Cold spring weather

 Over the last few days the weather has been cold and windy - probably quite seasonally appropriate but not what we wanted for our holiday! However, no complaining (well, not much anyway) because in Gisborner and on the East Coast of the North Island they have had a lot of flooding. So some cool wind and not much rain here on the eastern side of the South Island is not too bad really.

It has been cooler though than we were expecting, but we both packed quite a few winter clothes so we are keeping warm. We haven't been out biking again after our second day's adventures in Blenheim. But to be fair, the places we have stayed have not been particularly scaredy-cat biker friendly.

We had a night in Seddon - no real reason but back in my early 20s there was a woman I taught with who was ancient (at least 40...) who grew up in Seddon, so I have always wondered what it was like. Interesting small motorcamp with a mix of people staying: a few permanents, a couple of women whop were there for the shearing, and a group of four couples (4 sisters and their husbands) who were in Seddon for a nostalgia trip as they had gone to school there in their early childhoods. And us.

The wind blew, it was chilly, I stayed inside and cooked a veg curry. Leftovers are in the freezer - yay!!

I am not sure why, but David has started trying to put his shoes away in the fridge ... Could have something to do with the fact that the cupboard they are actually stored in is below the fridge, but it is a troubling sign, I reckon!

ACP had just accidentally flipped his Rummikub stand over and tossed tiles all over the saloon. TBH, we didn't enjoy Rummikub - the rules sheet was incomplete (clearly written by someone who could already play but who was not a trainer ...), and we discovered at the end that we were missing about 4 tiles and one of them was a joker! So the set (incomplete) has been recycled in the various bins at the Kaikoura Top10.

Sunset at Seddon - I was already in bed ...

In the morning we went to the Station Cafe for breakfast - the eggs benedict were OK but the yolks were not runny, but I bought a scone and a muffin for our lunch and they were both very yummy.

I do love a palindrome, and this one is distinctly satisfying, I reckon.

 

We came down the coast to stay in Kaikoura for the night. On the way we stopped at Paparoa Point just north of Kaikoura - what an amazing display developed by the local runanga and Waka Kotahi (Ministry of Transport).

The statue of Tuteurutira, a chief of Ngai Tahu, at Paparoa Point.

The steps up to the statue show Tuteurutira's whakapapa (lineage)

 

Tuteurutira's whakapapa

Looking north - the direction we had come from. All of this shoreline was raised by a couple of metres in the 2016 earthquake.

 

The hills dwarf the motorhome

The ends of the bench seats all have the stylised whale's tail.

We stayed at the Top 10 where we have stayed the last twice we have been here. It is a really nice camp to stay at - excellent facilities, very clean, the powered sites for caravans and motorhomes are on concrete and very level, and each has a picnic table. 

I went out for a walk yesterday afternoon to see if I could find a bowl for the kitchen sink - David had managed to put the chopping knife through the flexible bowl and tried to tell me it had perished ... I am not so green as I am cabbage-looking, and I can tell a knife wound from a perish/stress split ... $3 bought a replacement (not a flexible one ...) from a local shop that sells a bit of everything: I'd call it a $2 shop but most things were $3 or $4 ... I also got a couple of velcroed elastic straps for David to use to wrap the large outdoor floor mat, and some small stick on hooks that he had expressed a desire for. He is easily satisfied in the retail stakes ...

This morning David decided to change the shoes he'd been wearing over the last few days and thought, rather than leave them lying around to be tripped over, he had better put them away ...

And into the fridge - he tries again. Is this a bad sign or am I worrying unnecessarily, do you think?

 

Before we headed away today we went to the Kaikoura Museum - what an amazing place, especially the display about the 2016 earthquake. It did make me cry - people were so courageous and showed such community spirit in the face of an event that had both physical and emotional impacts.

I remember where we were when that earthquake occurred - we were home in Waikanae and didn't even get out of bed, even though it went on for 2 minutes down here - I am not sure how long it kept going for in Waikanae though. We were woken up by it, but went back to sleep. We were woken at 2am by our son Tim calling from the UK really concerned about us as he had heard there had been a big earthquake in Wellington. 

