An oasis in the desert

It has been a long hard slog with trying to finish my assignment for uni this holiday. I have been chained to my computer for days and it has felt never-ending. Just as I was beginning to loose all sense of perspective and I viewed my study more as a torture chamber than a place of enlightenment, my darling husband said that he thought that I had had enough and he was taking me to lunch on Sunday. He explained that we were getting out of the city a little and going for about an hours drive. This both pleased and annoyed me as I was onto a delicate stage of the whole project but I also realised that I really did need to get because cabin fever was setting in.

An hour later we were sitting outside a sidewalk restaurant in the beautiful Akaroa. After a great lunch of a Seafood platter for two, he announced that he just had to stop in somewhere at 4 o'clock. I thought it was one of the teachers that he has as a client and thought no more about it. We drew up outside a lovely cottage in the town and he announced that there was a lady waiting to give me a full body massage! Yeah baby! Just what I needed! Once I had gotten over my surprize and delight, I succumbed to her ministering hands and even fell asleep on the table. Yum oh! Ah but there was more to come.

Warm and lulled into complacency, all ideas of how I had to fly back home and attck my project once more out of my head, I oozed into the car ready to curl up on the backseat for the hour trip home. About five minutes into the journey, the provider of delights said that we were not in fact going home but staying the night in place with a beautiful view, a corner spa bath and a fireplace. Double yum! With the All Blacks playing the Aussies that evening, what more could we want?

This was the view from the little lounge with the fireplace.



After a soak in the tub where all my stress was washed down the plug along with the soap suds, the chef (the best ever!) dished up a smoked salmon salad for dinner.







All I had to do was to wake up to this beautiful
view in the morning!







Bacon, eggs and croissants for breakfast and then it was time to leave paradise and brave the world again but it was an easy thing to do after all of this!

I am always so grateful to a partner who can discern when I am am on the egde and he just stretches out a helping hand and pulls me to safety. I am blessed beyond words to be so lucky the second time around. I have often wondered what would have become of me and my girls if Johan Nienhuis had not stepped into our lives.

Our journey back was along the sea with black swans along the shoreline and we stopped every now and then to enjoy the view. Back to reality stronger and more resilient.



Sweet sixteen

Tayla turned 16 on Tuesday this week and what a celebration it was! She had some of her friends came around for dinner on Monday night and they had a blast. Johan made some of his famous giant hamburger patties and cooked them on the braai (barbecue) accompanied with lots of bacon, cheese and all the other burger yummies.

Simone baked a cake to die for with lots of chocolate bits inside and oozing with caramel. It was Tayla's idea to have the pink icing!

It was fantastic to see her so happy as she seems to have found a group of people that are genuine, sincere friends and they have been together as a group for about two years now.

When I look at her, I can’t believe she was this little girl just a short while ago.

I don’t think there is anything more satisfying than watching your kids grow and develop into beautiful young adults. It is worth all the scars on your heart that it took to get them there. I love what New Zealand has meant to our family and it is as if everyone has found their feet and are happy.

Welcome to my new blog

Dear All

It's been ages since I have regaled you with tales of the Nienhuis-Styles family affairs! I have designed a new blog to make things a little faster (my emails tend to be slower than snail mail!). Enjoy.