Coming Up Close

 I spotted this funny looking car in Hokitika recently. I have no idea what it is but I wonder if it zooms? Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .

Auckland Airport - November 2023 Last time we were in Auckland in November the minute we got off the plane, the humidity hit us. That's something we don't really get in the South Island but we are in the beginning of an El Nino season this Summer. Last year was very very hot and dry whereas this year so far most of the country has had huge amounts of rain and small amounts of sun. At least the garden doesn't mind. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday   and  Tom's Signs .

See the red building in this photo? It's one of the old original hotels in town that's in the process of being demolished. When we driving past today we could see a specialist team of people going in and out as they were getting rid of asbestos - I expect the next step will be to remove the historical period features inside before tearing it down. Sad really but with alot of buildings in Greymouth not being earthquake proof, not many of them are going to last. We've had a very quiet last 2 days. Yesterday, Christmas Day, we basically vegetated, ate and napped. After working all of last week we just needed to relax so it's been nice. Leave me a comment to let me how you celebrated the day. A Kiwi tradition we have here is to buy packets of empty brandy snap cases and fill them all with whipped cream - so far we still have half left. Linking up with  T hrough my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

So with tomorrow being Christmas Day for us I will probably be relaxing and having a quiet day at home so I thought I'd share some photos I've taken over the last week or so in various shops around town. Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you!  

I spotted this sign in the local "Robert Harris" cafe advertising a "Christmas Milkshake". I'm wondering what's in it, seems to be maybe something for the younger ones. Well this week I'm working 6 days so by boxing day I think a much needed rest will be in order. I'm looking forward to starting my new job. There will be lots of new things to learn but I think I will be ok. I'm done with the work drama.  Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .

The beaches down here on the West Coast are all very wild and windswept - this one is our favourite. The old hotel still sits back from the beach over the hill and was once quite a popular spot but is now privately owned as a house. Rapahoe Beach is about 15 minutes from home and usually it has golden sand further down but today the tide was coming in so we pulled up logs to sit on instead of sitting on the stones. This couple in the distance turned out to be a work colleague and they had their little dog with them. So this beach is roughly 2km long and in the distance in this photo is Point Elizabeth. I was going to walk down and explore the rock pools but feared I wouldn't get back in time once the tide fully came in.  Lots of textures - this one is a half a mussel shell attached to some seaweed sitting on the rocks. The seagulls were quite happy to be nosey on the hill behind us. And we watched this lone surfer brave going out into the waves in his wetsuit - he ended up being dr...

  A couple of weeks ago we were out at Nelson Creek, about 30 minutes from home visiting a friend I use to work with. She has the most lovely looking roses in her garden. This one is named "Rainbow", so she gave me some cuttings to take home with me which I'm trying to grow at the moment but it may be the wrong season for it. On her land next to her driveway is this old truck - it caught my eye with it's rusty exterior and looked very much like it was part of the property. And next to my doctor's office I noticed that someone had put this driftwood Christmas tree on display - I like it, it's different. How's your week been? Linking up with  T hrough my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

This is one of the local cafes situated on the road next to the Grey River and they serve mostly vegan and vegetarian food - I haven't tried their coffees yet but maybe that's something for me to do at some point. I'm glad they can handle being open 7 days a week, as for me I'm working 6 days this week because work is expected to me so busy. I'm kind of sad that next week will my last week working in supermarket retail after doing it on and off over the years since I was 18 years old but it feels like it's time for something new. I did however manage to harvest some broccoli out of my vegetable/herb garden but we gave it to a work colleague who has been generous in giving us free range eggs from his chickens every week. It's neat when you can swap food with other people isn't it? Lastly it's not often I see my doctor but I have done so twice in the last 2 months. Once was to get the flu vaccine and the other was to get another type of vaccine. As man...

I know this photo looks like it's a nice warm sunny day and we have had a few but it feels very much like we still have Spring temperatures and that Summer is still loading. Last year nearly every single day was hot and dry but this year we've had regular rain and wind, something to do with the El Nino cycle.  But the good news is that so far I've had 2 training sessions at my new job and although I am picking things up, I have learned that I can pour a good handle of beer. I'm one of those people that learns by doing...you can explain something to me but I connect the dots by putting it into practice. Sometimes if I want to accomplish something I will pick it up instantly and other times I nut it out until I've got it.  I'm still working retail until the first week of January and the madness of Christmas is about to hit us. So far it's been pretty quiet but I'm expecting next week to be bonkers. I'll be glad when it's over. Linking up with  Week...

I've been looking to see if Greymouth has any extra lights up in town or Christmas but so far this tree light hanging from a street light is all I've found. I might have to stop off a few more times on the way home from work at night in the next week to see if anymore have  been added.  Linking up with  Skywatch Friday ,  All Seasons   and  Tom's Signs .

Last time we travelled out to Reefton I spotted this lovely little church on the way in Ikamatua. There apparently was one before this but it was replaced by the current one in my photos. Named St Patrick's Catholic Church it was built around 1911 and the land underneath it was donated by a local family named the O'Malleys. Out of this family came a Mercy Sister; Sister Mary Aloysius who entered Reefton Convent in 1895. This church is part of the Sacred Heart Parish of Reefton and still has Sunday masses every week.  Linking up with  T hrough my lens , Tuesday Treasures ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

I had never been into this business until a couple of weeks ago when someone recommended, they sell home brew items, so B (being a home brewer was keen to visit). Most things I wasn't really interested in but I did find cans of stuffed Greek cabbage but tasted weird - I'm sure made fresh it's more authentic and some keto chocolate biscuits but apart from that most things were a bit over my budget. Linking up with  Mosaic Monday  and  Blue Monday .

  Westport, which is about 90 minutes north of Greymouth is one of those old coal/mining towns as I've previously mentioned. I spotted this window display in one of the local businesses. I think I need to go back at some point and buy the black and white sign in the background and have a proper look around. Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .

One from when it was Spring in Reefton and this is a town I really like, if it wasn't smack bang in the middle of nowhere I would've moved there. This was back when petrol prices had a brief discount on prices because everyone was affected by covid but a recently this came off and prices have soared. It's one of those old towns that originated because of gold mining. Now a few months later Christmas is nearly here and I'll be glad when it's all over. I think working in retail on and off since I was 18 years old has given me a type of bah humbug attitude including hearing the same tunes on repeat along with 5 different covers of each song. I've been working a few hours here and there on my days off at my new job just to try and get some training in so that it won't be so "what the heck am I doing" when I finally do start in January. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday ,  All Seasons   and  Tom's Signs .

Many of you will have Winter at this time of year especially over Christmas.  For us in the Southern Hemisphere this is our Christmas. Being Summer, many people spend time at the beach. When we lived in Mount Maunganui I took many photos of people and happenings on the local beach. This boy and his father were flying their kite in the breeze. When it fell down I could see the disappointment on his face but like a trooper he picked it up and started to fly it all over again. Kite flying is something some families do on warm days for a bit of fun. Linking up with  T hrough my lens ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

I am a BIG library fan, I've found many treasures over the years in books I've taken out. This library in Orewa I thought was extra special, it's not often they have free books you can take home with you.  Linking up with  Mosaic Monday ,  Blue Monday  and Tuesday Treasures .

One from the last time we were in Westport along the busy main street full of shops.  There are so many shops I want to explore next time I go back there. It's been a very busy week here. I've recently discovered that the supermarket I work in now stocks frozen Okra. I've been trying to buy it here ever since I tried it in Fiji a few years ago, it makes a nice change from the average vegetables.   Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .