tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72204122785594323062024-03-13T07:41:26.353-07:00WestwoodThe antics, adventures and escapades of all who live in the shade of the trees at Westwood.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-72360593416652499392010-07-15T11:49:00.000-07:002010-07-15T11:49:29.997-07:00Sunset at WestwoodIt has been amazing weather for a winter school holidays - cold, but sunny, and NO RAIN! YAY!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9YDjBTxII/AAAAAAAAAnY/lr8gbVJ4OSU/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9YDjBTxII/AAAAAAAAAnY/lr8gbVJ4OSU/s640/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+057.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Sarah captured a beautiful sunset after we had spent most of the day outside with the horses...Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-43179203053684823952010-07-15T11:22:00.000-07:002010-07-15T11:47:17.724-07:00Self Loading?School holidays is a grand time to do some more handling with the young horses. Elmo needed to learn to float load, and Oreo could probably do with a refresher (or so we thought....)<br />
Is this what you call self loading?????<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9OzO0LAOI/AAAAAAAAAmg/rRHc3_gaH6k/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9OzO0LAOI/AAAAAAAAAmg/rRHc3_gaH6k/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+047.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Float is hitched to car and driven into the arena. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baby horses are let out of hill paddock and into arena...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before we have time to grab the halters and start the float work...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oreo marches straight to the float, and puts himself on (nearly taking Elmo in with him!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9O2t6oGVI/AAAAAAAAAmo/dVajC3acIh4/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9O2t6oGVI/AAAAAAAAAmo/dVajC3acIh4/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+049.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It has been many months since the big boy has even seen the float -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">not bad for a 3 year old!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just because I am the "trainer", I did actually put his halter on and walk him on and off a couple of times, sheesh - cant he let the mum have a little bit of the credit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QF4mb8TI/AAAAAAAAAmw/IoviFduGwuY/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QF4mb8TI/AAAAAAAAAmw/IoviFduGwuY/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+062.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elmo had to have a bit of think time, especially without his big mate, but got the idea pretty quickly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QJ5qi49I/AAAAAAAAAm4/UZYcvzGwy94/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QJ5qi49I/AAAAAAAAAm4/UZYcvzGwy94/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+063.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gotta watch out you don't bang the head Elmo...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QNXcIrPI/AAAAAAAAAnA/-Y5Dmu4Bi8I/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9QNXcIrPI/AAAAAAAAAnA/-Y5Dmu4Bi8I/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+065.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">... and we are on (and quite relaxed about the fact).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He was then super confident and "knew what to do", marching on and backing off when asked like a pro.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He is meant to be a golden baby, but is such an icky wishy washy cream colour at present.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Secretly he wishes to be grey, and was VERY happy to find old fire ashes to roll in again!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elmo is 20 months old, and I measured him at just under 15hh, which is bigger than I thought. He always looks so puny next to the big fellow (who is now 16.2hh at the bum and a bit less at the wither!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well I don't know why Sarah insists on doing this with the camera(because it is not the first time), and my Oreo really is a beautiful horse (in my eyes anyway), BUT...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9XGWEkwAI/AAAAAAAAAnI/EUk3Yl4fgx4/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9XGWEkwAI/AAAAAAAAAnI/EUk3Yl4fgx4/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+068.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9XMh42vKI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/nnFRtR7U3z8/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9XMh42vKI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/nnFRtR7U3z8/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+070.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe this is a horse version of a bug-eyed emoticon???</div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-88452858690441968202010-07-15T11:00:00.000-07:002010-07-15T11:02:09.707-07:00Fantango (Hunny) - Sarah's New PonyThe week after we returned from Europe, we ended up driving all the way to Kerikeri to take a look at a pony I had had my eye on since before we went away. It was well worth the trip (taking the horse float "just in case....") - as we ended up bringing Hunny home! <br />
She is a beautifully schooled 14.2hh 12 year old mare by Kingsway Diamond. In the past she has done a lot - show hunter, show jumping, dressage, pony club, saddle hunter, but for the last little while hadn't been doing much as her rider had turned 17. <br />
Hunny is quite a step up from Spots, and has more "buttons to press", but once Sarah sorts out how to ride her properly, they should have great fun together.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LpYvg95I/AAAAAAAAAl4/9JGLl2Rnv84/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LpYvg95I/AAAAAAAAAl4/9JGLl2Rnv84/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+018.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sarah looks pleased with her!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LmyK9g7I/AAAAAAAAAlw/4MTNS_Mxe9k/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LmyK9g7I/AAAAAAAAAlw/4MTNS_Mxe9k/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+014.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Working on the basics</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LwQlG66I/AAAAAAAAAmA/6CM6EZcieFc/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9LwQlG66I/AAAAAAAAAmA/6CM6EZcieFc/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+023.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hunny loved it at WEC</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9L9Pa2pUI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PZYG71yMWss/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9L9Pa2pUI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PZYG71yMWss/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+037.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And just because Spots does, Sarah thought the new Hunny princess pony might like to splash through puddles.... and she did!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9MA-M-3DI/AAAAAAAAAmY/u45jSOBWl5I/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9MA-M-3DI/AAAAAAAAAmY/u45jSOBWl5I/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+038.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And stretch her legs over some trotting poles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We look forward to reporting on progress over the coming months.</div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-43889157486037738172010-07-15T10:46:00.000-07:002010-07-15T11:06:13.866-07:00Goodbye to Spots<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was a sad day in our house a week ago, when we said goodbye to the lovely Spots, who has gone to live in Featherston with a family who will adore her. <br />
Spots has been the perfect all rounder Pony Club pony for Sarah over the past three years - she has turned her hoof to everything from games, to trekking, polo, jumping, camping, pony rides, road riding, home movie star, and everything in between - always exactly at the pace that Sarah has asked for. We couldn't have hoped for a better pony for a girl to have fun with!<br />
The day before, we took her to the local Equestrian Centre to blow out the cobwebs, and have a fantastic last ride with Sarah. The wind was howling, but they didn't care - they had a ball!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IeJRm-eI/AAAAAAAAAlA/9X0_yVRgPO8/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IeJRm-eI/AAAAAAAAAlA/9X0_yVRgPO8/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A bit of a gallop</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9Ii2HT7-I/AAAAAAAAAlI/0PwmrQBQFfI/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9Ii2HT7-I/AAAAAAAAAlI/0PwmrQBQFfI/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy faces</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IpOgGyUI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/XN1ySO3su-Y/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IpOgGyUI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/XN1ySO3su-Y/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Thinking about some jumping</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IrD7ukSI/AAAAAAAAAlY/buJauXUcEA0/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IrD7ukSI/AAAAAAAAAlY/buJauXUcEA0/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">It's been a while!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IxM4P_pI/AAAAAAAAAlg/U70qvifYH58/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IxM4P_pI/AAAAAAAAAlg/U70qvifYH58/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Cooling off</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IzYTroqI/AAAAAAAAAlo/yZ9zJJR6MKA/s1600/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TD9IzYTroqI/AAAAAAAAAlo/yZ9zJJR6MKA/s320/spaotz+last+ride,+hunny.elmo,+oreo+041.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The new and the old - Hunny and Spots</div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-48422293057026817092010-06-12T03:16:00.000-07:002010-06-12T03:47:47.102-07:00Baby Photos ElmoThis is mum JK Shari, by JK Sacramento, out of Shah's Pearl. Shari was bought in foal to Wakonda-O-Indiana, but sadly lost a lovely big coloured colt foal at birth. Shari adored the kids, and would search them out, spending ages chatting to them. Shari lived at my friend Viv's place until we moved to Westwood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNf4clEYrI/AAAAAAAAAkA/taWedBM1MtY/s1600/IMG_0103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNf4clEYrI/AAAAAAAAAkA/taWedBM1MtY/s320/IMG_0103.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNfajWC2lI/AAAAAAAAAjw/64ZBZ-UOqAU/s1600/IMG_0001+(Small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNfajWC2lI/AAAAAAAAAjw/64ZBZ-UOqAU/s320/IMG_0001+(Small).jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It took a while to get her well again, then next season she went to Cowboy - a stationbred cremello stallion with awesome movement and a kind sweet temperament.</div>Finally, Elmo was born! A cute palomino - kind of pink with blue eyes - like a Barbie pony!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNc3nIMbnI/AAAAAAAAAio/v3ffNxXzA4k/s1600/Elmo+and+science+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNc3nIMbnI/AAAAAAAAAio/v3ffNxXzA4k/s320/Elmo+and+science+009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNc_vTbSaI/AAAAAAAAAiw/oFnRCksaT7c/s1600/Elmo+and+science+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNc_vTbSaI/AAAAAAAAAiw/oFnRCksaT7c/s320/Elmo+and+science+013.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdKcd42iI/AAAAAAAAAi4/b5fjaFQ5nOQ/s1600/Elmo+and+science+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdKcd42iI/AAAAAAAAAi4/b5fjaFQ5nOQ/s320/Elmo+and+science+015.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdbQ2pi8I/AAAAAAAAAjI/JnsKwmIv0z8/s1600/Elmo+and+science+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdbQ2pi8I/AAAAAAAAAjI/JnsKwmIv0z8/s320/Elmo+and+science+019.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdUrn-_KI/AAAAAAAAAjA/3m-b6I80FbU/s1600/Elmo+and+science+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdUrn-_KI/AAAAAAAAAjA/3m-b6I80FbU/s320/Elmo+and+science+017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdqEz2KII/AAAAAAAAAjY/dJCOOmwCorY/s1600/Elmo+and+science+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdqEz2KII/AAAAAAAAAjY/dJCOOmwCorY/s320/Elmo+and+science+028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdiTuS9UI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/JYo9vdpqFl4/s1600/Elmo+and+science+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNdiTuS9UI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/JYo9vdpqFl4/s320/Elmo+and+science+023.