1/11/23

These humans are on the ball today, and so is the cat, as he knows his family is currently flying a long way across the world. He was very quick to get into the Mistress's side of the bed his morning. She wondered where he was as his breakfast was ready. His Lordship announced where he was, so he stayed for a little while until she went in and took the sheets off the bed to wash. He was far from impressed with this rude awakening. 

Breakfast was over and a call for action on the domestic side. It's so hard for the Mistress in the mornings, because the arthritis lets her know easy does it. There was no peace here today, as the washing machine and drier were going then the vacuum cleaner, by which time His Lordship jumped into action and took over while the Mistress washed the floors.  This house has a very different mop to our one at home. This one is a steam mop and not so hard on her back.

This afternoon they went out as was sunny in places. Being by the sea we get a lot of sea fog and today a Pea Soup fog. The Humans decided there was a gnome friend of mine in the car and had to be delivered to Scarborough Fare. You see there are some pretty crazy ladies called the Sumner Dippers and they like Gnomes. The Mistress had promised the cafe she would donate one to their cafe as these ladies swim at 7am each day 365 days a year then go and get a coffee to warm up. The Mistress had given a lady a topless lady gnome, and while we visited someone placed this topless Gnome right in front of me and I had nowhere to look. Cor blimey. What a carry-on for a mere Gnome. Nobody listened when I suggested they move this twit further back. I had never been so embarrassed. I heard later that she fancied me and that's why she was plonked right in front of me. Now this is where this carry-on ended. Once she realized I had Trixie her mood changed. Women!! 

Sitting in Prime position at Scarborough Fare Sumner

The owner was very happy to receive this fellow. The Dippers would be sure to notice him right at the counter. These ladies are to name this fellow. Crickey I wonder what on earth they will come up with. The Mistress thinks it might be Henry!!

So, we say farewell to our holiday in South Shore tomorrow and prepare for our holiday on a plane to Tauranga on Monday. We are remaining on our best behavior because I want to meet the pilot of this plane. We also know a certain Air Hostess who may be flying too, so this could be so much fun.  

31/10/23

The resident cat Zeus has been told his family is on the airplane now. So, lots of purring going on here.  He went into the Mistress bedroom this morning for a chat. I could hear them all talking, and eventually, he waltzed back out. Through the night the Mistress wasn't amused at his calling to a cat out the ranch slider. She wouldn't let him out, so they just growled at the door, but he soon got sick of this and went down to his family's bedroom. 

These humans went out as per usual, so Trixie and I continued exploring this place. It is so big here and we reckon the Mistress's house would fit in here 3 times at least. It is keeping them fit, which is really good for them, but our we legs are exhausted, and it is raining here, so we are limited as to what we can do.

The Mistress is on packing and cleaning duties, so there is less to do on Thursday morning. His Lordship has another hospital pre-admission appointment earlier now than planned so they don't want to be late. 

We continue to be on our best behavior here, and we try to stay out of the way, which is hard at times with the crutches in her hands. The Mistress is so frustrated with not getting an appointment until next year with the specialist. She wanted to be off them before our trip to Tauranga. Time is running out for her, so she has 2 choices, "like it or lump it". 

I wonder if the Granddaughter has twigged yet that we are coming? The Mistress sure hopes she hasn't as she wants this as a surprise, but girls aged 10 are pretty good at eves dropping and not letting on. His Lordship is worried about the bad weather up there and more flooding going on. They are not that keen on wind while flying either, so this could be fun, I am sure. Not having been on a plane before I do not know what they are talking about, and probably best if we don't know they say. 

30/10/23

Our holiday here is nearing the end and these humans are organizing all sorts of things. Zeus has been informed that his family of humans is due home on Thursday. The Mistress is pretty sure he fully understands. She reckons he has that look about him of understanding. It is all about body language you see. So, I have a lot of learning to do on this topic. 

Zeus is always strolling past us in the middle of the night. He is always on a direct mission to his food bowl and crunches away at these very hard cat nuts. I hope they do not break those teeth as he might not get any more if this happens. Sometimes he gives Trixie and me a terrible fright coming in his cat door. It is so quiet here in the middle of the night while humans sleep. We hear the odd snore from someone, and the Mistress says it is not her. I thought if you slept you can't hear yourself, so how come? 

As for His Lordship, well this is another story. We are sure he belts out a few weird noises at times. We have heard her say, roll over my darling. Mushy stuff again!!

We hear they have been over to our home today with more stuff not being used here. She has all meals worked out for the week and His Lordship is always amazed with this arrangement. It appears he leaves things until the last minute and this pee's her off no end. They haven't had an argument yet and I am wondering if they ever will.

It appears they have clocked over another anniversary month. How life has changed in this house and his too. 

The Mistress announced that this time next Monday we will be in Tauranga. Time flies when you're having fun. Jeepers they better take us or there will be big trouble. I wonder what we can do to remind her. Huh, I just had a thought. I could accidentally on purpose trip her up.!!!!!!!! She is already on sticks so this could help her new injury. 

Something has just told me to be careful here, as she could well leave us at home. Oh, heck it is a tough life being a Gnome.

I have overheard a conversation that there are even more Gnomes at home waiting to be painted. She appears to have found four from a chap who had no room. The garage is now full of Gnomes waiting to be painted. She better get onto this when we come home from Tauranga. 

27-28/10/23

 We are on our best behavior here and trying very hard not to rock any boats or planes!! I remember this Tauranga place, and we are house-sitting and looking after 2 cats, Ziggy and Bindi. Their human owners are going away, and they appear to like the Mistress and her skills to care for them and the house. She can't wait to show his Lordship and of course to meet the rallies. He hasn't been to this place before and is keen to explore. 

Ziggy is a nosey cat and very friendly with an extra toe, and I remember him sniffing me I didn't like this carry-on, and how rude.  Bindi is very quiet and keeps to herself. These two cats don't really like each other and stay out of each other's way. They also have their own eating area and I remember Ziggy poaching Bindi's food. He is a large and very strong cat and the Granddaughter liked to play with him.

