17th Nov day 34 hot, hot, hot - heavenly

It was misty when we drove to school so I could have the car but it looked like the sun might come out today. I had lots of errands to do in Hastings and for the first time I didn't get lost at all - yay! I got new batteries for Nicholas's talking watch, went to the chemist to get cough medicine, cheap suckers and Olbas oil and had such a shock at the cost. The cheapest cough medicine I could get in a small bottle was over £9 and the total bill was over £14 - outrageous. Quite a lot of commodities here are expensive e.g I was going to use the jet sprays and clean Simon's car for him but that would have cost £15 so I bought a sponge and car shampoo for £10. To put it into perspective I had my car valeted completely, inside and out, just before I locked it in Cheryl and Marks garage, for only £15! I also went to the supermarket, office supplies shop and to a lovely garden centre to buy a gift for Simon's secret Santa. 

By the time I got back the sun was shining and it was glorious. I rushed to put washing in and the shopping away so I could get outside and enjoy my cuppa and lemon curd muffin in the garden - my idea of paradise.

For a couple of hours I sunbathed and read thinking this is definitely the life. I drove to get Nicholas and brought him back here, I was hoping he might like to go out for an ice cream but after school, like so many kids, he just likes chilling and doing fairly mindless things. In the event we called at the supermarket and bought a box of cornettoes instead. Philippa picked him up after work and I drove to get Simon. It was still beautiful when we arrived back so we had an hour sitting in the garden together with a coffee.

He asked me if I had seen Nicholas's tree had cherries on it, I hadn't and I hadn't realised either that it was Nicholas's tree. He then told me the story of how on the day Nicholas was born he planted 10 pips out of an apple he had eaten, as he hoped to grow his newborn son an apple tree. Only 1 pip grew so Simon planted it in the garden. By the time Nicholas was 5 the tree had overtaken him and although healthy it was another couple of years before the fruit grew. Simon was shocked to see it was bearing cherries not apples, he was bemused as he knew they were pips from an apple. Anyway it transpires that virtually all the apple trees here in Hawkes Bay, of which there are hundreds of thousands, are cherry trees with apple branches grafted in - hence the pips produce cherry trees, clever eh?

 

Later whilst Simon was making dinner I got changed into his way too big old jeans and started weeding under the bushes in order to move a couple of flax plants that were struggling for survival, under now well established Yucca plants. They have shot up in the 10 years Simon has lived in 904. The purpose of me wearing his jeans, which were turned over a number of times at the waist and turnups, was to protect my knees - housemaids knee is not an attractive look for the summer. Unfortunately my plan was foiled as, in line with current trends, both knees were slit! 

We ate the tastiest of spicy kebabs with lots of salad and when we had cleared up we sat and did Simon's daily Bible reading together using his notes. As we both prayed I really thanked God for this privilege of spending such quality time together, to me it's priceless.

Long Lost Family had been recorded so we relaxed watching it together and after a good cry we ended the evening falling about laughing watching an episode of Would I lie to you. Ooh I am loving my time here.