What a busy year it has been so far and it’s already the end of January.
On Saturday, my family enjoyed a traditional Chinese New Year meal at my place and it was great to see our family has grown with the addition of boyfriends and girlfriends and our granddaughter, Sofia. Interesting of note,
many of our red packets were given to us by some large retailers - LEGO, ANZ and Uniqlo (the empty ones, I mean)
This is the year of the Rat and there have been some famous rats: George Bush (the father); Jimmy Carter (the peanut farmer); Pope Francis; The Queen Mother; Prince Charles; Prince Harry; Joshua Wong (the HK activist) and our own Lorde (the almost one-hit wonder).
Our February Women’s Group outing is a trip to Auckland Botanic Gardens at Manurewa, followed by a visit to the Franklin A & P Show at Pukekohe. I haven’t been to an A &P Show for over 30 years but I have fond memories of the annual visit when I was a child and then as a teenager - it was the biggest gig in town. I remember watching the police dogs going through their paces, the axemen chopping their way down the pole. But most of all, I remember the hotdogs...... A&P stands for agricultural and pastoral.
The plan is:
Saturday, 15 February 2020
8.30 am - bus leaves stop at Great South Road, Greenlane, by Countdown and McDonald. Late comers will not be on the bus.
9.15 am - arrive at Auckland Botanic Garden at Hill Road, Manurewa. Free to wander and enjoy summer at the gardens including the sculptures.
11.15 am - reboard bus and head to the Franklin A&P Show at the Pukekohe Showgrounds at 58 Station Road.
Free time to have lunch, see the exhibits, perhaps sit at the stand and watch some demonstrations.
3.30 pm - leave Pukekohe to return to Greenlane. ETA 5.00 pm.
Cost of trip
The bus fare and entry into A&P Show is $25.00 pp. the gardens are free admission. Please bring correct cash in envelope with your name and family contact mobile number.
I’m sure the day will be hot, so be sure to bring a cold drink, hat and sun block. You should have a morning snack so you don’t faint from starvation by the time you get to the hotdog stand.
Please RSVP by email by 07 February - if not sooner. Otherwise I will worry that we can’t fill the bus and either make a humangus (is that a word?) loss or have to cancel. You know worry and stress makes me grumpy.
Hi everyone
I hope you are enjoying the hot weather as it won’t last long. My first bitter melon is ready to be eaten this week. But goodness, they’ve drunk a lot of water.
For the above outing, we have only 13 group members registering their intention to go on the trip. Although I said RSVP is 07 February, I normally have most of the bus filled in the first week of notice. Because of the low interest, the above trip is cancelled. I’m not sure of the reason - is it still too early, no interest in the A&P Show or is it the corona virus? Perhaps some feedback to me would be helpful.
Keep out of the sun...
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Cheers
COLLEENT
Hi All,
On again. We’ve hired a 25-seater. However the cost is now $28.00 pp - although the bus hire has reduced, it is not commensurate with the reduced seats.
We have 5 more seats on offer.
Just to reiterate - we are going to Auckland Botanical Gardens in Manurewa and then on to Pukekohe.