The views at this place from every angle are stunning she says. I overheard a conversation with her daughter about getting a rental car and being more independent. Oh, we are getting so excited because I want to meet the pilot of this plane. Us Gnomes normally don't go on planes, and I want to see how they tick. The Mistress says she doubts I will be allowed. Well, I shall chat up the hostesses. Normally I am pretty good at getting my own way, so let's hope I still have these skills.

His Lordship left very early this morning for 2 days of golfing. There are championships going on I believe. So now it is a bit quiet around here, but the Mistress has been out watering the vegetables while I write this blog.

Zeus didn't get up very early today. He slept on his Mums bed, and the Mistress had to take his medicine into her room. I wonder if he is missing her. The Mistress says she thinks he is and knows his Mum can't wait to see him. 

I recall the Mistress leaving me at another place she visited and went home without me. I really liked that place until I was shoved in a box and sent home. That human despite being really good to me at the beginning, my opinion of her changed when I was bubble wrapped. I couldn't breathe or see in the dark. I was tossed around all over the place and heard lots of funny noises. It took so long to get home and see the Mistress again. I thought I was a gone burger. For all I knew I could have ended up in a rubbish bin and never see my Mistress again.

I had to remember her words, "Have faith and all will work out". 

Now this was pretty hard to do, when I could see or think clearly because of the stress in this little box. It did work out and this was my lesson in life she says. 

26/10/23

 It's amazing to see the Mistress was up early today. She even had breakfast with His Lordship. She switches on the computer to see how I am doing on the blog, praising me for my efforts. She reckons by the end of tomorrow I will have 13,000 hits. Gosh, I am so popular. So, it looks like I have a few fans in the cyber world. 

The 2 humans went out quite early today and didn't get back until nighttime. The cat paced the floor wondering where his dinner was and the look on his face, he wasn't impressed. He was a bit grumpy too. Trixie and I were too, because we didn't know how long they would be, so we could go and explore. We did wander around the place and saw the birds getting into more flaxes down the fence line. These bushes are quite young, but full of flowers, and keeping the birds busy.

His Lordship reckons under the house is open, strange says the Mistress. It's a very modern house and he reckons this is the new way of building. Trixie and I went exploring. Yuk there were lots of cobwebs and creepy crawlies, and quite dark in places. There seemed to be lots of things holding the house up, weird if you ask me. The original house went down in the earthquakes, and this is a rebuild. We did notice the day we went down the drive, that there were other rebuilds too. It sounds like that earthquake created a lot of damage. 

It appears these humans went to our home today. I wonder why? Are they missing the place, they haven't said so. Hmmm I shall have to listen out for more details.

Later I heard the Mistress say she had some Bowen treatment on her Achillies. On asking what that meant I was politely told to look this up in my books because she was busy. Her friend does this work and is very good she says. 

Another thing we learned today, is that we are only home next Thursday and the Monday after these humans are flying to Tauranga. Crickey whatever for? Hey, I hope we can go to. I have never been on a plane. Oh please. We are going to have to be on the right side of these 2 humans. Maybe we can check on the pilot like we did crossing on the Ferries. How cool is this. Oh, I am excited already.

 25/10/23

Jeepers we could get used to this nice weather for our holiday here on Southshore. A friend asked the Mistress if we all went for a dip in the sea in the early morning before the wind got up. Not on your Nelly, NO WAY I have an aversion to water in all forms, and the Mistress staggers around here in the mornings and not moving fast at all. The old Arthritis is such a pain in the mornings and takes her a while to get going. As for His Lordship, well he just follows the Mistress in whatever she wants. Isn't love grand. 

Eventually, these two got cracking after lunch, with the Mistress on vacuuming and washing the floors, and His Lordship was outside sweeping the mess that the birds create outside. He did a really good job too and this afternoon Trixie and I, went back outside to investigate his handiwork, when they went out. What a laugh, the birds had put back all the twigs and dirt that he swept. 😂😂😂

I have a feeling he won't be happy at all about this, and sure enough, when they came home, they went out to cut a broccoli for dinner. They were both very disappointed in these birds and how dare they do this. Trixie suggested they were hungry, and we can't possibly have them going hungry. The Mistress suggests to the birds that they might like to investigate the neighbors' gardens for a meatier option. Maybe she could make a sign for them to p....  off.

After all, there are empty sections next door and plenty of green grass. It is lovely over there as the council mows it regularly. Maybe more often than at our own house. The Mistress is not amused that the contractor is not keeping up with 2 weekly cuts. I reckon he needs to sort himself out before she really does her war dance. 

The Mistress cooks the dinner, and His Lordship fills the large sink of water and bubbles. You see the dishwasher has decided to spit the dummy. There is a second dishwasher, but they would rather do them in the sink. With only 1 more week here they are hoping they didn't cause this breakdown.

His Lordship wins meat in the meat raffles at golf, so tonight was pork chops. Such luxury for the Mistress. He generally wins 2 or 3 packs a week, so she doesn't complain. 

 24/10/23

  The Mistress is complaining that this holiday business here in South Shore is making her very lazy. Hang on here, she is supposed to rest her leg. The Mistress does rest it because I keep watch.

His Lordship is complaining that he too isn't getting enough exercise, but we know his surgery isn't far away and he has discomfort when on his feet too long. He disappeared into the garage for a while, then came out with some weird gear and flexed his muscles. How strange. He told the Mistress that they were 3 kg each. Jeepers, that is heavier than me!!

His Lordship

They went out again, so Trixie and I went out to inspect the garden and made sure they were watering it.  Just as well for them, it's all doing very well. There are even more flowers on the strawberry plants. There is broccoli ready for picking, and I hear it's for tomorrow night's dinner with pork chops. 

The lettuce and spinach have gone berserk, and these humans can't keep up with them. His Lordship announced he was going to sweep outside sometime soon. The Mistress is extremely pleased about this. We did notice this mess, so we are very pleased as it will become much tidier. 

His Lordship showed a keen interest in what the Mistress was cooking for dinner tonight. Asparagus is now in season, so she made it into a Ham Quiche with a savory pastry base. He got the job of cracking the eggs and whisking them up ready for her. I reckon she will make him a chef soon. He often shows an interest in what she is doing. Maybe this will explain why he is putting on weight!! 

