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A full and busy day of exploration and socializing today, starting with a hearty breakfast of pancakes, and a late sunrise over the mountains.We left Shirley and Miriam working in the garden and set off for Hokitika which I'm told used to be a gold-mining town, and is now a popular tourist spot. First stop was the glass-blowing shop where a wondrous variety of glass figures, bowls, vases and bottles are sold, amongst other amazing creations. Carl gets a bit nervous in there with two Small Boys and Lots to Touch so we didn't tarry unnecessarily but continued our walking tour of the town. The boys all had 'fluffies' (fluffed warm milk at 70c a pop - pretty good!) while Nick and I walked on a bit further and found a knitting museum. I honestly never knew such things existed but there were ancient machines on which socks and gloves used to be manufactured! Quite interesting actually. Back to join with the others and all walked the few paces to the beach. The beaches on the west coast apparently look quite similar to this one - rough and wild and littered with sea debris with real waves (albeit not huge) pounding the sand. Having dusted ourselves off and collected a few samples of rock, we meandered down to the gold shop together where the boys got to hold a HUGE nugget which is satisfyingly heavy and guarded under lock and key. There are also heaps of jade shops around as the beautiful green stone is readily available in these parts.Back home for lunch, then off to Hokitika Gorge (with Shirley still hard at it and a growing pile of evicted weeds developing). The gorge was simply wonderful - a short walk took us to the swing bridge and right over the milky turquoise water, and then further on through shady woods to another bit of a lookout and a well-populated sandfly breeding ground. Incidentally, these blue waters get their colour from rock flour (schist and greywacke rock which gets ground into a fine powder) combined with melted ice and glacial minerals. The clarity of the water changes depending on the amount of flour in it. Back home again for some chill-time and a movie for the kids while Shirley was STILL in the garden and Miriam got busy in the kitchen in preparation for a pot-luck tea. They had extended an invitation to their church folk to come by but only a few could make it, so we met the McGarveys and Carpenter Canaan. There were 7 boys present and despite the age range from 2 to 14, they all found common ground in Hotwheels. Yay for boys!

Visiting the West Coast Lucases

This weekend saw four Clevelys and one Kempf trekking cross-country, coast to coast. We left Timaru at 12 noon (the boys had a short school day) with Shirley tucked safely in a corner - she insisted that the back seat was perfectly comfortable - for our epic journey to Hokitika and Kowhitirangi for Nick to preach at the Church of Christ in Hokitika on Sunday. Everyone had said that the drive was very beautiful and it was; NZ really does boast grandiose panoramas. No one said that it was treacherous and terrifyingly and nauseatingly windy and steep, but that's what you get when you traverse mountain ranges. We stopped to view the Rangitata or Rangiori Gorge (we passed so many beautiful rivers and gorges that the names became a blur) and again at another bridgey place before our final stop at Death Corner (really, need I elaborate on THAT horrible descent? Look at that precarious little stretch of road suspended high above the valley) where a cheeky kea (a large alpine parrot) was greeting tourists and doing its best to nibble off any bits of rubber from cars - door linings and windscreen wipers are favourite chew-toys with these notoriously destructive and curious birds. Had a huge laugh when this fellow found a cosy perch on a car and wouldn't budge despite scary gestures from the car's owner - they drove away to shake the bird but it stayed put until eventually fluttering off into the valley. Finally arrived at the Lucases some time after 5; Peter and Harry spilled out of the house in a rush with greetings for all, especially Nana! Was great to see Carl and Miriam and the boys and especially to see where they have settled after leaving Timaru in December last year for Carl to take up a new job.Sunset behind the mountains - Carl and Miriam live on a flat plain affectionately known as 'the valley'...they are thus now 'valley people' :)

Magnum P.I. (that's Problematic Icecream)

Let's see...yesterday I did a bit of catching up at work, with an extra two hours to fit in after Tuesday's fiasco. I'm doing some graphic design stuff at the mo which is super great. And really, this playing about earns me some $$$s too! Nick and I both skipped bible study to avoid spreading our germs but on the whole we're much improved. Today's work was much the same, continuing with what I started yesterday. Grocery shopping in the afternoon and it was a $5 week at PaknSave which means you get 2for$5, or 1for$5, or 5for$5 etc depending on the product. I bought Magnums on special - it's been ages and the trolley seemed to be filling with luxuries anyway. Mmmmmmmmm!!!! Aaron's ended up on the ground but he retrieved what he could and ate it off a plate. Nick also managed to make a mess of his but I'll leave those very undignified photos off the blog and for private viewing only...