Not us, but centred near Kaikoura. A huge uplift of the coast and great cracks in the countryside, roads split and covered in slips and the railway track cracked and disrupted. Cupboards emptied on to floors, shop shelves emptied, shop fronts smashed by the forces of the ground moving.

The main highway was closed for ages and all traffic had to divert inland for months over narrow country roads. 

One of the things I smiled at this morning was that people started talking about getting uber flights in and out of the town of Kaikoura - helicopters were the main mode of transport for some time.

We are going to come back to Kaikoura on this trip - I want to go whalewatching. I found out today that NZMCA members get a 50% discount! Yay!!!

We are now in Waiau - this is a small village on the rural road (SH70) that was used throughout the SH1 closure and rebuild in late 2016 and 2017. The road is narrow, windy, hilly, lots of one way bridges and some amazing views and wide river valleys. We are here in Waiau because we are meeting Ann and Salvi here for the weekend - they are on their way here from Stoke, a much longer journey than we have had to get here.

I have cooked the main part of dinner and the rest will be done when they arrive. Dessert is thawing - a creamy coconut key lime pie from the supermarket.

Now it's time for a blob for an hour or so while David finishes the dishes - he has started them over in the camp kitchen, but came back to send an email that absolutely had to be done immediately ... You know the kind, I am sure!

Just so you know, I did have to send him back to the camp kitchen to fetch the chopping boards he left there ...

Biking in Blenheim

 And here we are in Blenheim. We are staying in a CAP (Charges Apply Property) It's a private property with power and water available. Just on the outskirts of the town, so it's quiet and peaceful. The birds wake us up in the morning, and apart from yesterday morning when it was overcast, the weather has been fine and warm-ish, especially out of the breeze.

We arrived here on Sunday and I think I headed a migraine off at the pass just before we left Waikawa Bay - I took a couple of neurofen when I felt the aura about to start. But one of the things for me with migraines is that I tend to feel very sleepy and low in spirits for a good 24 hours. Given the idiots we have here in NZ who are protesting about lockdowns, about being vaccinated, etc, my tendency to feeling low was given a good shove along its way! So late on Sunday and early yesterday morning I was very miserable. However, a guy I follow on fb, Gerard Otto, (look for him - he is a breath of fresh air) posted about Jacinda's Monday morning media sweep where she pointed out that more than twice as many people got vaccinated on Sunday as were out protesting. That did cheer me up! And taking a number of magnesium capsules and B vitamins also assisted.

Once David had finished talking with a help desk person who was trying to resolve the issue we are having with our email at the moment (something to do with our domain and mail not being directed as it should be) while I did the following: made a salad to be ready for dinner, packed the bike bags, did the laundry (hand-washed) and made the bed, we then got ready to head away on the bikes. 

Just about ready to leave on yesterday's ride - bike bags are on the carriers, the washing is hanging on the bike rack.

The bike/pedestrian paths along the river in Blenheim are great. We did go the wrong way on each side of the river ... Doh! Not reading the map correctly ... Once we were aiming in the right direction, courtesy of assistance from another cyclist, we were cool. I'm not sure how far we cycled - not quite as far as Taylor Dam - but it was lovely and did lots to boost my confidence. 

Parts of the river bed are quite dry in places because of the dam further up the valley. However the flood banks either side show that it can rise significantly. The dry beds were covered in swathes and swathes of california poppies - I'm not a fan of orange flowers, but these look just amazing!

That's David in the pink hi-vis beside the river.

The Riverside Park is very attractive - such a great asset for the town.

These California poppies were everywhere!

This was the first huge mass of them in the dry riverbed. Aren't they beaut?

