After a whirlwind 4 days of sunshine, Tennis, friend time and lots of wandering, I sit at the Melbourne airport with a moment to catch my breath before heading home to NZ! Hopefully the storm there is passing and the sun will come out!

After a long day of out of town adventures on the Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday, I was ready to hit the crowds again at the AO Tennis yesterday …… especially when I realised who I could watch!

Finally found the AO banner for a quick snap!

And Corienne and I headed to the John Cain arena…. Getting in on my ground pass ….

And snapping up padded seats….four rows from the court!

A real opportunity to watch my favourite women’s player up close and almost personal!

Yes Elina Svitlina – the winner of the Auckland ASB tournament this year!

She is a very focused player…and saves her smiles for her wins…which she did and is now into the 3rd round…and of course just behind her coaches box…

Was her tennis legend Hubby always in support – the Frenchman Gael Monfils! Always an entertainment to watch!

The 2nd game of the day featured Daniel Medvedev …. Another player I have followed with interest over the last few years….

He provided a good show….dropping first set and winning the next three…

To also progress to the 3rd round! I then met Corienne, who took the evening off work…and we wandered in search of a cool drink…on another very warm afternoon!

The first stop in Federation Square…near Flinders station, with everything tennis, a big screen….and a nice cold Pina Colada!

We then wandered alone the riverside to the huge bar houseboat….found a comfy chair in front of a big screen, poolside (yes on a boat) for a regular drink…as the sun went down and the (patrons) noise levels went up!

As it was impossible to have a conversation (surrounded by exuberant patrons) we carried on along the river towards our quiet abode…

Spying another (tennis ball adorned) riverboat restaurant on the other side…. It certainly is all about Tennis in Melbourne at this time of the year…and lots of people having fun!

So the mini break ends….as I fly home this morning….to see if my house and garden have survived the storm!

Literally – today we were booked into a tour from Melbourne city to Mornington Peninsula and everything in between! A new experience for me . as tours are not usually my thing! But we had the best day in our small group of 6..,two from Belgium, two Romanians, a kiwi and an Australian (English) with our Aussie driver(guide) Jenny!

The day began with a walk along the Yarra river..,

Watching rowing action and strolling with the early risers heading towards the tennis! We, however, were heading towards our rendezvous at the Melbourne arts centre!

Enjoying a coffee while waiting for our tour!

After a little confusion as to the actual meeting point and a bit of pacing up and down St kilda road, our little bus arrived and we joined our fellow tour buddies (total 6 including us) for the day.. first leg an hour and a half of highway driving to arrive at ….

Arthur’s seat… elevated views over Port Phillip Bay…

We could have taken the cable car, but as Jenny was driving to the top there was no need!

We then loaded back into the van and headed towards the next stop – cape Schanck lighthouse built in 1859…

Which guided ships around cape schanck for over 100 years….

The gals soaking up the sunshine at the lookout point! From here, on the way to Sorrento, Jenny dropped us off on a coastal bush walk along the edge of White beach …

Where the knarled branches met in overhead arches…

And foreshore (privately owned) beach huts in bright colours dotted along the coast

The beach sparkling in the midday sunshine! We then headed towards Portsea for lunch and the first refreshments of the day!

A group photo of the tour group and Jenny ( our team leader!)

The Portsea Hotel…providing good food, cold drinks and a sea view from our terrace dining area!

One more hot spot to visit …. The final stop at point Nepean national park …the furtherest peninsula point on our tour, with glorious white sandy beaches…,

Blue blue seas…

Driftwood sculptures

And remnants of the old wharf …. Of course with glamorous models enhancing the relics!

And a reminder of the first European inhabitants of the area…still relatively untouched!

A final stop on our homeward journey at the Sorrento waterfront pub…with our free beverage at the end of the tour! Before a 90 minute drive (with a quick loo stop) back to the city! And….

An expresso Martini…to finish the day before heading back to relax into some TV Tennis!