The phone rang this afternoon, and the lady said the Mistress can't see the specialist until next year. Oh, she wasn't impressed with this. So now the Doctor has to work harder to find someone. 

Now there was a heated argument here tonight. The Mistress said it was raining. He said no its not. Guess who won when she made him go to the window and turn the TV down. She announced MEN!!

23/10/23

 These 2 love birds appear to be far too, happy at times. The banter back and forth continues to make me dizzy. As for that cat, well now he calls their bedroom his. He only came out a couple of times during the night for a crunch on his biscuits and back to bed all night. 

Thank goodness these humans went out this afternoon, as we could get some peace and quiet. We slipped out the sliding door and got a suntan out on the deck. We have heard about these large flaxes starting to flower and the humans have been admiring them every day for goodness's sake. It appears one day no flowers and the next they are in full bloom. So, while observing these very strong branches we saw birds flittering around and digging into the flowers. Weird if you ask me. Trixie rather enjoyed watching these crazy specimens and thought they were so cute. Huh, I could think of another word, but better not as I could get into another load of trouble.

No idea was given as to how long these 2 would be out, so we remained close by in case the garage door opened for their return. Luckily for us, we were already inside on the bench when they came home.

They told us they went to His Lordship Brother for the Mistress to meet and his wife. Now he has so many brothers I have now lost count. I reckon the Mistress has too. Now this fella is the oldest of them all and His Lordship and his twin are the youngest. They even have a few cats, horses, chooks, and some roosters. Now they chased the chooks around and came in the gate to the house. The Mistress was shocked at while he sat at the table he growled and said "out" and they promptly went back out. They listened to his command.  Weird, but I reckon it's humans who have the problem, those poor chooks know what they are doing, and humans have to interfere. At least they did as they were told. The chooks even lay their eggs and he has to growl at them, poor chooks, it's a tough life at times. I sure know how they feel. I hear his Lordship couldn't get a word in today. I know that Mistress can talk too. She needs to let him speak, but of course, he is shy, but hey not around here. I have noticed a lot about his nature. But he is good for the Mistress, and they are happy, and this is all that matters. 

I also hear these people like the Mistress's car. The lady of the house even sat in the seat and enjoyed how comfortable it was. Meanwhile, her other half drawled over the paintwork and stripes. 

22/10/23

The resident cat has his own agenda here and has decided his mum's bed isn't as good as the Mistress's. He strutted past us in the middle of the night on a mission and around the corner to her bed. He didn't appear to be shoved off, so he must have stayed out of the way.  He has now claimed the bed as his because he stayed there all day too. When he is hungry, he surfaces and then goes back to the same place every time.

When the Love birds went out Trixie and I put our heads around the corner, and he was purring so loud the walls were shaking. We stayed to observe for quite some time, and he even sneezed too. The Mistress says Bless you when someone sneezes. Were we supposed to say this to him? Not on my watch. 

Now these two humans here, went over to our home today and the Mistress needed some help sorting stuff in the garage and the shed. His Lordship is a great help fetching and carrying for her. I believe she sat and sorted a cupboard. His Lordship was on rubbish duty. They now have two bins full and can't wait for rubbish day at the curb. She has so much stuff and feels quite proud of herself, and mighty happy to have an assistant. 

Now I wonder why she needs to do this. Hmm......I will have to give this some thought. I hear she is getting rid of the large fibre-optic Christmas tree too. She feels some of his family could do with it and hopefully some decorations too as they have had a tough and tragic year. She has stacks of decorations from what I can recall.

20/10/23

There seems to be a lot of foot-resting going on here today. Just as well too, as his Lordship could be on her tail. These 2 sticks seem to get in her way sometimes, but if she just slowed down and thought about it properly, they could even help her. Gosh, don't tell her this or I could get my marching orders. 

She disappeared this afternoon for a while. I wonder if she bought any more gnomes!! As usual, there was no indication as to how long she would be. We did some cat patrolling, this afternoon. He seems very fond of the Mistress, and they smooch a lot together. I just hope she doesn't get any ideas. His purring is so loud, and he even talks to his food. Weird if you ask me. I doubt we will ever work out how humans and cats tick, but we are on a learning journey in this life. 

I have heard the Mistress say sometimes that life is a journey and what we don't learn this time around then we get to come back and do it all again and to do some things even better. That will be the day I say. Who wants to come back to this world? Humans are wreaking the planet.  I shall have to contemplate this knowledge. It is a tough life being a Gnome. 

The Mistress went down the stairs on 2 sticks to water the vegetables today. Now this was very interesting to observe as it appears easier for her to navigate the steps. She is often out there watching them grow. The family will have some greens to eat when they get home, and she noticed the strawberries are flowering. She was a laugh to watch getting up the steps to.....shh don't tell her this!! She is wearing a long dress.... enough said, I think.

 19/10/23

All was quiet this morning as the Mistress rested her leg until late. There was nothing to get up for and the cat was happy. It was rather late when she went to bed, so this is ok. The Physio phoned her to go over and get another crutch, and then that sore leg could rest a bit more. She tells me she returned to our home and caught up with another neighbor over a cupper. She showed her the new Gnomes she had recently purchased. 

Now this friend had a point, she asked her where was she going to put them? I wondered this too but am too scared to ask the same question. So, I reckon it is safer to zip it!! When we go home and duck outside while they are asleep or away, I shall investigate. The Mistress says they need red lips as they would not be so anemic looking. Somebody was in a hurry when they made them. 

The Mistress came home with Sausages and chips for dinner and Keus had parked beside her. He must have smelled them and decided to stay on the right side of her and he might even get a nibble or two. He had 4 so was a very happy and spoiled cat.

The Mistress had just been sitting at the table when the lover boy phoned. The usual mushy stuff happened and as we sat over her shoulder on the bench. Hey, we heard him say he had been out with his ex, playing golf today. What a cheek. He is going to have to do some groveling. I reckon I will let her tyres down if this continues. I shall stand by and watch the reaction. This could be the laugh of the year!!!

