Fingernails... Gloves... And the Mall... Again!

 I hadn't been in Christchurch long and It was down to the Riccarton Mall...
It seems to be where everybody goes... It's inside... It's warm...
There is a large (for New Zealand) variety of shops
and a big super market...
Plenty of parking...
There is a food court and coffee shops...


I did want to have my nails done... It's an indulgence...
But I love nicely painted fingernails and cared for feet.
So I went here... Actually there was no choice.

But they were good and lots of colours to choose from...
I don't know why I bother going through the ritual of looking as if I'm making a great decision...
I always have the same colour... Red...
Although this time is was a slight variation on the same colour.



I chose a different red and the girl doing them for me painted a flower, on one nail on each hand.
This photo is a few days later... And I still have them.
I have the ultra hard Shelac or Gel... It lasts for ages.
These are the lastest fashion in Christchurch gloves...
Fine Merino wool and fingerless...
You don't have to take them off to do anything!
Except have a shower...
I put rubber gloves over the top to wash the dishes...
How's that for madness... It's what cold does!

 
The mall has all sorts to offer...

 
But I'm over shopping...


And sales...

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 And crowds... Although not so many people today...
I am longing to get back to the beach...
And the warmer weather in the north.
And my house bus... I really miss it.
Another week in Christchurch and I'm off on the train
to Picton to visit more friends
Then on a plane back to Rotorua where I left my bus.

Shoes... Shopping... And...

 
This is 'my' bedroom and desk...
While I am staying with my friends in Christchurch.
I have been with my Dad for a week... And that was a really busy time...
But I'm back here now, catching up with myself...
And doing other things for a couple of days.

I have been out and about... buying shoes.
They were on my shopping list...
But I didn''t know quite what I wanted until I saw them.
In the shops that I've been to...
Ballantynes and Riccarton Mall...
There are lots to choose from.
These are the first pair I bought...

Hogl's...Plaited black leather mesh and quite high wedges.
Very comfortable though.
I got these from Robin Pierre in Merivale Mall...

I found these sandals in Ballantynes... They didn't have my size...
But then I found them in Riccarton Mall...

 
In Street Legal... Another lovely shop...
But not the prices of the European imports...
And that's a good thing!

These are more my beach sandals...
I love them both for different occasions...
Shoes are strictly off my shopping list now!

Rainbows... Sunsets and Clouds...

One thing I really miss while I am staying in Christchurch
is the sunrises and sunsets that I love so much.
I am too much enclosed by close-by houses... I hate being shut inside...
Perhaps that's one of the reasons I choose to live in a house-bus
and my favourite place to be is at the beach with wide open spaces.

But the other day while staying at my Dad's house...
I caught this rainbow. It wasn't raining where I was
but obviously was somewhere.
It was an amazing rainbow stretching across the whole sky...
With a distinct primary bow...
Which is formed by light rays undergoing a single reflection in  raindrops which brighten the sky inside it...
And a secondary bow...
 Rays reflected twice are deviated to form the second bow and brighten the sky outside it.
Raindrops along lines of sight between the two bows
cannot send light to your eye and so the sky is darker there...
Known as the 'Alexander Dark Band'...
First described by Alexander Aphiodisias in 200AD
The colours were delicate but very distinct as you can see.

It had been Nor'west for a short while...
Creating one of the rareties of the skies...
Distinctive Altocumulus clouds forming the
Nor'west or Canterbury Arch.
It's peculiar to the South Island east coast... Warm moist air from over the
Tasman Sea is pushed up by the Southern Alps causing it to cool rapidly
and much of the moisture is dumped on the West Coast.
As the air passes over the Alps the water vapour remaining becomes
visible in a band of cloud over the mountains at the top of each air wave.
To the viewer on the east side this appears as an arch of cloud.
It can be seen from Amberley in the north to Central Otago in the south
but is most prominent over the Canterbury Plains.

The atmosphere is quite oppressive... Heavy dark clouds...
The Nor'west can have a deep psychological effect on many people...
It's linked to increases in suicide and domestic violence...
Caused by a significant build up of positive ions...
This strong electric field
upsets the melatonin/seratonic balance
Another phenomenon of nature - read about it here.

Spectacular...

And what I could see of the sunset through the trees.

Holidays... And The Increasing Waistline!

