This week has been very different from the rather dream-like state I feel I've been in since I got here. Reality can be very cruel indeed.
The week started very happily, with Gordon, Hilary’s ex, coming to ‘Family Dinner’ on Sunday. Of course I thought at the time that would be the last time I’d see him before I returned to the UK, so we said our goodbyes, hugs all round, even Hilary got one. The weather was absolutely appalling all weekend, I was really glad I’d come back early, and later in the week there was snow in Palmerston North, which hasn’t happened for about 10 years. So the Kiwis are really paying for their wonderful summer, but the rain is very much needed to fill up the hydro lakes.
I came back to Paekok on Monday and heard all about Erola’s week while I’d been away, she seems not to have been home much at all, which is good I guess. On Tuesday I went to visit her where she nannies in Ngaio, where the 2 children are very gifted, but she thinks ‘Nicky Noodle’ (see above) has Asperger’s syndrome. He does seem a little bit odd to me, but he did take to me, Erola said I would make a good nanny if I couldn’t get an IT contract back in the UK! I think I’ll stick with being my grandchildren’s Nanna thanks!
On Wednesday everything changed. When my sister emigrated to NZ with her second husband Gordon, she left her daughter Liz from her first marriage back in the UK. There had been a huge falling-out, but there was a later reconciliation. Liz had an on-off relationship for at least 8 years I think, with Gary, a guy with quite a few problems. I got the dreadful news on Wednesday that Gary had committed suicide the previous weekend in Liz’s flat, & she had found him. He had broken in to do so, they were apart at the time. Of course Hilary took the first plane available back to the UK, which meant going via Sydney and took much longer than usual, and she arrived without her suitcase. I haven’t heard from her since, she has written one email from her ex-husband’s house, and texted Ali a couple of times, but of course it is very difficult for her. Apparently Liz is holding it all together, but only cos Hilary’s there I think. I hope to see them both once I get back too, Hilary had a return flight booked for 27 July, not sure if she’ll be able to persuade Liz to come back too. Liz has 2 dogs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, who are her babies, & even more so now, one of them was Gary’s, so she won’t want to leave them.
So of course I offered to look after Ali (& Junior) in Hilary’s house for the duration of my visit. Ali is suffering from post-viral syndrome, which means she keeps going down with infection after infection, though fortunately she seems relatively OK at present. I’m just making sure she looks after herself (she’s Type 1 diabetic), and I feed them both proper food. Junior is never allowed to stay overnight while Hilary’s there, but of course he’s there now! He is off to Australia to see the Pope on the 13th anyway, so it isn’t for long.
I didn’t actually leave Paekok till the Friday, because Erola and I had booked tickets to see The Music Roadshow put on by Paraparamu College in the theatre at Southwards Car Museum (see above) on Thursday. It was very good, the boy on the far right is Joe, one of Erola’s Taiko drummers.
On Saturday I took Ali to Stephan’s restaurant north of Otaki, because she’d been wanting to go there for ages and we had planned it with Hilary anyway. Her friend Lucy, who died in the car crash I mentioned way back, was a chef there, and for a while there was a dessert named after her on the menu, but no longer. Otaki has some outlet stores, so of course we went shopping. I intended to buy stuff for me, but ended up as usual buying clothes for the grandchildren. I also bought some tops and a jacket for Ali for her birthday, which isn’t till next month but I won’t be here. It took our minds off things anyway.
I came back to Paekok on Monday and heard all about Erola’s week while I’d been away, she seems not to have been home much at all, which is good I guess. On Tuesday I went to visit her where she nannies in Ngaio, where the 2 children are very gifted, but she thinks ‘Nicky Noodle’ (see above) has Asperger’s syndrome. He does seem a little bit odd to me, but he did take to me, Erola said I would make a good nanny if I couldn’t get an IT contract back in the UK! I think I’ll stick with being my grandchildren’s Nanna thanks!
On Wednesday everything changed. When my sister emigrated to NZ with her second husband Gordon, she left her daughter Liz from her first marriage back in the UK. There had been a huge falling-out, but there was a later reconciliation. Liz had an on-off relationship for at least 8 years I think, with Gary, a guy with quite a few problems. I got the dreadful news on Wednesday that Gary had committed suicide the previous weekend in Liz’s flat, & she had found him. He had broken in to do so, they were apart at the time. Of course Hilary took the first plane available back to the UK, which meant going via Sydney and took much longer than usual, and she arrived without her suitcase. I haven’t heard from her since, she has written one email from her ex-husband’s house, and texted Ali a couple of times, but of course it is very difficult for her. Apparently Liz is holding it all together, but only cos Hilary’s there I think. I hope to see them both once I get back too, Hilary had a return flight booked for 27 July, not sure if she’ll be able to persuade Liz to come back too. Liz has 2 dogs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, who are her babies, & even more so now, one of them was Gary’s, so she won’t want to leave them.
So of course I offered to look after Ali (& Junior) in Hilary’s house for the duration of my visit. Ali is suffering from post-viral syndrome, which means she keeps going down with infection after infection, though fortunately she seems relatively OK at present. I’m just making sure she looks after herself (she’s Type 1 diabetic), and I feed them both proper food. Junior is never allowed to stay overnight while Hilary’s there, but of course he’s there now! He is off to Australia to see the Pope on the 13th anyway, so it isn’t for long.
I didn’t actually leave Paekok till the Friday, because Erola and I had booked tickets to see The Music Roadshow put on by Paraparamu College in the theatre at Southwards Car Museum (see above) on Thursday. It was very good, the boy on the far right is Joe, one of Erola’s Taiko drummers.
On Saturday I took Ali to Stephan’s restaurant north of Otaki, because she’d been wanting to go there for ages and we had planned it with Hilary anyway. Her friend Lucy, who died in the car crash I mentioned way back, was a chef there, and for a while there was a dessert named after her on the menu, but no longer. Otaki has some outlet stores, so of course we went shopping. I intended to buy stuff for me, but ended up as usual buying clothes for the grandchildren. I also bought some tops and a jacket for Ali for her birthday, which isn’t till next month but I won’t be here. It took our minds off things anyway.
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