 

18/10/23

His Lordship went back to Ashburton this morning, complete with the rubbish bin on the tow bar, and delivered it to the roadside for collection today. Gosh, he has his tasks made easy the Mistress says. She misses him when he leaves, so it must be love. 

She had an appointment with the doctor today, with this Achilles issue. She rests a lot, but her foot/leg has swelled and doesn't look great all

. She now is to see a specialist, and gee this sounds interesting. I wonder if they will chop it off. The crutch is almost stuck to her so minus a foot I am sure they can find another crutch.  

I wonder what happens if a Gnome loses afoot? The Mistress suggests I look this up in my books as she is busy at present folding the washing. 

I hear the Mistress went over to our home today. There was a knock on the door and a neighbor said another neighbor was on the floor. She very quickly took off. It appears she moved too fast with her walker to answer the door. Now this poor soul had a recent hip replacement and the Mistress said she was calling an ambulance as they know how to correctly lift without injuring her more and the helpers don't give themselves an injury. No pain or blood and she was bright and chirpy, so the ambos didn't take her to the hospital.

The Mistress and her neighbors are always looking out for each other as they are all of the age where anything is possible. The Mistress has experience in working with patients in the community before she retired. Now the neighbor feels embarrassed, but this is a normal feeling to have. I have heard her say she misses working with the patients and watching their progress. 

She will soon have his Lordship as a patient as he is going in for knee surgery before Christmas. Now I wonder what he will be like as a patient. From what I know he will be if good hands. 

 

 

17/10/23

Jeepers, we tried to head down the drive last night and heard the terrible rain on the roof. What a racket. I have a deep anxiety about water in every form so abandoned our plans of venturing outside while all humans slept. Not only this, but it was also terribly cold, and we don't do this either, as being allowed to stay inside in all weathers is a much more pleasant option. Unlike those other fellas at home who are used to the elements. I bet the pool filled up last night. 

These humans around here have a pretty easy life. They chat with this cat Zeus who is enjoying daily company and chatter. His Mum and Dad work so it's a quiet day for him usually. He will probably miss these two when we return home again. The Mistress knows that Zeus' Mum is missing her big boy. She said in an email to give her boy a cuddle. Crickey, she has done this many times. I just hope she doesn't start to cuddle me! There could be trouble ahead if this was to eventuate. 

I do notice these two love birds having a cuddle or two around here. Mushy stuff and we do not need to see this, so they better limit these events I say. Now you don't see Trixie and I carrying on like this. We have the utmost decorum around here. They are like this at their home too, and when we complain, they show me the door. How rude. They say like it or lump it, too. 

It has been difficult for us to achieve anything today as these humans never went out at all. They said the weather put them off, so they drank tea all day!!

I hear that His Lordship is on cooking duty with the meat tonight. She is not good at cooking steaks so better for him to do and all will be great. I daresay she will be on vegetable duty. She reckons he has never had so many vegetables in the past. The Mistress enjoys the meat raffles he wins and saves buying meat at the supermarket. At least he is good for helping the Mistress in so many ways.

We overheard a conversation last night, and my goodness gracious me. They want to live together in her house. Nobody has asked my permission yet. I think we need to call a meeting and vote on this business. I wonder how far we will get on this. 

16/10/26

 Nothing seems to happen very fast here in the mornings. The mistress appears stiff and, on a go, slow. She was sitting looking at the news on the laptop and always looked at the Timaru Herald in the mornings. Auntie and Uncle were in it today, so great excitement. She rang them up and asked if they were doing autographs. It is not every day someone in the family becomes famous. 

The Love Birds went out this afternoon, to our house I believe. The Mistress wanted to water her pots and had His Lordship drag the hose out the front, so she didn't get her feet tangled up and do another injury. He is pretty good at helping when he is asked. He said she just has to ask, so she does. I hear he put her car through the car wash today and they are so happy to see it very clean. It sounds like a bird had been busy on the side, plus road film. 

So while they were out, we climbed up on a fence where there is an empty section. There is a walkway that goes past the back of the house. We saw people walking their dogs and their friends. We made sure they didn't see us though. They could have had a coronary seeing us on the fence. We hid in a branch that came over the fence. It was a nice day for people getting their exercise and the dogs all looked to enjoy their walks. The Estuary is not far from this track and that is where Trixie and I went one day exploring. 

We also heard machinery working somewhere. So, we walked to the side boundary fence and could see some high Viz fellas sealing the road. We might explore that one either tonight while humans sleep and no chance of them being in their gardens. 

The Mistress went out tonight and Zeus followed her to the door and went out with her. He is not supposed to go out that door, but he often comes in it. Now the Mistress was driving so slowly so Zeus didn't get run over. She is a careful driver most of the time. It is only occasionally she would get a speeding ticket, and that was only while we were away, earlier in the year. I think she might have learned a lesson here. They cost her a lot of money, awe, don't tell her I told you this!!

 15/10/23

The mistress disappeared yesterday (sat) and all was quiet and we were sitting here having a great talk about all sorts of Gnome business. We watched Zeus wander by from time to time. He makes a terrible noise crunching his biscuits, and as for his water, he drinks from a special cup. How crazy is this just out the windows to the patio he has a great big dish of water the mistress keeps topped up. Jeepers he drinks a lot of water. 

This afternoon (sat) we heard a vehicle turn up then the key went in the door. We knew it wasn't the mistress as she would have come through the garage. It was His Lordship. How strange he was supposed to be playing golf. He even took a photo of Zeus and sent the picture to the mistress. It was his way of saying "Hey, I have arrived".

The wind blew up yesterday, and overnight. The Mistress was worried about the shade houses, and whether they were still standing this morning. One was ok but the other had issues in the previous strong wind and didn't fare well. They sorted it yet again until the next big wind. It appears some people, still don't yet have power, and others lost roofs on their homes and sheds. Crickey I am glad we are ok here. 

Trixie and I wandered down to the road this afternoon and spotted a tree had been chopped beside the footpath. They left the trunk about 2 meters high and no branches. Looks weird if you ask me. Oh well, they must have known what they were doing. A neighbor was out in the garden when we tried to go back. OMG, what are we to do. His Lordship and the Mistress could be back anytime. 