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNd3zybPzI/AAAAAAAAAjo/8hnYicbVPVk/s1600/Elmo+and+science+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNd3zybPzI/AAAAAAAAAjo/8hnYicbVPVk/s320/Elmo+and+science+031.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNcuBNHslI/AAAAAAAAAig/KUOMsd2GD_Y/s1600/Elmo+and+science+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNcuBNHslI/AAAAAAAAAig/KUOMsd2GD_Y/s320/Elmo+and+science+007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNccJJqUII/AAAAAAAAAiQ/7SYaOF91Bg4/s1600/Elmo+and+science+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNccJJqUII/AAAAAAAAAiQ/7SYaOF91Bg4/s320/Elmo+and+science+001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNck72GjRI/AAAAAAAAAiY/5Jzwe0yfPDw/s1600/Elmo+and+science+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNck72GjRI/AAAAAAAAAiY/5Jzwe0yfPDw/s320/Elmo+and+science+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkVByY4dI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/3g1OPxMIdb8/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkVByY4dI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/3g1OPxMIdb8/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Pretty soon, it was time to learn how to wear a halter.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkh3TCWkI/AAAAAAAAAkY/UWdqQlK0kIY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkh3TCWkI/AAAAAAAAAkY/UWdqQlK0kIY/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkv3T8NPI/AAAAAAAAAkg/E2afRAN-IXo/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNkv3T8NPI/AAAAAAAAAkg/E2afRAN-IXo/s320/007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Aunty Tracey came to help - so who do you think is the cutest?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNk-mBDD_I/AAAAAAAAAko/KIccxEk4xJo/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNk-mBDD_I/AAAAAAAAAko/KIccxEk4xJo/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And after that big lesson, it was back to the paddock with mum for a big drink.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNlNhREEEI/AAAAAAAAAk4/ouHHGbtbFfY/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNlNhREEEI/AAAAAAAAAk4/ouHHGbtbFfY/s320/012.JPG" /></a></div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-54849519747243516962010-06-12T02:41:00.000-07:002010-06-12T03:04:20.311-07:00Baby Photos Oreo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">High time I put more horsey stuff on here, but not much to report outside in the rain!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thought I would add some baby photos for our two young guys.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This is Oreo and his mum - Ludens Gold (by Ludendorf) - don't you just love those ears! (He is still growing into them, even now).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNSuGu_4oI/AAAAAAAAAfo/3R2rH_VJUIw/s1600/ludens+gold+and+Oreo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNSuGu_4oI/AAAAAAAAAfo/3R2rH_VJUIw/s320/ludens+gold+and+Oreo.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And this is dad - Wakonda-O-Indiana - American Spotted Draft, with Sarah at the Stallion Parade at Karaka.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNTK9Ag7iI/AAAAAAAAAfw/OLKfHBYMEJ4/s1600/bud+and+sarah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNTK9Ag7iI/AAAAAAAAAfw/OLKfHBYMEJ4/s320/bud+and+sarah.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Oreo was bred by Onewerre Stud in Te Puke, where Bud the stallion stood. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The first day Oreo arrived at Westwood.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNVSv0IFWI/AAAAAAAAAgg/_FboM_Ye_V4/s1600/kids+painting+and+oreo+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNVSv0IFWI/AAAAAAAAAgg/_FboM_Ye_V4/s320/kids+painting+and+oreo+028.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Very hungry of course, after the trip from Te Puke, and very relaxed and laid back!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUbPhiD1I/AAAAAAAAAgA/6TWdW_0zomw/s1600/kids+painting+and+oreo+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUbPhiD1I/AAAAAAAAAgA/6TWdW_0zomw/s320/kids+painting+and+oreo+024.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Yep, dem is good ears I say!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUfgHi1aI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Q4nH1eoP7Kg/s1600/kids+painting+and+oreo+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUfgHi1aI/AAAAAAAAAgI/Q4nH1eoP7Kg/s320/kids+painting+and+oreo+026.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUtt9DAFI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/tUqnC4hcG0o/s1600/kids+painting+and+oreo+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNUtt9DAFI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/tUqnC4hcG0o/s320/kids+painting+and+oreo+042.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The kids tried really hard with the camera to get Oreo's best profile - oh dear!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNU2pmya0I/AAAAAAAAAgY/uLijv12afx4/s1600/kids+painting+and+oreo+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNU2pmya0I/AAAAAAAAAgY/uLijv12afx4/s320/kids+painting+and+oreo+061.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">He settled quickly, living with Poppy pony, and had big sleeps every day so he could grow into a BIG boy when he was older.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXAdbrbKI/AAAAAAAAAgo/g-mszCAFbgo/s1600/P6090003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXAdbrbKI/AAAAAAAAAgo/g-mszCAFbgo/s320/P6090003.JPG" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">He was a darling to lead, and handle.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXX9H3dGI/AAAAAAAAAgw/nxnvu3Djxl8/s1600/oreo+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXX9H3dGI/AAAAAAAAAgw/nxnvu3Djxl8/s320/oreo+002.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">After Poppy, he got to live with my broodmare Shari.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXcsI0B9I/AAAAAAAAAg4/BBRIW5i2TvY/s1600/oreo+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNXcsI0B9I/AAAAAAAAAg4/BBRIW5i2TvY/s320/oreo+007.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Winter had him decide he really rather would have been born a bear, such was the coat he grew!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNYEi5MwuI/AAAAAAAAAhI/JRZlhk-E5bw/s1600/oreo+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNYEi5MwuI/AAAAAAAAAhI/JRZlhk-E5bw/s320/oreo+010.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">All mud, fur and hooves!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNYDsfeYGI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Qxw2KXmL1q0/s1600/oreo+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNYDsfeYGI/AAAAAAAAAhA/Qxw2KXmL1q0/s320/oreo+008.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Shari taught Oreo how to behave.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaQSKcFMI/AAAAAAAAAh4/wvMV_GR5GPY/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaQSKcFMI/AAAAAAAAAh4/wvMV_GR5GPY/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+213.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And how to run up and down the hills - he wasnt too sure at first!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaeqYWvwI/AAAAAAAAAiA/vc62xgnPjzQ/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaeqYWvwI/AAAAAAAAAiA/vc62xgnPjzQ/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+195.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">but quickly got the hang of it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZqebtG_I/AAAAAAAAAhQ/4TAXFcL2PQc/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZqebtG_I/AAAAAAAAAhQ/4TAXFcL2PQc/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+198.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Then he got bored and thought he might teach himself a few circus tricks...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaHyTPsqI/AAAAAAAAAhw/tls-ZMdSH6w/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaHyTPsqI/AAAAAAAAAhw/tls-ZMdSH6w/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+215.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">... and he grew...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaB9932qI/AAAAAAAAAho/zdt2jHNbJFU/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNaB9932qI/AAAAAAAAAho/zdt2jHNbJFU/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+218.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">... and he grew...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZ3LFkbcI/AAAAAAAAAhg/CqoUTJTnh-U/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZ3LFkbcI/AAAAAAAAAhg/CqoUTJTnh-U/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+220.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">until sometimes he nearly fitted his ears!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZtQoNZ1I/AAAAAAAAAhY/JnWVvOvPFRc/s1600/horses+rotorua+flowers+221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/TBNZtQoNZ1I/AAAAAAAAAhY/JnWVvOvPFRc/s320/horses+rotorua+flowers+221.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-69614819179358191372010-05-16T01:40:00.000-07:002010-05-16T01:43:11.461-07:00Day 31 Pula on the Istria Peninsula in CroatiaHeavy rain continued all night, making the camp ground quite sodden, so we had a lie in this morning, before hitting the road about 9 am headed for Pula on the Istria peninsula. The heavy rain continued as we drove, but when we arrived in Pula it thankfully stopped. The temperature had dropped quite a lot, so we wore sweatshirts and raincoats, just in case, but the rain held off, and we went for a wander round an ancient Roman Amphitheatre close to the sea. It was in very good repair, and we were able to go out into the centre, to stand where the gladiators would have stood and fought. There was also an interesting museum here, in the dungeons, which showed off various types of pottery vessels which would have been used for carrying anything from olive oil, to wine, to cereal. They were unusual in that they all had a pointed bottom, so had to be stood in a stand to stand upright. Apparently back in Roman times, the romans cultivated the soil and harvested olives and grapes to make very fine produce. Sarah managed to find a scorpion on the wall in the dungeons, so we spent a while photographing it before continuing on our way. <br />
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The weather held, and we made our way round the peninsula to Lim Bay, a narrow fiord where there was a marine reserve, and a cave Richard wanted to do a cache at. The cave was closed, but he and Hayden still went in, and managed to find a bat sleeping. It got a terrible fright when Richards camera flashed as the photo was taken!<br />
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The Istria peninsula is well known for white truffles, which are apparently very rare outside of this area. Richard managed to have a taste of some today at a small roadside stall beside a tower he wanted to climb up for the view. Unfortunately the rest of us were in the camper, so missed out on our taste of this delicacy. The area is also known for its fine wine and virgin olive oil.<br />
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We have made it round to the edge of the peninsula for the night, to a small village called Finida, and a camp of the same name. This is a four star camp, but the ratings are quite deceiving, as although it has all the bells and whistles, nothing is actually open, so in some ways we are worse off than in the lower rated campsites that are smaller, but at least have everything open. <br />
The weather has remained fine, so hopefully we will have a nice drive to Slovenia tomorrow.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-59709073578770925052010-05-07T22:32:00.000-07:002010-05-07T22:32:03.868-07:00Day 30 Plitvice Lakes CroatiaWell, however you say the name of these lakes, they were one of the most fabulous places we have visited on this trip – right up there with Meteora for me! Unfortunately it was an overcast day, which meant the water colour wasn’t quite as spectacular as it can be in the sunshine, but the bonus was that it was nice and cool for our big day of walking. After much discussion the night before, we decided to split into two pairs – the boys, who were going to walk from the bottom of the lakes and waterfalls, up to the top – a walk that was meant to take 5-6 hours. Us girls decided it would be more sensible to do a smaller loop, starting in the middle and going to the bottom (downhill), then if we felt like more, bus back to the middle and go further up to do another loop.<br />
