rivettingKateTaylor

It’s it funny how a week after a great holiday, it feels like you’ve never been away?

People stop asking about your holiday and start talking about work. Except for when you’re a former Southlander who ventures south for the holidays and comes back with a rolling r big enough to fill the Oxford dictionary.

When you’ve holidayed with three sisters the word (worrrrrrrrrd) girls (girrrrrrrrrrrls) tends to come up a bit in the conversation.

Highlights from down south?

Christmas in Tapanui with a police callout for poachers on the neighbours place (“we thought we were still on another property” – Yeah Right – wouldn’t you gut a deer where it fell if you were allowed to be shooting it instead of lugging it onto the back of your ute?)

Sister’s wedding in Mosgiel in the rain – honestly never seen the woman smile so much 🙂

Seeing Ranfurly as a bustling busy town with lots of tourists – honestly never seen so much lycra in the Maniototo before! I had a reason for going to that area once upon a time…. it was away away away out of the way back then! Now I feel old. That’s about 1992. The Central Otago Rail Trail is now on the to-do list…. next trip south.

And Kinloch. Ah Kinloch. Home to my great great grandparents, great grandparents, grandparents, mum and now holiday destination to hundreds of Bryant whanau. Awesome.

Campfire on the beach at Kinloch with a great sunset over the Humbolts

And as with any family holiday, the best bit was actually spending time with family.

Playing Life or Monopoly with the kids, Skip-Bo (card game), sitting on the deck reading (Thomas with a sneaky eye on the Ashes tests on the TV), playing car cricket or Eye Spy, trips on the boat either with biscuit in full flight or lures trailing lazily away behind, walks down the lake… or sitting watching the sunset with a fishing rod in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Perfect.