EEK

It's been so long since I blogged

Making use of Windy Wellington

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

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'

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?

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

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