ROAD TRIP TO PALMY

 

This morning I am packing me bags and heading off to Palmerston North for a few days.

I will be leaving around lunchtime, thus giving the roads time to warm up, I don't like driving on icy roads!

Normally I'd never go down that way at this time of year, but I just felt I needed to go.

My friend Chris D is having a procedure done in hospital on Tuesday and I'm going to A) support her, and B) Babysit her two little dogs.

AND... Fox's Cottage isn't far from Palmy eh?  😂😅😉

I am also, of course, looking forward to seeing other friends, and Mike 'n' Joyce.

ONWARD...

11.20 am, and I'm at Taupo.  I left home hours earlier than I anticipated.  Cos, why wait around? 

It's a lovely day, no frost so good to go.

I stopped in Tokoroa and swung by the home my parents built when I was 3 years old.

We lived there until I was 15.

ABOVE: From the outside its hardly changed at all. I got out to take the photo and thought... why not? So I knocked on the door to say hello. 😉😊. The couple who live there now have owned the house for 40 years, and they invited me in! So a lovely chat ensued. He knew my Dad. He knew my brother Peter, who died over 40 years ago! We had such a nice, impromptu visit. We ended up having hugs as I left. So nice.

Now I am about to carry on with my trip down the line.  Just taking my time, enjoying the drive. Traffic is steady.

12.30 pm and I've  stopped on the desert road.

ABOVE: So lucky to have a fantastic view of the mountain today.

ABOVE: I'm sitting watching this helicopter landing with a bucket hanging below it. No idea why of course. But interesting.

ABOVE:  2.30 pm, and here I am, safely in Palmerston  North. I'm going to check out the mall for an hour, then go to Chris's.

ABOVE: So here we are. Chris and Chip, and Benne on my lap. I've been given the 3rd degree... I think I passed 😆.  We are spending the afternoon yakking. 

lol, we are sitting here talking about .... CORONATION STREET!  And how much it's changed.  Chris D hasn't watched it in over 45 years!  I will be watching it this evening  WRONG... ITS SUNDAY EH? , she's gunna be shocked at how much it's changed.  There's so few of the 'original' characters now.  I think Ken Barlow is about the only one from way, way back 'in the day'.  And of course, the story lines have changed dramatically, and the characters.  At one point I counted 11 homosexual characters, and there was always a murder just about to happen, or being investigated.  Shows how much times have changed, for sure.

7.56 pm, and it's a quiet night here.  We are just doing our games/puzzles on our laptops, while listening to the telly.  Time to sign off for the day, catch ya tomorrow.