Ok, ok so we are shockingly bad at updating the blog at the moment - is there anyone actually still reading this?
We are now in the midst of winter, still trying to get my head round the fact that we are in August and it’s cold. All the kiwi’s are flitting overseas to the Pacific Isles or England/Europe for mid winter break, but we are still in Christchurch, with plans to go to Wanaka skiing in a week or so, I’d love to go on a sunny break, but guess I’ll have to wait for summer to hit.
Not much has been happening to be honest. Si’s parents left in February after a great visit, hopefully they enjoyed SI and the sights it has to offer. It’s hard to track back to what we did, put managed to tour south island with a few nights spent in Queenstown just chilling out and being a tourist. It was sad to see them go, after a few upsetting days later.
I’m still working for the coal company, in IT admin, Si is still with the Army and about to enter a period of time where he will be here, there and everywhere over the next few months. The good news is that I’ve found out that I have been accepted to join the NZ Police, bad news is that it’s a years wait which is incredibly frustrating, especially when there is a national recruiting campaign on at the moment as they are short of recruits. I’m just keen to get on, get a career again if I can and not do what I’m doing at the moment.
We have not really been up to that much to be honest, bit’s of DIY around the house - painting of rooms, working out what to do with the garden and generally taking it easy. We have only been able to get out skiing the once so far this year, but we will be away next week down to Wanaka with Nic and Whit for a couple of days.
We did have a mid-winter (Xmas) party in June at the SNCO’s mess at Si’s work. It was incredibly surreal, cold and dark, with Xmas tree and lights up, with Xmas music being played and a Xmas dinner - but in June. Quite tame really, the Kiwi’s are strange sometimes, in that soon as dinner has been served, they all flit off and don’t hang around for the rest of the nights activities.
Two weeks later we decided to finally have a house warming party at home. Had quite a few people turn up, people who we have met from the last 18 months, some of the girls from my work the rest made up of Si’s work colleagues. Kiwi’s do a great thing over here, in that you can ask for ‘bring a plate’, where everyone brings a dish and their own beer! Yes it does keep the cost down of throwing a party yourself, which may seem a bit tightish (but hey why not when you are earning shite kiwi wages for a living). The night was made up with the dining table being turned into a poker table for a tournament, PS2 being brought along so that teams could sit on the sofa and play Buzz (a quiz game), plus we also had to put the Rugby on as the All Black’s were playing (for the Kiwi’s not Si and I). All in all a good night was had by all (I think), and luckily for me, some of the guests slept over, got up real early the next morning and tidied up for me. Sorry we did not take any photographs that night.
Simon says:
This winter has been far milder than last years, though our woodstack is still taking a hammering. Tracey doesn’t like the temperature in the lounge to drop below 23C.
We did manage to get out today and enjoy the fine weather with a walk along Sumner sea front. Some far more hardy souls were even out surfing in the powerful swell. It was unbelievable to be out in the warmth when you consider this is the equivalent of a Northern Hemisphere February.
See the photos, honestly it was busier than it looks, just some cunning angles to take pictures from.
So another weekend completed, they go far too fast, ironing is done, chicken is in the oven, Si is playing on the Wi and roll on 1930 when Top Gear is on…. Just like being back in the UK eh, some things never change…..