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As it turned out, the boys ended up starting at the top and walking down (because their bus didn’t seem to want to go down the bottom, and circled back to the top for a second time before they got off. They enjoyed their walk, but finished it in about ½ the time it was meant to take!<br />
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Meanwhile Sarah and I took a boat from the middle to a bit further down, across one of the lakes, so we got a view of the first waterfall (called “Slap” in Croatian) from the comfort of a seat on the boat! We were first off, and walked along the track by ourselves for some time before we saw other people. There were actually hundreds of people in the park, going both ways, so sometimes there were even people jams with traffic trying to go both ways at the same time. That was OK except that some people were really rude, and just wouldn’t move over, resulting in Sarah and I nearly getting pushed over the edge of the boardwalk a number of times (mostly there was no railing on the boardwalks).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-T2wmNT_FI/AAAAAAAAAYU/fuyFlAgFb4w/s1600/128+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-T2wmNT_FI/AAAAAAAAAYU/fuyFlAgFb4w/s320/128+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div><br />
All the pathways were really well maintained, and basically you walked around the side of a small lake (there were many in a row with cascades between each), then meandered over the top, round the bottom, or beside the waterfalls on boardwalks made out of tree logs smoothed on the top side, so it was very rustic looking (and quite rickety in places). There were hardly any side rails (just in the most dangerous of places), and definitely some places that needed them and didn’t have them! Anyway they were fairly stable, and the good thing was that even where they were wet from the waterfalls washing over them, they were never ever slippery. Most of the other paths were metal covered, or even tarsealed in some places. The views changed at every corner, and the waterfalls varied from tiny to wide, high to low, all coming over the top in between rocks and plants. It was an incredibly beautiful place to be, and because there were so many lakes and waterfalls and different views, it was exciting for the whole walk, and we hadn’t even noticed that we had walked for a number of hours (and taken many photos!) Once we got to the bottom, we caught a bus back to the middle, then decided to do another small loop further up. Once on the bus, unfortunately it didn’t seem to stop any more in the place we had hoped to get off, so we went right to the top, and walked back down to the middle again – thus completing the whole walk, just like Hayden and Richard did!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-T2r3dZJyI/AAAAAAAAAYM/6-M_1oNAdqo/s1600/362+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-T2r3dZJyI/AAAAAAAAAYM/6-M_1oNAdqo/s320/362+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div>We were sorry to leave this wonderful place, even though we didn’t sight any of the bears, wolves, otters or woodpeckers the park is famous for! There were lots of trout though, swimming in the shallows of the clear greeny blue water, who would have loved us to feed them some bread!<br />
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When we got back to the middle again, we found Hayden and Richard sitting waiting for us, and because they had also ended up going down the walk, rather than up, they had been waiting for two hours for us!<br />
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Once back in the camper, we drove for about 3 hours to get back to the coast, this time taking the motorway because we knew it was going to be close to nightfall when we were searching for a camping place. The rain started shortly after we left Plitvice, and really set in, so it was lucky that we had finished our walks already. <br />
We are now tucked up warm and dry in our camper, very thankful that we are not tenting in this weather! It’s time to get the Canasta cards out and have a quick hand before bed.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-20046796822154551712010-05-04T23:15:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:20:19.717-07:00Day 29 Zadar and drive to LakesWe got away bright and early today (something to do with having no food left for breakfast I think!) We had a couple of hours drive along the coast to Zadar, a town that had received a good rating in our lonely planet guide for being interesting but not touristy. It had some Roman walls, a ruined Forum, and some lovely old cathedrals, as well as a good fruit and vege market. We walked through the middle, then right round the outside, which had recently been developed and was quite a buzzing port area. Today is 1 May, and it seemed to be a public holiday, so there was a nice relaxed atmosphere, and nobody was in any hurry. There also wasn’t much traffic, which is always a bonus, and meant we easily found parking. There was a sizable band in pink shirts and ties in the middle of the square, who seemed to be warming up to play along with an opera singer, who gave us a short burst, then stopped while the band was tweaked again. It seemed to be taking a while to get going, so we gave up and kept on walking round the old streets. These types of old places are really brought to life by the markets and shops within them, and the locals driving in and out through the big wall tunnel/gates.<br />
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We found a big supermarket to shop at, and stocked up for the next few days.<br />
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More coast driving. It was such a lovely day, the temperature reached around 27 degrees, so when we finally stopped for lunch at a fairly secluded spot right on the beach, the kids and Richard decided to go for a swim. They reckoned it was warm, but they had also said that yesterday when I nearly froze my feet off, so I gave it a miss! There was great excitement on the drive in because Richard thought he saw yet another snake on the road, but this time he thought it was dead, so he and Hayden went back to poke it with a stick and examine it a bit. It must have been quite fresh, because they came running back for the camera, reckoning that it was alive! Finally they decided it was in fact dead, and Hayden picked it up and brought it back to the camper to give us girls a closer look. Not trusting them at all, I locked them out of the camper until the snake was put down (so Hayden put it across the wind screen wiper of the car! It wasn’t overly big, and dead it may have been, but I still did not want it coming with us in the camper!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-ENuwunCEI/AAAAAAAAAUc/pl26Mn_1Sik/s1600/046+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-ENuwunCEI/AAAAAAAAAUc/pl26Mn_1Sik/s320/046+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Refreshed, we drove on, heading inland this time, aiming for the Plitvice Lakes area – a highly recommended area of beautiful lakes and waterfalls, with nice walks. It was a couple of hours drive, climbing up into the hills through some pretty barren looking rocky land, then opening out into some beautiful pasture and forest, then more pasture. A beautiful area. We have found a nice camping set amonst the trees – it is quite large, and there are many other campers here. We have seen that the last few days there seem to have been more campers on the roads (mostly Slovenian), so it looks like the season has started! Most campgrounds open 1 May, so we should be pretty OK for camping from here on in.</div><br />
Richard and Sarah have gone for a walk to the shop to see if they can get a map of the Lakes area so we can plan a walk for tomorrow. On the way in, we saw a sign for bears in the area. Hopefully we don’t find one, as all the kids want to do is feed it!Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-56885250416382528472010-05-04T23:13:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:22:50.716-07:00Day 28 Split in Croatia AgainWe awoke to yet another beautiful sunny day, and had a leisurely start. We were lucky enough to have fresh bread for breakfast, from the camp store, and chocolate filled donuts??? The kids thought that was great! We were headed for Split, some 130 km away, and Richard decided to do a few caches along the way. One was down some narrow little city streets, which he couldn’t find, and we had to double park for (which basically blocked the whole road). The next one was at a little roadside cave where the Virgin Mary had appeared 18 times to some one or other, in 1858. There were truckloads (well busloads) of people there, and it wasn’t even pilgrimage day. That didn’t look good for finding the cache, but Richard and Sarah managed to find it. Meantime, Hayden and I got hemmed in by buses trying to take over our parking spot. Managed to back out ok and continue on our way. The coastline is beautiful with little villages and towns all along, and the big hills stretching up behind them.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Finally, just before lunch time, we made it to Split. Richard made some excellent navigation decisions, and we managed to find parking very close to the Diocletian palace – a Roman fortified old town with palace inside, down by the waterfront. Sarah and I went into the cathedral, while the boys went up the bell tower. They both came down saying it was really scary and open, and Hayden repeated many times that it was practically made of matchsticks with nothing at all holding it up. Us girls couldn’t see what all the fuss was about from the bottom looking up. It looked sturdy enough to us! Richard reckoned he was getting vertigo up there, and saw others go down before they reached the top because of the scare factor. There was a sign at the base saying you entered at your own risk...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-EOaY7IhtI/AAAAAAAAAU0/A6uFRx6Rrzk/s1600/090+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-EOaY7IhtI/AAAAAAAAAU0/A6uFRx6Rrzk/s320/090+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We then did what we usually do in these towns, and wandered round the markets, selling fruit, veges, cheese, meat and souvenirs. After much taste testing, Richard and Sarah bought 20 Kuna of cheese (a tiny fit in your hand piece), and the poor lady looked disgusted with them! Hayden and I had our eyes set on the strawberries – sign said 20 Kuna.... Hayden asked me if it was for the whole table... so doesn’t yet have a good grasp of the currency I think. While he was working it out, they took the whole table with strawberries piled high away!! So we missed out on them!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was nice to have a short walk back to the camper, and tonight we are staying near Trogir, as we want to visit the old city tomorrow. The camp ground is a huge one, with nice sites right by the sea. It was still really sunny when we arrived, so we all braved the beautiful clear, inviting, but freezing waters of the Adriatic, and went for a swim. I still have goosebumps from trying to warm up since we swam!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It is quite idyllic sitting here in the camper typing today’s events, while looking out over the deep blue sea (to borrow some words from our guide book – the limpid saphirine waters), and seeing little islands, and the odd yacht sail by. I think all of us are secretly hankering for a beach day, but we have so much to see and so few days, that it is pretty unlikely to happen, except in small blocks of time, like in the late afternoon when we arrive at our camping spots.</div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-58972297289977396112010-05-04T23:12:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:12:01.288-07:00Day 27 Mostar in BosniaWe planned to drive to Mostar, not far across the border into Bosnia, but first we had to drive about 1 hour to get off the peninsula we were camping on. It was a pleasant drive through vineyards on the rocky hillsides. There seemed to be quite a bit of development going on, and I was quite interested to see that the vines didn’t have any structure to hold them up. Some of the vines looked quite old, but were cut back like roses might be in the winter. They had started to leaf up, but it was hard to tell what happened next, as grapes are quite vigorous in their growth. Every so often we would see the sea again – brilliant blue – such a gorgeous colour on a sunny day. <br />
