Well it has been awhile since returning to "Gissy". I would say it would be approaching on two years. The last time would have been when I was in the early stages of Ryan and my relationship.
So I have decided to write this entry in two parts. Part 1 now, Part 2 when I arrive in Auckland.
Part 1: Mid-Holiday.
I laughed on the plane. The colour blue floated above us and the colour white below. We were preparing for landing in Gisborne when the pilot informed us of the temperature, 13'C. Joy. I laughed once more. I've reached a point where I know that it'll only be sunny when I'm not there.
So I prepared myself for a weekend in one jacket, no shorts, no tank tops, no...bare feet.
I arrived. Down went the plane door and in came the cold wind.
Gulp. Don't cry. There she is. My lovely niece.
My dad brought Kaitlyn and Maconnell along to welcome me home. I haven't seen Kaitlyn for some time. Besides my last visit, my sister wouldn't allow me to visit her. I am glad this time I got the chance too.
My sister and I have sadly lost contact with each other. I have put in a lot of effort to get her to talk to me again, however I doubt that'll ever happen. If anyone knows why, feel free to tell me. She won't give me a reason for this....let alone a simple "hello".
Prior to the flight, Louise (another bestie) required a Wendy's cheese burger, so that was successfully sitting in my own version of a barney-bag (huge with an never ending bottom) smuggled simply to end a craving. She received it at 6pm.
It was great to be home. Some things were moved around. Some things still unfinished (my dad, the renovator). The cupboards.....My favourite unfinished part of his house.
6pm: A hug, two people yelling Kiaora from afar, loads of laughs and a bright blue stripey van. My friend Louise took me "out".
Hayden, Louise and I were off putt-putt-putting down to the subdivision where the pub "Smash palace" sat miserably.
Although, once you are inside it is everything but miserable. Heaters, art work, friendly locals and ...a cat?
Dash the Smash cat sat herself on the bar island asserting herself if anyone dared to stroke her.
"Oh Gissy", I thought, "you are amazing".
We played pool and ended the night with handles of L&P and bourbon.
Amount spent: $6.50
Amount enjoyed for free....Let's just say more than $6.50
Thank you locals for the free drinks and wedges.
The next day was dedicated to Kaitlyn and Louise.
Louise and I took Mac and Katie to the Botanical Gardens, Aberdeen road. The ring neck parrots sat amongst the trees in their aviary. It was not entertaining for the younger ones, so off they went to the pond.
20 jumps from rock to rock brought our visit to the park to a sudden end. Maconnell found himself up to his chest in water. I saw it coming....
It ended up being one of those moments where you should have said something...but didn't. Great temporary parenting on my part.
We visited Trisha and her darling 3 boys under 6 (surprisingly well behaved!) and then finished the day playing a lot of bingo!
By the end of the day we devised rules for drunken bingo, that will be played with enthusiasm on Saturday night with others.....Kaitlyn and Maconnell are too young to participate then.
May I also include, Louise won 4 times in a row. Nicely played my friend, nicely played.
I think really with Gisborne you learn to appreciate what you have, as not a lot can occur there, unless you make something up yourselves. Gisborne doesn't have ice skating parks, malls, bowling etc.
We have parties with bonfires, parties in wood sheds, parties in local pubs....Basically you live for the night.
If it is not sunny, you curl up in a ball in front of a fire (required!) and wait until 8pm then off you go and drink until the morning.
Much of my teen years involved a pack of girls in one yellow Honda City with bottles of "lollie-water/R2Ds" finding places to drink for the night. If not, we were lounging on the sand purposely ignoring our education.
I am still unsure how I wound up on the other side now, enforcing students not to bunk...How hypercritical.
I am yet to visit the beaches. According to the TV1 and 3 weather reports, today was meant to be sunny all round the North island. I am sitting here frowning at the white sky, wishing I was in that airplane again, above the white once more.
I do not have much more to say, as of yet. Yes, that is Gisborne in a nutshell. Nothing happens, nothing to report on. Yet why do we all want to return? BECAUSE IT'S HOME.
When it's sunny, it's dam sunny and you wish you did indeed buy a pool last Xmas.
The beaches are just stunning when the sun warms the sand and water. The colours are made for the perfect photograph. I have yet to visit a place that is better.
