Swimming, Cricket, the Hospital & FeD Deli

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 problem was they split up and we had no idea who she was or when she was due back!!! Considered listing her car on TradeMe in her absence, but thought better of it! 😉

Halfway along the shoreline path to Campbell's Bay, the Te Araroa trail branched off straight up the cliff, up a bunch of stairs - hard work if you’re carrying several weeks worth of belongings in a back pack! That trail runs from Cape Reinga up north to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island - over 3000kms.

Met lots of happy beach dogs including Zeus, who came to play frisbee with me because his mum was too busy chatting with a friend! The friend turned out to be the mum of Chinook, a GSP/Labrador cross who unusually had inherited the GSP colouring including spotty front feet 🤎 We had a long chat about the exercise requirements and boundless energy of GSPs - Chinook had already had a 10km run with his dad that morning so he was pretty chill on the beach, unlike the hoodlum hounds! Worked out which car the other set of keys belonged to and popped a note on the windscreen with my number then grabbed a coffee and a couple of scones from Papermoon, by which time the other swimmers had returned so I was able to handover the keys (and responsibility for the car's security!) and had brekkie overlooking the beach.

Back to Green Bay for a bit then we headed to Cornwall Park to watch some cricket where Hannah and Michael were umpiring. We saw about 3 balls bowled and a batter caught out, then they all came in for lunch! Had a catch up with Sara & Albi, plaited Albi's ear hair for a jaunty summer look, then trekked up to see Helen on the ward.

Helen was doing pretty well and managed to sit in the chair for a while with us - in the morning, Sara reported, she had been up standing by the bed with a walker, so definite progress.

We stayed with her all afternoon then joined Amy, Sarah W & Beth for dinner at the Federal Deli - early birthday celebration for our younger daughter, who soon turns a quarter of a century 🎉 Lovely dinner with all our old favourites - schnitzel, pastrami, steak, NY baked cheesecake & lemon meringue pie… but not all on the same plate! Sarah W & Beth had heard all about the Fed from Amy and I think they were true converts by the time we finished!

Such cool women, but lots of talk about 💩 - par for the course with 2 paramedics, a nurse and two regular hospital visitors!!! 🙄