Well as some of you know, I bought some flat boots last week in readiness for snow. While searching for these boots I kept saying to the OH (Other Half) "they don't do size 4 anywhere! Everyone must have big feet here." It turns out that NZ shoe sizes are all 2 sizes bigger than those in the UK. Therefore a size 6 is actually a UK size 4. D'oh! All these things you don't think about. So if you have size 2 feet then you'd be pretty much buggered over here cos I couldn't find ANY size 4's when I was looking.
It's the Winter festival up in Queenstown starting this weekend and will run for about 10 days. We're thinking of going up next weekend. So in readiness for this we found ourselves watching the snow boarding championships on the TV. Well well well the 'moves' they have in that sport have the most rubbish names. Seriously my youngest brother could come up with some seriously cool names for them if they needed them. Moves are currently called things such as nose bonk; pretzel (quite cool actually); backside; switch double backflip; melon grab (honestly!) and bag lady. See?! How ludicrous are these names? I know the majority of competitive snow boarders are about 12 years old (ok, 18) but these are seriously rubbish names for some really cool moves. On top of that the commentator (who sounds like the guy who says things like 'do you wanna go faster?! at the funfair) says things like "he's a goofy footed rider" like it's some sort of technical term...in fact I think it is! I'm watching it slating all of the silly names (but oohing and aahing at the actual tricks) and the OH's sat next to me wishing them all to fall. The other day it was quite eerie - his powers from behind the TV set were uncanny as all the riders kept falling. "This guy is ranked 4th in the world" hmmm.... not with the OH wishing the 'fally downy' trick on him.
Anyway, last week we were told that our application for the house with the big spa bath in the garden was approved - yey! Then the next day they rang us to say the house had sold - boo! We knew it was going to happen but did actually think we may make it into the spa before it did. Oh well, saves us moving again with all our stuff. So as of next Thursday we're actually homeless as we haven't found anything. Don't panic mum and dad - we have actually be asked to rent someone's house for a whole month as the owners are going on holiday to Europe! How amazing?! It's our coach (from the velodrome) and his wife's house and they've said they'd like us to stay there for a month. Then after that his daughter is away for 3 weeks so we're looking after her cats and house. Amazing! The kindness of strangers here is really overwhelming. We went to both houses this week and they're both just lovely. It means we get an extra 2 months to find a place we'd like to rent in Invercargill without just settling for something because we have to.
Another exciting thing that happened this week was that I was offered another job! It was for an organisation I applied for but it wasn't THE job I applied for. Although it was slightly more money than I'm earning at the cafe, it's only for 4-6 weeks so I turned it down. The owners of the cafe have been so kind to me and I don't want to let them down just for a temporary position so I will stay at the cafe until I find something longer term / permanent / my dream job! Unless of course they find someone full time, in which case they'll be letting me go. Oh well, everything happens for a reason.
One of the girls I work with often jokes that they will slander my name across town so that I can never leave, and she has said that she's going to make a voodoo doll of me to stop me getting a job elsewhere...I have had a very bad back recently...
More excitement this week came in the form of VEGETARIAN SAUSAGES!! I found them in Countdown and they are soooooooooo much nicer than Quorn! They're fresh and very natural (apparently) and they are just scrum-diddly-umptious. Yummy.
It's still buzzing in the cafe all day long. Every single day is heaving with customers and the day absolutely flies by, this week has disappeared before my eyes! I've worked 43 hours at the cafe this week (Mon-Fri) and every single minute has absolutely flown by. The people I work with are fabulous and I get along really well with them. Although there was a minor case of lost in translation this week. It went like this:
Me: "Do you know where the kitchen roll is?"
Stacey: (Looking at me like I've just dropped down from Mars) "Kitchen roll? What's that?"
Me: "You know, it's a roll of stuff you use to wipe down the kitchen surface"
Stacey: (picking up a rag) "This?"
Me: "No"
Stacey (Picking up a blue & white wipe) "This?"
Me: "No"
Scott: "What are you looking for?"
Me: "Kitchen roll....kitchen towel...you know it's like toilet tissue but for the kitchen"
Stacey & Scott: *Puzzled*
....Thirty seconds or so goes by with us all looking around, me knowing what I'm looking for, the others not sure what they're looking for...
Stacey: (recognition spreading across her face) "Oh! You mean paper towel?? It's by there"
Me: "yes that's the stuff I'm looking for but these (pointing to the paper towels by the hand washing sink) are paper towels"
Stacey & Scott: "No, they're hand towels"
Another thing they all say here is "how are ya'?" when they come in the shop / pass each other in the street...it's a bit like us saying "alright?" in the UK. So I have to say this to customers when they come in...now when New Zealander's say "how are ya'?" it rolls off the tongue quickly and the emphasis is on the 'are' bit of the sentence (try saying it in a NZ accent and you'll know what I mean). When we Welshies say it the emphasis tends to be on the 'you' bit as we don't say 'ya'. So when I say "how are you?" I feel a bit like a counsellor or something but no-one has spilled their woes to me as yet. It's all good and apparently it's very much a Southland thing as opposed to the whole of NZ.
Well it's Saturday afternoon for me and I'm just about to get ready as we're going into Invercargill this evening with the OH's work and their partners for a night at a seafood restaurant. I'm very much looking forward to it, it will be nice to meet some of the other girlfriends.
