Part 1: Staying with the Averys

I am falling behind with blogging - as tends to happen when there is lots happening! So as quickly as I can, before we pack up and move to another location within Hokitika (yes we were there from Thursday evening to Wednesday lunchtime), I will endeavour to get these next three posts on line up to the point where we left Westport. There is a lot to cover, so here goes:

I think this is a beautiful art deco building - it's in the middle of Westport and looks wonderful at night, esp against a clear sky, eh?

We stayed four nights with Leonie and Paul - mainly Leonie as Paul was away working in Motueka.

This is the bridge over the stream that flooded in Cyclone Gita. Paul was most impressed with the guy who did the dry stone walling.

David and Leonie in the kitchen. I think David is preparing carrots judging by the green and clear bag by his right hand. Good heavens, we cluttered the place up with our muesli, our fruit and gherkins and stuff ..

Leonie took great care of us with her inimitable hospitality and kindness. She arranged for me to go to the optometrist in Westport as I was suffering with what is known as dry eye, but is in fact wet and watery. It's where the tear ducts get blocked and the oily substance of the tears cannot get through, and just the watery stuff remains. The watery stuff seems to be a bit acidic - or at least it feels that way, and the creases in the corner of my eyes (the crow's feet, OK!!!) got inflamed and were sore. Noel the optometrist did a thorough check of my eyes, put yellow dye in them, checked again, and gave me a sample of some drops that did help**. I also bought a wheat bag to warm and place over my eyes to loosen the blocked tear ducts - what a lovely feeling!

[**When we got to Hokitika I had to find an alternative - after a couple of days the sample eyedrops stopped working and the crow's feet were getting sore again. I am now fully recovered having purchased and used two sets of drops: one with an antibiotic effect and the other as a tear stimulator.]

The other personal care service Leonie enacted was sending me to her hair salon. I had realised that my haircut in Blenheim was a bit uneven, so it needed remedying - esp as I was planning a visit to my old work office at Hokitika Dept of Conservation. I couldn't turn up there looking unkempt, now could I? Tracey did a good job and I know Michelle, my hairdresser at home, will be impressed.

Mel on Paul's couch in the lounge while Leonie and her granddaughter play at the table.

As well as attending to hair and eye care, we also did cooking things:

1. Day One we blobbed - after all, we have been setting a cracking pace: taking 9 days to travel about 350kms is hard work, you know. I did cook dinner for us all though - cottage pie.
2. I made a big pot of braised steak and onions (plus veges) for Paul and the others to take away for one night's dinner
3. On Day Two, as Paul doesn't like curry and was working away, I made a chicken and vege curry. 
4. On our last morning before we left, I made cheese scones for lunch.

And because we were on the West Coast, and because that was part of the reason for being down here, we did some tourist things - more in Part 2: Staying with the Averys.