Post Christmas Blog

Post Christmas Blog

It’s January the 6^th and almost two weeks since my last blog.  Unsurprisingly a lot has happened since the last blog so here is a little update for you.

Dan worked Christmas day- well he was at work, dressed as a reindeer eating a lot of food with the nursing staff.  Being the social gentleman he is he had a hour and a half lunch break so that he could share Christmas dinner with both the morning and afternoon nurses as their shifts changed over (very clever).  Poor Dan did seem a little bored but better that than overwhelmed with sick patients!

I struggled through the evening of Christmas eve, feeling very tired and for the first time wanting the sun to go down so I could snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie and eat chocolate, not that I need an excuse to consume chocolate as Dan will tell you...  However Christmas morning greeted a fresh and excited Sarah.  I had pancakes and strawberries at a friend’s house before walking to the Baptist Church to partake in their Community Christmas Meal.  I arrived to a room of 130 beautifully set up place settings and the smell of Christmas dinner.  My first job was to dish out deserts.  Lay before me we were 150 bowls all with Christmas pudding already served up.  A little perplexed I asked them what they wanted me to do as the puddings were already served.  However what ensued was a mass operation filling each bowl with jelly, trifle, custard, pavlova and crumble as well as the Christmas pudding.   Being a woman of moderate appetite I was amazed at the size of these deserts and even more amazed at their consumption about an hour later!   As people arrived the social diversity made for a colourful and wonderful day.  We had travellers from the hostels, families with children (one family with 6 children!) a good proportion of our more senior friends and even a couple celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary not to forget the cross dresser with his family who was wearing a rather delightful dress!  It was such a pleasure to serve people Christmas dinner and even the mammoth washing up which followed had a sense of community.  I wonder if such a Community Meal could work in the UK.  This was definitely not targeted at any particular group but an open invitation for companionship and fun.  In the afternoon I was invited to dinner by Leanne and Jonathan who were going to his mothers.  As I arrived I realised I actually knew all the other guests wither from the hospital or the Churches we had visited.  I had my second Christmas dinner in the sun.  It didn’t feel like Christmas but it was wonderful.

On the Saturday after Christmas we set off for Nelson.  Driving through New Zealand is a pure delight.  Every turn brings new topography, hills, mountains, streams, forests the beauty rolls on and on making the four hour journey to Nelson a pleasure.  As we approached our destination the urbanisation of a New Zealand city started to emerge.  This meant hardware stores, multiple supermarkets, garages, yet in the midst of unspoilt beaches with the Able Tasman nation park as the back drop.  I would do this kind of city life!  Our accommodation was an architectural feast.  A New B&B overlooking the beach.  It had a clear colour scheme- white.  The owner was one of the funniest characters I’ve met in a long time, she was in her 60s bleached blond hair and very friendly to the point where I almost felt like a family friend.   Her son had designed the building and we learnt that he was an eccentric chap who liked to explore the world bare foot- random but put everything into context.

After a day chilling we met up with Steve and Stephen for dinner.  Steve is a friend of ours, a wonderful Godly young man, rather like my husband.  He is small and hairy and talks non stop!  We attempted to have a meal but the food was two hours in coming to fruition.  I was so impressed that the boys didn’t get ratty due to the ‘hunger’, a true testament of their characters.  The time was filled with a variety of conversation spanning deep theology to ridiculous Dan/Steve humour. Steve, steve, steve, alan alan (Dan and Steve’s favourite you tube clip).   After dinner we went ice skating on a temporary ice rink.  Unfortunately having two doctors around gave Steve a (false) sense of security on the ice.  He sped round at Tasmanian devil speed but without the skill on the ice to control himself at those moments of lost gravitation towards the ice.   However at the end of the evening he had only wiped out twice and initial survey showed no breaks.  I wonder, is this what it is like having children....

Joanna is one of fifteen children (one is in heaven) and we were invited to her family home for New Year.   They live just over the hill from Nelson so Dan and I met Steve and Stephen in Nelson and then took Steve over the hill to Joanna’s.  Monday morning was the departure date and having not slept I consumed three strong coffees before leaving.  This had the predictable diuretic effect and an hour into the journey I had already had to have two toilet stops (which is impressive even for me).  Stephen (not to be confused with Steve) wanted to show us the resurgence, an area of natural beauty where a river springs from hillside making a clear pool of water and then we decided to visit a picturesque beach for a bit of sunning and an ice-cream.

On arrival to Joanna’s we were met by her mum and a few of her siblings and some friends.  Some of you will have heard of a psychological treatment called ‘flooding’.  This works by overwhelming the senses and hopefully overcoming the fear/ phobia.  For arachnophobia this would mean going into an enclosure full of spiders.  Looking back I think this initial experience was a bit like a ‘flooding’ for me.  Any fear of meeting new people was completely overwhelmed by the situation and the realisation that these people were warm, open, loving and accepting- fear quashed.  Soon I was singing with boys as they played guitar and helping to fold the washing (of which there was lots!).  The evening was spent having a BBQ on the beach, which was a two minute walk from their house, playing ultimate Frisbee, football (Dan was impressed with my football skills), more singing and making dampers (cooking dough on the end of a wooden pole and then filling it with syrup) .  Dan had a ride on a dirt bike which he thoroughly enjoyed and more highlights include the moon-bow which appeared as a result of amazing moonlight and rain, and beautiful glow worms.  This time the glow worms were in a beachside cave.  As you went into the cave there were pockets perhaps a meter wide where fifty plus glow worms shone their little lights all together.  They were so magical I wished I could capture the moment to share with everyone, especially Grandma- it was like our own little fairy cave, she would have loved it!

After a fantastic night we decided to head back over the hill the next day.  This enabled us to have a day walking in the Abel Tasman National Park.  We decided to sea taxi into the park and walk out.  The sea taxi was a forty minute speed boat ride.  On board was a family with three small children.  As we motored to our destination the sea was quite chopping and the boat seemed to take off and land with a thud producing that ‘stomach in mouth’ feeling.  The three year old in front of us found this hilarious and her infectious giggles were wonderful to hear.   As we arrived it started to rain but we were prepared and rain coats applied we continued on.  I had decided to walk in shorts and had a special bag which strapped round my waist, like a bum bag, but with pockets for my drink each side. I had a mini Lara Croft moment (see picture) only my guns were actually massive bottles of water (much more useful!).   We walked for four hours on coastal tracts, through forest, across the beach, past mini waterfalls and finally over the estuary back to the car.  Exhausted but satisfied we went back to the hostel for our final night in Nelson.

Lara Croft moment

On our way back home we stopped for lunch in Takaka.  We found this hippy cafe which was rather large by New Zealand standards.  We ordered our food and then took our number and found a comfy sofa.  Unfortunately our food came in staggered intervals.  Every time a waiter came out Dan would eye ball the plates and if they seemed to match our order he would start vigorously waving our number at them.  It was hilarious; it was as if he was trying to bid for his food, waving this number like he was in an auction house.  Dan and my appetites somewhat balance each other out and at this point Dan was hungry.  I have seen Dan’s hunger cause odd behaviour before but this is my favourite.  I watched the people watching this mad English man and thoroughly enjoyed a good giggle (yes out loud further perpetuation the stares).  It’s good to giggle at oneself sometimes!

We are now back at work with Dan doing long days and I’m on nights.  My first night was pretty awful but I’m afraid that’s part of the job.  I always have slight trepidation when I start a night shift but there is a part of me that loves the adventure of not knowing what will come through the door.

I hope everyone had a lovely New Year and are looking forward to 2013.

Much love

Sarah x

split apple rock