It’s true – If you are a glass-of-wine-every-other-night kinda gal like me (or maybe one or two depending on your day) then it may not seem like much but seven days without your ‘mothers little helper’/alone time (whatever you call it) can feel like a month! BUT I find that once I’ve cracked seven days I can go on forever. I have stopped drinking before for various reasons, I took a year and a half off when I poisoned myself at 17 for example 😉 Since then I have randomly taken months and years off – mostly for health or training reasons or to find other ways to deal with stress. Today is day eight and I feel like it’s not an issue now. But then maybe that’s because it’s FREEZING in Christchurch and the thought of a wine in the sun feels very far away…

Really cold, I’m not joking. I got off the plane and my texts to Kris went ‘I’m here, I’ve got my bag where are you?’ then ‘FUCKING HELL it’s cold outside – WHERE are you?!’. Do you think I packed a jumper? a hoodie? a cardigan? oh hell no. What a dick. Because it was sweltering at home – and I hear all about Canterbury’s HOT dry summers so I assumed it would be hotter down here and just threw in my denim jacket as a ‘just in case’ we go out in the evening type deal.

So I walked the dog in my sister’s hoodie, and then risked it when I went to meet Cath for lunch in just my tee shirt and suffered the consequences. I met her at her house right in the middle of renovations – so exciting! My friend Cath understands my special food needs because it’s her specialty – and therefore knew I’d need a cafe for lunch that could cater to that – and we went to the perfect place. A little cafe where they have GF, DF and vegan options and they ALL look delicious. I had potato and kumara rosti with delicious mushrooms and a poached egg on the side – full until dinner time!

Just around the corner from Cath’s place is a Salvation Army and I trawled through the clothes, bleurgh, and then spied a table piled high with beautiful old school Kiwi made Kaiapoi wool blankets – yes please! I restrained myself and only got three – but enough I think to cover the massive horrible (now after being climbed on by the boys) cushions we have on our couch at home. Then, when we move to our fantasy home when we win lotto, and get the large couch to go in the large, light-filled airy room we will have beautiful kiwi made cushions covers in beautiful soft colours. Ahhhhhhh bliss.

Finding my way around Christchurch got slightly easier (I did get lost going to Caths – twice) and I made my way to Kris’s work in town and went for a wander around Restart container mall etc. I bought a grey marle Huffer Hoodie. YUM. (on sale darling don’t worry) because I was SO cold that I was going blue. Also I think I flashed all of Ballantynes my knickers as I went up the escalator….

I am looking forward to having a bit of a road trip to check out some of the nearby towns and see the sights. So far so relaxing. The only thing that could improve it is the sun! Come on weather sort yourself out eh?