Last week saw me going to my 1st ever rugby game in New Zealand. We were lucky enough to be asked to go and watch the Southland Stags ('us') versus North Harbour ('them'). Well what a fantastic day: we went for breakfast first to The Batch's sister cafe (Three Bean) and I had yummy eggs benedict with salmon (my new favourite breakfast of all time!) and the OH (Other Half) had a pancake stack with maple syrup, berries and bacon. We were both a bit dubious about the maple syrup / bacon combo but it really does work - if you haven't tried it then do. Then we were picked up and taken to the game. I certainly don't want to offend anyone when I say this but the experience at the match itself was strange. As someone accustomed to watching Wales on at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, singing and cheering, the camaraderie of the whole place and the passion that the rugby ignites in the Welsh race - it was quite different at Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill. Not that the NZ'ers are not passionate about rugby - you only have to watch the Haka / the fans watching the AB's to know that is far from the case. But something was lacking as the boys raced toward the try line. As I looked around it was as if everyone was in front of a HUGE television and we were watching it on screen en masse. There were occasional bouts of shouting - mainly from a strong Welsh voice beside me: "drive it Southland!". Also, I want to stress that I didn't not enjoy myself, I had a great time - it was just, well...different. It will be interesting to watch Wales play in the RWC in NZ - to see if we bring the singing / atmosphere with us or if indeed it is contained within the magnificent walls of the Millennium Stadium. 'We' won too - in the final minute - so that was a real buzz.
My 'something new' that I have learnt since I spoke to you guys & dolls last is that we don't have bin men here. You have to put your recycle bin and your rubbish bin 1 metre apart on the kerb - both facing outwards. Then along comes the bin truck and it stops at each bin as a mechanical arm protracts, picks up the bin and empties it onto the truck. Amazing huh?! It would be interesting to find out how effective this is - time wise - against the '2-bins at a time' routine they have in the UK with regards time vs wages for bin men, etc. Maybe it's just me who thinks that would be interesting - but then I have always been interested in stats! (Yes I can see you all putting right-handed 'L' hand gestures on your forehead).
Well I can't quite believe that I have been here for almost 3 months already. Sometimes things happen and I start thinking 'my dad would enjoy this' or 'my mum would love to see this' and similarly about my brothers and of course 'the girls'. A group of women came into work the other week, drew up a load of seats to one table and were literally howling with laughter for a couple of hours. It was a delight to hear but it did make me think of the beautiful ladies that I call friends at home. I miss my dinners with the 'Oooodex girls' - I miss my morning natters with the NCC rabble (and of course the cake), I miss falling asleep after one too many at Amy & Jason's, I miss dinner & (too many) drinks and Mr & Mrs M's and I miss my BFF - and sometimes I just want to sit with her and have a rant over a bottle of wine (or 2). But enough of that - too much labouring on it makes me think too much and that's never good.
We have bought the car that I didn't jinx last time I wrote! It's a very nice red sporty number - with a V6 engine (I don't have a clue what this means, but apparently it's a good thing). The cars out here really hold their value - there's not so much of a 'get rid of it when it's 5 years old' culture out here like there is in the UK. I think it's good that people place more value on things such as cars but it does mean that for a 10 year old car you could still be looking at paying the equivalent of £6,000...that would be a very rare car indeed in the UK! Talking of cars, I walked passed a car the other day that had a sticker in the windscreen that had the McD's logo on it and it said 'Drive Thru VIP' - this piqued my interest. I assumed it was a joke sticker that implied that you served 1st (obviously this wouldn't be the case in a drive thru) so I got home and Googled it and the only reference I could find online was that it means you get free food! How bizarre. If anyone knows any more than that then please feel free to leave a comment educating me further ;-)
My vocabulary seems to be increasing over here as I have subconsciously adopted some NZ terms...for example, I now use the word 'wee'. Not in the sense of "I really need a..." (it's always been there for that) but in the sense of "It's just a wee muffin" ... "In a wee bit" and so on. I try so hard not to say it but sometimes it slips out. I am also currently battling the desire to say "ay" at the end of a sentence. In the UK we use "like" and “right” a lot - such as “I went to the pub, right” whereas here it's "ay" - "We could go there afterwards ay" - and it's very hard not to get into that habit. Our muffins in work the other week were pear and white chocolate whip - it meant that people who asked me what was in them had no idea what I was talking about when I responded. I pronounce 'pear' as 'pair' but of here it's more of a 'peeeuh' - 2 syllables. The same with the word Dairy - here they pronounce it 'deary' which is confusing until you get used to it, especially as what we call 'newsagents' in the UK are called 'dairies' here. There you go, more education for you all :o)
Another thing: they get away with so much here on the radio. I can't imagine Chris Moyles and the team being able to say half of the stuff that they say here. The other morning they had a phone in about the most risque place you've 'christened' for want of a better term. You'd never get away with that in the UK over breakfast - but also the words they use borderline on swearing in the UK but are acceptable here. It's all highly entertaining for us after experiencing the extreme restrictions on British Broadcasting.
