Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound…

We departed our lovely ship on the morning of the 16th of July, sadly saying goodbye to many special people. A wonderful journey to great places, that we will remember always..We loved every day.!
A beautiful day in Amsterdam. Our Hotel reached in no time, and our room ready and waiting, Bilderberg Garden Hotel, where we began. Soon organised and off out to the very nice surrounds, since we had left Amsterdam,6 weeks before with a sprinkle of mist, they had not had a drop of rain, and very high temps, unheard of for them ,in summer… The lovely baskets on the bridges have withstood the heat well, but trees and parks suffering badly, lots of leaves falling from the huge trees around us ,on the wide streets ,and grass all burnt. Walked through pretty homes and gardens, to a nice area of Cafes and small shops nearby, and then the huge market ,on a quest for some nice things we had seen before…Took a good part of the day, and a good walk for us yet again, back for revival, in air con,[ great heat of almost 30o],then off to a different part. Amsterdam has so much that is so very attractive, except of the centre of the city, and that is the same for all large cities, that have become so overcrowded that they want to restrict who comes, I think that cannot happen. A 3 hour train link to London, I may have mentioned earlier, puts them easily in everyone’s reach..
Dinner at our Hotel in the Courtyard ,on a warm and perfect evening, and one more walk in the neighbourhood , that we would always come back to, and then organised for the morning departure.
17th July we were to the Airport in plenty of time…not so good, our flight from Hong Kong delayed due to an Aircraft needing replaced, and so 5 hours late in arrival, fortunately we had a comfortable place to wait, and Airports are always so interesting ,but Schipol is HUGE… and busy..Finally off after 6pm,instead of 1.15 pm. We have never had a delay before ,so we said we have done so well..
Arrival into Hong Kong much later, meant we only had 4 hours in our Hotel at the Airport which was a good idea and very well placed, but drilling in the ceiling meant a move to a not so nice part, so a bit disgruntled by our departure to NZ at 6.30 pm, on Air NZ. However while waiting, we met a very unassuming Indian man, who talked cricket and things, lived and worked in IT in San Francisco, and then later showed us what he did, for a charity for education in rural India ,an amazing foundation for his birthplace, in the education of these isolated children, he was amazing, and to be greatly admired ,felt it a privilege to meet him .Very special.
A good flight , once you recover from the sudden appearance of the very elderly cabin crew ,which is not evident in any other Airline, goodness I think they are as old as me.!! Must be hard to get good help.!! Some sleep, fortunately, for me, but not for Sam as we bumped our way through the tropics.. All going well on arrival and our Reindeer skin ,all the way from Norway, was well accepted, much to Cetrece’s delight…very well tanned they declared.!
Christchurch early afternoon ,and Thelma and Mum to meet us, Mum waving away, from the car. A nice catch up and on to Christian’s , a lovely meal, and by 7.30 we needed to sleep ,and did, we travelled well, and slept mostly at the right times.. Saturday Mum was not well, by Monday had a fall during the night, and an ambulance to hospital, hip in question. Spent many hours until she was admitted, and she spent until later on Wednesday there, confused and seemed so unwell. Sent her home again, and by that evening had fallen badly again ,back in the ambulance, her other hip broken ,and great despair from us all… Wonderful care, a nerve block in immediately, so we waited until yesterday afternoon for her hip replacement, which went very well, and today she continues to do so ,no drip ,eating , and amazing the staff at every turn. ! We realise there is a long way to go ,she will go to Rehabilitation at Burwood, most likely, if she continues to do medically well .She understands this process ,and declared when I said it will be hard, I will walk.! Great that all the Family have been there for Mum ,which is such a huge delight for her. Phew !..A troubling few days for us all..!
What a difference a week makes, so pleased we could be here to help when needed most. Our wonderful journey a distant memory, most of the time. Christian is away, so we have a warm and comfortable place to be. We will just see what unfolds , have our appointments in Nelson, so that will happen, all going well.
Thanks for all your snippets and interest along the way ,it makes the journey a very happy one. Hopeful that there can be a one more journey at some stage..
Love from us, Faye and Sam

If you look carefully you may see 2 people swimming in the canal in Amsterdam, a NO, but intense heat,and they did.! Thelma showing Mum a beautiful poncho given by her SIL, after visiting and thinking what a great job they do in caring for Mum,so very true, its beautiful and made of Rabbit..[We feel] Pre operation..]Read more