well, hello again!

Hello my lovely friends.

I know! It's been a while. 

(Do I even have any blog friends left does cross my mind.)

I have to admit - being back is a little harder to get my head round than it should be.

It is time to get my head out of the literal and proverbial sand.

I have work to do. So much to catch up on. 

I'm just not sure where to start.

I'm trying to tell myself that 2012 is not the year of procrastination.

I don't have time for that - even though I am so very good at it.

Coming home is lovely though. To home that is.

It makes me realise that all the trials and tribulations of renovating were so very worthwhile.

And then there are the dahlias. In all their blooming glory. 

These would surely make anyone smile.

And they are quite prolific. It feels better than good to be able to pick them and give them away, and know that there are plenty more coming along.

And I know I've been known to have a big head every now and then, but that dahlia in the first image has an even bigger one. How it even stands itself up without falling over is hard to believe.

So, tell me, how are you all doing?

I can't wait to come and visit...

Amanda xx

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snapshots of summer

 

Life has settled well in to holiday mode. I could get used to this gentle routine.

As per the 'snapshots' above, snapped on my phone, using the barest amount of energy possible, each day revolves around swimming, biking & eating.

(OK - and some wine too!)

One moment there are no less than ten girls giggling on the lawn, and then there are none, as they roam to someone elses bach & another food source. 

Another bike ride. Another trip to the rope swing. Another swim. Another iceblock.

It's exhausting just thinking about it.

It's the same childhood I had here at the same little beach, and how wonderful that absolutely nothing has changed in 40 something years.

Except my girls are now playing with the children of the children I used to play with.

Long, long, long, may it last!

Amanda xx

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cabin fever

Bach, cottage, shack or cabin...which ever way you look at it, there is a reason we call it cabin fever - that 'fever' that comes from being stuck indoors while the rain continues to fall outside.

Exacerbated by the confines of a small space. 

I love the bach, but this is meant to be summer.

Even though I detest the thought of myself wearing togs, I would actually quite like to wear them now, if you know what I mean.

Although the fact that all I do all day is eat might make me want to reconsider that rash sentence.

Some of you asked whether our bach was a beach house or a shack.
There are both varieties here at the beach, but ours is definitely more of the shack variety, albeit a nice shack.
To use my favourite terms (courtesy of Sibella Court), it is the ultimate in lo-fi and upcycling, and usually absolutely perfect for a beachy, bachy, sunny kind of holiday.
Usually I wouldn't want to change a thing.
And some of my collected treasures I would happily transport back to Wellington, but it is always nice to 'rediscover' them whenever we are here.

If only the rain would go away.

Brunnel is working in Sydney this week.

Yesterday we got the message that if he wanted to actually make it on to the plane, then we needed to consider getting out from the beach because the river was flood level high, and likely to trap us in.
So we high-tailed it over the hill and invited ourselves to stay with my parents in town.
Brunnel had one of those heart in your mouth flights down to Wellington, and will now be embracing the Sydney sunshine and the joy of Bills, while pretending to work hard.
The girls and I have had a little hi-fi (read TV for them, and internet for me).
Now I'm ready to return to my little bach, feeling as though I can embrace the cabin fever more readily!

Amanda xx

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a new year derby

Happy New Year and hello 2012!

The wishes are a little belated, but then that's the beach for you.

Waipatiki time is not known for being fast.

And that makes it all the more idyllic.

Although I could do with a little less rain, it doesn't dampen the holiday mode too much.

And the image above?

Well our little beach community does love a little sporting get together.

Over the years there have been a few. 

The golf tournament - no previous experience necessary, in fact no golf course necessary. Just tee off over the river, onto the farmers land, past the odd bull or sheep, and into the cardboard box.

The annual cricket match - again no experience necessary, but this one does get very competitive.

And this year - the trolley derby!

No experience necessary, but one did require a trolley cart.

Making a trolley is not exactly Brunnel's forte, but Eva was quite determined to race.

Murray-do (that's what we call my Dad) to the rescue.

Meet No.368 - "Old Drawers".

Guess what she's made from?

Yes, that, and the wheels off my dear-long-since-departed grandmother's golf trundler.

Despite little Eva and cousin Emma's loving (and might I say, stylish) paint job, state of the art probably isn't quite the term for No.368.

The competition was serious!

And the rain departed for just long enough for everyone to come out in force.

The girls looked just a tad worried before they set off. 

But the sheepskin pillow made "Old Drawers" very plush indeed, the golf trundler wheels hung in there, and they both made it safely to the finish line, even if it wasn't the fastest time of the day!

The excitement over, while I think some of the Dad's are already plotting their entry 

for next year, it's back to the books and magazines for me. 

I think I'm better at plotting my next interior move!

And though the internet is non-existent out at the beach, I'll be driving over the hill, searching for those magic bars, so that I can visit you all as soon as possible.

Amanda xx

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