Last week in New Zealand until spring and arrival in Switzerland and then Holland

The final weeks leading up to my departure were full of great dinners with friends, musicals, tennis and time with David enjoying our beautiful country and Christchurch together.

We had the most brilliant day at Castle Hill. I love that picturesque place with its breathtaking scenery and unique rock formations. And with weather like this, well..........

This rock below looks as if it has a massive fossil imbedded into it. Sadly, I don' t know enough about the area and geology.

How fantastic it was to spend the day in this beautiful place with David. Marvelous weather with cloudless skies, and in the distance it was so lovely to see the mountains coated with their early snow.

I particularly loved this group of rocks. You can let your imagination run rampage and find all sorts of animals hidden in the rocks. 

We also enjoyed meandering around the city. There is always something new to look at, even in one of my favourite cafes, the Antigua Boatsheds. There used to be a gorgeous old cat who was adored by all, but sadly he has died. However, he has been replaced by two simply adorable jet black kittens who are already well settled in and seem totally oblivious to the crowds of guests around them. This one, called China, even has his own highchair with cushion!

All through the city are posters with good messages to the people of Christchurch. I love them!

After many breathers it was time to get packing and say farewell first to David and then on the day I left, to Mark and Emma who were off to New Caledonia on holiday. It is always the hardest part of my European trip - saying 'goodbye'!

The flight to Singapore was one of the bumpiest flights I have ever experienced. The anxious looks on the faces of stewardesses as they scampered to take their seats didn't make me feel very secure. With the prospect of one hour of rocking and rolling, I tried everything to get my pounding heart to settle down. Eventually, I reverted to learning some Dutch. This worked much better than listening to gentle music because I had to concentrate more.

Luckily the second flight was marvelously smooth and in no time at all I was being welcomed by Trudi and taken back to her home in Russikon.

What a fabulous view from her garden as the sun went down. 

It didn't take me long to get together with some of my best friends and to visit some of my favourite locations - one being the stork nest by Pfaeffikersee. Great to see the storks back again this year. I cannot imagine how they can relax so high up, though the view must be spectacular !

The next day we went to the Lutzelsee to see a very large colony of storks. What magnificent creatures they are. We were wondering how they get to choose their nests. Seems to me that the nest on the left of the photo below must be prime real estate!

This beautiful cow is apparently one of a rare breed of grey cows. The coat was a fabulous colour.

After only a couple of days it was time to set off again. How lovely to have just 1 hour flying time. For a change I had a window seat and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful views as we landed. Beautiful strips of vibrant colour, tulips of Amsterdam! What a great start to the  trip.

Making things yet better was the super warm welcome from Harriet, an ex airbnb guest who is now a great friend. King's Day was the next day, so we were all given these gorgeous orange sunglasses to wear on his birthday. Very becoming, I thought?!

Back at Harriet's lovely home we had lots to catch up on, always with the background whistling of her 25- year- old pet, Coif, who spent plenty of time perched on Harriet's shoulder as she moved around.

The couple of days with Harriet in Hengelo were a terrific mix of meeting her family and sightseeing. Sadly, the morning of King's day was somewhat dreary, so we didn't spend much time in Hengelo, where the poor flea market vendors stood freezing, hoping for customers. Not many around unfortunately. The heavens opened as we headed home. Luckily, by the time we left for lunch at a very pretty old mill in the country, the weather began to improve and when we reached Ootmarsum the  blue skies were back and the sun lit up this picturesque village near the German border.

Of course, we had to stick with the orange theme, so for me it was time for an Aperol Spritz! Cheers.