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| Ready for the next layer of glass - but first the UK! |
It was with a rather perverse sense of satisfaction that we headed out of the New Zealand winter and headed towards summer - well for a couple of weeks anyway - although if truth be told what we were leaving behind us would not fit into many people's definition of 'winter'. This was to be a very special trip to visit family for us because we would be meeting our three grandchildren for the very first time. The fact that we knew so much about them and yet had never actually met any of them seemed strangely bizarre especially as the eldest one was now five years old and had just started school.
And so it was that two weary and slightly bleary-eyed travellers emerged from Heathrow Airport and were promptly whisked away into the pre-dawn and on to Cardiff. Iain and Helen, who were effecting our transfer, had driven from Cardiff in the wee small hours of the morning to collect us and drive us back. And just to add insult to injury, they then both had to go to work! Anyway, a couple of days later, suitably rested and revived, the four of us descended on Kidwelly (yes, a place with a name like that really does exist and, according to the venerable Mr Google, has done so since 1115 AD). We were due to spend a week there together with the entire family - that's eight adults and three children for those of you who are counting.
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| Fish and chips in Laugharne...food and culture at the same time! |
It was fabulous to be together as a family, albeit for such a short time. Stories were told, ice creams and fish and chips were consumed (not necessarily every day or in that order!), games were played and madness and mayhem generally ensued (if ever you catch up with Howard, ask him about Bendy Bob :-)). We visited castles, beaches, gardens and even had a brief dalliance with culture (we went to Laugharne, famed for the fact that Dylan Thomas lived there for a period). We drank cappuccinos, short blacks, lattes, Earl Grey tea and the odd beer and wine.
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| The family at the beach...in summer? You'd better believe it! |
However, there was something missing. And what was that something? Well, in a word, summer! It was cold. It was damp. Some of the time it was downright wet - in fact some places in Wales were flooded but thankfully not where we were. And just to rub salt into our wounds, whenever we checked on what the weather was like in Dunedin, it was warm and most times it was sunny. Every now and again the sun would put in an appearance and that would galvanise us all into action as we decided that summer had finally arrived only to be dragged back to reality again as the rain returned. Still we were together and that was all that mattered (although some sunshine would have been nice!). We simply needed to take a leaf out of wee Rosa's book who saw the rain as a great excuse to use her brolly!
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| At least someone was prepared for the rain...and thought it was fun! |
Now, our trip coincided with the Jubilee celebrations (not intentionally I hasten to add) and the Jubilee celebrations just happened to coincide with Kirsty's birthday (also not intentionally - I assume!). What better excuse could there be for a bit of a celebration? How about a good old Kiwi barbecue - the epitome of summer in New Zealand? That had a definite vote of approval from all of us (although we have to confess it was the boys' idea, not ours). So that was decided then.
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| The birthday girl |
The big day finally arrived. Madeleine and Rosa were in their element dressing up both themselves and Aunty Kirsty in suitable attire whilst Aunty Kirsty did a sterling job with the face paints much to the delight of her two nieces. Even the sun seemed to realise the import of this occasion and put in an appearance but sadly forgot to bring any warmth with it. Still one out of two isn't that bad I suppose and at least we were able have our celebratory barbecue. It doesn't get much better than that!
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| The sun arrived but forgot to bring the warmth |
And then it was over. All too soon we were bidding our sad farewells and re-tracing the route from Cardiff to Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport. Once again Iain was our chauffeur, the only difference this time being that he was having to do the journey after, as opposed to before, a day at work and he would be without anyone for company on his return journey.
Having arrived at Heathrow and checked in, we settled down for the interminable wait that now accompanies international flights. After what seemed an eternity we boarded the flight and were finally on our way. During his fitful bouts of wakefulness on the long flight home, Howard's mind was consumed with thoughts around the continuing boat build. His main concern was about the glassing and how long it might take. Question followed question but sadly I had no answers. What if the weather was too cold? What if the glass really was as difficult to apply as it had seemed to be before he went away? What if he needed help? What if...? What if...? Sleep overtook him again but only briefly and it wasn't long before the 'what if's' started again. I made comforting noises, trying to sound as positive as I could...but then again, what did I know?
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| A misty winter's day - not a good portent for hassle-free glassing |
And then we were home. It was colder than I would have liked it to be. It was damper than I would have liked it to be. It was definitely more wintery than I would have liked it to be. Even with my rudimentary knowledge I realised that the portents for hassle-free glassing were not looking good! It was going to be a long winter.