Once again leaving New Zealand to its stormy week, I leapt on a plane at 7am on Sunday to head to Melbourne to join my friends at the Melbourne open!

Arriving around mid morning to a sunny day…my friend Corienne met me at the train station and we had a bit of time before she had to head to work at the Tennis for the evening session… I took the trams with her and walked back through the Sunday tennis festivities!

Along the Yarra River…

The city bathed in sunshine…

Old pub… full of handovers … not ideal if one needs a drink!

Flinders station, I could have caught a tram here, but decided to walk through the town to fill in the afternoon. I got back to the hotel late afternoon and settled in to watch TV tennis… popping out briefly to grab a kebab for dinner..we are in an area littered with kebab and Korean BBQ eating places! So spoiled for choice if you like Turkish or Korean food!

Yesterday was tennis day, I had purchased a ground pass for the day, Corienne was starting work in the afternoon and with the knowledge of the experts (Corienne) you can get into some of the stadiums…

But first the gate…the day promised to be full of people with a 30 minute queue to get in …. Then it was off to surprise another Brisbane friend who was also visiting the tennis yesterday!

It was a great reunion …Corienne, Kim and my kids all grew up together in their early school years!

We got a pass into the John Cain Arena…and spent the day session there watching a men’s and women’s singles first round game…Kim and her Hubby had to leave at 3pm to head for their flight home and Corienne was off to work for the evening session… I managed to get a wristband to return for the evening session … but in the interim took a stroll around the outside courts…

Leaving the comfort of my stadium seat..

I joined the throngs of people all going somewhere! I managed to find a seat in an outside court with some unknown players and thousands of others!!! My claustrophobia kicked in … was getting a bit hungry and thirsty so headed back to the arena, with a full water bottle at least!

Two night games were scheduled a women’s open and a men’s open!

It got to a third set in the women’s game and I hit the wall…crowded out …,

Headed home to hotel by foot and tram collecting some food and TV Tennis for the evening! Slept well, now for another day of adventures, non tennis as Corienne has day off!

Yesterday, what would have been Mums 91st birthday, I appropriately celebrated with a day of Tennis…. tennis was a Mum and me thing! George, Jess and I went to the ATP men’s Tennis in Auckland …

Booked for the Semifinals, we were treated to a much longer day of quarter and semifinals, due to the previous day rain suspensions! Good for us, hard work for the players who had two matches on the same day!

I went early, walking from George’s house to the stadium… through the busy streets of Newmarket and the peaceful bush of the Auckland domain, only to be thwarted by the temporary fencing for the tennis at my exit which meant another hill climb and circuit to get to the entrance gate! A few extra steps for the day!

And now to recap The end of 2025 and start of 2026…. Christmas was the usual whirlwind of family, food and festivities.

Grandson number one helped me put up my modest decorations, and the weather gave us a glorious day (one out of the bag) !

I had a family day with the cousins at Orewa, and caught up with extended family and friends….

The not so babies, enjoyed their new outdoor furniture..and then between Christmas and new year the wild kiwi summer weather kicked in, with lots of rain and mini tornado rearranging the outdoor furniture…

Lots of rain and wind… New year brought more settled weather and a huge party at Daniel and lexi’s next door …. Although I was in bed by 10.30pm and left the young ones to it! I spent a few days in town cat sitting George and Jess’s cat who was noticeable by his absence….deciding he didn’t like a stranger in his house! But it did give me the chance to catch up with my city friends!

Just after new year I caught up with mums best friend, Barb at her daughter’s house in Kohi!

It was then the holiday week for the sons and grand sons!

Wenderholm hill walk with Tyler…who led the way…up hill and down hill

Testing Gran’ma’s agility with rolling down the grassy slopes!

An afternoon out to the reptile park in Leigh both of Auckland, culminating in the ice cream extravaganza!

