Am Loolah

... and what's not to like?

Oh, ok, I have my rose tinted glasses surgically implanted to side of face.

The weather HAS taken a turn for the worse. It's been raining and windy and bl**dy cold. But only last week I was having a lunch picnic with the youngest on the beach in t-shirts??? This week I'm growing the hairs on my legs and chest to try to instigate some kind of heat retention. Next week I'm hoping to be able to plait them. (7 weeks agenda is a small jumper or at the very least a scarf when I've plucked and knitted.)

But it's not good in a new build house to have 2 gas fires and 2 rooms with underfloor heating and that's it. But I will NOT be a whingeing Pom!!

The racism is crap here and has really surprised me and shocked me. From English, white Kiwi's and yet, thus far, not from the Maori's. I'm not a fan of racism, it's my bug bear, I'm not a tree hugger,more from the school of why can't everyone just get on?

The education system actually seems to have suited our kids so far. Not too stretched, but not too easy either, ,kinda muddling on which is just fine 2 months in.

People have been really friendly and really helpful ... this is a huge plus side for us. I am lucky in that I am working and I have been taken to the breast (of the corporate beast) so to speak. Hubby is at home with youngest and doing the House Husband thing and is feeling a little isolated. Also we have noticed that mentioning to Kiwi Man what Hubby does doesn't go down very well. (Mr LardyL correct me if I'm wrong?)

But I love it and I'm still firmly rooted in the "Honeymoon" period. Sadly, I am one who leans towards delusion tendacies (Mrs Robbie Williams for one ... ) but I'm giving NZ the tumbs up still ... Kerching!!!

Lenmil

Nice post. I found the Maori to be great. I went for a drink with one them. Great bloke. But the stares we got was amazing. I had comments to me from Kiwis and Aussies. But in the UK i have been nothing but nice and freindly and helpful to the same sort here. I keep asking do Anzacs get treated like this in the UK. Still waiting on that one.

One word i was told summed it up. Conservative.

ceri75

you suffer from the same delusion as me
i'm happy alls going well for you & good luck with the scarf....maybe thats a long shot, aim for a thumb warmer first
ceri

Am Loolah

It's seemingly a "little" thing but we've learnt this week of an English family who may return to the UK because of the racism? We've also turned a deaf ear to the "our brown friends" comments, which we don't feel good about. Our kids have told us comments that the Maori kids say to them which aren't good. It's all swings and roundabouts ... but when you come from PC UK it's a shocker! Where do we stand? Hubby's half Maori? Kids are a quarter Maori? Why can't people just get on?

Am Loolah

Or Willy Warmer ... not for the Robster obviously!!!!!!!!! (Oh and you are deluded.)

Am Loolah

Oh and I'd just like to add ... for the record ... capitalism, fatist, sexist, uglist and all other known judge-mental "ism's" are ok to a certain extent coz fickl(ism) is Human Nature???

SarahB

Hiya.... good to hear that you still like it here. Weather has definately taken a bit of a turn for the worse hasnt it, but jolly glad Im not down in SI.... I'm too much of a wimp... hate being cold!

We've just passed out 2 years here but I still havnt got round to doing an update.... just not finding time at the moment.

Am Loolah

Hello stranger, how are you and Hayley and the family?

Doesn't time fly and you haven't got enough hours in the day?

Are you feeling better? Through the homesickness or is it still rearing it's ugly head in the background?

SarahB

Hello..... hello....

We've all had a horrible winter virus.... its dragging on and on... fed up with it now. DS is OK now and has got over it but me and Hayley still have it. She was up last night crying as she couldnt breathe properly. Ive had them to the docs but its definately viral so not a lot we can do about it.... it cant last much longer can it??!!

The homesickness seemed to be PND so Ive been to the docs at last about it.... had it a few months after I had DS too... I kinda knew what it was but didnt want to admit it... Still missing my folks but they are about to book their flights soon for January so thats something to look forward to.

karonious

Sorry to hear that Sarah. You have done the right thing though by going to see your GP so hopefully you will start to feel better soon.

And Caroline: 3 months nearly? I did hear there was a national Bolly drought........anything to do with you??

Am Loolah

Not at $95 a bottle and I've not made a cent yet no, sadly!!

Sarah, good on you for facing up to it, that's half the battle won.

I suffered terribly with number 2 but didn't know it at the time and basically hubby dealt with her, the eldest and me single handed. I only grasped this concept when I realised I had no recollection of her as a baby. Very sad ... but hey, we can't change what has gone before?!

I'm dreading my mum coming for just the 3 months!!!

lardyl

hiya, well done, we're five months in now and just starting to take root - as far as your points I have quoted then you have it about right IMHO. As far as Kiwi man's view of anyone's hubbs being a house-husband goes then MrsL never really has an issue - mainly because she works with a load of women. For me going to school to collect the kids was not a problem, but again there were many mothers, grannies, aunties and yes a few blokes, but I hardly really spoke to them - too busy keeping the little un (20mths) under control. There are no worries with me working 4 days/week and I am just about to go back full-time whilst MrsL goes back to 3 days/wk. LL

Am Loolah

Ahhh, then you appear to have balance formula worked out then?! "Good on ya" ... Did you struggle to meet other people while at home with sprogs - hubby feeling bit isolated/neglected/lonely?

lardyl

I can believe that - even in the built-up areas people are conservative, parochial and verging, dare I say it, on simplistic in their views about the world and other races. Perhaps it is the predominantly rural NZ coming into contact with a globalised world, with many of the more worldly-wise people leaving for Oz or off on an OE then there will be a concentration of the less tolerant, more conservative people behind. Having said that, you would expect as Kiwis are pretty well travelled that some of that would help to overcome all the -isms. Maybe coming from the UK with its reputation for integration and tolerance, its geographic location as a hub of multi-lingual, multi-cultural europe and the steeping of all of these beenits in a long history of contact with other groups then we have a high standard to compare with. Or is that just my rose-tinted homesick-goggles getting in the way??

lardyl

yes, especially as where we rented was a Conservative area in a conservative country and ours was a holiday home for most of the year. We never spoke to one neighbour in spite of being surrounded on almost every side by sub-divisions. And the naysayers can't suggest that I am an introvert - when we moved into our last home in the UK we had a house-warming weekend as there were so many locals and friends/family to cater for! In fact I was around their gaffs (2 or 3 houses as I recall) drinking beer and chatting on the day after arrival!