Melodious odours

Yesterday the hospital phoned to say that they had had a cancellation and could fit me in for the nose job today...yay!! I rearranged my working hours so that I could write the whole day off for the anticipated waiting and recovery. Nick dropped me at the hospital shortly before 7.30 just after sunrise, then had to go back home to sort the boys out and get them to school. I had a book with me and sat in the waiting room for nearly two hours before a nurse called me to tag me and complete some forms. Then we were off to waiting room #2 which boasted lazy-boy chairs - very comfy! After nearly two more hours of waiting, a very apologetic nurse came to say that my procedure had been cancelled as the op before mine was taking longer than expected and they couldn't squeeze me in. I was disappointed of course but slightly relieved too - what would have happened with the mandatory cold-induced nose-blowing? Caleb had been participating in the Rural Sports Swimming Competition today, so we popped in at the pool on the way home. Caleb had already swum his one race and although he didn't place anywhere, his swimming teacher (who happens to be Rachel Cameron) said that he swam a good race and is making progress. So well done Caleb! Back home I crashed for a while (reading and lazing about all morning is totally draining and tiring) and then had a heap of beautiful fruit to preserve. I peeled and cooked blackboy peaches and a huge potful of apples. The smell of the peaches on the stove took me back to my girlhood when my brothers and I had to pick, wash, peel, pip and prepare peaches from our backyard trees for preserving. I had the odious job of gathering the scrapings into bags which always meant getting the peach juice dripping off the table on my legs and feet, and it always meant trying to dodge the worms creeping in and out of bad peaches. My mom would be stuck in the kitchen over big pots and bags of sugar and warm bottles while my dad was the general all-round worker and manager. That was the downside but it became a family tradition which I look back on with much fondness. The smell also reminded me of meringues and Christmas mince pies and love and holidays and summer as it was always in December that the big preserving event happened.

Monday's doings

After yesterday's heavy rains we were surprised to see an incredibly clear sky this morning, but it was cooooold. Nick had the fire going again until the sun regained its strength and warmed the house. The boys were off to school as usual but the Bucklands were still with us for the morning so we went out to town and thereabouts - these farm people don't have decent shops so conveniently located! I slipped off to work at the appropriate time, and when Nick picked me up later the Bs had pretty much packed up and were just about ready to leave. It's not too bad saying goodbye when there is a promise of 'next time' just around the corner! I've caught a mild cold so instead of cooking we went out for Dominos pizza which we ordered online and collected about 10 minutes later. Took it to Caroline Bay and let the boys play in the park for a short while.

Food for body and soul

The Bucklands boosted our numbers at church and Sunday School this morning; after the morning service we did a soup-and-rolls lunch at our house, having also invited the Phillipses. Although there were some heavy clouds forming, the kids were all outside during lunch and the rest of the afternoon which was an excellent thing as our house would not easily accommodate 15 people! Hannah was fascinated by the cat flap on our back door: The clouds opened up during the afternoon service in which Brendon was our guest preacher, and so we had to concentrate extra hard during the heavy downpour to get his excellent message. With the rain came some pretty cold weather too but this didn't hinder a trip to Burger King for tea (thanks Bucklands for treating us - Hawaiian burgers ARE amazing!). Nick had lit a fire before the pm service so we all gathered in the lounge for music, reading and chatting. Belinda was able to give me some very helpful pointers and tips on the violin, and Rachel and I tried our hand on a Silent Night duet - most of the time I was pulling faces to accompany the awful screeching or whistling emitting from my bow! It was really special to spend so much time just chatting though especially after the kids had gone to bed - Belinda and I both have our struggles as moms and it was good to encourage one another.

To the Lake

We were truly blessed with some amazing weather for the day; we had planned to go to Lake Tekapo come rain or shine, but the shine was definitely preferable! It was mild, sunny and calm, the perfect day to be skimming stones across Tekapo's turquoise waters and dabbling at the lake's edge. Lunch was done picnic-style with a self-help array of buns and fillings. We drove up to the Observatory as well which was far more pleasant than our first excursion last year on that very windy day! From up there you really get a better idea of the colour of the lake which is quite remarkable. Home again late afternoon and ready to tuck into the chicken casserole which had been slow-cooking through the day. Had fun doing a few informal photos in the evening although I think I was laughing the hardest as Brendon tried to look serious :)