First Christmas Holidays...falalalala
Mission accomplished! The first Christmas holiday has been happily spent avoiding where possible the worm loo (more worms needed perhaps?), standing for hours in the outdoor shower (thank you bore water), cooking on the barbecue, walking bush tracks, swimming at the beach, spraying weeds, playing cards, digging holes, lolling on the bunks, squished into the bunkroom all together watching Poirot movies, and most importantly sitting, laughing around the 'kitchen' table with friends. The only real hiccup is the pesky yet refreshing persistent breeze that is just too strong for the fabulous big black umbrellas Nick bought, so shade is hard to find...next project: a shade cloth extending from the 'kitchen' past the deck, possibly attached to poles set in the ground, with potential to lash on sides...anyhoo, as you'll see life at the 'Gypsy Village' (as named by the 17-year-old) - it's not all bad!
Good friends, good times
Daily grind at the 'Gypsy Village'
Nothing like a vespa to keep big and little boys happy
Haircut for Henry
Richie, hanging around...!
The witching hours for the dogs were at sunset every night, when we had to be alert and ready to tie them to long ropes attached to the table, before they put their noses in the air, took a good sniff, and raced off into the bowels of the bush. With 15 acres to choose from (plus the neighbors) we had our work cut out stomping off after a few glasses of wine, torches in hand to extract them. God they had fun!
Waiheke is covered in fabulous bush walks, so Henry and I got in the daily habit of walking the dogs and enjoying the scenery. The island is a non-stop feast of iconic New Zealand images...
It's amazing how quickly 235 Church Bay started to feel like home, I think the main thing we were missing was a flushing loo! I successfully did all of the clothes washing in the back sink, which dried quickly in the warm wind. Cooking was easy on the barbecue, and sleeping in the cabins at night a treat. Evenings were cool, too cool for mosquitos, but perfect for us when snuggled up in woolly jumpers. Today I am heading off to Paris for 10 days with Henry, but hopefully Rich and Nick will make it back out for a few nights at Waiheke while we are away. Clearly Paris is a very big deal, but I can't wait to get back to the island when we return too!
à bientôt !
