Christchurch, Big Mike and trip to Wanaka

The new arrival, Big Mike, my beautiful one-eyed cat. He is huge, and hugely affectionate too.

Frequent spectacular sunrises  make waking up even more wonderful!

And very often similarly fantastic sunsets with subtle shades of gold make soaking in the spa all the more pleasurable.

Every week the visits to the Botanical Gardens become more beautiful. The magnolias are now bursting with massive blooms so bright that no photo can really do them justice. The carpet of petals on the lawn is equally gorgeous.

The daffodil and snowdrop lawns just keep getting more and more sensational. I will certainly be a regular visitor there.

Mike has settled well and is such great company, so I did feel bad leaving him in order to head south, but he is in good hands with my friend Carolina.

The trip to Wanaka is so fantastic and always different. I had good weather for the journey, but storms were brewing on the West Coast and over the Southern Alps. It was such dramatic scenery.

And to the east there was blue sky and still the most gorgeous autumnal colours around some lakes. What contrasts!

A cloudless Wanaka welcomed me. It is so long since I saw its wintery wonders.

It was so great to head out walking with David again.

We even tried a fabulous new track for us, the Gladstone, around the shores of the lovely Lake Hawea. What a fantastic lunch spot!

We woke to heavy frost and clear skies. What a paradise!

Back to our old favourite, the Glendhu Bay walk. On a day like this, it cannot be beaten. It was absolutely breathtakingly spectacular. To the left are the slopes of Treble Cone skifield. 

The bays look so inviting and the shimmering waters so beautiful.

As we ended the walk, the reflections at Glendhu Bay were pure perfection. What a day!

The next day was another perfect day, and a chance to catch up with my great friend Alison and family. After a morning walk together, it was wonderful to head to the other side of the lake and to sit in the sun just savouring those magic moments, splendid scenery and the sound of the waves gently lspping onto the beach. It was so peaceful and so beautiful.

So, time to leave this lovely place with no more fitting a photo than 'that Wanaka Tree', which is now deep in water, safe !