Preparations for the 150 Year Anniversary of 'The Pines'

We had great fun on Saturday and thought I would post a few pictures of what we were up to...(Click to enlarge the pics)

We dressed up like the Dr and his wife who lived here 150 years ago.
It is for an article in the SA Garden Magazine. A freelance journalist is visiting NZ and needs to make some money so asked if she could do an article on an Immigrant SA family to NZ for the Garden magazine..

The costumes are because we are having a big Jubilee celebration here in November to mark the 150th Anniversary of the First house in the first town Waipawa. The town will then have their big celebrations in 2010. There will be an Event Planner so we just have to get the place looking good.
Terry is working on the front of the house. He has scraped off five layers of paint and it has been hard work . There is lots more to do but already it is looking much nicer.

The people dressed in period costume will walk or drive in horsedrawn carriages through the town...........up to our house. There will be Garden Party on the lawns. A story teller will tell the history of the house and there will be prizes given for the best costumes. Then a tour of the property to see the pigeons in the pigeon loft on the hill where the doctor kept the pigeons to keep in contact with his country patients.. and a visit to the dam where the horses used to drink... old fashioned games will be organised for the kids..

New Zealanders love to dress up in Period costumes and being a small country far from every where else they have to make their own fun... and keep a sense of Identity I suppose. Anyway this all seems to have just 'happened' to us and we are going along with it and having lots of fun on the way.. My crinolene, bonnet , everything has been done for me with great enthusiasm by a friend Lesley who works in the local museum.. Terry did kick at first but was given no choice, and when the top hat was put on his head he found he rather liked the image!

Every week we have been busy with this or that and the nursery has been neglected so I am relieved that all photo sessions, babysitting, birthdays etc are over for a time and we can get back to the humdrum life we actually enjoy.. We are not as young as we used to be ! are we now ?