A morning at Wenderholm park with Jaxon and the boys…Henry copying every move of his big brother…

Tyler joined in the sandcastle contest producing his 4 year old version of a lion…Gran’ma, the apprentice, providing the buckets of sand for his creation!

With the hot, cold, wet and sunny days of early January my garden burst forth with summer veges….

The pōhutukawa trees on the Waiwera waterfront sadly lost their foothold in the eart and some tumbled into the sea…as the easterly winds sent waves battering the the sea wall!

Mary rose, did her best….radiant as always through summer, but lost her battle with this week’s thunderstorms snapping her highest branch of blooms!

And with that….its almost the end of January, and while the school holidays continue, the bigger humans are all back at work…as yours truly plans for 2026 adventures!

Where did the last two months go?

At the end of October we were saying goodbye to Fiji, our family holiday to celebrate my retirement birthday!

Then it was back to work and kindy for the younger members of the family! Yours truly put on her yoga pants and walking shoes and sweated it out in the yoga studio…wobbling my way through 4-5 classes a week and taking to the hills, beaches and parks to get in some steps….

View from the top of the wenderholm hill…

A couple of weeks later, my BFF hit her golden birthday….and we celebrated in style…as we do with bubbles of course!

A few days after this, she zoomed off to be with her family in Australia! So my party buddy has been absent since the middle of November and things have been quiet on the social front!

I took a trip to Waiheke Island with Daniel… to measure up a job there, for friends, that he is now doing!

Not a bad workplace….with views to die for! It was about this time that I managed to get a spring Flu!

As the sun came out and we had unseasonal spring weather with a two week run of bright sunshine and very warm days!

My sunflowers grew to 7foot and bloomed golden in the sunshine with heads the size of dinner plates…

While sofa bound (yoga and walking on hold) I scrolled the marketplace sites and found this fabulous addition to the family collection – inspired by my Brother in law (Roland) who has an extensive collection on the other side of the world!

Interspersed with my exercise plan I have had lots of grandbaby time …. When they have off days and cannot go to kindy!

Henry playing with Russell’s trucks (his dad made them for him when he was a little boy!) they don’t make them like they used to….standing the test of time!

Luka and his dog….a boys best friend! Floyd is now 9 and would prefer not to have a playful toddler…but enjoys the snacks he can share (or sneak) from his brother!

Tyler…who is 5 in February and off to school, helped me decorate the Christmas vase….he found the Texas Christmas train (what was left of it) and we managed to add this to the creation this year!!

I joined Jax and Steph and their boys for the Orewa Santa parade on yet another summers day…the super hero’s and the grinch featuring largely in the event!

We also took a family outing to Sheepworld in Warkworth….

Feeding the (already) fat sheep, goats, alpacas and ponies – ducks and rabbits also getting in on the act!!

Due to the early summer my sunflowers have been and gone, however my green fingers grandson Luka still insists they need a water when he returns from kindy every day!

And finally Tyler graduated from Kindy this week, in true Tyler Fashion with his back to the crowd…and hanging onto his mother…

He looks like a big owl sitting on Steph’s knee!

And that’s about a wrap as we countdown the 6 sleeps to Christmas Day, December rain and wind returning for the festive week, and for my offspring a much looked forward to holiday! Dan returns from Waiheke today for a couple of weeks break with his Fanily, Jax and Steph have two weeks of coming and going from the cottage, and George and Jess are taking a mini break up north between Christmas and New Year….while Gran’ma babysits the cat!!

Today was a big day for yours truly…after last nights thunderstorm…

Which Luka really enjoyed, dancing in the rain!

After breakfast today, I joined Jax, Steph and the kids for an excursion to Nadi….the others had already experienced this town, we had not! So our $30 taxi ride dropped us at 8.30am at the markets….

Open air undercover fruit and veges for miles…

Volcanic soil and spring time producing abundant growth!

We wandered the Main Street ( diving in and out of airconditioned stores) as we were waiting for the Fijian craft market to open, and trying to locate it….finally a local (Fijian) sent us in the right direction!

