There were another 2 earthquakes on Monday in Christchurch - no one died I don't think but they're all pretty shaken up again. We didn't feel anything here but apparently it was felt in Invercargill by some. It made me feel really sad for all the people living up there who keep having their lives upturned by quakes. NZ as a whole has hundreds of quakes per year so they're used to it - just not on that scale and not usually so intensely focused on one place. The pics on the news of people's homes literally on the edge of a cliff got me over thinking what on earth they're going to do (can't sell, can't move, can't claim on insurance yet, etc) It's rubbish for them...
It's still strange to think we live here now. Every now and again I say to the OH (Other Half) "we live in New Zealand, isn't it mad?" and he usually agrees - or laughs at me for saying it again. It feels really surreal and I guess it's because I haven't really been here long enough to get homesickness or anything yet. I miss seeing people and I do actually miss going to work but I'm not crying over it or anything. Give it time I guess.
Comically the OH'sboss decided that we 'look like' bike riders so he's put us forward for the company pursuit season's Cycling Southland event!! It's in a bloody velodrome and you have to participate in time trials and then the finals. The training - TRAINING! - starts this Thursday for an hour and is weekly or bi-weekly until the finals at the end of July!! Having never EVER ridden in a Velodrome I was panicking, seriously worried about doing it. HOWEVER, the 1st training session was on Thursday at lunchtime and I absolutely LOVED it!! Their company team is called 'the Flying Plumbs'(very clever) and we all went down to the Velodrome to practise. The bikes are odd - basically you cannot back pedal, you can't even stop pedalling as you'd stop dead and fall off. In order to slow down you have to slow down your pedalling and this stops you. On top of this your feet are strapped in to the pedals so you can't just put them on the floor. The sides of the velodrome are at a 45 degree angle and I was quite nervous to start - each time I got to the far edges (where the incline is the steepest) I kept coming down the ramp as I felt that if I overtook people (i.e. by going further up the incline, essentially above them) that my bike would slide back down into them but I really felt that I got the hang of it. The pressure was added on by our coach who kept saying "if you pedal fast enough you'll stick to the side as it works by centrifugal force"...errm - how fast is fast enough?! It was great and something I'll definitely take up as a hobby. Really good fun - if you haven't tried it then do. The coach was absolutely superb though and kept making us go further up the slope by standing on the track and making us go around him. It was fantastic and I felt a real sense of achievement. So Velodrome-Gate worked out really well in the end. Just goes to show - don't knock it until you've tried it.
Although with that in mind - I had my daily job alert on Thursday morning before I left for the velodrome and it had 1 job alert in it..."seeking exotic dancers"...'nuff said (no, I didn't go for it).
So after we went to the Velodrome we were house hunting (and actually going INSIDE this time!). Before we went we decided to grab some lunch. The OH was eager to show me a coffee shop / cafe that he helped to install, they opened up 2 weeks ago and he was raving about their coffee. So we stopped there for a (gorgeous!!) coffee and food. The OH finally had his (HUGE) mussels and I had a delectable meal: thick seeded toast with creme fraiche, sliced tomatoes and avocado...it was divine. Then we got chatting to one of the waitresses as the OH knew the owners and some of the staff. The next thing I knew the owner came over and offered me a full time job for as long as I can do it!! Absolutely amazing!! I took her up on the offer and today (Friday) was my 1st day.
House hunting was good - we found a lovely home, in a lovely area that has a BIG spa pool in the garden (under cover) with a BIG TV screen outside and sound system rigged in...lovely! The only downside is that it's up for sale too so we may have viewings while we're there, etc. Over here you have to apply to rent a property too - some properties may have lots of applications and the owner essentially chooses who they want to rent it out to. We find out Monday if it's still available - if not, the house hunt continues.
I started work(!) today just before 8am and finished at 4:30pm. It was great - the people who work there are so lovely. The job is extremely demanding - it's a coffee shop so you have to know all of the coffees and teas that they do - as well as the menu, plus you're working in NZ$!! It was so so much to take in but I loved every minute of it. The time absolutely flew as they already own a very busy coffee shop so they have a fantastic reputation. The coffee is the best I've tasted (I promise I'm not being biased) and today I even had it with no sugar (Han - you know me, I need sugar in coffee!!) The OH picked me up from work at 5pm and we went for a few drinks in Wallacetown with the boys he works with then we came home.
I'm currently nursing a thoroughly deserved glass of cabernet sauvignon, wondering what to have for my Friday night dinner - and you're all just going to work (it's 9:15am Friday for you all in the UK). HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!
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