Celebrating.

( Not Mt. Ruapehu but my dessert - Lemon baked Alaska. I couldn't eat it all - too sweet and too big )

Yesterday we travelled down to Taupo as planned. The weather was as awful as fore casted.This was the only photo I took of the scenery as it was so dull and wet - Lake Taupo at it's dreariest.

Inside it didn't matter we had a lovely family lunch; they let us sit there for 3 hours which was most accommodating of them - they weren't busy!

It was a multiple Birthday celebration really. I showed you what I had got for my sister who is 3 years my senior  - her birthday is on June 18. Mine is today ( I get a National Holiday ) and my sister's partner D, was about 10 days  ago; he was the same age as me. My niece and her husband and 2 lovely girls 5 and 8 were there too.  So a good opportunity to exchange gift and produce. We took Avocados and Kiwifruit for their 2 families and were given some home grown Waygu beef and freshly caught Hapuka ( Groper )( fish ).

We travelled home via Hamilton and spent a couple of hours at elder son and his partner's place where he cooked us dinner. R drove all the way through wet conditions - we saw 10 traffic officers cars (one even guarding a boat on a trailer with a flat tyre for someone*  )and I am pleased to say we saw no dangerous driving.

I have been very spoilt with lots a lovely gifts and cards and a funny email message from a former school friend with whom I correspond from time to time he wrote this:

"Greetings and felicitations on your Birthday.A national holiday on which to celebrate. Not only a national holiday but a fortnightly payment deposited to your bank account by the rest of us appreciative taxpayers. I do wish you abundant Good health and Great joy. Kind Regards etc."
 I had a good laugh.    Today I smell of new perfume, have 4 new books to read; some fabric to admire and some assorted small items to use. It all certainly is helping easing my way into - well being a slightly older person. The sun is even trying to shine and dry up the 49 mls more rain we got.