□
□ | □
[]
Dad 's new home is at Killyleagh , a little further down Strangford Lough from Killinchy , where Mum lives . A gale struck just a few hours after Pam arrived . The rooms in the FAO are named after the countries that sponsored them , and Ian 's talk was , appropriately , in the Canada room , whose back wall was covered by a huge relief map of Canada , carved in wood . On Dec 22 's Weblife page ( p.21 ) , under Links worth a visit , get this : " As the post-food lull kicks in , try a Queen-style Christmas message with New Zealand 's Witten family , who round up their year , every year , at www.cs.waikato.ac.nz / ~ ihw / xmas / xmas.99.html . We had some calm when we reached the horse latitudes in the middle of the trip , but after that when we picked up the trade winds they were not gentle , consistent , tropical breezes as advertized but gale force for three days . We've sailed right alongside a replica of Captain Cook 's Endeavour : we were close-hauled and hard-pressed to keep up , which was disturbing until we noticed that , despite appearances , its square sails were aback and it was steaming along under a powerful , though anachronistic , engine . Island , with 120 other recorder players from throughout New Zealand . When we first bought this place we looked at the horrible orange-yellow carpet fitted throughout the living and dining area , and said that it would be the first thing to go . After six months of not working in Calgary , her nose has been pressed firmly to the grindstone this year with a full-time teaching job . We proceeded by car up the west coast to stay with Ian 's cousin Lorraine in Dargaville , and then pushed on , often on gravel roads , staying as close to the sea as possible-up the west coast and down the east . Music continued apace throughout the year . Returning home from school , Pam was stopped by a police roadblock down our street . You need one hand to hold on ( otherwise you're thrown immediately onto the floor ) , one to hold the cup ( it 's quite impossible to put it down ) , and a third for the kettle , a dangerous bomb full of evil boiling water and the nearest doctor eight days away . And on the way back to Hamilton we ate delicious kebabs at a favourite haunt : Esmerelda 's traditional Lebanese / Maori kitchen in Papakura , alongside taxi drivers and people dining out in their pyjamas ... It is quite stunning to hear her nonchalantly chatting away to the locals after only a year of immersion in French. Always on private land , we hiked up steep hills , along beaches , through forest , across farmland , down gullies , along cliff tops , and through a native bush reserve .