Lots of people were out walking with their kids and their dogs. We stopped to talk with a woman whose dog, Ted, was just beaut. He is a sydney silkie jack russell cross. He was very keen on the bits of carrot sticks that we gave him. I have a feeling he may just be the kind of dog we end up getting - small, intelligent, active, doesn't shed... And he'd fit easily in the motorhome without always being in the way!

And we didn't realise until we had nearly finished the ride that it was Marlborough Anniversary Day, a public holiday. I'm glad we didn't know that because I would have been anxious that there would be too many people out! But it wasn't too busy at all.

Looking out at the path from the cafe.

We stopped at Raupo Cafe beside the path for capuccino/hot chocolate and a shared plate of bruschetta - yummy. Then back we came - finding our way off the paths, up away from the riverbank and on to the road/paths was a bit of a mission (I sense a theme here ...), but once we were in the right place, it was a smooth ride back to the POP.

Grating beetroot in the motorhome proved to be messy without the food processor, so David repaired outside to grate the carrots. The toolbox made a handy and solid bench, albeit at just above ground level!

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting out beside the motorhome in the sun reading and WhatsApping with Ann (me), making beetroot and carrot salad (David), talking with the help desk person again (David), starting to fill the water tank (David), turning the tap off and rewinding the hose (me). David's last task/activity took ages and ages, so I got dinner ready while it was happening - zingy vegetarian nachos (Nadia Lim's recipe with the addition of a grated carrot and several chopped mushrooms and half a yellow capsicum) The mixture had been cooked the day before along with guacamole made and put in the fridge then too, so it was a heat and set everything out exercise really - totally healthy with lettuce salad and beetroot and carrot salad!

 

This morning, we had to swap toilet cassettes - the spare is kept in the garage under the bed (perhaps it's a gerzunder...). Before 7am David was going to crawl in from the outside door but as there was a fair amount of stuff in the way, I volunteered to get out of bed so the mattress could be lifted and the cassette extracted. David doesn't know I took these photos but it really was too good an opportunity to miss ...

Get in there, David! I was doing other useful stuff at the time - making an early morning cup of tea for us both, for one thing.

It was back to bed for both of us after the cassette was extracted and the full one replaced. The first cups of tea of the day MUST be consumed in bed, I think.

After a suitable lie in we headed off for another bike ride with the aim of heading for breakfast at the Riverside Cafe in the Riverside Industrial Estate. 

Well, we got back at about 12.30 and I was pooped! About 7kms each way which is not too bad really, but my legs remembered yesterday's pedalling and were not happy to be put to work again. It's not that they hurt - it's just that they feel weak when I get off or when I start up again. And that feeling is quite disconcerting when I need them at strength to support me...

The ride was really good on a well formed and maintained track. The hardest part was just after the beginning - trying to find where the track actually started was a bit difficult as we had to negotiate a roundabout where SH1 (NZ's version of the M1), Blenheim's Main St and another road intersected - all of which had quite a bit of traffic. It didn't help that we got mixed up about which road we had to take from the roundabout. (Please note we DEFINITELY DID NOT ride around it! That requires far more courage and audacity than we have ever had!)

We did discover that there was an easier way - of course ... So we already knew which way we had to go when we came back.

The bike trail was alongside SH1 but far enough away that the traffic noise was not a disturbance - definitely not like the A38 beside the canal, that is for sure!

We found the cafe in the Industrial Park after a couple of mistakes. After we came off the path, we ended up going around 3 sides of a large block of factories/transport companies, engineering firms etc, instead of just heading straight down the street to the cafe. Doh!! We had a lovely breakfast though, so it was worth the effort: potato rosti, wilted greens, tomatoes and mushrooms with poached eggs.

Since we got back (a much faster trip than on the way out) I have blobbed for most of the afternoon, reading and listening to James O'Brien's interview with Jimmy Carr - who is a far more serious and in depth person than I ever imagined he'd be; and David has done yet another mammoth session with the helpdesk guy. I get the feeling they have both enjoyed doing the problem solving. He is now on yet another call with a different supplier (the company that we have the travelling internet service/modem with). I think they are just doing a check that things are now working properly. Here's hoping! Nope, not yet apparently ...

