Saturday afternoon, November 13th

Started off this week having lunch with a Fijian family we met at church. On Tuesday we were dining at the home of an Iranian family. Thus far no meals with Kiwis. :) Ralph works with the Iranian doctor. They prepared a fabulous meal for us and we really enjoyed our time with the charming doctor, his wife and their 15 year old son. They are Muslim---the wife wears a Hijab----and they spoke of their love for their native country and its rich history, though not the politics of it. A point they wanted to make was not to confuse people groups with their governments, saying that the average Iranian loves Americans. Well......hmmm....hope so.

Proving once again how little it takes to make me happy :), we discovered a grocery store a lot like a Sam's Club only without the low prices. I was in heaven finding products that I had been unable to get elsewhere and having a great selection.

We had a couple of gorgeous days of weather this week. Will never take sunshine for granted again! Every town that we have seen has sidewalks on both sides of every street and many city parks and green spaces. It's a pleasure just walking around daily here. Well, more of a pleasure when the sun shines!

Saw a documentary/movie a few years back about the chorus group "Young at Heart". Just loved it. For those who haven't seen it, they are a group of (very) senior citizens that sing current rock songs and travel the world. Very fun and inspiring. Anyway, they are touring New Zealand and will be in Palmerston North on the 14th. We are excited about the concert.