Time to catch up!l

Yes, I have been having issues in posting a blog but I am assured that it is an issue with the App, and not an issue with me!!!

first of all a few pics that should have been included in previous posts…..

This is what a wrecked kite looks like!!!

Double trouble parked at Anzac Bay

And here we are, fishing from the door at Rays Rest near Kaiaua

Ardmore was our next stop for a few nights whilst we got shopping done, caught up with chores and generally got ourselves sorted. Mind you the first couple of days were utter disasters as everything we attempted to buy or find was proving to be very elusive which meant we spent an awful lot of time running around the city but not achieving much. But then after a couple of days things started to click into place and we got ourselves sorted. We (Roy & I and Pat & Sue) also spent a bit of time at Antony’s, not only utilising his washing machine but also cooking and sharing dinner at his place. We were made very welcome and very cosy nicely tucked up in his house with the fire going keeping us all very warm as Auckland put on a show of chilly weather and good frosts – thanks Ants.

After we got all our tasks completed, we could not wait to get on the road and off over the bridge. I seem to hold my breath as soon as we hit the motorway until we are well on the north side of the harbour bridge then I start to relax the further north we get. We headed back to Shakepear Camp Ground, we arrived to find  our friends Brian & Marj already here and it was lovely to see them again. After catching up with all their news, we settled in for the evening.

Saturday morning we were due over at Army Bay to join the Shakespear volunteers, Rangers, and officials to enter the Navy Base in convoy as this was the day they were set to release Popokatea or Whitehead back into the Park.   You can read about it more Here

We were very privileged to be invited to watch the release of the birds.  The birds had been brought over from Tiritiri Matangi Island that morning and after an official welcome the 40 birds were released into the bush, they made a vociferous entrance into the park.

After the ceremony we had been invited to Steve & Leslie’s for dinner and to stay the night so we were off to Torbay for the evening, and a very pleasant evening was spent. They had their grandson, our great nephew, Ben staying the night and so after dinner we played Snakes and Ladders (been a few years since we’ve played that!!!) then a new game for us which consists of wooden numbers 1 to 9, and a pair of die. The object of the game is to throw the die, and whatever number you throw, you flip over numbers of any sequence that add up to the same total of the dice eg. The dice throw is a 5 and 4, which add up to 9 so you then choose to flip over just the 9 counter, or 8+1, or 7+2, etc etc with the object of the game is to flip over all the counters. So if toward the end you just have a couple of numbers left, then depending on the dice throw if you cannot move then you add up the total of the counters left unflipped and that is your score, then your opponent has their turn, continuing on until the first to reach an agreed total and the lowest total score is declared the winner.   A great game especially for kids to learn good number skills.

Sunday morning and Roy and I had a few errands to run, then we were meeting Steve & Leslie at the Riverhead Tavern for lunch along with their three daughter and grandchildren attending, oh and Ants and us as well.

Some of the family

We had a lovely long lunch before we all set off for our respective homes, it was great to catch up with everyone, and the meal was very good too.

It’s definitely not as cold here at Shakespear as it is over the other side of the city but it has been wet and windy.  In between wet days we have managed to get a few more chores done, like making a new trace board for the kite fishing and other bits and pieces ticked off the never ending list.  One day we headed back across the city to Antony’s to help him stack away a load of firewood as well as take the opportunity to pick up our mail.  Have I mentioned the mail issue previously? Well, living on the road does come with a  few issues, like where do we get mail sent?……we have tried to get most things transferred over to email, but some things have to have an address so rather than using friends and family’s addresses we now have a PO Box in Manukau which is not far from where Antony works so he can check it occasionally for us when we are not around.  But let’s not get into the issue of requiring a physical address (and not a Post Office Box number) by some – the electoral roll is one – as that is a whole other blog post all of its own!!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are off again heading northwards. We shall keep you posted.