But for now, on Day 3, I visited the Information centre.
Why? Because there is a cute little mini golf attached to it, which may I add, has been renovated.
The "theme" was farmyard. What you see when you visit are holes, hills and hedges wrapped in fences, rusty barrels and signs. I am yet to learn how to post photos on here, but once I know I will include them.
Three of my younger cousins and their grandmother (my Aunty Shell) competed against each other. I believe the best part of the day was hearing them cackling each time I'd miss the hole and watching Michael (autistic) kick the ball into the hole instead.
A brother and sister teamed up on me and tricked me to believing one tunnel would come out by the hole. I whack the ball hard into it and the ball miraculously appeared behind me, further from the hole. PG curses protruded from my mouth. Something else we all enjoying doing with one another.
Well I guess I am all up to date as of yet.
Part 2 will occur soon that will actually review the restaurant I take Dad to for his birthday and a worth while wait for another Saturday in G-town.
I hope I have been more entertaining than my actual holiday.
XxXxX
Here is part two....Although I have the feeling we are finishing this blog experience idea.
I haven't heard much about it lately from Allie and the excitement for it is no longer reciprocal.
Friday night was spent bring revisiting old emotions and also having a crappy night out at "The Mill" for dinner. The Mill's name has changed to "Wild Food" and it is painfully expensive for the crap that was "served up".
To express more subtly, an RSA or homeless shelter kitchen would've provide a better ammount and also not powder potatoes for 26 dollars. A total of $63 was wasted.
I was appalled at that dinner and am 100% sure to not recommend it to anyone.
I received food posioning that night/next morning....funny that.
Although we attempted Dad's birthday dinner the next day (the two of us) and we found it to be most adequate. I had a brownie with a flakey dusted topping and a baguette that involved a mixture of all my favourite ingredients - what are the odds! Bacon strips, camembert, pesto, avocado, lettuce, tomato, relish.
....Dribble..... I'd recommend the Muirs cafe over and over again!
I also managed to fit in a yoghurt and banana smoothie into my stomach at the same time. Not sure how, but it was delicious.
With the sun, the balcony and a musical ANZAC march below us, our "Daddy-daughter day" was a success!
Roughly spent this time around: $15-$20
So if this is the end, I am sorry !
Maybe one day we'll be able to pick this up again.
Xx
I laughed on the plane. The colour blue floated above us and the colour white below. We were preparing for landing in Gisborne when the pilot informed us of the temperature, 13'C. Joy. I laughed once more. I've reached a point where I know that it'll only be sunny when I'm not there.
So I prepared myself for a weekend in one jacket, no shorts, no tank tops, no...bare feet.
I arrived. Down went the plane door and in came the cold wind.
Gulp. Don't cry. There she is. My lovely niece.
My dad brought Kaitlyn and Maconnell along to welcome me home. I haven't seen Kaitlyn for some time. Besides my last visit, my sister wouldn't allow me to visit her. I am glad this time I got the chance too.
My sister and I have sadly lost contact with each other. I have put in a lot of effort to get her to talk to me again, however I doubt that'll ever happen. If anyone knows why, feel free to tell me. She won't give me a reason for this....let alone a simple "hello".
Prior to the flight, Louise (another bestie) required a Wendy's cheese burger, so that was successfully sitting in my own version of a barney-bag (huge with an never ending bottom) smuggled simply to end a craving. She received it at 6pm.
It was great to be home. Some things were moved around. Some things still unfinished (my dad, the renovator). The cupboards.....My favourite unfinished part of his house.
6pm: A hug, two people yelling Kiaora from afar, loads of laughs and a bright blue stripey van. My friend Louise took me "out".
Hayden, Louise and I were off putt-putt-putting down to the subdivision where the pub "Smash palace" sat miserably.
Although, once you are inside it is everything but miserable. Heaters, art work, friendly locals and ...a cat?
Dash the Smash cat sat herself on the bar island asserting herself if anyone dared to stroke her.
"Oh Gissy", I thought, "you are amazing".
We played pool and ended the night with handles of L&P and bourbon.
Amount spent: $6.50
Amount enjoyed for free....Let's just say more than $6.50
Thank you locals for the free drinks and wedges.
The next day was dedicated to Kaitlyn and Louise.
