Kiwi or bust

Meet Leonard

2010-06-19T00:57:00.001-07:00

Meet Leonard - our new campervan. We have not had a car since we moved here and have managed OK. I walk to work most days, or get the bus if the weather's not great or I've got too much to carry. Going to the supermarket on the bus can be a pain, but you just have to make sure that you don't buy too much.

However, one of my ambitions before we came here was to buy a campervan, so when our next door neighbour decided to sell hers it was meant to be! Leonard is a Toyota Liteace from 1992. He spent his first eight years as Leonard San in Japan, before moving to New Zealand. Since then he has had his seats removed and a sleeping platform put in. He's large enough for a queen sized mattress.

Alex, who we bought him from, was very organised. He has all you could need - stove, plates, cutlery, curtains, tent, a kite...

We're looking forward to seeing some of the more remote parts of New Zealand in Leonard's company.

Bright lights big city?

2010-03-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Auckland this week for work. It's a funny place.

When we were making plans to move to NZ we pretty much ruled out Auckland straight away. The rationale was simple: if you're going to live in a big city you want it to be London or New York, Paris or Hong Kong, not Auckland.

Not that there's anything in particular wrong with Auckland per se, it has shops, venues, restaurants, but they are all a bit 'so what' (as my EngD supervisor used to say). The people rush around in a big city fashion, but behind the bustle there seems to be little real spirit.

Wellington, on the other hand, is a small city. Rather like Edinburgh is in comparison with London. Despite its size, Wellington has a distinct vibe about it - it has cafes, restaurants, theatres, boutique shops. In short, every time I come back here I know that we made the right choice. I'm happy to leave Auckland to those who want to play at living the big city life.

Have you got wood?

2010-03-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year in New Zealand when people's thoughts turn to wood. The nights are closing in and the first Southerlies remind us of what awaits in winter. I could blog for pages about the Kiwi unwillingness to heat homes, but I'll spare you, for now.

We are relatively lucky. We have a system that recover heat from the roof space and recirculates it through the house, it also removes moisture, which is good for Anthony's asthma. To complement that we also have a wood burner in the living room. To quote my colleague Nathan, we 'live like kings'.

Wood is generally the fuel of choice for those who bother to heat their homes at all. This is the time of year when you start to see piles of it appearing at the end of driveways and the tops of stairs. We were very organised this year and got our winter wood delivered in December. One reason, it's cheaper then, the other that we would have the whole summer to move it down the 100 steps to our house. Good plan? Turned out that the supplier's promise to deliver it to the top of our section translated into dumping it in the middle of the road. Two days and the help of some good friend later and it was stacked outside the house.

There is a downside to having the wood delivered in ready to burn chunks - no wielding of the axe this year. Chopping wood was something that I'd never done, but I don't suppose that I'll miss it on those wet winter evenings.

We're ready for you winter, whatever you decide to throw at us!

EEK

2010-02-24T23:28:00.001-08:00

It's been so long since I blogged

Making use of Windy Wellington

2009-07-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

In the 9 months that I have lived here, I can concur with the general view that Wellington is a windy city. Calm days are rare here, especially in winter, so it's ironic that on my recent visit to the new West Wind windfarm there was no wind!

West Wind is still under construction, but it is already part-operational and is an impressive sight. You wouldn't believe that you are only over the hill from a capital city - it's so wild and lonely.

They've got the power

2009-03-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our new home overlooks Evan's Bay in Wellington. Until I moved here I didn't know how much goes on in the bay. Every evening and weekend there are lots of people sailing, swimming and kayaking. This weekend you can add offshore powerboating to the mix. The NZ powerboat series has come to Wellington harbour and there are currently lots of boats speeding up and down the bay. The poor captain of the harbour ferry is having to weave in and out and hope for the best. I hope that no one is silly enough to be swimming out there today!

Keep on movin'

2009-02-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I've been terribly remiss in my blogging of late.

This past week has been a bit mad. Last weekend our letting agent told us that there was someone coming round to view the property. Why? It turns out that our landlord has been a naughty boy in the property market and the flat has been repossessed. The agent couldn't tell us whether or not we would be able to continue living here after our lease is up in mid April. Not good.

