As most people who know me will already know...I LOVE SNAIL MAIL!!!
I had two penpals when I was younger (OK, a LOT younger-in my early teens) but, sadly, lost contact with them in my late teens. One was a girl from Japan and the other a girl from Finland. I still remember Eva-Marja's name and that she sent me the most gorgeous ceramic decorative plate from her country! I wonder where she is now?

A few years ago I discovered a couple of websites dedicated to sending/receiving mail. One is www.swap-bot.com and the other is www.postcrossing.com. I won't go into details as many of you will already know of them. If not, do check them out. And lately I have discovered a new site  www.25stamps.club And, of course, www.leagueofextraordinairypenpals.com.

I collected stamps as a child and then stopped for many years. I passed my collection on to my daughter who has done what I did-showed an interest for a year or so then stopped! So, meantime, I have taken my album back (don't want it to get lost in the debris of her bedroom!!!) and have since rediscovered my love of stamps. This is how I found the 25stamps club-you send 25 stamps to another member then your name comes up and someone else sends you 25 stamps. Perfect for moving duplicate stamps along and obtaining stamps from many other countries!

So, with all those websites (and I am sure there are PLENTY more) I have always got something of interest in my letterbox. Oh yes, almost forgot...every February is LetterMo www.lettermo.com which I have mentioned here on my blog in the past. Anyway, from time to time I like to post pictures of my mail and I just have to show you what I received yesterday. Imagine my surprise, and delight, to open my letterbox and see....not a bill in sight!!

 

 

 

Upon opening all these wonderful envelopes I found the following delights...

 

 

stamps, an RAK from a lovely lady on Swapbot and another from LEP, postcards and a penpal letter. What a fantastic mail day -it certainly brought a smile to my face! Who doesn't like to receive mail?

 

But, of course, as I tell my girls-to GET mail you must SEND mail!!! So, if you would like to have a "happy mail" day check out some of the above websites and ...send some mail! Or you can always write to me...I will certainly send a reply!!  :)

Easter 2016

Once again, Easter weekend has been and gone. As usual, we headed off on our annual family get together...this time it was my turn to choose the location.

Pukawa is nestled at the southern end of Lake Taupo and is a beautiful little bay. It is predominately a holiday spot but there are a few permanent residents in the area too. In fact, Jeff's parents had a section there for many years and he remembers staying in a caravan for many a weekend until they built their holiday bach. So our visit at Easter was a trip down memory lane for him!

Luckily, not much has changed and it has retained its laid back, relaxed feel with children still able to wander around the streets without supervision and people smiling and waving hello as they walked past on their way to the lakefront or along the bush tracks. You can see on this map the many tracks and streets available to wander around.

 

Here is where we stayed; it was a great spot and a lovely set up. It was basically two houses joined in the middle by a (lockable) door so you could just book out one of the units if you wished. But for our large group of 11 we needed both units! With a toddler in our midst now and lots of hungry teenagers it was very handy to have TWO kitchens to prepare food in. And showers and toilets times two...yep, perfect!
 

 

We were blessed with great weather over the weekend with a wee bit of rain not putting too  much of a dampener on things. Check out the gorgeous views we got to enjoy whilst out and about. The kids enjoyed quite a bit of 'water' time, braving the cool temperatures of Lake Taupo which none of the adults seemed to keen to do!

 
 

 

We spent time exploring the many tracks around the area and you can see some of them on this map.  There is a local group dedicated to restoring the native bush and attracting native birds back to the area and they are doing a fabulous job as we could hear lots of birdsong on our walks. I even saw a beautiful kereru (wood pigeon) flying just above my head as I exited a track-just gorgeous to see! Can you see him in the tree?


Nearby Tokaanu  has lovely thermal pools just perfect for soaking in and this is a great evening activity as the cooler air temperature makes the warm water feel fantastic! Nearly everyone enjoyed a soak in these pools. We drove over to the next bay, Omori,  one day and found the following new business to the area.

 

 

 Floating Rock Winery offered great views and food and was a pleasant way to spend a relaxing hour in the sunshine. And the wine tasted great, too! Here is the family with me behind the camera once again!

So that is Easter 2016-done and dusted! I wonder where we will be next Easter? It is Vaughan and Lacreice's turn to select the location so we will wait with great anticipation to hear.

Canada!

I have just returned from the best trip ever!!! Three whole weeks in Canada on holiday :) No work, no routines, no kids to run around after, no husband to organise :) and no worries for THREE WHOLE WEEKS!!!! Oh yeah...and the scenery was pretty amazing too!

