Kia Ora

We started the month with a bonsai weekend workshop which was wonderful. We had a great demonstrator over from Australia, Lee Wilson, who we discovered is actually a POM! As well as Lee we had friends from Paihia and Thames staying here. The girls even had a visitor to entertain as Sam came down with Dianne and Noel. Lee looked at all our trees and gave us some welcome advice as well as being an entertaining guest. Almost 20 club members attended the workshops over the weekend and over a dozen of us went out for a Chinese meal on the Saturday evening.

Although it's been a bit wet at times we've done quite well with the repotting of our bonsai by bringing them in to the garage to dry out for a few days then doing the repotting in the garage, either in the evening when there's nothing on the TV, or whilst it's raining at the weekend. We try to get the dogs to stay in the garage with us but Maxie always tries to sneak back into the family room and curl up on the sofa but Jaz likes to keep us in sight so she curls up on her bed in the garage.
Breakfast time - please feed me too Peter!!
	Yay - a nice warm fire on a cold winters evening!

Peter celebrated his birthday quietly – well he is getting on a bit now! Ann and the dogs gave him some books and Ann took him out for a curry at a new Indian restaurant.

We’ve discovered more escape routes from our section to the one next door that has the free range chickens. It seems Maxie is determined to treat herself to a chicken dinner one evening! So one weekend Peter spent half an hour in the hedge patching fencing and blocking up more holes.

Ann is back at school after two weeks holiday, and as it’s an 11 week term, she’s not a happy bunny. There are no public holidays this term either – so no long weekends.

Our kiwifruit vine got so knocked about by some late summer winds this year that we only had two kiwifruit grow on it this year – and just as they ripened up and Ann was contemplating picking them – there they were – GONE! Eaten by birds or possums who left only the skin and stalks!

Ann is already planning to grow more potatoes and kumara this year as we had such success last year. Peter’s only comment is that we still haven’t eaten all the potatoes that we grew this year yet. Then Jaz comes running out of the garage (where we’re storing all the spare vegetables) eating one of the potatoes! Mmm – think we’d better grow lots of extra veggies this year!

The trees for the new hedge and firewood arrived on the 31st and we'll have to get them planted quickly. Peter has already dug up the grass where they are going to be planted – just got holes to dig.

News from Home

Peter's dad, John, had a great day at Swanshurst School as part of Armed Forces Week they were having a Veteran's Day where veterans came to the school to talk to some of the girls about their experiences. John was the only navy man but managed to find a couple of Merchant Navy men, the rest being army & RAF.

Before we moved to New Zealand Peter produced a book for John's Patrol Service Association which contained all the articles they had published in their newsletters over the years as well as some other articles relating to the RNPS. One of these books was given to the Midlands Branch of the RNPSA. As the number of members is dwindling it was decided that John present the Association's copy to the Birmingham Central Library where it was well received.

Congratulations to Ann’s cousin, Vicki and her partner Sean on the birth of their gorgeous son, Maxwell Elliott Northam.
	Peter's niece Mel managed to get her hands on the Olympic torch when it was going round the country.

More congratulations – this time to Owen who passed four of his CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) exams. Only one more to go before he’s a fully qualified, all singing, all dancing chartered accountant!

Sadly July marks the passing of Peter's cousin, Robert Clements after a long illness. Despite his illness Robert had managed to raise over £7,500 for St. Mary's Hospice where he was a regular visitor.