Birthday

This is a slightly late posting.

We had a lazy morning.  A the painter came and took up the covering from the floor, replaced the picture hooks and door handles and helped MrMacD move our bed back into our bedroom.  S the tiler came and checked that the self-levelling compound had worked and whether any more was required.  After they left we had what was by that time brunch rather than breakfast.  I had cards to open, calls to take, texts, WhatsApps and emails to read.  I felt very spoiled.

We eventually set off for a short drive to Kakanui, a small coastal settlement 14 kilometres south of Oamaru.  It was a lovely drive along the coast.  The sky was blue, it was sunny and the sea was a beautiful aqua colour.  We drove around the outskirts of the settlement, took in people enjoying the beach then drove back to Oamaru by a slightly different route, where we saw a ginormous field of sunflowers nodding in the sunshine.  Once back in Oamaru we parked down near the harbour then walked around to Del Mar, a café near the Little Blue Penguin Colony, where we shared a bowl of kumara (sweet potato) fries and had a coffee, followed by a small gelato.  It was pleasant and relaxing.

We walked back to the car then drove home and relaxed for a couple of hours before walking down to the Victoria Lounge Bar for a pre-dinner drink and a chat with J, the owner, who can always be relied on to tell us what’s going on in town and also provide some history.  At 7:30pm we walked across to Cucina and enjoyed a superb meal in a pleasant atmosphere served by friendly, helpful staff.  After that, of course, we had to walk back up the hill.  It was 10pm when we arrived home and I got a call from a very close friend in the UK.  We talked for over half an hour, by which time I was tired and needed to go to bed.

I had a most enjoyable day for my birthday, but it was hot - 29C.  Tomorrow will be a bit cooler.

The main blip is self-explanatory.  The extra is the bouquet of flowers sent by my beautiful daughter.