Fern Garden

And here they are in our fern garden. 

Neat

Here they are in the back garden. They should help keep the weeds down and they look great especially when it rains. 

Unloading

Filling the trailer was hard work. Now we have to unload them. Luckily the two James's were on hand to help. 

Pebbles

I've borrowed Dougal's trailer to transport the pebbles back home.

Collecting Stones

We need stones for our garden and this is a great place to get them. 

Beach

This is Birdlings Flat, a lovely stony beach. The sea is very rough so no swimming but it is a great place to sit and watch the waves.  

Happy Birthday Tracy

It was a great party. Thanks to all that came and all that helped.

Chef

Pete did a great job as chef. It took about 5 hours to roast but the meat was very tender and delicious. 

Get in There

Today we are having a 40th birthday party for Tracy. We are spit roasting a lamb on the biggest barbecue. I have seen. 

James, Erin & Dougal

The Pinnacles

The cliffs are very similar to the clay cliffs at Omarama. 

Harper Valley

Today we took a drive out across the Avoca river and up the Harper valley. I have wanted to have a look up here for a while. There are some clay cliff formations known as the Pinnacles which I wanted to see. 

Fire

We got a good fire going in the evening. 

Crikey

New Zealand's answer to Steve Irwin. No crocs here so we told the kids he was looking for Gruffalos. 

Chainsaw

Dougal got James got a chainsaw for xmas. Thankfully this time it was just a toy one. It's a Husqvarna and looks and sounds like the real deal. James had fun trying to chop this tree down with it, then I chopped it down with a real chainsaw. 

Back to the Farmhouse

Summer is not summer without a trip to the Avoca. James is very excited about it all. 

Happy New Year!

At Last!

Well it's been a long time but I have finally updated this blog with over 100 new entries. If you are interested the new posts start all the way back here.

Surfs Up

James had to have a little go but he wouldn't go in the water. He doesn't like the waves. Anyway we all had a great time and the sea air gave us an appetite for the traditional xmas roast kindly cooked by Sandra.

While Mum Surfs

James Plays on the Sand

Xmas on the Beach!

A traditional kiwi xmas, we spent the afternoon eating smoked salmon and drinking wine on the beach. It was great weather and the water was really warm. Tracy and I went surfing and we all had a great time.

We Wish You a Merry Xmas!

James got a ukelele for xmas (amongst other things).

Climber

Before we left James had a last play in the park. He loved this climbing wall.

Time for Bed

Happy Holidays

Tomorrow we go home which is a shame but we have had a great time. For our last night Tracy's Dad treated us to a nice meal at the restaurant next to the beach.