Ann & Peter

in New Zealand

Nga mihi o te tau hou - Happy New Year

	We hosted our usual Bonsai workshop weekend with Nobu. This is a great weekend where we pick up tips from a very experienced Bonsai artist.
Whilst we worked hard on our trees Jaz and Maxie spent the weekend 'chilling' in the sun on the driveway.
	Jaz came in one evening and we noticed her repeatedly licking her lips. At first we just thought she’d found a tasty morsel to nibble on in the garden. Then we noticed one of the spots on her head was moving. She’d been in the hedge and had managed to catch a slug of all things. And while she sat on the sofa licking her lips and trying to figure out what was wrong with her head the slug was doing the fandango from ear to ear trying to find an escape route!

Driving back from our bonsai meeting at 10pm one Wednesday evening (dark, unlit country road) Ann had to swerve violently to get out of the way of a very large pig running towards us on our side of the road (only in New Zealand)!

Despite taking the almost exact same perambulation route every day round the village Jaz still managed to bop her nose (rather hard) on an old rusty pipe sticking up from the ground. A pipe which she has repeatedly sniffed and peed on over the years – so she knows it’s there.

Two years ago we began growing our own Christmas trees and this year we managed to dig up our very own tree. Not bad growth from a one year seedling don't you think.
Maxie loved her Christmas presents - squeaky fries and chicken! Jaz was not at all impressed as it wasn't anything she could eat.

We had a lovely, relaxing quiet Christmas day - lots of eating, drinking and reading - with a little dog walking in between. Boxing day we spent with friends at the races. We managed (for the first time) to come away $5 in credit!

Whilst the strawberries have almost finished we've begun to harvest our own spuds, onions, peas and courgettes - yum! Still waiting for the baby tomatoes, carrots, capsicum and pumpkins.

Ann's repertoire in the kitchen is getting better - she's now making vege sausages, vege sausage rolls, fruit ice cream and truffles (although Peter still has to do the actual cooking).

We've been working on our flower border. We've moved the swing seat to the centre and have planted the roses Ann was given by her colleagues, in memory of her Mum, around it. We've also planted some dahlias there too - in memory of Peter's Grandad.

News from home.

Hugh wasn’t much impressed with Ann’s attempts at Christmas poetry and his reply was - 

An Ode to Lost Education

What’s happened to you Ann!
I’m taking this hard
Remember - You come
From the land of the Bard!

I’ve read some bad poems
Even helped to beget
One or two little ditties
I’d rather forget

But this is the limit
I’m shuddering still
Your Christmassy poem
Has made me feel ill

Your language is English
Not Kiwi or Oz
I’m so disappointed
And this is because

Your meter is awful
Your rhymes are all broken
And no-one should ever
Rhyme a “soon” with an “open”!

And a “daft” and a “laugh”
Make a terrible pair
Your standards have fallen
I really despair

To write rhymes like that?
Without a red face?
Your Australia must be
A terrible place!

Maybe you have sunstroke
Or the wine must have flowed
Too fast, to account for
Your odious ode

But although you’ve gone native
I wish you good cheer
Just don’t write another one
For us next year!

Clive and Jackie sent us a photo of their garden on Christmas Eve. Brrr - it looks sooooo cold!!!
	In contrast we've been having 25 - 30 degree days with 80% humidity - phew!