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Finally we reached the end of the peninsula, and wound our way around the coast, until we headed off to Bosnia. The first border crossing turned us round for some reason, and we had to go to the other side of the river and through a bigger border post. Maybe they could only process locals at the first one? We followed a swiftly flowing big river all the way to Mostar. It was like the Waikato river except bigger, swifter, and much much bluer – like the water round Queenstown. It was hot when we got to Mostar – about 27 degrees, and nil wind. We managed to find parking really close to the old town (unusual), and went for a walk over the old bridge, which is very special in Mostar – originally built about 600 years ago, it was shelled in the early 1990’s war and damaged greatly. It has been fully restored using the same materials and methods as days of old, and now stands majestic again in its rightful place. It is a beautiful spot, with stone buildings with slate roves, pebble cobbled streets, and lots of interesting market type stalls. We watched people beating copper, and looked at lots of jewellery and belly dancing costumes. There were lots of different war relics you could buy, from helmets to medals etc. We went through a photographic exhibition of pictures of the bridge when it was damaged, then repaired, which was quite interesting. It is a real icon for the city. The woven mats etc were lovely, but it got so hot that I lost interest in shopping, even though we didn’t walk far.<br />
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We paid for entry into a mosque, which was a fascinating place to visit.Richard and the kids also walked up the minaret. Besides its height, it looked really narrow – a spiral staircase that Richard said in places was only as wide as his shoulders. <br />
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Mostar still has evidence of shelling with pock marks and damage to various buildings, though much of it has been fixed up already since the war.<br />
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After Mostar, we drove back along the river, and back through the border to Croatia again, and headed North towards Split, our destination for tomorrow. We have found a nice camping open by the seaside about 130km south of Split, and as it was getting late, we decided to stop here for the night.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-5014648452627047942010-05-04T23:10:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:26:06.249-07:00Day 26 Montenegro to CroatiaWe left early, and drove a short distance to the border into Croatia. We had another really easy border crossing, though this was the first time the authorities actually wanted to view Hayden and Sarah and check them against their passport photos. There was a long no-mans-land between the two borders for some reason of about 1 km. We were driving to Dubrovnik – a beautiful old town with high fortress walls and towers, which have been well maintained. These walls were shelled in 1991 by the Yugoslav army, and lots of damage was done, but the locals have repaired it all, and it is as good as new. The usual problem in these towns is parking, and this one was no different. We saw lots of NO CAMPER signs, so felt a bit put out, but finally managed to find free parking down by a bus depot. It was a couple of km to walk back to the city, but mostly downhill, so easy going. The old down of Dubrovnik was a buzzing place, even at that time of the morning. There were lots of cobbled streets, stone shops and little alleyways, all surrounded by the giant wall. The souvenirs were quite nautical themed. We managed to go into an art exhibition. I forget the name of the Croat artist, but the paintings were excellent. Brightly coloured in quite a modern style with lots of splashes of paint, but from a distance, were quite traditional scenes of woodlands, boats, and trees etc. Very impressive. I thought the prices were very reasonable too until I realised they were in Euros, not Kuna (the local currency). We came across a market, selling handmade goods, and after much taste testing, bought some candied orange peel (a local delicacy), and some dried figs (a favourite of Richard’s.)<br />
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It was a beautiful day, and it was getting hotter, so we decided to go up to the top of the walls and walk round the city. It is about a 2 km walk with lots of steps going up and down, and turrets to climb. The views were magnificent, and it was also neat to look down into people’s gardens who lived in the old city. There was even a school we looked down into, where the boys were playing soccer, kicking the ball against the walls! <br />
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Finally we made it back down off the walls, and back into the main square. There were quite a few buskers, which added to the atmosphere, and we sat for a while, watching the kids (and Richard) trying to stand on the sloping gargoyle thing next to one of the big old doors. Hayden was the only one that was successful! Apparently it is very hard for adults to do, but easier for kids. It was after 1, so time for lunch. We were aiming to eat at a restaurant recommended in Lonely Planet, but the one we thought it was, actually wasn’t, but had nice pictures of their food, so we ate there instead. Fish is the speciality in this area, so we decided to go for something a bit different – Richard ordered stuffed squid (filled with mussels, rice etc), and I ordered frogs legs (yes, I know we are not in France, but you don’t often see them on the menu). They were interesting, but quite flavourless I thought. They looked really cute lying in pairs around the plate. Hayden tasted one, but Sarah was horrified! Richard really enjoyed his squid, and the kids had fairly safe food – a vegetarian platter, and spaghetti bolognaise. <br />
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Our next mission was to find camping. Most don’t open till 1 May, but there were a couple advertising that they were already open. We drove a long way out onto a peninsula on the way to Split. It was a beautiful drive, but quite late (after 6 pm) when we reached our camping. It is a high quality place, right above the sea, with very nice facilities. The kids went for a big swim in the swimming pool, and stayed outside playing for ages. It was such a nice night, we cooked our dinner and took it down to a table overlooking the sea, and watched the sun go down. <br />
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That night, there was a full moon, and the moonscape over the sea was captivating. The wind got up in the night, and buffeted us a bit (because of course we chose a campsite that we could have an uninterrupted view of the sea from!)Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-80206472233106946442010-05-04T23:08:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:31:33.004-07:00Day 25 MontenegroWe were awake very early this morning. Maybe it was the trains, or the frogs – we will never know, but we decided to hit the road early as it was a big driving day. We wound our way along the coast for a bit, checking out Budva – an expensive resort area. It was stunning, and the early morning light was glinting on the buildings, making them seem almost surreal. The biggest problem, even though there was practically no traffic, was that there was no parking along the beach, and we seemed to have this problem in all the little towns we drove into today. As New Zealanders we take it for granted that you can just bowl up to any old beach and park wherever we want to. Even the parking lots waved us away, only interested in filling up with cars, so often, instead of stopping, we had to drive on through. <br />
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After the shorefront villages we wound our way up an enormous hill, and even ended up going through a 4.5 km tunnel – the longest we have been in. . This was the day we wanted to visit “Wolf Mountain” as the kids have christened it, in Lovcen National Park, and boy did we do some climbing (in the camper) to get there! We got to the town of Cetinje – the old capital of Montenegro – a beautiful orange roofed town up in the hills, with lovely tree lined streets. Even though we were quite high up already, and we seemed to be nearly level with the snow line, we did a lot more climbing once we got into the national park, and started our ascent up Lovcen (the real name of the mountain, and the second highest peak in the park at 1657m). We reached the snow, and the kids just had to have a snow fight, and stockpiled snowballs to through at Richard, only he came round the other side of the camper and ended up using all the snowballs on them! There are meant to be wolves up in these mountains, but we didn’t see any sign of them at all. It was quite open forest with little undergrowth, just lots of rocks. I imagine a wolf or a bear could move quite quickly through this type of terrain. We continued to climb – an excellent tarsealed road, and the snow started to be stockpiled on the sides of the road, so we knew the snowplough had been up recently. We got to within 1.5 km of the end of the road, only to find the snow plough had finished his work and gone away, so there was snow across the road and we could go no further. The next wee problem was that there was no turnaround space, we had a bank on one side and a drop on the other, with a road barely wide enough for two cars, let alone a big fat camper. Anyway we decided that if you looked at where the back wheels were under the camper, we had quite a lot of overhang if we could back the wheels right up to the edge. This is one of those times when husbands and wives must trust each other, so Richard drove and I directed, and we managed to actually turn the camper round without going over the edge, or getting stuck! It is lucky we decided to turn round then, because a little later there were more cars up there and there would not have been room for us to turn. Backing down would have been difficult if not impossible. It was a glorious day up there – not a breath of wind, or a cloud in the sky. I decided not to walk to the summit as I wanted to do some planning for Croatia, and a short time after the other three set off, the kids returned, because the silly billies were in jandals????!!! And their feet got cold. Richard kept on going with a Slovenian family, and they walked to the end of the road, then had to climb up a deep snow bank to get to the summit. Richard, not much better than the kids, was in crocs, so had to stop and put his feet on some rocks to warm them a bit as they had gone numb! Finally they made it to the summit, only to find there was a big row of steps (and no snow) going right back down to where the cars were parked! Richard took some cool photos of Njegos mausoleum at the top, which looked well worth visiting. It turned out that it was the first day it had been opened since the winter, so that was pretty lucky.<br />
