Good News

I was going to start off this post with 'Like most people I enjoy waking up in the morning'.  It occurred to me, however, that there must be a great many people in the world for whom waking up at any time just brings them into a world so anathema to them that waking is the last thing they want to do.  For many who are starving, ravaged by war, persecuted, ill to the point of no return or in terrible pain and doubtless for many other reasons too, waking must be terrible.   Mentioning starving suddenly made me realise, too, just how unbelievably self-indulgent was my post on not wanting to eat fruit because I'm a Lazy Eater.  People would, and doubtless do, kill to be able to eat what I throw away in a week.  So I'm feeling a bit ashamed of myself.

However when I woke this morning - which is where I was originally going with this post - I was greeted by two personal emails (as distinct from the dozens I look forward to relating to Blogland) both of which were bearers of two items of good news both related to sea-going people close to me.  Firstly  Gaz has become a Chief Engineer.  Secondly the daughter of Very Close Friends has been given the management of the on-board retail side of a new cruise liner that is yet to make its way into service.  How good is that?

All that and the fact that the promised rain has not yet appeared and the sun has come out again are making this a Very Good Day.

Haste Ye Back

When we visited the Moana Park Winery Gaz and I both boght a bottle of their 10 year old port.  We started on mine before Gaz and Carol left for the South Island.  They are leaving for the UK from Christchurch in about 5 days.   Gaz left his bottle of port here with me - to be drunk next time they visit New Zealand.  Yes, it's that good!  Haste ye back!

A Wine Tour

I've been on a number of tours of the wineries of Hawkes Bay of which I understand that there are about 172 in Hawkes Bay and I've visited less than 10 of them (some more than once).  On Friday Gaz, Carol and I went on a tour run by a company, Vince's World of Wine, which I've not been with before and it's a company I will certainly recommend to visitors in future.  The wineries were very well chosen and the wines of a very high standard.   Vince drove one mini-bus but our driver/knowledgeable guide/good-fun-person was Lynn, Vince's wife.  We visited 4 wineries and ended up at Moana Park, a winery just by the Pukatapu School where all Wendy and Martin's children have gone and the younger children still go.  Despite its closeness I had never been into the winery.  I am ashamed because as a package the wines were far and away the best we tasted.

I think Gaz and Carol were enjoying themselves

Lynn looked on with a typical Kiwi smile

Pedro, Moana Park Winery's chief rabbit hunter

Moana Park's Cellar Door

All Gone!

Gaz and Carol have gone on their way.  Wellington next stop and then to South Island.  It seemed such a fleeting visit and yet now The Cottage seems empty and strangely lonely.  I've never felt quite like this before.  But, hey, we've done lots, seen lots, eaten lots and drunk some excellent wines.  It's been quality time.   The two halves of my life have been fleetingly joined and now when I talk to Gaz and Carol about this life they know where I'm talking about. 

Oh Worship The Sun

Alternative title: Waiting for the mini-bus for the wine tour.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a long day.  Gareth (Gaz) and Carol arrived last evening and it's been pretty full on relaxing and showing them the delights of Napier that I've come to accept as my life.  It seems to be that when one lives in a place all of a sudden it becomes quite ordinary even though one knows that it has so much to offer and so much of interest.  Of course I had to show them the delights of croquet this morning and the ladies of the Club in particular delighted in taking them under their collective wings.  At least when I am talking about croquet they now know what it is that I'm rambling on about it.  I think they quite enjoyed it too.

Carol and Gaz with the camper van in which they are touring New Zealand

Don't ask!

So today I'm thankful that I have my son and his girlfriend visiting.

Thankful Thursday

A few years ago Gaz and I climbed the Clisham on Lewis.  This is Gaz (you can tell it isn't me 'cos I'm a bit older and have a beard and my stomach isn't quite as flat!).  I'm thankful that Gaz is our son.  He's a great son to have and a great friend as well.

Thankful Thursday

As I drove home from Palmerston North on Monday I made a mental note to include the drive in my Thankful Thursday post.  As I drove with the lid down on a beautiful, hot, sunny day stopping at various places for coffee and to take photos here and there I realised that I was able to do just that.  Something which is so hard to do in the UK any more.  I used State Highway 50 which leaves SH 2 just after Norsewood (where I stopped for lunch) and goes for about 60 k to Bridge Pa.  Whilst on the highway I passed a farm vehicle and was passed by about 6 other vehicles.  I just moseyed along at a nice easy pace enjoying the fabulous scenery and wondering where else I was ever likely to be where I could do just that without being hassled by traffic.  I certainly felt very thankful.

Gaz got news yesterday that he is now a crofter.  The Crofters Commission approved his application for the croft in the village of Grimshader on Lewis.  So I am very thankful indeed that Gaz will now have a base on Lewis.

Thankful Thursday

Last Thursday Jaz of Treacy Travels wrote a blog post entitled Thankful Thursday.  I though 'What a wonderful post'.  I spent a while contemplating the things for which I am thankful and for which I feel thankful every day that I wake.  Then when I was awake in the middle of the night one night I wrote some of the things down starting with being thankful that I don't suffer from insomnia.

The interesting coincidence was that one of the books I read when I was on the journey across the world was Alexander McCall Smith's The Lost Art of Gratitude.  'She had not expected him to thank her: indeed she rarely expected anybody to thank her for anything.  Gratitude was a lost art, she felt.  People accepted things, took them as their right, and had forgotten how to give proper thanks..........he had at least said thank you and she, in turn, was thankful for that."  

So today I am especially thankful for:

walks with my brother

days on the mountains

my son Gaz

I Thought I Could Take Photos Until…..

I know that my son Gaz can take fantastic photos.  I was, however, blown away by the few he took last week and has posted on Facebook today at ‘April In Scotland: Why go anywhere else?’  This is one of them:

Gaz

One for Gaz

(The advantage of always having a camera to hand)