The first of September, and the weather gods gave us a beautiful spring day, which also happened to be Father’s Day in the Southern Hemisphere!

The tulips are blooming, and the sun has been shining…

Pop and Floyd are soaking up the midday warmth.

The day has been a busy one for the Bonnici Carter household. Call from the youngest son at 7.00am, Russ receiving visitors for morning tea, Sandy doing a beach clean up and Sue off to spend the morning with Mary! All before lunchtime.

Dan, Al and Russ post lunch pic, Dan, Lex and Floyd visited Russ and Pop for lunch.

Floyd patiently waiting outside for the leftovers!

Then it was the excursion to bring back the electric scooter from Orewa to Silverdale…Sandy dropped me over and first stop was to the garage to pump up the tyres. One went up the other went down, until a couple of very kind men helped the damsels in distress and got the flat one full!

Off I tootled, battery went down quite quickly, so a coffee stop and scooter recharge at our friends Don and Russ’s en route! Feeling confident I was ready for the ride home, all the runners and bike riders giving me a very cheery greeting as they roared past my 3km an hour scooter!

Last hill and power getting low….and then a very nasty noise as the machine stopped three houses from my destination. Seemed locked in gear and Sandy and Sue shoved and heaved it close enough to home to run an extension lead to charge!

Not to be! I think I have killed the battery or something – will need a man to check it out!! Good intentions to give Russ a walking machine but he will have to wait a little longer!

Jax and Steph turned up for the promised butter chicken (the scooter episode having taken a lot longer than anticipated) so Jaxon ended up making it!

Anyway, even though not all things run to plan, it has been a good Father’s Day with Russ talking to or seeing all his boys! And the promise of summer is around the corner.

Our little piece of paradise, Waiwera, in New Zealand… cool sunshine today but a promise of a great summer ahead.

Dan has been getting our cottage ripped apart and new bathroom and a spruce up for summer – bringing it into the 21st century and retaining a taste of retro! Doing a great job.

While Russ has been lounging in hospital, familiarising the kiwi experts with the German knowledge. All is getting better day by day and we hope that our doctors will start joining some dots!

Right now we are all at different ends of Auckland, watching the All Blacks (NZ) play the Wallabies (Australia) in a rugby test…this week it’s looking good for the home team before the World Cup!

While it is still well and truly winter in our country, it is so good to be here and have our support network!

Today I took Russ a newspaper to read, I hope that someone is looking after Hans in Berlin. It’s the small things that make our world a better place! (This side or that side of our planet).

One week back in New Zealand and we are back in the system….rather than wait for an appointment for 6 weeks, Russ decided a visit to the Hospital (cloud pillow in tow) to get the ball rolling was in order!

So here we are and so begins another story…..by the way Russ is doing ok just needs access to some oxygen management, so will be a guest here for a few days while they get this sorted!

The Story….we will call him Lorrie (not his name) named as such, as we are in the assessment ward and Lorrie is a very busy man, roaring around with his walker and refusing to sit at any point! Indeterminable age, somewhere between 75 and 90 at a guess. He has a lovely keeper who is very kindly allowing him to crouch on the floor, put his walking frame on the bed and very politely do exactly the opposite of anything the nurses ask. He is a peaceful old chap and just quietly says “No” to everything suggested. Obviously a very active man, who does not have an afternoon nap! And no amount of coaxing will convince him this may be a good idea!

Some of the most wonderful people visit these places….And we are joining the ranks!

As we sit safely back in the New Zealand winter, the events around the world, that happened overnight, just proves that someone is actually looking after us.

The Qatar flight that we were scheduled to be on and could not get clearance (medical) to fly, left Doha last night and had a mechanical emergency! A big hole in its motor! Circled for an hour or so, dumping fuel (so as not to overrun on landing) and headed back to Doha stranding all its New Zealand bound passengers, waiting for another plane. That would have been Us! But as they made it very difficult to fly, we sneaked away on another airline! Still waiting for refund, but a good position to be in.

Then overnight….

The home we owned in Auckland, before moving north to the hibiscus coast five years ago, was hit by a freak localised tornado, ripping off the roof, blowing in the big glass ranch sliders and bowling all the boundary fences and trees! At the time of selling Russ was a little apprehensive, but five years later, we have escaped this event too.

So I joined the northern motorway traffic jams this morning and headed to town to get my head around work, Russ had a quiet day at home, knowing we had dodged a couple of bullets here.

Karma, the universe or whatever has been keeping us safe!

Waking up to day four back in New Zealand, rain and thunderstorms predicted, it’s hard to grasp this time last week we were on the other side of the world…praying to get home.

In August, winter in New Zealand, the days are short, the grass is wet and the winter sun comes and goes between rain and clouds.

The kiwis migrate to warmer climates for a sun soaked holiday, and those of us who cannot, crank up the heat pumps to a tropical inside warmth and somewhat hibernate!

The last few days have been a time for Russ to catch-up with his friends and family (mostly by phone) and taking it easy after the drama of the last few weeks. Sue is preparing to hit the workforce again tomorrow…you know, a clean pair of jeans, nice top and maybe not my “Birks” ( which are working well as slippers).

We await specialist appointments and a “where to from here” feeling is creeping in. In the meantime, I have renovations to do on the cottage, in readiness for summer living and a wedding in the wings…

It is wonderful being back on familiar soil, and my walking legs are already getting lazy with a car at hand!

While we are very happy to be home in a damp cool New Zealand, and our 2019 big OE adventure took an unplanned turn, we had some fantastic adventures in the European world!

We started with two kiwis and were joined along the way…

The waiwera crew flew from various corners of the world to all catch up in our favourite second home in Malta.

Father son time with George and Russ, thru thick and thin….George was with us in great times and not so great times (earning some big son brownie points!)