On February 22 I flew from Auckland Airport to Toronto via Sydney and San Francisco-what a marathon journey. But after 26 or so hours I arrived in Toronto at 7pm to (thankfully) find my brother, Arthur, waiting for me. It was SO good to see him again :)

We immediately drove down to Niagara to see the falls lit up at night. Soft coloured lights are directed at the falls and it does look pretty but I much preferred them I daylight.  We stayed the night there so I could have a good look around in the morning. What an IMPRESSIVE sight those falls are! I was lucky enough to see them in winter when they are partially iced up and with snow all around-so picturesque!!

And I even learnt something! I thought Niagara Falls was just ONE waterfall-the curved one. But no, there are TWO waterfalls that make up the "Niagara Falls" - the 'American Falls which are just downstream of the 'Horseshoe Falls' (the curved one). Americans will tell you 'their' falls are taller but we all know which one is the most impressive :) Yeah...go Canada!! So I came away from Niagara more educated than when I arrived-travelling sure does broaden the mind.  :)
 

             

I spent a night in Quebec City and thoroughly enjoyed exploring this beautiful city. I just loved seeing the St Laurence River all iced up! As for the Notre Dame Basilica-I just stood inside it, speechless! The photos just don't do it justice-it was stunning.
 I enjoyed wandering around all the 'French' streets both in Quebec City and Montreal-the French influence certainly is noticeable!

  

Here I am geocaching...in the snow! And enjoying a snow shower in downtown Arnprior. I LOVED the snow-it is SO soft and fluffy. I was always jumping in it or touching it or 'drawing ' in a fresh, clean snowdrift :)

I managed to talk some random guy into taking me for a snowmobile ride on a frozen lake. Let me tell you-it is quite a mind game to step out (or in this case, ride out!) onto a lake knowing that there is only alayer of ice separating you and FREEZING cold water! Every time I did it, I would get freaked out for quite a few moments while my brain tried to convince me it was not natural to be walking on water! :)

This was the most gorgeous lookout-so worth the beautiful hike in the snow to reach it. It was situated on Mt Calabogie and is called "Eagle's Nest Lookout". I've since seen stunning photos of the same view in autumn colours-I will have to return to see it for myself! It certainly was magnificent in winter - quite an awe inspiring place!

I certainly didn't let the snow keep me inside! I was outside whenever I could; luckily my brother is just as keen on being outside as I am :) We spent a great morning cross-country skiing. It was such fun! It would certainly be my sport of choice in winter if I lived in Canada! It is VERY cardiovascular exercise!!!! I was going to try my hand at ice fishing but the guy we arranged to see was not 'home' when we called out to his ice hut :( Oh well, we had a good look through the window and could see the hole in the ice and his fishing pole nearby., complete with sofa to ensure a comfortable time while sitting there for hours.




On the edge of Arnprior is a beautiful nature reserve-McNamara Reserve. Arthur & I spent a morning walking through it and were lucky enough to run into a lovely lady who was very familiar with the birdlife and wildlife in it. She told us the mess we saw around the bottom of a tree came from a porcupine, who actually climbed the tree! Did not know they could do that!! She also gave me peanuts and I HANDFED A SQUIRELL!!!!! It was SO cute!!! (Can you tell I am STILL excited about that experience??!!) He was SO quick, darting from tree to tree almost like he was flying. And he even had tunnels in the snow and would fly down a tree, disappear into a tunnel and then pop out a few seconds late and race up another tree! Adorable to watch :) The lady also told us about all the birds we could see and hear and thanks to her, we even got to see bluejays! Apparently they can be a bit shy so we were lucky she told us what to do to see them. I thoroughly enjoyed that morning spent in such a beautiful spot.




We spent a couple of days in Quebec City...a beautiful city! We ate in a very 'French' style bistro and enjoyed a lovely meal after walking around the city at night. It certainly looked beautiful all snowy and lit up. 
 

 

Just as it looked gorgeous the next day in daylight! Such gorgeous OLD architecture-just stunning to see. And, again, that French influence everywhere-I loved it!

 

 

Well, this is PART ONE of my holiday...stay tuned for PART TWO when I have organised more photos! :) Hey...be thankful I haven't posted ALL the hundreds I actually took!! :)

 

 

It's February...

and you know what that means! Yes...LetterMo is underway for 2016 :)

What??? You DON'T know what LetterMo is? Well, I suggest you quickly go and have a look at this site and see what it involves.

