William John McNally 1923- 2013

This is a photo of AJ and my Dad. Dad died last week and his funeral is next Tuesday. We are travelling up on Monday. Dad was born in Belfast NI in 1923, he was a well loved husband, (Mum died last year) , and loving father.We shall miss him so much, but Mum's death left him bereft.Mum and Dad emigrated here in the 50's, living for a short time in Australia, too hot for Dad, then settling in NZ for the last 57 years. Love to all, Barbara McNally Simpson. P.S.. He was racing a old nun from his parish to get to 90 first, (he was a funny man), and as my friend Chris said "you can never beat a nun".

Rambling again

I am such a stinker, I haven't been posting and yet I am busy, busy and busier, each week is jam packed with excitement. Well not excitement or though to be honest, my heart skipped a beat when I spied a french market basket at the market 2 weeks ago, I didn't need it, but wanted it so spent my whole budget ($20.00) and bought it, how did I know it was french? the French lady who sold it told me it was. She has had a stall at the market for a few weeks now, and I have bought a owl picture for Josie, 3 metres of muted tartan, and some needle cord.
On a work note, we have moved from our old building to another building, (next door to the Spotlight Mall, it has a new trendy name but can never remember it), which has lots of lovely food places. This move is to a smaller building till ours is fixed, it's actually very good in a packed to the gunwale's way, and warm as the weather has turned and Autumn has arrived with a vengence. I sit here with frozen toes as I have left my new 2013 slippers in the bedroom.
Basil had a heart scare, that's what I'll call it, he ended up in hospital for two nights, although the doctors pooh-poohed it, he had his flu injection the week before and it's a given he'll get really sick afterwards.
On the I'll go out if invited front, last week 32 people from work, 7 actual workers and there appendages, ie, family and friends, (sorry not the appendages you might have been thinking) went to Laserstrike. Wonderful, never been before, but so much fun, 32 people from 8 to 58, having a ball, and such good exercise, 15 mins of dodging and hiding, went so quickly, if I'm not totally decrepit I want my 60th birthday party at Laserstrike.
It was my birthday on Tuesday and I got Nigel's Kitchen Diaries 11, so pleased, said I would be taking Nigel to bed with me, and a friend asked who is Nigel, I told her and she said never heard of him. I wept, I love Nigel.
Also got some other books and a DVD, Miss Marple one I didn't have, how can that be.
Last night we left Baz, and went out to drinks at the Astro Lounge for Josie's 21st, me and the lad's, the lounge is large plastic curtains attached to a small restaurant on a concrete, brick and rough ground courtyard, and I was wearing heels, arrrrgh. Not the normal foot attire of the less footed, unspotted, middle, aged besom. 
Met Josie gorgeous sisters and had a great chat, they are 19 and 23, and love books, old TV shows, Colin Firth and the Goons, how wonderful.

No new job yet, alas, there is always tomorrow, on wards and upwards, no point in getting downhearted, Winter is creeping around the corner. My favourite time of year.
Missed going to The Mousetrap, due to Baz, go on tell me who did it?

There is a penguin in this photo, believe me there is, its that little dark speck near the sand

This place is amazing

one of Riverstone's, many shops

I know the penguin is hard to find, but it was hard to find one, as we went down to the harbour late. They keep to a schedule and penguins don't do photo ops if your tardy.
On to Riverstone, everyone says go there, your'll be amazed, well amazed doesn't cover it. I felt sensory overload, and that's saying something, it's incredible, not one shop but sheds full of things you didn't know you wanted, gardens, vege and flowers, animals, birds, and they are building what I thought was a massive castle style house with moat, but is a kid's fort with moat out the back. I'm sure if you googled Riverstone, Oamaru NZ, you would find it, not forgetting it is an award winning cafe, only cafe to win restaurant of the year. The chef is a celebrity chef now, a small but amazing menu, because it was only 9.30am we had a cheese scone each, omg if that's a scone, the lunch dishes must be out of this world.I am going back to Oamaru with Tom and Josie in October, must save my pennies intend to do my Christmas shopping there and Oamaru.  Love Aunt Bee. 