This post's title has come from my pride in being Welsh yet again. You made the news over here this week....for your skills in creating the largest ever skinny dip. Be proud!
Saturday 25 June 2011
Sunday 19 June 2011
Part 5 - I'm a 'Sleb
Imagine my surprise on Saturday morning to find myself looking at a picture of myself on page A11 of the Southland Times. Yes you've guessed it - the press that came in on Friday decided to use a picture of me and Kate serving a customer - with our names printed underneath. I look really grumpy on it and Kate looks stressed and busy...hmmm - think they could possibly have chosen a much better one, maybe of the barista hard at work seeing as it is a coffee shop. Alas the guys the OH (Other Half) works with text him, and his boss said it's nice to have a celeb in the area. So there you have it "I'm a 'sleb"...albeit a grumpy looking one! I wasn't grumpy at all so I'm not sure why I'm looking like that - maybe that's just my normal face.
Well as you know I have been searching for a winter coat and with Snow forecast for the upcoming week down south my situation was getting desperate. Lo and behold on Saturday we went into Farmers and it was there staring at me (OK the OH found it really) - a gorgeous winter coat with toggles and a hood and everything. So I am now the proud owner of a new winter coat which even boasts 'a touch of wool' in the lining. It's beautiful. Plus it was half price in the sale (no queens birthday sale this weekend, just a sale) so double trouble!
I also invested in some flat boots for my new job in the coffee shop - I have 5 days in work next week so I'm sure I'll appreciate them so much more than the (small) heeled boots I wore Friday. So I'm sorted...let it snow! On that topic, we are hoping to head up to Queenstown for their winter festival in July and the organisers were concerned that it wouldn't be much of a winter festival this year as it hadn't yet snowed so they're very grateful for the forecast. Get that Britain - this country can rely on the correct weather happening at the right time of year! I know, it's a novelty for me too.
Although this whole business of it being winter but not yet Christmas is seriously messing with my mind. I had a dream the other day that in NZ they moved Christmas to August...I awoke very very confused and had to ask the OH whether Christmas was at 'Christmas time' here or if it's in August. This confusion is not helped when there are adverts on the TV saying 'don't wait for Santa, get it now!' and the 'Christmas Magic Shop' being open (not sure what Christmas Magic they have in there, I'll let you know in due course - my senses might just explode with confusion if I enter a Christmas shop in June).
Needless to say Christmas IS still on December the 25th over here BUT some people do have mid-Winter Christmas parties in June / July so that they can celebrate Christmas when it's looking festive. Now this completely defeats the object of having a lovely sunny Christmas. Who started this? For native New Zealanders Christmas has always been sunny so 'Christmassy' weather to them would be very different to 'Christmassy' weather for us Brits. Surely they don't even think snow is Christmassy?? It's so confuuuuuuuuuuusing! I must admit, it is very odd seeing snowmen and snowflakes in windows and snowmen plush toys around without the obligatory Santa / reindeer next to it.
A few of you have asked me about the shops out here. These are as follows:
Food shopping
No we don't have Asda / Tesco / Sainsbury's. We do however have Countdown / New World / Supervalue / Pak 'n' Save which are by and large the same thing. The main difference is that it's much cheaper to buy your fresh veg from a green grocers and your meat from a butchers than it is to buy them from a supermarket. It's the opposite in the UK.
Also, for those of you not on FaceBook you won't have seen the 'Swede Shed' pictures. Basically on the side of the roads there are little tiny sheds filled with a certain veg (in this case it was swedes) and there's an honesty box where you put your money and you take the veg you want. It's lovely. In the summertime you find all sorts (avocados, fruit, etc) but I have only seen potatoes and swedes so far at this time of year. It wouldn't work in the UK because the veg (and the shed!) would most likely be stolen...by the minority I hasten to add, but it spoils it for everyone else. These swedes were only $1 (about 50p) so you drop your cash in the box and away you go. These are set up buy whoever grows the veg. It's a great idea and makes me feel in some tiny minute way that I am contributing to local farming and not all the imported stuff.
On the subject of food they have these chocolates over here by Cadbury called 'jaffas'. They're like orange smarties but they're bigger and ball shaped, they are amazing. I remember loving them when we cam here last February and my love was reignited the other day. They are gorgeous. I'm not sure why they don't do them in the UK - I'll bring some back with me next year and get you all hooked ;-)
On the flip side I bought a Nestle 4 finger KitKat the other day and have eaten half of it. Yes - HALF! There is a reason for this lack of KitKatKitKat however has a fair bit of chocolate on it. I even bit the 2 ends off and sucked my coffee up through it but alas no joy, it's just not the same. Also, I think KitKats are smaller out here you know - don't get me wrong, I am glad - but if someone could let me know the weight of a 4 finger KitKat in the UK it would abate my curiosity. Enough about the KitKat.
Clothes shopping
None that I recognise from home in this category either. We have some big companies like Farmer's / Postie / Number One Shoes / The Warehouse (where everyone gets a bargain so the song on the advert says) and this is only my limited knowledge so far based on adverts on the TV and what I've seen in Invercargill - I'm sure you'd have a completely different account from someone who lives in Auckland! Some shops have real random combinations of things for sale - take The Warehouse as an example. Now they sell everything from chocolates, sweets, pop, etc to perfumes, workwear, clothes & shoes to mops, cleaning fluids and garden furniture! It's a bit of a catch all really.
