Living Like a Small Green Hairy Fruit

Another Week in Paradise

17 December 2007

Well another week has flown by, is it just me or does time actually go quicker here?!  It doesn't seem 5 minutes since we were at the motel and flying around trying to sort our new life here out, but we've been here nearly 7 months.

Last week was a mixed bag weather wise.  It started off a sorching 34deg, though not humid or muggy, it remained hot at night too.  Then we had 2 or 3 days of rain on and off, although it stayed warm.

Fortunately there's now a ceiling on the time I have to work till so no more finishing at 1.30am! The coming week will be busy stocking the store for the expected Christmas rush.  Yes, its the same here. The store will only be closed for 1 day, Christmas Day, but I've been told that people still panic buy and stock up like they're never going to see food on the shelves again! 

I met Helen for coffee on Friday.  Despite the on/off rain, it was dry and warm enough to sit outside one of the townstreet cafes.  Seems like ages since I've seen here and we sat and chatted for an hour or so swapping notes on kiwi employers and how things are going in general.  She's got PR (permanent residency) too now and we were so pleased for them (well I was, Mark was a bit disappointment the objection he lodged to their application fell on deaf ears, LOL!).

Mark's fly rod FINALLY arrived on Friday.  After waiting well over a week and with much confusion over the address, district we lived in, etc, the guy from the store actually delivered it in person on his way home from work.  Its a really neat set up in a smart wooden case and comes complete with reel, line, flies and leader line.  I gave Mark an early Christmas present of a book on Fly Fishing (unfortunately not by JR Hartley!). 

Saturday we woke up to clear blue sky and that damned hot sun again.  We were going to go fishing early but Kaela had gone for a hastily planned at school that day sleepover on Friday night to a friend's house in Oxford.  And with the few days of rain we'd had the garden had been overrun with weeds so we spent Saturday morning tidying up the garden and vegge patch and clearing an unused and overgrown bit of the one of the flower borders for more veg.  Mark got another load of not so pleasantly fragranced pig poo to dig in.  Shaun popped round with Zach.  We don't see them hardly at all since they moved to the wop wops and especially less now that Liz is working weekends.  Mark headed off to the sports shop and came back with backing line, fly gel and bait cotton and a gas tilly lamp.  I helped him spool the various lines onto his reel and then he took himself off to the garden to practise casting into the wheelbarrow.  He did look quite professional actually although he lost the bobble dummy fly up in the cherry tree.

Kaela was brought home having had a great time at her mates house.  They'd been to her friends church Friday night for an Oscars night and had sausage and chips in a cup and played games.

We did about half the garden and then packed up and headed off for Kairaki beach.  We got loads of bits but no real takers.  Mark caught a decent sized herring and kept it. One or two little ones that went back.  It got to about 8.30pm so we stopped and got fish, burgers and chips and went down to the riverbank so that Mark could have a go with his fly rod.  Kaela, having only worn shorts and a t-shirt and for once not remembering to pack spare clothes (usually she brings enough for a fortnight) was cold so she wrapped a beach towel round herself and stayed in the car where Andrew tormented her till we couldn't take the screaming and arguing anymore so Andrew was ordered to sit on the spot on the riverbank and shutup (never too old for time out!!!) which he did.  By 9.30pm it was starting to get dark, so Mark lit the tilly lamp.  We always take the camping stove so I made us all hot drinks.  I went further down the river and tried spinning with the vague notion that I might just catch a salmon. But no.  Mark and Andrew went off the gather wood around 10.30pm and built a campfire and by 11pm Kaela daned to join us.  Sadly Mark lost two flies and caught no fish so he had a go spinning, but no luck with that either.  It was a really still night, not even a breeze and not cold - Mark was still in shorts and t-shirt and it was just lovely sitting around having seen the sunset and the sky turn to night and with no light pollution the masses of stars twinkling away.  The river was still as a millpond apart from the odd ripple and splash of elusive fish jumping.  If you tuned out the kids, it was lovely and peaceful and serene.

We got home around midnight I guess.  Kids went straight to bed, shattered.  We put everything away and had a quick tidy round.  The kitchen counter was fully of veg we'd picked from the garden; a cauliflower, 3 huge cabbages and a heap of new potatoes.  Mark blanched the cauliflower and put it in the freezer. We tried a bit and It tasted so sweet and crisp. Lovely. Too tired to do anymore, we checked the emails - of which there were none! (why have you all stopped writing to us?????!!!!) and went to bed.