After last evenings rain, the humidity was through the roof, and having bought a couple of trinkets for Tyler…we were wet from head to toe! And more than ready for a dip in the pool! We hailed the nearest taxi and for half the price $15 came back to the hotel…to cool off, re dress and get ready for the afternoons excursion to the botanical gardens at the foot of the Sleeping giant (mountain) on the other side of Nadi…

Steph opted out, as she had thrown her back and kept hot and bothered Henry for a long afternoon nap in the air conditioning.

The rest of the team including George, who is now recovered from his Fiji belly episode, gathered at reception at midday for our afternoon tour with Dans new Taxi driver mate, who was ready and waiting!

Tyler looking exceptionally unimpressed … but that was all an act as he was having the time of his life with his favorite Auntie Jess!

The tropical gardens after the rain…

A lot of green and Red…

A snapshot of the orchids- which obviously grow well here too..,

At this point the path turned to gravel and a few steps…so Lexi ditched the pushchair and Luka took off on foot!

Fish ponds and lily pads….and green everywhere… we continued to follow the track to the lookout, which our driver had informed me was a few minutes….he lied….

Luka tackled the uphill steps like a little mountain goat…

I tackled the steps….and more steps until we opened out to the final uphill climb…in the open sunshine, as the sweat pores opened up once again….for the final climb! Gran’ma bearing up the rear!

The look out, thankfully had a roof and a couple of wooden benches….. where we swallowed the last of our water supplies…

George and Jess leading the charge and still looking remarkably refreshed…

Dan, Lexi and Luka framed by the sleeping giant….thank goodness the track ended here…as the energy levels had run out for the arvo!

Gran’ma catching her breath but still managing a smile!

Luka determined to walk until it got too steep

Taking it easy so as not to slip…

There’s always the bunch of tree huggers

Green spaces…

And lily pads…. Back to base camp where we were rewarded with a fresh (sweet) mango and pineapple juice!

Back into the air conditioned van and the next stop was a Fijian village….where we were charged $10 each to enter and dragged around the village from souvenir table to souvenir table….rather a stitch up..,, but resisting the temptations of tacky momentoes we once again sweated our way around the village showing due respect!

Chickens and babies, Fijian toddlers shouting bula (hello) run down shacks, apart from the chiefs house…. Where George and Jess were jumping for joy!

Then a quick visit to the Methodist church – seems this is one of the main religions of choice….

Evidently it is ok to show shoulders but not legs, Lexi, Jess and I were wrapped in lava lavas as we all had shorts on….another reason to escape – this extra wrap was extremely hot!

By now it was around 3.30pm and our driver suggested the boat shed at Vula Marina for lunch( on the north side of Nadi..

The view from the garden restaurant…

Which also looks back at the marina!

And the dining Bures…. We all had lunch/Snacks and decided with two very hot little humans and 6 hot big humans it was time to head back for a swim! The girls had planned a sparkly dress night but with sore backs and tired legs, a couple of cold beers, kids to bed and booking reading were the order of the night!

We have one more glorious day of summer to soak up before all head back to reality!

As I mentioned in my last story, we had endured a high powered sales pitch to earn our (cheap) afternoon trip to Southseas island!

A small white coral sand island about 35 minutes ride by catamaran…

It was a very warm steamy midday when we arrived at port Denarau to check in and board the air conditioned Cat!

Leaving the port, we enjoyed the half hour of coolness, before landing on the Island, which was to be our home for the afternoon…I’ll just say here one of the team (George) had had a night of Fiji belly and needed a quiet day to rehydrate and recuperate!