Fast food shopsHere is where the similarities to the UK / US come out in force. We have Subway (with some extra options though like 'seafood supreme') and we have a 24 hour McDonald's, we have KFC too and all the usual suspects.
Coffee shops
We have Starbucks but there are much much better local coffee shops that you should frequent instead ;-)
Any more questions on shops or anything else then fire away!
We had some fabulous news yesterday - our shipping items have left the UK - yey!! So they are expected to dock in New Zealand at the end of July. How exciting to have my own things back :o) I didn't think I'd be so excited but I really am. More clothes and shoes - yey, yey and more yey!!!
We went out last night to a fund raiser night for St John at the local RSA (like a workingmen's club). It was a fab night. We went with Tim and Bernie (our neighbour's daughter and son-in-law) who are so lovely! We had a fab night but if you've seen the pics you will have noticed it was a very drunk evening - therefore I have an ill man on my hands today. He's currently asleep in bed and it's 5pm Sunday afternoon. We got home at about 1:30am and we slept through 'til 12:30pm this afternoon! I am feeling fine (that's what happens when you're only in your twenties) as I think I slept it off. So today has mainly consisted of being in my PJ's all day and wondering what I can eat next (the KitKat remains in the fridge).
On that note, I'm off to scour the pantry to see what I can find. Have a great Sunday all!
Well as you know I have been searching for a winter coat and with Snow forecast for the upcoming week down south my situation was getting desperate. Lo and behold on Saturday we went into Farmers and it was there staring at me (OK the OH found it really) - a gorgeous winter coat with toggles and a hood and everything. So I am now the proud owner of a new winter coat which even boasts 'a touch of wool' in the lining. It's beautiful. Plus it was half price in the sale (no queens birthday sale this weekend, just a sale) so double trouble!
I also invested in some flat boots for my new job in the coffee shop - I have 5 days in work next week so I'm sure I'll appreciate them so much more than the (small) heeled boots I wore Friday. So I'm sorted...let it snow! On that topic, we are hoping to head up to Queenstown for their winter festival in July and the organisers were concerned that it wouldn't be much of a winter festival this year as it hadn't yet snowed so they're very grateful for the forecast. Get that Britain - this country can rely on the correct weather happening at the right time of year! I know, it's a novelty for me too.
Although this whole business of it being winter but not yet Christmas is seriously messing with my mind. I had a dream the other day that in NZ they moved Christmas to August...I awoke very very confused and had to ask the OH whether Christmas was at 'Christmas time' here or if it's in August. This confusion is not helped when there are adverts on the TV saying 'don't wait for Santa, get it now!' and the 'Christmas Magic Shop' being open (not sure what Christmas Magic they have in there, I'll let you know in due course - my senses might just explode with confusion if I enter a Christmas shop in June).
Needless to say Christmas IS still on December the 25th over here BUT some people do have mid-Winter Christmas parties in June / July so that they can celebrate Christmas when it's looking festive. Now this completely defeats the object of having a lovely sunny Christmas. Who started this? For native New Zealanders Christmas has always been sunny so 'Christmassy' weather to them would be very different to 'Christmassy' weather for us Brits. Surely they don't even think snow is Christmassy?? It's so confuuuuuuuuuuusing! I must admit, it is very odd seeing snowmen and snowflakes in windows and snowmen plush toys around without the obligatory Santa / reindeer next to it.
A few of you have asked me about the shops out here. These are as follows:
Food shopping
No we don't have Asda / Tesco / Sainsbury's. We do however have Countdown / New World / Supervalue / Pak 'n' Save which are by and large the same thing. The main difference is that it's much cheaper to buy your fresh veg from a green grocers and your meat from a butchers than it is to buy them from a supermarket. It's the opposite in the UK.
Also, for those of you not on FaceBook you won't have seen the 'Swede Shed' pictures. Basically on the side of the roads there are little tiny sheds filled with a certain veg (in this case it was swedes) and there's an honesty box where you put your money and you take the veg you want. It's lovely. In the summertime you find all sorts (avocados, fruit, etc) but I have only seen potatoes and swedes so far at this time of year. It wouldn't work in the UK because the veg (and the shed!) would most likely be stolen...by the minority I hasten to add, but it spoils it for everyone else. These swedes were only $1 (about 50p) so you drop your cash in the box and away you go. These are set up buy whoever grows the veg. It's a great idea and makes me feel in some tiny minute way that I am contributing to local farming and not all the imported stuff.
On the subject of food they have these chocolates over here by Cadbury called 'jaffas'. They're like orange smarties but they're bigger and ball shaped, they are amazing. I remember loving them when we cam here last February and my love was reignited the other day. They are gorgeous. I'm not sure why they don't do them in the UK - I'll bring some back with me next year and get you all hooked ;-)
On the flip side I bought a Nestle 4 finger KitKat the other day and have eaten half of it. Yes - HALF! There is a reason for this lack of KitKatKitKat however has a fair bit of chocolate on it. I even bit the 2 ends off and sucked my coffee up through it but alas no joy, it's just not the same. Also, I think KitKats are smaller out here you know - don't get me wrong, I am glad - but if someone could let me know the weight of a 4 finger KitKat in the UK it would abate my curiosity. Enough about the KitKat.
