Living in New Zealand: Reopening of Sumner Road Over Evans Pass

From last year, when Sumner Road was closed (Click to see options for using the image)

Last Friday Sumner road reopened to traffic, Including cyclists (including me) and walkers (although the road isn't great for walkers as there isn't much room and there are lots of blind corners).

Cars are supposed to be going at 30 km an hour because of the roadworks, but they are going much faster. So are the bicycles going downhill. Except me. I’m a wuss.

The boyfriend and I took our Jack Russell friend in the Land Rover up and over the pass today to go to Sumner . It's great to be able to do that more easily, to go to beach and the bakery and even to pick up some free comfrey plants at the share stand. Score! Hopefully we will be back more often, not just at the beach, but also the Hollywood Cinema and some great local restaurants.

New Zealand Garden Diary: Planting Winter Vegetables

Yesterday was 25 degrees but it plummeted about ten today. And the sun is getting lower and will soon be disappearing behind the crater rim mid-afternoon. Time to get the winter veggies in.

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I’m hoping the purple-sprouting broccoli I also planted does as well as it did last year.

FAB Club 2 Wins Bronze in the Wishing Shelf Awards for Books for Children 9-12

FAB Club 2 – Friends Against Cyberbullying has just won bronze in the wishing shelf Book awards. FAB (Friends Against Bullying) Club was shortlisted for the award last year, so I’m delighted that the sequel was an even bigger hit with young readers.

Click the image below to see the other winners in the awards.

Reasons to Be Cheerful - Dog Borrowing

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We are still missing Billie and we aren't ready to get another dog. But we are able to borrow a dog from up the road when the owners go away. He is a proper Jack Russell and chases everything. One time he stayed with us he escaped at 4 o'clock in the morning and we had to give up trying to get him back. He was chasing possums and the boyf was out on the street calling him back, wearing only a T-shirt, underpants and a pair of Blundstone boots. He saw Jack going in and out of people’s yards on the chase but felt he couldn't really follow him into our neighbours’ properties, in the middle of the night, dressed like that. I was up the road seeing if Jack would return to his home. He didn't.

We left the front door open and it was over an hour later that we heard the tic tic tic of his nails on the floorboards as he slunk back in.

Now he is ALWAYS on the lead with us.

Or on a very long rope.

Dog on a rope