Week 2
 

Well, we are still here :rofl:

My job is just fantastic, boss took us out this week with colleagues for a welcome dinner - yet again I can't imagine that in the UK. I have had lots of support from staff and been made to feel genuinely welcome. I work long hours just like I did in the UK but the commuting is so much less that I feel I have my life back :D

We have bought a car (each - we need two) and move into our rented house on Friday with our gorgeous doggies. We went to see the house tonight and a rather large rabbit ran across the front lawn as we drove in - going to need to supervise our killer dogs ;) Actually they'd have been well asleep on our laps by that time :rofl:

We bought some more furniture as ours is at sea, but also we had quite a small house in the UK and realised that our stuff would look teensy weensy in most houses here. We went to Smith City and not only got some bargains but they lent us a suite until ours is delivered :thumbsup:

So what else have we learnt? Haggling is odd.... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Food is pretty expensive, as everyone says. Restaurants are friendly but for the most part of average quality (could be a CHC thing?) It's very VERY dark at night when driving outside the city, and we can see the potential for accidents. It is cold at night still, extra jumpers should have been packed.

But perhaps one of the best finds is the radio station in CHC, The Rock on 93.7. Totally brilliant if you like obscure rock music, better than Kerrang or similar in the UK, with witty presenters not afraid to say it like it is.

So, we're still in heaven, and still thrilled to be here.

:thumbsup:

Jan

Re: Week 2
 

Great to read your update, pleased all going so well for you :thumbsup:
Your boss sounds great and good to hear you are loving your job.

Must admit I was totally freaked the first time I drove at night over in NZ, being a city girl and all! Talk about DARK :eek:!

Also nearly chunderd first time I drove over one very winding hill!


Dewb x

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Hi Jan and Neil

So good to hear how you are getting on......and that your employer is as great as he sounded back when you were going through the visa mill.

You sound like you have been so busy. When you have a moment get yourself out on the dick and have a quiet moment. Yes you really are there and doing it:rofl:

Maria
x

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Hi Jan and Neil, it sounds just wonderful-enjoy :thumbsup: Bevissa xxx

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my new toy..... no way would I have had one on the UK, its 17 years old but here, of course, they don't rot :thumbsup: This is one isn't actually mine, mine doesn't have the targa roof.

Right off to work to drive my new car now ;)


Jan

Re: Week 2
 

lovely to hear from you, I want a boss like yours :thumbsup:

Jan do you mind if I ask what you do for your job?

Tina, x

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Gald everything going so well for you.... car looks fab!
B x

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Nice car! I want one, but have to disagree I prefer the music on Kerrang....:huh: and I also miss music tv, not the same here!

glad your enjoying your job x

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Another lovely update . Karma to you .:)

Train the dogs to bring the rabbits & stick 'em in a pie.

My neighbour just spent a few days down in Canterbury for the specific purpose of shooting loads of rabbits for the freezer.

The unpolluted night sky is one of the best things about NZ . It's wondrous in fact, even if the stars are all in the wrong places. :p

Husband can still get the motion sickness queasies at times when we drive over Takaka Hill , which consists of nothing but hair pin bends and is extremely long.
He gets on me nerves ---- I threaten 'The Hill'

Re: Week 2
 

Good to hear you're settling in and living the dream after all that stress you had in getting here [together]:eek:
Sounds like your employer is treating you well too:thumbsup:
Sue:D

Re: Week 2
 

Lovely, lovely, another update!:thumbsup: My favourite.:o

So pleased to hear it all seems to be coming together. Keep on living the dream!:)

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Great to hear what settling is like for those of us still waiting to make the jump!

Your car looks fab btw!

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Great to hear you have settled in well to life here in NZ. I still have moments of " I can't believe I am really here" as life seems so normal,and as if I have been here for a lot longer than 10 weeks. I too notice the darkness,but really like it. We had a radio station in Glasgow called Rock FM which basically plays the same as here so my OH is well pleased. Really like the car,but where is Neil's?:p Hope you continue to enjoy life here on the South Island. Karma being sent.

Phyl x

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I got a ute, piccy when i can work it out :thumbsup:

Re: Week 2
 

thanks for the continued updates. It's really great to hear how you're getting on as time passes.

Kepp it up please! :thumbsup:

Re: Week 2
 

These rabbits are HUGE Probably scare the dogs to death :rofl:

We move in tonight, said goodbye to the appartment this morning, and had a our favourite meal of choice in town last night, Thai. Must learn to cook it.....


The rented house is in an olive grove, we have no feel for acreage but we think its about 5 acres. I walked all around it last night and it took ages :rofl: Fortunately we don't have to cut all that grass, the olive grove bit is under contract to someone else.

The flowers are coming out, the sky is clear at night, the birds sing in the trees, I can't wait for our first weekend there.


Right, enough of this thread, will do a "week 3" next week :thumbsup:, subtitled, "life in the country" :rofl:

Jan

Re: Week 2
 

5 Acre ........ youll get lost in the garden!!!

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Do you think your 'bunnies' might actually be hares?? :unsure:

We have one on our subdivision (Rolleston) who runs down the road and back a couple of times a day.