 Sunday 16 December 2007

My sister's birthday!  I sent a text, then realisesd it wasn't yet the 16th in England, der!  Happy Birthday Penny!  Hope you had a great day.

Woke to the promised nor'wester, the scorching hot, dry wind and blue sky.  Bit of a lazy morning, sorting washing and tidying up.  Mark blanched the cabbages and they went into the freezer too.  Then around 12.30pm we set off for Kairaki again.  We watched the car thermometer reading the outside temperature climb.  I guessed it would hit 27deg, Mark reckoned 29deg.  We stopped for frozen bait at the garage and ice lollies and I got the lady to wrap them in a separate bag and then put them in with the bait so they wouldn't melt.  It had gone up to 33deg inside and outside the car so Mark had put the air con on.  It was only a 5 minute drive, if that, to the beach but it helped us cool down a bit.  We didn't go as far round this time and stayed on the river mouth side.  The heat was blistering but Kaela insisted on sunbathing anyway against all advice to the contrary.  There is no shade on the beach, the pine forest is set well back to offer any relief.  A passing dog took refuge under our car.  Mark set the lines up and I went to chat to an old boy just up the beach.  He was spinning for salmon.  I asked if he'd had any luck since the season started (on 1 December).  He said he'd caught a 24lb salmon just last Monday.  Very impressive.  Wish we could land something like that!  I set my line up and we used Bonito this time.  First cast and I caught a decent sized Kahawai straight away!  Andrew got two fish on one line at the same time and was well impressed with that.  Mark caught loads but opted to put them all back.  I caught a few more and kept a couple.  I think we caught about 15 between us altogether, herring and kahawai of which we kept 5.  Kaela just caught far too much sun for her own good and was positively glowing by the time we packed up.

Kaela was in a mischievious mood and kept splashing around in the sea right where Andrew was trying to fish.  I told her off and sent her to go play in the sea to the other side of me, well out of taunting range of her brother.  She was really ancy.  Whilst she was angrily splashing her feet around with her back to us in disgust Mark run up behind her, scooped her up and threw her in.  This made her giggle, as always, and she couldn't keep her bad mood up then.  Mark barely let her get out of the water before doing it again, and again.  And again.  It wasn't too long before Andrew, not wanting to miss out, dropped his line and ambled over pretending to paddle too, just so dad would throw him in too. Which, not one to miss such an opportunity, Mark did.  They spent about 20 minutes running round screaming and trying to get past Mark who was chasing them round and round the car and along the beach catching them and throwing them back in.  It was great.  They kept trying to gang up on him and get him in the sea but no chance, he's a strong as an ox and there was no way they were going to get the better of him.

We left the beach very happy with our day's catch, very hot, and burnt but very happy indeed.  As soon as we got home I hit the shower (work that night), Andrew began gutting fish, Kaela ironed all the school uniforms and work clothes and Mark took Leo down to the river to cool down and have a good swim and play.

We'd all caught the sun a bit too much today and laddled on loads of After Sun.  Mark's back and the tops of his shoulders were particularly sore.  My legs up to the line of my shorts were so red it looked like I'd been stood in boiling water.  And Kaela, well she was a glowing beetroot, arms, shoulders, chest but she kept insisting it didn't hurt, wasn't tight or sore, etc.

And for dinner that night we had fresh kahawai and herring, beautifully filleted, dressed, seasoned and BBQd by Mark, hot buttery homegrown potatoes, homegrown cauliflower gratin.  Mark even used the dill from the herb garden for the fish.  It was all so tasty and very satisfying to be dining on the fruits of our labour.

It had been a wonderful end to a great weekend, even though I had to go off to work.

I went in to kiss the kids goodnight when I got in from work.  Kaela wasn't wrapped tightly in her duvet as she usually is.  She just had her old nanny blanket lightly covering her.  Guess she was suffering afterall then.

Great stuff guys

7:41 PM, Monday 17 December 2007 .. Posted by Wiz'n'Ton

You really are living the life, and good on ya. Seems that you've all sussed the fishing too now - respect to all. Have a great Christmas!

Loving reading your Blog!!!!

8:10 AM, Friday 21 December 2007 .. Posted by Nic-Nac94

Heya..x Its Nicky from the Isle of Wight Ive been checking your blog and NZ sounds great!!! Hope you werent too sun burnt Kaela..x Hope everyone's ok out there..x Love to you all ..
Nicky..x

Me again sorry..x

8:12 AM, Friday 21 December 2007 .. Posted by Nic-Nac94

I 4got to say Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year..x