Hello everyone.

I just wanted to send you all a huge heartfelt hug for the festive season. You've all been in my thoughts. Although I'm having a lovely time with family and friends here in New Zealand, I wish ALL my family and friends could come together to celebrate the season with me!

I had an early Christmas in Timaru with family - six kiddies, and seven adults. We ate and drank well, exchanged some lovely presents (with my input being some handmade Christmas tree ornaments produced by Duncan and myself), and enjoyed time in the playground and paddling pool which my siblings and I romped in as kids. I had an invigorating half-hour swim in Caroline Bay without getting chilled while a certain ex-surfer hard-core West Coaster didn't do more than dabble his toes!

Christmas proper was spent on the West Coast with Duncan's family in Fox Glacier, then Greymouth. We successfully hitch-hiked there and back without encountering any crazed maniacal mass murderers. We had a few days of glorious sunshine and my shoulders were tinged pink before the rain drifted down. Highlights included lots of walking (along a river, in the bush, on beaches), collecting giant mussels from the sea and marinating them ourselves (hand-caught kai moana is wonderful), finding a piece of pounamu (greenstone) on the beach at Greynmouth, and seeing Duncan's baby photos! I survived and enjoyed Christmas with his family - especially the whitebait patties served for dinner. Our contributions included sushi and truffles!

As for the rest of the summer ... it's been a mixture of work and study, and out-of-town trips, and will continue along those lines.

I'll see the New Year in after taking part in a Civil Union of my friends Jo and Cindy. I'm looking forward to it after missing two weddings this year - Eric's in the States (to Mildred), and Lynne's in England (to John).

I hope you're enjoying the celebratory season.

Merry Christmas - Kellemes Karacsonyt - Feliz Vavidad - Happy New Year - Boldog Uj-Evet

Much love, Alice

... spent posting photos and wondering if anyone's going to take a look!

Going for a morning run on a sunny warm autumnal morning was pleasant enough ... and then I did my warm-down stretches under a stand of oak trees by a stream in Jellie Park in a ray of uplifting sunshine and a butterfly landed on me and stayed a while. I felt touched by life and love - it must have thought I was a flower!