 

And, yes...I am participating again this year. I have already written at least one piece of mail every day so far. Obviously I don't SEND it on the weekends when the Post Office is closed (as per the 'rules' of the challenge) but I find it easier to tell myself that I must write EVERY day because if I stop for weekends my motivation stops and has trouble starting back up again!

 

Who do I write to? I send letters to my pen pals...I always have replies that I need to send! I also correspond with other LetterMo participants. Often these are just one-off interactions but I have gained a couple of new pen pals from this site. And, of course, there is always PostCrossing - a website dedicated to the sending and receiving of postcards. So I have no lack of recipients to write to!

Other countries have organisations such as PostPals who organise for sick children to receive cheerful mail to help brighten their day-what a WONDERFUL idea! I have looked and looked but cannot find anything similar in New Zealand :( I would SO take part in something like that for Kiwi kids! (Yes, I could, and probably will, send international  mail but would really like NZ children to benefit from the joy of receiving snail mail).

So, as you can see, there are no end of people I can send mail to! Woohoo!!!!

Why do I take part in this challenge each year? Well, apart from the pleasure of seeing exciting, colourful mail in my letterbox (as opposed to boring old bills) I love to send out cheerful, happy  mail to brighten other people's day. And, contrary to some people's beliefs, you can and do make a connection with a person even if you have never met them personally. I write to a couple of ladies who have children and I feel like I am watching them grow up like my girls are, as I hear about incidents in their lives. Plus I love to learn about other places in the world-it is the only way I can travel at the moment!

I have introduced one of my daughters to the joy of pen palling-yay! She gets so envious of  the mail I receive and wants some of her own. So, via LetterMo she has now got a girl from the United States writing to her. Another generation of snail mailers :)

So maybe after reading this I have inspired you to write a letter? Tell me about it in the comments below-I'd love to know I have inspired someone! And if you would like to receive some 'Happy Mail' in your letterbox, just ask! I would be happy to oblige :)

Life has been busy!!

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted here...life has been keeping me busy with lots going on but not much time to get it on my blog.

Let's go back to late June which was when Caitlin came home from school wanting to be part of AFS and do a student exchange overseas! Hmmm, ok, but first it might be a good idea to HOST a student to get an idea of what is involved. So, very quickly, we applied and were accepted as a host family and we were suddenly expecting an addition to our family! Flore, a wonderful young lady from France, joined us on July 11 and quickly became a much-loved member of our family. She is only one day older than Caity! Thankfully, her English was pretty good so we didn't have too many language difficulties.
We spent most of our weekends showing her around parts of the North Island with trips to Mount Maunganui, Hamilton, Taupo, Rotorua and Auckland. Here are some photos of us out and about...

 

Flore, in Auckland, with Rangitoto Island in the background

 

 

Olivia, Flore and Briar at Hatupatu Rock, South Waikato

 

 

Of course, we just HAD to visit when we found this café in Taupo!

 

 

Trying her hand at milking!

 

 

At Wai-O-Tapu

 

 

Walking up Mount Maunganui

 

 

OK, so there is no-one in the last photo but it is the best photo I have of the most gorgeous place we discovered while Flore was with us. Kerosene Creek is a thermal stream that is just the perfect temperature for bathing in and is totally free. Just down the road from Wai-O-Tapu, it was the perfect place to hold a farewell afternoon for all the AFS students returning home at the beginning of September. It was very sad to say goodbye but we have wonderful memories of the time Flore was with us and we thank her parents for allowing her to travel to the other side of the world and be part of our family for eight weeks. She was an absolute delight to have-so cheerful, positive and helpful and so willing to be part of our family and NZ culture. She was the perfect start to our hosting experience and we hope to repeat the experience again one day soon.

 

 

Easter!

SO...it has been QUITE a while since I last posted.  But in keeping with the theme of this blog (FAMILY) it seems only right to go all the way back to Easter and record our annual "Pengelly Easter Weekend" tradition!

For our 8th year we headed off to Anaura Bay, north of Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island. It was a bit of a mammoth road trip to get there but well worth the long drive. Thanks to Nana & Gramps who split the trip up for the girls by taking some of them the night before as far as Opotiki-that certainly broke the journey! Caitlin wanted to spend quality time with her parents so opted for the 5 1/2 hr road trip on Good Friday!! :)

 

This was the view that greeted us from the lookout on the road in to Anaura Bay.

 

i

And here is our home for the weekend...nestled halfway up a hill that gave us the most amazing views! The driveway was WAY more interesting than it looks...I'm just glad Jeff was driving and not me!!! The house was amazing with two bedrooms opening out onto a deck and overlooking the sea. Jeff & I were lucky enough o score one of these and I absolutely loved waking up to see the sunrise over the sea. The girls slept in a 2-room sleepout which had been added to the house at some stage.

