Our quiet life in the Wellington suburb of Tawa continues with few interruptions. There’s the overnight visit to Napier, New Zealand’s Art Deco city, but apart from that, the routine is unremarkable: we write, we run, we walk, we visit the beach.
I must just note that Napier is rather charming with its hills overlooking the sea, dotted (and in some places crowded) with its iconic late 19th century and early 20th century houses. We take a speculative look at a few of them and enjoy their beautiful timber floors, white painted verandahs and wonderful views. We also eat the best Indian meal we’ve ever had and enjoy walking the miles of seafront boardwalk.
We talk to Alex who, with his partner, Lia in New York, is having Christmas with friends on a light ship on the Thames. Kate is on her remote mountain and out of contact, so we can only imagine what she’s doing. My sisters and mother are all having their Christmases in various places in Australia and Adrian’s family are in Meribel, skiing. We’re all rather dispersed and, although we’ve had Christmases a deux before, this one feels just a little unreal.
In truth, there’s little to report, so I’ll just wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope you stay well into the new year.