So we thought that we'd better start looking round for something else. Trade me ahoy. Trade me is the Kiwi version Ebay, it's where everyone looks for rental property too. We saw a lovely looking house for rent up the hill from us in Roseneath. Next challenge - the open home. Open homes here are the main way that people show property for sale or rent. You have to get in quick or you've no chance. We got there first (yeah!), but there were a couple of girls there too. When we were being shown round we were sizing each other up - it was like sharks circling. They broke first and asked to put their names down, but they had a third person to consult. We zoomed in and put our cards on the table - we want to take it and we don't have anyone to consult with. Thankfully the owners, Kate and Holger, really wanted a couple to rent to and were more than happy to take us on as tenants. We've got a lot in common and it's really nice to meet some new people. They are only moving out because they can't manage the steps with their small baby at the moment.

Problem solved? Well yes, in a way, but we were still looking at paying double for a month and a half until our rental contract here ran out. Then a notice went up in the lift - someone looking for a property in this block to rent for a short term. We made contact and they are taking over our lease.

Thanks to whoever was looking out for us!

Cat walking - the new craze?

2009-01-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today I've seen two separate instances of people taking their cat for a walk. This seems just plain wrong.

Incident #1 took place right outside our flat where a group of people drove up and parked and then took their cat out of the car and played with it on the grass. The cat seemed reasonably content until it was required to return to the car.

Incident #2 saw an elderly lady walking her cat in a harness along Oriental Parade. The cat looked most put out (understandably) at being treated like a dog and was refusing to walk at all.

What will be the next trend here in Wellington? Stick-insect surfing? Guinea-pig triathlon? I'll let you know.

Welcome to the food temple

2009-01-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

Moore Wilson's is a Wellington institution. It started out as a wholesaler to the restaurant trade, but is now open to all. The deli fresh section has recently been refurbished as is now somewhat like a conventional supermarket in appearance. There you can get lots of great fruit and veg, meat, breads, dairy products and coffee. This is also the section where they have one member of staff devoted to tending the orange squeezing machine. You can smell orange zest from along the street!

The fresh section of the store is great, but it's when you cross over to the grocery section that the magic really begins. First there is the real cash & carry section which is a full-on warehouse. You can by in bulk here - there's enough rice to restock a paddy field. Anthony only just managed to stop me heading off with a kilo of dried chillies today.

Next to the cash and carry is the alcohol. Now I've blogged about Gerry's on Old Compton Street on London before (http://kiwiorbust.blogspot.com/2008/09/gerry-gerry.html), but Moore Wilson's is Gerry's on a grand scale. You name it, they're likely to have it. Upstairs from the booze is the non-food section. Need glasses, plates, knives, a mop, a heater, cookery books, bedding? You'll find them all here. This may sound like an advert for the shop, but for anyone who's into food there's nothing to beat it.

http://www.moorewilson.co.nz/

Harbour at night

2009-01-12T01:05:00.000-08:00

Rush Hour

2009-01-10T13:17:00.001-08:00

Wellington Harbour is the commonly-used name for Port Nicholson. I took this picture the other day with a container ship coming in. A cruise ship is already in and the Interislander ferry from the South Island is also approaching. The only thing missing is a small ferry that goes across the harbour to Days Bay.

Baking bonanza

2009-01-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

I like to bake, always have done. My Mum is a good baker and she taught me well. When we moved there was a whole box of baking equipment - one thing that Anthony didn't complain about me bringing.

I've noticed that in the UK a lot of people don't bake. There are of course many that do, but there are many more that don't. Baking supplies in UK shops vary, but are normally limited to a small section of shelf space (usually next to the jam).

New Zealand, on the other hand, is a nation of bakers. Buying baking supplies here is like shopping in the 1950s, 21st Century style. Baking supplies are not corralled in a small section in close proximity to the preserves here, they have a glorious aisle to themselves.

Let's start with the basics. Baking powder, baking soda and cream of tartar are all there, not in little pots, but in full sized packets. They are there for people who will use them and come back for more, not leave them at the back of a cupboard following some half-arsed attempt to make cupcakes 3 years ago because they saw an article in Cosmo about how cupcakes are trendy.

Muffin cases are another example. In the UK many places don't have them, and those that do usually just have them in white. Here they have lots of designs and sizes, you can even get ones specifically for savoury muffins (my latest are a fetching red chili design).

Whatever else New Zealand may be, for me it's turning out to be baking heaven.