Temper Tantrum Opportunities Wasted ...

 When I started writing this we were onboard the ferry heading for the South Island – we plan on being away for a month or so. No return booking made, no real plans except to do some e-biking and visiting friends, plus seeing some places we had to miss out on our trip earlier this year.

We must both be mellowing, because there have already been some challenges and we have had no mutual tantrums or even individual ones. It’s a miracle …

Tantrum Tempter 1: Because we brought the bikes with us, I needed to move the motorhome forward a touch so the bike rack could be lowered. I unhooked the power cord at the garage end, and checking to make sure it was well behind the rear wheels, happily left it attached to the motorhome. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

I moved a metre or so forward and got out to check the space, saw that where we would be standing to load the bikes was right over the drainage grill, and thought that if we dropped anything small while loading, the drain would claim it. So in I got and drove forward and out on to the drive, requiring a right hand turn. Out I got, all pleased with myself. Too soon, Marilyn you dolt!

The plug end of the Reyrolle plug was still attached but it now had the cord with the stripped wires lying on the ground. I am convinced I didn’t run it over as I turned; but whatever, it didn’t like being left plugged in.

I did tell myself how stupid I was and then went to tell David. Who was all understanding and said it was easily sorted – a new plug that he can rewire and we will be fine.

He bought a plug that day from the repair place beside Plimmerton NZMCA park, and he fitted it when we got to Waikawa Bay. There was a problem when we checked each wire with the multimeter as the earth one beeped but the other two did not. So we went down to Burnscos at Waikawa Bay and bought a new shorter cord (10 metres). The next day, David chopped 100mm off the old cord and had another go at rewiring it – success!! So now we have a 29,600mm cord (previously 30,000mm) as well as a 10000mm one.

 

I did do some re-wiring, but this was when we couldn't make the meter do its pinging thing. 

This was before David did the proper fix. But both of these photos show where we are currently - in Waikawa Bay at the Parklands Marina Holiday Park - this is a great place to stay with really lovely facilities, lots of trees for shade when you need it.

Tantrum Tempter 2: We had agreed we would leave home by 10am because I had a meeting in the city that afternoon that I would need to catch the train in for.

In spite of saying his drop dead time for being ready was 9.30, loading the bikes took longer, packing his clothes took longer, finding the strops to lash the bikes down with was a mission …

We finally left at 11am, and all was calm. Now that is a first, I reckon!

Tantrum Tempter 3: We were in the mood for celebrating that afternoon – I had finished my assignment with my final meeting and handover yesterday, David had found a new plug and it was only $26.30, and we were off on holiday. There was a lower number of covid cases that day (79, mostly in Auckland and no more in the South Island from the one case imported from the Waikato last week). So we were upbeat, notwithstanding late departure, destroyed power plug and all.

So David was set the task of finding somewhere to eat dinner after he had walked with me to the station at Plimmerton. He found that the fish and chip shop had blue cod, so we agreed on that for dinner. I found a nice bottle of bubbly and two single serve cakes (orange and almond, red velvet) at the New World supermarket in Wellington Station.

I was abstemious and gave a fellow camper one of my fillets, and then we both had half of each cake. No bubbly.

Off to bed at about 9pm, fell asleep easily, but woke an hour and a half later. Voluminous, violent vomiting followed. Heart pounding and took ages to settle, oesophagus and throat sore, had to sleep sitting up for several hours. No energy for a tantrum ...

Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Tantrum Tempter 4: The following morning, David noticed that he had cracked the large vent over the cab – he’d forced the winder trying to open the vent when the catches were actually in the closed position. He was really pissed off with himself. But my view is we could get some waterproof tape and seal it (sorted in Waikawa Bay and it’s only the inner skin that was split, not the outer one), and we can order a new vent and get it replaced, or we can find someone who welds plastic/fibreglass and get them to fix it.

