Oops.....

This took quite a bit of explaining ! Someone poked themselves in the eye during the night ..... of course many people joked ????? about how involved I may or may not have been !
This picture was taken outside the Christchurch museum after we had taken the lovely Punting on the Avon tour...and the delicious morning tea afterwards at the old curator of the botanical gardens home that is now a delightful restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. The home/restaurant was built in 1920 and is a mock Tudor two story which would have been a really lovely family home at the time. A lovely garden outside was filled with fresh produce that is picked each day. Artichokes, tomatoes, climbing string beans...lots of different lettuce varieties, lemon and lime trees etc. We ate outside at awning shaded tables....six or eight to a table....lots of beautiful coffee and many choices of tea. The view thru the produce garden was to the river and beyond into the botanical gardens which I was amazed to hear during the narration whilst punting....(love that word!!!) described the gardens as the 3rd largest in the world after Central Park and another whose name fell by the wayside when I heard the Central Park bit!
Christchurch itself demands about three days exploration, so hopefully we will be able to go back there. My roots on mother's side go way back to several towns in N.Z. including Christchurch....I talked myself into feeling as tho I already know the place.
We took a half hour tram ride around and thru this vibrant city, then picked up a bus that took us further out to a fantastic gondola which went to the top a mountain , the name of which is tucked away somewhere in the hard drive of my brain that sometimes seems to stall these days. (Must give it a defrag...if that's possible.) Anyway, needless to say the restaurant and view at the top were sensational even tho it is summer and the distant mountains weren't covered in snow and the countryside is not it's usual lush green in many parts. There are just SOOO many magnificent water views they leave you breathless.
More later.