So here we have it, internet at home at LONG LAST!!! I am sorry blog that I have neglected you for soooooo long. Lord alive, how did we cope without it! I am here wallowing in all my fave sites and D is doing exactly the same thing haha.

Well two momentous things have happened in the last couple of weeks. The first is that I started work (!) and am now into week 2. What a shift in psychology that has been!!! People are so much more laid back and the office is empty by 4.30 every afternoon! Not that people don't work hard but everyone starts at about 7am and leaves at 3!! Ah if only I could a) get out of bed that early and b) rid myself of the UK work ethich of working obscenely long hours! I am sure that it will filter on down at some point but it is early days yet! The hardest thing about work is trying to understand the cultural differences and attitudes towards the charitable sector. I am so irritated with myself for having to refer back to the UK all the time but as that is where all my work experience is there ain't too much I can do about it! I'm trying to keep it to asking if the same is here as it is in the UK but sometimes I slip up. But everyone is seriously nice and there are some really exciting things happening.

And the second thing is that the doggie arrived  she has now been here for just over a week and it is like we are complete now she's arrived. We had a THREE HOUR wait at customs to pick her up and by the time we got to her they'd just left her in her crate for the whole time, we thought they would have at least put her in a run or something. She was so excited to see us but then so distressed going home which was horrible, she just couldn't stop yodling in the car. Once we got her indoors she was much better. She travelled over with another dog that had nearly bitten his way through his crate there was a MASSIVE hole! So between the two of them she can't have gotten much sleep!!! She then slept for most of the day and then had jetlag and was up at 3 in the morning whining for food  we were rather tired come Monday! But she is now curled up on my knee fast asleep and it was such a joy to take her out to Mission Bay for the first time for walkies. This Saturday I am hoping to take her to hang out with the other pooches at Starbucks which seems to be where all the local dogs hang out. She's already met a couple. For a country that forces its animals to live outside, they do adore their dogs here!!! Oh well!

Er what else has happened? Oooh yesterday we got a tumble dryer, we do now have a sofa but can't get the bigger one into the lounge because our hallway is too narrow  and D promises me that he will take a window out but I haven't seen much action on that front yet. We also have no tv and actually I never thought I would say this but it would be nice to have a telly because it just helps form the home in a strange way? So good to have internet back because I thought I would go stir crazy with just 4 walls to stare at the last few weeks!!!

Aside from a health scare back in the UK which was pretty horrid, things are going so well here. Aside from my first day, I have cycled to work every day even in hail and driving wind (I nearly got blown off my bike), we've tried our hardest to cook at home most nights and have initiated Sunday fush n chups coz our chippy does the most amazing takeaway. I simply can't get over  how beautiful my cycle to work is every day and harking back to the painful (and expensive) commute in the UK.

Last weekend we thought we would go exploring and chucked the dog into the car (oh yes! we got a car! I am the proud owner of a BMW!!! can you adam and eve it hahahahaha!) and on Saturday we went all the way round the bays to Cockle Bay which was just lovely but rather bizarre as everyone had put out their unwanted stuff and people were just helping themselves. It was so strange because it was such a posh area as well! Then on Sunday we went to the West Coast and explored round there and it was AMAZING I think I may have found my dream location to live. 20 mins from the centre of everything but literally out in what felt like a jungle and houses had proper sections rather than along the East Coast where it was rather built up. Oh it was wonderful! I loved looking out over the Manukau Shelf thingy thinking wow next stop Oz!

So far then, blog, so good. Aside from fromage frais, scampi, central heating and Waitrose low fat cheese there isn't anything that I miss at all (and the central heating is not quite so bad as I have a wonderful fan heater and our house does heat up quite nicely). Family and friends is a given but the lovely thing here is that we are catching up with so many friends that we haven't seen for ages and ages too. Last week a friend of mine just left Auckland to move to the Mount, and next week I hope we will mooch down to Hamilton to see another buddy of mine. And in between the other G in D's life just had baby number 2 and it has been so nice to see them as well! So there are positives in everything.

Right then best go do some other internet stuff that I haven't had a chance to do yet! I promise I will put some pics up soon! xxx