroom window.  See the snow????

Yet, everything seems to be blooming!  The air is so aromatic! Trees, bushes and perennial flowers... all in bloom!

don't know the name of this one, but very aromatic

camellia

wisteria

bottle brush.. looks like one too!

Halloween seems to be a non-event here.  We saw orange donuts in a bakery. Andrew only had one set of trick or treaters at his door all evening.

the only decorated yard we saw

Today we drove out to a country fair, about an hours drive from Nelson.  An old fashioned country fair.  pony rides, baking and plants for sale, snacks to eat while sitting on the grass or hay bales.

scones, preserves with cream.  YUMMY

and a pastie!


Jerry is learning right hand drive.  We are very fortunate to have at our disposal, Bella's mum's car. Supper tonight was a typical NZ barby (BBQ) at Bella's brother's house.  A lot of the cuzzies were there!

White bait, caught on Monday, frozen and......

....and fried in batter!  Yummy!!!
the eyes are crunchy!!!

We made it!!! A long flight, but the best one we've had coming here.  Very little turbulence, and we managed to sleep during the night!!! 

Meeting and getting to know our grandchildren is wonderful! With skyping as often as we have been, there was no hesitancy on F's part in playing with us.

She LOVES her Bapa!

snuggling E, the six week old.  love the new baby smell!!!

Fresh flounder for our first supper, caught the evening before by her Uncle Adam

Tide's out!  Our 6:30 AM walk. A view of Nelson in the distance

One more sleep!!!!! One more sleep!!!

 One more sleep, and so much to do! Daughter and family are moved out and settling into their new home, house is almost ready for house sitter, errands are almost done and I'm getting excited!!!!

Our spare room is starting to look like this!!!

Our yard is beginning to look like it's ready for winter and our leaving!! Right now it's 13 C here and 12 C in Nelson!!! It's hard to leave our balmy weather at the end of October, but I'm quite sure by the time we get there, the temps in Nelson will be warmer than here!!! And we will be experiencing t-shirt and shorts weather!!!

This is where we are headed!!!

An aerial view of Nelson