It's been a while but here we are...

Dearest Reader, 

Hello and how are you?   Haven't the last five months flown by?

Well it has for us, but that could be to do with being in New Zealand for a month when you all were here enjoying storms and rain.

We caught up with Marilyn and David   HERE  at their home in Waikanae on North Island.

A damp morning in Waikanae but we went visiting Open Gardens which was one of my favourite things to do

We did a short trip to South Island...

Picton, looking awfully like Lake Garda where we went frequently. 

Then went to the Winterless Sun of the north of North Island.

Verity and toddler Xanthe

This is the sort of beaches common in NZ, Mitchell was speechless when he first arrived and was introduced to our pebbles....

Another great thing about NZ is that there are no potholes on their roads!  

Now just think about that for a minute.....

Anyway the big news from there is that Fliss and Leon (Eldest daughter and in the UK) are expecting their third baby in June and  Verity&Mitchell are expecting their second baby in July so I will be returning to NZ to "Lindahand", David will stay here to have care and control of my mother and play golf.  

I'm booking flights today via Canada, thank you Marilyn for that gem of information.  I haven't told my mother yet so don't let on if you see her.

We had WaL serviced the other day and came up a day or so earlier but an issue with the batteries kept us in dock, but here we are out in GLORIOUS sunshine and zero wind.

A lot of discussion about where will we go, finally deciding that we will just do a jaunt north of Great Haywood, it's my birthday month so we can visit the nice pubs along the way.  I have made the mistake of bringing the remainder of the roast lamb we had a Sunday or two ago, so I fished out of the larder the ingredients for Delia Smith's Xacuti Lamb curry, with coconut it was delicious but this morning the entire boat smells of it.

I went off marching to get my steps in and came across this previously unknown to me view of the wonderful Essex Bridge

Built in the late 1500's by the Earl of Essex who was Queen Elizabeth the First's beau.  He had a Castle or Manor House in the vicinity.

Finally away after the service.  This is WaL arriving at Hoo Lock

Hoo Lock, site of the by wash collapse previously. 

The sight of these really does lift ones heart.  My first of the year.

                                              ( For my Reader in Alaska these are Primroses)

Weston Lock, this is the CART maintenance that we can expect, sandbags.

White violets, oh so romantic.  I've seen them here before.  

So we trundled to just north of Weston and quickly got the Lockgate stove fired up.  We are in credit on electricity in the marina so used our wee electric heaters for a couple of nights.  Probably cheaper than diseasel at the moment.

David is watching the football just now and then we are going to walk to the Holly Bush here at Salt.  It's evidently changed hands.... again.... We must use it or lose it.  

This also applies to banks and post offices.

So on reflection we have decided to stop here today and not move on, owning mostly to the football (Both David's teams are playing each other) and the sunshine.  We will move on tomorrow and turn.