Where Did Summer go?

Wednesday 14 January

Seems like summer is over already! Woke to slightly fewer sandflies and single digit temperatures - what’s that all about?

Packed up and hit the road, SH7 towards the east coast.

The mountains were wreathed in clouds and the rivers were running faster as we headed out of the hills and across the northern Canterbury plains. A wee break at Culverden to stretch legs, dump the grey & black water and for Louis to sample the local chicken & mushroom pie. I took a wander over to see the stunning new ANZAC memorial - the simplicity of the corton steel cutout soldier silhouette and the 3D poppy alongside the roll call of the war dead was beautiful and very moving.

We got into Christchurch early afternoon and went straight to the truck wash to give Banjo a good bath before the rain arrived - of course!

Settled in at Treehouse Retreat POP In Kaiapoi - like coming home.

Quick late lunch then Louis headed off to swim at Jelly Park while I walked several kms around the nearby Sovereign Palms estate to feed my hungry Fitbit. Sovereign Palms is a very modern, middle class estate with some lovely gardens, and it borders one of the Kaiapoi Lakes with gorgeous waterlilies and sturdy bull rushes all around the edge - and a coot and a grebe in residence on this particular evening.

Back to Banjo for dinner and a quiet evening in. No sandflies here so we enjoyed dinner outside under the awning.