Wednesday 1 January 2014

The New Year Starts Here

No party.  No wild, riotous evening into the wee sma' hours (as if anyway).  No first footing (neighbours are rather too far away without a good walk and we had all done quite enough walking yesterday).  No going into Napier for the midnight celebrations and fireworks and music down at the Marine Parade and on the shore.  In fact it was, by far, the quietest New Year I can remember.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gaz rang from Scotland during the evening and we had a catch-up.  Later on we all watched the first two episodes of Still Game.  Just before midnight given that there was not a cloud in the sky Martin lit the brazier and candles and everyone went in the spa.  I couldn't be bothered going down to The Cottage for my togs so I poured the bubbly and toasted the marshmallows and thus we saw in 2014.  As contentment goes that scored pretty high on the scale.

This morning I woke to bright sunshine and this scene from my bed:
I had no lemons for my hot water and lemon morning drink so I wandered off to the orchard:
The Cottage to the right and the drive up to The House and the orchard
Looking down the paddock towards the orchard
Lemons
A reminder of Scotland
A neighbour was taking her horse for some exercise with the buggy.  Unfortunately it was a long way off and I had a brief, and only partially successful, opportunity for a photo.
Since then it's been a series of phone calls and a really lazy morning.  The Family's Son 1 has gone off to work to earn some money for life at Uni.  Wendy and Martin have gone to collect Son 2 from Waimarama where he spent New Year camping and when they eventually get out of their beds and wander down I shall feed the younger two with some brunch.  All that and this:


Life's pretty damn good.

19 comments:

  1. What a great post Graham. Love the bit about ~ oh I just need a lemon, I think I will wander down the orchard. Some of us can only imagine. Happy New Year to you and may your 2014 be zone long Summer.

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    1. Oh, Carol, when you say it like that it does sound a bit, erm, I can't find the word. I suppose that I've just come to take things like that for granted here in NZ. I am always conscious, though, of just how fortunate I am. A long summer would be lovely Thank you. I wish you a peaceful and healthy year ahead.

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  2. lucky you - its torrential rain and very windy. Just another day in Lewis!!! Happy New Year to you all.

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    1. Thanks Carol (Lewis Carol - that's even more confusing - Carleo). I wish you and yours a very happy and healthy year ahead. See you in abou 120 days. A mere blip in time really.

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  3. Enjoy GB.

    Happy New Year, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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    1. Thanks Viv. I hope your year is a good one.

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  4. Great start to the New Year GB.....I left the riotous partying behind years ago.
    Freshly picked lemons on a day with no clouds in the sky and a horse trotting by.....what could be more blissful?
    Happy New Year to you my friend.

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    1. I've never been one for riotous parties Virginia. If truth be told I'm not a party person at all as a rule. Last evening suited me just fine.

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  5. I could do with a bit of your weather. Have a great year.

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    1. Send an stamped addressed envelope Adrian and I'll see what I can do.

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  6. Exactly the reasons I miss NZ so much!

    Happy New Year. Quite a contrast here...blowing a gale, pouring with rain, dark, damp and miserable!

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    1. Serenata I can well understand that. (Lorraine?)

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  7. It looks lovely and far away. I seem to have almost forgotten lately that the sky can be that colour... (wasn't it always just grey?)

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    1. Monica even on Lewis it can be like that at least once or twice a year.

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  8. what spectacular scenery you have, Graham! My New Year's Eve was spent with my youngest-we had our traditional KFC (that started when our kids were wee bairns) and watched DVDs he brought. He left about 10 p.m.; he has wicked work hours so he tries to keep his schedule even on days off. So I stayed up to watch the ball come down in NYC, then I went to bed to read on my Kindle.
    Speaking of Scotland, my sister-in-law managed to trace my mom's side of the family to the 1700s in Scotland!
    I wish you and your family a blessed new year!

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    1. Thank you Norma. I am very fortunate in having a view where I can see no house and no house can see me despite being a fairly open location. Spending New Year's Eve with family is as good as it gets in my book. Scottish ancestry too? Have you any idea what part?

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  9. Your New Year's Eve and 1st of January couldn't be more different from mine, so this was a fascinating post for me, with - as always on your blog - great pictures to look at.

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  10. Beautiful! You must feel blessed every single day. When we were parked in Palm Springs, there were grapefruit trees everywhere. We left with a bag full of them, and ate them for days!

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