I think what we are realising is that we are incredibly lucky to only have such small problems to deal with in this world where so much seems to be going tits up and where people are so angry over so little.

And here we are on holiday! How lucky is that? 

Most of the following photos are of our driving on to the ferry in Wellington. I am much more confident about this process now I've done it a few times.

 

Just to show, in the rear view mirror, that we were last in the queue because we had arrived right on the final check in time - my bad: I had not got out of bed when the alarm went off so we left 15 minutes later than we had planned and traffic into the city was heavy.

On the approach to the loading concourse - still on dry land. The green and white cardboard hanging from the rear view screen is to show we have gas canisters and that we have turned them off. Note that I am wearing a mask, as everyone has to do on the ferries now.

On the concourse, over the water now ...

Approaching the maw ...

 

And in we go

Up the ramp - no need to worry if it can take our weight or fit us width-wise because the trucks come up here too. If they can fit and be held, then so can little old us!

On the way up.

Up and out, around the end

Around the outside and through the inside and out towards the front again to park up very very very close to the big trucks.

And once we were inside and in the Plus Lounge, where for $35 each, all food and drink were free, we relaxed and settled in for the sailing. Considering I had been sick the night before, I was still feeling quite seedy, so it was good to be able to blob for the 3.5 hours. However I did take some photos, but without leaving the lounge ...

Leaving Wellington

That flat piece of land (just above the black thing with the hole in the top) is Wellington Airport.

Leaving Wellington Harbour - out through the Heads - lots of spiky rocks on either side ...

In the Marlborough Sounds now - and that is a mussel farm - I think it was raining at this point.

So here we are in Waikawa Bay at Parklands Marina Holiday Camp - great place.

We have had a bike ride into Picton on a cycle/walking track - scary in places so we got off and walked the bikes (not realising we have a walk assist function which would have made it much easier, particularly when we had to cross the bridge over the marina entrance ...), had lunch at the Thai Panda where we went the first time we were here (yummy food), and then we biked back along the footpath, on the road and a little bit on the bike track where it wasn't too scary ...

We drove to Blenheim yesterday to get a COF (I forgot to go and get it sorted in Levin before we left home). No hassles, a pass with flying colours. Then a drive up to Taylor's Dam to check out whether we would ride the bikes up there when we go to stay in Blenheim tomorrow.

Today we did housework: David vacuumed and washed the floors and I did the handwashing. Then we walked down to Waikawa Bay and had a late lunch at The Jolly Roger. I thought we were coming back for a blobby afternoon, but over the last 3 or 4 hours David has rearranged the garage.  He has much more patience for that kind of 3D jigsaw than I do. So I've been charging my bike battery, drinking tea, eating bits of chocolate (fear not, I did share with David) and reading. As well as chatting with Pauline and Barry on the phone.

Tomorrow we are heading to Blenheim for a couple of days for a bit of biking and more blobbing. And so far, there are no firm plans past that. 

 

However we have ordered a bike rack for the motorhome from a place in Christchurch - our one is fine, but it is a mission for us two short people to lift our bikes up on to it as it is quite high up and the bikes are not light ... The one we have ordered raises and lowers using a wind up mechanism, so we will be able to put the bikes on at a significantly lower altitude. That will be very helpful! 

 

We don't expect that rack to be delivered to the retailer for several days, so there is no rush to get to Christchurch where they will also fit the rack for us. Therefore it is going to be a slow trip south down the east coast with lots of opportunities to explore the small places on the way. Sounds like a plan (except we don't have one ...)

Keeping busy

I'm doing a Health Check on a programme of work at the moment and, after conducting about 25 interviews on Teams or the phone, I'm now preparing the report. (I will retire at some stage, honest, but we've been in lockdown, there's medical appointments for David that mean we cannot just up and go away, so I might as well be gainfully employed, don't you think?)