Trixie suggested we hide in a garden in a bush until the coast was clear. Oh, heck this lady took ages. We kept checking on her, but she had these huge bags she was filling, and she looked very tired. We almost wanted to help her but decided against it. She might call the police and then where would we end up. Nope, back to the bush for us. 

We saw the Mistress's car Hoon down the drive and His Lordship was driving. Hey, it's her car, why is he driving it? They are going to notice we are not on the bench. What shall we do here? I guess there is nothing except to brace ourselves for the blast later. The lady cleaned up her mess and disappeared, so time to head back down the drive. We hid around the corner of the house by the patio and watched the two of them cook dinner. His Lordship does do his bit to help the Mistress. This morning she got him on the vacuuming. He kept saying to rest the foot so she asked if he would do this while she cleaned the bathroom. Then she sat down to rest. She announced to him the bruising was now coming out. No wonder it has been so sore. 

Hey, they went out again tonight. We then headed inside when we heard the car Hoon down the drive. Phew from our position I don't think they noticed we were not on the bench. They came home and nothing was said. These love birds only have eyes for each other, and we reckon they didn't notice our absence. 

 13/10/23

We explored more around this place in darkness last night. Taking notice of this cat is quite interesting, and observing how he ticks. He likes to sleep on his family's bed. Noticing the twitching while sleeping is very odd. On looking at my books it appears he may be dreaming. What is dreaming? I have never heard of this. Trixie is trying to get me to understand, but we are gnomes and don't dream. Standing near Zeus, he stretches out all over the bed, and off into a deep sleep. He didn't hear us make a small noise thank goodness. We climbed up on the bedside cabinet and I missed my footing. Trixie was a great help thank goodness. She reckons we are getting older these days, and everything is getting harder to do.

This must be what the Mistress talks about sometimes. Come to think of it, His Lordship does too. After observing Zeus, we wandered down to the Mistress's room at the other end of this house and it is a very long way for my tired legs. Oh, heck she was still awake as her light was on at 1 a.m. She didn't see us, but we saw her reading. Crickey, did she get hold of my books? We waited around the corner for her light to go out. It must have been a good magazine because she took ages flicking those pages.

We got up on the other side when she finally settled to sleep. We watched and listened to her breathing. Quite different from that Zeus character. She was fairly quiet until the early hours when she let out a scream. We nearly fell off our perch with fright. Trixie reckons she was having a nightmare. What is a nightmare? Trixie showed me where to look this up in my book. My goodness gracious me the Mistress must be troubled. What has she got to worry about? She is madly in love with His Lordship and no worries that I am aware of. But then we are dealing with humans, and they are very complicated. It's a tough life being a Gnome.

Today the Mistress had a big sleep in and rested her foot. I thought she must have died because we didn't hear her until after 11 a.m. Zeus went to make sure she was alive and meowed to her all the way to her room. We even heard him purring when he realized she was awake and very much alive.

Zeus on the Mistress's bed

She really likes this cat. He is so friendly, and he talks to her. They seem to have their own language these two. As long as they are both happy, I guess this is all we could wish for. 

The Mistress went out this afternoon. She wanted to clear the mail at her house and say gid-day to our buddies at home. They appeared to behave this time, and no high jinks from what she could see. Phew!!

12/10/23

All was quiet last night and very late for the Mistress when all of a sudden yell and crash bang. Now this disturbed the peace around here and we were not at all amused. The cat flew past here at top speed and was obvious he was involved in whatever happened. Eventually, the Mistress stumbled around here not at all happy with the situation.

Really limping this time and worse than ever. Popping pills for the extreme pain. She advised that yesterday's rest is now wasted. Resting again today was meant to improve the situation. From my observation, she needs a Dr, so a strong conversation between us and she has agreed to go tomorrow. 

The cat seems to have gotten over his issue last night and he is not limping or looking like he has suffered. My suggestion to him is to give the Mistress a wide birth from now on as she is unpredictable.

His Lordship has been on the phone with the love of his life tonight. Oh, mushy they do go on you know. I wish I didn't have to hear it. 

It has been a bit boring here today because the Mistress didn't go out and we couldn't escape to some freedom. So, Trixie and I have a plan tonight when the Mistress finally goes to sleep. I'm not about to let on here our plan, as what she doesn't know won't hurt her or her foot/leg!!

11/10/23

 His Lordship left this morning, as it was Golf Day. He had instructions from the Mistress to take the bin down to the road before he left. The fellas at the front door were laughing and falling all over the front step, because when he turned his 4WD around he put the handle of the bin onto the tow bar and drove off. He was trying to save his legs the walk down. You see there are 8 houses down this driveway and his sore knees have a tough time walking. He is to have surgery before Christmas and then more surgery after Christmas for the other knee. 

So, these 2 make a good pair because her Achilles seems to be a real problem for this human. The Physio told her yesterday to stay off it and rest. I can report she is not good at all at this resting business. She is always doing something because Trixie and I don't miss a thing from our prime position on the bench.

We sneaked a peek in the lounge today and the shoes were off and her feet up on the couch. She had a big, long talk on the telephone to some bloke about this book business. She is pretty excited about this, but he has to talk to the daughter first. 

She reckons he was quite assertive, pushy, and driven and I heard her say hang on a minute. Woah Neddy. You need to talk to my daughter first. He probably wondered what he struck I reckon. She can be assertive too. We often tune into her conversations, and they teach His Lordship a thing or two by the look on his face.

What a night, the Mistress is exhausted after all these phone conversations and starts to have doubts. She says there is a saying. "If it is too good to be true then it is". Oh dear, will this ever happen?

So, I say watch this space. 

 10/10/23.

Crickey, we had the whole day to ourselves today. Of course, we didn't know when they would return. Trixie overheard a conversation saying they were visiting a friend this afternoon, so we knew we had at least 3 hours to safely explore. 

This driveway is extremely long, and we hear His Lordship and the Mistress often talk about how the local bus is always parked down the road when they come or go at any time of the day or night. So, we wandered down to see what this was all about. 

