Lucy's Autumn Adventures

.....in which she goes to the circus and then the seaside!

Hello dear friends & readers.

Autumn has gently settled upon us here, bringing with her a visit from a son. 

Matthew came on the bus last weekend and although he stayed at his best friend's house, just across the road, it was lovely to see him, being as it was, just about Mothering Sunday and also a perfect opportunity for him to meet Lucy. Kaitiaki and his mum popped in to for a quick visit too...he's the one with the green socks, reading the book "Vantastic" (click to enlarge the picture if you like)

Rob has had a little bit of time off this last week and by Saturday he had completed all the little jobs, such as, making all the right electrical connections between the car & Lucy & finding the right spare wheel, so when I came home from running a couple of errands I saw a sweet little blue van waiting for me out on the street.

It's funny how the first time you do something you've never done before can be so exciting & a little nerve-wracking all at the same time.

We had discussed where we could take Lucy on a short trial run & decided that our favourite spot in the show grounds would be ideal. It was very funny when we drove in to find, not just a few dog walkers, but a circus had taken up residence there for the week.

We didn't know that there was an indigenous circus in New Zealand. Aotearoa is the most commonly used Maori word for the name of our little nation meaning "Land of the Long White Cloud".

So we had a little park-up in the clear space alongside the circus set up & checked to see how things had traveled.

Having gained our confidence, since all was quite, quite well with the dear girl, we ventured out to TeAwanga the following day.

 It's a funny old stony, coastal beach but there are plenty of spots to drive in & set up for afternoon tea.

We later drove right to the end of the road & visited the Clifton Camping ground to see if it would be a suitable place to stay. Sadly, the coast round this way has suffered massive erosion in recent years & that has greatly affected this particular camping ground. The sea has clawed back great chunks of land & the area is in grave jeopardy of disappearing altogether, however, just along a bit there is another camping ground called Te Awanga Point Holiday Park & having a little wander around, we decided that it felt just right! We packed ourselves up, checked the weather & went back to stay the following Tuesday.

There are quite a number of permanent residents who live at the park, but very few visitors out of the summer season so we could choose to park where-ever we felt like. Just here seemed perfect!

$25 a night is amazing!
We had the loveliest time. The locals were so welcoming & friendly & we enjoyed a long chat with a young Czech man when cooking tea. Later we nearly collapsed in hysterical laughter trying to find space for ourselves, the table, all the cushions & make the bed!! Only one person at a time can do the job on that one! The next day we met John (he worked in the circus in Aussie for 16 years!) & he said oh yes, yes..you're in the little "Honeymoon Caravan". There you go Lucy, no longer Donald but a honeymoon van ; )

We set ourselves up & wandered off to make a coffee & when we returned we found roses on the little table outside. What a lovely welcome & SO kind of Trish!!!

I found another length of lace in my haberdashery suitcase that was just perfect to finish Lucy's windows.

Te Awanga Motor Camp is a best kept secret kind of treasure. Established 50 years ago, it has remained pretty much unchanged over time & draws the same families back year after year & now even the next generation come bringing their families too.

Of course there is the sea..

but also a lagoon & a river

 & lovely farmland back in to the hills.

Clifton Station has been long established on this land. I borrowed a pony once from the Gordon's (who own the farm) when I was a teenager & rode Dasher in the Pony Club Champs that year. (Seems like a whole nother time now!) 

Look what we found on one of our walks. We couldn't bear to tell Lucy about the tragic state of the poor little van.

 I've always loved bunnies tails...do you?

It was such a lovely time of the year & the light was so wonderful I took lots of memorable photos & have made a Smilebox to add to this post in case anyone is interested.

A picture slideshow by Smilebox

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit.

I hope that you find beauty in your week & time for at least a little creativity.

MUCH

♥♥♥♥♥