"The Weekend that Was" Part 2. - The Visiting

Saturday 22nd

We were still awake at 12.30am after "reshuffling" the furniture. Thanks to Stella who turned on the heaters we had a good sleep.

The day didnt officially start until 9.30am or so when we finally were up and about. After getting a nice bouquet of flowers for Mum from Fiona, we visited the gravesite to say hello. The weather had not packed a sad ever since we left the ferry, so it was great to be able to appreciate a nice sunny day.

We didnt get to see Nana Mac until 3pm, but she was happy to see us. We were happy to see she had adjusted well to the new abode. We stayed until at least 5pm, but knew that we could come again tomorrow without much fuss.

Sunday 23rd

A day to try and catch up on lost time. My annual tradition of finding a brooch for the grave was gracefully achieved thanks to some ingredients found at Hands in Papanui. A little monarch butterfly is now floating on the bottom left hand corner. Fiona's flowers looked like a bit of jackfrost had hit them, so that may be something to consider for future years.

We were able to get to the Middlepark retirement home just after lunch, so it meant we could spend a little more time with Nana Mac. Enjoying a nice cuppa and brownie biscuit, we were able to look at some old footage of Mum, and go through some old pictures.

Around 5.00pm, with the sun setting in the west, we said our goodbyes, and made our way back to Hoon Hay via the cemetry.

With just enough time to have a short rest, we were then off galavanting at the Christchurch Casino with the Hoon Hay Moriori Gambling Association for tea and a bit of a play on the pokies.

Monday 24th

We were packed up and ready to go quite quickly. In order to be able to get to the ferry on time, and see Sandra, we were on the road by 11am.

With a reasonably straight through run, we had lunch at the Paddock Cafe in Cheviot, before arriving in Renwick. As well as a big package of linen and clothing for Kathryn, Sandra had also packed in a Nana-Mitchell-made blanket, which looks really choice, and is special as I didnt have anything to remember her by.

A short coffee and chat later, we were on our way past all the wineries to our chariot of the strait.

All in all, a good break, just a shame about the extremes we had to put up with to arrive in the south island.