Read, Write, Ramble

And so the story begins before we have even left home… Bounding out of bed to the sound of the 06:30 alarm, my mind already running through the checklist of things to be achieved before our arranged pick up time of 11:00 am, the first task was to strip the bed of our sheets, get them washed and (hopefully) dried, and the bed made up with fresh linen ready for the arrival of the second of our two teams of housesitters in ten days time. Next, was to do the same with the towels, but as I was pressing ‘start’ on the washing machine full of sheets, Stephen wandered out, phone in hand, saying ‘don’t hurry, we have plenty of time!’ Singapore Airlines had helpfully ‘retimed’ our flight ex Melbourne to 20:05, from the original time of 15:20, according to an email sent at 01:38. Going back to bed was obviously not an option, although of our fellow travellers M & J, J wisely reported taking the decision to grab a couple more hours sleep in lieu of the delay!  We instead, went ahead with o...

And just like that my amazing birthday adventure is over and we are on the rather wet road home, having left sunny Christchurch this afternoon and landed in rainy Melbourne tonight.  Our Christchurch hotel was another historic building, and was the final surprise in the bucketload of surprises I have been treated to for the past 5 days.  The old Canterbury College, only the second university to have been built in New Zealand, is a magnificent collection of  bluestone neo-gothic, buildings dating back to 1873. It now hosts an Arts Centre which includes a mix of artisan spaces and  shops, galleries, eateries, cinemas, event spaces and a boutique hotel, known as the Observatory Hotel.  The hotel stands where the Observatory Tower once stood,; part of the physics and astronomy faculties. Waking this morning to look out on the courtyard of the old university and the buildings of the old campus was very special. The sense of history and the importance of the work achi...

Today was the final full day of my birthday extravaganza tour, and Dunedin turned on the sunshine for us.  Following our hotel breakfast we embarked on the final surprise element - a bus trip across the harbour and up onto the headland to the stunning Larnach Castle.  Built by a successful banker and businessman in 1871, this gothic revival masterpiece was rescued from ruin in 1967 by the Barker family and has long been a labour of love to faithfully restore and refurbish in decor that is true to its era and origins.  On arrival we were at liberty to wander the extensive grounds and immaculate gardens before embarking on a tour of the interior. We marvelled at lavishly carved wood panelling, audacious chandeliers, intricately worked tapestries and the view from the balcony atop the fourth floor tower, all the while being regaled with the tragic story of William Larnach and his family. We were then ushered back down to the ground floor ballroom and treated to a delectable ...

 We probably should have taken the hint when the Parkrun volunteer, himself wearing a kneebrace, who was delivering the First Timers briefing this morning,  described it as ‘an arse of a course!’ That should have been our cue to pop straight into the Botanic Gardens cafe and order a coffee.  However, having successfully navigated our way there on a local bus, lured by the thought of a beautiful Parkrun set in a Botanic Garden, just like home, we took his words with a grain of salt and lined up with 295 other participants.  Initially lulled into a false sense of security by two short laps of the lower gardens area, we then crossed the footbridge over the Waters of Leith and began our ascent towards the lookout. And what an ascent it was; steep gravel paths wound through established trees still cloaked in their autumn colours, up steep hills and graduated steps to the lookout area, which it seems was a false summit, as we continued to climb, before heading down the pre...