Louise and I took Mac and Katie to the Botanical Gardens, Aberdeen road. The ring neck parrots sat amongst the trees in their aviary. It was not entertaining for the younger ones, so off they went to the pond.
20 jumps from rock to rock brought our visit to the park to a sudden end. Maconnell found himself up to his chest in water. I saw it coming....
It ended up being one of those moments where you should have said something...but didn't. Great temporary parenting on my part.
We visited Trisha and her darling 3 boys under 6 (surprisingly well behaved!) and then finished the day playing a lot of bingo!
By the end of the day we devised rules for drunken bingo, that will be played with enthusiasm on Saturday night with others.....Kaitlyn and Maconnell are too young to participate then.
May I also include, Louise won 4 times in a row. Nicely played my friend, nicely played.
I think really with Gisborne you learn to appreciate what you have, as not a lot can occur there, unless you make something up yourselves. Gisborne doesn't have ice skating parks, malls, bowling etc.
We have parties with bonfires, parties in wood sheds, parties in local pubs....Basically you live for the night.
If it is not sunny, you curl up in a ball in front of a fire (required!) and wait until 8pm then off you go and drink until the morning.
Much of my teen years involved a pack of girls in one yellow Honda City with bottles of "lollie-water/R2Ds" finding places to drink for the night. If not, we were lounging on the sand purposely ignoring our education.
I am still unsure how I wound up on the other side now, enforcing students not to bunk...How hypercritical.
I am yet to visit the beaches. According to the TV1 and 3 weather reports, today was meant to be sunny all round the North island. I am sitting here frowning at the white sky, wishing I was in that airplane again, above the white once more.
I do not have much more to say, as of yet. Yes, that is Gisborne in a nutshell. Nothing happens, nothing to report on. Yet why do we all want to return? BECAUSE IT'S HOME.
When it's sunny, it's dam sunny and you wish you did indeed buy a pool last Xmas.
The beaches are just stunning when the sun warms the sand and water. The colours are made for the perfect photograph. I have yet to visit a place that is better.
But for now, on Day 3, I visited the Information centre.
Why? Because there is a cute little mini golf attached to it, which may I add, has been renovated.
The "theme" was farmyard. What you see when you visit are holes, hills and hedges wrapped in fences, rusty barrels and signs. I am yet to learn how to post photos on here, but once I know I will include them.
Three of my younger cousins and their grandmother (my Aunty Shell) competed against each other. I believe the best part of the day was hearing them cackling each time I'd miss the hole and watching Michael (autistic) kick the ball into the hole instead.
A brother and sister teamed up on me and tricked me to believing one tunnel would come out by the hole. I whack the ball hard into it and the ball miraculously appeared behind me, further from the hole. PG curses protruded from my mouth. Something else we all enjoying doing with one another.
Well I guess I am all up to date as of yet.
Part 2 will occur soon that will actually review the restaurant I take Dad to for his birthday and a worth while wait for another Saturday in G-town.
I hope I have been more entertaining than my actual holiday.
XxXxX
Here is part two....Although I have the feeling we are finishing this blog experience idea.
I haven't heard much about it lately from Allie and the excitement for it is no longer reciprocal.
Friday night was spent bring revisiting old emotions and also having a crappy night out at "The Mill" for dinner. The Mill's name has changed to "Wild Food" and it is painfully expensive for the crap that was "served up".
To express more subtly, an RSA or homeless shelter kitchen would've provide a better ammount and also not powder potatoes for 26 dollars. A total of $63 was wasted.
I was appalled at that dinner and am 100% sure to not recommend it to anyone.
I received food posioning that night/next morning....funny that.
Although we attempted Dad's birthday dinner the next day (the two of us) and we found it to be most adequate. I had a brownie with a flakey dusted topping and a baguette that involved a mixture of all my favourite ingredients - what are the odds! Bacon strips, camembert, pesto, avocado, lettuce, tomato, relish.
....Dribble..... I'd recommend the Muirs cafe over and over again!
I also managed to fit in a yoghurt and banana smoothie into my stomach at the same time. Not sure how, but it was delicious.
With the sun, the balcony and a musical ANZAC march below us, our "Daddy-daughter day" was a success!
Roughly spent this time around: $15-$20
So if this is the end, I am sorry !
Maybe one day we'll be able to pick this up again.
Xx