Enough of the comparisons - I don't want anyone to think that I want to be back in the UK because that's not true. I absolutely love this country and the people in it - I just like to point out the differences for my fellow UK'ers.
It's Sunday morning here for me (actually lunchtime) and we spent yesterday driving around an absolutely beautiful place called The Catlins. We went to Slope Point and then into Curio Bay to see Porpoise Bay and the Petrified Forest. It is such a divine place and ideally we need to go there for a weekend so that we can see more of it. There are signs dotted around saying 'give the seals and sea lions space' and 'Never approach a dolphin, let them come to you' and 'Stay 10 metres away from the penguins' ...all this promise and we didn't see a thing - not even a dog. So we'll just have to go back a few times until we do :o) Then Wales were playing Argentina last night so we stayed up again for that - we won (yey!). Today's plans are to rest up by the fire - the OH has a cough & cold so he needs to rest up to try and get rid of it. My plan is to read my book and settle by the fire :o) It's pretty cold here at the moment - not below zero or anything but the wind chill can be biting. We had more snow last weekend - it didn't stick with us (we're too coastal apparently) but it caused some chaos elsewhere. Most roads into Invercargill were closed, as was Queenstown airport and Wellington for a period. The owners of the cafe had been away for a week and were supposed to land here last Sunday but they couldn't get back until Tuesday so it was pretty hectic but we were fine. It was lovely to see snow again through the window.
Not long until Mine & the OH's birthday. It used to be on the 1st day of Autumn but now it's on the 1st day of Spring...it's these kind of changes that you don't take into consideration when you emigrate 12,000 miles away. It's nice though - almost lambing season for us and we have seen some seriously adorable teeny tiny lambs already. I just need to bend my head around when I should be planting my Summer plants...
Sunday 21 August 2011
Saturday 6 August 2011
Part 10 - Happy Birthday Mum
We all remember the pop man don't we? The little pop van that used to peruse the streets when we were kids, selling bottles of Corona with pimpled glass at the top of the bottle...yes? With me? You remember...you used to get 10p back for every glass bottle returned to the pop man. Yes - you remember! Well...not in New Zealand apparently. We we running low on soft drinks so I innocently asked "when does the pop man come?" and hilarity ensued. The barista had no clue what I was talking about and continued to paraphrase me as the day went on - asking other members of staff "when's the pop man coming?" When he asked Kate, she too laughed. After being asked what pop is I was informed that it's just called soda here. So I said "oh, so you just say the soda man?" to which I was told, no, not really. When I probed - well what do you say then? I was told it's simply "when's the Coke man coming?"...well deary me, no pop man, no kitchen roll - whatever next?!
A couple of weeks ago the OH (Other Half) and I had a Saturday night out in Invercargill. We intended to go and see a band in a place called Tillerman's which was reopening. But we started off at a (very nice) bar called The Kiln and had a few drinks in there (cocktails 2 for 1 from 9pm - midnight...get in! Cosmos for me) and were surprised to see a police presence in there. I'm not entirely sure what they were doing in there - just being present I think. They were wandering from table to table and having nice little chats with the people who were out for the night. New for me to see, but good I guess. We then went on to Barluca for one drink...it's not really the OH's scene - it's quite RnB focussed with the majority of residents being under 25 so we didn't stay there long. All in all it was a lovely night though :o)
That night was full of other surprises as I wasn't ID'd for the 1st time since being here. It seems that just like in the UK I still don't look old enough to be drinking alcohol, despite turning 30 in less than a month (!). One bar even took it a step further as they wouldn't accept my UK driving license as proof of ID! It's all part of a new initiative as part of the Rugby World Cup...they won't be accepting any forms of ID other than passports or NZ driving licenses. It's not the best of plans I personally don't think...if all foreigners need to carry their passports around with them then I expect there will be several lost passports when it comes to flying home time. Still, there must be some method to this madness. It's just inspired me to change my driving license over sooner then I had intentioned!
We went to a fabulous 'Beat the Clock' sale the other week. Basically a large store opens one night from 6-9pm and has huge reductions on their stock for this time period only. They also have end of line items and last in stock for greatly reduced prices. We intended to go along and 'take a look' and came away with a new TV unit, a big table lamp, rechargeable batteries and a charger, a hairdryer and some in-ear iPod headphones. It was a very good result for us and for the store in question I think!