Resolutely no resolutions, almost

2009-01-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

At this time of year I have been known to indulge in making a few resolutions for the year ahead. You know the kind of thing - eat less, move more. This year I'm not making any.

Well, I'm kind of making one. We've made it all the way over the New Zealand, the least we can do is to make the most of it.

Belated review of 2008

2009-01-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

At this time of year reflection is inevitable, and 2008 has been a bit of an odd year, so I'm taking the opportunity to look back at what went on.

Obviously moving to New Zealand was a big event from the last 12 months, but it wasn't everything. It's been in our minds for a few years now, but to make it happen has given me a huge feeling of empowerment. I don't know how things will go here, but no is not the time to dwell on that. It'll be what it'll be, all we have to do is to do our best and have fun.

So, back to 2008. On the job front we both had changes. I discovered that I could survive pretty uncomfortable work conditions, but I couldn't do it for long, or without the support of some very good friends. Anthony discovered that quitting your job on your second day can actually work out in the end!

I made my first trip to Asia in January, not knowing that I'd be returning within the year. There were also a couple of great trips to Lyon, somewhere that I will miss and hope to return to.

My Grandad's 100th birthday was the high spot of the year for me. I always knew that he would make it, but it was great to see him on such good form, surrounded by family.

Who knows what lies in store in 2009, but I wish you all the best for the next 12 months.

The stuff of legend

2008-12-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is finally here, THE STUFF.

After seeing them boxed up and taken away on 1 October our worldly possessions were returned to us on 23 December. After horror stories of containers left on the dockside in Singapore for 8 months, Somali pirates, shipwrecks and officious NZ customs officials we were very pleased to see them arrive.

However, after the initial pleasure came a period of unease, bordering on the mild panic. Sure, having stuff is good, but it also means that you have to look after it and take it with you when you move etc. You're no longer just away for an extended holiday when you have all your stuff with you.

Now, after much sorting out, it's all starting to feel more homely. There is a sofa to sit on instead of the floor. A bed to sleep in instead of a mattress on the floor (the floor has played a big part in our life for the last couple of months). There are pots and pans for all your cooking needs, rather than restricting meals to those that can be made in 2 saucepans. There is a choice of clothes and shoes - hopefully work colleagues will no longer think that I sleep in my clothes for a week.

Of course there were some casualties in the move. A couple of bowls and glasses and a desk, to name a few. The oddest was my Nintendo DS, of which I have the charger, instruction booklet, games and pointer, but no games unit itself. Still, everything is straightening itself out, including Nero, and the good news is that if you come to visit there will now be something for you to sleep on and to sit on.

Christmas in the sun

2008-12-25T21:13:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas in the sun is a weird concept to get your head around as a Northern Hemisphereite. Yesterday we took a drive over to the Wairarapa which is a region to the east of Wellington. We drove down towards Cape Palliser which is the most southerly point of the North Island.

When we got back we took a walk along Oriental Parade where Anthony took the great picture of the frisbeeing Santa.

Kiwiana Part 1

2008-12-13T13:35:00.001-08:00

Lots of New Zealand towns have a landmark to make them stan out from the crowd. I'll record these as I come across them. This is the first batch. the plane doubles as a cafe.

Tri-ing too hard?

2008-12-02T23:14:00.000-08:00

Triathlon is almost a way of life in NZ. On my way home this evening I had to negotiate ranks of dripping runners newly emerged from the harbour.

I recently saw an advert for a triathlon event for 5 year olds. They obviously start them young here!

How do they do that?

2008-11-30T23:19:00.000-08:00

They are advertising this 'Massive shoe liquidation' at a venue on my route to work. I'm really curious to see how they are going to liquidate a massive shoe - acid? I'm not sure how massive the shoe is, but it's bound to be impressive.

Oh I do like to live beside the seaside

2008-11-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

I know that I am risking it all by saying this, but it seems as though summer has finally reached Wellington. Yes, there are still days when you have to walk at a 45 degree angle, but at least the howling gale has a touch of warmth to it.

Where we live is the prime Wellington beachfront area. At least it is now that the mayor has paid for a couple of million tons of sand to be stolen from someone else's beach and dumped in front of the sea wall here. Wellingtonians make the most of this strip of sand and there is always someone playing beach volleyball/walking their dog/jumping into the sea straight out of the sauna. This morning there was a 'surf carnival' where teams of lifeguards raced each other in boats. Really I'm beginning to think that my new life involves being an extra in Home and Away.

