20/4/2026 Last Monday in New Zealand

Woke early and went for a swim. It’s definitely getting colder. More so the wind chill when I get out!  The water itself isn’t too bad at all.  Once my swim was done I went back to the unit for a hot shower to warm up , had some breakfast and a sort out of my bag. I ended up culling some more clothes ready for the return journey home. I ended up repacking my bag and changing what I’d planned to wear home.  Just because there are no PJ on this flight.  I know I know I am truly slumming it this time! I may play the I’m feeble and confused card to see if I can get a pair. That’s how bad I want a set of Singapore Airlines PJ.  Stay tuned for that one!  Although they are a distinctly unpleasant shit brown colour so I’m not entirely sure how badly I want a pair. 

Once I’d done that I went for a walk up to St Heliers, it’s still a balmy 20 degrees but the southerly wind is making it feel significantly colder ! The mosquito bite hasn’t improved any so I visited the pharmacy where I was given antihistamine and hydrocortisone and. They told me to keep an eye on it and go to a doctor if it gets worse and tracks further; however , I know  I’ll be fine!  

  I messaged Morg to see if it was ok to pop up and see the house had been working on.  I had to leave it an hour as they were cutting and when I listened with my bat like hearing  I could see what he meant about the noise levels!  It was really loud even from the village!  So I went and got an iced coffee from the other  bakery and a lemon tart from him as they are his favourites, and  went and sat on the bench looking out at Rangitoto Island trying to memorise the view.

Obviously lots of photos will help with that !  I finished my coffee and walked up to the swings and booted a little kid off and parked my arse in the seat. Please note I didn’t really boot the kid off … he was going anyway I promise. I may have stood there staring at him for a while doing a bit of Magneto mind control but I don’t think that counts. 

Once I was on the swing I stayed for half hour just swinging away like a child watching the ocean and the clouds alternately. Sheer heaven. I really need a proper swing in the orchard. Industrial enough to take my weight.  

I checked the time and still had a little to spare so sat on the last bench in St Heliers before the one up the hill. It’s really sheltered by the toilet block. Attractive thought I know but it looks out over the bay and is cwtched under the cliff. 

As I sat there watching the world go by, this man approached and asked if I could hear voices in the toilets. Which I thought was a really weird question.  Then my next thought was what the hell is he doing in there or been doing there, and more importantly did I want to know. He had a really strong Yorkshire accent too, not that that means anything.  

It got weirder when he said he usually has a friend with him to help with his filming. Uh oh getting weirder by the minute here mate,  two men in a gents toilet,  filming. My brain didn’t even want to think about that Thankyou very much. 

Then he explained he was an actor (it gets weirder right?) and had two lines to say for an audition for a tv show he was trying out for as a bit part. Apparently he was Auditioning for the part of Dr Sim and his lines were:

“I can clamp the aorta” 

“Aorta clamped” 

Now I don’t think I’m much of an actor, certainly not an acting coach but he was asking how I thought he should say it.  So stupidly I said well give me some context of the scene…  it went as follows…

He’s a surgeon, another (I presumed) Dr said the patient was bleeding out, and then along comes his lines. His thought was to make it a question . I responded with Mate, if you're the surgeon in charge of clamping an aorta you don’t want to be suggesting it in a questioning manner unless your a student ffs! The man is clearly an idiot.  I told him I thought someone in that position would be authoritative  rather than questioning. My only experience being that of the team working in Si in the Heath, and whilst he wasn’t bleeding out it was certainly a life and death situation.  I wouldn’t have been too impressed if the lead consultant had been underwhelmingly questioning in his actions. But that’s just me! I probably wasn’t the right person to be giving advice anyway I’m a total muppet!  

I did ask why he was doing it in the public toilets overlooking the beach… he replied it’s a white background. Now I know how clean the toilets are here and they are immaculate considering the use they get but, I wasn’t entirely convinced with that argument. I think he was a bit of a perv filming himself in the men’s toilets.  

He went on to explain to his captive audience of one,  how he has to send in film of himself full body, side on and head and shoulders close up.  Personally the close up wasn’t that much to write home about. But it could have had something to do with his perv vibes I was picking up on.!  

I was immensely grateful when he went away and made a phone call to his agent to explain to her that he was doing the film solo and would struggle to get the full frontal and side shots for her. Defo a pervert.