Clothes shopping
None that I recognise from home in this category either. We have some big companies like Farmer's / Postie / Number One Shoes / The Warehouse (where everyone gets a bargain so the song on the advert says) and this is only my limited knowledge so far based on adverts on the TV and what I've seen in Invercargill - I'm sure you'd have a completely different account from someone who lives in Auckland! Some shops have real random combinations of things for sale - take The Warehouse as an example. Now they sell everything from chocolates, sweets, pop, etc to perfumes, workwear, clothes & shoes to mops, cleaning fluids and garden furniture! It's a bit of a catch all really.
Fast food shopsHere is where the similarities to the UK / US come out in force. We have Subway (with some extra options though like 'seafood supreme') and we have a 24 hour McDonald's, we have KFC too and all the usual suspects.
Coffee shops
We have Starbucks but there are much much better local coffee shops that you should frequent instead ;-)
Any more questions on shops or anything else then fire away!
We had some fabulous news yesterday - our shipping items have left the UK - yey!! So they are expected to dock in New Zealand at the end of July. How exciting to have my own things back :o) I didn't think I'd be so excited but I really am. More clothes and shoes - yey, yey and more yey!!!
We went out last night to a fund raiser night for St John at the local RSA (like a workingmen's club). It was a fab night. We went with Tim and Bernie (our neighbour's daughter and son-in-law) who are so lovely! We had a fab night but if you've seen the pics you will have noticed it was a very drunk evening - therefore I have an ill man on my hands today. He's currently asleep in bed and it's 5pm Sunday afternoon. We got home at about 1:30am and we slept through 'til 12:30pm this afternoon! I am feeling fine (that's what happens when you're only in your twenties) as I think I slept it off. So today has mainly consisted of being in my PJ's all day and wondering what I can eat next (the KitKat remains in the fridge).
On that note, I'm off to scour the pantry to see what I can find. Have a great Sunday all!
Friday 17 June 2011
Part 4 - My Second Week
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!!
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!!
Part 3 - My First Weekend
It still feels like I'm on holiday and my 1st weekend of NZ living has happened.
Friday night we had fish n chips from the local takeaway - which incidentally is also the local video shop that I mentioned in an earlier post (they have some seriously odd combination shops).
Saturday daytime we went to look at some houses in Invercargill - from outside only as Estate Agents don't work weekends here. I'm not sure what people are meant to do if they both work - I guess you take time off work to house hunt.
On the plus side - I've applied for 2 jobs in estate agents so that's definitely a Mon-Fri...perfect!
Saturday night we were umming and aahing about going our for food...in the end we decided we'd go out Sunday for lunch instead so the OH (Other Half) ordered a pizza and I decided to have something at home.
Sunday we went for a lovely walk along the coast in Riverton up to the Beach House restaurant. When we left our home the weather was fine (we'd been threatened with rain for 2 days on the weather and they kept getting it wrong...so I said "they've been saying rain for days, let's just go") so off we toddled. About 30 mins into the walk the rain started....it doesn't just drizzle here - it hammers down. So we walked through it - the OH actually had his hood up (his friends in the UK will know that that's just NOT the OH ) and I had a scarf wrapped around my head - living up to my 'nana' nickname by the OH . So we took shelter near a takeaway for about 10 mins to see if it eased off and it did for a bit but we just walked through it and arrived at the Beach House drenched. We sat down and to the OH's dismay they'd run out of mussels (he'd been talking about having them ALL weekend!) so I ordered blue cod and the OH had a steak sandwich. The waitress who had spoken to the OH in the morning came to ask us if we'd been for our walk and on glancing how wet we were her question was answered! Had a couple of drinks with lunch and warmed by the log fire in the restaurant. It was delightful. We made a new friend in the owner - Daniel. He's only 26 and bought the place about 8 weeks ago, he has big plans for an already fantastic restaurant so that will be interesting to keep an eye on. Then we walked back at about 5pm (already v dark - it IS Winter) and chilled at home.
On the way home along the beach were these really strange birds that all stood behind each other behind a little tiny hump of sand - we think they were standing out of the wind but there were hundreds of them. When a certain bird rain a few feet across the beach they'd all run and stand behind it again - very strange to watch.
Then Monday it was back to work again for the OH ...and back to Mahjong Titans for me...
Friday night we had fish n chips from the local takeaway - which incidentally is also the local video shop that I mentioned in an earlier post (they have some seriously odd combination shops).
Saturday daytime we went to look at some houses in Invercargill - from outside only as Estate Agents don't work weekends here. I'm not sure what people are meant to do if they both work - I guess you take time off work to house hunt.
On the plus side - I've applied for 2 jobs in estate agents so that's definitely a Mon-Fri...perfect!
Saturday night we were umming and aahing about going our for food...in the end we decided we'd go out Sunday for lunch instead so the OH (Other Half) ordered a pizza and I decided to have something at home.
Sunday we went for a lovely walk along the coast in Riverton up to the Beach House restaurant. When we left our home the weather was fine (we'd been threatened with rain for 2 days on the weather and they kept getting it wrong...so I said "they've been saying rain for days, let's just go") so off we toddled. About 30 mins into the walk the rain started....it doesn't just drizzle here - it hammers down. So we walked through it - the OH actually had his hood up (his friends in the UK will know that that's just NOT the OH ) and I had a scarf wrapped around my head - living up to my 'nana' nickname by the OH . So we took shelter near a takeaway for about 10 mins to see if it eased off and it did for a bit but we just walked through it and arrived at the Beach House drenched. We sat down and to the OH's dismay they'd run out of mussels (he'd been talking about having them ALL weekend!) so I ordered blue cod and the OH had a steak sandwich. The waitress who had spoken to the OH in the morning came to ask us if we'd been for our walk and on glancing how wet we were her question was answered! Had a couple of drinks with lunch and warmed by the log fire in the restaurant. It was delightful. We made a new friend in the owner - Daniel. He's only 26 and bought the place about 8 weeks ago, he has big plans for an already fantastic restaurant so that will be interesting to keep an eye on. Then we walked back at about 5pm (already v dark - it IS Winter) and chilled at home.
