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| Hanging out with GumGum (my grandma) |
A few months ago, as we were on our way to Palmerston North, I mentioned to Marty that it would be cool to do a bit of a slow road trip down the lower part of the island, stopping at all those cool looking parks and places that we normally drive past quickly.staying with family and having a relaxed holiday. He agreed it was time for a holiday and we planned it out. A night in Masterton, a night in Wellington and a night in Palmerston North. No plans really. Well, it didn't quite happen like that of course. By the time we got on the road to Masterton (after work Friday), we were going to have to be quick to have time to see Gum-Gum (my grandma) before dinner. It was raining, so no time to stop and play at those cool looking parks along the way. Lets just get there. We did our usual car routine of having turns picking songs (Kate is in charge of telling us whose turn it is), and we had to listen to "Call me maybe" twice before I put my foot down.
In Masterton we pulled straight up to Gum-Gum's unit, giving her quite a surprise as she didn't know we were coming! I was born in Masterton by the way. We had a lovely visit, she is looking and sounding amazing and she pulled out the colouring in books for the girls to do while we were there - books that used to me MINE when I was a child! I found pages like this one, marked "Nikki - Age 7 1/2" and showed the girls - they are now naming and aging their own pages in the same book 23 years later which feels strange! Meanwhile Luke was fascinated by all the little ornaments everywhere, so we had to do the old "don't touch" routine. By the end of an hour, and after sitting in the car so long, he was well past it. Check out the photo - not a happy camper!
So it was time to grab some dinner and head down to Aunty Di and Uncle John's house. Luke took TWO HOURS of screaming to settle in his seldom used portacot by this stage. Marty had a great time, having planned to hit Masterton on their annual cards night. Marty fits in like a glove with my extended family, even better then I do sometimes I think with their common interests of cycling and cards!
The girls had lots of fun the next morning on the tandem bike that Uncle John fixed up for their visit. As kids we spent hours on all the silly fun bikes that he made so it was really neat to watch my girls get the same Masterton experience! Unfortunately, when I woke up, my right eye was SO sore that I felt dizzy, was having trouble with light and focus and felt sick with it all. I felt like something was stuck right in the back of my eye, so I made an emergency optometrist appointment. Right, so it was off to Gum-Gums for a quick coffee, a run into town for my appointment and then in the car to make it to Wellington for lunch and time to do 'something'. Not exactly the slow paced trip I had imagined but do-able.
Well, the optometrist decided I might have an ulcer and might need anti-biotics - which he couldn't prescribe. He suggested I find an optician in Wellington. So it was off to Wellington feeling sick and barely able to see...and travelling over the hills was not the nicest journey this time. By the end of the trip, Luke was howling so loud that we couldn't hear anything or anyone else. Thankfully, we found an optician easily enough. Oh joy. Yes I had an ulcer and needed medicine - 8 times a day. They took a photo and told me that in fact, it was rather close to the centre of my eye and if my symptoms get worse I needed to get to hospital quickly. I was not to wear contact lenses....and I had forgotten my glasses. I was to keep sunglasses on as my eyes would be sensitive to light (and I learnt that even sunglasses left my eyes stinging). This was going to be fun. Or not!
We weren't going to let this stop our holiday though, so it was off to Te Papa as Wellington was super windy, as stereo-typical a day as a tourist could ask for. This was fine, except that the lighting in Te Papa was not the greatest for my eyes, especially with only one contact lens in. I had trouble focusing and with vertigo through most of our trip. The girls loved the earthquake stimulator, although Kate came out of it wide eyed and sucking her thumb. We all practiced our "stop, cover, hold" while the house shook, much to the amusement of the others around us.
We were all a little over it after the kids discovery centre's had been fully explored though, and were ready to get to our next stop - Colin & Liz Wharton's house, old friends of my family that have known me all my life. I hadn't seen their kids in about 15 years so that was really cool. These guys were wonderful to catch up with, and Liz spent time trying to relieve my sore eye by coming up with an eye patch for me to give it a rest. I looked like a sore and sorry wounded thing for sure with it on! The boys were considering going to the Phoenix game that night, but weren't really keen. I suggested watching it through our Isky on the computer which made everyone's eyes light up! Big screens were hooked up to laptops, and soon everyone was cheering the team on while I sat there half reading a book (I am so not a football fan)!