Exciting things come in on the sea too. On Friday I was cycling to work when I saw a pod of dolphins in the harbour. They were right in close to the shore, about 8 of them. They had just come to look around, perhaps killing time before Te Papa opened. Lots of people stopped to watch them and I have to admit it made a welcome change from tube mice.

Yesterday we went on a cycle ride round some of Wellington's bays. You don't need to go far to fell as though you are out of the city. On the Miramar peninsula we stopped at Scorching Bay to watch a diving school. It was fun to watch their trail of bubbles and they made their underwater journey around a reef. I'm not sure that I want to take up diving just yet, but a friend at work goes snorkeling regularly and I might be up for that. In the meantime, I'm happy sitting in the sun having a coffee watching Anthony getting to grips with sailing.

Sandwich horror

2008-11-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

One question that we get a lot is: "what food do you miss from the UK?". Really we haven't been here long enough to miss anything. However, if you pushed me I would say an M&S tuna and sweetcorn sandwich. Actually, any M&S sandwich would be good. You see, for those of us who don't like egg, tomato or random beetroot in our sandwiches then New Zealand is not the best place to look for bread-based lunchtime solutions.

Steamin'

2008-11-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

I had a really interesting week in Taupo at the geothermal conference. One of the highlights was a trip to the brand new (the official opening is next week) Kawerau geothermal power station. The station generates around 100MW of electricity, as well as providing power to the neighbouring pulp and paper meal and heating greenhouses growing vegetables. Here are some short video clips and some pictures.

http://www.mightyriverpower.com/Generation/News/LatestNews/Detail.aspx?id=1369

Earthpower

2008-11-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

I'm off to a conference about geothermal power this week. A significant proportion of New Zealand's power is generated from geothermal resources. The conference is in Taupo, which is in the volcanic region of the North Island.

There are a couple of field trips to geothermal power stations which should be interesting. I'll try to post some pictures when I get back.

Observing the Kiwis

2008-11-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

I imagine that this will be a theme that I return to, but the New Zealanders do have their own ways of doing things. On sunny days, like today, they can be found sprawled anywhere, regardless of whether they should be there or not. There is one spot on Oriental Parade where the promenade passes a row of boat houses. You regularly see people sitting on the roofs of these boathouses having a beer and soaking up the sun. In the UK this would be frowned upon, but here it is the norm. What I find less acceptable is the people who ride their bikes on these raked roofs, using them as some form of obstacle course.

A disregard for authority is de rigour here. On Guy Fawkes night there is a huge firework display in the harbour and on the way home from work I came across a group of people unloading two sofas, two armchairs, a coffee table and a couple of crates of beer from the back of a pickup. They then proceeded to set up their outdoor living room in the middle of the pavement at the harbourside.

We went to the local pool to use the steam room last night. However, we didn't join many of the locals who spend their evening going to the sauna, and then running down to the harbour to throw themselves in and then return to start the process again.

Clearly we have some way to go before could be considered to have adopted the Kiwi lifestyle!

Kiwi coffee nomenclature and the national scone obsession

2008-11-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

Cafe culture is big in NZ - BIG. People seem to go out for coffee with alarming frequency, and at the weekend brunch is de rigeour. Apparently this has only been the case for the last 10 years or so. Before that the Kiwis drank tea and stayed at home for the most part.

I have to say that I've yet to have a bad cup of coffee at a cafe here. They do the usual cappuccinos, espressos, lattes etc., but most people go for one of the Kiwi coffees. A 'short black' is an espresso and a 'long black' is a normal black coffee (like an americano). My favourite is a 'flat white', it's kind of a cross between a cappuccino and a latte.

Along with the coffee most Kiwis will consume some type of cake. Most cafes have a choice of savoury or sweet muffins (American style) and savoury or sweet scones. Whether you pronounce scone to rhyme with Joan or gone, you'll get your fill here. Date seems to be the favoured sweet flavour, and cheese the favourite savoury. I've yet to experience a range of scones, but my first impressions are that we make them lighter at home! Mind you, at home we don't microwave them to heat them up and melt the copious amounts of butter that we've spread on them. Am yet to find a proper cream tea, that will be a happy day!

