What a busy long Labour Weekend. Fitz and I came up Friday, in time to have a wee settling in glass of wine with Linda. The plan was to do my assignment and some tidying up in the bach, and for the kids to have a working bee on the garage re-cladding project that Coralie put her hand up for at the AGM. They arrived late Friday night and stayed in Auntie Ida’s. Breakfasts here as usual. I got a wee bit of study done each morning before they turned up. Just one morning paddle was had, on a still sea, around the inside of the hole-in-the-rock and in amongst the myriad of seagulls nesting on the rocks.

Larry arrived Saturday morning with all the gear and materials, and got stuck in. A bigger job than expected, of course. Coralie and Becky provided lunch for the boys. Good that Jase was here to help Will and Larry. Two walls were done. Barbie, Charlie, Sarah, Chantelle and Leah came after lunch, and the kids had a play on the beach.

They all stayed for a BBQ, cooked by Will. Christine joined us, for rowdy games of Articulate and Balderdash. All pretty shattered.

Sunday, Linda and I took over the painting of the garage cladding while the kids went up the hill to mow a strip for the wedding. Then they went down the Butterfly Bay end for a look-see and got a few little mussels and tuatua. Larry and Barbie and Charlie arrived later, for a relaxing visit. Charlie had a ball clambering up the hill – refusing to crawl, of course!

They went home earlyish, and we had a yummy bach chicken before hitting the sack.

Monday, after brekky, the kids went up to St Pauls. Will did a bit of finishing off spoutings, and tidying up first. I decided to mow a bit of the track behind the bach, paint a wee bit of chilli red, and tackle leveling the bit outside the main gate that had big humps of rubbish. Not much energy left after that. Then the kids got back for their lunch and pack up, and finally I got to tidy up, put the kayaks away, mow the lawns, and have a wander in the evening sunlight around the dotterel fence. Nice and quiet in the aftermath.

Poor old Fitzy was exhausted. Had to be helped around the tree twice, and even tried to tell Coralie he couldn’t get through the fence behind the bach. A busy but beautiful spring weekend. Millpond sea and foggy mornings, tui in the trees (but not on the flax yet) and dotterels nesting.