On the way home along the beach were these really strange birds that all stood behind each other behind a little tiny hump of sand - we think they were standing out of the wind but there were hundreds of them. When a certain bird rain a few feet across the beach they'd all run and stand behind it again - very strange to watch.
Then Monday it was back to work again for the OH ...and back to Mahjong Titans for me...
Part 2 - My First Week
The Monday after I arrived was a Bank Holiday for the Queen's birthday. The funny thing was that in the UK everything says 'bank holiday sale' on a ban holiday (if there's a sale on obviously, otherwise that would be weird) but over here it it all stated 'Sale due to the Queen's Birthday' and on the radio it said 'Celebrate the Queen's birthday in style!' which is comical. I didn't even know when her birthday was when I lived in the UK!
So I used the Queens Birthday as an excuse to look for a nice winter coat. There a loads about for men - can I find one for women?! No! There must be one HUGE coat shop in the whole of NZ that holds all of the women's coats in one place, needless to say I haven't found it yet. I will continue the hunt.
One thing I haven't yet pointed out is how different the homes are here from in the UK - not only are they all a bit Ramsey Street, but they're mainly built out of wood - or part wood / part stone. The main difference though is the radiators...or rather the lack of them. Basically what we have in our house is a heat pump (and not all houses even have these!). It sounds very technical and I was expecting literally a big pump in the garden or something but it's not like that at all. It's basically an air conditioning unit that pumps hot/cold air into the house. So you have a vent and you set the temperature up to 30 degrees. Very cosy - you may think - and yes it is...in one room. Because the heat pump is only located in one room (although we have seen houses with 2) it makes your lounge lovely and warm but the bedroom can be absolutely perishing! It reminds me of when I used to stay at my Nanny Green's house where the heat came from the log fire (and it still does) so you had to put the electric blanket on in your bed half an hour before you went up. It's the same here - the beds have electric blankets on them (so glad I shipped ours!) and most houses have a wood burner as well to heat up the lounge in a more economical way than using electric (I assume?!)
The OH (Other Half) works in the week so I am pretty much left to my own devices (albeit very minor devices with no car and a long long walk to the city). Riverton has a lovely little town that you can walk into and take a look around, it's got all the amenities (except for a much needed butcher) and I have yet to walk past someone who hasn't spoken to me; from a simple 'hello' to conversations about the weather. And no, it's not - as my mum asked - because I 'look foreign'. I do in fact look like any other New Zealand European believe it or not. I think they all talk to everyone, it's just a way of life. So this being left to amuse myself has amounted to the following:
The Quorn query brings me onto my next topic - food. Those of you who know me will know that I am a pescatarian and have been for many years. I'm not going into why I'm a vegetarian that eats fish, I just am - get over it. Now in the UK this was not problematic. Gone are the days when my mum used to use SosMix to make burgers / sausages / anything else we wanted (not sure why we changed the shape - it was exactly the same stuff...variety as they say is the spice of life) as Quorn and good ol' McCartney of the Linda variety sorted us out with their yummy (processed) goods. So now I find myself in a country which produces some of the finest food in the world, vegetables included, but does not cater greatly for the veggies among us. Thankfully I eat fish as otherwise I would be dead by now and you would not be reading this (Quorn has negated the need for me to ever learn how to actually cook 'vegetable' vegetarian dishes, phew!) but fish every day?! Don't get me wrong, if I could only live on fish this is the place I'd want to be, there are so many varieties you could have a different one every day. But it's still fish - and I'm trying not to sound ungrateful - and I am picky at the best of times but I've had to get over my one bone and I'm finished theory and stop eating with my eyes. I am even contemplating eating chicken just for some variety. I'm not a 'preach at you' type of vegetarian, I think everyone should eat what they want and so I am thinking that I might at least TRY some chicken and see what I think.
Well that's all for now. Stay safe all.
So I used the Queens Birthday as an excuse to look for a nice winter coat. There a loads about for men - can I find one for women?! No! There must be one HUGE coat shop in the whole of NZ that holds all of the women's coats in one place, needless to say I haven't found it yet. I will continue the hunt.
We have been onto Oreti beach to watch the sunset (well, actually we just missed the sunset). Oreti beach is the beach from 'The World's Fastest Indian' film - another very very good film. It is so lovely and peaceful and the views are breathtaking (as you may have seen on FaceBook). Although it's a beach you can drive onto so there is the occasional handbrake turn happening which can provide some entertainment.
The OH (Other Half) works in the week so I am pretty much left to my own devices (albeit very minor devices with no car and a long long walk to the city). Riverton has a lovely little town that you can walk into and take a look around, it's got all the amenities (except for a much needed butcher) and I have yet to walk past someone who hasn't spoken to me; from a simple 'hello' to conversations about the weather. And no, it's not - as my mum asked - because I 'look foreign'. I do in fact look like any other New Zealand European believe it or not. I think they all talk to everyone, it's just a way of life. So this being left to amuse myself has amounted to the following:
- Popping into Riverton town
- Job hunting online
- Watching NZ tv - I have my favourites on TV3 in the afternoon: Dr Phil; Oprah; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; Rachel Ray. Then it's tea cooking time.
