After a late breakfast I finished the final chapters of the Georgette Heyer and then wandered around wrapped in a towel for an hour and a half while I washed and dried my washing (it was far too hot to wear long John's and fleece which is the on trail I'm-washing-all-my-other-clothes alternative). Sure I'd only worn the clothes for a day/night but it was hot, I sweat and they already stink. Plus I think it's another trail rule: always take advantage of a free washing machine.
I spent much of the rest of the morning trying to catch up on blogging. After Aevryl and Ken came home we all piled into the car and headed into Palmerston North for part two of Aevryl's birthday celebrations: lunch at the Plaza food court with all the sisters and their families. It was nice to catch up with everyone again, and indulge in a curry!
I was in the Macdonalds queue to buy sundaes for desert for Marj and I when Mum txt me about a 5.7 quake in Christchurch. Everyone was very interested and we were all soon googling to find out more and check to see if there was any significant damage. Happily it seems that everything that was going to be has already been shaken loose by the previous quakes. Turns out Marj and I started a trend with the sundaes...everyone else soon shot off to get ice creams too.
After lunch we all dispersed to do whatever shopping we needed to do. I headed off to JB Hi-Fi to grab a more powerful USB charger (turns out I grabbed the wrong one when I packed and it can't charge my external battery pack). On the way I unexpectedly bumped into my brother Merrick and said hello. After JB's I shot to Kmart to buy new sunglasses (my old ones broke when I was checking in on the flight out of Dunedin); seeing as they were only $6 I bought two pairs...I'll probably manage to break another set soon enough! Poor Marj was waiting for us so it was time to meet back at the food court and do a final grocery shop before heading home (FYI interested walkers: in lieu of groceries I invested in a pair of Countdown undies. I bought a pair on a whim earlier in the trip and, made of thick stocking-like material, they're breathable, have proved super comfy to walk in AND are quick to rinse out and dry--recommend!).
Back at the house we had a swim (thanks Aev for the loner togs!) and spent the remainder if the afternoon relaxing. It's funny to watch Pufgy trundling round the yard behind Kenny like a faithful dog.
We had a ploughman's lunch and the last of the chocolate cake for dinner and afterwards sat down to watch a few episodes of Firefly before I packed myself off to bed. Back on the trail tomorrow! I expect to be back walking past the gate in two days time, but it will be good to feel like I've earned my sister and brother-in-laws hospitality by walking all the way to their house!
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