Living in New Zealand: Eels

I guess you get eels in the UK, but I’ve never encountered any. I’ve seen plenty in New Zealand, though their numbers are declining because of human activities around rivers and out at sea.

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We saw these eels when we were staying in Okains Bay. But only when we fed them.

Opara Stream eels in Okains Bay

Mrs Grey makes an appearance

Mrs Grey is ready for her close up

Living in New Zealand: Okains Bay Getaway

I’m so glad that all our travel this year is domestic. It’s lovely to live in a place where people like to holiday and the Banks Peninsula has so many places worth staying. I love Le Bons Bay, but it is hard to find accommodation there now, so Okains Bay was a good back up plan. Great bach, great beach and a general store that is well worth a look (even if I only bought enamel bowls for my pot plants).

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Living in New Zealand: Working in the Studio What I Built!

After months of  site preparation; tons of shifting bricks, rubble, concrete and timber; two day’s work with a builder (assembling the horribly-named SheShed) and weeks of finishing off inside and out (including a temporary deck) Sunflower Studio is ready. 

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It's a joy to work in the garden, with views of the harbour, but I have to be careful not to be distracted.

Living in New Zealand: Cartoonists Like Me Need a LOT of Tea

Working from home means being very close to the fridge. To keep myself on track, I distract my stomach with big mugs of tea. I’ve been borrowing the boyf’s Land Rover mug and that couldn’t continue, so the talented Coralie Winn, who works out of the gallery near Spooky Boogie, made me a big mug of my own.

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Now I just have to resist the chocolate.