Sunday

Well, Sunday began quietly with breakfast & our hosts still in bed; we gave them a thank-you gift & said our fond farewells...then headed off to see Mike & Cheryl, & their family. I've known Mike for nearly 25 years. It's interesting to note the difference between the two houses, of our hosts, & the family we saw on Sunday morning...the 1st house is new, in a new sub-division (or new Estate for my UK readers), light & airy, with no back yard, or front yard, and no trees; it has a view of the Sea. The 2nd house is old & has character; it is in a well established area, with native birds singing in the trees, and best of all (from my kids' point of view) - hundreds of toys to play with! :)
There were at least 5 Alien eggs; lots of dragons; two forts/castles; loads of Thomas the Tank Engine locos & rolling stock; 2 Luv Cubs (electronic interactive teddy bears)...and so on! Great for me, too, was talking with Cheryl at length about what I love doing.... collecting! Cheryl collects Star Trek memorabilia, which is interesting...she likes Voyager, of course, as I do too! The kids & I had lunch there; then we picked Margaret up, and went to visit new friends - Katya & Derek, & their son, at "the Oasis" - my words! Their home is like a little oasis in the centre of Dunedin City. They have a large two-storey house, with many rooms, a large lawn, impressive well-maintained vege garden, and a Summer House for serving afternoon tea! :) It was our first time socialising with them, & I look forward to seeing them again...

Next, it was on to Moana (pronounced "mow-AHH-nah") Pool, for a refreshing swim. The kids enjoyed this immensely, as did we. Moana means "sea or lake," in Maori. The pools are about 40 years old, and they've been upgraded - twice...in fact, Margaret & I had our very first date there! :)

We then headed back to my Mum's flat for Tea; then drove home to Timaru. Overall, a fantastic weekend.............