It's taken me a while to get the hang of this kind of report writing again as it is a fair while since I have done a project review. All of my work in the last several years has been project delivery or helping establish new projects or rescue projects that have gone off the rails. And the writing for that is quite different - this has a different audience, and requires a measure of sensitivity if I'm going to be pointing out flaws and how to remedy them - so, yes, I have to be sensitive. I can do it, but I do have to put my mind to it ... 😇 And by the way, it is very different from writing the blog - here I just put my fingers on the keyboard and out it all comes - stream of consciousness gets unleashed.

Doing the interviewing has been great, with lots of information gathered - everyone involved was open and keen to help. It is great when that occurs and people aren't guarded and they realise that honesty gives a better chance of making sure the issues get surfaced and resolved.

Given what I had read and the feedback I'd been given, I was clear pretty early on what I was going to be recommending. And on Sunday I started making notes using Edward de Bono's 6 thinking hats - on A3 paper that I'd blutakked to the windows. But somehow I couldn't get a handle on how to present the information - in part I think that was because I was following as a model a report developed for quite a different programme of work.

As often happens, it's when I am asleep and my unconscious has time to sort things out, or when I am out walking, that the shape of what I need to write comes clear and the start point pops into my head.

On Monday morning I had arranged to go out for a walk with Ann (remotely - appropriately socially distanced with me in Waikanae and her in Stoke). But as it was raining, I had called it off and suggested she stay in bed. Then I realised I needed to clear my head of the 'why can't I get this sorted' noises (and walk off some of the chocolate I had consumed the night before ...😈) So out I went on my own. I always used to love walking in the rain as a teenager, and I still love it.

So as I was heading towards home, the key words I needed to set the context came into my head and I was ready to write!

The difficulty I was still dealing with was how to shape and order the report. So yesterday was spent writing the context and making a number of false starts in the template. The categories just didn't fit how I thought the information needed to be grouped to make the most sense to the readers who will have to accept the report and implement the recommendations.

This morning though, I went back to the methodology that Sarah and I use when working together developing anything - identifying what people need to know and ordering it from the known to the unknown, the general to the specific, the actions required and the expected outcomes.

So that I didn't feel disorganised (easy for me to feel that way because I am not a natural filer and I don't run a clear desk policy - just ask Sarah or Fiona from DOC or Jo B who was my PA years ago in Telecom) I sorted the interview notes into piles based on the roles of interviewees on the extended dining room table (no room here in my office). And then off I went with the permanent markers on A3 sheets. And out it all flowed.

What a relief! David made my brunch at noon as I was on a roll.

So here is what my office looked like at 7pm tonight when I finally stopped work:

• notes from Sunday's Hats session and programme information blutakked to the wall (that wall is actually the base of the drop down bed we use for visitors - nifty, eh?)
  
• the stack of notes and recommendations handwritten today on A3 paper to the left of the laptop - I'm part way through typing those in to the amended template
  
• and my general mess of a desk
  

And on the wall beside the window is the paua-framed mirror that my lovely friend Michelle (she who once dyed my hair pink ... but still cuts my hair) made for my 60th birthday. For a while it was on the wall of the saloon in Waka Huia, but when we came back in 2019, I brought it home. I love having it here.

 So now it is 9.46pm and I need to go to bed. To wind down after working all day, I watched an episode of Vera (I'm up to Season 8 on Acorn) and wrote this post. But now my eyes are drooping. I have done a proof read of this, but have probably missed errors, so my apologies.

Good night, all. 💤😴💤

And away we went!

On Wednesday 8 September (I think), all of NZ apart from Auckland (which continued to be in Alert Level 4) came out of Alert Level 3 into Alert Level 2 Delta variety, aka Delta Level 2.

Being down into DL2 meant that we were allowed to leave our local region. It also meant we were allowed to meet up with friends in cafes, as long as there were not more than 50 people inside any cafe. (If there is an outside area, then 100 people can frequent the cafe/bar/restaurant outside.)

So our first action was to meet up with Bruce, Gary and David R, plus Peter McC for breakfast at Cafe Lane in Paraparaumu Beach. The second action was to come back home and finish packing the motorhome so we could head away. 

