In the midst of all the excitement of finding that we were staying and then booking ourselves in at the Dancing Bear HI Hostel in Nelson, we heard from some people that we had been communicating with about a possible wwoofing engagement. Mike and Ulla live about 15 minutes outside of Nelson, and when we first wrote them from Costa Rica, we learned that they were actually in Guatemala at the time. Finally, they had booked us for five days in June, and when we thought we might not be around, I phoned and left a message to that effect as soon as we got into Nelson. Mike, in turn, had sent me an email stating that they would like to meet us if we were still around and that we would be welcome to come by.
When we spoke to Carolyn who lives just outside of Winlaw, which is another 45 minute bus ride away from Nelson, she told us of a rather complicated plan to have the person who was to pick up her friend in Winlaw take us out there from Nelson. Then, for the first time ever, her friend missed the bus out to Winlaw. So, we took advantage of the opportunity to book in for a night with Mike and Ulla. It was great to meet them and chat about all sorts of things, as well as see the incredible property which they had developed over the last 17 years or so. Ulla had just returned from Germany, and Mike had just picked her up, and the two had visited friends on the island. So, it really was an amazing act of hospitality for them to have us over at that time. But, it worked out really well, and Ulla and David and I put our ideas together to make a great meal and enjoyed learning a trick or two from eachother. Loved talking to them both -- really fine, even tempered people. Ulla had retired from teaching exactly the same time as I had. They were, in fact, both retired teachers, though Mike said he still enjoyed going in to substitute in shops as he found it to be a really nice, low key way to relate to the kids, and also get going on a project of his own. Mike gave us an extensive tour of his garden and one of the featured items was the bee condominium that he made out of a block of wood and some holes 5/16, I think it was, as the preferred diameter of the species of bee in question.