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The kids kept themselves amused making snow angels, and a message to Richard (which kept getting run over by other cars), and having snow sports – target practice with snowballs mostly. Then they wandered round barefoot in the snow until their feet nearly fell off! Once Richard returned, we had intended driving down another road on the mountain, but we couldn’t actually find it, so had to drive down the way we had come. Only one tour bus to contend with, and had to take the camper off road, and nearly managed to get it stuck on a rock! With lots of wheel spinning, actually managed to get it back on hard ground, and keep going on our way. We had to go back through Cetinje, then through some particularly beautiful countryside, with lovely old ruins, until we got to the Bay of Kotor, which we drove round, until we found our campsite at Zeleinka – a steep little hillside camp very overgrown with trees, and a bit tricky to get the camper into. The facilities were fairly minimal, but Richard and Sarah got all keen and hand washed some clothes, so then we had the Chinese laundry set up in the camper again. I went for a walk into town and got some groceries – this time the language got the better of me, and I had great difficulty even chosing things I recognised for tea. I did manage to get some more soap – called Rose soap, so was quite surprised when it turned out to be blue!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-EQWnrqaKI/AAAAAAAAAWc/xd8p5_du-ZQ/s1600/202+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S-EQWnrqaKI/AAAAAAAAAWc/xd8p5_du-ZQ/s320/202+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-3064046377946437882010-05-04T23:06:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:06:01.586-07:00Day 24 Albania to MontenegroAs you can see, we are whipping through the countries fairly quickly. That is because we only have 5 weeks, and we have a fairly great distance to cover. As we left the camp ground, we took a wrong turn (we weren’t following the GPS at this stage), and ended up on the very road we had turned back off the night before when trying to find the camping. We decided to give it a go, and bounced our way along through the potholes, round the rock slides, and dodging low branches and blackberry on the side of the road, only to find about 20 minutes into the trip that the road ended in a foot bridge, that one wheel let alone the whole camper was not going to fit onto!! So back we went to the start again, and set off in the opposite direction. Albania would be worth more exploring (but perhaps in a smaller vehicle). We were fairly close (about 35km) from the Albanian border, so drove to Skroder and went for a walk up the busy streets in search of a red Albanian tee shirt, which Richard wanted for a souvenir. We had spotted a few as we drove through, but as is usual, finding parking for a camper is a bit tricky in the towns, so we drove to the edge of town and walked back. That meant we got a close up look at the various horses, donkeys and carts lining the sides of the street waiting patiently for their owners to return. Some had had their bridles removed, and had been given some grass, or a nose bag to eat out of, but most were tied up to fences and lampposts. I was saddened to see the state of some of them. Most were rough, with ill fitting harness, but a few were also in very poor condition with big rubs from their harness, which was mostly made out of webbing and a bit of leather. I felt quite helpless to be able to do anything about it, as even though they are work animals, rather than pets, like ours, they still deserve to be cared for properly. It is quite unusual to see a horse and cart, then a tractor and trailer, then a late model Mercedes all parked along the roadside (about as unusual as them seeing our camper I imagine), but it is all the standard way of life in Albania at the present time.<br />
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When we got to the market streets, we managed to find one of the shops selling the tee shirts, and with much excitement about language difficulty, we managed (with the help of an English speaking passerby), to purchase the shirt. On our way back, we stopped off at the fruit and vege stall, and pointed and smiled until we had purchased a loaf of yummy fresh bread, some cucumbers, bananas and oranges. <br />
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On we drove, and Richard’s theory about governments building nice pieces of road either side of the border posts was blown out the window, as we came across some very bad potholes (both sides!) We spent the rest of our Leke (not exchangeable outside the country), on soft drinks and chocolate, then merrily crossed the borders into Montenegro. Again, nobody wanted to check our camper, but we had seen posters about food we should not take with us... most of which we had!<br />
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A few more potholes later, the roads, improved, and the houses looked a little more finished, again painted in cheerful colours, and we made our way to Lake Skadar which is a national park because of its amazing bird and fish life. At the edge of the lake, Richard wanted to get closer to the water to see if he could see turtles swimming there (apparently living in the lake). The kids were also mad keen to take a look. Sadly they found no turtles, but found SNAKES! Both water and land varieties. Well, by this stage all three of them were wildly excited. Richard tried to catch one with a stick, but it got away, and the big brown land snake slithered away before he could get the camera out! The next stop was on the same lake as there was a cache Richard particularly wanted to find – it was at a castle on the waters edge (Le.........), and apparently turtles are often spotted swimming in the lake there. After wandering through knee deep grass in the castle surrounds, the cache could not be located, nor the turtles, but.... there were MORE SNAKES! Talk about screaming – Sarah reckoned she nearly walked on it!! <br />
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When we pulled up at the parking spot, a guy came up to us, and offered free camping by his restaurant/hotel. We were staying in a small village called Virpazar (which means whirlpool), but we didn’t see one! He also had details about boat trips on the lake, which sounded like quite a good idea for us. We arrived at the restaurant, and are now parked up on a little causeway thing right by the lake. Not too unpleasant a place, and it is free, and seems reasonably safe, so we are not going to complain. When we arrived the guy came out and showed us where to park, then arranged the boat trip for us, which we were to pick up down the road a bit as it had already left the dock. We jumped in his car and rushed off down the road, to the “port”, which meant rushing down some steep concrete steps to a derelict building which happened to be locked. No matter, we could climb through a low window with all the glass smashed out of it, and climb through another boat to clamber onto the boat that was taking us on a tour of the lake???!!! Anyway, the boat trip was quite a pleasant experience – there was just the four of us, and four French/Canadians on the little wooden boat, and we puttered around admiring the birdlife. We saw large black cormorants nesting in the high trees, but sadly no pelicans (it is the wrong time of year for them). Apparently over half of Europe’s bird species can be found on this lake. It is just teeming with life. We were also about a week to early for the flowering of the giant lily pads and irises which would have been a spectacular sight on the lake. As we returned to shore, we noticed many large frogs swimming in the water, which the kids later tried to catch, but couldn’t. <br />
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Richard and I went and had a beer in the Pelican restaurant while the kids were frog hunting, which was nice andrelaxing. The beer was nice and cold (it had been a warm day), and the owner brought me a free bunch of herby flowers, which are now hanging in the camper, a little bag of herbs to brew up as tea (best we drink it before we cross another border as we are not too sure which “herbs” are actually in it), and some floured figs to eat while we were drinking our beer. We felt quite well looked after. No doubt they wish us to eat in their restaurant tonight, but we intend to just cook tea in our camper after eating out for the last two nights. <br />
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We have just closed the mosquito nets on the camper as we are quite sure there will be many mozzies around tonight, but it is too hot to close the windows yet. This place gets to 40 degrees Celsius in the shade in summer, and the lake can reach temperatures of 30 degrees – no wonder the snakes etc like it so much!!! Apparently it can rarely freeze over in the winter as well! There are meant to be 250 species of bird which visit, or live here – so I imagine in the summer it is a spectacular place for a birdwatcher to take a trip on the lake. For us it was a nice break from our long days driving. Quite a few trains seem to be going past us, so we hope they slow down for the night time, or we will be awake every ½ hour!Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-12096825235325454182010-05-04T23:03:00.000-07:002010-05-04T23:03:32.975-07:00Day 23 AlbaniaFrom our camping near the beach south of Durres, we headed back down the same road we drove on the day before, to the little town of Berat. Driving on the roads is very interesting, as much for the “interesting” state of the roads, and the “interesting” drivers, as it was for the scenery and unusual modes of transport we spotted along the way. Richard loves driving on the crappy bumpy potholed roads with crazy drivers hurtling towards him on our side of the road... so much so that he drove all day! I spent the time snapping photos out the moving (up and down as well as forwards) car window, to try and capture the unusual features of the place. <br />
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At one point, we were following a ute filled with large panes of glass (house windows), and he was travelling VERY slowly through and round the large and unpredictable potholes on the road. Poor man, we wondered how many panes of glass would still be whole when he arrived at his destination (going by our poor record of smashing glasses over the bigger speedbumps and potholes, we imagined not many!)<br />
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The housing construction fascinated us. There was a very standardised building method involving reinforced concrete square columns with flat concrete floors/ceilings. Just about all had reinforcement sticking out of the top layer, just in case they wanted to add on another floor at a later date. Consequently, even the very lived in looking houses had an unfinished look to them. Often one whole floor would be left open – either the bottom, the middle or the top. The concrete steps climbed round the outside. Next step was infilling the gaps with lightweight large bricks, which were then plastered over. When there were enough levels on the house, a sloping tile roof was built on top. If the houses were painted, they were either peachy, orange, lime green, pastel green or yellow mostly. <br />
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We drove to Berat where we wanted to visit a medieval castle. As usual, it was at the top of a big hill, with a narrow cobbled street. Too narrow for the camper, so we found a park and walked up from the bottom. Many locals were also trudging up the hill, carrying a couple of bags of groceries each. It got pretty hot by the time we got to the top, as the sun was beating down on us, so I elected to sit under a tree while the other three went in to explore the castle. I got chatted to for ages by a man who wanted to be my guide. When I said I didn’t need one, he talked about the economy, his child, and his mother with a broken hip – anything to try and get some money out of me. Finally he gave up, and wandered off. There were two wedding groups who arrived at the castle with much tooting of the decorated cars. Sunday seems to be the day for weddings, because we saw two other wedding cars during the day. Everybody was very smartly dressed, the ladies in very high stilettos which must have been very difficult to wear on the very uneven cobbles. At least they looked good I guess! The others enjoyed exploring the castle, as unlike Greece, there were no whistle blowing attendants to stop you climbing on things.... that meant Hayden could climb right on top of the wall of the castle, and happily skip along the top (quite a height from the ground on the other side). Richard said that right at the top of the castle there was a bar!!<br />
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After lunch, we tackled the bumpy dusty narrow roads again, and drove to Tirana – the capital of Albania. It is known for its prettily coloured apartment buildings, in all shades pastel and a bit brighter. It certainly cheered the place up and gave it a good look, along with the tree lined streets and bright blue light poles. Again, there were no road markings, so you drove wherever, even if it was the wrong side of the road, and the big roundabouts were very interesting, with people (and horses and carts, going every which direction. We had great trouble getting a park, so ended up driving out of the city without stopping.<br />
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Our hopeful destination for the night was Barbullbush – 20 km south of Shkoder – I say hopeful, because it was the very beginning of the summer season, and there are only a couple of campgrounds in the whole of Albania. The GPS directed turn we first took to the camping was a very bad looking road, so we turned round and kept on going, looking for a more main entrance. Finally we found a road to turn off onto, and made it to the camping ground. It was run by a Dutch couple who had settled in Albania with their four children, and set up the camping/restaurant/pension. There was a lot of building work going on, and they were very friendly. There were two other campers in the grounds, including one German lady travelling alone for a year. <br />