I feel quite sorry for the poor thing; its environment is shrinking on an almost daily basis as more sections are bought up. My DH on the other hand wouldn't mind getting in some target practise!! :frown:

If they are hares, they make good dog tucker!!!! :D

Re: Week 2
 

actually yes I think they must be, large heavy and with big ears :ohmy:

We were told the area has a lot of bunnies and possum: haven't seen any possum yet, and, if they are hares, I haven't seen a bunny yet :rofl:

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Yup i have seen that chernobel hare too, firt time I saw it I thought it was a dog!!

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Don't think he's learnt the Green Cross Code yet :ohmy: although he does seem to have a good sense of direction :)

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You've obviously never listened to Planet Rock then, it's worth listening to over the internet and has plenty of obscure classic rock.

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Planet Rock was our DAB station of choice in the UK, but they play a lot of very old rock, and sometime, just sometimes, it got boring. Manchester's new Rock Radio was better, but right now I am really enjoying the tracks they are playing on the Suzuki 1000 countdown at the moment on The Rock :thumbsup:


Jan

Re: Week 2
 

That's very evocative - have a wonderful weekend :thumbsup:

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Glad you are enjoying your 2nd week in the Garden City! We have definitely been having some good weather :thumbup:

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Oh Jan,
5 acres in a Olive grove, what I wouldn't do for that:sneaky:

Sounds idyllic. How lovely:D

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Love the update glad to see that you are settling in well:D looking forward to reading week 3!

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wow 5 acres!!!!!!!! What a dream come true that could be for you both? So pleased for the pair of you and the beauty dogs :thumbsup:

Tina, x

Re: Week 2
 

OK, the dogs.....


they are not our best friends this morning, the little one has discovered that the back fence is not quite continuous and went for a little walk on his own. Bear in mind that I didn't want to disturb the peace yelling his name, but I also don't know the area and didn't have a clue where he might be . He came back, very pleased with his adventure, eventually, and then slept for hours. Need to modify the garden today :rofl:

It's 3.5 acres -ish, we found out yesterday. Still massive, though, to us Brits..:rofl:

The big black GSD came face to face with a hare yesterday: she didn't run after it, but that's probably cos she was trying to work out what it was :D


Jan

Re: Week 2
 

They're SO CUTE!!! :wub: The one of the left looks a lot like one of mine. Thank heavens your dog got back, can't imagine how it felt when he wandered off like that!

3.5 acres must be heaven! I love reading this thread, keep it up :thumbsup:

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Aww they are so sweet :)

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Those dogs are gorgeous. :wub:

:lol:
That reminds me of the first time my cat saw a chicken. The chicken had escaped from next door and was on our porch deck . The cat rounded the corner doing it's thing and came nose to beak with the chicken. Never seen a cat jump straight up, 50 foot, in the air before. Cat instantly decided it preferred it's chicken stuffed and roasted & blamed the toxic ground in the village for the giant mutant bird which was an affront to cathood.

Re: Week 2
 

Thanks for this thread Jan - i am really enjoying it! - it makes it all seem real there eh?
Berni
:thumbsup:

Re: Week 2
 

well, have decided that we MUST block the gap in the fence as it's a bit stressful letting them out now they are getting confident about the area.

Our drive is quite long (pic attached) and Neil went out tonight to put a message for the postman in the letter box. He said the big dogs -not the staffie, he's too unpredictable, supervision only :rofl: ran off into the garden and it's so dark here at night that he couldn't see them :rofl:

Next purchase? Bloody huge torch ;)

Anyway, "week 3" will be full of the details of the delights of rural living.... some quite unusual quirks ;)

I should explain that we thought we would like to live rural, and that although the house seems like a palace to us, from the UK, it's not that expensive to rent, because Christchurch locals think that 28km is so far out of town that they never actually drive that far. To us, commuting all silly hours in the UK, it's peanuts!!! And driving here in the rush hour........ is like driving in Manchester (UK) at midnight :thumbsup:


Jan

Re: Week 2
 

:rofl: I got a mental image of it all!

And surely you meant the chicken was on your "dick" :lol:

Re: Week 2
 

Thanks for the pic, lovely drive, seriously this thread is getting addictive, it's really giving the rest of us an idea of what it's like there. Could this be the beginnings of an Irish eyes-thread in the making? Speaking of which where has she disappeared? :huh:

Some karma on its way to you :)

Re: Week 2
 

Lush drive, I cud do with that at the mo jan & neil to do my running \i would be dead at the end of it mind, lol. Keep enjoying life, you worked hard enough to get there eh?? Is it in the disatnce yet or still fresh in the front of your minds of what those sh**s did to make you both suffer :frown: ?? However, hey, who has the last laugh guys??

At the moment, as ours is dragging, I think of you both every day and what you went through to get there and without us even meeting you have made an inpact on our lives even though you do not know it, ok Im now getting all soppy, so thats it :o

Take care Tina. x

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To be fair, our troubles may not be over as we still don't have PR......... :unsure:

Re: Week 2
 

oh yeah forgot that :o