Our best and heartfelt wishes to all of you for this Christmas season. We are experiencing a Christmas unlike any other we have ever known! Today, as we were finishing our Christmas dinner with our hosts, Alan and Sally and dear Mary I told them that leaving Napier tomorrow was very similar to finishing a good book. You hate to end the book as it has been such a great read, but you are looking forward to the next book. We are sad that this will be our last evening in Napier for now, as we have made so many new friends during our short 9 days here. At the end of the book you usually find the acknowledgements, and we can't begin to express to Alan and Sally, Mary, Birdie and Penelope, Lynn and Andrew how much it has meant to both of us to be so warmly welcomed.
Andrew and Lynn, you welcomed us warmly and graciously and drove us around to see the Christmas lights and taught us how to "stick with it" in our geocaching! Leave it to Andrew, and his 14yr. old tech-brain to set us straight! Lynn, we are loving the dukkah, (a wonderful blend of nuts that you eat as an appetizer with olive oil and bread), and your painitings will occupy a special place in our home. We are so glad that Courtney introduced us online. We will be friends forever! Andrew and Jon also share a birthday!
Sally and Alan, you are the ultimate hosts. Wonderful food and conversation, yummy pavlova and roast lamb and Christmas pudding! Sally even dropped off an "extra" laptop for me to use while we are here! Mary is our newest friend, as we have just enjoyed her wonderful personality this Christmas day and now have a calendar to remember her all year long!
Bertie and Penelope, aka, John and LeAnn, you have once again made our return to Napier special with your outgoing personalities and the special tour of Napier in the '34 Buick. We just hope that we can return the hospitality when your tour of the US comes to fruition.
As for our Christmas, we are currently sitting in the living room in sandals and shorts, with the sliders wide open listening to the surf. This is truly Jon's dream of Christmas! We attended the children's service at the Catheral last night. It was so much fun watching the kids dressed as angels, chickens, donkeys, lambs and of course the manger was draped with a very lush sheepskin! Baby Jesus would have been very happy in that manger! We returned home to a Christmas eve dinner of sliced apples (NZ rose are very good), local cheese, local honey and flat crackers (thank you to neighbors John and Suzanne) along with a good local Merlot (Jon N you would love it). The moon rose a little after 9pm and it looked like it was a fire on the horizon. Spectacular. We awoke this morning to an equally spectacular sunrise and so have just enjoyed our day throughly.
We depart Napier tomorrow and will spend a couple of days in Wellington before making the crossing to the South Island on the 29th. We wish all of you a special and blessed holiday. We sang a NZ carol last night at church and a couple of the verses sum up our Christmas wish to all of you:
Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and trees are not bare
carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe,
made in the moment a woman gives birth;
hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering,
everywhere, anywhere, here on the earth.
Blessings,
Jon and Joyce
snow is not falling and trees are not bare
carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child
warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.
Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe,
made in the moment a woman gives birth;
hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering,
everywhere, anywhere, here on the earth.
Blessings,
Jon and Joyce
3 comments:
Joyce, I have loved traveling with you and it sounds like you are having the time of your life other than the earthquake. That sounded scary. How wonderful to have the internet so we can hear about your travels as you go. Merry Christmas. Linda
Hello down under:
It was a beautiful white Christmas in the Wenatchee Valley. However, the "white" sands of New Zealand look equally beautiful and my old bones could appreciate a few hours shoosing those dunes. Alas, I must make do with the icy slopes of Mission Ridge.
Did enjoy an So. Australian viognier (Yalumba from the Eden Valley) with appetizer on Christmas Eve. Realize that's a long way from where you are, but it's all relative from here.
It's wonderful to enjoy your adventure from afar. Look forward to seeing the south island through your eyes.
Happy New Year!
Mrs. Babcock
aka
Kim and Nick
Joyce and Jon,
Terry and I threw a multitude of snowballs in your direction this morning. I know when they finally reach you they will be in the form of rain. However, you will know from whom the wet greeting was sent! Much love is also sent to you both, and wishes for a happy New Year down under.
Cooky
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