Kia ora,
We came across another traffic jam whilst on our way back from visiting Marshall. This one was larger than the one last month and were coming down the road towards us so we had to stop and let them pass.
Ann is slowly getting better at moving around and although she still needs Peter for most things, he will be sacked if he doesn’t stop flapping the bath towel at her as she toddles out of the shower!
There’s a new chip shop in the village which we’ve tried and found to be very tasty. It will save Peter going into Te Awamutu for a fish and chip dinner – a round trip of 30 minutes and some not very hot food.
The bonsai club meeting was early this month to avoid clashing with a bonsai show in Auckland. As part of the meeting there was a bring and buy sale where we managed to sell a number of the club bonsai pots we’re still looking after and two of Ann’s small sales trees. We have been looking seriously at some of our bigger trees and have decided to sell some and reduce our collection.
Peter is funding his model railway by selling a couple of his bonsai trees to one of the visitors from the Bay of Plenty Bonsai Club. He managed to pick up two second hand GWR locos from one supplier in the UK and two weeks later got a third one (LMS this time) from another retailer with over 60% off.
The 3D printer has also been on the go with a new road bridge and a number of stone walls being printed.
Our bonsai friend, Marshall, sadly passed away on the 17 June, which was a blessing in the end – dementia is a very cruel disease.
A lovely morning tea with Christine and Jill to remember Marshall
Peter is getting good at making the girls’ pumpkin cookies!
We had a rainy and cold spell for a few days in the middle of the month but, as usual, we missed the worst of the weather which was to the North, East and South of us – thanks to mount Pirongia for protecting us.
Peter was on a roaming shift at the Gardens whilst it was cold and wet. He later found out they had a grand total of 53 visitors that day!
Peter had a sneak peek at the new Medieval Garden under construction at Hamilton Gardens which is due to open in Feb 2026. The garden is in two parts with a herb garden to walk around and a cloister garth able to be viewed through a window.
What to do on a cold, rainy day? Relax on a bed by the fire.