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| With Colin & Liz Wharton |
Unfortunately, Luke was so over the whole holiday by Wellington - between being put into strange beds, sitting in the car for hours and being restrained in a stroller - he had missed 2 day sleeps also - he was a mess. Poor Colin and Liz got the worst of him!
The next day we headed off to Wellington Zoo, with my eye feeling a little better after a night off medicine and no lenses in...we were all ready for some fun. The Zoo was much better then I expected with some cool looking exhibits, but sadly the animals just did not want to come and see us today! No sight of the otters, the bear, the african dogs, or a few other animals. We still had a great time though with a beautiful clear and settled day, touching a bearded dragon and seeing the giraffe's up close right beside us.
The girls loved it all, and Luke chatted to himself as he stared at the animals. He really perked up when he saw a lion. He looked at it, we told him lion, he made a "roar" and then he clapped his hands. he utterly refused to sit in the stroller though, but wouldn't come walking with us so we had to carry him to each exhibit, which he hated and threw a big wobbly about each time.
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| "DADDY" - big grins as he sees daddy in the mirror"! |
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| The Alpha Male (sunbathing on his back) is called Marty. Hehe. |
All the kids fell asleep (as planned) after the zoo for our trip to Palmerston North. Perfect.....and then Marty stopped for petrol. Luke woke up howling, and pretty much continued that way for the whole trip - which ended up taking 3 times longer then expected as Marty got lost with a traffic detour, and then we had to stop twice to try and settle down Luke. The second stop was when we were all feeling rather grumpy. We were taking too long in the car, my eye was killing me after all the sun at the Zoo, and Luke was a mess. We took the time to stop and have a play in the park at Levin which helped settle things back down again before arriving at Marty's sisters house.
This was the part of the journey the girls were most excited about, seeing Aunty Cheryl, who they adore, and little Alijah, who is just SO CUTE. They spent a lot of time singing to him, reading to him and just talking to him. He was just as responsive, smiling and cooing and basically making his Aunty Nikki a bit clucky. NO. No more.....But man he is so cute!
Luke was good as gold here, having a huge morning nap the next day (as I write this), feeling much happier about the portocot by day three. We are off the the mall when he wakes for lunch and a shop, followed by a play at a park. We plan on coming home tonight AFTER tea so the kids sleep all the way home......but we all know how my 'plans' work out so we will see! Aunty Cheryl was a lifesaver and lent me her glasses, which means my eyes are feeling much more rested.
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| Feeding myself at the big table - what a big boy! |
With all the drama, we have still had lots of good moments. It was a busy, chaotic and slightly stressful holiday. But we had some precious moments in there, and were able to see lots of loved ones too. And on Labour weekend we are off on a much much longer journey to Auckland....I wonder how Luke will feel about THAT one....
In Masterton we pulled straight up to Gum-Gum's unit, giving her quite a surprise as she didn't know we were coming! I was born in Masterton by the way. We had a lovely visit, she is looking and sounding amazing and she pulled out the colouring in books for the girls to do while we were there - books that used to me MINE when I was a child! I found pages like this one, marked "Nikki - Age 7 1/2" and showed the girls - they are now naming and aging their own pages in the same book 23 years later which feels strange! Meanwhile Luke was fascinated by all the little ornaments everywhere, so we had to do the old "don't touch" routine. By the end of an hour, and after sitting in the car so long, he was well past it. Check out the photo - not a happy camper! 
So it was time to grab some dinner and head down to Aunty Di and Uncle John's house. Luke took TWO HOURS of screaming to settle in his seldom used portacot by this stage. Marty had a great time, having planned to hit Masterton on their annual cards night. Marty fits in like a glove with my extended family, even better then I do sometimes I think with their common interests of cycling and cards! 
The girls had lots of fun the next morning on the tandem bike that Uncle John fixed up for their visit. As kids we spent hours on all the silly fun bikes that he made so it was really neat to watch my girls get the same Masterton experience! Unfortunately, when I woke up, my right eye was SO sore that I felt dizzy, was having trouble with light and focus and felt sick with it all. I felt like something was stuck right in the back of my eye, so I made an emergency optometrist appointment. Right, so it was off to Gum-Gums for a quick coffee, a run into town for my appointment and then in the car to make it to Wellington for lunch and time to do 'something'. Not exactly the slow paced trip I had imagined but do-able. 