Last Friday we went back to Riverton for a night out with Tim as Bernie is away working. It was open mic night at The Globe and the owners were also leaving after many years of running the pub. It was a lovely night, lots of good bands (many of which we'd seen at the RSA when we were living in Riverton) and the night was only enhanced by a drunk guy at the end of the night deciding to put a stool over his entire body and promptly getting stuck in it. You know the chairs I'm talking about - a tall stool with 4 long wooden legs and a round seat at the top. One can only wonder why he decided it looked like a fashion accessory but he did nonetheless and left many people helpless with laughter as he tried to wriggle free. Some people managed to help him and eventually he freed himself but I for one couldn't stifle my giggles. It was hilarious...my friends Amy & Jo would have been beside themselves! I wish I had been quicker off the mark in getting my camera out and filming it as it would have been a HUGE hit on YouTube.
Two weeks ago the OH's work had their time trial for the Harrex Corporate Pursuit at the Velodrome. The fastest time was 1:16 and they came in at 1:21 so they made 1st division again (it's on YouTube if you're so inclined to take a look). Then last Sunday they had a full day at the Velodrome for the finals. There were over 200 riders in all and around 36 teams! The OH was reserve (as was I) but we didn't ride as they were doing so well! They came in 4th out of the whole lot and have made me determined to be on the winning team next year. It is such an adrenaline rush to be part of it - just being there was quite inspiring! After a few hours at the Velodrome I made my way back to the house as there were things I needed to get done in preparation for our move 3 days later. I also decided to go for my 1st run since being in NZ and it was an absolute delight! I mapped my run - only 3.5 miles - to ensure that I didn't get lost and I had a moment of indecisiveness as I selected my running partners: iPod - definitely; Asthma pump - definitely; then it was phone (I could ring the OH if I got lost / in any trouble / mauled by dogs) or map (I could find my way home if I got lost) and the map won hands down. So - armed with no phone I went out for my run. I have never fully appreciated how flat NZ is (where I live anyway!) - it was lovely and I felt very refreshed indeed. Later on we went to the Corporate Pursuit awards dinner which was nice and then it was back to work on Monday (the weekends go just as quickly over here as they do over there!)
This week we moved house to our final house sit. We are also looking after 2 cats - Charlie and Lucy - as part of our stay and they are just delightful. It's so nice to have cats again. The house is absolutely gorgeous and we have a Yunca fire (log burner) which keeps the house warm and cosy. It reminds me so much of staying at my nan's house when I was a child as mentioned in a previous blog post.
Today we have been car shopping and have found a potential (don't want to jinx it!) and house shopping (I bought Pyrex dishes, ergo I am old) then went to Pita Pit for lunch. I'm not sure if you get them in the UK - it's basically a SubWay but so much nicer. They have pita breads that look like naan breads and they slice it sideways so that it forms a pocket. Then they stuff it with whatever you choose from the menu (felafel is definitely my best). It is scrum-diddly-umptious.
It's Saturday night here and we have a long night planned - the All Blacks are currently playing the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations. The Haka was pretty intense and the game is the same (competition-wise it's like Wales playing England; skill-wise it's nothing like that). I am determined to learn the Haka by the time I come home in April...I might even do it at Jo & Jerry's wedding if they're lucky, that'll look lovely in my bridesmaid dress ;-) Then we're going to watch a film and then (speak of the devils) Wales play England at 1:30am our time so we're planning on staying up for that. We've got all the ingredients in to make Moscow Mules so I'm hoping that will keep me awake (the UK'ers know my track record....I'm no good past midnight if I'm at home!)
It's my mum's birthday in the UK so I'm sending her HUGE love, kisses and cwtches for her birthday! It's times like these - and when family members fall ill - that make being so far away from the UK the most difficult. But we soldier on and keep our eyes on the prize - being here is something that we've both wanted for so long...I just wish I could have packed up family and friends with me!
I had my 2nd reference to Catherine Zeta-Jones in work this week...I'm going to start keeping a tally and continue convincing myself she's not the only Welsh female celebrity they know with dark hair...
A couple of weeks ago the OH (Other Half) and I had a Saturday night out in Invercargill. We intended to go and see a band in a place called Tillerman's which was reopening. But we started off at a (very nice) bar called The Kiln and had a few drinks in there (cocktails 2 for 1 from 9pm - midnight...get in! Cosmos for me) and were surprised to see a police presence in there. I'm not entirely sure what they were doing in there - just being present I think. They were wandering from table to table and having nice little chats with the people who were out for the night. New for me to see, but good I guess. We then went on to Barluca for one drink...it's not really the OH's scene - it's quite RnB focussed with the majority of residents being under 25 so we didn't stay there long. All in all it was a lovely night though :o)
That night was full of other surprises as I wasn't ID'd for the 1st time since being here. It seems that just like in the UK I still don't look old enough to be drinking alcohol, despite turning 30 in less than a month (!). One bar even took it a step further as they wouldn't accept my UK driving license as proof of ID! It's all part of a new initiative as part of the Rugby World Cup...they won't be accepting any forms of ID other than passports or NZ driving licenses. It's not the best of plans I personally don't think...if all foreigners need to carry their passports around with them then I expect there will be several lost passports when it comes to flying home time. Still, there must be some method to this madness. It's just inspired me to change my driving license over sooner then I had intentioned!
