been a while

Posted on Fri 8 June 2007 at 11:28

I don’t seem to have done this for ages, so my apologies if anyone is interested in them.

Where to start?

Steve celebrated his birthday on the 26^th of last month so I need to say:

Happy Birthday STEVEN!

Thank-you for the birthday cards, he really appreciated them.  Melissa made him a rather nice bone carving amulet which he wears all the time, I gave him some paua shell cufflinks, some aftershave and he bought himself a telescope.  The sky here is just so clear it is such a sound investment to buy one.  The only drawback is that Hamilton itself is pretty foggy over the winter so the nights aren’t always as clear as you would wish to be for star-spotting!  However, it’s not as bad as I though it would be – like I have said previously, living in sunny Peterhead has set us up a treat for living here: nothing on God’s earth could ever, ever be that bad!

We went to see the Pirates of the Caribbean III at a local cinema and very good it was too.  The cinema is brand new and I have to say, it is about the best I have ever been in.  Very steep – like a lecture theatre, so the people in front would have to be about 9 foot tall to get in your line of vision.  And the seats were so big and comfy with lots of leg room, it was the blueprint for how cinemas ought to be built.  So well done Hamilton for that!

Steve seems to be permanently on a course at the moment.  Funny how much things have changed (moving halfway round the world) but still stay the same.  He has certainly seen more of New Zealand than I have:  I ought to get him on here to give you his observations; but that ain’t happening tonight!  He has been to Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington on courses and I get left at home to hold the fort as usual!  Don’t tell him: we eat takeaway every night he is away!!!!

I have probably mentioned this one before but it has come up again today and I feel the need to share it with you.  Kiwi men love their own legs.  This is apparent in the shorts they wear.  Bearing in mind, the Kiwi mentality doesn’t allow for the throwing out of anything whatsoever, so those old dated clothes that you or I may have binned years ago are still lurking at the back of  a Kiwi cupboard.  This is probably down to the fact that wages are considerably less here and recycling is always good.  Not knocking it, merely an observation.  Sooo, the shorts from the 80’s – skimpy, up to the danger zone nearly?  Yup, still alive and kicking in God’s own country!!  Now, there is a choice of footwear that adapts itself admirably to the said skimpy shorts: either gumboots (wellies to you or I) or flip-flops with winter socks!!  I don’t know that I can ever take either without a broad grin on my face but that is the done thing here, so good luck to them and all who sail in them!

We have had one frost so far this winter, and this is now mid(ish) December by all accounting.  I took a patient out the other day and as it was quite warm as we left the ward, I didn’t take my coat.  It then proceeded to piss down.  I was frozen.  But it shows the unpredictability of the weather here.  For those who know me, you know full well I have to carry a coat at least all winter.  It’s an insurance policy:  if I don’t take it, it will be so cold I can’t move; if I do take, I then have to carry it everywhere!.  Better safe than sorry!  But it really caught me out the other day, so mild it is like early summer, never mind winter.  I love it here!

What else: nothing really.  I have found that I miss decent architecture.  Steve tells me that Christchurch looks and feels a bit like York, especially Shipton Road, which was the main drive though from Rawcliffe where we lived prior to the big move.  We are half-planning a campervan exploration of the South Island early next year so for those with plans to come and visit, please, please don’t try to turn up on our doorstep unannounced  as we may well have other plans!

Lovely to talk to you the other night Debbie, pleased to hear your plans are coming together.

Congratulations to Jac and Adie from the BE site:  first of all they emigrate and then they decide to up sticks and move to Wellington.  As if the initial emigration wasn’t enough, they have now decided to move on again.  Although we haven’t met that often, I feel we have become good mates so I will be sad to see them go.  Bon voyage to you and your pets, hope it all goes well and hope to see you in the near future (that means put us up when we visit!)

We went to the computer games shop recently and nearly bought 2 game packs that took our fancy.  As we stood at the counter and the chap slotted them into the packaging, he asked if we really wanted them right now, as they had a sale on in a fortnight's time and they would both be half-price.  I was completely taken aback.  can you imagine that happening in the UK.  Well, I will answer for you: no, you can't as it has certainly never happened in my memory. So, Thursday morning, my colleague Phillip came round and picked me up and we were 2 games geeks together, browsing the sales!.  I hasten to add, we weren't the first in the doors at 9am as some little shite beat us to it, but we were close.  So, 4 games and over $100 later, I was a happy bunny!  As it turns out, I don't think the games pack I bought for myself is really the type of thing I can play as I am very rigid in my gaming (what a sad bastard I am!). 

Enough people, speak to you soon!