Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Pics from December 07's earthquake
I didn't get around to posting any at the time, so here are some of the immediate aftermath pics.
Pics from Geoff Mackley, Gisborne Herald and Reuters.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Time Flies
Time flies when you’re on the other side of the world!! I can’t believe we’ve been here ten months already.
What have we learned?
What have we learned?
- Gisborne has beautiful, clean, un-crowded beaches
- New Zealand schools are colourful and full of art works
- Small town mentality exists all over the world
- “Deal to it” means deal with it but emphatically!
- Going to the supermarket in your pajama bottoms & a jumper is an acceptable thing to do at the weekend (well in Gisborne anyway)
- Calling someone “Cuz” does not necessarily mean you are related to them, but you might be – and if you are this does not necessarily mean they are your cousin
- Kiwis have big families, especially those of Maori and Pacific Island descent – they have strong women!!!!!
- It’s just as difficult to get money back from the Inland Revenue out here as it is in the UK
- Watties is NOT the same as Heinz even though it has the same branding – nothing beats Heinz tomato ketchup and baked beans!
- You can’t get a “proper” curry in NZ
- No TV License costs
- No water rates for domestic dwellings
- If you move to the other side of the world half of your friends decide to get pregnant/engaged/married!
- Hang all your washing inside out in the summer, otherwise it gets sun bleached really quickly
- New Zealand is green because when it rains, it RAINS. Lots.
- Chips (fries) are called chips. But so are crisps.
- Woolworths is a supermarket
- You can rent your house out for shed loads of money in Gisborne over the Christmas period!!!!
- BBC Olympics coverage kicks TV NZ’s arse
- The Kiwi basketball team is called the Tall Blacks.
- Junior rugby league is called the small blacks
- You can get calippos in New Zealand!!!!!!!!
- Aoteraroha! is a comedy festival, not a mis-spelling on New Zealand in Maori (Aotearoa )
- If someone invites you to a Hungi, no-one is going to die, it's a way of cooking food!
- "Bring a plate", does not literally mean bring a plate, it means bring a food or drink contribution to the meal
- Split Endz is a band, not just a hair condition
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Beam me up Scotty
Well there's good news and there's bad news. Both of which make want to return home for a while, as I feel completely out of it on the other side of the world.
The bad news is a friend of mine is dying, which makes me very sad and feel useless.
At the other end of the spectrum, a friend of mine is pregnant, which I'm really chuffed about.
I'm at home with the lurgy - dave had flu and has passed some of the germs onto me - I haven't got flu don't think but I'm feeling pretty ropey.
Dave's got his promotion and is finally getting paid for it, and I have finally got my tax rebate in the UK after four months so that will help going towards paying stuff off in the UK.
The bad news is a friend of mine is dying, which makes me very sad and feel useless.
At the other end of the spectrum, a friend of mine is pregnant, which I'm really chuffed about.
I'm at home with the lurgy - dave had flu and has passed some of the germs onto me - I haven't got flu don't think but I'm feeling pretty ropey.
Dave's got his promotion and is finally getting paid for it, and I have finally got my tax rebate in the UK after four months so that will help going towards paying stuff off in the UK.
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Friday, 21 March 2008
Panic - No shopping for two whole days!
Well, it turns out that the silly opening hours on Saturday's are just a Gisborne thing, but nationwide, shops are closed today (Good Friday) and Easter Sunday, apart from Dairies (corner shop/spar type thing) and petrol stations, or they get fined. So panic, the world grinds to a stop because people can't go to the supermarket for two days!!!!
And no alcohol is served, so the pubs are closed as well. Slightly surreal when I'm used to spending easter keeping warm/drying out in a pub in between sk parades/drill/battle/standing around and waiting!
The good thing is that there are no adverts on tv today or sunday!
It's very strange being UK springtime and not rushing around to gather stuff together to throw in the car and camp in the middle of a muddy field somewhere.
