Early Spring

We got our car WOFed this week. WOF stands for Warrant of Fitness. Our car has to be WOFed every six months since it's an older vehicle. It needed a few repairs in order to be declared fit.

Soccer season finished up this week. On Wednesday Dennis got an award for the most improved player on his team. He did not know about this beforehand so it was a pleasant surprise for him.

On Friday he had his first sleepover at a friend’s house. He got to player soccer, video games and do boy stuff with Dylan.

Tom and I went out on the town on Friday night. We went out for dinner at a delightful Italian restaurant. We were seated way in the back where a mural was painted on the wall to make it look like we'd be looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. I had the recommended pasta with seafood. Tom had a steak. Both of us splurged on creamy desserts. Afterwards we visited with his coworkers at a going away party. We decided to walk off some of our dessert. It took an hour, and half of it was uphill; however, the sweet smell of spring blooms was in the air.

On Saturday we did some exploring! Dennis was still with his friend, so Tom and I went north to Greystown in the Wairapa area. We had to drive through the Rimatuka mountains. It was a fine, sunny day. In Greystown we had lunch and checked out the town. It’s a touristy place with antique shops, arty shops and cafes. I found an outlet store and bought two merino tops (worn like long underwear for warmth); they will be handy next winter.

We met Andy and Lorraine who showed us the house they are fixing up. The house didn’t look very big from the outside but inside was quite impressive with its tall ceilings. The couple are empty nesters who have been spending their weekends sanding and staining floors. Their goal is to be moved in by Christmas. Their section of land is a flat 1.4 acres and on a plateau. One can see mountains in two different directions. It really is a lovely set up. In the US it would be called a mini farm, here it’s called a lifestyle property.

On Sunday Tom and Dennis are attending a soccer game at Westpac Stadium. A coworker had room in semi-box seats. (One step down from box seats.)

I admired the quilts at the quilt show on Sunday. It was put on by the local guild which I am joining. They have monthly meetings which are fun and inspiring. From time to time they have classes and weekends away.

Spring is in the air so I have ordered some vege seeds for the garden. We have some space in the back of our yard that we can dig up and plant vegetables in. I bought a big spade and will get out there this week! Dennis is eager to help and we bought him a set of three kids tools.

Once we turned the calendar to September, it meant spring here, but it also meant that we missed summer in Chicago. We also missed barbeques, sailing, neighbors and friends!

We are planning our first vacation (holiday) for mid-October. We are piggybacking on a business trip Tom needs to make to Rotorua. It's a town known for lots of hotels, geysers, hot springs, mud baths, Maori culture activities, and luge rides. We will have plenty to keep us busy there. It will be about a 6 hour drive.

NZ school holidays will be for two weeks at the beginning of October. I need to figure out what special activities we want to do since we have a break from the usual schedule.