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We decided to have dinner in the restaurant that night as the prices were quite cheap, and we really liked the look of the building. We ended up inviting the German lady (Christina) to join us. She seemed happy of the company and chatted away to us during dinner (luckily she spoke good English). The tables were all covered in very finely hand woven Albanian linen red and white tablecloths, so fine that it was hard to imagine anyone hand making them. The foyer of the restaurant had an Albanian loom set up in it. One of the daughters was an artist, so her paintings were also hanging up – I really liked the artiness of the place. We had pork, salad and chips for dinner, which was beautifully cooked, and huge proportions. The pork was in a mushroom cream sauce, and so soft and tender to eat, with a very full flavour. We tried not to think of the butcher shops we had seen along the roadside with ½ sheep hanging outdoors on the verandah with no refrigeration. (In fact, the saddest butchery we saw was the one with the usual ½ sheep hanging from the verandah, but also had two live sheep tethered to the poles below it. (Eeek – talk about being on deaths door!)Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-7583765201404590222010-04-25T21:39:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:39:23.911-07:00Day 22 Greece to AlbaniaFrom our campsite, we had an early start, as we estimated about 6 hours of driving to get to our destination in Albania. It was about an hour’s drive to the border, which was in the middle of nowhere up in the hills. On the way, up in the forest, Richard and I are quite sure we saw a wolf on the side of the road eating roadkill... well it could have been a dog, but it didn’t look like any dog we had seen in Greece, and it definitely looked like a wolf to us (the fact that I think wolves are nocturnal has nothing to do with our siting of course)! First we had to exit Greece, which was a slow affair, and a bit of confusion over which piece of documentation we had that actually said we were authorised to drive in Greece. Finally we located what they wanted, and were allowed to cross into no-man’s land before entry into Albania. There were no problems there, but we were disappointed in the very average looking stamp in our passports. As with other places, there seems to be interest in the kids brand new passports, which look quite different to Richard’s and my older variety. They now have a chip inside them, a silver fern on the front, and coloured pages showing all sorts of bits of NZ history. <br />
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We didn’t quite know what to expect from Albania, but Richard had read about lots of concrete bunkers everywhere, and that was the first thing we saw once we had crossed the border. They are dome shaped, and made of concrete, and stick out of the ground about a metre. They have a rectangle shaped viewing window on one side, and entry on the other. They must go under the ground a bit. They are sprinkled everywhere, on the flat, on the hills and along the coast. I guess it would cost more to remove them than to leave them where they lie.<br />
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The next thing we noticed was all the little sheep/goat herds, which had little enclosures for night time. There were no fences, so whenever they were out, they had a herds person with them. We saw them on the sides of mountains, on the side of the road, in flat pastures.... just wherever there was a bite of grass basically. Their enclosures often seemed to be covered in plastic that looked like baylage wrap (recycled maybe???) There were also lots of donkeys and mules, and a few horses. They all looked like beasts of burden, working hard to earn their living by either carrying the herdsman, carrying loads, or pulling carts, often heavily laden with grass, which was being harvested with a scythe, and loaded by hand onto the cart piled high behind the little donkeys. There were also a number of cows, but mostly not in herds, just one or two, also being tended, or tied up by their horns. <br />
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Once we had gotten over being excited by the livestock, it was time to concentrate on the roads. Richard commented early in the piece that the road was really good... that lasted for about 1 hour, until we came to the first town! Potholes are the norm, with quite severe drop off on the sides of the road. The drivers here are not the best, and seem to pass at every opportunity, and come hurtling down the centre of the road with little regard for speed limits or even traffic lights. We are guessing that the towns look after their own roads, while the government looks after the national roads (which seemed to be in a better state). On the mountain roads, there were many slips, and as long as one side of the road was clear, they just seemed to mark it off with rocks round the bottom and leave it there, rather than clear it away quickly. The views were spectacular, as we had some massive climbs above the coastline. At one point, we wanted to get to the local beach, and investigate whether the camping was open. It was listed as a dirt road. I did try to convince Richard that campers aren’t designed to go down these sorts of roads, but no, we went anyway. It was like a dirt/sand track, with large potholes and overhanging trees, quite steep in places, and many parts only suitable for one vehicle, not two side by side. At one point ¾ of the way down, a house had been built ON the road, so the road had been re-routed through a couple of trees, and up over a few bumps, back onto the track again. After much complaining (by me who was driving), we made it to the beach. The beach itself was stunningly beautiful, with brilliant blue water and a stony beach, with nobody for miles. There was a lot of building going on, and the campsite was located, but we couldn’t get the camper to it due to major potholes and mud on the road. So.... it was drive back up the dirt road, round the new house, avoiding trees and potholes (and other cars), until we made it back to the sealed road again. One of the roads we went on was quite well maintained, but literally climbed up the side of an enormous mountain by zigging and zagging in hairy hairpins, which was mostly OK if I didn’t look over the side (I was driving again), but when a truck came the other way it was downright terrifying! Anyway, we made it up in one piece, thankfully, and stopped to enjoy the view from the top. It was many more hours before we finally reached our proposed camping spot, which is out the back of a hotel, amongst pine trees, with a tiny little building housing a squat toilet, outdoor shower (with no surrounds), and a place to plug our power in. At only 12 Euro I guess it will do for the night. On the way we stopped in Vlore (a biggish town), to use the money machine and get some Leke – we think 1 Euro is worth about 100 Leke (well, that is what we are guessing, and I hope we are right, as you cant change Leke outside of Albania.)<br />
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We ate dinner tonight at the restaurant where we are staying. The menu meant pretty much nothing to us, but with the help of the waiter, we managed to order... wait for it.... steak, chips and salad!! (Oh and a local beer each!) We all really enjoyed it, as we haven’t had real meat (barring salami and sausages) since we left NZ (except Sarah of course, who still enjoyed the chips and salad). <br />
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There is a lot of building going on in Albania – houses, roads (though you wouldn’t think it), etc, and the locals must have seen so much change over the last 15 years. However, to us, it is quite a different place to experience. There are piles of rubble everywhere – meaning rocks, as it is a very rocky place, and nothing looks properly finished. Houses often have one floor built, with columns up and metal reinforcement for the next floor, but look like they have been like that for years (just in case they want to add another floor at some stage I guess). Most have stairways going up the outside at one or both ends. There are also piles of rubbish. Not all over the place, but piled up, and often up mountain roads, you would find piles of rubbish that looked like many dump trucks worth, just tipped over the side of the hill.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-7142717469385045712010-04-25T21:32:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:40:54.311-07:00Day 21 MeteoraIt was to be another big driving day today, but our main mission was to visit Meteora and the monasteries that used to house Monks. We got there by a big 3 hour drive on the motorway, and due to the very light traffic, managed to get the camper up to full speed – about 120km/hr, so covered a lot of distance quite quickly. The GPS paid for itself by alerting us to a 60 km/hr area in the middle of what still seemed to be the motorway, and sure enough, round the corner were a string of police radaring and charging people for going too quickly along this stretch of road! We also saw some evidence of parts of motorways never completed – half built flyovers and bridges, motorways with only one side completed etc, obviously started long ago as there was grass growing over them, and rust on the metal bits etc. I guess they just ran out of money or something.<br />
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We reached our destination Meteora, just on lunch time. The enormous rock formations which dwarfed the town were an absolutely incredible site. Perched precariously up the top of one of the tall narrow rocks, was a monastery! Now I was thinking it was a darned long way to walk, when Richard said there is a road that drives up the back of them , right to the top. Right I thought, much better plan than walking up... these things reached to the clouds!!! The road up was a surprisingly easy drive, and near the top, we came across our first of 9 remaining monasteries, all perched on top of tall narrow rock formations (really, they were like something out of a cartoon, but real)! This first one was open, and not many people around, so we decided to visit it. There is a strict dress code, so Sarah and I had to put our skirts on, and Hayden had to change into long pants. I tried not to think of how far down it was, as we walked down to the start of the ascent up the rock to the monastery. There were stone stairs literally carved into the side of the rock, with a stone wall to stop us from falling to our deaths. At the top, just the same size as the top of the rock, was a monastery. It was beautifully restored, and had a cool, calm melancholy feel about it. There were beautiful frescos painted on the walls and in the domes, and I could actually imagine loving living somewhere like that... oh, except for the walk down and up and the way it was just perched atop the hill! We had to take some Grandma photos – you know, the ones were it looks like the kids are ontop of a vertical cliff with miles to the ground... only this time, that is exactly where they were!!! There weren’t any guard rails, so you had to be just a bit careful you didn’t go too close to the edge.<br />
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We saw about 6 of the monasteries all together, and every one of them was incredibly balanced on top of a rock, with bridges or steps to get to them. Richard is very keen to come back and explore this area in more detail some time in the future. In the lower rocks, closer to the town, there were signs of people having lived in the caves that pocked the side of the enormous rocks. We were even lucky enough to see some climbers abseiling down a particularly high rock face. <br />
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We were loathe to leave this amazing area, but we had to press on as we had another 3 hours of driving ahead of us. In the hills it was quite common to see small herds of goats and/or sheep grazing the hillside, being tended by a goad herd boy (there were no fences). The animals seemed particularly well trained, and didn’t want to run all over the roads or motorways, as I know very well our NZ sheep and goats would want to do! I guess it is just part of their daily routine.<br />
