Back from a wee break- Party Time; Part 2

Real-time

Continued on from Part 1

After arriving home from Melbourne we had a couple of days to adjust to NZ time and get ship-shape before family started arriving from out of town to help Mum & Dad celebrate their Diamond wedding anniversary (60 years). We held a function at the local RSA for everyone on the Saturday night. We all had a ball, there was lots of laughs as old family stories and tall tales were told. It was lovely to see so many happy, smiling people enjoying themselves.

A lot of the credit for the fun and laughter has to go to my two cousins (twin sisters) who acted as MCs for the night. They added to the high-jinks and really helped make the night one to remember.

Mum & Dad were married in 1958 and one of the twins' daughters owns this 1958 Morrie so the twins arrived in the carpark making one hell of a noise with the rattling cans dragging behind and signs on the windows. My uncle, who'd caught a ride with his daughters, had slunk down low in the backseat, highly embarrassed- he collects classic Chevs!

Here's one photo I wanted to share with you; females reign supreme on Mum's side of the family, she is the oldest of eight; 2 boys & 6 girls. Most of the siblings had girls and their daughters have also had plenty of girls. Johnstone girls are high-spirited, fun, loud, energetic and some (most) of them can talk the bottom off a tin can. Here's a photo of the Johnstone cousins that attended, my brother was the only male there. That's my sister on the left, me, then three groups of sisters- you work out who belongs to who.  

We hosted a BBQ lunch at home for everyone the next day as Mum was also celebrating a significant birthday. It was a good chance to catch up with the extended family that had arrived from out-of town and some of the younger family members that weren't at the party the night before. 

Across the generations- Mum's reading the Queens 60th anniversary message to her great-nieces, Eva, Rosa & Lucy. Mum & Dad also received congratulatory cards from the Governor General, Prime Minister, Minister for Seniors and the local MP. 

Once we'd wound down from the festivities and seen the last of the family back to their home town, David & I set about arranging to have some of  the fifth-wheeler's interior refurbished. After six years, the upholstery and carpet were getting a little worn (in fact I'd worn a patch of carpet away below the dining table- it's where I sit at my computer). 

I'd found Douglas Auto & Marine Upholstery in Hastings on the internet, we had a chat with them, were happy with the quote so booked the van in for the 5 days they needed it for. We emptied our gear into Mum & Dads' garage which was very convenient, we wouldn't have managed without it. David then removed the bed bases and dinning bench seats so the carpet could be laid under them. Mum & Dad had a spare bed for us but we had to go to Tauranga for a few days so it worked out well, we drove up there and stayed at a friend's B&B while 'Out There' was getting a makeover.

We also decided, while we were at it, that we'd replace the concertinaed blinds and heavy material pelmets which I've had a tolerate/hate relationship with since the beginning! We were hoping that by removing the pelmets it would open the room up and make it more airy & spacious. With so much wood and the beige walls (American's love their dark wood and upholstery) we decided not to move too far away from the original colour scheme, just freshen it up a little. 

David located a great place in Onekawa, Blinds 2000 Ltd, they measured and ordered the blinds after we decided on the type and colour. The only fly in the ointment was the three week delivery time frame. Originally we were going to be heading off at the beginning of August and we thought they'd have to send them on to us for David to fit but in the end we decided to stay put (winter colds helped make that decision) and the blinds did arrive a week earlier than expected anyway.

You'll probably not notice too much difference but it really has given the interior a pick-me-up. The upholstery looks quite pinkish in some of the 'after' photos but it's not, that's the camera playing tricks. It is a lot lighter than the old material though. Here are the before (2013) & after photos, I now think it's time to change my cushions and floor rug!

And with the blinds closed-

These are Thermacell blinds, the honeycomb effect traps air and provides a barrier against the cold but the best part is that they have 'black-out' colour inside the concertinaed pleats, it's now lovely and dark which may mean I might miss a few sunrises!

We also replaced the two venetians in the kitchen, they now drop from under the cupboards making it look like we have a large back window.

We are both thrilled with the changes and very pleased with the service received from both companies. I'd have no hesitation in recommending them if you're looking to do some interior work. Douglas' also do awnings.

Back 'Out There' .....

.... just as the itchy feet started to return we headed to one of our favourite camps with our motorhoming family for a few days. 

Glenfalls DOC Camp is on the banks of the Mohaka River, 50kms north of Napier and 8kms off the Napier-Taupo road. Over summer it can sometimes be a very busy place but in the middle of winter there was just one other motorhome and us three. 

Mind you, the site wasn't looking it's best due to a winter storm that has flooded down the nearby stream from the range behind and spread silt, rocks and mud out over the track at the southern end of the camp. Someone in a digger has 'helpfully' tried to clear the track but has instead dug it deeper and got bogged down dumping the silt. And it was also a boggy mess at the northern end too! The middle though, where we usually go, was just right- high, dry and flat! 

And then there was one! We stayed on for another day just as the sky cleared and the trout started biting. 

