Happy Easter from NZ
Hello everybody and a Happy Easter to you all! Please accept my apologies for the "bulk" email but as our contact list now literally covers both sides of the world it's the best way to keep the chat lines open.
We have been rather busy since Xmas, lots to do around the house and making the most of the NZ summer.
Lucy and her husband, Steve, were over for 3 weeks in March and as expected they loved the place just as much as we do.
For the middle week we hired a RNZN owned lodge at Lake Taupo and used it as a base to explore some of the parts of the North Island with them.
For Steve's birthday we all (well the guys anyway) bungeed off a tower that has being built over the Waikato river and then 2 days later we all got dressed into wetsuits, safety helmets and head lamps and abseiled down into a limestone caving system.
For the next 5 hours we travelled our way via underwater streams and tunnels (keeping afloat using car inner tubes) and got very up close and personal with the local inhabitants (glow worms, eels and other sorts of live in the dark crawly things). At the end of it all we were more than ready for our hot cup of chocolate, but not until we had climbed 50 metres up a rock face to exit the underworld!
On the work front, all is fine. I am still employed in the naval base and Berni is looking after an old lady 4 days a week in the neighbouring town. Joe is busy at school and has set his hopes on a place at University studying music. Which Uni he has yet to decide and what he plans to do after the education pipeline is also anyone's guess, although teaching seems popular with him at the moment.
On the sporting front, both Berni and I are continuing to be frustrated by that game that consists of the seemingly simple task of putting a little white ball in a hole using a funny shaped stick.
Berni has now decided on having lessons but I continue to take my frustration out the local trees - I even managed to hit one with my club from 30 metres the other week - if only I could be as accurate when it comes to the ball and the hole. Still after a bit of climbing I managed to retrieve my club and we continued on to the next hole!
As for the more physical sports, I am still in the triathlon game and Berni has started to get back into her running after spending the summer mainly power walking and in the gym. Joe, to the shock of us both, has started running too and also spends the occasional evening working out in the garage on the weights bench.
Anyway, I'd best be off as we have been out for the day and in a moment of madness I offered to cook dinner. Yes, beans on toast it is (and probably burnt toast at that) but at least Berni won't be able to say I always offer but never deliver!
Have fun
Dave, Berni and Joe. xxx