Oh, my little legs were really struggling. We couldn't find anything to ride on either, so we just took our time. This road is a dead end, and the bus turns and parks until it is time for them to go according to their timetable. These buses are huge and some of the drivers are women and Trixie was very surprised. From what I hear Women can do anything. Everything is equal these days apparently.

All kinds of people seem to take a ride on this bus. We wondered whether we could get on it one day. Oh, heck where does it go. We could end up anywhere. Trixie is a wise woman and suggested we just explore people's gardens out here and give this bus idea a miss.

She reckons there could be other Gnomes in these gardens. When the coast was clear we headed into all kinds of places. Some had their gates shut, how rude. How's a small chap meant to explore? Jeepers there some interesting flowers in some gardens. I know the mistress would like these. Trixie said, "Let's pick some for her". Heck no she will wonder who got inside while they were out, and this could scare her. Best not to make her blood pressure rise. She is of age you know where anything is possible.

We noticed some places had statues, and they looked hideous. Some had kids' toys left lying around. Kids are very noisy and disturb the peace. We don't have kids at our home, thank goodness. We like the peace and quiet and so does the Mistress.

Gosh, we got carried away out here, and best to head back. You never know when these love birds will arrive back. 

Now they got back hours and hours later, and we could have had more time down the road, but there will be another time as we are here until 2 November, so plenty of time.

The mistress put a pot of paint beside us. It appears she had run out of red and needed an orange too. The mind is working overtime here. We could paint this place RED!!! ......We may need that bus to take us away permanently.

 

9/10/23

 We have a new fella amongst us. It appears he is quite a lazy chap and prefers to stay in his hammock. The Mistress found him in her bag from yesterday. He is not at all social. Trixie heard him snoring earlier. His conversation has been almost nonexistent. Now if he wants to hang out with us, then he needs to pull his head in. I reckon one push and he could end up on the floor. Now this could be fun to watch. Where is the camera?

These 2 humans just snuck into the lounge with drinks in hand. It is a Monday afternoon and not a Friday/Saturday night. Is love that blind they need to partake in this stuff. The Mistress has a bucket of wine, just like her glasses at home. She announces that she is going out tonight, and this will be enough for her. Meanwhile, His Lordship is into other stuff, and I can't quite see what he is into. 

Zeus struts around here as if he owns the place. His Lordship says he does own this place. We are the visitors here and we need to understand this. That is us told.

Earlier Zeus went to the window looking for what we think must be his Mum and Dad. The Mistress explained the situation to him, and he seemed quite happy and went over to the Mistress for some comfort with a pat and soothing words. How can a cat understand this rubbish? 

His Lordship just volunteered to do the spuds for dinner, so the mistress didn't say no. He is on steak duty. Now this guy often wins meat raffles at his Golf Club, so you never hear the mistress complaining about his winning. Free meat she says. Goodness only knows what he spends to get these. His latest pack has rump steak, meat patties, and pork chops.  

A new arrival.

These love birds work well in the kitchen. Each has their task to do, and they just get on with it. They enjoy this huge kitchen but dislike how far they have to walk because His Lordship is in his caravan or the Mistress's home which is a teeny tiny house. This place is enormous. There is no butler's pantry at either of their places.

8/10/23

 His Lordship returned this morning after fishing with his brother very early, at 7a.m. There is a beach at the end of his road, so was very handy. Not a bite he said. Oh well, at least they tried. The Mistress was still asleep at this time. She likes to sleep in on a Sunday. As for us, we were watching Zeus who was on the Patio. Last night another cat, a young grey tabby hovered around the furniture. She wanted to be friends, but they growled at each other. The Mistress said it was very cute and eventually, it jumped over the fence and ran away. 

Late last night Zeus was over at the window looking for His Lordship. The Mistress explained that he would be back tomorrow, but he continued to talk and talk. He climbed up on the couch and walked around her head talking, nudging, and purring so loud. He really can't understand why he wasn't here. Even this morning he wouldn't eat breakfast until His Lordship turned up. 

Cats and Humans are so complicated. There is nothing in my books to explain this strange behavior. The Mistress suggested we hike down to the library. What is a library? How is a mere Gnome supposed to find a library?

These 2 lovebirds went out this morning and I saw the Mistress pack a picnic. She didn't even ask us if we wanted to go, I noticed. Huh. It was a nice day too, and it would have been great to join them. Oh well, maybe another time. 

So, Trixie and I took another look at the vegetables growing and checked that the Mistress watered them before she went out. Lucky for her she did, and the garden too. We perched on the deck for the rest of the afternoon, as it was easier for us to head inside when we heard the garage door going up. Our topics of conversation are so interesting with Trixie. She is such a wise woman, and quite knowledgeable. 

While the Mistress was getting dinner a lady turned up. It appears they were looking out for her, and a long story short these 3 met today at the swap-meet. 

Oh heck, what happened next was a huge surprise. 

A lovely lady from Amberley makes and paints these fellas.

GraceBrook Farm.

Cor blimey, these fellas are huge. I can see already we are going to be great mates. Little do they know there are a few hundred at home for them to get to know. 

 7/10/23

His Lordship went back to Ashburton this morning as it is Golf Day. I reckon he had, had enough of Gnomes around this place and needed some space. Heaven helped me, by getting away from that topless woman yesterday. I doubt I will ever recover. Fancy plonking her almost on my lap. This bloke could get funny ideas you know and what about my poor Trixie. She is not accustomed to having women flaunt themselves around me. Trixie reminded me that the Mistress has a completely nude man in her bathroom and sits on the shelf above the toilet. Now he threw his clothes away forever and the mistress said at least Bizzle had panties on. So, I guess I have to agree with her. He even coped with the cold on frosty nights too.

The Mistress went out this afternoon, so we carried on exploring the neighborhood. The fella across the drive was still hard at it so we didn't let him see us scoot past his cars and went for a walk over to the Estuary. It rained off and on, and I dislike water, so we waited under a bush until it stopped. It was quite a trek for us little people. There were some small boats with white things on top over in the distance. Goodness only knows what they were up to. For all I know they could have been Gnomes from another home.