It'll be another week or so before we're back on the road, so until the next blog here's a photo to keep you going- freesias and bees, a sure sign that spring has arrived!

Queenstown, a Special Bird & a Special Day

It was wonderful to catch up with our Invercargill family again albeit just overnight but we made the most of both days & in fact when we left them in Queenstown mid afternoon on the second day they didn’t leave for their 3 hour drive home to Invercargill until early evening after doing some shopping & visiting the heated pool in Frankton.

After exploring Arrowtown the afternoon they arrived we had a lovely BBQ lamb roast dinner in their chalet at the holiday park. This was made all the more special when I was taken by surprise (well, surprise until Cameron turned the lights off) when after dinner, Rachel, Ollie & Ruby emerged from the bedroom with a candle lit birthday cake, present & glowing balloons! I was tickled pink.

My birthday is actually today but this year I’m having a great run up to my special day. Because we weren’t sure where we’d be on the actual day, David & I went out for dinner in Arrowtown last week to celebrate it.

We’d been recommended La Rumbla by a guy collecting money at the Autumn Festival and it turned out to be an excellent choice. We had to book ahead due to the festival being on & it’s popularity & it was indeed a very busy restaurant with great atmosphere on the night. It doesn't look anything special here but believe me the décor inside was perfect. La Rumbla is a tapas/small plate restaurant with a mix of dishes from Mexico, Spain, France & NZ and has been set up by a couple that have had a lot of experience in hospitality, one half of the partnership, Penelope Johnson also set up the well known Botswana Butchery restaurant a few years ago.

There was a good selection of dishes available & we thoroughly enjoyed the five we chose. We shared them between us as you can do with tapas and would have ordered more if the waitress hadn’t  warned us that these were “kiwi tapas”- big servings! And they were.

There was an extensive wine list, as you would expect in a region well known for its vineyards and I managed to choose a newly released (& rather expensive as it turned out, but hey you only live once) bottle of 2013 China Terrace Chardonnay from the Gibbston Valley Winery. And it was a lovely drop but somehow I just couldn’t shake off the thought that that bottle of wine could have paid for a few nights in a camp ground….squeak, squeak.!! Anyway we had a fabulous night and would highly recommend La Rumbla.

After our BBQ lamb the night before we had a lovely cooked breakfast with the family before they checked out and then we all drove through to the holiday meca of Queenstown on what was another glorious autumn day. We parked near the waterfront and spent a couple of hours watching the water activities and enjoying the sun.

There was a good range of water craft enjoying the calm waters of Lake Wakatipu and it didn’t take long for Ollie & Ruby to talk their parents into taking them out on the 3 wheel aqua bikes. Too much like hard work I warned them;  I’ve been on them before and they are very hard to pedal. Luckily they only had 20 minutes between them otherwise they might have paddled off around the point never to return.

While waiting for their turn on the aqua bikes we spotted another fast & furious craft speeding through the water offshore. This is a Seabreacher which is a fully sealed jet-ski-engined “sea missile” that looks like a shark although they have orca look-alikes too. This jetboat-hybrid can plunge two people under the water at 60km/h and then hurl them into the sky. This one actually disappeared under the water before bursting out but I missed that shot. Kind of strange seeing a shark in a lake though.

Just as the family finished up on the bikes I spotted an unusual bird in amongst the ducks & scaup that were cruising along the foreshore. It was a great thrill to realise that it was an Australasian Crested Grebe (Kamana), a fairly rare bird in New Zealand and one that is only found in the South Island. There are only 5-600 birds in total scattered around a few provinces,  they're usually found on the higher alpine lakes.

This bird is an immature & quite possibly the offspring of a pair of grebe that are known to frequent the bay in front of Queenstown. Mature birds have a lot more colour; bright chestnut & black cheek frills that they use in elaborate & bizarre mating displays. This bird wasn’t that worried about all the activity going on and seemed quite relaxed as he(or she) preened and prodded at his feathers and did a few stretches (I thought he looked like he was sunbathing).

What a great way to finish a couple of special days! Another one to cross off my “twitcher’s” list (although I’m not a true twitcher, just an average birder)

We're now parked at Lowburn back in Cromwell, for the third time, this time it's just about deserted with only half a dozen vans parked up overnight. I took the photo on the blog banner yesterday afternoon when a heavy rain storm blew through. It was gone within the hour & today is sunny & hot again.  I wanted to do the other end of the Nevis Road  (which climbs the range behind Cromwell) before we move on & I needed to get my hair cut, stock up again with groceries & have a birthday breakfast at a local café.  When I woke up this morning I told David all I want for my birthday was 40 litres of water. Forty litres would give me one long hot shower! Movanners out there will certainly relate to this.

We'll be moving on towards Alexandra tomorrow and then back down to Invercargill for the Bluff Oyster Festival before then heading north for winter. And I may have put a few of you wrong with my snow blog, "heading north" means to the north of the South Island not back to the North Island. We haven't finished with down here yet!