Upon hitting the sandy atoll, Henry made a beeline for the first ball he could see! While we were introduced to the afternoons, bbq plan, and activities available…we all enjoyed a great BBQ with lots of salad! And the complimentary beer and wine started flowing! However for yours truly….there was not a lot of time to sit and relax…

Tyler and I circumnavigated the island, barefoot, which in hindsight was possibly a mistake as the sand was full of crunchy coral…

However…between rock hopping and the sandy patches, we completed our walk in about 30 minutes…just in time for Jess, Lex and I to jump on the snorkelling boat and Steph and Tyler to catch the fish feeding boat!

While the boys looked after the sleeping babies…

Evidently there were no fish to feed on that expedition, but the snorkelling was a success…lots of bright coloured fish clinging to the coral formations….until I spied a bullnose (or reef) shark mooching along the bottom below me! I decided I had seen enough and (quietly) hightailed it back to the boat! The Fijians were unfazed by this guy, but they were in the boat!!!

We returned to our patch on the Island…

Travelling with babies is always fun and messy! We allowed half an hour gathering time before the Catamaran was due to pick us up at 5pm… the last trip off the islands for the day, and as first boat was full…we waited a bit longer for the second less crowded one…arriving back at Port Denarau at 6pm…

As the sun was setting on the harbour…

Orange skies and live bands…

So what could we do, a cool drink, food for the kids…a taxi home, babysitter organised while the adults (minus George and Jess) headed to the adults only cocktail bar….

Peace and quiet and good cocktails to complete the evening…

Then room service burgers and sleep time….a few tired kiwis today!

The last couple of days have been interesting, to say the least, in the land of Fiji…where a resort is out to take your last penny and the locals have the gift of the gab…..Almost sucking us in!

The girls stand united at our first dinner at one of the resort restaurants!

A walk into the port, found some of us at a hole in the wall travel agent…promising us (Daniel in the lead) a super deal for the 10 of us…half day boat cruise, lunch, drinks, snorkelling all included for a mere $25 FJD per (7) adults, kids free! Instead of $235 each, if we did a small promotional tour of a resort further down the island. 90 minutes they said!

Easy…morning entertainment the next day! However the 90 minutes turned into 3 hours…the free shuttle bus collecting us half an hour early! And here we were at the WYNDHAM…

Waiting patiently for the “little” seminar to begin….

Next minute…a choir of floral Fijians burst into song and banging etc….

At this point we were still unsure of the journey we were about to take…herded into a conference room separated into couples, and it began… a barrage of information and sales pitch lasting 2 hours, with a push to buy into a timeshare! For thousands!!! A walk around the “Resort” cemented our decision to never return….old and tired, state housing like apartments, no beach, and a bunch of miserable holiday makers jammed in a dirty pool!!!

Another hard sell on return until we all said no…but having done the time we deserved the reward! We had to get the kids out of there so we left Dan and George pushing for our Island tour tickets! (Which took another hour!)

Funnily enough our free return shuttle never turned up…and we walked the 2 kms back to our lovely Hilton rooms and pools!

A cool off and nap for the babies was long overdue!! Oh well…we had our cruise booked at the said price!

Or so we thought! Upon Daniel and George’s return they hadn’t included the pick up and drop offs from our hotel for today’s excursion!

So yesterday, after a swim

Jax, the kids and I ventured back to the original travel agent…which turned out to be a front for the WYNDHAM timeshare…not a travel agent at all and they directed me to the tour operator…legitimate one this time!

The very nice receptionist took about an hour to find all our names as the WYNDAM booking people had booked everyone separately and not as a group! She added on the shuttles and grouped us all together… thank goodness we went through this process yesterday as today we would surely have missed the boat!

This further effort deserved a cool drink and a snack at one of the port cafes!

And a return (by taxi) for another cool off!

We all decided on an early night, restaurant takeaways for the baby families and Gran’ma and George and Jess an early dinner at the Asian restaurant, as we have a big excursion today to the much anticipated island!