On arriving back, we snuck in just as the garage door went up. That was a very close call. Shiver me timbers. I think I need a lie-down. 

The Mistress sat at the table with her cup of tea and Zeus joined her and sat on the other stool purring and talking to her. He is so happy to be beside her. She even took some photos. He is so loud too and almost fell off the stool as he purred away. She just loves cats and really misses not having any now. One day she told me on the quiet that when she is old then she may get one when she is home more. Aye, I thought she was old now. Awe heck I better shut up; I think. 

 

Zeus is purring beside the Mistress.

 6/10/23

The coast was clear this morning, so Trixie and I continued exploring this place. There is a fellow across the drive who was hard at it in his garage. He appears to have all kinds of machinery in there, and goodness only knows what he is building/making. We had a peep when he disappeared into his house. We were too short to see up high and worried he would find us. As soon as we heard him coming, we made a run for it out of there. We then wandered down the very long drive to the road. Oh, my goodness it was a long way and people were coming and going and we made it into the flower bed because somebody backed out of their driveway. It was a very close call I might add. Time to head back to where we were staying, as we didn't want to be seen and driven over by some maniac. 

These love birds arrived back and told us that another 3 Gnomes turned up with the courier today just before they arrived at our home to collect the mail. There is a golfer, a fella sleeping in a hammock, and a female pole dancer. They showed me a photo of her, and it was borderline obscene. She had very little clothing on, and my eyes were strained to focus.  Why would you want to pole dance? I asked Trixie. and she didn't know either, so I guess we will be looking out for her when we eventually get home. The Mistress suggested we looked this up in our books.

New Gnomes

This afternoon we were not asked if we wanted to go out, but we were quickly wrapped up and put into the Mistress's bag and driven to this weird place. It would have been good manners to be asked I say, but no we were being controlled by this Mistress and His Lordship and unpacked at this very interesting cafe/bar called Scarborough Fair in Sumner. 

At Scarborough Fare

Arh, here is the ponytail fella called Henry. He and the Mistress are friends because he is a Gnomeologist too. It appears there is a gathering for Happy Hour at this place every Friday for whoever can make it from the Sumner dippers. Now they go dipping in the sea every day at 7am. How crazy is this? I reckon they could catch a cold or a crab or two. Now this lady at our table arrived and told us that a crab had bitten her foot with its claws. She got such a fright that she held it up for others to see while he was still hanging on. How crazy, why would you do this. Weird if you ask me.

Now what happened next completely blew me away. This lady turned up with the Gnome the mistress gave to her. She plonked Bizzle who was topless right in front of me. I was trying to read my book, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. These huge boobs were almost on the page of my book. How is a fella supposed to concentrate? People were laughing at me and were not concerned about my embarrassment to have this woman almost fall onto my lap. Another lady arrived with another Gnome called Lowburn. What a strange name for a Gnome. He had holes on top and underneath him and were looking to see if there were holes under this woman, why, what for I asked, but nobody would answer my question. All these people at our table just laughed and laughed. 

Bizzle is almost on my lap.

Also at the table was the lady who left 10 Gnomes at Henry's house for the Mistress. The Mistress was delighted to meet this lady and was very grateful to her for these fellas.

Lowburn arrived.

We ended up with about 26 in our group and 4 Gnomes, lots of fun and laughter and His Lordship wondered what he had struck. This poor fella was sat amongst mostly females and only a few males. They all enjoyed the ambiance by the seaside, and the owners were very happy to see us.

Time to go home and thank goodness I could get away from this topless female. My eyes were very full and have decided that some humans are just crazy and not at all normal. 

When we Gnomes have parties when the Mistress is away, we do not carry on like humans. Most of us keep our clothes on unless we are swimming, but then they have their togs on. There is another topless woman in the pool, and the fellas all just play and swim and do not flaunt themselves at others.

The Sumner dippers are a jovial lot and enjoy having their mascot. The lady who looks after Bizzle is going overseas and she might even take her with her. All I can say is I pity the people she meets. I hope she puts some clothes on before she leaves.

 5/10/23

The Mistress went out last night yet again, and we waited until the garage door closed, but it didn't. What's going on here. Eventually, we could hear voices. It sounded like a male voice, so listening at the door it appears that she couldn't get the car going and had called the AA. Once that was all sorted and the fella had left, another vehicle pulled up in the drive. Another voice, hey that is His Lordship's voice. The Mistress was laughing. Fancy seeing you we here. It appears to be he missed her and surprised her yet again. They had spoken on the phone earlier and he never mentioned that he was almost on his way. Must be love💘💘😍. 

Today they went out, so we decided to follow this cat around and see where he slept. The mistress thought it was under the patio chairs, and she was right. I don't think he saw us though as he was fast asleep. So, staggering down the steps to check out these vegetables, they are looking after, was quite challenging. Those steps are huge, and we needed a ladder. Looking around here and no ladder available, we found some bits and pieces and stacked them to assist us.

They left the hose out for us to trip over, and Trixie had a whoopsie on the way over to the shade houses. On inspection, these vegetables are in perfect condition. I think the Mistress watered them before they went out. As usual, we never know how long they will be, but being a nice day, I had a feeling in my bones they may be out for a while. 

It is rather a nice garden really. These humans who own this place work in full-time jobs and have time to garden as well. We climbed up the fence to see over the other side. Crickey green area for miles and miles. Water is close by, gosh the Estuary, is amazing. It appears the sea is on the other side of us. So, there are 2 places we can surf if we need to run away from the Mistress. Hang on this is tidal we believe. Estuaries means we can't surf the waves. Oh well, the other side of this place we can.

Zeus jumped up on the couch tonight between the love birds. The noise he made appreciating the fuss these humans made of him. Purring they said and dribbling. They talked to him, and he talked back. They seem to have their own language here. He looked very happy to be stroked and patted and oh yuk the Mistress kissed his head and pure delight came over the cat's face. Oh, heck what next. 

