Springtime in Tauranga

This is all the one clematis plant, that has happily spread along my Folks' back wall. It gives privacy from the neighbours. Plus something pleasant for both sides to look at.

I hope Dear Dad and Dear Mum are dining outside whenever the weather allows them to in order to enjoy such glory.

While the flowers will have pretty much finished, when I get there for Christmas the plant will be a mass of leaves. And the roses beneath and to the left should be flowering.

Thank you Springtime and Dear Dad for the photos.

Whoopsie with Words

Some NZ fourth estate "bloopers" noted this week.





"Bring back capital punishment in schools"








"Correction for last week's recipe 2 1/2lb butter was actually 2 cups of flour"






And my favourite, this week's gem-






"Antique desk
For sale: antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers. Ph..."






Oh dearie, dearie me (Mickle chuckling loudly, uproariously).

Yep - snory boy is asleep, for now

Wakey Wakey

For all, yes even the cat loathers,

Puuuurrrrrrumble...... from Zebedee :o)

Mickle and Antipo

Taken on a cold Welly winter day, Mickle (left) and Antipo catch up after 26 years since we last saw each other.

Special thanks to Antipo's dear daughter for taking sucha great shot, and putting up with 2 grown-ups yabbering away to each other.

It is thanks to Antipo that I found the blogworld and, eventually, got blogging.

I sent this photo to my dear Sister. Her reaction: But, my.... we are really starting to look like each other! I thought it was a mirror .


From a year ago here is dear Sis with her dear partner and our dear Mum in England. Easy to pick the kiwis - look for the bare feet.

This spring the dear Parents are building 2 raised pottager gardens - okay so dear Dad is doing the construction and shovelling of top soil. They're even going to grow so sugar snap peas for me (the innards don't like ordinary peas).

Roll on Summer and Christmas up with them. I'll take over in the kitchen and have a ball. I love cooking for them. Christmas dinner stressful? No, a joy to prepare and cook- once we settle on food that each of us can eat.

Now I'm hungry so off to make roasted pumkin and orange soup.

Zebby-cat gets a wee holiday at his Vet Centre's cattery, lots of lounging in the sun, cuddles from the vet nurses and keeping the other moggies awake with his deep, loud snoring.

Huggles and care

Definately Spring

The Kowhai Trees are flowering

It is a pity their brilliant yellow colouring reminds me of flowering gorse - that's happening too. Gorse is an introduced species that is a right nuisance.

The Tuis are getting drunk on the kowhai nectar

Next they will move onto the flax flowers, so will be at my place. The tui is incredibly noisy. They chortle and chuckle away before bursting into song. That is when they are not immitating the sounds around them, like cellphone rings. They are great mimics and very noisy flyers too. Check them out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tui_(bird

The funniest time is February when they go doolally over the purple berries on my Ngaio Tree. Unfortunately the tree overhangs the clothesline, so my laundry sometimes has to be rewashed to remove the purple splats!

All of a sudden it has warmed up here. Only eleven sleeps until we go onto Daylight Saving - a rather daft term as the amount of daylight is as always for the time of the year, we'll just be getting up earlier. The Brit term of "Summer Time" sounds nicer.

Zeb is no threat to the birdlife around our home - he can't even catch a dozy moth. And yes, he's snoring again.

Nighty night folks, enjoy your Tuesday.

"Old Bollock" part 2

More from the 4th Estate:


"An embarrassing blooper that saw a Wellington footpath named as Old Bollock Road instead of Old Bullock Road has had a happy outcome.
The sign in suburban Highbury has been given to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and is likely to be auctioned off to raise funds.
The misspelled sign was replaced yesterday."

"A blooper that saw a misspelled Wellington street sign become a national laughing stock has resulted in city council staff drawing up a "red list" of possibly naughty street names.

The council had opened the street directory and done an "informal check" of street names that could be easily altered by the misplacement of a a few letters. They included Dorking Rd, Volga St, Wanaka St and Virginia Grove.The embarrassing blunder came less than a year after a sign for Prince of Wales Park in Mt Cook turned it into Prince of Whales Park"

Could have been worse - Prince of Wails Park

Welly City Council Strikes Again

Footpath sign error 'a real balls up'
Monday, 08 September 2008

A new footpath sign in the Wellington suburb of Highbury has residents seeing red.
Old Bullock Rd has been mistakenly called Old Bollock Rd.
"I'm all for better signage for footpaths but at least they should get the name right," said one angry resident.
"This is a real balls up."
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the error was "astounding".
"Of course we'll change it. . . clearly our proofreading and English standards have fallen here."
He said a "full investigation" would be carried out.

- NZPA

Brilliant start to the week!

Keyboard vs. Mug full of Tea

Mmmmm, yes, the Tea won, so at home I have been lacking a functioning keyboard for a couple of days. Okay, confess is deceased keyboard #3 to go with #2 (tea once more). Must throw them out.

Ex-keyboard #1 I stuffed up back working for AXA in 2001 by accidentally feeding it yoghurt smoothie. It was a very yummy smoothie I was looking forward to drinking! The techy lads there were very nice and just chucked #1 out and gave me a new keyboard.

Happy to report after demise of #3KB, the actual crockery mug survivied. A fine mug from the "Art Meet Matter Ltd" range featuring the colouring and text from the original Pelican & Penguin Books, "THINKING TO SOME PURPOSE" L. Susan Stebbing one shilling and sixpence. Pressie from my Dear Sis.

Phone call from Dear Friend Jane and ...........I'm back now and I need to email some tea info to the Dear Jane. Incidentally the tea I spilt was a very pleasant Marsala Chai, (black tea, cinnamon bark, cardamom, ginger root, cloves, black pepper) in a tea bag made up with hot water, milk and sugar, that I love drinking at home. Can only occassionally drink this one at work as my dear boss loathes the smell of cardamom. Having written that...

Many thanks to kind and amazing boss, Carolyn - today she not only found an old keyboard for me to take from work, but dear Carolyn cleaned it up for me too. It works really well.

Cardamom containing tea already hidden in "the scent can't escape this" container in desk at work.

Maybe I need a liquid proof cover for any keyboard?

Need to be baking tomorrow evening so maybe nowt more from me until the weekend

Huggles and care,

Mickle and Zeb