I never get tired of hearing mates/family who don't live here leave on a Sunday back to the sub-par place they live with a sharp out-breath and the words 'man I don't wanna go home, I wish we lived here'! The times you really know their genuine are when their kids protest about vacating. Kids don't lie about that stuff. Last weekend was the true start of Summer here for me...
We (me, my partner and our rabbit; Murray) moved here 3 years ago, we've got friends from all over the country. We are 2 people living in a 3 bedroom house at the Mt. We get a lot of guests starting from now. But that's the point of living here isn't it? To soak it up, live a more relaxed life than a 'major centre' and to have lots of people from said 'major centre' come to visit. If it's such a 'major centre' then why is their desire to return to it after a weekend at the Mt so minor?!
A stroll to the beach, drinks on our back lawn, fish and chips, more drinks on the back lawn til it got dark (just in singlet and shorts), slow Sunday start, coffee and a walk round the Mt in the sunshine, Copenhagen Cones, chill on the beach, bbq lunch at home, back to the beach for a swim. That was our weekend with our guests. What made it different from any other weekend with mates from here or on our own? They took photos of all of it. There were claims of "it's like a mini Gold Coast or parts Hawaii". There were raised eyebrows at parking free at the beach. Aucklanders.
Miss 7 year old offered to stay here all week and do our cleaning, cooking and washing; "Mum and Dad can come pick me up next weekend". Totally taking her up on that when she gets to secondary school! Before that it's slave-labour and I'd feel a smidge guilty, once she hits 13 it's just 'helping around the house', right?!
Said child is also very well parented. On Saturday arvo I jokingly offered her a beer, as you do, when we were getting another round of drinks from the kitchen and she said "I can't, I'm allergic!" I enquired as to how, at 7, she would know that? Response: "I'm allergic to alcohol, drugs and boys". Good luck keeping that one going!