We're also going to try and get away for a couple of days over the long weekend, but for the first time in many many years have had to borrow a tent.
Yet another Pom is headed out to NZ - someone I went to school with is emigrating at the end of March. Which is good, because all the kiwis are going to Oz!
And no alcohol is served, so the pubs are closed as well. Slightly surreal when I'm used to spending easter keeping warm/drying out in a pub in between sk parades/drill/battle/standing around and waiting!
The good thing is that there are no adverts on tv today or sunday!
It's very strange being UK springtime and not rushing around to gather stuff together to throw in the car and camp in the middle of a muddy field somewhere.
We're also going to try and get away for a couple of days over the long weekend, but for the first time in many many years have had to borrow a tent.
Yet another Pom is headed out to NZ - someone I went to school with is emigrating at the end of March. Which is good, because all the kiwis are going to Oz!
Friday, 15 February 2008
Poms, Poms everywhere, but not a Pimms to drink!
Every day I meet more English people! Quite random though as have met someone that has been here for ages (i.e. 30 years), and still has the broadest Geordie accent, but other people that have only been here a couple of years that sound Kiwi to me - bizarre.
I found out the other day that we can still sponsor our world vision child from NZ - was looking a bit ropey as they won't accept international Direct debits, but have got it sorted now so we can stay sponsoring the same child - which is good, cos otherwise we would have had to stop sponsoring him, as to send the sponsorship money back to the UK by transfer would have cost a fortune, and we've sponsored him for two years now so I'd feel like I was abandoning him. Prob sounds stupid to some of you, but I like to try and do things that can have an inpact on people less fortunate than me if I can.
I found out the other day that we can still sponsor our world vision child from NZ - was looking a bit ropey as they won't accept international Direct debits, but have got it sorted now so we can stay sponsoring the same child - which is good, cos otherwise we would have had to stop sponsoring him, as to send the sponsorship money back to the UK by transfer would have cost a fortune, and we've sponsored him for two years now so I'd feel like I was abandoning him. Prob sounds stupid to some of you, but I like to try and do things that can have an inpact on people less fortunate than me if I can.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Once more into the breach dear friends.........
Yes, I know, I haven't updated it for ages, but in my defence I don't think Dave has posted since November!
Our stuff finally arrived from the UK, not all in one piece I'm sad to say, some treasured items were in many many pieces when we opened up the boxes. It was a bank holiday here on Monday (we mark Auckland Day) and it arrived in the afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day counting losses, putting pictures up and looking at photos.
The cat is finally putting on some weight as well as length, so he looks less like a pipe cleaner! He's going outside now, but despite lots of worrying, and being desperate to get out of the house when we go out, he mostly walks around the garden and then goes and sits under the house. Which is fine because it means I don't have to panic about him getting squashed by a car. I'm sure he'll go further as he gets braver, but for now, I'm glad that he's still the right shape and size when I get home from work!
Although we've still got lots of things to replace, the house is slowly starting to look less like a show house and more like someone lives here - it's nice to have some pictures and photos up on the wall as the house is very neutral and it makes it feel more like home having a bit of colour about the place.
We get another holiday on Wednesday - Waitangi Day - most of the bank hols over here seem to be towards the beginning of the year, which is great for now, but means it's a long slog for the rest of the year!
Further observations from down under:
Their sausages are weird - can't get a proper sausage for breakfast without special order (or paying through the nose for it), but there's a place here called the world cafe which does kind of sausage patties, which are different but quite nice. Most places that do breakfast do poached eggs only - and no fried bread!!!!! But, thank goodness - they have hash browns out here, which is gooooood!
Biscuits here are rubbish - even had a kiwi admit that our biscuits are great. But, I have found a couple of websites that you can buy English biccys, sweets, and loads of other stuff from. I'm all for eating local fare, but there are times when you just want to curl up with a steaming hot cup of tea and a bourbon biscuit - and you can't get them for love nor money in supermarkets. Or rich tea fingers, which I am bitterly dissappointed about!