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We got up to nearly snow level before we started dropping down to sea level again. The scenery has been nothing short of spectacular! Once we got lower, there were a whole lot of fruit stalls on the side of the road, selling a wide range of produce. Finally we reached our destination – Ionina – a town where we are camping next to a lake. We have been entertained by some guys waterskiing just out in front of us. Tomorrow we head to Albania – we are about 1 hour south of the border. Richard has the children convinced that the camper will be searched at the border crossing, so much so that they have tidied up their cupboards.... a jolly good thing really!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S9UXGqR-xnI/AAAAAAAAAUM/BurRfauPb1s/s1600/128+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S9UXGqR-xnI/AAAAAAAAAUM/BurRfauPb1s/s320/128+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-89085217061023407362010-04-25T21:20:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:20:34.418-07:00Day 20 Athens to DelphiWe left the camp by 7.30am to try and miss rush hour traffic in Athens. Luckily, we had an easy route out of the city, and were reasonably quickly on our way to Delphi. It took a couple of hours driving through the hills to get to the wonderful ruins of Delphi – in olden times, many thousands of years ago, an Oracle (sage type wise woman) used to give readings to people, and many a battle was started or not, based on the Gods favouring or not favouring the current visitor to the Oracle. The ruins were on a steep hillside, and much was hard to recognise, but of special significance was the writing engraved on the rock walls, telling legends of the time.<br />
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The museum in Delphi was very well laid out, and showed how various artefacts were discovered. The relief work in marble off the temples, the gold from burial chambers, and a very rare bronze charioteer and his horses (well, parts of, like a hoof here and there) – were things that stood out for me. Hayden and Richard were very interested in the bronze helmets from the time, and a huge sphinx, also from one of the temples.<br />
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From Delphi, we drove down and down the winding hills, headed for Stilida, on the coast, were we were camping for the night. The day got very hot – up to 27 degrees, and when we arrived at the camping, Sarah and Hayden decided to go for a swim. It was pretty chilly in the water, but the gravelly beach was a nice safe swimming spot. Richard even decided to brave it, but was much slower than the children getting in.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S9UUSA31cII/AAAAAAAAASk/dnNk5BvOPmM/s1600/089+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S9UUSA31cII/AAAAAAAAASk/dnNk5BvOPmM/s320/089+(Small).JPG" tt="true" /></a></div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-84916210014419885342010-04-21T10:02:00.001-07:002010-04-25T21:11:14.474-07:00Day 19 Athens<strong>Athens was to be a long walking day. We caught the bus then Metro in to the Acropolis. I knew Athens was hilly, but looking up from the base to the Parthenon on top, it seemed like a very long way up! As we wandered up the hillside, there were ruins of all varieties to keep us entertained. Every so often there would be another flight of old worn marble steps to climb. Finally, we made it to the top. There were a lot of people milling about, and of course the ever present groups of school kids. </strong><br />
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The walk was worth it, because when we got to the top we could see the whole of Athens sprawling out on every side of us. The wind was blowing, which cooled us down nicely, and we listened in on a couple of English speaking tour guides to gain some knowledge of the area. We have no more Rick audio guides left, and we had come to quite enjoy them. The Parthenon is thousands of years old, and has been (is) beautifully restored, with the new white bits of marble filling the gaps contrasting nicely with the age old yellowed original marble. After walking carefully down the steps again, taking photos from every angle, Richard was keen to climb up on a nearby rock, where a cache was hidden. That achieved, we wandered through more ruins further down the hill, and viewed a church and a well in tact Doric Temple. Hayden and Richard walked over for a closer look round, while Sarah and I sat under the shade of a tree, and listened in to an Indian guided group, whose guide was luckily speaking English. There was also an excellent museum on the same grounds, which we wandered through. We are now starting to recognise some of the styles from the different periods of history (from the other museums we have visited).<br />
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At the base of the hill, we chanced upon some markets – the shops were fascinating, selling everything from natural sea sponges, to hand crafted things, to flash bicycles! We had lunch at a cafe, and visited even more of the market. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Athens Archeological Museum, which is meant to be stunning, it was2.58 pm and we were out of luck – it closed at 3 pm! That was a real shame to miss it, so we will have to put it on our list for next time. After a wander through the Botanical Gardens, which seemed to be filled with lots of very weird people, we found our way back to the Metro to begin our journey back to the campsite. There were lots of police around, armed with machine guns etc – Richard said it was because of a bombing in Athens, where one person was killed – I hadn’t even heard that it had happened! The Metro stations are some of the most modern in the world, and they are like museums themselves, with glassed cases filled with pottery, statues, marble and other artifacts. We managed to find our correct train, then catch a bus back to our campsite.<br />
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The washing strung round the inside of the camper had managed to dry nicely, so got packed away before a quick dinner, round of Canasta and into bed.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-21409785966237449392010-04-21T10:01:00.000-07:002010-04-21T10:10:40.419-07:00Day 18 Mycene to Athens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S88wcuydLbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/hsqzE3srIIg/s1600/011+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S88wcuydLbI/AAAAAAAAAO8/hsqzE3srIIg/s320/011+(Small).JPG" wt="true" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S88wSnv4DWI/AAAAAAAAAOk/CY2WY1m2GbE/s1600/003+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S88wSnv4DWI/AAAAAAAAAOk/CY2WY1m2GbE/s320/003+(Small).JPG" wt="true" /></a></div>Our first stop this morning was Mycene – more ancient ruins – a walled city, with the “Lions Gate” in a wall to enter it by. The lions were remarkably well preserved, and are dated back to 1140BC – one of the best preserved examples from that time. After a wander up the hill, with incredible views over the countryside (a great vantage point to see your enemies coming), we visited the museum also on sight. The pottery was so very fine, and wonderful to look at as it was highly decorated. I was also fascinated by the art – necklaces and beads, statues and figurines of women and bulls mostly. A very worthwhile and well displayed museum. We are by now getting used to the myriads of school children in groups at all these places. Hayden and Sarah were again free entry, so it must be a special thing for students at the moment.<br />
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After a few hours drive, we again reached the coast, where the children braved a swim in the Adriatic Sea. The water was a divine blue, and clear as a bell, but it was windy, and the water looked freezing! They stayed in for a good ten minutes, putting on a brave show, but came out realising why there was not another soul swimming on the beach! I imagine that in the summer, you wouldn’t even be able to see the beach for people!<br />
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From here we went in search of a`cache in a little hillside village. The GPS really needs to learn how to measure the width of streets, as this was the worst yet. On a steep narrow corner bit, our path was well and truely blocked by a car with no driver. Just before I got out to direct Richard backing back down the hill, a friendly local on her upstairs balcony (no doubt watching in wonder why a camper van was up their little road), gave us a wave and ran inside, coming back out with the phone, where she rang her neighbour across the road and got her to come out and move the car for us (no easy task with no room)! <br />
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Up over another very big hill, then we dropped down and down and down to Corinth, where the Corinth canal is. We could see the big freight ships out in the harbour waiting their turn to go through. Apparently this cuts 400 km off the boat trips to go through the man made canal. We drove over the canal, then back again, to look at it – it was very very deep, and only about 26 m wide, and went for just over 6 km. An incredible engineering feat!<br />
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I got the honour of driving from there into Athens (oh yes, I was excited – NOT)! Luckily, it was reasonably easy to find the camp ground, even though the stupid GPS took me down one very narrow one way street. I must have had a mean look on my face, because when the cars saw me coming, they quickly got out of the way!<br />
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I am not impressed that I had to pay 8 Euro just to wash a load of washing tonight! I have just retrieved it from the dryer (another 4 Euro), and the darned stuff isn’t even dry. Now I have two very unhappy children, because I have set up a washing line across the camper (above their beds) and all the underwear is strung up to dry!<br />
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So... its off to bed, as tomorrow we will walk round Athens! I know its going to be hilly, so I am doing my best to not tell my legs that they have to walk up steps and hills again tomorrow!Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-81173077517923575662010-04-21T09:56:00.000-07:002010-04-21T10:22:01.280-07:00Day 17 Patras, Olympia, Mycene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Hayden set his alarm for 2 am. Luckily, only he and I heard it, as we didn’t actually dock until 4.30 am – the ferry was quite late for some reason. We had all slept quite well in the camper on the ferry, even with a stop along the way (about midnight), to drop off some trucks, cars and people to another port (including the two other campers on with us). We lined up with the big trucks, for once feeling very small, instead of oversize, and drove off with all the trucks and out the gate, with not so much as a border control. We had decided to drive straight to Olympia, which is exactly what we did. We were actually only about ½ a day behind our schedule, even with the ferry hiccup.<br />
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The drive was spectacular, over some very big hills, on some countryish sorts of roads, to get to Olympia. Richard was very pleased that there were no cars (which tells you what sort of roads we were on). There were lots of little churches, and olive groves everywhere. We had to stop at one point to look at some roadkill – which turned out to be an enormous badger. Sarah loved it, and now wants one for a pet (along with all the stray dogs up for adoption at Pompeii!) We arrived quite early at Olympia, which was good, because it was quite hot and humid. Even though the ruins were quite, well, ruined, compared to Pompeii, it was amazing to be there, and imagine what effectively the first Olympic village must have been like (the buildings of course were also about 1000 years older than the Pompeii buildings.) Sarah was the only one of us brave enough to line up for a sprint on the running track. I think Richard might have bribed her with an icecream. They seemed to be just getting started again for the summer season, and lots of areas were sadly still roped off, and men were running round with weed eaters, making sure we could actually see some of the ruins.<br />
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More spectular driving (which basically means I had my eyes closed – Richard thought I was sleeping, but really I just didn’t want to see us going over one of the many cliffs!) We were thankful not to have the dreaded tourbuses coming towards us on the tricky, narrow corners... then what do you know.... in the trickiest narrowest corner in the narrowest of streets in a little town, we come across a tour bus!!! We had to back up, and worm our way out of his way, so we could pass. Finally we reached Mycene, and a sleepy little camp ground that was thankfully open (though again, we were the only ones there). The kids and Richard walked just down the road into the town and returned with a miniature bottle of Ouzo which the kids decided they had to have a taste of because it smelled just like black jellybeans. I have my eye on some nice ancient brass Greek horses I keep seeing in the souvenir shops. At least it wouldn’t break bringing it home.<br />