- Playing Mahjong Titans on the laptop (seriously addictive, I wouldn't recommend that you start...if you insist then let me know your best time)
- Reading
- Doing some exercise in the house
The Quorn query brings me onto my next topic - food. Those of you who know me will know that I am a pescatarian and have been for many years. I'm not going into why I'm a vegetarian that eats fish, I just am - get over it. Now in the UK this was not problematic. Gone are the days when my mum used to use SosMix to make burgers / sausages / anything else we wanted (not sure why we changed the shape - it was exactly the same stuff...variety as they say is the spice of life) as Quorn and good ol' McCartney of the Linda variety sorted us out with their yummy (processed) goods. So now I find myself in a country which produces some of the finest food in the world, vegetables included, but does not cater greatly for the veggies among us. Thankfully I eat fish as otherwise I would be dead by now and you would not be reading this (Quorn has negated the need for me to ever learn how to actually cook 'vegetable' vegetarian dishes, phew!) but fish every day?! Don't get me wrong, if I could only live on fish this is the place I'd want to be, there are so many varieties you could have a different one every day. But it's still fish - and I'm trying not to sound ungrateful - and I am picky at the best of times but I've had to get over my one bone and I'm finished theory and stop eating with my eyes. I am even contemplating eating chicken just for some variety. I'm not a 'preach at you' type of vegetarian, I think everyone should eat what they want and so I am thinking that I might at least TRY some chicken and see what I think.
Well that's all for now. Stay safe all.
Part 1 - The Flights
Spent a delightful month staying at my mum's before I left for NZ. Having my clothes washed, meals cooked, generally having most things done for me (an absolute breeze after living in my own place for 2 and a half years!) Thanks mum.
So we had a full car journey up to Heathrow on 3rd June with me, my brother Oscar, mum, dad and dad's wife Kim all in the Astra on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year in Wales so far (typical!). Thankfully the air con made it much more bearable.
We got to Heathrow at 6pm and I was flying at 10:05pm (dad doesn't like tardiness!) so I checked in - and my 1st obstacle was presented to me. No, not my luggage weight I can hear you all thinking (although I'll come to that later) but I was allocated a jobsworth on the check-in desk. A jobsworth that looked EXACTLY like David Walliams' character in Little Britain - you know the one..."computer says no". He even sat like David Walliams' character at the check-in desk! Maybe that's who he based himself on - if so, he was doing a very good job. He explained very slowly that I needed a return ticket to go to New Zealand to which I kindly pointed out that I had a visa in my passport that stated very clearly that I don't (1 nil to me!) Instead of looking through my passport for said visa he pushed my passport back to me and said 'show me'. What a complete eejit...so I found the page and gave it back to him. He leisurely read the 4 lines on it and then said 'I'll have to check with my manager, it says on my screen that you have to have a return ticket for New Zealand'. So he came out from behind his desk, walked past me and off to see his manager. I wanted to ask him who he thought wrote the 'message on the screen' (answer: NZ immigration) and who he thought had put the visa in my passport (answer: NZ immigration) but I didn't...I let him go. He came back and of course all was fine - although that didn't stop my heart skipping along at the thought that I might not actually be going after all.
Anyway, I finally checked in and we went up to departures for a bite to eat and the obligatory drink at the bar - not sure why but whenever you are flying anywhere (even if it's only Ireland!) you HAVE to have a drink at the bar - it could be 4 in the morning (and face it, with Ryanair it usually is!) and you have a drink - mmm, alcohol and toothpaste...a heady mix ;-)
Then at about 9pm came the dreaded walk through customs. Not dreaded because I was carrying anything naughty - dreaded because that's when I cry. I only had to think of walking through customs for my tear ducts to wake up. So, the tears flowed as I said goodbye to family - I won't dwell on it or I'll well up again and so will you. So I walked through the zig zaggy walkway to the scanners. Strangely I took my laptop out of my bag and put it in a box thing then when I got through the other end (after setting off the alarms, as I always do - I'm sure I have a plate in my head that no one's ever told me about) my laptop was already through. But someone else was picking it up and stuffing it into their bag...after momentary panic I noticed another laptop coming through the scanner - exactly the same as the one that had just come through. Mine! So glad I didn't cause a fracas. So that was me...gone!
First flight from Heathrow to Singapore was on the A380 Airbus...a double decker. I slept (albeit fitfully) for 8 hours and listened to some music the rest of the time. Food was gorgeous - Salmon for dinner & hash browns with cod(!) for breakfast. Novelty for me but that's what you get for requesting seafood! Had 2 glasses of red as well...all complimentary - thank you Singapore Airlines (I wouldn't recommend the white wine unless you like very sweet German wine...I'm thinking Riesling). Singapore airport is quite posh, it was very quiet and I was surprised to see they had indoor smoking areas (I guess they'd have to if you can't leave the airport? Not sure how this works in the UK - then again, I'm not a smoker so I don't need to).
