Tuesday 2 December Up at stupid o’clock so that Russ could kindly take us to the airport for our 6.10am Jetstar flight back to CHC. Thanks Russ - hope you enjoyed your pre-work breakfast! No delays and we landed in CHC in freezing temperatures (well, almost double figures) and Ella collected us. Got back to Banjo by breakfast time and spent the day trying to catch up with ourselves - several snoozes, food shopping, laundry, gas refill, chatting with John (our POP host) and v

Monday 1 December Our last day with Helen in Auckland - she’s doing so well we are heading back to Banjo’s Odyssey down south soon. Sara popped in to see her before work then we packed our bags and sorted stuff before heading into town around 11ish. Helen was definitely on the mend - the two of us & Amy spent a while with her and she was able to sit in the chair and was manoeuvring herself about the bed with no assistance. Best of all she was taking the doctor’s advice about

Sunday 30 November Same same but different on Sunday. Luke & Yamille swung by Green Bay and scooped us up, we drove out to the airport with them, dropped them off for their flight back to Blenheim and kept hold of the Goldschmidt car for our use again. Sara had a day off from hospital visits so we went straight on in to see how the night had gone and to set Helen up for the day. Generally good news - less delirium overnight, on reduced pain meds and at lunch she sat in a cha

Saturday 29 November No lie in 🦁 for us - up and out around 7ish to pick up James and head north to Mairangi Bay. Not much traffic on the Harbour Bridge at 7.30am on a Saturday. Met up with Ryan and a few other swimmers who set off for a 2.5km swim along the coastline, while I walked along to Campbell’s Bay & back. Several others went out with them - I took Louis’ phone & car keys for safe keeping, Ryan’s keys and somehow the lady with the floaty flamingoes keys… only probl

Friday 28 November Got busy baking Anzacs for Helen’s care team in the morning while Sara and then Auntie Jean took the morning shift at the hospital. We rocked up around 11.30 and Helen had already been out of bed and sitting in a chair for a few minutes. Still struggling to eat, or rather drink, much - she'll stay on fluids for a day or so longer. Jean had been reading to her which she’d enjoyed and she was generally feeling better. With the nurse we got her out of bed agai

Thursday 27 November Sara had the early shift before heading to work so we had a coffee run/doing admin kinda morning at the Fernandi household; Squeak did a very good impression of a one legged cat for my photo - one leg, but too many toe-beans! Was shocked when we left to find just 3 cars, a caravan and a moho on the driveway - usually there are at least 8 cars down there! Swung by St Lukes on the way in to hospital - Black Friday madness in and around the shopping mall -

Wednesday 26 November Another day, another hospital visit… small improvements to report each day now. Sara came in for the early shift, while we did some more laundry, a bit of admin, another coffee run and I baked a quirky chocolate cake for the team looking after Helen - it’s funny how weird it is baking a tried & tested recipe in someone else’s kitchen! We headed in to take over at Helen’s bedside at around noonish, Louis walked down to the Olympic Pool for a swim and Sara

Tuesday 25 November After meeting Helen on the ward at 1am following her second surgery, we staggered home to bed around 2am. Sara was up early and in the ward by 7ish, so we did a few chores and had a bit of a lie in, after news that Helen had slept overnight and was still snoozing 💤 Laundry at the Fernandi’s, coffee run from Green Bay, trip to St Luke’s where we met Amy & Beth, then we rocked up to the hospital to relieve Sara. Helen was definitely more restful but struggl

Monday 24 November Louis and I had a bit of a lie in until our diary reminded us that we were due at 7a Endeavour Street at 9am to return a few things to storage and collect a couple of items to take back to Banjo! Accidentally I picked up more than a couple of things... oops! Swung by Zoom for a coffee and chuffed to see The Nukes on a poster up on the wall - the same show I'd seen up in Kerikeri back in September. After that Louis went off to see Jono on the North Shore to

Sunday 23 November While Louis and Sara took the first two shifts at the hospital with Helen (making slow progress), Nickie, Russ and I joined the throngs heading over the bridge to the Sculpture On-Shore exhibition at Fort Takapuna. This biennial exhibition has long been a favourite of mine and it was lovely to catch it on its last day. Over 120 sculptures along an open air trail around the headland and another 90 or so smaller pieces inside the Fort. This season did not di

