The centre of the Universe

So long since this blog has been updated! Since the last entry:
- a long, brilliant summer with family, friends, swims, Fitzy, kayaking, and Charlie starting to play happily in the creek with his little buddies
- focus on prepping for Coralie & Will's wedding - mowing kikuyu, measuring, plotting....
- Fitzy getting more and more reluctant to swim across the high tide or in the surf, jump around the tree going to and from the bach - but still and always up for a walk along the beach, round the rocks or up the hill through the kikuyu
- a new post & rail entry fence, the beginnings of a garden, lawn-mowing between gates, and a lovely new THHayes Family Estate timber sign made by Tony for the gateway - to remind us that it belongs to us all
- a little blue penguin nesting and moulting in my upturned kayak behind the bach!
- and then THE WEDDING! on 26 Feb 2011.

Coralie & Will chose to have their wedding on the top of the hill, beside Fitzy's favourite pohutukawa, looking over Tauranga Bay, Tauranga Iti, Marble Bay, and out to the Arrows, Stevensons Island and the harbour. We were blessed by the weather and by the contributions of many of our now-wider family. The event flowed into the paddock and a huge marquee which made a perfect venue for Coralie & Will's special occasion - a very special day, special venue, with very special people for a very lovely couple. We were all so proud of them and so pleased they'd chosen to celebrate their marriage at our place.

And then. Our dear old Fitzy passed away on 21 March and on 9 April we took his ashes up to his beach and buried them up on the hill beside an old totara boundary post, where he could keep an eye on us all.

Easter 2011 was a time for Phil and Maxine to attack the inside painting job that had been waiting for about 10 years, and that was a job well done!! At last. Still lovely swims, even at the end of April, and mellow evenings. Until we were chased off by squally rain showers on the Monday afternoon.

And. All these events can be viewed on: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos, and one day I might learn how to add more photos!