Caught up with some old friends – from Australia and Switzerland, and making new friends along the way…Russ has a knack of collecting locals and t-shirts!

Modes of transport; trains, boats and planes (and bikes). Feet also were well exercised, on cobbled and dusty streets…

A variety of food, finger, fancy and fast!

And the liquid refreshments, from a variety of beers (all good), two for one cocktails (patiently worked our way through a range of these in happy hour) lots of water (sparkling and still), coke in tiny cans and glass bottles.

Some wonderful couples moments, in Malta, Vienna, Zurich, Poland and of course Berlin. Sun, sea, heatwaves, thunderstorms, rain and wind, most of it warm in the northern hemisphere summer.

While the adventures were cut a little short, we saw some sides of life that not many experience and some little side stories as we got up close and personal (at times a little too personal) with the humans of Berlin.

We can now look back at Berlin with a moderate amount of fondness, now we know it will not be our home!

Just going to borrow this image of Waiwera from John Murray, who has been keeping us up to date with the local news.

By the time you read this, Russ and I are safely, happily and very tiredly back in New Zealand.

As we were getting roadblocked every step of the way, with a medical application for oxygen availability – Russ made the decision that we would book with a different airline, not apply for oxygen, knowing they have it on board, and head home.

Booked to leave Monday 5th, Berlin time to Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney-AUCKLAND…. one more spanner in the works was thrown at us……a huge strike with ground staff at Heathrow airport, came out in the news , to be in effect Monday and Tuesday, our first stop, London!

Of all the luck the airport we chose was cancelling feeder flights for Monday left, right and centre!

So again plans change….after a two hour phone wait Sunday morning (and another cost) we changed flights again, quickly packed and headed to Heathrow on Sunday afternoon in readiness for the long haul on Monday night! So another two nights in another hotel, close to the airport. (We are really over this hotel life, I need a kitchen!)

London, airport suburbs, hasn’t got any prettier in the last 30 years, since I was there, and summer is still winter temperatures, flying visit of a day and a half, totally enough…but it was nice to be in an English speaking country, where we could respond at least somewhat intelligently (except for the house maid man, who asked me to speak to him in French – oh gosh really, nevertheless I tried)

And Monday evening rolled around and we were off (a little apprehensively – praying all from here on in would go to plan) Riding the public transport in the airports, everything from wheelchairs To electric tandem chairs, to the flint stones car! I got to ride most of them too.

Well, everyone, we are very weary, but have never been so happy to be home in familiar surroundings, even though it is cold. We have eaten too much, sat too much but made it in two tired old kiwi pieces! We both need a months R&R to recover from our unplanned adventures in Northern Europe…thanks for taking the ride with us and helping keep our heads above water.

It’s been a bit of a blog blowout in Berlin as our six days planned stay, has turned into three weeks – possibly about two weeks and five days too long so far, but who’s counting.

However, we have got the feel for everyday life in Berlin suburbs – like an AUCKLAND holiday in Papatoetoe!

As I cannot continue to write stories about the people we meet, (Hans has moved onto greener pastures) today I decided to write a story about the Best of Berlin….

Berlin Beer

The beer is probably the number one on the list, from a cost perspective (60-90c a can) and a wide range of pilsners, which I have come to enjoy!

Berlin Boys

Number two (which would have been number one in different circumstances) – was to have these two boys together!

Berlin Bikes

And third on the list are the bikes! Colourful bikes, powerful bikes, rental bikes and Postie bikes! Bike lanes on most streets, and a common mode of transport for Berliners and tourists alike!

Berlin Bridges

The odd glimpses of the waterway bridges we have seen, probably come in here fourth – as the passes over European rivers are always worth a moment of our time, no two are the same.

Berlin blooms

I have been hard pushed to find beautiful gardens and parks …. hence the continued search for colour and well cared for green and flowered spaces. Most of the time flora is limited to flower and plant stands near the Hospital…coming in fifth in the Berlin ‘B’ list.

Berlin Buildings

And sixth on the list are the Berlin buildings, many littered with graffiti and the post war construction is somewhat uninteresting….apartments, office blocks and houses looking tired and unwelcoming for the most part. The malls are malls (universal structures of noise and claustrophobia) The hospital is white, the hotels are rooms with a loo and the cafes can’t make good coffee. (When McDonald’s coffee is the best on offer, as even the locals say)

Anyway, another day another dollar spent, and every day in every way we are getting better and better.

Reminiscent of my childhood (and that’s a long time ago) when nothing opens on a Sunday….except McDonalds (which is not reminiscent of my childhood, as it didn’t exist), Sunday in Berlin promises to be a quiet relaxing one!

George and Russ relaxing on the foyer chairs before George left us this morning, feeling not flash with what appears to be a tummy bug! Pains yesterday and progressing overnight…

Needless to say, he couldn’t eat dinner last night or breakfast this morning, and headed to the airport this morning about 9.30am, feeling rather nasty. He is now home in Norway, tucked up in bed and only inbibing water. Great way to end his holiday!

However, his not so favourite housemaid, he has nicknamed Gertrude, was sporting her newly rearranged trolley, after I gifted her my little range of “Carrybag” handbags.

She was thrilled and promptly made new containers, out of our designer bags, for her soaps in one, shampoos in another, tea and coffee supplies in another and so on. Trev, you may recognise some of these on her trolley, the small ones I took to use as handbags!!!

Good Old Gertrude, takes pride in her work, and still yabbers away to us in German incessantly!

After George left, Russ and I took our morning stroll to McDonalds for the best coffee in the south (coupled with the bacon and egg McMuffin deal) No wonder my jeans are tight!

And back to the hotel for a chilled afternoon. Russ has taken the car park walk, his back is feeling better, and breathing under control…so that’s us for a sleepy Sunday!