There are flipping loads of poms here!!!! Every week I meet more people that have come out from the UK. There is a guy coming to Dave's work from the UK, and he's got a wife and kids, but has already bought a house over here, which I think is pretty brave. And they land on Friday, and he starts work on Monday - which if our jet lag is anything to go by, is just a silly idea. Oh well, I'm sure he'll soon find out it wipes u out!
We have aquired a shed load of books for free from my bosses, which is great as we had to get rid of so many books when leaving the UK, so our shelves are looking a bit more healthy!
I miss people very much, a lot of the time I don't think about how far away we are until I think - ooh I could go and see ............. this weekend, I haven't seen them for ages - and then realise that visiting anyone in the UK is now a major undertaking.
I've joined an organisation called BPW (business & professional women) - which is a worldwide organisation, but it's basically for women to meet up, network, have seminars (on personal as well as business matters) & they have guest speakers etc. And I can't knock it because going on one occasion got me a job, so it's all good. And no, as Dave asked, it's not like the WI - c'mon can you see me knitting toilet roll holders and making doilies????? I think not.
Our stuff finally arrived from the UK, not all in one piece I'm sad to say, some treasured items were in many many pieces when we opened up the boxes. It was a bank holiday here on Monday (we mark Auckland Day) and it arrived in the afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day counting losses, putting pictures up and looking at photos.
The cat is finally putting on some weight as well as length, so he looks less like a pipe cleaner! He's going outside now, but despite lots of worrying, and being desperate to get out of the house when we go out, he mostly walks around the garden and then goes and sits under the house. Which is fine because it means I don't have to panic about him getting squashed by a car. I'm sure he'll go further as he gets braver, but for now, I'm glad that he's still the right shape and size when I get home from work!
Although we've still got lots of things to replace, the house is slowly starting to look less like a show house and more like someone lives here - it's nice to have some pictures and photos up on the wall as the house is very neutral and it makes it feel more like home having a bit of colour about the place.
We get another holiday on Wednesday - Waitangi Day - most of the bank hols over here seem to be towards the beginning of the year, which is great for now, but means it's a long slog for the rest of the year!
Further observations from down under:
Their sausages are weird - can't get a proper sausage for breakfast without special order (or paying through the nose for it), but there's a place here called the world cafe which does kind of sausage patties, which are different but quite nice. Most places that do breakfast do poached eggs only - and no fried bread!!!!! But, thank goodness - they have hash browns out here, which is gooooood!
Biscuits here are rubbish - even had a kiwi admit that our biscuits are great. But, I have found a couple of websites that you can buy English biccys, sweets, and loads of other stuff from. I'm all for eating local fare, but there are times when you just want to curl up with a steaming hot cup of tea and a bourbon biscuit - and you can't get them for love nor money in supermarkets. Or rich tea fingers, which I am bitterly dissappointed about!
There are flipping loads of poms here!!!! Every week I meet more people that have come out from the UK. There is a guy coming to Dave's work from the UK, and he's got a wife and kids, but has already bought a house over here, which I think is pretty brave. And they land on Friday, and he starts work on Monday - which if our jet lag is anything to go by, is just a silly idea. Oh well, I'm sure he'll soon find out it wipes u out!
We have aquired a shed load of books for free from my bosses, which is great as we had to get rid of so many books when leaving the UK, so our shelves are looking a bit more healthy!
I miss people very much, a lot of the time I don't think about how far away we are until I think - ooh I could go and see ............. this weekend, I haven't seen them for ages - and then realise that visiting anyone in the UK is now a major undertaking.
I've joined an organisation called BPW (business & professional women) - which is a worldwide organisation, but it's basically for women to meet up, network, have seminars (on personal as well as business matters) & they have guest speakers etc. And I can't knock it because going on one occasion got me a job, so it's all good. And no, as Dave asked, it's not like the WI - c'mon can you see me knitting toilet roll holders and making doilies????? I think not.
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