Getting organised

Something which is obvious already is that the next few days will be packed with adventure. After I spent a fairly sleepless night while my body clock tried to adjust itself to NZ Daylight Saving Time Elspeth and I set off to do the boring stuff, which mainly comprised mundane supermarket shopping. However we did divert to an absolutely fantastic bakery which left me puzzled as to why the Centenary Suburbs of Brisbane can’t offer anything which remotely matches their standard.

Shopping completed, and after a long phone chat with our friend Bryan we had a lunch of tempting goodies from the aforementioned bakery trap. While Elspeth took herself off for a brief nap I set off on a long scenic walk, mainly round the lagoons but with a short diversion to the seashore. It had been overcast and raining but from mid-morning the rain clouds started to clear and the weather stayed dry. There were plenty of birds to be seen - black swans, gulls, pukekos, ducks, geese and many more. A regular visitor is a kotuku (white heron) which is an extremely rare species in these parts. With its brilliant white feathers it really stands out. Down at the beach the tide was well up, the water was very rough and there wasn’t another person visible as far as the eye could see.

We had been invited to friend Susi’s place for 2.30. She and her partner Robin built a beautiful architect-designed house overlooking the sea and Kapiti Island. I had been there previously when it wasn’t quite finished, so it was good to see their beautiful house in its completed form and with all their artworks now on the walls. (Sadly my very good friend Robin is now in residential care and her partner Susi now lives there on her own).

After returning to Elspeth’s we set out on a walk up the estuary, my second walk for the day. The weather had cleared considerably, and it was really great to see all the birdlife and native vegetation. On our return to base we had a phone chat with our old mate Bruce who lives in Oamaru and sadly isn’t able to travel to Wellington and Waikanae and participate in all the social events which are taking place over the next few days.

The day started well and finished well, with dinner at an excellent Thai restaurant overlooking the beach and Kapiti.Read more