In 2000 I got a job in Marlborough at the top right hand corner of the South Island.

Blenheim is the main town in Marlborough and is a quiet rural service centre. This picture shows the centre of town about 5:00pm on a typical weekday

We bought a house in Grovetown, just out of Blenheim. It's only anout a 7 minute drive to the centre of town. The area is semi-rural, although we are close to the main railway line and the main highway. Close enough to hear them, but far enough away that the sound is not intrusive. The house was built about 1953 and has 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms and one bathroom. It's on 1/2 an acre of ground.

One of the things that attracted us to this place was lots of fruit trees. This includes oranges, mandarines, limes, grapefruit, tangeloes, lemons, apples, plums, peaches, apricots, cherries (not many this year and the birds got them), feijoas (a hedge of these), grapes, kiwifruit, something that's probably a mulberry, a small gooseberry bush and currants yet to be confirmed as black currants. There's also two young walnut trees not yet bearing fruit. This picture shows some of the citrus.

Here's the lemon trees and the back of the house.

One former owner was very keen on roses, and there's plenty in the front garden. I wish I knew what they all are!!

A shot of the garage and grapevine. The tree behind is a kahikatea. These can grow big!!

I did say the place was semi-rural. Here's a shot of the backyard showing the small glasshouse. There are grain silos over the back. Some grain is grown in this area, but less now than formerly because it's a great grape-growing area and new plantings of grapes and olives are seen everywhere.

One of the many attractions of Marlborough is that the Marlbough Sounds offer plenty of calm, secluded boating and fishing. Fred acquired this boat which need refurbishing as a "project". There's lots to be done on it, but it's sound and was REAL cheap. Maybe next summer we can get our own crayfish.