The 2nd flight from Singapore to Christchurch was on a Boeing 777 - again a big plane but only 1 deck this time. Food again - absolutely delish, I had haddock for dinner and then the most beautiful smoked salmon omelette I have ever tasted for breakfast (bit more normal breakfast dish!) Gorgeous. Only slept for about 1.5 hours max on that flight though so I watched 3 films: Unknown was the name of the first film, not - as I thought - a film they didn't know the name of (it took me about an hour to realise this WAS the name). It was good. Then I watched 'Just Go With It' - again, a good chick flick. Then I missed the end of the 3rd film - another good one - The Adjustment Bureau because we were landing so now I'll have to rent it out. Although having been in NZ for almost 2 weeks I can safely say I won't be able to rent it out for about 10 years as the video shop we went in the other day was exactly that, a VIDEO shop!
Heathrow-Gate!) but he was lovely to me and said it all looks good and let me through (phew!) Had some time to kill at Christchurch so I had a coffee and wandered the limited shops for a bit then checked in 3 hours before my flight.
And herein lies the luggage weight issue.
The 3rd flight from Christchurch to Invercargill was a completely new experience for me. You go out of the airport and into another entrance for domestic flights. Then you scan your own passport on these machines and it prints your boarding pass - easy enough. You weigh your own bag and put it on the conveyor (there are people there to help if you get stuck!) and my bag was 26.9kgs...uh oh - 23kg maximum. So after some jigging about and cramming the OH's (Other Half's) HUGE coat into my hand luggage (I don't know how I did it) I got it down to 23.4kgs and popped it on the belt. I kept hearing people's names over the tannoy being asked to go back to the check-in area and I assume it was because they'd put luggage in that was way overweight. It might not have been but I was waiting for my name to come up, it didn't thankfully!
Then you go up the escalator to the shops (you don't have to have a ticket to get to this bit) and then you can walk to the gates (again, no checking of tickets for the gates I was going towards). I headed towards 'Gates 43 - 50' (I was looking for gate 50). Got to the departure area at the gates and there were no hand luggage scanners at all. There was just a little ticket scanner that you scanned on the way to your plane once your flight was called. I was looking around for the sign showing you where gate 50 was and I noticed the sign that said 'Gates 43 - 49 this way'. No gate 50. Then I looked up and it said 'Gate 50' with an arrow that pointed outside! To get on the plane they just scan your ticket and you walk outside and onto your plane. So nobody checked that I was the person who was on my passport AT ALL. I could have been anyone - could have had litres of liquid in my hand luggage and no one checked it. A girl who lives in Wellington started talking to me in the departure lounge and I said 'there's no security? How strange' to which her response was 'well it's only a small plane to Invercargill'...made me laugh almost out loud. As if the security risk depends on the size of the plane. I guess they must know what they're doing!
So I got on the 50 seater 'link' plane (which had propellers) and it was actually really smooth once you were up, bit of a swaying take off. It's all very cute - they give you a cup of tea and biscuit when you're up and before you know it you're back down again. Ironically it was the smoothest landing out of all 3 flights! Then you walk out onto the tarmac and into this tiny room (the airport). The OH was there waiting for me - literally just inside the door. It really is the smallest airport I have ever seen. It was such a joy to see him after a month apart and he instantly made me feel at home.
On the way back home to Riverton the OH took me on a little tour of Invercargill - our nearest city. It was a lot to take in and I started to mentally panic about how I was going to remember it all and find my way around but I had been flying for 2 days so this momentary panic can be excused!
Sunday evening I could hardly keep my eyes open after 5pm so the OH went out and got us a pizza from the pub up the road and we had that then I crashed out again. It was a recurring theme for the first 4 nights at least that I couldn't keep my eyes open past 6pm without some serious effort so I had a few early nights and it seemed to calm down.
So after all that I am here - in New Zealand ready to start the next chapter...
So we had a full car journey up to Heathrow on 3rd June with me, my brother Oscar, mum, dad and dad's wife Kim all in the Astra on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year in Wales so far (typical!). Thankfully the air con made it much more bearable.
We got to Heathrow at 6pm and I was flying at 10:05pm (dad doesn't like tardiness!) so I checked in - and my 1st obstacle was presented to me. No, not my luggage weight I can hear you all thinking (although I'll come to that later) but I was allocated a jobsworth on the check-in desk. A jobsworth that looked EXACTLY like David Walliams' character in Little Britain - you know the one..."computer says no". He even sat like David Walliams' character at the check-in desk! Maybe that's who he based himself on - if so, he was doing a very good job. He explained very slowly that I needed a return ticket to go to New Zealand to which I kindly pointed out that I had a visa in my passport that stated very clearly that I don't (1 nil to me!) Instead of looking through my passport for said visa he pushed my passport back to me and said 'show me'. What a complete eejit...so I found the page and gave it back to him. He leisurely read the 4 lines on it and then said 'I'll have to check with my manager, it says on my screen that you have to have a return ticket for New Zealand'. So he came out from behind his desk, walked past me and off to see his manager. I wanted to ask him who he thought wrote the 'message on the screen' (answer: NZ immigration) and who he thought had put the visa in my passport (answer: NZ immigration) but I didn't...I let him go. He came back and of course all was fine - although that didn't stop my heart skipping along at the thought that I might not actually be going after all.
