Visiting with Family and Mother's Day.

We set off around 6.30am this morning, bound for Whangarei, just over 2 hours north of Auckland and our current location.
We ate scrambled eggs on Vogel's Toast (Brand of bread which we crave when we return home to NZ) at home, but stopped in Wellsford for a much needed coffee and toilet break. It was raining, and we had forgotten our brolly (umbrella). No matter, we didnt melt when we made a dash from the car to the coffee shop.

We always love coming over the hill at the top of the Brynderwyns (a particularly windy and dangerous stretch of hill country road) and looking out across the cinder cone dotted countryside to the Whangarei Heads, stretching out in the Pacific Ocean. It is a sight that tells us we only have 45 mins of driving to get to Whangarei township. Warren's birthplace.
We stopped in downtown for another toilet stop and to check out our favorite souvenir store. We bought some mementoes to take back to France. One of those is a very Kiwi house number made of porcelain and brightly painted. It will be affixed to our front gate.

Our visit up north was to say hello to Waz's 96  yr old dad. Poppa was found to be in fine shape...in fact, much better than when we saw him last year in August. He still has his marbles and marvels, and he had a good chat with Waz about our new home, while I was accosted by a charming young woman named Trudy, who turned out to be a very tender 94 yrs old. Trudy and I had a wonderful conversation, and I learned a lot about her life in the short time we had sitting together.
We were given a tour of the facilities by poppa, and left him just before his lunch time. We stopped at the supermarket on our way out of town, buying some food to share when we visited with Waz's sister and brother in law on the farm, next stop.

All kinds of changes taking place on the farm, and it is always wonderful to catch up with them and have puppy loves with Duke, the gorgeous Black Lab, who shares a birthday with our former dog Possum. Both of them are now 11 yrs old. Duke has semi-retired from Bird dog and Farm dog to Inside dog. A good transition in my eyes:) He is always most appreciative of a tummy rub.

We enjoyed lunch together, lively conversation and catching up with family gossip.
We left there going on 4pm, heading home again. The rain came and went, but everywhere was pretty damp and lots of surface water on the road. We took it easy.

Wellsford was the stopping place for dinner. We were hungry by 5pm - all that talk!!...and we decided to eat there. Waz enjoyed an Indian Take Away, and I opted for Fish (Hoki) and Chips. They were delicious and so fresh.

I dont like driving the winding roads in the dark, and there was a surprising amount of traffic for a Saturday. Wet roads dont encourage risky behavior fortunately and the traffic was generally well behaved. We arrived home just after 6pm, and have been happy to catch up with my mother, who has not been well. She sounds much chirpier today, thankfully.

Tomorrow we meet old friends for brunch, and then gather with my brother and his boys, and my son, at Mum's apartment to celebrate Mother's Day with her. At 90, these times are precious, and she is a wonderful mother, so this is a great pleasure for us all.
I know she will miss us when we leave, and with no set date for our return visit to NZ, we will make sure to have frequent phone conversations with her in the future, from France.

So, that's our day today. No time for photos, sorry. Another day!