August went by with a hitch, we got married as intended, everyone got a feed, and Mary celebrated her birthday all in one awesome night at Tautuku Lodge in the Catlins accompanied by friends and family with a nice visit from Aussie bro Pete, La, and Chalida.
A very happy couple as we get on with life.
September we had a tunnel house blow out in a strong wind, so a replacement was duly arranged and we began planting out our veg garden with tomatoes, asparagus, strawberries,etc. To add we built a large box style outside veg garden and planted that out with spuds, carrots, and more. The section is starting to get our mark on it, we have decided to name it Ballycregagh after the name of the town my Irish forebears hailed from in Antrim Northern Ireland. Although it means 'town of rocks', and sounds better pronounced after a whisky, we don't care, and will add a rockery to the garden one day for the purists.
The three paddocks we have re-fenced into seven so we can organise the stock better. The effluent field planted out with around 90 plants and flowers to keep our bees happy when they arrive. A re-start with these after a break, we cleaned up the old hive gear have joined the Southland Bee Society to help us get back into it, looking forward to some cheap honey next year from our apiary.
Amber got us 8 orphan lambs to hand rear for a box of beer, and they are looking good. The hens are back to laying when the sun comes out, and Spring brings new buds and flowers, and lots of weeds.
An overnighter weekend away at Te-Anau with the GCTouring Bunch and friends with an excursion into Fiordland on the bikes to Milford Sound and a brief look at Camp Gunn before being chased out by the sandflies was a good prep ride for Mary, but we had to do this on the Honda.
Pre- the wedding I had the Moto Guzzi (Italian pronounced Moto - Goozzi aka Kiwi - 'goose' repainted from black/ red to silver, but when I got it back together for wedding pictures it would not run nice.
After finding a very hard to get ECU (computer brain) for it from Holland to fix the issue, it now goes well as ever, and so time for a decent ride. The Tattily Rappet motorcycle Rally (so named after Guzzi's having rattilly tappets) in Motueka had appeal so off we went for Labour Weekend on the silver goose to catch up with a gander of other like minded bikers.
Invercargill to Dunedin up SH One and the East Coast we were blown about the road and although our house is made of bricks we surrendered to the wolf for a night at the Wahemo Motel at Palmerston. Nek day we headed North turning at ST Andrews heading inland to explore the Otaio Gorge and onto Cave for an ice-cream. There is no cave at Cave as far as we know, well that is what we told the van of Orientals looking for it, there is some Maori pre-history paintings in limestone somewhere around there though. From there we travelled to Fairlie turning off to Geraldine, over the Rakaia Gorge, and by passing Christchurch and back to Hiway 1 onto Kaikoura for a night. We stayed at the Alpine Pacific Holiday Park which was very nice and accommodation unlike another place just down the road that turned us away because they had no units ready, bad business, the place was empty, can't like motorcyclists?.
A nice ride from Kaikoura to sunny Blemheim for a burger stop and onto Motueka.
A stop at the seal colony North of Kaikoura.
We decided on arrival to check in with the rally and head over Takaka Hill to Tata Beach where Mary could reminisce as once the family holiday place for family boating, swimming adventures.
Back in time for the prizegiving, an early night albeit wanting to stay and listen to the band.
Early start on Sunday we headed on an awesome ride across the island to Greymouth and avoided rain until we arrived at Hari Hari (just along from Johnny-Johhny?).
There we were blessed with a wicked lightening - thunder storm and very heavy rain. A stop at Bruce Bay a lot chirpier than the last visit, to lay yet another ' wish stone'. On with the wet gear and by the time we reached Haast we were very tired and wet. A visit to Teresa's (Mary's daughter) and family for a nice meal, then back to the Hotel for a night cap and sleep.
At Fantail Falls just past Haast Pass (didn't see any fall when we were there).
Monday the last leg of our journey we had rain to Makarora where we stopped and visited old friends Grant and Nicky's place before a very quiet ride home via Queenstown (stopping for another daughter Marie-Anne visit) and onward home. The road reasonably quiet all weekend albeit full off Police presence but no revenue grabbed from us, only had one foreign motorist stop dead in front of me along the way, that defensive driving course I did back in the 1970's has paid for itself over and over.
