Fresh Layout; New Beginning

Had fun this morning exploring new templates and layouts... I feel a fresh start is needed. Perhaps the header picture will be changed soon too, but will let my in house web designer and artist do that.

Anyway, I hope you check it out on the real web page if you usually read it in emails or readers. I read heaps of blogs, nearly always on google reader and it is frustrating to have to click through to the real blog, sign in, enter strange anti spam pass words and hope the comment posts, but as many of you have spent time creating beautiful pages, it is nice to appreciate the colours and layouts and see it the way you want us to.

Angus (http://wilfanddigby.blogspot.com/) commented on my blog yesterday... "what a year you have had".  So true.... I wish it was over! Too many losses and dramas floating around with accidents and earthquakes and cancer and operations... but really, I am floating along in the outer circle of it all, rather numb, here in person, but for self preservation often feeling almost detached, tired and finding it hard to focus.   Last weekend, on the advice of the coroner,  we visited the crash site... on the hottest day this summer we drove out there and stood on the edge of the mountain. Hot wind and sun; dry dusty road scattered with small rocks. The long grass softening the cliff face where the car rolled off, just a short distance before disappearing away to the left. The full scale of the distance travelled only apparent as we looked across from the next gully.
This picture was from the Ashburton Guardian. Click on it to enlarge it.

Last week, standing on the edge...

Looking back across last week

Next week we have the inquest in Ashburton; it hangs over us all. Nothing will change the outcome but it might offer some answers and prevent this happening to others.

So some good things have happened too. Jaz is in a rehab centre and been home for the weekend...
Unimaginably huge steps in three weeks!
She wrote a poem today. You can read it at: http://treacytravels.blogspot.com/2011/02/sink-or-swim.html

We saw the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the City Choir, and the NZ Army Band perform at Sparks in the Park... our special concert where we always celebrate our anniversary.

Thanks to the generosity of Polytech, I won double tickets and we got to go to Sting playing with the NZ Symphony Orchestra - thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance!

Saffy may be gone, but her rose is flowering and we still have Jessie.

Dear Poppy has taken over the household... with her shaggy wool, beady eyes, one ear up, one down look, she is adored by us both.  A ray of sun in our day.... a pile of chewed rubbish trailing behind her!

Her obvious relative is.Hairy MacLary 

taken from http://www.redmelon.co.nz/lynleydodd.html

The term starts again tomorrow for our part time classes; the following week for the full timers. So many new people to meet and the pleasure of some returning faces too.

Many thanks to the friends and family who have helped so much in the past months. If I seem a bit lost at times, sorry. There has been much to cope with. There still is, but we have coped and the work is done.
:)

Fresh Layout; New Beginning

Had fun this morning exploring new templates and layouts... I feel a fresh start is needed. Perhaps the header picture will be changed soon too, but will let my in house web designer and artist do that.

Anyway, I hope you check it out on the real web page if you usually read it in emails or readers. I read heaps of blogs, nearly always on google reader and it is frustrating to have to click through to the real blog, sign in, enter strange anti spam pass words and hope the comment posts, but as many of you have spent time creating beautiful pages, it is nice to appreciate the colours and layouts and see it the way you want us to.

Angus (http://wilfanddigby.blogspot.com/) commented on my blog yesterday... "what a year you have had".  So true.... I wish it was over! Too many losses and dramas floating around with accidents and earthquakes and cancer and operations... but really, I am floating along in the outer circle of it all, rather numb, here in person, but for self preservation often feeling almost detached, tired and finding it hard to focus.   Last weekend, on the advice of the coroner,  we visited the crash site... on the hottest day this summer we drove out there and stood on the edge of the mountain. Hot wind and sun; dry dusty road scattered with small rocks. The long grass softening the cliff face where the car rolled off, just a short distance before disappearing away to the left. The full scale of the distance travelled only apparent as we looked across from the next gully.
This picture was from the Ashburton Guardian. Click on it to enlarge it.

Last week, standing on the edge...

Looking back across last week

Next week we have the inquest in Ashburton; it hangs over us all. Nothing will change the outcome but it might offer some answers and prevent this happening to others.

So some good things have happened too. Jaz is in a rehab centre and been home for the weekend...
Unimaginably huge steps in three weeks!
She wrote a poem today. You can read it at: http://treacytravels.blogspot.com/2011/02/sink-or-swim.html

We saw the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the City Choir, and the NZ Army Band perform at Sparks in the Park... our special concert where we always celebrate our anniversary.

Thanks to the generosity of Polytech, I won double tickets and we got to go to Sting playing with the NZ Symphony Orchestra - thoroughly enjoyed the whole performance!

Saffy may be gone, but her rose is flowering and we still have Jessie.

Dear Poppy has taken over the household... with her shaggy wool, beady eyes, one ear up, one down look, she is adored by us both.  A ray of sun in our day.... a pile of chewed rubbish trailing behind her!

Her obvious relative is.Hairy MacLary 

taken from http://www.redmelon.co.nz/lynleydodd.html

The term starts again tomorrow for our part time classes; the following week for the full timers. So many new people to meet and the pleasure of some returning faces too.

Many thanks to the friends and family who have helped so much in the past months. If I seem a bit lost at times, sorry. There has been much to cope with. There still is, but we have coped and the work is done.
:)

Birthday get together

I haven;t done a real blog post in a while, and I started this one and never got back to finishing it... so just for a change, here is a family update.

Recently, we had a family dinner to celebrate my son's 22nd birthday - been a while since we have all been in the same country to do this.

 

 

 

 

Not long after this, Phoebe's Mum passed through on a girls weekend... a rare treat for her, so we took her out to Clearwater Golf Resort for breakfast on the lake... it was a perfect Canterbury Morning.

