Our arrival in Queensland coincided with a bout of cool weather (of course we were blamed for bringing it over from NZ) and instead of T-shirts I found myself wearing light jumpers, even indoors. I was grateful for the wonderful wood burner which Nic and Mick have installed since our last visit, and enjoyed going… Read more

All good things come to an end and so it was with our second winter 2015 homesit at a dairy farm near Rakaia. Our charges the dog Ally and cat Marvi were a joy; after some initial hesitation even Marvi was happy to accept Penny as another animal with which to share their home. I… Read more

We left beautiful Rarangi with regret, it was a lovely interlude with the dogs in such an outstanding home and environment. Friend Robyn arrived home from overseas the day before so we met her at the St. Clair Winery and had a delicious platter featuring the best of Marlborough produce, washed down with a glass of… Read more

Our first homesit for Winter 2015 is drawing to a close. 2 weeks in a beautiful warm sunny home right on the beach at Rarangi, 10 minutes’ drive NE of Blenheim.   I never tire of the view from the back deck …. (That is a bit of tree stump, not a person!) That’s the bottom… Read more

It’s now a month since we arrived back in Christchurch and settled in at the chestnut orchard again. Some of the old crowd have moved on but some remain. Less dogs (one prefers our ‘doorstep’ to his own) but slightly more people. It’s quite a little community, the men even have a Men’s Shed get-together… Read more

Penny the foxie seemed happy enough to enter the Kennels where she was to spend 24 hrs while we attended the air show. Did she remember her last visit? We warned the staff about her escapologist tendencies which was just as well as she tried to climb the wire fence of the exercise yard not… Read more