New Zealand Visit

After 2 1/2 years we finally returned to New Zealand to visit my family and show off our girls. It was so nice to be back with my side of the family for a little while and to catch up on all the changes that have happened since I left (a marriage, a birth, a courtship!).

The whole trip was marked by sickness - Jon and the girls all came down with bad colds, which still continues for Abigail and Sarah. All those foreign NZ bugs :) For my part, I only got a mild dose occasionally rearing itself. We have gone through an awful lot of tissues (nearly 3 boxes!)! :) The warmer weather back home has certainly made us all feel a bit better (Jon experienced his first frost and sub zero temperatures during our stay in Timaru).

Sickness aside, it was a great time. We had quite a social calender! Loved visiting my sisters' homes, and meeting my brother's girlfriend's family; I got to see my nephew for the first time. While in Auckland we stayed with my parents - didn't have to do any cooking or cleaning (thanks mum!). Such a treat! And Abigail loved all the toys and books, and the cat!

We stayed in Auckland 9 days before flying to the South Island. We landed in Christchurch a few minutes after another major aftershock, so were delayed on the tarmac for an hour. Finally got our rental car and headed south to Timaru. It was cold! We had very long hot showers while there and the fan heater got a lot of use; the electric blankets were kept on most of the night! We visited my Nana and she enjoyed holding her great grandchildren on her lap. Sarah quite enjoyed chewing on her beaded necklaces :)

The girls weren't very well so we didn't get out as much as planned to see people, but it was nice to have some quiet time together as a family. There was a great playground where we stayed and a big jumping pillow; and we went for a trip to The Shearer's Quarters where we played a (cold) game of mini golf and got to see the farmyard animals (donkeys, chickens, ducks, goats, deer, and pigs - Abigail loved this). I was quite keen to be home again by the end of the trip and was very happy that our flight wasn't delayed by the ash cloud. It was a full flight home, so we only had 2 seats for the 4 of us, but we managed fine.

Now for the challenges involved in settling back into routine :) :)