Parked at Reid's Farm. It's a Lake Taupo Council Reserve

where freedom parking and camping is permitted.

I found a spot by the river and facing the willow trees.

 My chair and a glass of cool white wine waiting for me...

And a place to eat dinner watching the water glide past.

The river is the mighty Waikato, the longest river in New Zealand.
 It runs for 425 kilometers  through the North Island. 
It rises in the eastern slopes of Mt Ruapehu, joins the Tongariro 
River system and empties into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest 
lake. It then flows from Lake Taupo, north, to the east 
coast at Port Waikato... For 425 km!

 It was  nice place to park. I stayed two nights as a friend arrived.

 It got very crowded. It was a  long holiday weekend...

 And everybody had escaped the cities... Or so it seemed!

 I would go back... It's just off SH 1, 3 km north of Taupo town...

But not when it's so busy.

Here I am... In the driver's seat again...

Off on my travels. I'm heading south...

Slowly... discovering new places and meeting

new people on the way. It's wonderful!

See you somewhere...

Dinner From The Garden...

 I left my friend's house with my fridge full of veges and salad

from her garden... An abundance of all sorts of things.

Another friend had recently put a recipe on Facebook - What to

do with the glut of courgettes in the garden. It's really quick

and easy... Served with salad. This is a bit or a variation!

Slice courgettes into a little oil or butter in a pan.

Cook briefly till golden on both sides. Pour over 1 egg

whisked with a fork. Mix grated Parmesan cheese with some fresh

rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle over the top of the courgettes

cook till egg set and cheese melted.

And here's dinner with a glass of cold white wine.

Fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate for desert...

All eaten sitting outside round the lake watching the sunset.

Sunrise Over Lake Rotorua

 After being confined to a hospital then a house

it was wonderful getting up to go outside and watch

one of my favourite times of the day. Sunrise at the

moment is about 6.20am. It was clear and still...

 The sun came up... A golden glow in the east.

Pink clouds and reflections in the south.

I felt doubly grateful that I am alive and healing 

so well, can drive again... Where will I go next?

I'm Back On The Road... Lake Rotorua

 The day had finally arrived. I decided I needed to pluck up courage

get in my driver's seat, try driving and get back into

the lifestyle I love so much. So off I went, down the road

to the local shops first then to park at Hamurana Reserve

on the edge of Lake Rotorua for the night. I managed

driving ok... My knee doesn't fully bend yet but it was enough!

 Parked beside the lake. Wow! what a treat after

being confined and immobile for so long.

It was just divine... The sun, the grass under

my feet, ducks and lapping water.

 My tomato is in the sun... My chair is out... The

wine is poured... Freedom!

 The view from my door... Over the lake to

Rotorua city in the distance.

 Beautiful trees...

 And the golf course behind me.My first night back on 

the road and looking forward to more adventures

and meeting up with friends, known and some not met yet!

The Google Technical Glitches Continue...

The initial five days of Google, Blogger and the 'Blog This' button malfunction was finally fixed. It lasted for two days and the problem has occurred again. It's continued for days. I'm really amazed that the Google giant with presumably some of the best global internet and communication technology and people at their fingertips cannot seem to satisfactorily fix this issue. It must affect millions of Blogging people round the world... Unless of course they are cleverer than me and have found another way to publish photos.
Anyway that's enough grizzles from me. This really is to say "Hi" and tell you that all is well with me. I have moved back to live in my bus, still parked on the berm outside my friend's home in Rotorua as I don't feel ready to attempt to drive it yet. The wounds on my leg continue to heal well, my knee presumably continues to heal - I can't see inside it!- I am walking on it a little more each day. One more week to go and I will be fully weight bearing and walking, two more weeks and I can stop using the leg brace. I do lots of leg strengthening exercises to be able to use the clutch and drive again.
I have managed to climb on my steps and weed and trim my plants on the back of my bus... Bought some new parsley plants. Lots of rain in the last two days so they will soon grow again. My tomato plant is looking happy. I read, watch movies, talk on the phone, have written a Christmas/New Year newsletter... And the days pass by. I can now walk round the supermarket to do my shopping, need a ride there of course! I did that yesterday and got taken out for coffee to 'Be Rude Not To Cafe'. The best selection of gluten free, dairy free, etc food I have seen. If you are in Rotorua do find it, it's worth a visit.
Every day I challenge myself to be thankful and grateful... That I am alive, that I still have my left leg, that I have so many caring friends...
Well that's me for today... More as soon as Google is up and running again.

Spot The Difference...

This is me today... Can you spot the difference?
Yes?... No?... Not sure?...
Well then I'll tell you... For those people who have been
following my progress since my accident.
No crutches... That's what's different!
Well not in this photo anyway.
Thursday last week I went back to the hospital
for my 6 week checkup. I can now start walking
again... 1/4 of my weight and increasing each week
so by week 4 I will be fully walking again.
Math has never been my strong point so it's
hard to work out how much a 1/4 is!
But I'm taking care and progressing fast.
Also started with the Osteopath and massage
and exercises are helping a lot.
My last two wounds are healing and
my leg is looking more and more like
a leg and a  knee... Hurray!

This is my tomato plant - or four plants
in one pot actually. It has survived being
abandoned by me and being looked after by
other people who have done a great job of
talking to it and watering it... It's nearly
as tall as me!

It's covered in flowers and tomatoes...

And I have eaten the first ripe ones... Delicious.

Technical Difficulties...