The takeaway dining experience all round was not flash…and nothing like we ate at the venue (but for the same price) … small example … no chicken on my chicken Caesar salad! Daniel went to battle with the restaurant manager who reluctantly agreed to a refund… but this was not the end of the Bonnici dinner fiasco…George’s and Jess’s early dinner turned into a late one as they had to wait two hours for food! So second Bonnici was off to complain! They will think we are all just trying to get free food…but that is not the case, we are happy to pay if we get what we order!

So a day of challenges ended with a hot bath and book reading for yours truly…until a knock on the door…

Produced a complimentary fruit platter for our dissatisfaction and half an hour later George and Jess received the same! It will remain to be seen if the promised credits come through at checkout!

Oh well ….

Today is another day…sunrise looks promising, breakfast is good and we have an adventure this afternoon (courtesy of the WYNDHAM team) we are all positive!

So 65 is a big number in NZ – retirement age- but instead of a party I bought all the fam to Fiji for a “Spring Break” …. Yesterday we left NZ for a three hour flight to our island paradise!

Well as seasoned travellers know not all goes to plan….yep we sat (locked and loaded on airplane) for an extra two hours while some technical issues got sorted! While I am a fan of sorting technical issues before hitting the sky’s…. With two 17 month old babies it was a trial to say the least!

However we arrived safely …. A few hours later to a nighttime Fiji…. Got to our rooms and settled in for the night around 9 pm…. Not knowing where we were or what we were looking at!

This morning ( no daylight saving ) we all woke early to a blue sky day!

And headed to the expansive buffet breakky around 7.30am

So much for the dreaded week of rain predicted…. The morning ramped up with beach exploration…

First in the pool…

A walk to the port for fridge supplies….and a taxi back to our abode!

An afternoon relaxing outside our rooms enjoyimg the local beverages….

Number one grandson….

Number 3 grandson! Then the fun began….

Number 2 grandson and his family took the plunge!

And the family celebrated…. While the kids played, the music played and the team enjoyed a few local bevvies!

Then the promised rain came down around 5pm and we all scuttled back to our rooms to shower and change and off to a much needed dinner….….a good solid pasta for the tummy lining… and and Irish coffee (cold one Fijian style)

Russes shirt joining in the celebrations (on Jax… birthday pressie from Kev n Rols) And now in bed ready for tomorrows adventures!

Seven weeks since returning from the European summer has flown by, filled with babysitting sick kids, garden maintenance, house maintenance and admin…

First and foremost it’s a golden year for me, the big 65…. When one finally gets some payback for the years of contributing to the government coffers…

50+ years ago as I was embarking on life’s journey at Muriwai beach…I would never have thought I would be this old! But here we are…still doing life as a mummy, grandma and happy healthy retiree!

Arriving back in NZ to a still wintery climate, the heat pump worked overtime, the layers of clothing escaped the wardrobe and the Gran’ma hat slipped back on!

The odd day of sunshine….has given us hope for the sometime soon arrival of spring!

Babies are growing up….

And grass is just growing, but getting a window when it’s dry enough to cut is challenging! I won’t get started on the spring weather…although the vege garden, sunflowers seeds, and bean seeds seem to be adhering to spring traditions and are all growing well, with the water from the sky not the hose at this stage!

Needless to say my garden is all set for the summer, having combated the slugs and Floyd who all took a liking to my newly planted vege seedlings….until I put up a big fence!

We celebrated five family birthdays within a week late sept/early October…quietly with shared cakes! As everyone is shredding for our family holiday next week!

As I have embarked on a bit of a fitness journey, I have noticed the spring flowers blooming on some of my walks (which are not as often as anticipated due to the weather) However I have taken the leap of faith and rejoined a hot yoga studio….sweating my way through at least 4 classes a week for the last month! My body is certainly telling me this activity is long overdue….as I wobble my way through the exercises! But the old adage…”Use it or lose it” has brought back the muscle memory, albeit slowly!

So this is what a 65 year old Gran’ma looks like (taken a couple of months ago) when following the sun…so next week we are wandering off to catch some more rays….and retouch the winter tan!