Week with the inlaws

We have just spent a week with Jeff and Sheila and it was been fabulous.  Within the first twenty four hours of chatting about their adventures it became very obvious that they definitely need to write a blog!  Perhaps one of my favourite little snippets was the story of the mobile phones.  Jeff and Sheila packed six mobile phones with them to take to Sri Lanka.  During their first night in Singapore one of the six mobile phone’s alarms went off at 2am.  Jeff managed to locate the suitcase inside which was a carrier bag, inside the carrier bag there were six phones all attached to their chargers- spaghetti junction! Jeff had to remove all the batteries to stop the alarm, after which he duck taped the batteries to the phones (duck tape is an essential when travelling).  If this wasn’t hilarious enough Jeff then explains how Sheila had also ‘planted’ her luggage bag directly in his path back to bed  nearly resulting in his demise.  Excellent! (I think we got the censored version)

We stayed around Grey for the first weekend, visiting Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and generally drinking wine, swapping stories and enjoying each other’s company.  On Monday we set off for Nelson.  We had been telling Jeff and Sheila how wonderful Grey is and how beautiful the weather had been since we arrived in November.  As if to prove us wrong, Monday greeted us with torrential rain.  The sort of rain where the drops are so big that you are soaked in seconds and even with wipers on full speed you struggle to see. Great. Perhaps I should mention now that it was my job to book the first two nights’ accommodation at the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park.  I thought I had been really clever booking The Hairy Hobbit Eco Cottage.  A sweet little Bach high above the town with incredible views..... and an outside toilet.  As the rain pounded our car on the journey toward the Hairy Hobbit House it occurred to me that this was either going to be a great adventure, or an epic fail!

Greymouth beach

Blow holes at Pancake rocks

To my relief the rain stopped just as we reached our destination.  Dan was feeling sick (lots of windy roads and tired post nights) so I took over driving.  The Hairy Hobbit Cottage directions took us off the main road up a windy gravel track which ended with the steepest hundred meter drive I have ever seen- not for the faint hearted.  Dan drove the last bit.  

The moment of truth came as we turned into the cottage drive...   Stunning, absolutely beautiful; views for miles over the fruit fields and out to sea with a backdrop of mountains.  This was a good start which was enhanced by the discovery of a fabulous veranda with swinging chairs, a wonderful little kitchen with log burner and a bedroom with an interesting, but comfortable, sleeping arrangement.  

 

That night we played yatzee and retired to bed early.  Dan and I had to climb up a ladder in the bedroom to sleep on mattresses mounted high on a platform.  Despite there being two male Wattleys in the room no one snored and the night went without a hitch. 

The next day we caught a boat to Tonga Quary in The Abel Tasman National Park where we all walked for the first two hours and then Sheila and I left the boys to hike another four hours to their hut in the park where they would spend the night.   Meanwhile we went back to the Hairy Hobbit house where we drank tea, then wine, ate avocado and chocolate and had baths in the outside bath.  The outside bath was amazing!  This was literally a hot bath, with bubbles, under the stars looking out at the distant lights of Motueka and Nelson.  Sheila was a little unsure initially but ended up the ultimate adventurer having a ‘proper’ outside bath (I had worn a bikini).  So proud of her!

The following day we met the boys as they walked out of the national park.  The meeting was faultless in its timing.  I was just showing Sheila where the boys would exit the park as they came striding round the corner.  Over the next day striding turned to limping as they recovered from their 32km adventure.  

We then set off towards the bed and breakfast we had booked for the next two nights.  Before we left the UK we were put in contact with Buzz and Bebe, who had been at our church but moved to Nelson two years ago to set up a bed and breakfast.  As we arrived at their house all the aches from the walking evaporated as we saw our incredible rooms, each beautifully created and dressed with wonderful clean clear colours.  The beauty inside the house was exceeded by the views from the balcony, miles of glistening sea which flowed into an estuary walled by a long spit creating an ever changing scenery as the tide moved in and out and all this framed by the Able Tasman Park with its peaks in the background. 

That evening we went for dinner in Nelson.  I ordered a gluten free pizza (I am now being very good with this diet) and Dan, Jeff and Sheila all ordered dinners which required consumer participation in the cooking.   As their dinners were brought out from the kitchen they sizzled as a hot rock, which was the plate for their meat, cooked the raw hunks of meat which sat on top.  The idea is that you cook your meat on the rock to the exact specification you require.   Dan had beef, lamb... and chicken.  Those of you who know me well can probably imagine my feelings about the raw chicken on his plate- EEEEEEEEK.  I was once nicknamed detox girl by my friend Rachel Maddock, after using half a bottle of cleaning product in one raw chicken preparation session!   Although I am improving it still produces anxiety when I see raw chicken.  My brother in law Ben was preparing a curry for the family during their summer vacation at our house and I practically followed him round the kitchen with detox making sure he didn’t contaminate anything, especially my spices!!  I nearly died when he wanted to leave the chicken on the work top marinating all day because the fridge was full.  Needless to say I made room in the fridge!  The psychiatrist in me has decided to name this condition ‘Aldous chicken fear’, as it seems I have inherited this from my mum, yet somehow it has been magnified during its inheritance to me.  Anyway, I was distracted from my Aldous chicken fear as I watched Dan trying to coordinate his food.  In front of him were three types of meat, all cooking away, a bowl of chips to the right and salad to the left not to mention a pot of béarnaise sauce.  Bringing this meal to fruition required intense concentration as Dan turned his meat, removed the chicken so as not to overcook it, sliced the lamb, passed chips across the plate and dropped salad onto the sizzling rock.  The whole meal was a great success and I consider the experience therapy for my Aldous chicken fear!

 

The following day was another day of culinary delights as we wine tasted at a local winery whilst sharing a platter of scrummy food and then went to the Boat Shed for dinner.  This was no ordinary dinner was we ordered ‘Trust the Chef’.  This means you get multiple small dishes allowing you a taste of all the wonders they are cooking.  We had eight courses and the boys managed deserts too!  I will add a list of the food we ate for those interested.   The amazing thing was that we all felt we had tasted amazing food, had a wonderful evening and none of us felt sick!

We returned from the north via Buller Gorge where Dan and I did a tandem zip line across the river and spent the weekend relaxing. 

Dan and I are now about to go back to work and Jeff and Sheila continue on their adventures with another four weeks in NZ before they fly home via America. 

Hope everyone in the UK is doing well.

Much love

Sarah x