I seem to do a lot of eating while I am on holiday.
This is my friend Maureen... It was her birthday...
So we went out for breakfast.
Not sure whether she is anticipating the food or counting the calories!
She had waffles, bacon and banana with maple syrup.

Waffles with maple syrup... Mmmm... My favourite.
Bacon, eggs... And hiding underneath the crispest hash brown.
Lovely coffee... Toast, whipped butter and jam.

This is my favourite Christchurch restaurant...
It opens early at 6am and closes at 2pm...
And if you don't book don't expect to get a table...
It's a very popular place.

Drexels... It's been  in Christchurch for years.
There used to be two but the one in Hereford St in the CBD is no longer...
It was an earthquake statistic.

Now it's in Riccarton and on the back of the menu
I was interested to see they have opened in Wellington.


The menu is extensive...
Don't know if you can read it but you can probably enlarge it...


And choose what you will have.
I have been so many times over the years...
But now I always have the same thing...
More or less.


Waffles... with something...

The eggs are delicious... Cooked however you want them.


I tried an omlette  one visit...
Had to have a doggy bag... It was enough for lunch.




The smoothie is another delight...
Great for an early lunch...
But I love the waffles.
Don't forget to book.

The Adventures of a Haircut...

It's not that long since I last had my  hair cut but the friend
I was staying with in Christchuch
was making an appointment...
 So I decided I would have a trim.
I don't have a car so it was good to get a ride.
These photos are the end result.


We went to 'Clipjoint' in Addington... I have been there before.

I really liked this quip on the board outside...
I've been chuckling to myself and agreeing ever since.
Men... Take note!

This is Lyn... She has been cutting hair for a long time.

Next door is the 'Addington Coffee Company'. It withstood the earthquakes
despite being an old brick building...
And other buildings all around it falling down.
This is the back entrance and courtyard.
It's a very popular place... It has a roastery and good coffee and food
including delicious gluten free things.

On the way over to get 'coffee to go' while waiting for my appointment
I came across another quote on a blackboard...
I heartily agree... There's nothing like a bike to get around on.


Everywhere in Christchurch is dug up and being pulled down.
Addington is no exception... and it was another adventure.
Parking everywhere is at a premium...
We finally found a park after driving through the big pot holes...
Up Wise Street,  the side street off Lincoln Road that the hair salon is in...
Amidst the dust and machinery...
Over the road from these historic buildings.


These photos are what remains of Wood Bros. Flour Mills
built on this site in Wise Street and opened in 1891.
Wood Bros. Flour Mill was originally in what is now Antigua St, then named Windmill St because of the huge windmill Mr Wood brought from England to power his mill - that was in 1856.
It then shifted to Riccarton (where Christchurch Girl's High School now is) in 1889 to access the water from the Avon River where a huge water wheel was built to power the mill...
It then moved to Addington to be near the railway line... Read the fascinating history here.
These buildings survived the earthquakes and there are plans to restore them
as part of Christchurch's early history.
If you are interested look here

Visiting My Dad... That's Why I'm In Christchurch...

I'm in Christchurch to visit my Dad.
He's 94 now... So time together is precious.
Today we got a taxi... He doesn't drive any more and has sold his car...
And went to Ballantynes.
We had lunch... The food and coffee is delicious.

We came to buy new clothes... For Dad... Not for me!
Ballantynes is marvellous. The service is 1st class... Nothing is a bother...
They lent us a wheelchair...
It's the easiest and least stressful way to get around...
When Dad's sitting down he can't fall over!
We had visited the men's department...
Bought new jumpers, trousers and the necessary under garments...
So sitting down for lunch was a welcome respite.
Then we wandered round the store...
It's beautiful and full of delicious things.
Then went for a walk in the mall so Dad could look at the 'container' shops
that I told you about yesterday.

This is where Dad lives... It's a wonderful retirement village.
He has lived here about 5 years.
As he has aged he is wonderfully looked after.
He lives in his own villa so is supposed to be independent...
He largely is... But has his laundry done...
And midday dinner in the dining room.
 The gardener looks after his tiny garden.
He has a little sunny courtyard to sit out in when it's warm enough.
The newspaper is delivered and so is  his shopping.

His villa is right at the gate...  It's a great spot as he sees all the
coming and goings...

Ryman's do a great job of providing for the elderly.
I don't want to live here... I prefer my bus at the beach...
But Dad loves it and he has a spare bedroom for me to come and stay.