Ann & Peter

in New Zealand

Kia Ora

February has been a quiet month with us going to work in the week and working in the garden at weekends.

The heap of wood at the bottom of the paddock is slowly getting smaller, and our pile of firewood that Peter has cut up is growing bigger. We have planted the last of the Red Robin in an arc between the new garage and the house. This screens off the shed, compost heaps and woodpile from the driveway. There is enough room at either end for us to put up trellis for fruit trees. It's going to be our mini orchard.

The swing seat has been moved (again) to the middle of the large flower bed - Peter says that's the last time! We pulled up some ground cover plants that were taking over and the seat gives us a very good view of the garden from there.

Peter has built the bases for two new bonsai stands and we now have to get the wood for the backs and paint it all.

Ann broke mower again!!! This time she managed to snap the drive belt to the mower blades. This was an easier one for Peter to replace.

Ann decided that she was not fit enough after our trip to the Coromandel so we have upped the distance we walk each evening with the dogs. We now manage 4.2kms each night, after a few evenings we are even managing to do it in the same time as the shorter distance we walked before.

Sandra from the bonsai club celebrated her 50th birthday. We went out for a meal with her on the Saturday night, then enjoyed a bonsai workshop at her place on the Sunday afternoon.

On the 26th we went to see Billy Connolly at Founders Theatre in Hamilton. He was his usual rude, irreverent self - hilarious!

Preparations are well underway for the V8 racing around the city in April with the grandstands already being built up along Peter's route to work.

Our veges continue to grow well. We've dug up the beetroot, Peter boiled it (a messy business) and Ann bottled it - yummy!
	Ann, Maxie and Jaz take time out of their busy schedules to watch the flowers grow!

Peter has been working on the family tree. With the release of some information from the UK 1911 Census he has managed to add details for one Great Grandfather, one Great Grandmother, 5 Great Aunts, a Great Uncle, a Great Aunt or Uncle and one Great Great Grandmother. He is waiting for a copy of a birth certificate to come before he can update the website with all of the new details.

News from Home

Carol sent a couple of photos from their last holiday in the Lake District.
	Mike, Carol and David enjoying some down time on a long walk, whilst Bryn and Hannah 'chill' in the car.