The Cloughleys and their lovely home

Soloman 'the man'

Regularly heard quote from Pepa after telling you

something highly unbelievable: "I know... Strange, eh?"

Staying with Rob and Prudence for the week has been great. In the mornings we’d eat breakfast with five year old Pepa and three year old Solomon, make sure Pepa didn’t miss her walking school bus and then get a lift into the sailing club with Rob on his way to work. In the afternoons we’d stroll around Dunedin, visiting the museums and shops before walking to the university where Rob works as an art technician. In the evenings, and this was my favourite thing about staying with the Clogheys, we’d eat dinner all together, with Jack and Alix too. It was a great treat for us, having been away from family life for so long, to eat all together as a family. And boy, did we eat well! Chris and I even cooked a few times to lighten the load on Rob and Prudence, having to cook for eight people!

Their house, as described by Rob, is ‘full of weird stuff’. Rob and Prudence met at art school and there’s evidence of their creativity and love of strange items all over the house - homemade pottery, beautiful paintings, mannequins, heaps of fossils, skulls - all sorts! Every day we’d see something new! One of Rob’s hobbies was to go to the auction during his lunch break to find cool stuff for Prudence to sell in her curiosity shop in Port Chalmers or else sell on Trade Me (the Kiwi Ebay). Rob has always got a project of some sort going on and is forever in the garden cutting, sawing, sanding away at something - I was amazed.

At the back of the house is a huge vegetable garden where they’re growing everything under the sun - how wonderful for Pepa and Solomon to be able to help with growing fruit and veg while they’re so young. A small creek runs through the garden with a bridge leading to Pepa’s much used trampoline; she was forever showing us new tricks she’d taught herself.

We’ve had a great week here in Dunedin and it was made all the more special to be able to spend it with a family: we’ve loved getting to know Soloman and Pepa, chatting around the dinner table and learning from you about New Zealand - thanks so much for having us, Rob and Prudence. Our future Wwoofing hosts have a lot to live up to.

Nap time after a long morning of sanding.

Train time...

The family's 'chooks' (chickens!)