Now on annual leave with a few days at Stewart Island booked to keep the floor mops (dogs) wondering what we are up to and then back to the rockface until the Xmas break.
Arivederci.
September we had a tunnel house blow out in a strong wind, so a replacement was duly arranged and we began planting out our veg garden with tomatoes, asparagus, strawberries,etc. To add we built a large box style outside veg garden and planted that out with spuds, carrots, and more. The section is starting to get our mark on it, we have decided to name it Ballycregagh after the name of the town my Irish forebears hailed from in Antrim Northern Ireland. Although it means 'town of rocks', and sounds better pronounced after a whisky, we don't care, and will add a rockery to the garden one day for the purists.
The three paddocks we have re-fenced into seven so we can organise the stock better. The effluent field planted out with around 90 plants and flowers to keep our bees happy when they arrive. A re-start with these after a break, we cleaned up the old hive gear have joined the Southland Bee Society to help us get back into it, looking forward to some cheap honey next year from our apiary.
Amber got us 8 orphan lambs to hand rear for a box of beer, and they are looking good. The hens are back to laying when the sun comes out, and Spring brings new buds and flowers, and lots of weeds.
An overnighter weekend away at Te-Anau with the GCTouring Bunch and friends with an excursion into Fiordland on the bikes to Milford Sound and a brief look at Camp Gunn before being chased out by the sandflies was a good prep ride for Mary, but we had to do this on the Honda.
Pre- the wedding I had the Moto Guzzi (Italian pronounced Moto - Goozzi aka Kiwi - 'goose' repainted from black/ red to silver, but when I got it back together for wedding pictures it would not run nice.
After finding a very hard to get ECU (computer brain) for it from Holland to fix the issue, it now goes well as ever, and so time for a decent ride. The Tattily Rappet motorcycle Rally (so named after Guzzi's having rattilly tappets) in Motueka had appeal so off we went for Labour Weekend on the silver goose to catch up with a gander of other like minded bikers.
Invercargill to Dunedin up SH One and the East Coast we were blown about the road and although our house is made of bricks we surrendered to the wolf for a night at the Wahemo Motel at Palmerston. Nek day we headed North turning at ST Andrews heading inland to explore the Otaio Gorge and onto Cave for an ice-cream. There is no cave at Cave as far as we know, well that is what we told the van of Orientals looking for it, there is some Maori pre-history paintings in limestone somewhere around there though. From there we travelled to Fairlie turning off to Geraldine, over the Rakaia Gorge, and by passing Christchurch and back to Hiway 1 onto Kaikoura for a night. We stayed at the Alpine Pacific Holiday Park which was very nice and accommodation unlike another place just down the road that turned us away because they had no units ready, bad business, the place was empty, can't like motorcyclists?.
A nice ride from Kaikoura to sunny Blemheim for a burger stop and onto Motueka.
A stop at the seal colony North of Kaikoura.
We decided on arrival to check in with the rally and head over Takaka Hill to Tata Beach where Mary could reminisce as once the family holiday place for family boating, swimming adventures.
Back in time for the prizegiving, an early night albeit wanting to stay and listen to the band.
Early start on Sunday we headed on an awesome ride across the island to Greymouth and avoided rain until we arrived at Hari Hari (just along from Johnny-Johhny?).
There we were blessed with a wicked lightening - thunder storm and very heavy rain. A stop at Bruce Bay a lot chirpier than the last visit, to lay yet another ' wish stone'. On with the wet gear and by the time we reached Haast we were very tired and wet. A visit to Teresa's (Mary's daughter) and family for a nice meal, then back to the Hotel for a night cap and sleep.
At Fantail Falls just past Haast Pass (didn't see any fall when we were there).
Monday the last leg of our journey we had rain to Makarora where we stopped and visited old friends Grant and Nicky's place before a very quiet ride home via Queenstown (stopping for another daughter Marie-Anne visit) and onward home. The road reasonably quiet all weekend albeit full off Police presence but no revenue grabbed from us, only had one foreign motorist stop dead in front of me along the way, that defensive driving course I did back in the 1970's has paid for itself over and over.
Now on annual leave with a few days at Stewart Island booked to keep the floor mops (dogs) wondering what we are up to and then back to the rockface until the Xmas break.
Arivederci.
Opps! It is Mary-Anne not Marie-Anne!!
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