Well, the optometrist decided I might have an ulcer and might need anti-biotics - which he couldn't prescribe. He suggested I find an optician in Wellington. So it was off to Wellington feeling sick and barely able to see...and travelling over the hills was not the nicest journey this time. By the end of the trip, Luke was howling so loud that we couldn't hear anything or anyone else. Thankfully, we found an optician easily enough. Oh joy. Yes I had an ulcer and needed medicine - 8 times a day. They took a photo and told me that in fact, it was rather close to the centre of my eye and if my symptoms get worse I needed to get to hospital quickly. I was not to wear contact lenses....and I had forgotten my glasses. I was to keep sunglasses on as my eyes would be sensitive to light (and I learnt that even sunglasses left my eyes stinging). This was going to be fun. Or not! 
We weren't going to let this stop our holiday though, so it was off to Te Papa as Wellington was super windy, as stereo-typical a day as a tourist could ask for. This was fine, except that the lighting in Te Papa was not the greatest for my eyes, especially with only one contact lens in. I had trouble focusing and with vertigo through most of our trip. The girls loved the earthquake stimulator, although Kate came out of it wide eyed and sucking her thumb. We all practiced our "stop, cover, hold" while the house shook, much to the amusement of the others around us. 
We were all a little over it after the kids discovery centre's had been fully explored though, and were ready to get to our next stop - Colin & Liz Wharton's house, old friends of my family that have known me all my life. I hadn't seen their kids in about 15 years so that was really cool. These guys were wonderful to catch up with, and Liz spent time trying to relieve my sore eye by coming up with an eye patch for me to give it a rest. I looked like a sore and sorry wounded thing for sure with it on! The boys were considering going to the Phoenix game that night, but weren't really keen. I suggested watching it through our Isky on the computer which made everyone's eyes light up! Big screens were hooked up to laptops, and soon everyone was cheering the team on while I sat there half reading a book (I am so not a football fan)! 
The next day we headed off to Wellington Zoo, with my eye feeling a little better after a night off medicine and no lenses in...we were all ready for some fun. The Zoo was much better then I expected with some cool looking exhibits, but sadly the animals just did not want to come and see us today! No sight of the otters, the bear, the african dogs, or a few other animals. We still had a great time though with a beautiful clear and settled day, touching a bearded dragon and seeing the giraffe's up close right beside us. 
The girls loved it all, and Luke chatted to himself as he stared at the animals. He really perked up when he saw a lion. He looked at it, we told him lion, he made a "roar" and then he clapped his hands. he utterly refused to sit in the stroller though, but wouldn't come walking with us so we had to carry him to each exhibit, which he hated and threw a big wobbly about each time. 
All the kids fell asleep (as planned) after the zoo for our trip to Palmerston North. Perfect.....and then Marty stopped for petrol. Luke woke up howling, and pretty much continued that way for the whole trip - which ended up taking 3 times longer then expected as Marty got lost with a traffic detour, and then we had to stop twice to try and settle down Luke. The second stop was when we were all feeling rather grumpy. We were taking too long in the car, my eye was killing me after all the sun at the Zoo, and Luke was a mess. We took the time to stop and have a play in the park at Levin which helped settle things back down again before arriving at Marty's sisters house. 
This was the part of the journey the girls were most excited about, seeing Aunty Cheryl, who they adore, and little Alijah, who is just SO CUTE. They spent a lot of time singing to him, reading to him and just talking to him. He was just as responsive, smiling and cooing and basically making his Aunty Nikki a bit clucky. NO. No more.....But man he is so cute!
Wow, that was an epic trip by the sounds of things - & an epic, but wonderful, read :)
ReplyDeleteGum Gum looks great in those photos, way better than when I saw her 6 weeks ago (yes, it has been that long - visiting this Sat though). I bet she loved seeing all of you, those visits really make her day. & so cool about the colouring books, how awesome.
Awful about your eye, but if anyone could rock an eye patch it's you! Seriously though, Murphy's Law there's a holiday drama, but good on you for pushing past it & doing stuff anyway. I absolutely love Te Papa, & will visit whenever I'm in Welly if I can. I never used to like the zoo, but I think it has improved as far as habitats go in the last few years. I laughed about Marty the alpha male!
It definitely sounds chaotic, but it was memorable - for good reasons too :D I look forward to reading about the labour weekend trip in a few weeks time.
P.S. Lots of photos = win!