4/10/23

We all had some sleep and rest last night, thank goodness. That wind reminded me of our holiday in the North Island (Hamilton). We only copped the fringes thank goodness as it sure caused a lot of terrible damage. Today the sun is shining and is quite warm outside, so we came out with the Mistress for some R&R and fresh air. Being over by the sea the Nor Easters spoil the breeze, but Trixie and I are not complaining. In fact, it is rather interesting here. We reckon they may do a lot of socializing here as there are so many seats and big steps to sit on around the BBQ and fire pit.

We are admiring the BBQ area.

 Now we have been watching The Mistress and she keeps re-injuring her leg. Sometimes we hear a naughty word or two so I guess it is rather sore especially the way she is limping, she is not at all happy about this and told His Lordship before he left this morning, that she would have a quiet day. It is Golf Day for him today, back in Ashburton. He said it would be 25 degrees today down there. She doesn't like it too hot so is quite happy sitting on the deck and reading all sorts of things in books, and on the computer.

Zeus the resident cat who talks!!

We think the Mistress has lost the plot. The resident cat here meows while she is talking to him. It is a soft meow, and she announces that is him replying to her. Have you ever heard such rubbish? What next, I suppose these wild birds will talk next!!!

The Mistress has just told me that some people talk to their plants...what.... surely not. I think there is a special place these people live from what my psychology book tells me. They need help from my limited understanding of the human brain. Maybe she needs to talk to her doctor, because this book I am reading on humans suggests, to not muck around and get there immediately. Now I really can't see this happening anytime soon. 

Crickey maybe she will put me in this place. I shall be out of here on a fast camel. There are also a couple of surfboards down the end of this passage, these would get me out of here as I am very close to the sea. I shall be ready if this is to happen. She will never find me.

 3/9/23

Boy oh Boy what a night we had. Someone was banging on the roof most of the night, and someone else was banging on the outside walls. I could hear the Mistress and His Lordship talking about it a lot and wondered what they would find in the morning. We heard thunder late afternoon, then rain and extremely strong winds.

The Mistress took her camera out to check on things. 

The wind was very busy and almost destroyed this shade house.

His Lordship trying to repair things

Doesn't look good here.

A good view of everything sitting here.

So, as you can see it was a very noisy night last night. They have a good lot of vegetables growing and a shame to see these wasted.

The owners say help yourself so the Mistress may do this too. So, let's hope for a quieter night tonight. Us Gnomes need a rest too you know.

Zeus waltzes around here and keeps an eye on everything. Sometimes he vanishes and we do not see him all day and not even sleeping on his mum's bed. Trixie and I will follow and look for him when the coast is clear. I want to check out how he ticks and why he is so huge. The Mistress says all the more to cuddle.

His Lordship is well known for doing his share of the jobs around here and continues to look after the Love of his Life. 

He watched her making a cheese sauce tonight, and at times stirring the mixture after grating the cheese. The Mistress will make a chef out of him one day. He really takes a keen interest in what she is doing and cut up and peeled some vegetables too. He was so shocked to see the size dish she put all the assorted vegetables in and announced they wouldn't fit. They did fit and he is still learning quantities and delighted when she said you can take some back with you tomorrow.

The Mistress has just come home from a meeting and that cat waited at the window for her. Does this mean he missed her? Strange if you ask me.

2/10/23

Today it was looking after Grandson Day. Grandad had made a promise a long time ago to take this cute fella fishing. Didn't they know it was very windy? Off they went, bought some bait, and because we are close to the Pier. From what I hear it was so windy the Mistress had to hold on to the rails, as she could have blown away. She told the lad that the wind was so strong that it could blow the milk out of a cup of tea. 

Getting some help in the strong wind.

Because they packed up early, they over to the supermarket where the mistress said the lad could choose the flavor of ice cream on special only. What kid would turn this offer down? Hands washed then hoed into the treat. The mistress asked this fella if the tiny bit she put in the bowl was too much?  How cruel, poor fella I say. She then gave him 2 more huge dollops. 

Watching this small human play the ladder game with the mistress was very entertaining from our prime position on the edge of the bench. He had her sorted out I reckon. A very wise little man.

Now there is a black cat here and he lets everyone know when he is hungry. It is now that he wants his food and not later. So, the Mistress jumps to his demand.

Zeus loves cuddles.

 1/9/23

New Brighton, here we come. They loaded the car and away we went. 

Jeepers, the Mistress is struggling to get up and down the steps at this place. His Lordship was on hand to assist. Now I have to tell you something very funny. Once unpacked it was time to make a cup of tea without an electric jug. His Lordship couldn't understand their modern system. The Mistress tried hard to explain but was easier for him to watch. You see, he is very shy. He must be from the old school she reckons. Either that he just hasn't been around modern homes. 

The next funny thing was where to find a teaspoon to lift the tea bags out of the cups. These two hunted and hunted. Opened the most logical draws and probably about 10 times each. Maybe these people eat with their hands here....MMMM. The Mistress doubted this because they had a meal with the family recently. Suddenly His Lordship opened a draw within a draw. Bingo cutlery draw. This place even has 2 ovens and 2 dishwashers. The fridge and freezer are in a cupboard. They also have a butler's pantry. The Mistress could get used to this she reckons. 

They had to go back home this afternoon. Before they left this morning, I heard the mistress ask His Lordship if he got his washing out of the washing machine and said he would do this shortly. This afternoon she asked where your wet washing is. Duh...Men...

They were buzzing when they got back, as they spotted some kites near where we were staying.

Kites at the beach

They found a posse to sit and watch them flying. The wind kept changing, bringing them down eventually, and then they tried to get them airborne. 

Another thing about this place is a huge black cat, Zeus. The Mistress struggles to carry him as he is about 8 and a half KG. Crickey what is he eating. I watched the mistress feed him tonight and he was mighty happy too, although he didn't eat this morning's wet, meat. He likes answering the Mistress when she talks to him. Quite interesting seeing these two in action. He showed his appreciation she reckons. He even has a special bed in the laundry, and I reckon if he gets hungry, he just needs to reach the shelf and bingo more food than he could eat. He has special medicine every morning, as he is quite a sick puss even though he doesn't look it.