Day 4 or thereabouts

I'm sitting in Mandy and Peter's house just outside Hamilton, lovely chocolate Labrador at my feet, looking out over the deck to the treetops beyond. Last time I was here the house was a building site, now it's a creative paradise full of the most glorious artistic things and ideas(eg a cast iron bath with the side cut away which is now a garden sofa)and the most wonderful garden, part of which is a wild swampy forest complete with huge NZ ferns.It's been wonderful to catch up with Mandy and Peter and to be treated to their amazing hospitality, such great hospitality that we're staying for a few days. It's just so peaceful here - at the moment I'm blogging, Mandy's marking essays, John and Peter are snoozing after a hard morning walking the grounds and doing a bit of shopping. There are 10 fluffy little ducklings in the garden, along with chickens too. Am taking notes for our next house. I may have a thick file by the time we return - so many of the ideas for living over here chime with the way I'd love to live. We love the houses over here - I was told that the Kiwi's build their houses around the spaces they want to live in, whereas we build houses and divide up the area within. It makes a significant difference to houses - many houses look irregular from the outside, all conflicting roof lines, and odd shapes, but inside the spaces really work for contemporary living. They have a huge kitchen/dining/sitting space - the hub of the house, then spaces which open off that for various purposes. The house we stayed in on Sat night was a great space. Huge living area, free flowing space, plenty of access to the outside,altogether made for living ( Christmas there would be brilliant, but being there just on your own would feel great too). The house was owned by a great couple - Carol and Hugh- who took in students,B&B etc. In the usual NZ way, after ten minutes you feel part of the family ( in fact when we tried to pay, they refused and just suggested we got them a bottle of wine) We were talking about NZ houses with them and how we loved the design of their house so Hugh gave us a tour of the house and gardens, showed me the architect's floor plans of the house and then photocopied them for us and then emailed us the estate agent photos of the house ( they'd only recently moved in). So we now have the plans for our ideal house with a good few modifications inspired by Mandy and Peter's house. Not sure how an English Council would take to the designs! We also had a fab day with Nigel and Orasa yesterday, climbing a little mountain( which felt reasonably big at the time) and being rewarded with breathtaking views of the Bay of Plenty. It was hot ( about 21 degrees), the sky was blue, the sea a dull turquoise, the sand was white and the forests a deep green. A visual feast. At the top were some lads with hang gliding equipment- real heart in the mouth moments as they walked towards the cliff edge, seemingly to drop to their doom, only to be supported by an invisible breath of wind, then twisting and turning upwards and out over the sea. Note to family - never buy me a hang gliding experience for christmas. Then lunch at a fab little beachside cafe and on to a homeward superstore as Orasa needed a couple of things. Fascinating to walk round shops half way round the world and see Jamie Oliver's cookware at half price. I've found a way to get photos onto the blog- by downloading on to Mandy and Peter's computer then uploading them. Apparently, according to the chap in the Apple store here, an iPad is not a computer and so I can't upload my photos onto the blog from it. However, I shan't quite believe that until I hear it from Nick! We're loving hearing all your news in your emails- keep it coming!love and massive hugs xxxxxxxxxxxxx