Well, I wasn't expecting THAT to happen!

 My body clock is still messed up - NOT helped by Alfie, who yowls to go out in the wee small hours, by which time I have had several hours sleep and in consequence, am wide awake by the time I've come downstairs in the cold and let him out.  He has taken to sitting beside my computer, just as dear old Ghengis used to do.

These beautiful Kiwis were in a tourist shop in :

I didn't dare look at the prices, but told myself they would break on the way home . . .  I am trying to have LESS in the house, not more.

This Maori carving was the result of many hours work.

From the Trans-Alpine express.  I don't know if this was a single fall of scree or an accumulation over many years.

When we took the Lighthouse Road out of Akaroa, and found we were heading the wrong way.  It was worth it for the views. My goodness it was STEEP though, and Rosie's little car really struggled.  We had to park it up for half an hour later to let it cool down!

Such a cheerful picture mid-winter here.  No frosts, so nothing to stop the Geraniums just growing and growing.

Yesterday I was woken around 3 a.m. again - thanks Alfie - and having pottered, and tried to sleep after a couple of hours (no luck), I came down and made Apple Gingerbread and put a half and half white/granary loaf in the bread maker.  I am trying to avoid spending money on boughten bread now and home-made is much nicer.  I rose it to dough, put it in one of my big heavy bread tins, brushed it with milk and sprinkled it with big chunky seeds.  Yum.  I hope my friend Rosie is enjoying using the Panasonic bread maker she was given, as it does make a good loaf (and hers has a better dark crust than mine, which is why I generally cook them in the oven.)

I blew the dust off my old housekeeping books (home made things for the home).  The bottom one, the Carla Emery book, I will probably sell as it deals with all aspects of small holding and living off grid, so not so useful for me in my dotage!  She is VERY thorough and every aspect of Country Living is covered. Shout out if you are interested.  It's £15 plus postage.

White-headed heron by our motel in Akaroa.

I have finally unpacked the huge suitcase I took (half the stuff never got worn so went away clean, and we had washed as we went at Rosie's).  She mixes her own washing liquid and I found that the irritated skin round my shoulders/neckline went away.  Obviously my changing to a cheaper Bio washing powder had been a poor executive decision. I used to make my own washing powder at Ynyswen, and will do the same again now.  I have several part used bars of good soap I can grate up, and have ordered some Borax online, and need to source some Washing Crystals.  Neither Tesco or Co-op have them, so I shall try the little oddbits shop in town as they are the sort of place old-fashioned enough to stock them.  I will share the recipe when I make it up.

On the way to Akaroa.

Anyway, I was happily watching Broadchurch last night when I suddenly had a zigzag light in my left eye.  I've only had that once before, many many years ago when put on a contraceptive pill which didn't agree with me.  I texted Tam and she came back saying it was an Ocular Migraine.  Probably from where I am SO out of kilter with my sleep patterns and definitely not helped by watching a tv barely a foot from my eyes on the plane (I had to use my reading glasses).  I had to just listen to The 2nd-best Marigold Hotel rather than watch it as my eyes were hurting, so I clearly upset my eyes then.  I will try not to do too much on the computer.  I went straight to bed but by the time I got upstairs, the zigzag lights had faded, but today my eye feels a bit "sore" so I will book in at the Optician's tomorrow and get it checked out.  My blood pressure seems a bit high, so I need to get walking again, having rested a couple of days at home.

We passed this lovely camper home on our way out of Christchurch.  On the side, engraved in the glass, was a dove, and a late middle-aged couple were driving off for a nice weekend somewhere.   It reminded me of a motorised shepherd's hut.

Well, today is a sit down and write Christmas cards/letters sort of day.  It's 5 a.m. so I will see if I can sleep again.  I picked up a copy of Jilly Cooper's Rivals on the Charity Table in Co-op so that's nice light reading to get me off to sleep.  S J Parris's Heresy, whilst truly excellent, not so restful.