I’d like to say that Sis and I set Westport ‘on fire’ with our shenanigans over Easter, but our shenanigans these days no longer run to ‘on fire’. However, we did have a mighty fine time over the long weekend, topped off with a good bottle of bubbles that induced roars of laughter from two ol’ friends who happen to also be sisters.

Sis and I aren’t exactly like two peas in a pod, or anything. We do squabble and get annoyed with each other on occasions, but we also get along pretty well, too. We’ve both been in this world for a while now, messed up here and there, got through it, and ended up with stories which get a lot better over bubbles.

There’s always something going on at Sis’s place. Like her, her property is a tad unconventional, and nothing is ever exactly the same as it was the last time I was there. On this visit I discovered a doll’s head on pole in her garden. Apparently, it’s eyeballing her neighbour across the road – but that’s as much as I’m allowed to say about it. As a person who once put cat shite in someone’s letterbox, I’m in no place to judge her.

We don’t do ‘hectic’ when I’m staying with Sis. We contented ourselves with a walk along the beach and a sit down on a log for a while one afternoon, where the most exciting thing that happened was discovering that Bigfoot appeared to have walked there before us. We only saw the evidence, though, and no actual sighting. However, we feel that the evidence is fairly conclusive.

The next afternoon we headed out to Seddonville, an ex-coal mining town about 50kms north of Westport. Seddonville has a handful of houses and residents still there, along with a boozer, but no shops.

The reason for going there was to re-visit the Mōkihinui River, and probably sit on another log to while away some time. However, we didn’t quite make it to the river, so that will now be another trip for another day. Instead, we discovered other things around Seddonville that distracted us from our mission, so just allowed those distractions to call the shots. The Old Ghost Road looked like an interesting trail to follow for a wee while, but a few steps along it showed it to be too muddy for my white sneakers, so we – as in, I – abandoned that idea and moved on. Why I went out into the country in New Zealand with white sneakers on is a complete feckin mystery.

Before departing, I ducked into the bush to answer a call of nature and had a Weka for company. Took absolutely no notice of me in its bug-hunting busy-ness.

We stopped at Chasm Creek Walkway which is a lovely easy walk along a length of the old railway beside the Mōkihinui River. We couldn’t go the full length of the walkway because the footbridge was closed. Even so, it was a beautiful walk.

It was an absolute delight to see a little Piwakawaka (a fantail) performing its toilette in the water at the bottom of the cliff face which had water sprinkling down it. Sis took a video, but I couldn’t upload it here, so I’ve just taken a picture from it.

After that, Sis had to go and fall over – and it was well before wine o’clock – so of course I took a photo. Too good an opportunity to miss. I kinda wish that was the truth because it sounds like just the thing a sister should do, even though revenge would be swift and brutal, but the truth is she lay down in order to get some better shots of the colourful mosses on the cliff face. In my opinion, the first story is much better.

Then we headed home, got a good bottle of bubbles, and proceeded to get rather jolly on it once ensconced in chairs catching the last of the sun’s rays. I can see why the ol’ sleazes in the old days use to ply showgirls with champagne, because there’s just something about it that makes one more jolly than any other beverage I know of. A cunning ploy, indeed. Happily, the only ol’ people to worry about at the end of this day was me and Sis, and our secrets are safe with each other.