Lake Matheson and Mouse in the House

Some days you make plans and off you go, but this wasn't one of those days. On the way to Fox Glacier yesterday I opened the glove compartment and saw this cozy little start to a nest in a Solo cup.

This NZ-made granola is a real treat and we eat it only periodically, but last time we shopped we stocked up, not knowing how widely it's distributed. The taped bag had a tiny chewed hole. If that mouse got one of my Brasil nuts I'll be miffed.

New practices are in order, including closing up bins, after unloading the whole of the Rover.

Art grilled steaks for breakfast though, and I made buttered beets and sauteed onion and garlic.

We thought we'd be heading off for Gillespie's Beach today via a gravel road out of town to the Tasman Sea, but waves of rain (still, rainbows!) pointed us instead in the direction of the laundry facilities. Bed linens and clothes, sweet and fresh. A clean caravan and an exceptionally well organized Rover. Another chapter in paradise requires preparation.

Yesterday we walked Lake Matheson and visited what's possibly my favorite cafe attached to a Department of Conservation location.

I was making a picture of this old tin when a man stopped and said: I remember my mum used to have those when I was growing up in England.

Soothing and Sustaining

"I thought it looked like a frog so I added eyes," our server said as she set down Art's flat white. Sweet!

The warm sun and milky coffee conspire to relax us after our Fox Glacier trek, but off we go on the 90-minute walk around the lake.

It's a wonderfully diverse flora and well-tended path.

This is the photo-op spot everyone loves. Yesterday after our very clear morning the clouds moved in--we're in the mountains after all--and the crisp view was not ours.

Though it was in 2015. People often ask why we'd return to NZ after spending six months here already. I think part of the answer has to do with seeking out new vistas and returning to beloved others.

 

 

The sun's angle is especially striking in spring and fall, the latter here.

Still raining. Time for popcorn!