Hello Jake!

Tomorrow we are going to Lyttelton to meet Jake for the first time apart from googly Skype conversations and across the ether smiles! It will be wonderful to see Olive, Lottie and Tim again as well!

A Year Later

We are in Kewstoke, house, goat, hen, dog sitting!
A complete year has passed since we last wrote on the blog and so much has happened. Three weeks in Australia, a month in Thailand, a month in Laos and several weeks in Cambodia before arriving back in England last March.
So many memories and images come to mind, so here are but a few;
Staying with good friends in Perth.
Bangkok, busy, cacophonous, intriguing, confusing all together!
Sad, sad tigers being stroked and stroked into docility against their natures.
Bamboo Nest, with hammocks in the sun.
Practicing our best Thai to order vegetarian food and receiving chicken liver!
The night train
Relics of cities that show the rich lives in the past.
Crossing borders.
Days on the boat along the Mekong
Trekking in Thailand and Laos, meeting amazing families from all over the world.
Christmas on an island with the first bath for months.
Cocktails and sunsets on beautiful beaches.
More border crossings
Our first tattoo!
The Genocide Museum and Killing Caves
A million bats  leaving the caves.
Bamboo trains run on lawn mower engines!
The circus for former street children in Battambang, superb and gifted.
Ankhor Wat !!!!!!!!!!!

We shall select a few photos to add to our ex bat album.

Meeting Old Friends and New

Had a wonderful time with Lesley and Rob in Taranaki, last saw Lesley 40 years ago, but it felt like yesterday! New friends Carmel, Glen and Kerry made us very welcome with food, beer sampling and good conversation. Some photos show Kerrys amazing eclectic collections and buildings. New Year folk festival held there sounds like a plan for 2014

Jucy Travels!

Community garden, container pub, house box and street piano in Lyttleton

One week in Lyttleton and many different experiences. It has the wonderful contrast of mountain and water, the light quality at sunset is remarkable. Formed by a volcano it has amazing contours against the skyline. What gradually becomes more and more clear to someone who has not visited before is the devastation caused by the earthquake. But there are plenty of community initiatives to support the area and people. We went to the Community Garden and shared lunch with people of all ages, the Farmers Market was busy, full of local produce, tasty pies, freshly ground coffee and music on the varanda, music by local musicians was sold out on two nights. We have been impressed by the friendliness and easy atmosphere. Have a look at Lyttleton Timebank! On Saturday we went along Italian Job style roads with stunning views and drops to Banks Peninsula and Little Pigeon Bay. There nestled on the shore was a little Bach with wooden varandah and roaring wood fires, we sat by the fire outside and listened to the waves lapping! Next adventure is hiring a Juicy campervan and exploring South Island towards Picton and part of North Island on the way to visit an old college friend not seen for 40 years. The Juicy vans are bright green and purple so she should see us coming! Photos will be posted soon when I work out how to download them!