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Richard taught the kids how to play canasta tonight, and they have been enjoying it. I was nearly finished Sarah’s book, so hid away to read that instead. No getting out of playing Canasta tomorrow night though!Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-21618541690661984772010-04-21T09:52:00.000-07:002010-04-21T10:36:54.467-07:00Day 16 Bari to Patras FerryIt was a boring morning waiting for the ferry, as we had to be at the port 3 hours before the sailing. Just as we were ordered to drive on, it was discovered we didn’t have the paperwork we needed, so it was a quick zoom back to the ticketing office to get what we needed, and back in line with the trucks. We are parked on the top deck, but under cover, two steps from the edge of the boat, with open railing into the sea. The sea is as flat as flat can be, and I write this as we sit in the camper reading and relaxing, waiting for dinner time. We have a Camping On Board pass which means during the 15 hour ferry crossing we can sleep in our camper, but have access to the rest of the boat when we want to. We can’t, however, cook in the camper. There are toilets and showers available nearby and all together it’s a pretty good setup for us. Lunch was expensive, and I expect dinner will be too, but never mind. Hayden has been banished from the camper as he was going stir crazy in here, and needed to get some exercise and fresh air. I write this as we are on our voyage. Time seems to be going pretty quickly, and its not doing us any harm to be relaxing for a bit, as the pace has been fairly hectic with either driving or sightseeing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S883k0ic6XI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/0mZpZjumO9E/s1600/063+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u0kfJwOijGc/S883k0ic6XI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/0mZpZjumO9E/s320/063+(Small).JPG" wt="true" /></a></div>Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-75299669661455186602010-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:002010-04-21T09:50:29.350-07:00Day 15 Paestum to BariWe got away early so we could take a look at an ancient Greek Temple in Paestum which dated from 6th century BC – it had a huge Roman wall around it, and was remarkably well preserved for its age. The kids were most interested in the lizards that were running round and disappearing in cracks in the wall, and set about trying to catch one, while Richard and I walked up the road to take a look at the temple. We managed to see what we wanted to without going in, so it was a cheap morning, as we had also beat the parking attendant, so saved ourselves another 5 Euro there.<br />
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From Paestum, we were headed to Matera, to visit the Sassi, an ancient town dating back to when people lived in caves. Mel Gibson directed “The Passion of Christ” movie which was filmed there. Some people still live in some of the more inhabitable buildings in this fascinating old town, which seemed to have houses built on houses built on houses, and old cobbled narrow streets and steps. Once we reached the back of the city, we could see the caves up on the hillsides, but sadly did not have enough time to walk up to them as we were due to catch our ferry late that afternoon, but wanted to arrive in plenty of time to sort out transferring our voucher for tickets. While there, we found, literally on the side of the road, some sort of Ferrari convention – car club thing. We all picked out our favourites. Sarah’s was the yellow one, because she thought it was cute. There were 33 of them parked on the street.<br />
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We were driving basically from one coast to the other. The changing scenery is interesting (although Richard thinks I don’t see much of it when he is driving – automatic sleep mechanism kicks in!) Maybe I just had my eyes closed because the roads were so scary!<br />
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We arrived in Bari in plenty of time, and managed to find the port OK. Unfortunately, when Richard went in to sort out our tickets, we had a hiccup.... our ticket was booked for the day before!!! We had to wait 15 minutes before they could sort out what to do with us. The ferry that night was fully booked, but they managed to get us on one the following day, leaving Bari at lunch time and arriving at Patra in Greece at 2 am in the morning. Fortunately, the shipping company decided not to charge us for the second booking. The only thing to sort out was accommodation for the night.<br />
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There were no campgrounds in the close locality, so we had to drive 40 min down the coast to the first camping we thought would be open. No luck. Shut up for the winter! Now we were in the middle of nowhere, with no other options for camping, so we had to camp on the side of the road. I had visions of us being robbed in the middle of the night and hardly slept a wink. I think the place we were parked was some sort of night time meeting place for couples because there were cars coming and going and stopping all night long (even though it was practically a dead end). I looked out a couple of times as I heard cars stopped very close to us... and both times wished I hadn’t! Morning took a long time to come, but at least the other three got a decent sleep. We got out of there at daylight, and moved back up the coast towards Bari have breakfast while watching fishermen head out in their small rowing boats. At least the sea was flat - a good thing for a long ferry crossing.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-67162766808912019102010-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:002010-04-21T09:44:54.076-07:00Day 14 Pompeii and Amalfi CoastWe were staying exactly across the road from Pompeii – a Roman town buried when Mt Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD. It has been excavated (and still is), and is very well preserved as a result. For some unknown reason, instead of 11 Euros each, it was free – a special day maybe? We never did work out why. We had yet another audio guide to follow, which really help our enjoyment and understanding of the places we were visiting, and it gave us an insight into what it must have been like to live in Roman times. Some of the houses were palatial, and still had frescos painted on the walls, and mosaics on the floors. Most of the larger houses had internal courtyards with fountains etc, which had the rooms around them. There was also a public Roman bath area that was very well preserved, with an outdoor gymnasium, massage room, changing rooms and of course baths (like big square marble pools with seats round the edges (like a modern day spa pool). The kids really liked the take out food joints – because many of the houses were small, they often didn’t really have cooking facilities, so locals would go to the bakery or cooking place to buy their meals. The cobbled roads were also very well preserved, and you could see chariot wheel marks, where the chariots had worn away the rocks the roads were made from. The layout of the city, and the way things were done seemed like a very organised sort of society, which I guess is no surprise when we are talking about Romans. There was also a temple there that was over 2000 years old. I am still coming to grips with just how old some of the ruins we have visited are, compared to NZ history.<br />
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It was a beautiful day (I even got sunburnt, but thats not hard for me), and that afternoon we headed past Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast. This road was nothing short of spectacular, but I was quite pleased Richard was driving, as we had many very tight squeezes with buses on corners of cliffs and tunnels. The road winds itself around the tops of cliffs, where houses are clinging to the rocks, seemingly built on nothing at all. As we climbed up and up, with views both up and down the coastline, I alternated between wanting to look and wanting to close my eyes! Sometimes, in tight spots, we had literally less than inches to spare as we inched our way past buses, looking down over the wall to nothingness until the rocks many 100s of metres below. The towns we passed through also meant tight squeezes, past parked cars, motorbikes, and the odd truck. The shops and stalls seemed to be right on the road, and sold all sorts of interesting things, from strings of chillies and garlic, to brightly painted ceramics, to beautifully embroidered clothes. We had seen the beautiful Amalfi coast on a TV travel programme, only from memory I dont think they were doing it in a camper!!<br />
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Unfortunately, when we had got ¾ of the way along the coastline, and Richard was getting used to the tight squeezes, and I had got used to the extreme views, a policeman waved us off the road and onto a detour.... there was no arguing with him, and we had to wind our way to the very top of the hills, and ended up just about back in Naples, where we had started from, some hours after we had left. Oh well, I guess we still got to see the scenery.<br />
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From there we drove to Paestum which was further along the coast, and worked on finding a camp grounds for the night. Many of the ones here didn’t really look open and ready for the summer season. We parked in one, then decided to move to another, which Sarah thought was even worse than the first one! It was, however, cheap – only 20 Euro, which was less than half the price of some we had been staying at. There was a supermarket just across the road as well, which was helpful. We were the only people staying in the whole camp grounds, which feels really weird. There were lots of semipermanent caravans there, all wrapped up for winter, so i am sure it is a buzzing place in the summer.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7220412278559432306.post-89726088214809822902010-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:002010-04-21T09:40:55.037-07:00Day 13 Drive to VesuviusI had my first experience sitting in the back of the camper today first with Sarah, then Hayden. I was trying to type on the computer while we sped along. It was horrible, and made me feel quite carsick watching all the traffic backwards out the window.<br />
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We were headed to Naples. On the way, Richard spotted Monte Casino – the site of a major battle in World War Two where apparently many Maori Battalion soldiers lost their lives. The hill was certainly severe, and would have been a great vantage point for the valley. Thankfully, we didn’t drive up there – I could see the road from a distance and it looked steep and windy. <br />
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It started to rain before we reached Naples, and continued to do so as we wound our way through the narrow streets. I was shocked by the decrepid state of some of the buildings, and by all the rubbish everywhere. There were some very tight points on the road that gave Richard a few squeezes. The area we drove through looked very poor. The rubbish on the roadside continued right up the hill... we were driving to the top of Mt Vesuvius – a live volcano. The road was steep, as expected, and narrow, as we have come to expect, but it was also quite slippery with the rain on it, so in a few places, the camper struggled to maintain traction. All the way up the hill, amongst the rubbish, were beautiful statues of all sorts of things, just at bends in the road. Finally we reached the top. It was hard to see much, as the weather had not improved. It was about a ½ hour walk to the summit, but given the weather, Sarah and I decided we would stay in the camper. I write this as the boys have gone off to walk to the summit and see the crater. It is much colder up here than it was when we left Rome this morning in tee shirts. (You would expect that – I am not sure how tall Mt Vesuvius is, but we certainly seemed to climb up the hill for a long time.)<br />
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Hayden and Richard enjoyed the summit walk, and by the time they got back the rain had stopped and visibility had increased a bit. They said there were souvenir shops every 50 metres or so on the track to the summit!<br />
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We made it to our camp site, about 50 m walk from Pompeii, our destination for the morning. This campsite is much cheaper than the last week or so, where we were way over our predicted budget, but the facilities are also poorer, with squat toilets that Sarah is pretty horrified about! We are right next to a train track, and there seem to be quite a few trains, so I hope we sleep OK.Mrs Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00344524281019710111noreply@blogger.com