"What's been happening?"

Our campsite

There was a kitchen available but we wanted to try cooking our  meal freedom camping style.

Theo tries out the van

My son, his son Theo and his wife at Theo's first birthday party. Theo is trying his birthday cake.

Christchurch visit
After the wedding last Saturday, we packed up and drove first to Timaru (2.5 hours) stayed the night, then on to Christchurch to attend our grandson's first birthday party.  We stayed in Christchurch until Thursday morning. It was our first attempt at camping in the van. We have a queen size mattress on a platform in the van, and we erected a gazebo with curtains beside it to be our dressing room, eating area. We booked a tent site in each camping ground and "roughed it".  We realise that now that we are retired and not earning a big salary, staying in motels on such visits is an expensive exercise, and we kind of like the adventure of doing it cheaply.  We found the bed comfortable. We have already thought up better ways of organising our luggage so that we can have better access. We enjoyed the people we had contact with at the camp ground and the independence of having our house and bed with us. We will do more of this in time to come.
Christchurch is still a beaten up looking city even after three years since the big earthquake. The facilities in the campground were all temporary buildings brought in after the quake with the old kitchen and shower blocks all fenced off and deemed unsafe to use. The roads are still very bumpy and there are heaps of drainage repairs, bridge repairs and road works going on. You can work out on a map where you want to go, but then you encounter detours and have to rethink your plans. 
Surprise prize... "Letter of the Week"
In my February 4th blog post I shared a "Letter to the Editor" I wrote to the local newspaper. (Otago Daily Times)  When I wrote the post I wondered if they would even publish it. It was about the care of people with mental health issues. Well they published it, giving it quite a prominent headline. When we returned from our Christchurch stay I discovered that I had received a book from the newspaper with the note that my letter had won "The Letter of the Week" prize.  I never even knew that there was a competition each week. But better than that I had a message left on the phone by a man I have known all my life. He has had his share of mental health issues to cope with, but he left this very affirming message expressing appreciation for my passion and compassion. 
What happened to retirement?
Driving home from Christchurch my cell phone rang three times. One call asked me to catch up on a patient in the hospital on behalf of a chaplain from another city. I agreed to do that. Other calls also sought my assistance. I am conducting a wedding later today, Saturday. (In a garden... but as I write the rain is falling heavily outside?) Yesterday I had wedding service preparation, I visited St John Ambulance for lunch as their chaplain. (volunteer position) I then visited the man in hospital and spent nearly an hour with him. (He has unexpected major surgery on Monday) I did my fire service chaplaincy where there were people with heavy issues I talked with. I raced from the last fire station down the very windy Otago Peninsula road to lead a wedding rehearsal. As I drove home I calculated I had "worked" around 8- 9 hours and I will get paid for two of them.  I will have to start charging for the extra's I do! It was OK while I was working and earning to be generous with such things, but just fuel costs for such running around will absorb a reasonable proportion of my pension.  When I was the Church minister I had a free car park in the centre of town. Now when I visit the hospital, St John Ambulance or the brewery I am having to pay quite a few dollars a week in parking charges. I recognise that I have to be more efficient in the way I do things... Having said that we have lived a foolishly generous lifestyle for all of our married life and have never gone without yet, so I don't expect to be begger any time soon.