Team planning days - the same the world over

2008-10-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

We had our team planning day at work yesterday. I was interested to see how this would differ from ones that I've had in the UK. The short answer is: not much.

Venue: a hotel just far enough from work not to be at work, but not so far that you can't go back to the office afterwards. Check.

Catering - horrible coffee with so much caffeine that you are on edge for the whole day. Sweets on the table that you have no will to resist and end up eating all day long. Odd combination of foods at only just above average buffet lunch (in this case Hawaiian pizza and weird chilled risotto). Check.

Work planning - all day spent talking about what we're doing now, not what we need to do (which is assigned a hurried 5 minutes at the end). Check.

Personalities - old school staff who think that everyone should have an in depth knowledge of the highly dull vs. new staff who are keen to develop a range of skills. Check.

Follow up - feeling that although you've spent the whole of the next day writing up the notes they'll forever be consigned to the round file on the floor. Check.

It was in fact a useful day for me to get a good overview of what everyone does and how I'll fit in. I also went for a walk in the bush (as in forest, not giant shrub) with one of my colleagues at lunchtime and we got lost and nearly missed the afternoon session.

Long weekend

2008-10-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's a bank holiday weekend here, today being Labour Day. Looks as though today is shaping up to be the best day weather-wise, already nice and sunny.

Yesterday we went to visit some friends who live on the other side of Wellington harbour. The ferry ride across was a little bumpy to say the least. It's a little boat and when it was turning against the waves there was a lot of pitching an tossing - someone upstairs was screaming! The captain and steward looked calm though so that's enough for me.

We went to the early settlers museum in Petone. This tells of the first settler community in the area. It was really interesting to see the elements of the old country that they brought with them, and what they had to put up with to establish a community. We discovered that where we live, Oriental Bay, is named after one of the first ships to bring settlers, the Oriental. There were lots of familiar names from around Wellington that came from these ships and the early settlers. Looking through the archives it was interesting to see that the Scots (Humes) generally went to the South Island, whilst the Welsh (Bowens) settled in the north.

http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/Council-Facilities/Museums--Galleries/Petone-Settlers-Museum/

Getting poetic

2008-10-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of holiday before starting work full time tomorrow. I've enjoyed my week and a half wandering around Wellington. Each day has brought something different, and the weather is not the same from one hour to the next.

With some time on my hands I sometimes play around with poetry. Here are a couple of poems inspired by the different weather conditions here (apologies to all poets).

Wellington Haiku #1

Wellington at sea

Mounts Victoria and Cook

Rise to circle it

Low cloud

There's something primeval here,

Lurking in the hills

The fog shrouds it, but I know it's there

Will the breeze let me catch a glimpse?

Get through it!

2008-10-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

One thing that strikes you when you move to New Zealand is the emphasis on disaster planning. There are TV adverts where a very shouty Kiwi man exhorts you to have enough canned goods and water to survive in your house for 3 days. "When it happens, get through it!" is his none too catchy and rather alarming tagline. What 'it' is exactly is yet to be fully explained. You see, here there are new dangers from the London life. So, no one is going to push you into the path of an oncoming tube/bus/rickshaw, but there could be a volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami etc.

Disaster management in the home is one thing (I should at this point admit that I had canned goods and bottled water at home in the UK in case of emergency and Anthony used to laugh at me about them). At work it take on a whole different dimension. I had my induction at work yesterday and there was a whole disaster management section to it. On each floor they have enough canned goods and water to survive 3 days. That's right, 3 days trapped with your work colleagues! There are also orange emergency rucksacks under each desk that you are supposed to equip with trainers, water etc. Apparently the command will be: "take you rucksacks and run!". Very reassuring!

Wellington on the cheap

2008-10-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

We're in a bit of a limited cash flow situation until our first pay packets arrive (thankfully in NZ you get paid every fortnight) so I've been enjoying the freebies that the city has to offer. Most days that means buying a coffee at a cafe that is well stocked with magazines. Yesterday I went to a free lunchtime concert featuring clarinet and saxophone players from the NZ School of Music.

Today I made my almost daily pilgrimage to Te Papa where I can get a free copy of the daily paper. As I was leaving I was stopped by a lady doing a survey. I've got loads of free time at the moment so I stopped to speak to her. The result of completing the survey was a voucher for a free coffee - something to look forward to tomorrow!

