March 2020

Well, I think we will all agree that at the start of this month and certainly this year I would not have predicted the situation our world now finds itself in. We started off the month with another bowls competition, this time on our local greens. Unfortunately I didn't make the finals but I did have some great games along the way and my good buddy Owen managed to win the competition so it was a great day for our club. 
The next day we dropped off the in-laws at Queenstown airport for their flight back to the UK. Who would have thought that only four weeks later all of the borders would be closed and they couldn't have left like many people currently stuck over here. 
A few days with our good friend Anne and her wonderful dog Faith before she headed over seas and as it happened only just made it back before NZ enforced 14 days self isolation for anyone returning to the country.
At the end of this month we see the country in total lockdown and lots of weeks yet before restrictions will hopefully start to lift again. These are very, very strange times but no doubt we will get through it. 
In a weird way Bec and I are quite lucky as our lifestyle prior to moving back into a house meant we were very used to spending long periods of time with just us in a caravan. Both of us are naturally quiet people and like our own space......I do feel sorry for the extroverts of this world who must be crawling the walls with this new reality and just themselves and immediate family for company.
On other news Lawn Bowls has come to an end for the year due to the pandemic and quite right too. I really do miss going down to the club for a few hours though so it will be great we can do that again. 
Through hard work, self belief and the support of others it has been an amazing first year and I really look forward to the future. As my coach would say, achievements cannot be taken away so you should celebrate them :-).
    > Junior singles club champion.  (Junior is any player in their first five years of bowling)
    > Open singles club champion
    > Semi final of Central Otago open singles
    > Junior singles champion of champions for Central Otago
Seems I set myself quite a high standard for when it all starts again!
Not many pics this month but a few to keep memories alive for the future.

Early morning on the edge of Lake Wakatipu

The pink light quickly gave way to the greys of what turned out to be a very cold day

Queenstown at night

Brrr, more cold days at Queenstown!

Never really been a sports person so very surprised and happy to have won the Champion of Champions Junior Singles  and get my name on this amazing trophy. 

Must be autumn, mist rising above the Clutha River. View from our deck

We are very lucky to have views like this when we are forced to stay at home

Crazy weather, yep, that is snow on the hills that surround us!

Amazing stormy clouds made the sky very dark indeed. One solitary ray of sunshine picked out the trees on the hill to the side of us.

Early morning view from the deck

Three solid days this lot and about a hundred others moaned as loud as they could. They were definitely not happy at being moved to these fields from wherever they had been before!

As part of being stuck at home I grabbed some old films out of the freezer that I took last year to develop. This was up in the Nevis Valley when snow came down some time around September/October.

Another from the Nevis high above Cromwell

Abstract number taken on my wonderful twin lens reflex camera which is now 67 years old! 

Local church closed until further notice due to Corona virus.

The sign on the building says 'Creating our Future'. Who knows what future todays children will face.

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