Monday 10th July
Friends from Adelaide Jan and Ken arrive from Sydney today - so after morning walk went to super market to stock up. Pickings are a bit slim as the shops are very reliant on freight arriving. However - managed to make sufficient purchases. Plane on time - so dropped off their gear - and did a bit of a tourist guide around the Kingston and Arthur Vale heritage area(KARVA). They loved the site - I never get tired of imagining the early settlement life - then the arrival of the Pitcairners - starting life on NI trying to survive when crops failed and stock died. Not sure I am a pioneer as all seems to hard.
As they had such an early start felt shouldn't subject them to too much in one day - so homeward bound - for an early dinner.

Tuesday 11th July.
Deciding on what J & K wanted to see during their stay. A tour of gardens (Jan and me) and Colleen McCullough's ( all of us) home and studio were chosen. Then we headed for the "city" of Burnt Pine to check out the shops. Took all of 1/2 hour to check all the shops!!!! The obligatory coffee at The Olive - best cakes in town. Both Jan and I made purchases from Max's - Jan a really lovely black leather bag and me a vest I can wear for golf ( yep - really needed more golf clothes)
Then off to Guava Gallery and Cyclorama - fabulous depiction ( by local artists) of the Mutiny of the Bounty and the arrival of the Pitcairners on NI. Again - very impressed by the work of Cyclorama - and the artistic work in the gallery.
Pat and Puss ( Fiona's parents ) dropped in for a cuppa during afternoon. Weather remains perfect - around 20 with no wind.

Wednesday 12th July
Same early start - then over to Eldoo Car Hire to check whether Tracy and Paw Paw ( not sure what his name actually is - NI have strange custom of naming men after some funny occurrence in their lives- the mind boggles as to how a Paw Paw was created) They assured me they were coping without me - I am sure they were just sparing my feelings - just joking!!!
Then off to the northern side of the island - unfortunately it did start to rain ( what - rain while I'm doing my tourist guide "thing") - so only a very quick glimpse of the view at Capt Cook lookout.
Then it was coffee time - so headed for Bedrock cafe - great coffee and yummy cake. Sun shone and excellent view.
Jan and I then went on a guided tour of 4 gardens - was very interesting. All so different From a very new (9 years) garden with beautiful dry stone retaining walls. Lots of fruit trees - one I didn't know at all - Pomelo. They also had some cute sheep.
Next was a very old garden - but scrappy. Next was a garden a couple took over a year ago and cleared it all out - looked lovely now sun could filter through.
Lastly to a nursery where we were shown how the owner propagated by marcotting. By wrapping a branch of a fruit tree with a striking/ potting soil the branch creates a root system - which could then be planted out - the process takes about a year - and the tree can bare fruit the year later - new to me and seems like a worthwhile process.
By now my feet were freezing - my fault - didn't wear right shoes - so home for fire and dinner