As I stood up, a tradie rode up in his pushbike and fell off right behind the bench I was sat on. I caught his lunch for him which surprised me more than him falling off his bike surprised him. He was suitably grateful. I felt it prudent to give him the heads up about the weirdo in the toilets, he said in that case he’d go sit on the other bench. Good choices. Who wants to hear the words I can clamp the aorta coming from a public toilet when your eating your lunch?? 

As I walked up the hill towards the house Morgan was working on,  the weirdo was on the phone to his agent discussing the film requirements .  Allegedly, my personal thought is he was faking  the call cos he’d been found out!  But I’m a suspicious person.  

When I arrived at the house on the hill morg was just washing down where they’d been cutting the drive out.  He went and got his truck from around the corner and parkedit where the cement lorry had been parked.  

Then he took me on a short  tour of the work he’d been doing. As it’s a building site I could only go onto the concrete while he explained how they’d built the overhanging balcony and the steps.  The driveway has a turn table in it that you drive your car onto it then turns around and you just drive into the double garage.  There’s a lift inside to get up to the living area.  

I couldn’t go inside but even from the outside I could see a lot thanks to the floor to ceiling windows all around it.  It’s a stunning build and I’ve noticed that architects focus on getting as much natural light in as they can. Even now the weather is changing it will be incredible views over the ocean. The sunrises and sunsets from that road are just beautiful.  

The front door is solid brass with no visible key hole or door handle but opens up on a pad code. All really sleek and pleasing to the eye.  There is so much work going on and they’re hoping to be finished so the owners can move in in two weeks. It’s been two years in building and whilst it’s been done they’re in a little one bed flat.  They won’t know themselves. The guy who owns it is Swedish/Norwegian I can’t remember which but was a professional skier and stands at 6 foot 8 . He’s in a right state physically and is doubled over hence the lift I guess.  

Morg said the inside is mostly windows but they put a black kitchen in which he personally hates as it sticks out like a sore thumb.  The pour of the driveway and then the cutting took a few days to do and, it looks really good, I was allowed to walk on the blue plastic sheeting they’d laid over it but not the rest.  Where the drive meets the public footpath has all been cut ready to dig out. It’s 250ml thick so it’s all for to come out then be replaced with the same tarmac that’s on the rest of the path way.  Seems a bit pointless to me but what do I know? I’m very much a  that’ll do kind of girl!

At the back of the house there are a set of steps he’s built and poured from concrete. He could see the ideas going round in my tiny brain and looked at me and said no they were a bastard to do and very expensive. Looks like. I won’t be pouring concrete steps anywhere in the garden anytime soon! 

He dropped me back to the unit to save me walking,  and came and filled his thermal coffee cup up from the lovely little coffee machine in the kitchen. Two capsules to fill his giant mug and he went back to work.

I had a snack and then stupidly doom scrolled for an hour.  That’s going to stop when I get back what a time waster and it  makes me cry anyway.  So fuck that shit.  

I turned on the TV and found a film to watch,  the croods. Can always rely on animation for mindless watching!  

He came back down for dinner a few hours later and we had chilli and rice. I may be more than a bit fed up of the  mince based dishes now. But it’s a quick hot meal and home made so that’s got to count for something.  

We watched clarksons  farm series 4 and he left around 2000 hrs.  I washed my sweatshirt earlier but couldn’t wring it out properly because of my hands so it was dripping in the covered parking area on a coat hanger . He took it with him to put in the tumble dryer or I don’t think it would have ever dried before I wanted to wear it home.

I really struggled to settle, I checked in for my flight as I’d had an Email telling me to do so.  And went for a walk in the dark. It was remarkably chilly!  But it is ok I had my coat! The stars were twinkling, the cicadas were chirping and their friendly sound soothed my jangled nerves.  The streets were empty and I didn’t see a soul as I trundled along. Which was good, although they wouldn’t have seen my tears in the dark anyway!  

Once I’d totally exhausted myself I went back to the unit, made a cup of coffee and for the thousandth time checked off my to do list !  Everything is done. I just need to zip the bag up tomorrow night and pack up the food for Morg. 

And that’s my last Monday of my travels and Day closer to joining Si.  

Much love 

Mrs Leonard

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