Steamin Along

With the extreme cold we have been experiencing this Winter, the time has come for change. The cold has accelerated certain health conditions, that aren’t the L word, or either of the M words. Love, marriage or menopause. I hereby declare the A word, a thing! 😂 Arthritis that is.   Steamin Along has become the catalyst for a change in vehicle, because she is a manual drive, with a clutch that requires depressing, & that has become painful, faster than I was expecting. These two factors make it necessary to sell her, & but an automatic vehicle...sob 😢  The owner at Ovaland is intimately acquainted with her, & told me her worth & value the other day, while her fridges digestive issues were being investigated.  One was gobsmacked, & rather thrilled.  Selling her is not the issue, but her value has increased in my estimation, after her performance during the Coromandel excursions. I didn’t realise what ahem she is, with her powerful motor to ha...

Today 32 would be Hobbits, & set off to the Shire for a fine repast, after journeying across the land to visit friends & relatives. Doors were abundant, to secrets & stories We got to meet this guy!  There was a tour of each other’s humble abode, followed by a visit to the Green Dragon for a thirst quenching ale. Visiting is thirsty work! Hobbits heading to the Green Dragon for a draught The Green Dragon 🐉 Inn Next stop... to share in a supper for for hobbits. And cake! It must be Bilbos 111th Birthday 🎂 We do hope there will be fireworks after. It would be best if Merry & Pippin behave themselves too. That last time was quite enough to lift the roof off! Gluten Free Desserts to Dine for A magical place where only those under 5’4 may enter Some were at home! Others out walking Laundry didn’t get another rinse from the sky that eve The blacksmith was busy Afternoon tea for eel fishermen Pumpkins ready for harvest Eels ready for smoking The lanterns over the lake at...

I’ve been invited to a friends place for the night, on my way to Hobbiton. So I’m headed there later today, after a quick visit with number one son. And then plans changed, as they do. I ended up on number one sons backyard, parked up & cooking a roast chicken dinner, to go with movies. It was a lovely night.  A fire to keep you warm while you read It’s been great to catch up with my brother & his lovely wife in Hamilton, or The Tron as the locals call it, but I need to keep on track to be in Matamata early on Saturday. Steamin ran out of steam At this stage the weather has been incredibly cold, so I’m going to try & get help with the fridge today. When I ran completely out of gas the other day, including in the gas lines inside, I went to change the bottles over & couldn’t.  Shout out to these guys for taking me in at short notice & getting the job done, at an excellent price might I add The lovely, big, strong, man in Whitianga who put the new one in for ...

Or so Mrs Google said... we’re getting divorced for all the misleading information she gives me!  I decided to go across country, because well, I’ve never been that way...or have I? It gets confusing when you criss cross across the country & move around so much. Waerenga I’m off to Hamilton, to visit family, while beginning the journey down to Hobbiton, in Matamata. Te Hoe The Waikato region is stunningly beautiful when the rain has turned it green. Look how the bush area is clearly defined on the hills. Amazing eh Waiterimu It does my heart good to see new stands of kauri growing. This lot appears to be growing instant power poles! Wow!  A cute placement of building, tree & cart in Te Hoe Changes are afoot Watson 🧐

A replica of a dam After wandering up another 10km of sealed, winding road, through lush green pastures & native bush clad hills, I came to the iSite, that is about half way up, before all the bush walks & the narrow road, that I wasn’t able to drive through, in a motorhome. Gorgeous bush up here I decided to go up there, as my dear new friend from Parawai had suggested it as a destination for those hungry for more local history. I drove past this gem on the way to the iSite And I wasn’t disappointed! I now know about what exactly The Booms was, not to mention the fact that there were 100 hotels in Thames, yes you read that right! And 100 dams up in the hills. Gold wasn’t a thing then, Kauri was. Kauri timber operations 1888-1908 Dams & their distribution in the North Island  And boy was it a Big thing! All this talk about gold through my years on the planet, pale into insignificance compared with the North Island history of kauri, both the wood & the gum. Excepts a...

I met a dear elderly lady a week or so ago, & got to catch up with her again yesterday. A history lesson & walk served with a cup of tea. My favourite 🥰 I’ve been parked on her driveway for a few days now, & so enjoying hearing her knowledge of the past, in this area. She is quite the gardener I’ve discovered, with a full half acre of vegetable gardens & fruit trees. Huge beetroot grow here She showed me a place called The Booms, where the kauri logs used to be floated down the river, managed by building dams at certain points, then offloaded to be stored until needed, perhaps made into a raft to be floated to Auckland, or hauled by bullock to the mill. Sadly the place is aBupa rest home now, & a school rugby field, so there’s nothing to show what was there. Massive rhubarb too And then we discovered the ex Mayors house, or mansion should I say. It was palatial! We couldn’t go inside, as it’s a private residence now. There’s a Douglas fir tree out on the front lawn...