Hi there. My blogging life is not happening just now. Picasa where I keep all my photos, Google and the 'Blog This' button are all having technical difficulties... So no new posts. I hope it's sorted soon.
For those people who have been following the progress of my leg since my accident... My 1st six weeks of non-weight bearing is up. I go back to the hospital tomorrow, for more x-rays, and hopefully can start walking again. Will keep you posted!

Walking In The Redwoods...

I was taken walking amongst the Redwoods
in the Whakarewarewa Forest... One of
Rotorua's most spectacular  natural assets.

We walked among these towering Californian
Coastal Redwoods... The forest has some of the
finest walking and mountain biking trails
in the world.
 

This Redwood Grove was planted in 1901,
the trees 5 meters apart. In 1939 they were
pruned up to 15 meters. Of the original
12 hectares planted only 6 hectares remain today.

4000 hectares were planted throughout New Zealand
in the 1920's - 40's. Only one percent of those
trees remain today.

The largest Redwood in Whakarewarewa is 67 meters tall and 
169 centimeters in diameter. They will grow to 100 meters
and their lifespan is 600 years although they can last 2000 years!

It was wonderful walking through all these trees.
It was cool and quiet and a faint sighing as the
tops of the trees moved in the wind.

I've Been To The Library...

The Rotorua Library... What a great place to spend a few hours.
My friend Kathleen, who I am staying with took me there.
It has a cafe attached, so first it was coffee then a couple of hours to
browse while she went shopping. I borrowed the library wheelchair
so could wander all round the shelves at my leisure.
I left my crutches under the Christmas Tree...
Nobody wanted them...  Just as well!
Apart from a J.D. Robb book to read I got out a few
NZ Today mags and some mags with the latest Apps for
Android phones... After all I have plenty of time to think
about where I might travel to and explore when I
 am driving again... And what Apps I might discover and
put on my phone to play with!

Hop Skip And A Jump... Into My Bus...

The day had come... I was determined to get into my  bus.
As you saw in previous photos it is parked just outside the
fence... Where I can see it but didn't quite have the energy
to get into it...

Here I come along the lawn... Parked my wheels and crutches...

And hopped in... It felt so good after a whole
four weeks. I left it to go fishing, no idea of course
 that I wouldn't be back in a couple of hours... With
a bucket full of fish for dinner!
Instead my friends in Little Waihi looked after it, finished
my half done laundry, emptied out the fridge and after two
weeks when I was ready to leave hospital, packed it
up and drove it to Tauranga.
From there my friend Leonie drove it to Rotorua.
Now my friend Mel, visiting from Christchurch, is making
it her home. She loves it but can't drive it.
Now I'm in it again. With my crutches I could hop
around everywhere,  get a few things I wanted, put
a few things away and leave the rest till next time...
More friends came to visit, one with a heavy traffic
license so he took me and my bus for a drive around
the lake.  Another week and it's back to the
hospital for yet another x-ray and hopefully I can
start walking on my leg again... I think I will have to
try out the driver's seat again!

Happy New Year... 2014

Happy New Year for 2014... From me to you...






New Zealand... Was the first country in the world to welcome in 2014.
This is the spectacular fireworks display from Auckland's Sky Tower.
Thousands of revellers cheered and danced as multi coloured
fireworks exploded across the skyline at midnight on Tuesday...

Australia... In Sydney1.6 million revellers lined the harbour view points  for
a fireworks display that was promised to be more
extravagant than ever...

Dubai... Aimed to create the world's largest fireworks show to
ring in 2014. Their six minute extravaganza included 500,000
fireworks. The Guinness World Record officials were on hand
to measure the scale of the event...

China... Counted down to the new year with light shows
at two spectacular and historical locations - part of the
Great Wall near Beijing and at the Bund waterfront
near Shanghai...

Japan... Thousands of people, many donning kimono, prayed
rang bells and tossed coins as offerings at shrines, wishing for
health, wealth and happiness. Temple bells rang the customary
108 times, for the 108 causes of suffering according to
Buddhism, and welcomed in the Year of  the Horse...

Hong Kong... Tens of thousands watched the fireworks display
over the southern Chinese city's famed Victoria Harbour.
Pyrotechnics were fired off near the Kowloon Peninsular
and the tops of seven skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island.
A British colonial-era cannon was fired at midnight in a
tradition dating from the end  of WWII...

Indonesia... Celebrations were widespread except in the
city of Banda Aceh where Islamic clerics prohibit Muslims
from celebrating New Year's Eve.
In Jakata 92,000 policemen safeguarded 2 million
people who took part in street parties in 162 locations...

Philippines... There was a darker side to the festivities. More
than 260 people were injured by fire cracker blasts and pre-celebratory
gunfire. Many more injuries occurred when Filipino's ignited
powerful firecrackers for New Years Eve celebrations, one of Asia's
most violent revelries, and to end a year marked by tragic disasters.


What did you do? Where were you?

Me!... After my usual showering ritual, with help still!
I got my own breakfast and flask of hot green tea...
Then a visit from the District Nurse... My leg is doing
really well. Dressings on only two leg wounds now and
a pressure dressing on my shin to keep the new skin flat.
Chats to a few friends and my Dad... Lunch then
my weekly massage was next... That wipes me out!
A cup of tea in the sun, dinner, a good book
in bed and I was asleep well before midnight.

I wonder what this new year will bring. The
usual ups and down of life, the challenges...
But for me the current challenge is to get walking again 
and back into my bus and back on the road... 
Can't wait.