Weekly update-31st Aug

Hi all another week. Had great time with Hannah at weekend. Took caravan down to Paekakariki motor camp on beach just north of Wellington. Antony bought Hannah out Friday evening and stayed with us then on Saturday he left Hannah with us for the day-and night.First time she has been away overnight and had no problems. Unfortunately the weather was rubbish so we just went to shopping mall and had lunch. Friends called around for drinks Sat night. Decorating going according to plan and will be ready for Robin and Dean when they arrive Friday evening. Up early this morning 4.45 am to take friends to airport, they have left for Hawaii for 3 weeks-at least it will be warm. Weather still very up and down but generally wet and cool. Good to hear Andrea, Jeff and girls had a great time in Austria even if it was a bit short. Obviously found some sun!! Great pics. Maura (from Guatemala) will be 40 on 2nd, not long for Andrea either - 12th Sept.

Monday 23rd Aug

HI all, Monday morning-off to do talk to a club,oldies I think as it is called 60 up Club!! They had asked Travel Club if they had anyone who called give a talk. Have put together something on Orkney as it has so much interesting stuff there. Not much else planned for week. Antony and Hannah coming up at weekend. Itching to get away in caravan but that will have to wait for a couple more weeks. Mornings starting to lighten up and evenings drawing out at last. Just need the weather to settle. Started to walk up the "trig" again. Goes from almost 0 to 1000ft up through forest on outskirts of Levin. Takes about 40 min to get up and a real slog. Gets the old ticker going though. David and Thelma will remember it.Amazing who you meet in a little place like Levin. Went out for dinner Saturday night and met a guy who has just retired and moved from Canberra. He was the Australian ambassador to Chile and then worked as an adviser for an international arms proliferation group based in Brussels. Can't remember the name of the group but met with some high powered international politicians. PS didn't stay up for All Blacks game against South Africa at 3 am. But good to get win and Try Nations trophy. Fingers crossed for World Cup in 2011.

Slide show

The slide show to the left of the screen is showing pics from our recent trip-so far covers Cinque Terra in Italy, St Jean de Maurienne in the French Alps, various chateaus in the Loire Valley, brother David's place in St Albans and North Wales with Andrea, Jeff and family. More to come. Will try and get pic titles to show so you can see what they are.
This one was taken at the top of Mount Snowden in Wales by the little train that chugs up the mountain.

New York New York

WOW, how do you describe New York. The Big Apple, A concrete jungle but with a beating heart.Tall buildings, making the Terrace in Wellington look like Lego land. Long wide streets that go on forever, 5th Avenue, Broadway,42nd Street. names we all know-but to be there!!! Central Park, full of life and people on a hot summers day. Horse drawn carriages and bicycle rickshaws plying for trade, families enjoying the funfair, sunbathers and picnickers on Sheep Meadow, buskers everywhere. The smart set at Leob Boarhouse sipping their wines-new world of course. Skaters, joggers,cyclists, walkers crowd the drives which cut through the park. Multi million dollar apartments looking out over the park from high up on 5th Avenue.
Time Square, where it all happens, head splitting light from the neon billboards, people by their thousand-who cares about car bombs!!. Families enjoying the balmy evening watching the crowd from the brightly lit bleachers, checking out M&M's, Hersheys and Toy World.
But there is a sombre side, the 9/11 site. An event that changed the world. To be there is emotional and brings tears to my eyes, how can we do this stuff to each other?
The Empire States building, you feel as though you can see the world, there are queues now and x-rzy checks and it costs to go to the top-it wasn't always like that.
The Staten Island Ferry,a half hour ride out past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It's free-great. A show on Broadway-Jersey Boys, special seeing it close to where Frankie Vali and The Four Seasons lived. Grand Central Station, The Village, Brooklyn, it goes on and on. WOW

Update

HI all, trying it this way rather than email. You can add comments at end of blog. Will also link to a photo album.I guess the biggest event recently has been our purchase of a new caravan, not the one our friends where looking at but a new one we saw locally. Ticked all the boxes for the features we wanted. A bit longer than I originally wanted to tow but OK. Took it up to a local beach camp at Himatangi,for the weekend to sort out how everything worked. We can camp independent of power and water now with both waste and clean water tanks, gas cooking, heating, hot water and refrigeration . Double bed made up all the time and plenty of seating around the front of the van.
We will go away for the two weeks of school holidays at end of Sept when Avril is off calling in to see Nic and Sarah in New Plymouth.
I have started removing wall paper in first of 3 bedrooms needing decorating. The paper I am removing is the original so has been up for 30 years!!
Would be nice if I can get the first room finished for Robin and Dean (cousins from Northland) arriving 3rd Sept.for a long weekend Might be a big ask!!
Avril is finding it harder to focus on work now that I am off and we have the new van. Plan is to stay on until Xmas. Fingers crossed!!
Weather still cold and unsettled will be nice to get some warm sunny days. We did get a taste for a short time today but forecast is not good for rest of week. Daffodils and camelias are out and roses are budding so it must be moving towards spring.