MY VERY SPECIAL EVENT

 I had a very special event approaching, and Iwas allowed to celebrate it any way I wish, I chose to stay at the Chateau Tongariro  for a couple of nights and enjoy the luxury of the surroundings with in the hotel and views of the wonderful mountains around it. Everything now has to work round Paul's hospital appointments and transfusions and as these clash with my actual birthday  the trip was planned a little early and we  had a wonderful time.

 

 The road to the Chateau in the background Mount Ruapehu. insert The Chateau

 

 

It  was just perfect and my sister and her husband joined us, making it even more special. Joan and my birthdays are just 10 days apart and as children we shared the same parties so it was great that they joined us at this time. Denis ( her husband)  had had his big birthday celebration last month but as they were on a camping trip in the outbacks of Australia at the time we made it a delayed celebration for him too.

 On the Wednesday we got up to clear blue sky,  a bright sunny day although the outside was just 9 degrees Celsius.

 

Looking at Mount Ngaurahoe  from the lounge at the Chateau.

and as seen from our drive up the Bruce Road on Mt Ruapehu

 

We left Paul sitting reading in the sunshine and the three of us took a drive up the mountain as far as one could go by road and took lots of photos At one point we could look across country and in the far distance see the snow capped Mt Egmont which is near where I live and its the mountain I have on the heading of my blog. We took two days to drive home breaking the trip so it would not be too tiring for Paul.

 The week that has followed has not been a good one so I am posting this later than I planned. My birthday was spent in part sitting once again in the Emergency Department of Hawera Hospital with Paul. we did manage to get home for dinner that night and the meal I had planned.

 

 And today my plans are to make a lovely arrangement with these.