Rainy Days and Mondays

Monday 30 December

After a scorchio Sunday, Monday proved a little unreliable, threatening rain much of the day and delivering on its promise from mid afternoon onwards.

The long low river valley of the Wairau creates the most stunning wide sky cloudscapes and the light at around 6.30am, shortly after sunrise, was beautiful.

We decided it would be a chores day once we had taken Harley for a lovely long walk along the river and around the vineyards. Louis was struggling with a sore foot so Abby, Jez and I set off on a similar route to yesterday only in reverse and with additional detours. Louis tracked us down a wee while later on his bike and quite literally rode rings around us for the rest of the walk!

Passing Whitehaven Vineyard on Rapaura Road most of the vines were babies - but it was interesting to see how about 10% of them were flourishing way beyond the growth of their neighbours in the rows.

I was quite taken by the official signage on the little Whyte Estate hut on Pauls Road which made it look like the smallest winery in town!

The Wairau River bed is wide & flat, lined by beautiful mostly flat & oval greywacke pebbles, which make great skimming stones. It is clearly prone to flooding as there are several designated flood areas signposted along the way. These stones, or Irish confetti as cousin Nick's vineyard manager liked to call them, and the sandy sediment of the Wairau valley make for a perfect grape growing environment.

We met some cute animals and saw some pretty flowers along the way - weirdly all white, or shades thereof.

Around noon, we headed into the metropolis of Blenheim (slight over sell) - a trip to the tip, boys swam, Abby & I did laundry, 3 of us bought bike helmets and we shopped for NYE food.

Heavens opened on our way home and it hardly paused for hours.

We were just in the middle of prepping dinner in the Tomkinsons Moho, when I popped back to Banjo to discover to my horror, that she was leaking! Water was dripping through a light fitting and when Louis & Jez came to investigate we found it also pooled inside a ceiling speaker! Yikes!

Only thing for it was to get out of the rain so we packed up quick sticks and Louis (with super clear radio guidance from Jez) reversed Banjo into the barn where we stayed for the night!

Luckily Abby was still on kitchen duty so we enjoyed a roast chicken dinner before turning in to bed in our slightly claustrophobic new location.

Thank heavens for Nick Goldschmidt and his vineyard!