With both of us now having the well-earned title of “Retired,” we have started our relatively itinerary free road trip to the South Island. We packed up the caravan on the 25th of February and headed south to catch the Bluebridge Ferry to Picton We disembarked the ferry at about 6.00 pm and travelled 25km … More South Island Road Trip #1
I read and hear all the time how 2020 is a year like no other….. and I like that. Sure it has been challenging, hard and for some totally discouraging. I think as a Nation we have pulled together, encouraged one another and made the best of the situation that was beyond our control. Ann … More Smith’s 2020 Highlights
The home we built in Taupo has an old 40 sq meter double garage that was the original garage on the property prior to the section being subdivided for development.
This is a time to value family and friends to remember the fun we all had together over summer before we had to retreat into our individual bubbles.
December is the time to relax and get out into the sunshine and catch up with family and friends.
With the weather warming up we started to get out and about.
Although there have been only a few really nice days so far this spring, we made the most of them and got out and about with family and friends who visited over the school holidays.
Weather-wise this winter has not been ideal for getting out and about, but we made the most of it.
We have had a number of fun family events over the past couple of months. Here are a few highlights.
We made the most of the fickle weather that arrived in May.
Here is a summary of what we got up to during April.
We said goodbye to the new neighbours at the Belmont apartment. They had made us feel very welcome in the short time we were there.
This is a snapshot of how we spent the summer holidays this year.
What an amazing year.
So this is what recovering from a brain injury is like. Looking from the outside it’s sitting in the sun with a coffee, a good book and an amazing vista from the cliff top over to Rangitoto Island.
We were invited by a lovely Dutch couple, who had been following us on our blog, to spend a few days in Utrecth in the Netherlands with them. This time in Utrecth was one of those connections you couldn’t plan.
Paris: What an interesting place. The first thing we noticed after the solitude of the Camino were the people. More precisely tourists, into which category we fitted.
We flew from Santiago de Compostela to Barcelona for four days after completing the Camino. This was a great time to rest after the previous three weeks in Portugal and Spain.
We thoroughly enjoyed the last few days coming into Santiago de Compostela.
We left Porto after a fabulous three days and headed northward towards Spain stopping in Esposende (65km) and tben Caminha (55km) and finally Valença (45km). Link to video clip at bottom of this post (5.06 minutes) or here if you can’t wait.
We left the very pleasant accommodation in Espinho called the ”why Not Guest House” heading to Porto, where we had planned to stay two nights. We made a slight change and decided to bike along the coast road. This gave us not only an extra day in Porto but a spectacular ride as well.
We have arrived in the town of Espinho. This is a beach resort town. Click the link to see our progress up the coast towards Porto.
We are continuing on our journey through the amazing landscape of Portugal.
We arrived in Lisbon and are making our way up towards Porto
What a way to finish off our time in England
The last month at Pradoe seems to have flown by. Check out our photo blog to see what has occupied our time.
We spent a fantastic week cycling and boating between Passau in Germany to Budapest in Hungry on the MS Primadonna.
Time is flying by, we have been at Pradoe for over two months now. Summer is now fully arrived and we are enjoying it
We took the opportunity to go down to London for a few days just because we could. We hope you enjoy our latest photoblog.
Settling into a routine for activities that keep us happy and busy.
We are slowly moving into spring with the start of some fine weather. This brings the challenge of cutting the lawns around the farm.
It has been a week at home gardening and painting the bathroom with a break to the RAF national museum at Cosford. (click on the image to open post and enlarge)
Finished the week with a few tasks at Pradoe then headed to the Peaks District for a long weekend. We were well looked after by Chris and Irene Shimwell. (they are the parents of my nephew James & his wife) (click on the image to open post and enlarge)
We are getting into the swing of life here at Pradoe. Here is the next set of images giving you an insight as to what we have been up to. (click on the images to enlarge)
Thought it might be of interest to show you some winter photos of the Pradoe grounds (click on photos to enlarge)
These past few days apart from working on the estate, we have visited Chirk Castle, Llangollen Canal, Ironbridge & the village of Much Wenlock. (click on photos to enlarge)