We are notoriously slow at packing said motorhome, but this time we were much faster and less stressed in execution. I am sure that was because:

a) I didn't decant the entire contents of the fridges (we have two), the freezer or the pantries (we have two) into the motorhome - instead, I worked out how long we would be away and how many meals that would require, and only packed either already cooked and frozen meals or the ingredients for simple meals;

b) I didn't decant the entire contents of my wardrobe and chest of drawers into the motorhome either ...

c) and a bonus: I found a zipped packing bag in the motorhome that contained all of my pairs of shorts (I had wondered where they were but it has been winter and therefore identifying their location hadn't been too high a priority);

d) David was more abstemious about the technology he packed;

e) we had done some of the prep work the day before - partially filling the water tank, prepping the toilet cassette, putting the required bedding (apart from favourite pillows) and towels on board.

And the bike rack and the bike were loaded on by the two of us without any cross words - now that is a miracle, because we are always both sure we know best how a task should be done ...

So by 1pm, we were ready to go! Not a fast get-away, but certainly reasonably stress-free for us. And no need for lunch because we had had a big breakfast!

We were making for the Hawke's Bay; actually we were heading to Bay View to stay in a motorcamp there for one night. It's a few kms north of Napier - a fact I hadn't clocked when I'd found it and made the booking. 

It wasn't a quick trip - we had debated whether to take the Pahiatua Track (David's preference) or the Ashhurst Saddle (mine). We each thought our option was quicker/shorter. David's thinking was based on google maps saying the journey times were the same, mine was based on memory of travelling each of them and having the impression that the Ashhurst option was quicker.

So that we could, as all good boffins do, base our future plans on empirical evidence, I suggested we do the Pahiatua Track on the way to HB, and the Ashhurst Saddle on the way back. Good marriages are kept safe through the art of making such compromises, don't you think?

The weather on the drive up was pretty crappy - lots of rain, but fortunately no real wind to contend with. We arrived in Bay View at about 5.45pm and I was pleased to pull up and park in the allotted slot.  That took a few goes actually - the slots were not numbered and finding the boundaries between grassy sites was a bit hit and miss. Fortunately, it didn't matter too much as the whole camping ground was reasonably empty - even though we had seen a few motorhomes on the road as we travelled, it didn't look like any of them were joining us!

Dinner was a warmed up something that I cannot remember and I was into bed pretty shortly thereafter. And I don't remember hearing the wind or the rain during the night!

In the morning the sun had come out, we had a walk around the campsite - it's a lovely place and I had missed that fact in my tiredness the previous evening. Next time we come back (and we will) we will ask for a site up on the stopbank above the beach, weather permitting, so we can look out to sea and back to Napier Harbour.

After  collecting some free lemons outside the kitchen as I checked out the camp facilities (very nice - clean, in good condition) we headed back to Hastings so that David could catch up with an old school friend - another David. While they had their catch up, I stayed in the motorhome parked on an adjacent street and had a cup of tea and a quiet session reading my kindle. A peaceful time to read is always welcome!

Then shopping! One of the main purposes of our trip to the Hawke's Bay was to collect David's new e-bike from the amazing cycling emporium called The Hub. It is in Heretaunga St in Hastings and the team there are wonderful. If you are in the market for a bike they are the guys to see!

David's bike was purchased, tried out by David on the driveway that extends right around the outside of their building, the seat was adjusted, instructions were given; and the guys also fitted mudguards to my bike after a phone call to Jeff at Burnsie's Bikes here in Waikanae, to make sure he hadn't yet ordered any for me. While they did that task, we went across the road to a lovely cafe for lunch - masks on, of course, while we waited for our food. Then Dean effortlessly (dammit!) lifted our bikes on to the motorhome bike rack, helped us secure them, and off we went. But not far! David called the insurance company to make sure the bikes would be covered by our policy, and I had to go back into the shop to find out the wattage of the bikes. And David didn't even blink when I did a U turn on Heretaunga St in the motorhome!!! Wow!!