Where many Scots have gone before

2008-10-13T17:00:00.001-07:00

I'm really enjoying my free time in Wellington and am beginning to have a real soft spot for the city. The waterfront is like a magnate, especially in the sunny weather that we've been having. There are lots of spots for sitting out, and at lunchtime it is busy with people having their lunch or going for a run. When we move to our apartment I'll be able to walk to work along it.

One of the jewels of the waterfront is Te Papa (Our Place) the museum of NZ. It is a really modern museum that covers all aspects of New Zealand, from the first Maori to the potential effects of climate change. I popped in today for a little while and spent some time in the section about the Scottish settlers to NZ. It really reminded me of the legacy of the Scots here and what I owe to these pioneers who paved the way for me to come here. Their legacy remains strong today, which is a good thing for me as it allows me to get my porridge for breakfast and a wee dram for the evening!

http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/Tepapa/English/

Finding our feet

2008-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived in Wellington on Thursday evening and have been getting our bearings. It is fair to say that moods have been up and down. I think that they will continue to be for a while yet.

The weather has been fantastic since we arrived, and everyone that we meet stresses that it won't continue like this!

We've already found somewhere to live and have bought the basics for moving in. Although our stuff doesn't arrive for a few weeks yet we're hoping to make do with the minimum. The apartment has a great view over Wellington Harbour.

Anthony started work today and I met my new work team, although I don't start there until next week. I was due to start on 27th, but that is a national holiday so I'm going to go in at the end of next week - ease myself in.

More eating and drinking

2008-10-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

Went out for a great Korean meal last night. Probably should have foregone the whisky and cigar at the end of the evening as I had a shocking hangover this morning.

Still, we struggled out to the Intercontinental in Kowloon for their buffet lunch - well worthwhile. Nothing like having total control over what you eat when you have a hangover.

I had a plate of fresh fruit, then put the sushi chef to work making me a variety of nigiri and maki. What I really want now is my own sushi chef, but Raff pointed out that it might be a bit J Lo!

We finished the meal with lots of different puds, including mini icecream cones.

Chillin' in HK

2008-10-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

This is our second day in Hong Kong. We took the ferry from Sai Wan Ho over to Lei Yue Mun where there are lots of seafood restaurants. They have tanks full of live fish and seafood and you pick what you want and then go to one of the restaurants to have them cooked. Apparently during the last typhoon there was so much water that much of the stock escaped! You can read about our meal, eaten sitting out over the water, at:

http://foodfindingmission.blogspot.com/

Here are some shots from around about.

On the way

2008-10-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

So we have left the UK. I'll post more about the leaving when I have more time.

We are in Hong Kong staying with friends. It's pretty cool, we're watching the dragonboat racing from their balcony.

The flight was OK, but I didn't get any sleep. Anthony had an air rage incident with the git sitting in front of us!

Looking forward to a few days holiday before the whole new life thing kicks in.

Packing up a storm

2008-09-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today is move day. I went to bed after midnight and was up at 5am. So much still to sort out, and taking care to keep the stuff to go separate from the stuff we need with us. I don't want our passports going on a 3 month boat trip!

Odd to be cleaning mud off boots at 6am. NZ has strict biosecurity regs so all traces of mud etc. must be cleaned off things.

The hardest word?

2008-09-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

Elton says that it's 'sorry', but I'm starting to think that 'goodbye' isn't too hot either. I always knew that this would be one of the toughest periods of the move. All that I really want to do now is to be on my way, as with most things the anticipation is more to deal with than the thing itself.

Intellectually I know that for most people it isn't 'goodbye' but rather 'au revoir'. For some that may not be the case though, and that's hard.

Tuna for Alex

2008-09-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

There are a plethora of places to pick up some lunch near where I work. Like most people, I have my favourites that I return to on a regular basis. One of the naughtier ones is the tuna and cheese toastie from Eat. It has fat, it has calories, it's a treat rather than a staple.

I'm not going to spend this post going on about how it tastes etc (good!), the thing about this sandwich option is the ordering system. At Eat they take your sandwich and put it in the toasting machine and then take your name and write it on a paper bag. Once the sandwich is ready they call out the type of sandwich and your name, as in "Chicken for Dave". This seems like a good system, but it never quite works like that for me.