Anyway, I finally checked in and we went up to departures for a bite to eat and the obligatory drink at the bar - not sure why but whenever you are flying anywhere (even if it's only Ireland!) you HAVE to have a drink at the bar - it could be 4 in the morning (and face it, with Ryanair it usually is!) and you have a drink - mmm, alcohol and toothpaste...a heady mix ;-)
Then at about 9pm came the dreaded walk through customs. Not dreaded because I was carrying anything naughty - dreaded because that's when I cry. I only had to think of walking through customs for my tear ducts to wake up. So, the tears flowed as I said goodbye to family - I won't dwell on it or I'll well up again and so will you. So I walked through the zig zaggy walkway to the scanners. Strangely I took my laptop out of my bag and put it in a box thing then when I got through the other end (after setting off the alarms, as I always do - I'm sure I have a plate in my head that no one's ever told me about) my laptop was already through. But someone else was picking it up and stuffing it into their bag...after momentary panic I noticed another laptop coming through the scanner - exactly the same as the one that had just come through. Mine! So glad I didn't cause a fracas. So that was me...gone!
First flight from Heathrow to Singapore was on the A380 Airbus...a double decker. I slept (albeit fitfully) for 8 hours and listened to some music the rest of the time. Food was gorgeous - Salmon for dinner & hash browns with cod(!) for breakfast. Novelty for me but that's what you get for requesting seafood! Had 2 glasses of red as well...all complimentary - thank you Singapore Airlines (I wouldn't recommend the white wine unless you like very sweet German wine...I'm thinking Riesling). Singapore airport is quite posh, it was very quiet and I was surprised to see they had indoor smoking areas (I guess they'd have to if you can't leave the airport? Not sure how this works in the UK - then again, I'm not a smoker so I don't need to).
The 2nd flight from Singapore to Christchurch was on a Boeing 777 - again a big plane but only 1 deck this time. Food again - absolutely delish, I had haddock for dinner and then the most beautiful smoked salmon omelette I have ever tasted for breakfast (bit more normal breakfast dish!) Gorgeous. Only slept for about 1.5 hours max on that flight though so I watched 3 films: Unknown was the name of the first film, not - as I thought - a film they didn't know the name of (it took me about an hour to realise this WAS the name). It was good. Then I watched 'Just Go With It' - again, a good chick flick. Then I missed the end of the 3rd film - another good one - The Adjustment Bureau because we were landing so now I'll have to rent it out. Although having been in NZ for almost 2 weeks I can safely say I won't be able to rent it out for about 10 years as the video shop we went in the other day was exactly that, a VIDEO shop!
Heathrow-Gate!) but he was lovely to me and said it all looks good and let me through (phew!) Had some time to kill at Christchurch so I had a coffee and wandered the limited shops for a bit then checked in 3 hours before my flight.
And herein lies the luggage weight issue.
The 3rd flight from Christchurch to Invercargill was a completely new experience for me. You go out of the airport and into another entrance for domestic flights. Then you scan your own passport on these machines and it prints your boarding pass - easy enough. You weigh your own bag and put it on the conveyor (there are people there to help if you get stuck!) and my bag was 26.9kgs...uh oh - 23kg maximum. So after some jigging about and cramming the OH's (Other Half's) HUGE coat into my hand luggage (I don't know how I did it) I got it down to 23.4kgs and popped it on the belt. I kept hearing people's names over the tannoy being asked to go back to the check-in area and I assume it was because they'd put luggage in that was way overweight. It might not have been but I was waiting for my name to come up, it didn't thankfully!
Then you go up the escalator to the shops (you don't have to have a ticket to get to this bit) and then you can walk to the gates (again, no checking of tickets for the gates I was going towards). I headed towards 'Gates 43 - 50' (I was looking for gate 50). Got to the departure area at the gates and there were no hand luggage scanners at all. There was just a little ticket scanner that you scanned on the way to your plane once your flight was called. I was looking around for the sign showing you where gate 50 was and I noticed the sign that said 'Gates 43 - 49 this way'. No gate 50. Then I looked up and it said 'Gate 50' with an arrow that pointed outside! To get on the plane they just scan your ticket and you walk outside and onto your plane. So nobody checked that I was the person who was on my passport AT ALL. I could have been anyone - could have had litres of liquid in my hand luggage and no one checked it. A girl who lives in Wellington started talking to me in the departure lounge and I said 'there's no security? How strange' to which her response was 'well it's only a small plane to Invercargill'...made me laugh almost out loud. As if the security risk depends on the size of the plane. I guess they must know what they're doing!
So I got on the 50 seater 'link' plane (which had propellers) and it was actually really smooth once you were up, bit of a swaying take off. It's all very cute - they give you a cup of tea and biscuit when you're up and before you know it you're back down again. Ironically it was the smoothest landing out of all 3 flights! Then you walk out onto the tarmac and into this tiny room (the airport). The OH was there waiting for me - literally just inside the door. It really is the smallest airport I have ever seen. It was such a joy to see him after a month apart and he instantly made me feel at home.
On the way back home to Riverton the OH took me on a little tour of Invercargill - our nearest city. It was a lot to take in and I started to mentally panic about how I was going to remember it all and find my way around but I had been flying for 2 days so this momentary panic can be excused!
Sunday evening I could hardly keep my eyes open after 5pm so the OH went out and got us a pizza from the pub up the road and we had that then I crashed out again. It was a recurring theme for the first 4 nights at least that I couldn't keep my eyes open past 6pm without some serious effort so I had a few early nights and it seemed to calm down.
So after all that I am here - in New Zealand ready to start the next chapter...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)