We have also managed Sparks in the Park - great seats near the front too! Was a perfect warm night with thousands of people ....they used a crane to bring the piano on stage while the fireworks went - note the harness and helmet he had to wear!

We have had some great weather - barbecues, but as yet, no engagement party - slackers eh!


Phoebe's family are still exploring the Auckland area - they have settled in, despite their house they are renting being on the market and open homes being held most weekends -  but the girls are enjoying school...

They have won some awards! Well done to them both...

and Phoebe - well - the photos say it all :)

for more pix just go to: http://treacytravels.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to seeing them all again when we go up in July :)

Birthday get together

I haven;t done a real blog post in a while, and I started this one and never got back to finishing it... so just for a change, here is a family update.

Recently, we had a family dinner to celebrate my son's 22nd birthday - been a while since we have all been in the same country to do this.

 

 

 

 

Not long after this, Phoebe's Mum passed through on a girls weekend... a rare treat for her, so we took her out to Clearwater Golf Resort for breakfast on the lake... it was a perfect Canterbury Morning.

We have also managed Sparks in the Park - great seats near the front too! Was a perfect warm night with thousands of people ....they used a crane to bring the piano on stage while the fireworks went - note the harness and helmet he had to wear!

We have had some great weather - barbecues, but as yet, no engagement party - slackers eh!


Phoebe's family are still exploring the Auckland area - they have settled in, despite their house they are renting being on the market and open homes being held most weekends -  but the girls are enjoying school...

They have won some awards! Well done to them both...

and Phoebe - well - the photos say it all :)

for more pix just go to: http://treacytravels.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to seeing them all again when we go up in July :)

Romance in the air??? The Proposal, Part 1

It has been a wonderful week - James and Jess arrived safely home on Wednesday and we had a lovely family evening at Jess's family home. So good to have them back :)

Then today, in honour of the Sparks in the Park concert in Hagley Park, where we first met, my partner has proposed. He has done it in a style that reflects our shared computer interests, and has been working on it quietly all week!! He says he kept it covered in trees until today in case I passed through too soon!
Click on the picture to see it larger and read the message...

He casually suggested I look this morning, but I missed it as I couldn't load the page, finally seeing it mid morning at work. It has not been an entirely productive day lol
Feel free to comment while I think up my reply...

:)

Romance in the air??? The Proposal, Part 1

It has been a wonderful week - James and Jess arrived safely home on Wednesday and we had a lovely family evening at Jess's family home. So good to have them back :)

Then today, in honour of the Sparks in the Park concert in Hagley Park, where we first met, my partner has proposed. He has done it in a style that reflects our shared computer interests, and has been working on it quietly all week!! He says he kept it covered in trees until today in case I passed through too soon!
Click on the picture to see it larger and read the message...

He casually suggested I look this morning, but I missed it as I couldn't load the page, finally seeing it mid morning at work. It has not been an entirely productive day lol
Feel free to comment while I think up my reply...

:)

Wild weather in New Zealand

A severe wind warning has been issued as gusts of up to 140kmh bear down on Wellington.
MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said yesterday's bleak weather was only going to get worse as southerly gusts increased today, reaching gale-force speeds of up to 140kmh in exposed places.

Not having a very good run of weather here in Christchurch- in fact the whole country is being lashed with storms, cold weather, rain, flooding and gales, the inter island ferries care mainly cancelled, and it's just the sort of day to sit by the fire with a bowl of hot minestrone, the internet ( pleeease no power cuts) and listen to some music... currently David Bowie, "The Man who Sold the World"...

I might venture out later... everyone else is out - so I am having a "Home Alone" session... my daughter has decided to run into town to visit her brother at his work..... after advising her of the risks of hypothermia, checking how she is dressed, that she is carrying her phone in case of injury, I have gone back to the fire.. I realise that while she might achieve a sylph like figure this way, I would need to be offered a choice between doing it or sacrificing a limb before I would choose to run out there right now! Luckily his work is in a hotel - there are promises of hot coffee and heaters when she gets there....but then she has to run back...hmmm..

Yesterday my parents called in so we had hot soup by the fire for afternoon tea, and then Phoebe's family came over later and we all had takeaways... mmm Hell's Pizza delivered... decadence. Was a lovely night. My beloved did some work on their blog last night and they have a lovely new header and title. Do have a look - Treacy Travels.  Tomorrow they fly away to Auckland... weather permitting! The weather is probably warmer, but no drier up there either.

How do you eat your "Mallowpuffs" ... the girls cracked theirs on their heads first ...

 

Someone is going to miss Saffy... and their own dog, who is staying here in Christchurch with some friends.

 

They all went through to catch the final of "American Idol" - 24 hours after it screened in America, but we still didn't know the results - the wee rock star to the right knew all the words to Pink's song.. "So What.I"m Still a Rock Star...", and is singing loudly as I took that picture.

The animals are not so keen on this wild weather...  but they have the right idea - sleep on electric blankets or near the heaters...

It is my partner's birthday tomorrow - not the best day to farewell the family, but we will go and have lunch with my parents.. meanwhile I might just go and meet with him at work and see if we can have a romantic dinner together in the break between the dress rehearsal and the concert... he is looking after the Symphony Orchestra all day - the radio ads for it keep playing the Harry Potter theme!

CSO Proms Series: The Magic Wand

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra presents a world of fairy tales, dreams and mythical creatures at Christchurch Town Hall as a part of their AMI Insurance Proms Series.

Let the CSO whisk you away into a magical musical kingdom. Magician/compere Tom Woods will create illusions of supernatural feats for the whole family to enjoy.

This concert will delight and entertain those who believe magic really does exist.

 Sounds right up his alley - he loves magic :)

Take care everyone, and keep warm if you are in New Zealand :)