Normally I am Alex. I can accept this as I know that I can be softly spoken and people don't always hear what I say. How they got to Helen I'm less sure of. It could be worse, my friend Gillian has been Joe on more than one occasion.

Maybe that's part of the driver to move to NZ - to escape my alter ego of Tuna for Alex.

Gerry, Gerry!

2008-09-17T05:18:00.001-07:00

We're in the process of working through all of our opened bottles of alcohol prior to the move. Before the inevitable, and probably unpalatable sake and midori cocktail, there is half a bottle of tequila to see on its way. My normal tequila based tipple is a margarita, but there is a stumbling block - the triple sec is already finished. This left me in a quandary: buy more triple sec and then be left to drink it when the tequila runs out, or drink the tequila in non-margarita form. Then it came to me - there may be a third way, and one that doesn't involve Tony Blair at that!

Gerry's is a Soho institution. If you've never been you should head off there immediately. At the far end of Old Compton Street it has the most amazing range of alcohol you've ever seen, including miniatures and half bottles. In most places you are lucky if you kind find one variety of orange liqueur (aka the devil's semen as my friend Soph would call it), and it's nigh on impossible to find it in miniature form. In Gerry's the conversation went like this:

Me: Hello, I was wondering if you had a miniature of orange liqueur. You know triple sec, grand marnier, cointreau and the like?

Gerrys' man: We have all three of those and a number of others in miniature, what would you like?

Me: Goody, I can have margaritas now!

http://www.gerrys.uk.com/index.aspx

Le weekend c'est non

2008-09-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had planned as our farewell to Europe. Travel out to Paris on Saturday morning, mooch around, spend the night in the ridiculously expensive Hotel Crillon, all paid for with frequent traveller points. Sadly, a fire in the Channel Tunnel seems to have put paid to our plans.

Instead we will have to go for the 'staycation' (vacation at home) option. Perhaps we should speak French to each other, eat French food, and pay someone to be rude to us.

The big sleep

2008-09-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've not been well this week. You know that you're not well when you sleep all day, and then sleep all night too.

We've taken the next step on the road to letting the flat - appointing the agent. They're coming round next week to take pictures etc. Will need to try to make the place look less like the scene of a minor skirmish by then.

Had a lovely weekend visiting friends in the West Country. I'm so envious of them growing their own veg, having pets etc. Hopefully this will be more like the life that we have in NZ.

Everyone's a critic

2008-08-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

We had potential letting agents round today in preparation for renting out the flat. It's odd having someone coming and casting a critical eye over your home.

Having spent so much time working on the flat in the last few weeks I was non-plussed to say the least when one of them asked if we could redecorate because some of the walls have colour on them! I know that people want a 'blank canvass', but it's not as though we've let Kandinsky loose with a troop of 3 year olds and the annual output of Dulux.

It's weird to think about other people living here, but realistically we would have been moving on at some point anyway.

Give it up

2008-08-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the 10 o'clock news and I can't get over the Hillary Clinton supporters who are protesting and saying that they will vote for John McCain. Are these people Democrats or not? Hillary lost, and she knew the risks of not playing the nicey nicey game. Her so called supporters should get over it and get behind Obama.

Feeling the pulse

2008-08-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's the turn of the larder today. Honestly, I don't know how I've managed to acquire so many types of beans and pulses. Looks like we're in for windy few weeks as we eat them up!

Farewell faithful old friends

2008-08-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing the clearout prior to the big move, today got to the wardrobe. Known for my Imelda Marcos-like shoe fetish I was a big brave girl and sent 6 pairs to the charity shop. Handbags didn't escape either and a fair few of them followed the shoes. So it's goodbye and thank you to:

Strappy wedge sandals, as worn to Buck House
Ruby slippers!
Dutch slingbacks
Brown suede mules
Miffy rucksack
Toystory alien and Bagpuss rucksacks

Hopefully they will find new homes.

The 1st post..

2008-08-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

So this is my 1st post.

I've set up this blog to record the ups and downs of our intended move to New Zealand. Once we're there hopefully people will use it to keep up with how we are getting on.

I chose the black background for my blog as it saves energy when the computer displays it. There is a version of Google that does this too: www.blackle.com