Then it was off to Chris and Willie's place in Waimarama where we have our own motorhome parking place beside their house and a power hook up as well!

It is always fun staying with them - we are aligned politically which helps, so we could happily and jointly slag off the Leader of the Opposition and other equally dishonest politicians and non-reporters and non-journalists in the media.

On Friday, in spite of the weather not being the best for cycling, we decided we had to go for an inaugural ride while we had Willie and Chris's experience and guidance. So we headed out to do a ride along a stopbank (a dyke according to C&W - they are Dutch after all, even though they have been in NZ for about 47 years - they came here when they were very young adults back in the 70s). At first it was fine but then the WIND!! It was getting stronger all the time and I found myself riding along on a lean to stop myself from being blown over! And given we were on a stopbank/dyke, we were up higher with steepish sides. I didn't want to be blown off the path and down the bank, now did I?

So back we came and decided to try another path that wound around the side of a nearby hill. That was a more challenging track - narrow, lots of sharp corners and lots of up and downing - and a long steep drop off to one side ... Once again, I was the first to chicken out, so back we came. The wind had risen even more and when we had to cross the road, to head back down to where the motorhome and car were parked, I could barely hold my bike and walk with it ... Fortunately the ride back down to the parking area was sheltered and really pleasant.

Still smiling, and still able to stand after the ride!

 

You can see by Willie's hair that it was very windy - and that was after the ride with our bikes back on board.

 

Even though the conditions hadn't been the best, we were thrilled we had been out and that we had both coped well on the new bikes - and both of us could still walk and stand upright when we got off, so that was a bonus!

Yummy dinner that night, made by Willie - I had had to have an afternoon nana nap for some reason... Willie made a spiced roasted cauliflower dish, and spiced quinoa and lentils, plus a roasted vegetable salad. And even though I'd had a nana nap, I still went to bed early and left Chris and David talking technology stuff.

We headed home on Saturday - fortunately the wind had dropped and it was a pleasant drive. Lunch in Woodville: a takeaway pottle of soup for David (tomato and capsicum) and a cheese scone for me (not as good as the MoF ones I make, by the way...). Then over the Ashhurst Saddle - definitely faster and shorter, as we both agreed.

I am not sure when our next trip away will be - I am now doing a piece of work for about 6 weeks (through till late October having started it on 13 September), and while I could do it at various locations while we are away in the motorhome, it is probably more efficient to work in the sunroom here at Cafe Rata. 

At least if we are here, David doesn't have to find something silent and/or away to do while I am conducting interviews by video or writing a report in the limited living space - he is happily burrowing himself away in his office and only appears to make cups of tea for me on an irregular schedule! 

But now he is enjoying himself hugely because he has brought out all of our video tapes taken several years ago, and he keeps calling me in to show me footage of our beautiful elder grandson when we lived in Church Enstone - the grandson, Olek, is now 16.5 years old and that footage will have been taken back in 2006 when he was in his second year. 💗💗💗 We are really looking forward to sharing them with Olek, and his mum and his dad, and probably his babca Jola.

On my walk (remotely accompanied on WhatsApp by my friend Ann who walks in Stoke) around the Garden Area of Waikanae this morning, I took these photos.

Spring is definitely here, and the photo doesn't do the view justice.

 

Aren't those blossoms beautiful?

We are just loving being here in spring - lots and lots of the young tui are flying in and out of the kowhai trees and our cabbage tree, and singing and calling and generally being teenaged hoons. They are a delight to watch and listen to!

 

Below are some memes I've found or been sent over the last few weeks - I share them with you for your amusement!

Seems entirely apposite here in NZ where the media are constantly asking for certainty and advancing their own theories which are almost never accurate! And which I am sure cause alarm and anxiety in a number of members of the public, dammit!

This did make me laugh!

As did this ...

And this ...