 

 

As usual there was a lot of sitting around...relaxing, catching up, eating, drinking, laughter and joking about. A typical 'Pengelly get-together'. Here is where most of that happened-the deck was perfectly situated to see the rising sun and ...

 

 

also the beautiful moonlit nights! We were so lucky with the weather...lots of clear skies that weekend. The girls swam in the sea but no adults were brave (or is that stupid?!) enough to!!

 

 

Some of us found the energy to take a bush walk at the nearby Anaura Bay Walkway which included a very big hill climb!! But also some great downhill tracks and a riverbed walk to finish with. The bush was beautiful and I absolutely enjoyed spending a couple of hours exploring with Mum.

 

 

And hey...even WITHOUT a GPS or phone we were able to find a geocache or two!!! Felt WAY more satisfying to find them going only by the hints and the descriptions alone :)

 
 

 

Of course, no beach holiday is complete without a bonfire and marshmallows...which we all enjoyed one evening down on the beach. There was a fabulous little path that ran from our house straight down to the beach. It took us about 2 mins to get down to the beach where the guys spent most of their time fishing by way of kayak and long line. Actually, they were quite successful too-getting us enough fish to feed us for a meal or two!

So, yet another wonderful Easter weekend spent together...the only downside was the fact we all missed two people terribly! Arthur and Dawn, it is not the same without you and we sincerely hope that one day you will be able to join us again and maybe even Bryce might like to come too?! We can't wait :)

Next year, it is our turn to choose the location and arrange the accommodation...I better get my thinking cap on!

Tasmania

OMG-we finally did it! We took a holiday (a REAL holiday!) without children!!! And di we make the most of it...(NO, not like THAT! :)  )

Jeff and I took a 12 day holiday to Tasmania, Australia from 9-20 March. This was only possible with the, hugely appreciated, help of both sets of grandparents who were brave enough to take on teenagers for a week each. Thank you so much-we will never be able to say it enough!

Jeff and I both enjoy being on a motorbike so looked into bike hire in Tasmania. We found a wonderful outfit run by one man-Ian. Check out MotoAdventure Tasmania ...we can highly recommend them!

 
 
 
 
This is what we spent 9 days riding. It was great; being on the bike everyday was fantastic. We definitely DO NOT do enough riding in NZ :(  
 
We set off from Hobart and headed down into the Huon Valley before heading over the bridge and down to Port Arthur.
 
 

 

On the way we passed through many towns, one of my favourite was Richmond. Above you can see the historic Richmond Bridge, built in 1823!
 
 

 
I loved all the architecture of the buildings we saw on our travels. We saw some incredibly old stone buildings and some very 'Australian' structures!
 
 
 

 
 A highlight of our holiday were the B & B's we were booked into. All our accommodation had ben pre-booked-we just had to turn up! In Launceston we stayed at "Alice's Cottages and Spa Hideaway". It was the most delightful place-four different 'themed' cottages; English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish. Each seemed very authentic and just gorgeous. I want to go back and stay in another one again :)
All our accommodation was great, and all very different. The very first night we spent in a self-contained luxury cabin that made it feel like we were on our honeymoon! A great start to the holiday!!! :)
At one, I walked down early in the morning to the beach just below the B&B and startled a wallaby! (Actually, I'm not sure who was more startled-him or me!)
 

 

Of all the sights we saw on our trip, this place had to be the most amazing! If ever you are in the area you MUST visit "Reliquaire"  in Lan  Trobe. What an INCREDIBLE store!!!! I cannot even begin to describe it - click on the link and take the webcam tour; I was blown away by it.

 
 

 
Of course, while riding we got to see some amazing scenery. There were iron ore pits dug into hillsides, huge rock and cliff faces, lakes, rivers and national parks. We rode up Cradle Mountain and were disappointed to be unable to take a helicopter flight over the area-it would have been well worth a look.
 
 

 

After we returned the bike back in Hobart, we had a couple of days left before returning home. We booked a one day tour of Bruny Island; what a great place to visit. We 'ate our way around the island', trying oyseters, cheese, whisky, wine, and fudge with a delicious lunch at the Bruny Hotel. A visit to the lighthouse was a highlight.

So, that is our Tasmanian holiday-just a memory now. But one we will remember for a very long time. Again, thank you SO very much to the wonderful grandparents who looked after the girls so we could spend this wonderful time together.