We went to a fabulous 'Beat the Clock' sale the other week. Basically a large store opens one night from 6-9pm and has huge reductions on their stock for this time period only. They also have end of line items and last in stock for greatly reduced prices. We intended to go along and 'take a look' and came away with a new TV unit, a big table lamp, rechargeable batteries and a charger, a hairdryer and some in-ear iPod headphones. It was a very good result for us and for the store in question I think!
Last Friday we went back to Riverton for a night out with Tim as Bernie is away working. It was open mic night at The Globe and the owners were also leaving after many years of running the pub. It was a lovely night, lots of good bands (many of which we'd seen at the RSA when we were living in Riverton) and the night was only enhanced by a drunk guy at the end of the night deciding to put a stool over his entire body and promptly getting stuck in it. You know the chairs I'm talking about - a tall stool with 4 long wooden legs and a round seat at the top. One can only wonder why he decided it looked like a fashion accessory but he did nonetheless and left many people helpless with laughter as he tried to wriggle free. Some people managed to help him and eventually he freed himself but I for one couldn't stifle my giggles. It was hilarious...my friends Amy & Jo would have been beside themselves! I wish I had been quicker off the mark in getting my camera out and filming it as it would have been a HUGE hit on YouTube.
Two weeks ago the OH's work had their time trial for the Harrex Corporate Pursuit at the Velodrome. The fastest time was 1:16 and they came in at 1:21 so they made 1st division again (it's on YouTube if you're so inclined to take a look). Then last Sunday they had a full day at the Velodrome for the finals. There were over 200 riders in all and around 36 teams! The OH was reserve (as was I) but we didn't ride as they were doing so well! They came in 4th out of the whole lot and have made me determined to be on the winning team next year. It is such an adrenaline rush to be part of it - just being there was quite inspiring! After a few hours at the Velodrome I made my way back to the house as there were things I needed to get done in preparation for our move 3 days later. I also decided to go for my 1st run since being in NZ and it was an absolute delight! I mapped my run - only 3.5 miles - to ensure that I didn't get lost and I had a moment of indecisiveness as I selected my running partners: iPod - definitely; Asthma pump - definitely; then it was phone (I could ring the OH if I got lost / in any trouble / mauled by dogs) or map (I could find my way home if I got lost) and the map won hands down. So - armed with no phone I went out for my run. I have never fully appreciated how flat NZ is (where I live anyway!) - it was lovely and I felt very refreshed indeed. Later on we went to the Corporate Pursuit awards dinner which was nice and then it was back to work on Monday (the weekends go just as quickly over here as they do over there!)
This week we moved house to our final house sit. We are also looking after 2 cats - Charlie and Lucy - as part of our stay and they are just delightful. It's so nice to have cats again. The house is absolutely gorgeous and we have a Yunca fire (log burner) which keeps the house warm and cosy. It reminds me so much of staying at my nan's house when I was a child as mentioned in a previous blog post.
Today we have been car shopping and have found a potential (don't want to jinx it!) and house shopping (I bought Pyrex dishes, ergo I am old) then went to Pita Pit for lunch. I'm not sure if you get them in the UK - it's basically a SubWay but so much nicer. They have pita breads that look like naan breads and they slice it sideways so that it forms a pocket. Then they stuff it with whatever you choose from the menu (felafel is definitely my best). It is scrum-diddly-umptious.
It's Saturday night here and we have a long night planned - the All Blacks are currently playing the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations. The Haka was pretty intense and the game is the same (competition-wise it's like Wales playing England; skill-wise it's nothing like that). I am determined to learn the Haka by the time I come home in April...I might even do it at Jo & Jerry's wedding if they're lucky, that'll look lovely in my bridesmaid dress ;-) Then we're going to watch a film and then (speak of the devils) Wales play England at 1:30am our time so we're planning on staying up for that. We've got all the ingredients in to make Moscow Mules so I'm hoping that will keep me awake (the UK'ers know my track record....I'm no good past midnight if I'm at home!)
It's my mum's birthday in the UK so I'm sending her HUGE love, kisses and cwtches for her birthday! It's times like these - and when family members fall ill - that make being so far away from the UK the most difficult. But we soldier on and keep our eyes on the prize - being here is something that we've both wanted for so long...I just wish I could have packed up family and friends with me!
I had my 2nd reference to Catherine Zeta-Jones in work this week...I'm going to start keeping a tally and continue convincing myself she's not the only Welsh female celebrity they know with dark hair...
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