Fabulous holiday

We went to the top of the South Island. It rained. Well it would have done so at home, so still worth going.

Had a great time with my grandparents. Brought some lemons home from their trees. Visited my aunt and uncle and finally, after 2.5 years of looking, stumbled accidentally on a source of chestnuts. They have six mature trees, planted by early European settlers on their land. So I have a box of chestnuts to learn how to shell (I bought cans in the UK) and then I can make Nigella's chestnut and lentil soup once more. Brought home pumpkins and a leek as well and some more ideas in my head from my aunt about good food for the chooks. I am keen to learn more about how to provide food for the chooks without using the commercial layer pellets. I do wonder about the proportion of soya beans in the pellets and whether they are genetically modified. We are eating those pellets in a processed form when we eat their delicious eggs.

We drove through Nelson on the way home and stopped in Wakefield at Faulkner's Park to eat pizza and play on the coolest flying fox in our world. Brighid (20 months) got her first go. Marvellous.

Things which we left at home: homeopathic teething powder. the camera. muslins. We missed the teething powder badly on both nights. We did notice the absence of the muslins when Brighid threw up bright green sick again and again and again on the way north. The bright green bottle of souped up raro masquerading as a fruit drink which the children drank at the lunch place won't be repurchased. The camera - well we'll just have to visit again soon and do it all again.