Saturday 22 November Helen had not had a great night - restless, in pain and coming down off the morphine she’s been on for a few months now. So we all came in to be with her at her bedside throughout the day. It was a tough day with hallucinations and confusion, and a roller coaster of pain management - but one or two of us were with her all day. Quite by chance we bumped into Mike & Ayesha, as his mum was in the next room to Helen - lovely to see them, as our schedule may

Friday 21 November Quite a change of pace for Friday - up and out early to scoop up the twins from Sandringham while Sara & Michael drove Helen into Auckland Hospital. An 8am check-in at the Transition Lounge before Helen led the parade of surgery patients up to L8 for theatre prep. Louis & Sara were allowed to go through with her, but the twins and I hung out in the corridor playing "I went to Antarctica and I took..." whilst waiting for updates. Eventually it was confirmed

Thursday 20 November Up and out with the dawn - Josh kindly dropped us at the airport around 7.15 and we hopped on our flight to Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland at 8am and Amy collected us on arrival. Swung by the Fernandi to drop off our bags, saying hello to Abby & Harley in the process, then went over to Waterview to see Sarah W’s new place where Amy, Beth and Dilligas all live together. Dilligas seems to have settled in well with his new flatmates (and no dog) though he has yet

Wednesday 19 November Despite the call of race day at Phar Lap, we had things to do and places to be so packed up early and headed out of Timaru heading north… with a detour to the dump station which happened to be one street over from Alpine Energy where Jeremy starts his new job next week! Cruised north under grey skies, shocked by the torrents of water still flooding down the Rangitata, Rakaia & Waimakariri rivers - must have been pouring in the mountains! Obligatory stop

Tuesday 18 November So lovely waking to the sound of thundering hooves as the racehorses were training round the Phar Lap Raceway. We had a leisurely morning, I went off wandering and exploring our POP’s location. Two of the horses were quite friendly and wandered over to say hello (though one did not appreciate the "Why the long face?" joke!!) It was probably a fine racecourse in its day, but is very tired and dated now - sadly there was a race meeting scheduled for Wednesd

Monday 17 November A quieter day as we head slowly back to Ōtautahi Christchurch in a few days. Nothing but bird song and the odd quack of a duck to wake us in the morning. The grey overcast skies had sucked all the vibrant colour out of Lake Tekapo, but it still had a haunting beauty. We packed up in a leisurely fashion and hit the road to the coast shortly after 10am - waving goodbye to our new friends next door who were having an even more laid back morning. First stop al

Sunday 16 November Southern Alps photo spam heading your way… we both woke early and decided to walk up to Pukaki Kettle Hole as the sun was rising. The tranquility of the big Lake was stunning, and the occupants of the 50 or so camper vans around us were all fast asleep as we climbed the wee hill to the waterhole. Cracking views from the top… and perfect timing with the sun climbing over the horizon, above the Kurow Valley. The Pukaki Kettle Hole was created by a huge iceber

Saturday 15 November Woke to a dryer, less windy morning; though it was a chilly 1 degree Celsius outside, we were quite sad to leave our lovely DOC camp at Aoraki, Mt Cook. Though the dawn skies were grey, there were small chinks of sunshine on the mountain range behind the camp by 8am and hints of blue skies as we pulled out, through the rather tricky ford/dip at around 10am. Driving past these epic landscapes and valleys took me back to O'Level Geography with Mr Steadman

Friday 14 November With wild weather on the cards yet again, morning was the time to go exploring! I was up and climbing up the track to Kea Point in my PJs by 7.15am while Louis slept. It was chilly and bracing but glorious - the sunlight gradually bringing the colours of the stunning landscape to life as it climbed higher over the peaks. Blue skies overhead, the glacier lake looked amazing, Aoraki kept peeking out behind a sausage of cloud and there was the odd thunder of a

Thursday 13 November We were first in and almost last out at the Ahuriri Bridge DOC camp - even though we were on the road by 9.30 and in Twizel by 10am so I could stock up with more salmon at the High Country Salmon Farm (and a coffee for Louis), fill up on diesel and buy one more bottle of milk in town. But before we proceed - let us marvel at the simplicity of the toilet lock in the long drop at Ahuriri Bridge - pictured below. There was a sprung bolt on the outside which