a little trip away

Oamaru's small but perfectly formed
harbour

Shops,bakery, cafe's, crafts, books, homemade ice cream, heaven

Not into Steampunk but the sense of humour is great

Outside Steampunk HQ

Oamaru, the Victorian area

Heading for Oamaru

Leaving Fairlie,  very foggy

Lake Tekapo, without Mt Aoriki/Mt Cook, freezing and cloudy

Dave enjoys the Autumn sun
Some photos of our trip and one of Dave relaxing without leaving home.We had a great trip, the weather was good except for Lake Tekapo where it was freezing and we couldn't see Mt Aoriki/MtCook. Stayed the night at Fairlie, where next morning Basil fell over moving from the bathroom to the kitchen, this had a affect on the rest of the week. But he survived but is still limping. Oamaru one of my favourite places was great, the Victorian area was as awesome as everyone said, and the Steampunk HQ, though not my cup of tea was suitably different, it's very arty/crafty/vintage and some of the people dress in Victorian/Steampunk clothes which gives it a real vibe.
I have got some more photos to show including a where's Wally/penguin photo for my next post. love Aunt Bee 








 

Taking some me time, but have to take Basil.

Sorry for lack of posts, my mojo for crafts, blogging, even ( I hate to admit) keeping up with friends has deserted me.It's just me, although we, I mean all of us in the city of Christchurch are suffering from Earthquake stress and depression. Who would have thought of that,13,000 earthquakes and we are all suffering fatigue, yes we are suffering from experts telling us we are all nuts. 
Basil and I have both a week off, and we are going on a wee trip down south, hopefully I'll come back balanced and ready to get in too the things that make me happy.............sounds good, but not sure it'll work.
So I am going to take photos of my beloved Canterbury, eat too much, and enjoy some time with Basil, I'm driving so I can stop where I want to, haha, don't think Basil has thought this through. Good bye for now.

I went for the arty photo look, sadly

Plum jam made on a slightly cooler evening in February.
 

 

Shakespeare in the Park

  Me going out for night out with the "girls"

Sorry, tried to be arty, failed miserably, but the photos show I think, how hot the summer has been, taken at all times of the day and night and the sun just will not behave. Note people wearing jackets at Twelfth Night, it got decidedly cooler in the evening under the trees. My mantra this year is go out more, so what if Basil's working, he's always working. I going to see the Wind in the Willows soon, it's in our beautiful Botanic Gardens, and signed up for a Laser Strike night. Went out to the market and stopped at a very expensive Op shop, bought Basil a milk frother, the lady at the counter didn't know what it was, it would have been more than $3 if she did know, I think.  On to the market where I bought a Chinese bamboo steamer and a book, ok, also a sausage in bread, with onions and mustard. Might as well confess my sins. No big deal about St Valentines day, neither of us celebrate it, we have been together 31 years, through good and bad, and we are in it for the long haul, the occasionally "brunch or movies out is our treat". I have been out for "brunch" actually twice last weekend, it reinforced what didn't need reinforcing, I LOVE BREAKFAST. I say  to one and all, goodbye at 5.00pm, with the smell of BBQ in the air, (not ours), children laughing, (next door) and the bloody crickets making a fearful racket in the trees. Love 
Aunt Bee.









Dahlias with half eaten plum, by me.

The printer and wi fi are out to get me???????

What a kerfuffle, with the printer, (still requiring intensive psychiatric help and the wi fi (now working) only working on the TV and Aj and Tom's laptops, but not ours,( and we all know whose is the more important) with everyone but the experts trying to fix it, it's been very stressful for ME.
How could you forget it's all about me, with the laptop, it's mine I tell you, mine, I only share with Basil because I have too.  Busy busy, hot, hot, bloody hot, to hot for me, but Tania (work) bought in this gel thingy which you soak in water and put around your neck, I bought 2 of them immediately, one for Baz and one for me, though to be fair I wanted something to encase me whole body, God knows what that would cost, the neck tie thing cost $25 for two, good deal I thought.Of course I haven't used it yet.
It's been so hot and I'm telling you something that I didn't let the family know about, so hot one night last week,I had berry ambrosia for dinner, that's right, that's the whole meal and it was delicious. 
What they don't know wont hurt them, they weren't home so mum rules apply. 
Wont bore with the rules because they are fairly fluid in nature, because I'm very good at adapting them to the situation as it develops, yes I get complaints, which is covered in rule one, Mum is always right.  Shall actually post tomorrow with photos, now there's a challenge. Love Aunt Bee.