- On a fleeting overnight visit to Hanmer Springs to make the most of our ability to holiday during school time before it disappeared.
One thing Farm Girl and I are very sad about is the end of our weekly Mash Up (Homeschool) Group outings and so it was very special when they all travelled to Hanmer for our final session. Farm Girl spent the day soaking and swimming and sliding and talking all kinds of nonsense with her homegirls and we, true to form, soaked and gossiped and neglected to take any photographs.
The wind came up mid-afternoon downing trees in the valley, one through the power supply lines to the village. Although the pools have their own generator, we were pretty prune-like by then so we decided a wander around the township was in order. It was all pretty deserted but, near our accommodation, we spotted a lit window, smelt the coffee, and decided it was time for a smackeral. As the power outage stretched into evening, the smackeral turned into dinner and a bottle of wine for some/juice for others. The power returned late in the evening, much to The Bean Counter’s relief; the motel had Sky, we don’t, and he was keen to catch the Italy v Spain Euro semifinal game. Happy days!
The following day was spent breakfasting at a cafe that came with many recommendations (and lived up to them), checking out the farm park The Farmer and Princess gave 10 out of 10, and having another soak in the pools, before venturing home. I admit to not being the biggest fan of Hanmer but we had a great time.
- It was my birthday
Another trip around the sun, that sort of thing needs celebrating! Of course we had an evening meal out at a favourite restaurant, but we also spent a leisurely day wandering around town and checking out a place everyone seems to be talking about at the moment, Riverside Market. As a rule, we kiwis don’t often do this sort of thing well but we all agreed this was the exception to that rule. I also got to check out Christchurch’s own Antony Gormley (it’s no secret I’m pretty smitten with another of his works) and meet some folk looking for The Doctor
- and then Farm Girl got sick
According to those in the know, the run-of-the-mill coughs and colds we avoided catching last year while we were locked down and social distancing are now are now wrecking havoc. It has certainly been our experience. Farm Girl spent the last two weeks of home-time lying on the sofa under the heatpump.
Which pretty much brings you up to now. Farm Girl has just completed her first week of conventional schooling with its highs, a few lows, some good stories, and even a bit of learning, while the rest of us have spent the week battling on and/or fighting over the spot under the heatpump.
It’s now August! A pinch and a punch, bugs, you’ve had your fun, it’s time to sling your hook.
Union Homestead 
Sorry you were all laid so low, best wishes for a speedy recovery. Great pictures from Hanmer Springs. I have good memories of being there in the past. I expect it is all different now.
Thanks, Susan. Hanmer had really taken off in the last 20 or so years. Its very “popular” and gets incredibly busy. Having a power cut kind of quietened it down enough for us to feel comfortable. Sad but true…we’re not great at dealing with whats popular 😁
Quite right too.
I’ve only had one “Hanmer Springs” type vacation and it was exhausting – but my children, younger at the time that FG is now, LOVED it and they were fully occupied, and slept well the two nights, we could drink without worrying about driving and so overall it was worth it. Sorry to hear about the seasonal sickness – yes, we all escaped last year, we’re in high summer just now, and so not experiencing it, but with most of our restrictions lifted, but Delta making headway, we’re not sure if we’ll be back under restrictions come fall or not – the main upside of which will be perhaps another season free of sniffles, stuffiness etc. Glad to hear first week of school was an overall success.
This cold is definitely a good’un and it’s very systematically felled the entire family. Im back on deck now but The Bean Counter is still in the depths. Yep, this school thing seems to be working out ok 😊
hope The Bean Counter feels better soon. We’re all out of practice with these cold/flu things….
Does mean he can catch up on his Netflix. Our viewing has a serious tot of maple syrup about it atm. Just finished Big Timber, now getting to know the towies in Heavy Rescue 401. Seriously, if we ever make it to your place Im going to be too scared venture onto any decent sized road 🤣
I had to look for trailers of both those shows – I’ve never heard of them , lol. We don’t have Netflix, Disney or Prime…I got Acorn for hubs for Christmas so I can watch all my favourite whodunnits instead of getting them disc by disc from the library. Re: 401 – it’s a notorious highway even by Canadian standards – the sheer density of traffic and the awful winter weather which we don’t get way out here. Unless you go to Toronto , you’ll be fine.
and Happy Belated!
Thanks!😊
I hope that the school continues to work. I wish you a belated happy birthday. It must be great to be still so young!
Thanks for the birthday wishes. This whole aging thing aint all its cracked up to be. I spent so much of my youth wishing I was older so people would take me seriously. Turns out theres more to it than how many years you’ve been on the planet. Its all in the too hard basket for now 😁
I enjoyed getting older for just that reason. I felt much more grown up in later years, something that I had always wanted to be but never achieved as a callow youth. I still try to be childlike though I am often just childish. I’ve had a bad back since 1978 so the aches and pains are not new.
Hi, I, too, am glad to see the back of July. It was especially horrible this year – not so much for the bugs – Victoria has only recently come out of its second lockdown for 2021, but for the bitter, grey, wet days. When it wasn’t raining, it was misting or drizzling so it was wet all the time. It was the kind of weather I sought to escape when I left the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and moved to Central Victoria 8 years ago. I get my second COVID jab this Thursday. We are being promised when most Australians are fully vaccinated, there will be no more lockdowns. I can only hope so! I hope there will be lovely things to celebrate as Farm Girl and her family adapt to mainstream schooling again. I can see it must be difficult to let go of some of the pleasures of Home Schooling.
Sorry about the dismal weather. ours has had its share of surprises but the dusmal days are interspaced with enough frosty clear ones as to keep us interested
Im a great believer in everything having its season. Home Schooling season is over and its sad but its also exciting to see what will come aking and fill the vacuum 😁
So sorry you have been so ill – I hope by now you are all on the mend. Our ‘health experts’ are predicting a winter of infection misery; if not Covid then some other unpleasantness. I am glad you enjoyed your short break away from home to a greater or lesser extent – the power-cut sounded like a blessing in disguise!
Everyone is now back at work/school now but I really dont think The Bean Counter, in particular, is at the top of his game yet. It really bowled us all over!
You’re right about the holiday powercut…a definite blessing!