Rain, sun, rain, sun

Such was the order of the few days we just spent in the Naki. One minute the rain would be belting down all torrential like, and then NEK MINNIT (sorry couldn’t help myself!) the sun would be out drying out the sodden lawns and making the roads steam as if they had suddenly developed some kind of thermal heritage during the passing shower.

The inclement weather certainly kept us on our toes and had me dragging around enough gear to be prepared for any eventuality, although in the end we only got caught in one real shower.

After making a dash to the emergency doctor to get some eyedrops for my conjunctivitis, we popped around the corner to Fresha café for coffee and scones. Fresha reminds me a little of our Moore Wilsons specialty store in Wellington, only smaller. We picked up some gnocchi which I cooked for dinner (yes I know, me, I cooked dinner, don’t faint!) . As the sun made its first appearance of the holiday, whilst Mylo had his afternoon nap, Noah and I took a little expedition down the Te Henui walkway.

 I am absolutely in love with this walkway. We discovered it a few years back one spring weekend, and in particular I had remembered a particularly beautiful grove which I was sure was a short way into the walk. We walked for a good fifteen minutes and I kept promising Noah it would be ‘just around the corner’. Till I actually began to wonder myself if it was even still there. In the end I had to give up, and we took a detour back through Awanui cemetery (I was also a little concerned at the heat of the sun and the fact I’d completely forgotten to apply any sunscreen on Noah’s face - bad mummy!).

Noah was most intrigued by the cemetery ‘where all the dead people are’ and asked me to tell him some of the names on the headstones and also wanted me to explain how they had passed on. It made for an interesting conversation about Heaven and the afterlife for a Thursday afternoon.

Later, I took the boys down to East End beach for a walk along the stunning coastal walkway. There were about a dozen kite surfers making the most of the wind and sunshine catching some great somersaults above the waves.

Noah was begging to go down to the beach so we found a spot amongst the iron sands that was perfect for some rock sliding. Which then naturally lent itself to a whole lot of rolling down hills.

I was, however, still determined to find my little secluded grove so the minute the boys were in bed, I snuck out back to the cemetery and down the walkway. Along the way, I spent a quiet moment at my dear grandad’s memorial stone.

And you can be the judge of whether it was worth the effort in the dying light of the day to find that special spot from my memories.

Spring was just as evident on Friday when we went out for a family lunch to Pukekura Park. As much as I love this beautiful spot whenever we visit, I can’t actually recall ever visiting in the height of spring bloom. It was simply breathtaking.

We rounded off the afternoon with running races and football on GeeGee’s super soft lawn. The most fun was when I took it upon myself to spin the kids by their arms in mid-air round and round. Super fun at the time, but I was super, super sore and achy the next day.  Quite apart from the fact that if I’d thought about it I was actually swinging 12 and 20kg round for quite some time, I also reckon they don’t make thirty-something year old bodies like they used to as I also felt terribly dizzy after each round and had to stop to let the giddiness pass between each turn. Can you remember being able to spin around like crazy as a kid and never getting dizzy?! Oh those were the days.

Mark then surprised the boys by arriving a few hours earlier than expected on Friday night (right on bedtime). Noah had literally uttered the words ‘I wish Daddy was here’ when I heard the car pulling up in the drive. The little sneak,  I had a feeling he’d do something nice like that to surprise us all, and he was greeted by two super excited naked little boys who’d just jumped out of the bath and literally threw their damp bodies at him.

We rounded out the weekend together with a trip to the free Brooklands zoo, a catch-up with the extended family at Gee Gees, and a walk on the waterfront successfully dodging the awfully black looking weather all around us to indulge in more grass rolling (which is clearly becoming the new favourite past-time).

It's a good thing we had such a lovely few days together making wonderful memories, those memories having to get us through what's felt like more than our fair share of ailments lately. Mark came down with tonsilitis over the weekend to add to his bung knee which he hyper extended at football last week, so he made a dash to the after hours doctor upon our return to Wellington. Just as my conjunctivitis was easing, my sore muscles seemed to take on a whole new level of pain overnight on Saturday night which coupled with a case of run-to-the-toilet itis made for a very subdued trip home. I dozed most of the way home in the car and put myself to bed for a couple of hours the minute we got home. 

So ends a very mixed bag of  a week, both in weather and in health. Here's hoping for a little more plain sailing next week!